As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 26, 2021

Registration No. 333-        

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

_________________

FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

_________________

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

_____________________________

Cayman Islands

 

6770

 

N/A

(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)

 

(Primary Standard Industrial
Classification Code Number)

 

(I.R.S. Employer
Identification Number)

_____________________________

7F
77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue
Almaty
050040
Kazakhstan
+7 (727) 355-0151
(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

_____________________________

Donald J. Puglisi
Puglisi & Associates
850 Library Avenue, Suite 204
Newark, Delaware 19711
(302) 738-6680

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

_____________________________

Copies to:

Alan I. Annex, Esq.
Jason T. Simon, Esq.

Yuta N. Delarck, Esq.

Greenberg Traurig, P.A.
333 S.E. 2
nd Avenue
Miami, FL 33131
Tel: (305) 579
-0576
Fax: (305) 579
-0717

 

David Alan Miller, Esq.
Jeffrey M. Gallant, Esq.
Graubard Miller
The Chrysler Building
405 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10174
Tel: (212) 818
-8800
Fax: (212) 818
-8881

_____________________________

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box.

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer

 

 

Accelerated filer

 

Non-accelerated filer

 

 

Smaller reporting company

 

       

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 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.

 

Table of Contents

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

Title of each Class of Security being registered

 

Amount
being
Registered

 

Proposed
Maximum
Offering
Price Per
Security
(1)

 

Proposed
Maximum
Aggregate
Offering
Price
(1)

 

Amount of
Registration
Fee

Units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary
share, and one warrant(2)

 

17,250,000 Units

 

$

10.00

 

$

172,500,000

 

$

18,820

 

Class A ordinary shares included as part of the units(2)(3)

 

17,250,000 Shares

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4)

Warrants included as part of the units(2)(3)

 

17,250,000 Warrants

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4)

Class A ordinary shares underlying warrants includes as part of the units(2)(3)

 

17,250,000 Shares

 

$

11.50

 

$

198,375,000

 

$

21,643

 

Total

     

 

   

$

370,875,000

 

$

40,463

 

____________

(1)      Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee.

(2)      Includes 2,250,000 units, consisting of 2,250,000 Class A ordinary shares and 2,250,000 redeemable warrants underlying such units which may be issued on exercise of a 45-day option granted to the underwriters to cover over-allotments, if any.

(3)      Pursuant to Rule 416, there are also being registered an indeterminable number of additional securities as may be issued to prevent dilution resulting from share splits, share dividends or similar transactions.

(4)      No fee pursuant to Rule 457(g).

The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

  

 

Table of Contents

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state or jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED JULY 26, 2021

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

$150,000,000

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

15,000,000 Units

________________

Oxus Acquisition Corp. is a newly formed blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” While we may pursue an initial business combination with any target business and in any sector or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on targets in energy transition technologies, such as battery materials, energy storage, electric vehicle (“EV”) infrastructure and advanced recycling in emerging/frontier countries including the Commonwealth of Independent States (“CIS”), South and South-East Asia and Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”) regions. We do not have any specific business combination under consideration and we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction with our company. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will redeem 100% of the public shares for a pro rata portion of the trust account, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein.

This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Each warrant will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. We have granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,250,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.

Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our “sponsor,” and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited, the managing underwriters of this offering (and/or their respective designees), have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 6,900,000 warrants, or “private warrants,” at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $6,900,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 6,150,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital, Inc, and Sova Capital Limited and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 675,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 36,685 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.10 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The private warrants are identical to the warrants underlying the units sold in this offering.

Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, own an aggregate of 4,312,500 of Class B ordinary shares (up to 562,500 shares of which are subject to forfeiture depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised), which will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination. On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law.

There is presently no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We intend to apply to list our units on the Nasdaq Capital Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “OXUSU” on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect the Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be traded on Nasdaq under the symbols “OXUS” and “OXUSW,” respectively.

We are an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act and will therefore be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 27 of this prospectus for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

Per Unit

 

Total

Public offering price

 

$

10.00

 

$

150,000,000

Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)

 

$

0.20

 

$

3,000,000

Proceeds, before expenses, to us

 

$

9.80

 

$

147,000,000

____________

(1)        The underwriters have received and will receive compensation in addition to the underwriting discount, including 300,000 Class A ordinary shares, which we refer to as the “underwriter founder shares.” See “Underwriting” for further information relating to the underwriting compensation we will pay in this offering.

Upon consummation of the offering, an aggregate of $151,500,000 (or $174,225,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) or $10.10 per unit sold to the public in this offering will be deposited in a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. Except as described in this prospectus, these funds will not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our redemption of our public shares.

The underwriters are offering the units on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to purchasers on or about               , 2021.

________________

Joint Book-Running Managers

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

 

Sova Capital Limited

            , 2021

 

Table of Contents

You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus. We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with different information. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted.

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

 

1

SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

 

26

RISK FACTORS

 

27

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

49

USE OF PROCEEDS

 

50

DIVIDEND POLICY

 

53

DILUTION

 

54

CAPITALIZATION

 

56

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

57

PROPOSED BUSINESS

 

61

MANAGEMENT

 

80

PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

 

87

CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

 

90

DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

 

93

SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

 

107

TAXATION

 

109

UNDERWRITING

 

118

LEGAL MATTERS

 

128

EXPERTS

 

128

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

 

128

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

F-1

i

Table of Contents

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing. References in this prospectus to “we,” “us” or “our company” refer to Oxus Acquisition Corp. References to “private warrants” are to the warrants that our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital will be purchasing from us in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with this offering. References in this prospectus to our “public shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares, sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and references to “public shareholders” refer to the holders of our public shares, including our sponsor (as defined below), officers and directors to the extent they purchase public shares, provided that their status as “public shareholders” shall only exist with respect to such public shares. References in this prospectus to “public warrants” are to (1) our redeemable warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market) and (2) any private warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans that are sold to third parties that are not the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. References in this prospectus to our “management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors, references to our “directors” are to our current directors and our director nominees named in this prospectus, references to our “founder shares” are to our Class B ordinary shares issued prior to this offering, and our Class A ordinary shares issued upon the conversion thereof as provided herein (for the avoidance of doubt, such Class A ordinary shares will not be “public shares”), references to our “underwriter founder shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares issued to EarlyBirdCapital, Sova Capital and their designees, references to our “initial shareholders” are to the holders of our founder shares, and references to our “sponsor” are to Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., a company affiliated with our officers and directors. References in this prospectus to our “ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares, collectively. References in this prospectus to “EarlyBirdCapital” are to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc., and to “Sova Capital” are to Sova Capital Limited, the managing underwriters of this offering. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities issued in a transaction, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt, that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for our ordinary shares. Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.

General

We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” While we may pursue an initial business combination with any target business and in any sector or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on targets in energy transition technologies, such as battery materials, energy storage, EV infrastructure and advanced recycling in emerging/frontier countries including the CIS, South and South-East Asia and MENA regions. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. None of our officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates has engaged in any substantive discussions on our behalf with representatives of other companies regarding the possibility of a potential business combination with us.

We intend to source our initial business combination opportunities through the networks of our management team who collectively have extensive experience in investing and operating businesses in our target regions. We believe that our strong ties in these regions will help to identify, structure, finance, acquire and support the operation of a business combination target and, therefore, drive value creation for all stakeholders. In addition, our management team has unique sector knowledge based on their experience, including with respect to existing businesses as well as prior investments, which range from mining battery metals to the development of the next-generation solid state batteries for electric vehicles. Our directors have significant experience with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures which we believe will be useful in the evaluation of potential targets and the structuring of the business combination as well as management of the company post-combination.

We believe, companies operating across energy transition verticals in emerging/frontier economies encounter difficulties in accessing capital from traditional sources. We believe that we have the opportunity to create an attractive business combination that will enable a target company to access the capital markets, thereby providing it with a growth capital.

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Market opportunity

We believe that new energy transition technologies are one of the great investment opportunities for the next three decades. Energy transition is a transformational force, with a technology-based shift from fossil fuels to renewables and low-carbon fuels at its core. Key technologies and services include battery materials, energy storage, EV infrastructure and advanced recycling. Our team is focused on targeting sourcing materials and supply channels for advanced economies with an emphasis on rapid scaling opportunities in local markets of well understood technologies already in use in the US, Europe and China. We are seeking regional and national businesses that have adapted and optimized these technologies to local demographic trends and cultural habits.

The key energy transition technologies are hitting an inflection point across the value chain. Energy and natural resources consulting firm, Wood Mackenzie, estimates a minimum of $50 trillion in investment opportunities in low-carbon solutions over the next three decades.

According to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (“BNEF”), $501.3 billion has been invested in 2020 to decarbonization, where the majority has been invested into renewable energy capacity (61%) and electric vehicles and associated charging infrastructure (28%). The number of countries that pledge to achieve net-zero-emissions continue to grow. Many national regulatory bodies have already adopted legislation to incentivize a shift to lower-emission and zero emission vehicles. In the light of this, most every global automaker have announced plans or are already producing new battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles, including Ford, GM, Daimler, BMW, Hyundai and Kia. The high priority granted to EV production in the last number of years has led to the emergence of a significant number of private companies that create state-of-art industrial technologies and solutions. We believe that these private companies could benefit from access to the public equity markets, our strong ties in the region and access to technologies to build up a scale, accelerate growth, and secure supply chains of raw materials. We intend to pursue companies across the whole energy transition value chain, covering the supply chain of battery raw materials (Li, Ni, Co, and various rare earth metals), energy storage solutions, development of EV infrastructure, and recycling of used batteries in emerging/frontier countries including the CIS, South and South-East Asia, and MENA regions.

Our Founder and Management Team

We will seek to capitalize on the substantial deal sourcing, investing and operating expertise of our founder, non-executive Chairman and director, Kenges Rakishev, our Chief Executive Officer, Kanat Mynzhanov, and our Chief Financial Officer, Askar Mametov, as well as our independent directors, Shiv Vikram Khemka, Christophe Charlier and Sergei Ivashkovsky.

Mr. Rakishev is a global investor and entrepreneur who focuses on acquiring and investing in businesses that can benefit from his group’s operating expertise. Over the course of his career, Mr. Rakishev has acquired and directly or indirectly invested in more than 50 businesses in metals & mining, oil, petrochemical, banking, fintech, information technology, ecommerce, logistics and insurance industries, including a current portfolio of ten active companies worldwide. He is the sole shareholder and chief executive officer of Fincraft Group LLP (“Fincraft”)(listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2019), chairman of the board of Fincraft Resources JSC (formerly SAT & Company)(listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2008), chairman of the board of Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., director of Evoshare Limited, president of Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, independent director of Satbayev Kazakh National Technical University, co-founder of Saby Charitable Foundation, and was one of the early investors in StoreDot and Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE). Mr. Rakishev was ranked 12th on the Forbes list of the most influential persons in Kazakhstan in 2020.

Mr. Rakishev made a significant investment in Net Element in 2012. Net Element is a global technology-driven company specializing in mobile payments and value-added transactional services. Net Element owns and operates a global mobile payments and transactional processing provider, TOT Group, Inc. (“TOT Group”). TOT Group companies include Unified Payments, ranked as one of the fastest growing companies in North America on Deloitte’s 2018 Technology Fast 500™, Aptito, a next generation cloud-based point of sale payments platform and Payonline, fully-integrated, processor agnostic electronic commerce platform. In 2020, Net Element announced the execution of a definitive agreement to merge with privately-held Mullen Technologies, Inc. (“Mullen”), a Southern California-based electric vehicle company.

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In 2013, Singulariteam Fund, a venture capital fund owned by one of Mr. Rakishev’s group’s companies, was an early investor in StoreDot. StoreDot is a pioneer of extreme fast charging (XFC) batteries that overcome the critical barrier to mainstream EV adoption — range and charging anxiety. The company has revolutionized the conventional Li-ion battery by designing and synthesizing proprietary organic and inorganic compounds, making it possible to fully charge an EV in just five minutes. The company was named “the pioneer of 2020” by BNEF, as one of ten game-changing technology companies creating a more sustainable future.

Mr. Rakishev is a significant shareholder and Chairman of Fincraft Resources JSC, which has expertise building, investing and operating internationally in the natural resources and disruptive technology industries. Through its subsidiary Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., the company is targeting metals necessary for electrification (in particular, nickel, cobalt and lithium) and has a significant nickel opportunity project in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is strategically located, linking China and South Asia with Russia and Western Europe by road, rail and port, and therefore is of great importance to China’s “Belt and Road” strategy. Fincraft Resources JSC recognized the potential to produce nickel from laterite ores of the Gornostaevskoe deposit using in-situ leaching (ISL) techniques, which offers significant economic, environmental and ecological advantages over conventional mining by extracting metals from the ground without physically removing the rock in which they are found. As a result, little or no tailing or waste rock is generated. In addition, ISL allows for increasing and decreasing production output more cost effectively than conventional mining.

From 2013 to 2018, Mr. Rakishev was a non-executive director of Central Asia Metals Plc (AIM: CAML). In 2014, Mr Rakishev became a major shareholder of BTA Bank (“BTA”), which is currently a subsidiary of Fincraft. As of April 2021, Fincraft has over $1.2 billion in total assets. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Rakishev was a controlling shareholder and served as the chairman of Kazkommertsbank JSC, the largest Kazakh commercial bank. From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Rakishev was a major shareholder of Petropavlovsk Plc., a member of London’s FTSE 250 index and is one of the five largest gold mining companies in Russia. In these positions, he offered support on strategic development, including helping to resolve management conflicts as well as short-term liquidity issues.

Mr. Rakishev is an active investor in start-ups that are developing some of the most disruptive and impressive technologies today, from EV battery technology, mobile payments, artificial intelligence and augmented reality to robotics and healthcare technology. He helps to establish an entrepreneurial environment as a foundation for growth, while offering support, resources, and advice.

In addition to Mr. Rakishev, we expect to benefit from the experience and networks of the following members of our management team:

Kanat Mynzhanov has served as our Chief Executive Officer and director since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mynzhanov co-founded Bellprescot Ltd. and Bellprescot Asset Management (“Bellprescot”) in September 2016. He served as the chief investment officer of Bellprescot from 2016 to 2020 and operated Bellprescot’s fund, Bellprescot Prime Fund (“BP”). BP’s primary focus of investments is technology driven public companies with leading and disruptive products and service, including internet of things and cloud, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, machine learning, semiconductors, cybersecurity and robotics. Mr. Mynzhanov founded D23 Consulting Ltd (“D23”) in June 2020 to manage private equity deals. Prior to founding BP and D23, Mr. Mynzhanov served as the head of investments at Kazatomprom-Damu, an investment subsidiary of NAC Kazatomprom JSC (LSE: KAP) (“NAC”), where he led and mentored a team of highly skilled investment managers responsible for mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and business development across metals & mining, rare metals and alternative energy industries. Mr. Mynzhanov joined NAC in 2014 as an investment manager and during his time at NAC he oversaw numerous projects and established strong connections with some of the largest global firms. Over the years Mr. Mynzhanov consulted for various firms, including those in the metals and mining sector, on raising capital through initial public offerings, as well as restructuring and various business developments.

Askar Mametov has served as our Chief Financial Officer since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mametov has over 15 years of executive experience in mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and transportation industries with a thorough understanding of financial reporting (US GAAP and IFRS), taxation and accounting, financial planning and analysis. Previously, Mr. Mametov served as chief financial officer of KM Gold Inc., a public Kazakh gold mining company (KASE: KMGD) from August 2016 until October 2019. He led the public listing of the company on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange in 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Mametov served as financial controller of Sequa Petroleum Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of Sequa Petroleum, an oil and gas company listed on Euronext Access (EPA: MLSEQ), from January 2014 to July 2016. From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Mametov served in multiple roles at Caspian Services

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Inc. (NASDAQ: CSSV), including management reporting, US GAAP financial reporting, as well as IFRS financial reporting. In 2007, Mr. Mametov worked at Beeline Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of VEON (NASDAQ: VEON). From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Mametov served as financial reporting specialist and consortium accountant for PetroKazakhstan Inc. (TSX: PKZ), a Canadian oil company. Mr. Mametov is a member of IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) and since 2014, has served as the President of Kazakhstan Chapter of IMA.

We have a highly accomplished team of independent directors who are experienced in executive leadership, company governance and operations oversight. Our board members have served as directors, partners, executives and advisors for a number of publicly-traded companies. We believe that our independent directors’ combination of relationships, experience and expertise in a number of sectors (natural resources, green infrastructure, high technology, solid state batteries, financial services, telecom) and markets (India, Russia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, the CIS and other emerging markets) puts us in a strong position to complete a business combination:

Shiv Vikram Khemka will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Khemka has served as a vice-chairman of SUN Group, a 120-year-old family enterprise comprised of both operating and investment companies, since 1990. SUN Group is active in asset management, natural resources, green infrastructure and high technology. SUN co-founded SUN Mobility, an energy tech company focused on becoming a leader in EV energy. SUN is also a significant investor in a leading EV solid state battery manufacturer. The group has been active in various regions around the world, including India, Russia, the Middle East, Central and South-East Asia. Mr. Khemka is the chairman of the Entrepreneurship Sports Generation and executive chairman of the Global Education and Leadership Foundation. He is currently a member of the board of governors at Junior Achievement Worldwide and is a member of the Leadership Council at the Brooking Centre for Universal Education. The World Economic Forum elected Mr. Khemka a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” and he was also a member of the organization’s Global Agenda Council on Education. He has served on both the Brown University and Yale University’s President’s Councils. Mr. Khemka has also served as a board member on the Stanford Philanthropy and Civic Society (PACS) centre and was advisory board member of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian studies at Harvard University. He is currently a founding member of V20, a global community of values experts and practitioners that engage with G20, and serves as the chairman of Aikido Aikikai Foundation of India. Mr. Khemka was awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University, and the Outstanding Contribution to Education Prize and the India Alumni Award from the Wharton School of Business.

Christophe Charlier will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Charlier is an international financier with over 25 years of experience in investment banking, private equity and international management. Throughout his career he has acted as principal or advised on a number of landmark transactions in the telecom, financial services, natural resources and sports and entertainment industries across developed and emerging markets. He has served as an independent director of La Française de l’Energie, a French gas production company since April 2016, and chairman of Pure Grass Films, a UK-based film and TV series production company, since 2012.  Mr. Charlier served as chairman of the board of directors of Renaissance Capital, a leading investment bank focused on emerging and frontier markets, from April 2017 to March 2020. As chairman, Mr. Charlier coordinated the work of Renaissance Capital’s board of directors and oversaw strategic development, the global brand, and relationships with key clients and stakeholders globally, as well as compliance with listing requirements of the Astana International Exchange (AIX) in Kazakhstan. Previously, Mr. Charlier served as deputy CEO of Onexim Group, a leading private equity fund based in Moscow from September 2008 to June 2014. In this capacity, he served on the boards of directors of several of Russia’s largest companies, including RusAl, Polyus Gold, Quadra-Power Generation, and RBC. He also acted as chairman of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets franchise from 2010 to 2014. Prior to that from February 2002 to March 2004, Mr. Charlier was director of strategic development of Norilsk Nickel, leading its acquisition of strategic stakes in Stillwater Mining Company and Gold Fields.  He started his investment banking career in 1995 at JPMorgan in the M&A Group in NY.

Sergei Ivashkovsky will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Ivashkovsky has over 16 years of experience in investment management in public and private equity markets in the CIS and other counties in Eastern Europe, in restructuring and turnaround projects for technology companies and in distressed assets in Russia, and participated in a significant number of deals in industrial, consumer and banking sector. In October 2019, Mr. Ivashkovsky founded an investment company Eurasia Investment Partners to advise private investors in LBO and private equity transactions. From May 2018 to October 2019, Mr. Ivashkovsky served

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as a managing director of the distressed assets bank TRUST, launched by the Central Bank of Russia along with McKinsey advisory to consolidate $40 billion of non-performing corporate loans. From 2013 until April 2018, he served as a managing director of Rusnano, a leading state-owned tech fund in Russia, and Gazprombank, a leading private bank in Russia, responsible for a number of turnaround projects in industrial technologies, fintech and artificial intelligence. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Ivashkovsky served as a senior analyst and co-portfolio manager of Prosperity Capital and East Capital, the leading Swedish asset management companies in Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe with long-only and special situation funds. From 2004 to 2006, he served as an analyst and junior portfolio manager in Rosbank AM, an asset management start-up of INTERROS, one of the largest financial and industrial groups in Russia.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the past successes of Mr. Rakishev and our other officers and directors, and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or realize success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of such individuals’ or entity’s performance as indicative of our future performance. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team may have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful. In addition, our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities. For a list of our officers and directors and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such persons and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph in the section titled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

Business Strategy

Our acquisition and value creation strategy is to identify and complete the initial business combination with a target in an industry that complements the experience and expertise of our founder and management team. We believe our founder’s broad experience owning and operating private and public companies positions us for a successful business combination. We also believe the resources and experience of our management team will provide us with an in-depth understanding of targets located in the CIS and other countries in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions, operating in energy transition technologies.

We expect to distinguish ourselves by leveraging our extensive internal and external network of relationships to create a significant pipeline of business combination opportunities. We have significant experience dealing with key stakeholders, including shareholders, administrators, governmental agencies as well as equity sponsors, lending institutions, family offices, investment banks, restructuring advisers, attorneys, brokers and employees built over many years of investing and operating businesses in different regions.

We believe our sponsor’s and management team’s deal sourcing, investing and operating expertise, as well as their extensive network of contacts in our focus regions will uniquely position us to take advantage of positive trends in our target industries. We believe this expertise and network of contacts will provide us access to a number of potential target businesses that could be attractive public companies in the United States.

We will evaluate a wide-range of organic and strategic growth opportunities to identify synergies, bolster a target’s competitive position and develop new areas of growth for it. We also intend to leverage our management team’s vision and substantial expertise in building vertically-integrated businesses when possible.

Acquisition Criteria

We intend to acquire a company that we believe can offer an attractive risk-adjusted returns for shareholders. Fundamental analysis, including historical and projected financial and operating data, extensive financial modelling and in-depth market risks reviews are the core to our investment strategy, as well as extensive legal and intellectual properties due diligence to evaluate a target company and to complete a thorough analysis of the potential impact of a business combination.

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We intend to acquire companies or assets that we believe have some or all of the following attributes:

•        The potential to benefit from being publicly traded with access to the public capital markets and reduced cost of equity and debt capital to pursue further growth opportunities;

•        A professional management team whose interests are aligned with our investors (we may enhance the capabilities of the target’s business team by recruiting talent through our network of contacts);

•        The potential to grow organically as well as through acquisitions;

•        A defensible position within a target market as a result of a differentiated technology or other competitive advantages;

•        A proven business model;

•        The collective capabilities of our management can be leveraged to tangibly improve the operations and market position of the target; and

•        A history of strong operating and financial results with proven track records.

Given our management team’s extensive experience investing in a target’s industries, we expect that we may be familiar with the prospective target’s end-market, competitive landscape and business model. We intend to construct an operating and financial plan designed to significantly increase shareholder value. When necessary, we intend to assemble a team of industry and financial experts to supplement the management teams’ efforts. We expect to demonstrate to the target and its shareholders that we have the resources and expertise to provide the strategic and operational direction necessary to grow the business and improve the overall strategic prospects for the combined companies.

These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of an initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, guidelines, and criteria that our management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital allocation experience.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors is included by a target business as a condition to our initial business combination.

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or

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directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

Effecting a Business Combination

We will either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of our proposed business combination or allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. If we decide to allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek shareholder approval, only if it is approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company.

We will have up to 18 months from the closing of this offering to consummate an initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination within such time period, we will redeem 100% of our outstanding public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and as further described herein, and then seek to dissolve and liquidate. We expect the pro rata redemption price to be approximately $10.10 per Class A ordinary share (regardless of whether or not the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option), without taking into account any interest earned on such funds. However, we cannot assure you that we will in fact be able to distribute such amounts as a result of claims of creditors which may take priority over the claims of our public shareholders.

Nasdaq listing rules require that our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. The fair market value of the target or targets will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). Although our board of directors will rely on generally accepted standards, our board of directors will have discretion to select the standards employed. In addition, the application of the standards generally involves a substantial degree of judgment. Accordingly, investors will be relying on the business judgment of the board of directors in evaluating the fair market value of the target or targets. The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public shareholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able independently to determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria.

We currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or a newly formed subsidiary or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended,

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or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

Potential Conflicts

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own our ordinary shares, or other instruments, such as warrants, linked to our Class A ordinary shares, following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.

As more fully discussed in “Management — Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of an initial business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he may be required to present such initial business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such initial business combination opportunity to us, subject to his or her fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Certain of our officers and directors currently have certain relevant fiduciary duties or contractual obligations. We do not believe, however, that any fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our executive officers or directors would materially undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination. Our officers and directors have agreed to present to us all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account (excluding taxes payable on the income accrued in the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject (to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law) to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. For more information on the relevant pre-existing fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our management team, see the section titled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

We have engaged EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital to assist us in connection with our initial business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital a cash fee for such services in an aggregate amount equal to up to 3.0% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering only if we consummate our initial business combination. This financial interest may result in EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital having a conflict of interest when providing the services to us in connection with an initial business combination.

Private Placements

On March 22, 2021, we issued an aggregate of 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as the “founder shares,” for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to our sponsor. In addition, we issued 200,000 Class A ordinary shares, at a price of $0.0001 per share, which we refer to as the underwriter founder shares, to each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their respective designees for an aggregate of 400,000 Class A ordinary shares in a private placement in March 2021. The underwriter founder shares are identical to the public shares sold in this offering, subject to certain limited exceptions (including an agreement by the holders to waive their conversion rights) as described in this prospectus. Subsequently, our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares, such that our sponsor owns an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares. In addition, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital forfeited 50,000 underwriter founder shares. Except as otherwise described herein, this prospectus, and its disclosure, gives effect to the June 2021 forfeiture by our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. The founder shares held by our initial shareholders include an aggregate of up to 562,500 shares subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment

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option is not exercised in full or in part, so that our initial shareholders will continue to own 20.0% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (excluding underwriter founder shares and assuming the initial shareholders do not purchase units in this offering).

In addition, our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 6,900,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $6,900,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 6,150,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 675,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 36,685 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.10 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The proceeds from the private placement of the warrants will be added to the proceeds of this offering and placed into a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. If we do not complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, the proceeds from the sale of the private warrants will be included in the liquidating distribution to our public shareholders and the private warrants will be worthless.

Corporate Information

Our executive offices are located at 7F 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan and our telephone number is +7 (727) 355-0151.

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act (As Revised). As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.

We are an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (which we refer to herein as the JOBS Act). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.

In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.

We will remain an emerging growth company for up to five years. However, if our annual gross revenue is $1.07 billion or more, if our non-convertible debt issued within a three year period exceeds $1 billion or the market value of our ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million on the last day of the second fiscal quarter of any given fiscal year, we would cease to be an emerging growth company as of the following fiscal year.

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Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Item 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter.

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The Offering

Securities offered

 

15,000,000 units, at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share.

Listing of our securities and symbols

 

We anticipate that the units, and the Class A ordinary shares and warrants once they begin separate trading, will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “OXUSU,” ‘OXUS” and “OXUSW,” respectively.

Trading commencement and separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants

 


The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units are expected to begin separate trading on the 90th day following the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital, the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin.

Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants.

In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

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Units:

   

Number outstanding before this offering

 

0 units

Number outstanding after this offering

 

15,000,000 units(1)

Ordinary shares:

   

Number outstanding before this offering

 

4,612,500 ordinary shares(2)

Number to be outstanding after this
offering

 


19,050,000 ordinary shares(1) (3)

Warrants:

   

Number outstanding before this offering

 

0 warrants

Number to be sold in private placement

 

6,900,000 warrants(1)

Number to be outstanding after this offering and private placement

 


21,900,000 warrants(1)

Exercisability

 

Each warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share.

The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, or earlier upon redemption.

____________

(1)      Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the forfeiture by our initial shareholders of 562,500 founder shares. Private warrants consist of 6,150,000 warrants to be purchased by our sponsor, 375,000 warrants to be purchased by EarlyBirdCapital and 375,000 warrants to be purchased by Sova Capital.

(2)      Represents 4,312,500 founder shares and 300,000 underwriter founder shares. The 4,312,500 founder shares include up to 562,500 founder shares that are subject to forfeiture if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full. The founder shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.”

(3)      Comprised of 15,000,000 public shares, 3,750,000 founder shares and 300,000 underwriter founder shares.

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Exercise price

 

$11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor, initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption of Warrants” will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price.

No warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis.

Redemption of Warrants

 

We may redeem the outstanding warrants in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant at any time after the warrants become exercisable, upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, if, and only if, the last sales price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending three business days before we send the notice of redemption; and if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants.

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If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption, each warrant holder can exercise his, her or its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A ordinary shares may fall below the $18.00 trigger price as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the five trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants.

Securities purchased, or being purchased, by insiders in connection with this offering

 


In March 2021, our sponsor purchased 8,625,000 founder shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000. Subsequently, our sponsor forfeited 4,312,500 founder shares, such that our sponsor owns an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. Our initial shareholders will be required to forfeit only a number of founder shares necessary to continue to maintain the 20.0% ownership interest in our ordinary shares after giving effect to the offering and exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option (excluding the underwriter founder shares and any shares included in units purchased in this offering).

   

The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:

•   only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the election of directors prior to our initial business combination;

•   the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described herein;

•   the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;

•   our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in

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this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and private shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. Permitted transferees of the founder shares held by our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors would be subject to the same restrictions;

•   pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination; and

•   the founder shares are entitled to registration rights.

Simultaneously with the consummation of this offering, our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 6,900,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $6,900,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 6,150,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 675,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 36,685 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.10 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The private warrants are identical to the warrants underlying the units sold in this offering. Our initial shareholders have agreed (A) to vote their private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to convert any private shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or sell any private shares to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination and (C) that the private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution from our trust account upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated. In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the private warrants will likely be worthless.

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Restrictions on transfer of founder shares and private warrants

 


On the date of this prospectus, the founder shares will be placed into an escrow account maintained in New York, New York by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as escrow agent. Subject to certain limited exceptions, these shares will not be transferred, assigned, sold or released from escrow for: (i) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, a period ending on the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing after the consummation of our initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, a period ending on the one-year anniversary of the consummation of our initial business combination, or, in each case, earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. The limited exceptions include transfers, assignments or sales (i) to our or our sponsor’s officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to an entity’s members upon its liquidation, (iii) to relatives and trusts for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, or (vii) in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be bound by these transfer restrictions.

Our initial shareholders and underwriters also agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their private warrants (except in connection with the same limited exceptions that the founder shares may be transferred as described above), until after the completion of our initial business combination.

Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights

 


The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller

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in the initial business combination and any additional warrants issued to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us). Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.

Election of directors and voting rights

 

Holders of record of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or as required by the Companies Act or stock exchange rules, an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company is generally required to approve any matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of at least two-thirds of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, meaning, following our initial business combination, the holders of more than 50% of our ordinary shares voted for the appointment of directors can elect all of the directors. Only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to appoint directors in any election held prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to the rights of holders of Class B ordinary shares to appoint directors may be amended by a special resolution passed by a majority of at least 90% of our shares voting in a general meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of the founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will complete our initial business combination only if it is approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. In addition, the holders of the underwriter founder shares (as described below) have agreed to vote their shares in favour of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and underwriter founder shares, we would need only 5,475,001, or approximately 36.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised, or 712,501, or 4.8% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 15,000,000 public shares sold in the offering in order to have our initial business combination approved.

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Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a three-year term.

Underwriter founder shares

 

In March 2021, we issued to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and/or its designees and Sova Capital and/or its designees 200,000 Class A ordinary shares each for a total of 400,000 of Class A ordinary shares. Subsequently, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital forfeited 50,000 underwriter founder shares. The holders of the underwriter founder shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares without our prior written consent until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, the holders of the underwriter founder shares have agreed (i) to vote such shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (ii) to waive their conversion rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (iii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. These underwriter founder shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110, these securities may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated or the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners.

Offering proceeds to be held in trust

 

An aggregate of $10.10 per unit sold to the public in this offering (regardless of whether or not the over-allotment option is exercised) will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, pursuant to an agreement to be signed on the date of this prospectus. Except as set forth below, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of an initial business combination and our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. Therefore, except as set forth below, unless and until an initial business combination is consummated, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be available for our use for any expenses related to this offering or expenses which we may incur related to the investigation and selection of a target business and the negotiation of an agreement to acquire a target business.

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Notwithstanding the foregoing, there can be released to us from the trust account any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we need to pay our income or other tax obligations. With this exception, expenses incurred by us may be paid prior to a business combination only from the net proceeds of this offering not held in the trust account (initially estimated to be $1,750,000). Additionally, in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering if the funds available to us are insufficient, our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us on a non-interest bearing basis funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at the holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. These warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no other proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.

None of the warrants may be exercised until 30 days after the consummation of our business combination and, thus, after the proceeds of the trust account have been disbursed. Accordingly, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.

Limited payments to insiders

 

There will be no fees, reimbursements or other cash payments paid to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates for any services they render prior to, or in order to effectuate the consummation of, an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the following payments, none of which will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination:

•   repayment at the closing of this offering of up to an aggregate of $300,000 of non-interest-bearing loans made by our sponsor;

•   payment of a $10,000 per month fee to our sponsor for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, which we refer to as the “administrative fee”; and

•   reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with certain activities on our behalf, such as identifying and investigating possible target businesses and business combinations.

There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or our or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

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Shareholder approval of, or tender offer in connection with, initial business combination

 



In connection with any proposed initial business combination, we will either (1) seek shareholder approval of such initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. If we determine to allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each shareholder may tender all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares and we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek shareholder approval, only if it is approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company.

We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all.

   

Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed (i) to vote any ordinary shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (ii) not to convert any ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (iii) not to sell any ordinary shares to us in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination.

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None of our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or Class A ordinary shares from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of shareholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against a proposed business combination, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence any vote held to approve a proposed initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, sponsor and their affiliates will not make purchases of Class A ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to prevent potential manipulation of a company’s shares.

Conversion rights

 

In connection with any shareholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public shareholder will have the right, regardless of whether such shareholder is voting for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all, to demand that we convert its public shares into a pro rata share of the trust account.

We may require public shareholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) physically tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. There is a nominal cost associated with this tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a nominal amount and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the converting holder.

Limitation on conversion rights of shareholders holding 15% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote

 




Notwithstanding the foregoing conversion rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from converting its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, without our prior consent. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its conversion rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to convert to no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination,

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particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.

Liquidation if no business combination

 

If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us (net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims. Although we are required to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements. There is also no guarantee that the third parties would not challenge the enforceability of these waivers and bring claims against the trust account for monies owed them. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.10 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. The agreement entered into by our sponsor specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so.

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The holders of the founder shares and private shares will not participate in any redemption distribution from our trust account with respect to such shares.

If we are unable to consummate an initial business combination and we expend all of the net proceeds of this offering not deposited in the trust account, we expect that the initial per-share redemption price will be approximately $10.10 (which is equal to the anticipated aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account excluding interest earned on the funds held in the trust account). The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to claims of our creditors that are in preference to the claims of our shareholders. In addition, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. Therefore, we cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption price will not be less than approximately $10.10.

We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our sponsor has contractually agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $15,000) and has contractually agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses.

Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares upon the approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This conversion right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, initial shareholders, executive officers, directors or any other person.

Summary of Risk Factors

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. The occurrence of one or more of the events or circumstances described in the section titled “Risk Factors,” alone or in combination with other events or circumstances, may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment. Such risks include, but are not limited to:

•        Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

•        We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within 18 months after the closing of this offering, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, and we would redeem our public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account, and we would liquidate. In such event, our warrants would expire worthless.

•        Your only opportunity to affect the investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to convert your shares to cash.

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•        Our initial shareholders will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a shareholder vote.

•        We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

•        Our outstanding warrants and unit purchase options may have an adverse effect on the market price of our ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.

•        We may issue additional shares or debt securities to complete a business combination, which would reduce the equity interest of our shareholders and likely cause a change in control of our ownership.

•        We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete a business combination or to fund the operations and growth of the target business.

•        Resources could be wasted in researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

•        Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and other events, and the status of debt and equity markets.

•        We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.

•        If we consummate a business combination with a target company with assets located in the CIS or other country in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions, our results of operations and prospects could be subject to the economic, political, and legal policies, developments, and conditions in the country in which we operate. Further, the laws applicable to such company will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

•        There may be tax consequences to our business combination that may adversely affect us.

•        Our officers and directors presently have fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

•        Our officers and directors may have interests in a potential business combination that are different than yours, which may create conflicts of interest.

•        There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.

•        Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

•        The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry.

•        You will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of Class A ordinary shares.

•        We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by a majority of the then outstanding public warrants.

•        We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

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•        If third parties bring claims against us, and if our directors decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, or if our sponsor does not have the funds to indemnify us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share.

•        Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our ordinary shares and could entrench management.

•        Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.

•        We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after the consummation of our initial business combination.

•        We are a newly formed company with no operating history, and, accordingly, you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

•        If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.

•        We are an emerging growth company and smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.

•        Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

•        This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.

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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA

The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, and accordingly only balance sheet data is presented.

 

June 30,
2021

   

Actual

 

As Adjusted

Balance Sheet Data:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Working capital (deficiency)(1)

 

$

(224,212

)

 

$

153,256,332

Total assets(1)

 

 

318,318

 

 

 

153,256,332

Total liabilities

 

 

311,986

 

 

 

Value of Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination ($10.10 per share)(2)

 

 

 

 

 

148,256,331

Shareholders’ equity(3)

 

 

6,332

 

 

 

5,000,001

____________

(1)      The “as adjusted” calculation includes $151,500,000 cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering, plus $1,750,000 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $6,332 of actual shareholders’ equity as of June 30, 2021.

(2)      The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the “as adjusted” shareholders’ equity, which is set to approximate the minimum net tangible assets threshold of at least $5,000,001.

(3)      Excludes 14,825,633 Class A ordinary shares which are subject to redemption in connection with our initial business combination. The actual number of shares that may be redeemed may exceed this amount provided that we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of the business combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of ordinary shares that may be redeemed in connection with our initial business combination ($10.10 per share).

The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the sale of the units we are offering and the sale of the private warrants, including the payment of the estimated costs of the offering from such sales and the repayment of the accrued and other liabilities required to be repaid.

The “as adjusted” working capital and total assets amounts include the $151,500,000 to be held in the trust account, which, except for limited situations described in this prospectus, will be available to us only upon the consummation of a business combination within the time period described in this prospectus. If a business combination is not so consummated, the trust account, less amounts we are permitted to withdraw from interest earned on the funds in the trust account as described in this prospectus, will be distributed solely to our public shareholders (subject to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors).

We will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if it is approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company.

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RISK FACTORS

An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks described below, which we believe represent the material risks related to the offering, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. This prospectus also contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements as a result of specific factors, including the risks described below.

Risks Associated with Our Business

We are a newly formed company with no operating history and, accordingly, you will not have any basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.

We are a newly formed company with no operating results to date. Therefore, our ability to commence operations is dependent upon obtaining financing through the public offering of our securities. Since we do not have an operating history, you will have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective, which is to acquire an operating business. We have not conducted any substantive discussions and we have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective acquisition candidates. We will not generate any revenues until, at the earliest, after the consummation of a business combination.

Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”

As of June 30, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficiency of $224,212. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our finance and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.

If we are unable to consummate a business combination, our public shareholders may be forced to wait more than 18 months before receiving distributions from the trust account.

We have 18 months from the closing of this offering in which to complete a business combination. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to such date unless we consummate a business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to convert or sell their shares to us. Only after the expiration of this full time period will public security holders be entitled to distributions from the trust account if we are unable to complete a business combination. Accordingly, investors’ funds may be unavailable to them until after such date and to liquidate your investment, public security holders may be forced to sell their public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.

Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed business combination.

We will either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which public shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus. Accordingly, it is possible that we will consummate our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our public shares do not approve of the business combination we consummate. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. For instance, Nasdaq rules currently allow us to engage in a tender offer in lieu of a shareholder meeting but would still require us to obtain shareholder approval if we were seeking to

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issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares to a target business as consideration in any business combination. Therefore, if we were structuring a business combination that required us to issue more than 20% of our outstanding shares, we would seek shareholder approval of such business combination instead of conducting a tender offer.

You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of blank check companies.

Since the net proceeds of this offering are intended to be used to complete a business combination with a target business that has not been identified, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, since we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors of blank check companies such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules which would, for example, completely restrict the transferability of our securities and restrict the use of interest earned on the funds held in the trust account. Because we are not subject to Rule 419, our units will be immediately tradable, we will be entitled to withdraw amounts from the funds held in the trust account prior to the completion of a business combination and we will have a longer period of time to complete such a business combination than we would if we were subject to such rule.

If we determine to change our acquisition criteria or guidelines, many of the disclosures contained in this prospectus would not be applicable and you would be investing in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire.

We could seek to deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines disclosed in this prospectus although we have no current intention to do so. Accordingly, investors may be making an investment in our company without any basis on which to evaluate the potential target business we may acquire. Regardless of whether or not we deviate from the acquisition criteria or guidelines in connection with any proposed business combination, investors will always be given the opportunity to convert their shares or sell them to us in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination as described in this prospectus.

We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preferred shares or debt securities to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will authorize the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 preferred shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 484,700,000 and 46,250,000 (assuming, in each case, that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance, which amount takes into account the Class A ordinary shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants but not the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of Class B ordinary shares. Immediately after the consummation of this offering, there will be no preferred shares issued and outstanding. Class B ordinary shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Class B ordinary shares are also convertible at the option of the holder at any time.

We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares or preferred shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination (although our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we may not issue securities that can vote with ordinary shareholders on matters related to our pre-initial business combination activity). We may also issue Class A ordinary shares to redeem the warrants as described in “Description of Securities — Warrants” or upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that prior to or in connection with our initial business combination, we may not issue additional

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shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with the approval of our shareholders. However, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares.

The issuance of additional Class A ordinary shares or preferred shares:

•        may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;

•        may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if preferred shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our ordinary shares;

•        could cause a change of control if a substantial number of our ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and

•        may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants.

Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:

•        default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;

•        acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

•        our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; and

•        our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding.

If we incur indebtedness, our lenders will not have a claim on the cash in the trust account and such indebtedness will not decrease the per-share conversion amount in the trust account.

If the net proceeds of this offering not being held in trust are insufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months, we may be unable to complete a business combination.

Of the net proceeds of this offering, only approximately $1,750,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, such funds will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Accordingly, if we use all of the funds held outside of the trust account, we may not have sufficient funds available with which to structure, negotiate or close an initial business combination. In such event, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers or directors or their affiliates to operate or may be forced to liquidate. Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us on a non-interest bearing basis funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount that they deem reasonable in their sole discretion for our working capital needs. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant.

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If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by shareholders may be less than $10.10.

Our placing of funds in trust may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors and service providers we engage and prospective target businesses we negotiate with execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, they may not execute such agreements. Furthermore, even if such entities execute such agreements with us, they may seek recourse against the trust account. A court may not uphold the validity of such agreements. Accordingly, the proceeds held in trust could be subject to claims which could take priority over those of our public shareholders. If we are unable to complete a business combination and distribute the proceeds held in trust to our public shareholders, our sponsor has agreed (subject to certain exceptions described elsewhere in this prospectus) that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.10 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. As a result, the per-share distribution from the trust account may be less than $10.10, plus interest, due to such claims.

Additionally, if we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we may not be able to return to our public shareholders at least $10.10.

Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will continue in existence only until 18 months from the closing of this offering. If we have not completed a business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. We cannot assure you that we will properly assess all claims that may be potentially brought against us. As such, our shareholders could potentially be liable for any claims to the extent of distributions received by them (but no more) and any liability of our shareholders may extend well beyond the third anniversary of the date of distribution. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that third parties will not seek to recover from our shareholders amounts owed to them by us.

If we are forced to file a bankruptcy case or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public shareholders promptly after expiration of the time we have to complete an initial business combination, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public shareholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

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The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share.

The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of taxes payable. Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.10 per share.

Our directors may decide not to enforce our sponsor’s indemnification obligations, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.

In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below $10.10 per public share and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce such indemnification obligations. It is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.10 per share.

If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants, holders will only be able to exercise such warrants on a “cashless basis.”

If we do not file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants at the time that holders wish to exercise such warrants, they will only be able to exercise them on a “cashless basis” provided that an exemption from registration is available. As a result, the number of Class A ordinary shares that holders will receive upon exercise of the warrants will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. Further, if an exemption from registration is not available, holders would not be able to exercise on a cashless basis and would only be able to exercise their warrants for cash if a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is available. Under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed to use our best efforts to meet these conditions and to file and maintain a current and effective prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants. However, we cannot assure you that we will be able to do so. If we are unable to do so, the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company may be reduced or the warrants may expire worthless.

An investor will only be able to exercise a warrant if the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or is deemed exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants.

No warrants will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue Class A ordinary shares unless the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon such exercise has been registered or qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the holder of the warrants. If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not qualified or exempt from qualification in the jurisdictions in which the holders of the warrants reside, the warrants may be deprived of any value, the market for the warrants may be limited and they may expire worthless if they cannot be sold.

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We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.

Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder (i) to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or to cure, correct or supplement any defective provision, or (ii) to add or change any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the interests of the registered holders of the warrants. The warrant agreement requires the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash or shares, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of our Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.

Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of warrant holders to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with our company.

Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to the warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will 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 (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of the warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in our warrant agreement. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions of the warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.

This choice-of-forum provision may limit a warrant holder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with our company, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.

A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.

If:

•        we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per share of Class A ordinary shares,

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•        the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and

•        the Market Value is below $9.20 per share,

then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.

Since we have not yet selected a particular industry or target business with which to complete a business combination, we are unable to currently ascertain the merits or risks of the industry or business in which we may ultimately operate.

We may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business industry or sector we choose. Accordingly, there is no current basis for you to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the particular industry in which we may ultimately operate or the target business which we may ultimately acquire. To the extent we complete a business combination with a financially unstable company or an entity in its development stage, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations of those entities. If we complete a business combination with an entity in an industry characterized by a high level of risk, we may be affected by the currently unascertainable risks of that industry. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular industry or target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a target business.

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination and to be successful thereafter will be totally dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, some of whom may join us following a business combination. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct.

Our ability to successfully effect a business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our key personnel, at least until we have consummated our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain with us for the immediate or foreseeable future. In addition, none of our officers is required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, our officers will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence. We do not have employment agreements with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our officers. The unexpected loss of the services of our key personnel could have a detrimental effect on us.

The role of our key personnel after a business combination, however, cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel serve in senior management or advisory positions following a business combination, it is likely that most, if not all, of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a public company which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.

Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target business we may seek to acquire.

We may consummate a business combination with a target business in any geographic location or industry we choose. We cannot assure you that our officers or directors will have enough experience or have sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or its industry to make an informed decision regarding a business combination.

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Our key personnel may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following a business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.

Our key personnel will be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements or other appropriate arrangements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business.

Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate a business combination.

Our officers and directors will not commit their full time to our affairs. We presently expect each of our officers and directors to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the consummation of our initial business combination. The foregoing could have a negative impact on our ability to consummate our initial business combination.

Our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate for a business combination.

Our initial shareholders waived their right to convert founder shares or any other shares purchased in this offering or thereafter, or to receive distributions from the trust account with respect to its founder shares upon our liquidation if we are unable to consummate a business combination. Accordingly, the shares acquired prior to this offering, as well as the private warrants and any warrants purchased by our officers or directors in the aftermarket, will be worthless if we do not consummate a business combination. The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination and in determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest.

Our officers and directors or their affiliates have pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations and may in the future become affiliated with other entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.

Our officers and directors or their affiliates have pre-existing fiduciary and contractual obligations to other companies. Accordingly, they may participate in transactions and have obligations that may be in conflict or competition with our consummation of our initial business combination. As a result, a potential target business may be presented by our management team to another entity prior to its presentation to us and we may not be afforded the opportunity to engage in a transaction with such target business. Additionally, our officers and directors may in the future become affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business, including another blank check company that may have acquisition objectives that are similar to ours. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to our officers’ and directors’ fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. For a more detailed description of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, see the sections titled “Management — Directors and Executive Officers” and “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital may have a conflict of interest in rendering services to us in connection with our initial business combination.

We have engaged EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital to assist us in connection with our initial business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital a cash fee for such services in an aggregate amount equal to up to 3.0% of the total gross proceeds raised in the offering only if we consummate our initial business combination. This financial interest may result in EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital having a conflict of interest when providing the services to us in connection with an initial business combination.

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Nasdaq may delist our securities from quotation on its exchange which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.

We anticipate that our securities will be listed on Nasdaq, a national securities exchange, upon consummation of this offering. Although, after giving effect to this offering, we expect to meet on a pro forma basis Nasdaq’s minimum initial listing standards, which generally only require that we meet certain requirements relating to shareholders’ equity, market capitalization, aggregate market value of publicly held shares and distribution requirements, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to an initial business combination. Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, it is likely that Nasdaq will require us to file a new initial listing application and meet its initial listing requirements as opposed to its more lenient continued listing requirements. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time. Nasdaq will also have discretionary authority to not approve our listing if it determines that the listing of the company to be acquired is against public policy at that time.

If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange, or we are not listed in connection with our initial business combination, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:

•        a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;

•        reduced liquidity with respect to our securities;

•        a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our Class A ordinary shares;

•        a limited amount of news and analyst coverage for our company; and

•        a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.

The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be covered securities. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not be covered securities and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 15% of our Class A ordinary shares.

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to convert the Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive conversion distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. As a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

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We are an emerging growth company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.

We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the aggregate worldwide market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period, which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services.

It is likely we will consummate a business combination with a single target business, although we have the ability to simultaneously acquire several target businesses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:

•        solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, or

•        dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to a business combination.

Alternatively, if we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.

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The ability of our shareholders to exercise their conversion rights or sell their shares to us in a tender offer may not allow us to effectuate the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.

If our business combination requires us to use substantially all of our cash to pay the purchase price, because we will not know how many shareholders may exercise conversion rights or seek to sell their shares to us in a tender offer, we may either need to reserve part of the trust account for possible payment upon such conversion, or we may need to arrange third party financing to help fund our business combination. In the event that the acquisition involves the issuance of our share as consideration, we may be required to issue a higher percentage of our share to make up for a shortfall in funds. Raising additional funds to cover any shortfall may involve dilutive equity financing or incurring indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B ordinary shares results in the issuance of Class A shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our business combination. This may limit our ability to effectuate the most attractive business combination available to us.

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public shareholder the option to vote in favor of a proposed business combination and still seek conversion of his, her or its shares.

In connection with any vote to approve a business combination, we will offer each public shareholder (but not our sponsor, initial shareholders, representatives, officers or directors) the right to have his, her or its Class A ordinary shares converted to cash (subject to the limitations described elsewhere in this prospectus) regardless of whether such shareholder votes for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all. The ability to seek conversion while voting in favor of our proposed business combination may make it more likely that we will consummate a business combination.

In connection with any shareholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, we may require shareholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for conversion that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their conversion rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights.

In connection with any shareholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial business combination, each public shareholder will have the right, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed business combination or does not vote at all, to demand that we convert his shares into a pro rata share of the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination. We may require public shareholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holders’ option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the tender offer documents or proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination. In order to obtain a physical share certificate, a shareholder’s broker and/or clearing broker, DTC and our transfer agent will need to act to facilitate this request. It is our understanding that shareholders should generally allot at least two weeks to obtain physical certificates from the transfer agent. However, because we do not have any control over this process or over the brokers or DTC, it may take significantly longer than two weeks to obtain a physical share certificate. While we have been advised that it takes a short time to deliver shares through the DWAC System, we cannot assure you of this fact. Accordingly, if it takes longer than we anticipate for shareholders to deliver their shares, shareholders who wish to convert may be unable to meet the deadline for exercising their conversion rights and thus may be unable to convert their shares.

If, in connection with any shareholder meeting called to approve a proposed business combination, we require public shareholders who wish to convert their shares to comply with specific requirements for conversion, such converting shareholders may be unable to sell their securities when they wish to in the event that the proposed business combination is not approved.

If we require public shareholders who wish to convert their shares to comply with specific requirements for conversion and such proposed business combination is not consummated, we will promptly return such certificates to the tendering public shareholders. Accordingly, investors who attempted to convert their shares in such a circumstance will be unable to sell their securities after the failed acquisition until we have returned their securities to them. The market price for our Class A ordinary shares may decline during this time and you may not be able to sell your securities when you wish to, even while other shareholders that did not seek conversion may be able to sell their securities.

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Because of our structure, other companies may have a competitive advantage and we may not be able to consummate an attractive business combination.

We expect to encounter intense competition from entities other than blank check companies having a business objective similar to ours, including venture capital funds, leveraged buyout funds and operating businesses competing for acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe that there are numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, seeking shareholder approval or engaging in a tender offer in connection with any proposed business combination may delay the consummation of such a transaction. Additionally, our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Any of the foregoing may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination.

We may be unable to obtain additional financing, if required, to complete a business combination or to fund the operations and growth of the target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.

Although we believe that the net proceeds of this offering, together with interest earned on the funds held in the trust account available to us, will be sufficient to allow us to consummate a business combination, because we have not yet identified any prospective target business, we cannot ascertain the capital requirements for any particular transaction. If the net proceeds of this offering prove to be insufficient, either because of the size of the business combination, the depletion of the available net proceeds in search of a target business, or the obligation to convert into cash a significant number of shares from dissenting shareholders, we will be required to seek additional financing. Such financing may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to consummate a particular business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. In addition, if we consummate a business combination, we may require additional financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our sponsor, officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after a business combination.

Our initial shareholders will control a substantial interest in us and thus may influence certain actions requiring a shareholder vote.

Upon consummation of our offering, our initial shareholders will own approximately 20% of our issued and outstanding shares of ordinary shares (without taking into account underwriter founder shares and assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering). None of our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units in this offering or any units or ordinary shares from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates could determine in the future to make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions, to the extent permitted by law, in order to influence the vote or magnitude of the number of shareholders seeking to tender their shares to us. In connection with any vote for a proposed business combination, our initial shareholders, including our sponsor, as well as all of our officers and directors, have agreed to vote the ordinary shares owned by them immediately before this offering as well as any Class A ordinary shares acquired in this offering or in the aftermarket in favor of such proposed business combination.

Our board of directors is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. It is unlikely that there will be an annual meeting of shareholders to elect new directors prior to the consummation of a business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the consummation of the business combination. Accordingly, you may not be able to exercise your voting rights under corporate law for up to 18 months. If there is an annual meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for election and our sponsor, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the consummation of a business combination.

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Our initial shareholders paid an aggregate of $25,000 for the founder shares, or approximately $0.006 per founder share. As a result of this low initial price, our initial shareholders stand to make a substantial profit even if an initial business combination subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public shareholders.

As a result of the low acquisition cost of our founder shares, our initial shareholders could make a substantial profit even if we select and consummate an initial business combination with an acquisition target that subsequently declines in value or is unprofitable for our public shareholders. Thus, our sponsor, directors and officers may have more of an economic incentive for us to enter into an initial business combination with a riskier, weaker-performing or financially unstable business, or an entity lacking an established record of revenues or earnings, than would be the case if our initial shareholders had paid the full offering price for their founder shares.

Our initial shareholders paid a nominal price for the founder shares and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.

The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary shares and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per share of our Class A ordinary shares after this offering constitutes the dilution to the investors in this offering. Our initial shareholders acquired the founder shares and at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon consummation of this offering (assuming over-allotment option is not exercised), and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other new investors will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 88.8% or $8.88 per share (the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share $1.18, and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit). This is because investors in this offering will be contributing approximately 99.98% of the total amount paid to us for our outstanding securities after this offering but will only own approximately 78.74% of our outstanding securities and this becomes exacerbated to the extent that public shareholders seek to convert their shares into a pro rata share of the trust proceeds. Accordingly, the per-share purchase price you will be paying substantially exceeds our per share net tangible book value. In addition, because of the anti-dilution rights of the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.

Our outstanding warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

We will be issuing warrants to purchase 15,000,000 Class A ordinary shares as part of the units offered by this prospectus and private warrants to purchase 6,900,000 Class A ordinary shares, $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. We may also issue other warrants to our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us as described in this prospectus. To the extent we issue Class A ordinary shares to effect a business combination, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle in the eyes of a target business. Such securities, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding ordinary shares and reduce the value of the shares issued to complete the business combination. Accordingly, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business. Additionally, the sale, or even the possibility of sale, of the shares underlying the warrants could have an adverse effect on the market price for our securities or on our ability to obtain future financing. If and to the extent these warrants are exercised, you may experience dilution to your holdings.

We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.

We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the last reported sales price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading-day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third business day prior to proper notice of such redemption provided that on the date we give notice of redemption and during the entire period thereafter until the time we redeem the warrants, we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you (i) to exercise your

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warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) to sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) to accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.

Our management’s ability to require holders of our warrants to exercise such warrants on a cashless basis will cause holders to receive fewer Class A ordinary shares upon their exercise of the warrants than they would have received had they been able to exercise their warrants for cash.

If we call our public warrants for redemption after the redemption criteria described elsewhere in this prospectus have been satisfied, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise his warrant (including any private warrants) to do so on a “cashless basis.” If our management chooses to require holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, the number of Class A ordinary shares received by a holder upon exercise will be fewer than it would have been had such holder exercised his warrant for cash. This will have the effect of reducing the potential “upside” of the holder’s investment in our company.

If our security holders exercise their registration rights, it may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effect a business combination.

The holders of the majority of the founder shares are entitled to make a demand that we register the resale of the founder shares at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which the founder shares may be released from escrow. Additionally, the holders of the private warrants and any warrants our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors, or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us, are entitled to demand that we register the resale of the private warrants and any other warrants we issue to them (and the underlying securities) commencing at any time after we consummate an initial business combination. The presence of these additional securities trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our securities. In addition, the existence of these rights may make it more difficult to effectuate a business combination or increase the cost of acquiring the target business, as the shareholders of the target business may be discouraged from entering into a business combination with us or will request a higher price for their securities because of the potential effect the exercise of such rights may have on the trading market for our Class A ordinary shares.

If we are deemed to be an investment company, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete a business combination.

A company that, among other things, is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, trading or holding certain types of securities would be deemed an investment company under the Investment Company Act, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Since we will invest the proceeds held in the trust account, it is possible that we could be deemed an investment company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in trust may be invested by the trustee only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, we intend to meet the requirements for the exemption provided in Rule 3a-1 promulgated under the Investment Company Act.

If we are nevertheless deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be subject to certain restrictions that may make it more difficult for us to complete a business combination, including:

•        restrictions on the nature of our investments; and

•        restrictions on the issuance of securities.

In addition, we may have imposed upon us certain burdensome requirements, including:

•        registration as an investment company;

•        adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and

•        reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy, compliance policies and procedures and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.

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Compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expense for which we have not allotted.

The determination for the offering price of our units is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry.

Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. Factors considered in determining the prices and terms of the units, including the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the units, include:

•        the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;

•        prior offerings of those companies;

•        our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;

•        our capital structure;

•        an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies; and

•        general conditions of the securities markets at the time of the offering.

However, although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering price is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities for an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results to compare them to.

If we do not conduct an adequate due diligence investigation of a target business, we may be required to subsequently take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring, and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.

We must conduct a due diligence investigation of the target businesses we intend to acquire. Intensive due diligence is time consuming and expensive due to the operations, accounting, finance and legal professionals who must be involved in the due diligence process. Even if we conduct extensive due diligence on a target business, this diligence may not reveal all material issues that may affect a particular target business, and factors outside the control of the target business and outside of our control may later arise. If our diligence fails to identify issues specific to a target business, industry or the environment in which the target business operates, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining post- combination debt financing.

The requirement that we complete an initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination.

We have 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware of this requirement. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete a business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete a business combination with any other target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the time limit referenced above.

We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.10 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we must complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within such time period. Our ability to complete our initial

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business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to grow both in the U.S. and globally and, while the extent of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on us will depend on future developments, it could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire.

If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. In such case, our public shareholders may only receive $10.10 per share, and our warrants will expire worthless. In certain circumstances, our public shareholders may receive less than $10.10 per share on the redemption of their shares. See “— If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in trust could be reduced and the per-share redemption price received by shareholders may be less than $10.10” and other risk factors.

Our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the status of debt and equity markets.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has resulted, and other infectious diseases could result, in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner, or if COVID-19 causes a prolonged economic downturn. The extent to which COVID-19 impacts our search for a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of COVID-19 and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern continue for an extensive period of time, our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.

In addition, our ability to consummate a business combination may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing, which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.

The COVID-19 pandemic may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross-border transactions.

We may not obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire and therefore you may be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

We will only be required to obtain a fairness opinion with respect to the target business that we seek to acquire if it is an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates. In all other instances, we will have no obligation to obtain an opinion. Accordingly, investors will be relying solely on the judgment of our board of directors in approving a proposed business combination.

Resources could be spent researching acquisitions that are not consummated, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

It is anticipated that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting, and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents, and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys and others. If a decision is made not to complete a specific

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business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, even if an agreement is reached relating to a specific target business, we may fail to consummate the business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business.

As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.

In recent years and especially in the last several months, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially, especially in the past year. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies seeking targets for their initial business combination, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify a suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.

In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause targets companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.

Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.

In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. The premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.

The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.

In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity will likely need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.

Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 will require substantial financial and management resources and may increase the time and costs of completing an acquisition.

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls and may require that we have such system of internal controls audited beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2022. If we fail to maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties and/or shareholder litigation. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports could harm our business. Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also requires that our independent registered public accounting firm report on management’s evaluation of our system of internal controls. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition. Furthermore, any

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failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in the implementation of adequate controls over our financial processes and reporting in the future, could harm our operating results or cause us to fail to meet our reporting obligations. Inferior internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in our reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our Class A ordinary shares.

Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being elected in each year. As a result, at a given annual meeting only a minority of the board of directors may be considered for election. Since our “staggered board” may prevent our shareholders from replacing a majority of our board of directors at any given annual meeting, it may entrench management and discourage unsolicited shareholder proposals that may be in the best interests of shareholders. Moreover, our board of directors has the ability to designate the terms of and issue new series of preferred shares.

Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards, we will not be able to complete a business combination with prospective target businesses unless their financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards.

The federal proxy rules require that a proxy statement with respect to a vote on a business combination meeting certain financial significance tests include historical and/or pro forma financial statement disclosure in periodic reports. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, or GAAP, or international financial reporting standards, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or PCAOB. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with any tender offer documents we use, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. Additionally, to the extent we furnish our shareholders with financial statements prepared in accordance with IFRS, such financial statements will need to be audited in accordance with U.S. GAAP at the time of the consummation of the business combination. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire.

There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.

There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases). Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.

We may issue our shares to investors in connection with our initial business combination at a price that is less than the prevailing market price of our shares at that time.

In connection with our initial business combination, we may issue shares to investors in private placement transactions (so-called PIPE transactions) at a price of $10.00 per share or which approximates the per-share amounts in our trust account at such time, which is generally approximately $10.10. The purpose of such issuances will be to enable us to provide sufficient liquidity to the post-business combination entity. The price of the shares we issue may therefore be less, and potentially significantly less, than the market price for our shares at such time.

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Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, investments and results of operations.

We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.

We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain or adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences.

An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the share of Class A ordinary shares and the redeemable warrant to purchase one share of our Class A ordinary shares included in each unit could be challenged by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or “IRS,” or the courts. Furthermore, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering are unclear under current law, and the adjustment to the exercise price and/or redemption price of the warrants could give rise to dividend income to investors without a corresponding payment of cash. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our Class A ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. holder’s holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividends” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences applicable to their specific circumstances when purchasing, holding or disposing of our securities.

Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business Outside of the United States

If we effect a business combination with a company located in CIS or another foreign jurisdiction in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.

If we are successful in consummating a business combination with a target business in CIS, or if we effect a business combination with a company located in another foreign region, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in the target business’ home jurisdiction, including any of the following:

•        rules and regulations or currency conversion or corporate withholding taxes on individuals;

•        tariffs and trade barriers;

•        regulations related to customs and import/export matters;

•        longer payment cycles;

•        tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;

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•        currency fluctuations and exchange controls;

•        challenges in collecting accounts receivable;

•        cultural and language differences;

•        employment regulations;

•        public health or safety concerns and governmental restrictions, including those caused by outbreaks of infectious disease, such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic;

•        crime, strikes, riots, civil disturbances, terrorist attacks and wars; and

•        deterioration of political relations with the United States, which could result in uncertainty and/or changes in or to existing trade treaties.

In particular, if we acquire a target business in CIS or another foreign jurisdiction in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions, we would be subject to the risk of changes in economic conditions, social conditions and political conditions inherent in such jurisdiction, including changes in laws and policies that govern foreign investment, as well as changes in United States laws and regulations relating to foreign trade and investment. We cannot assure you that we would be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, our operations might suffer.

Emerging markets are subject to different risks as compared to more developed markets.

Operating a business in CIS or another emerging country in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions involves a greater degree of risk than operating a business in more developed markets, including, in some cases, increased political, economic and legal risks. Emerging market governments and judiciaries often exercise broad, unchecked discretion and are susceptible to abuse and corruption. Moreover, financial turmoil in any emerging market country tends to adversely affect the value of investments in all emerging market countries as investors move their money to more stable, developed markets. As has happened in the past, financial problems or an increase in the perceived risks associated with investing in companies in emerging economies could dampen foreign investment in such countries and regions and adversely affect their economies. Generally, investment in emerging markets is only suitable for sophisticated investors who fully appreciate the significance of the risks involved in, and are familiar with, investing in emerging markets.

Our officers and directors may not have significant experience or knowledge regarding the jurisdiction or industry of the target business we may seek to acquire.

We may consummate a business combination with a target business in any geographic location or industry we choose. We cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have enough experience or have sufficient knowledge relating to the jurisdiction of the target or its industry to make an informed decision regarding a business combination.

Because of the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, our results of operations may be negatively impacted.

Managing a business, operations, personnel or assets in another country is challenging and costly. Any management that we may have (whether based abroad or in the U.S.) may be inexperienced in cross-border business practices and unaware of significant differences in accounting rules, legal regimes and labor practices. Even with a seasoned and experienced management team, the costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations, personnel and assets can be significant (and much higher than in a purely domestic business) and may negatively impact our financial and operational performance.

If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.

Following our initial business combination, our management team may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management team of the target business at the time of the business combination will likely remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with our laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues, which may adversely affect our operations.

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If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will likely govern many of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

If we effect a business combination with a company located outside of the United States, the laws of the country in which such company operates will likely govern many of the material agreements relating to its operations. We cannot assure you that the target business will be able to enforce any of its material agreements or that remedies will be available in this new jurisdiction. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be certain in implementation and interpretation. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Additionally, if we acquire a company located outside of the United States, it is likely that substantially all of our assets would be located outside of the United States and some of our officers and directors might reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may not be possible for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights against or to effect service of process upon our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities against our directors and officers under federal securities laws.

We may re-incorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction will likely govern all of our material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.

In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction would likely govern all of our material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital. Any such reincorporation may subject us to foreign regulations that could materially and adversely affect our business.

After our initial business combination, it is likely that a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.

It is likely that after our initial business combination, a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases impossible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights against or to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities under United States laws.

We may migrate to another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination and such migration may result in taxes imposed on shareholders.

As a Cayman Islands entity, we do not have access to a network of income tax treaties to protect us from withholding taxes or gains taxes that may be imposed by other jurisdictions. As a result, it may not be possible to effect repatriation of earnings or the receipt of income from our investments in a tax efficient manner. Accordingly, we may, in connection with our initial business combination or earlier, and subject to requisite shareholder approval under the Cayman Islands law, transfer by way of continuation (migrate) to a different jurisdiction, including, for example, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located. Such a transaction may require a shareholder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder is a tax resident and/or the jurisdictions in which its owners are resident if it is a tax transparent entity under the tax laws of such jurisdictions (including under any anti-deferral regime). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders to pay such taxes. Shareholders may also be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes imposed by the jurisdiction where we are migrated to with respect to their ownership of us. Moreover, tax consequences of owning and disposing of our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants may be significantly different from those described in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation.”

There may be tax consequences to our business combinations that may adversely affect us.

While we expect to undertake any merger or acquisition so as to minimize taxes both to the acquired business and/or assets and us, such business combination might not meet the statutory requirements of a tax-free reorganization, or the parties might not obtain the intended tax-free treatment upon a transfer of shares or assets. A non-qualifying reorganization could result in the imposition of substantial taxes.

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We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.

If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — United States Federal Income Taxation — General”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend upon the status of an acquired company pursuant to a business combination and whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). The application of the start-up exception is uncertain, and there can be no assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, we will endeavor to provide a U.S. holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement in order to enable the U.S. holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would likely be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. holders to consult their tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules to holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation — Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations — U.S. Holders — Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

The statements contained in this prospectus that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking statements. The words “anticipates,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intends,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predicts,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:

•        our ability to complete our initial business combination;

•        future economic or political conditions in CIS, South and South-East Asia and MENA regions;

•        our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;

•        our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination, as a result of which they would then receive expense reimbursements and other benefits;

•        our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete a business combination;

•        our pool of prospective target businesses;

•        our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to the uncertainty resulting from the recent COVID-19 pandemic and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases);

•        the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential investment opportunities;

•        potential changes in control of us if we acquire one or more target businesses for shares;

•        our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;

•        the lack of a market for our securities;

•        our expectations regarding the time during which we will be an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act;

•        our use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance; or

•        our financial performance following this offering or following our initial business combination.

The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus 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.” 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.

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering, in addition to the funds we will receive from the sale of the private warrants (all of which will be deposited into the trust account), will be as set forth in the following table:

 

Without
Over-Allotment
Option

 

Over-Allotment
Option
Exercised

Gross proceeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From offering

 

$

150,000,000

 

 

$

172,500,000

 

From private placement

 

 

6,900,000

 

 

 

7,575,000

 

Total gross proceeds

 

 

156,900,000

 

 

$

180,075,000

 

Offering expenses(1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Underwriting discount (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public)

 

 

3,000,000

(2)

 

 

3,450,000

(2)

Legal fees and expenses

 

 

300,000

 

 

 

300,000

 

Nasdaq listing fees (including deferred amount)

 

 

75,000

 

 

 

75,000

 

Printing and engraving expenses

 

 

40,000

 

 

 

40,000

 

Accounting fees and expenses

 

 

50,000

 

 

 

50,000

 

Road show

 

 

20,000

 

 

 

20,000

 

FINRA filing fee

 

 

26,375

 

 

 

26,375

 

SEC registration fee

 

 

40,463

 

 

 

40,463

 

Miscellaneous expenses

 

 

98,162

 

 

 

98,162

 

Total offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions)

 

 

650,000

 

 

 

650,000

 

Net proceeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Held in trust

 

 

151,500,000

 

 

 

174,225,000

 

Not held in trust

 

 

1,750,000

 

 

 

1,750,000

 

Total net proceeds

 

$

153,250,000

 

 

$

175,975,000

 

 

Amount

 

Percentage

Use of net proceeds not held in trust(3)(4)

 

 

     

 

Legal, accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the search for target businesses and to the due diligence investigation, structuring and negotiation of a business combination

 

$

200,000

 

11.4

%

D&O insurance

 

 

600,000

 

33.4

%

Consulting, travel and misc.

 

 

100,000

 

5.7

%

Legal and accounting fees relating to SEC reporting obligations

 

 

100,000

 

5.7

%

Nasdaq continued listing fees

 

 

75,000

 

4.3

%

Administrative fees

 

 

180,000

 

13.7

%

Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses

 

 

495,000

 

24.9

%

Total

 

$

1,750,000

 

100.0

%

____________

(1)      A portion of the offering expenses, including the SEC registration fee, the FINRA filing fee, the non-refundable portion of the Nasdaq listing fee and a portion of the legal and audit fees, have been paid from the loan we received from our sponsor described below. These funds will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering available to us.

(2)      No discounts or commissions will be paid with respect to the purchase of the private warrants.

(3)      The amount of proceeds not held in trust will remain constant at approximately $1,750,000 even if the over-allotment is exercised. The proceeds held in the trust account may be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate the pre-tax interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $300,000 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.2% per year; however, we can provide no assurances regarding this amount.

(4)      These are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of that business combination. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would be deducted from our excess working capital.

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Our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 6,900,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $6,900,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 6,150,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 675,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 36,685 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.10 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The private warrants are identical to the warrants being sold as part of the units sold in this offering. All of the proceeds we receive from these purchases will be placed in the trust account described below.

$151,500,000, or $174,225,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private warrants, will be placed in a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, New York, New York, acting as trustee. The funds held in trust will be invested only in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, so that we are not deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our income or other tax obligations, the proceeds will not be released from the trust account until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period. The proceeds held in the trust account may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we complete a business combination. Any amounts not paid as consideration to the sellers of the target business may be used to finance operations of the target business.

The payment to our sponsor of a monthly administrative fee of $10,000 is for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support. This arrangement is being agreed to by our sponsor for our benefit and is not intended to provide our officers or directors with compensation in lieu of a salary. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services, that this administrative fee is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. The monthly administrative fee will terminate upon completion of our initial business combination or the distribution of the trust account to our public shareholders. Other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee and the repayment of up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor (none of which payments will be made from the proceeds of this offering held in the trust account prior to the completion of our initial business combination), no compensation of any kind will be paid to our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to us prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such entity and individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval. There is no limit on the amount of such expenses reimbursable by us; provided, however, that to the extent such expenses exceed the available proceeds not deposited in the trust account, such expenses would not be reimbursed by us unless we consummate an initial business combination. Since the role of present management after a business combination is uncertain, we have no ability to determine what remuneration, if any, will be paid to those persons after a business combination.

Regardless of whether the over-allotment option is exercised in full, the net proceeds from this offering available to us out of trust for our working capital requirements in searching for a business combination will be approximately $1,750,000. We intend to use the proceeds for miscellaneous expenses such as paying for director and officer liability insurance premiums, for due diligence, legal, accounting and other expenses of structuring and negotiating business combinations, as well as for reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by our sponsor, initial shareholders,

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officers and directors in connection with activities on our behalf as described above. The allocation of the net proceeds available to us outside of the trust account represents our best estimate of the intended uses of these funds. In the event that our assumptions prove to be inaccurate, we may reallocate some of such proceeds within the above described categories.

We may use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including a fee payable to EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital upon consummation of our initial business combination for assisting us in connection with our initial business combination, as described under the section titled “Underwriting — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” To the extent that our shares are used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business combination, the proceeds held in the trust account which are not used to consummate a business combination will be disbursed to the combined company and will, along with any other net proceeds not expended, be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’ operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products.

To the extent we are unable to consummate a business combination, we will pay the costs of liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our sponsor has agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than $15,000) and has agreed not to seek repayment of such expenses.

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering under an unsecured promissory note. As of June 30, 2021, we had $279,935 outstanding under the unsecured promissory note. The loan is due on the earlier of December 31, 2021, the consummation of this offering or the abandonment of this offering. The loan will be payable without interest. The loan will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering available to us for payment of offering expenses.

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, we will have sufficient available funds to operate for the next 18 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. However, if necessary, in order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account other than the interest earned thereon would be used for such repayment.

A public shareholder will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account (including interest earned on his, her or its portion of the trust account to the extent not previously released to us) only in the event of (i) our redemption of 100% of the outstanding public shares if we have not completed a business combination in the required time period, (ii) if that public shareholder converts such shares, or sells such shares to us in a tender offer, in connection with a business combination which we consummate or (iii) we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. This conversion right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, whether proposed by our sponsor, initial shareholders, executive officers, directors or any other person. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of an initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board of directors does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. Further, if we incur any indebtedness, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith. In addition, our board of directors is not currently contemplating and does not anticipate declaring any share dividends in the foreseeable future. However, if we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share dividend or a share contribution back to capital, or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.

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DILUTION

The difference between the public offering price per share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering by this prospectus and the private warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private warrants. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of our ordinary shares which may be converted into cash or sold in a tender offer), by the number of outstanding ordinary shares.

At June 30, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $224,212, or approximately $(0.06) per ordinary share. After giving effect to the sale of 15,000,000 ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value at June 30, 2021 would have been $5,000,001 or $1.12 per share, representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the approximately 14,825,633 ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash and assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) of $1.18 per share to our sponsor and an immediate dilution of $8.88 per share or 88.8% to our public shareholders not exercising their redemption rights. The decrease attributable to public shares subject to redemption is included in the calculation below at $10.10 per share, as all public shareholders have the right to redeem. The dilution to new investors if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full would be an immediate dilution of $9.00 per share or 90.0%.

The following table illustrates the dilution to the new investors on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units and the private warrants: The following table illustrates the dilution to the new investors on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units and the private warrants:

 

No exercise of
Over-allotment
Option

 

Exercise of
Over-allotment
Option

Public offering price

   

 

 

$

10.00

 

   

 

 

$

10.00

 

Net tangible book value before this offering

 

(0.06

)

 

 

 

 

 

(0.05

)

 

 

 

 

Increase attributable to public shareholders and private sales

 

1.18

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.05

 

 

 

 

 

Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering

 

1.12

 

 

 

 

 

 

1.00

 

 

 

 

 

Dilution to public shareholders

   

 

 

$

8.88

 

   

 

 

$

9.00

 

Percentage of dilution to public shareholders

   

 

 

 

88.8

%

   

 

 

 

90.0

%

The following table sets forth information with respect to our existing shareholders and the public shareholders:

 

Shares

 

Total Consideration

 

Average Price
per Share

Number

 

Purchased

 

Percentage

 

Amount

 

Percentage

 

Initial shareholders

 

3,750,000

(1)

 

19.69

%

 

$

25,000

 

0.02

%

 

$

0.007

Underwriters

 

300,000

 

 

1.57

%

 

$

40

 

0.00

%

 

$

0.000

Public shareholders

 

15,000,000

 

 

78.74

%

 

$

150,000,000

 

99.98

%

 

$

10.000

Total

 

19,050,000

 

 

100.00

%

 

$

150,025,040

 

100.00

%

 

 

 

____________

(1)      Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 562,500 founder shares have been forfeited as a result thereof.

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The pro forma net tangible book value after the offering is calculated as follows:

 

No exercise of
Over-allotment
Option

 

Exercise of
Over-allotment
Option

Numerator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net tangible book value before the offering

 

$

(224,212

)

 

$

(224,212

)

Net proceeds from this offering and private placement

 

 

153,250,000

 

 

 

175,975,000

 

Plus: Offering costs accrued for and paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering

 

 

230,544

 

 

 

230,544

 

Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to conversion/tender

 

 

(148,256,331

)

 

 

(170,981,331

)

   

$

5,000,001

 

 

$

5,000,001

 

Denominator:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class B ordinary shares outstanding prior to this offering

 

 

3,750,000

(1)

 

 

4,312,500

 

Underwriter founder shares

 

 

300,000

 

 

 

300,000

 

Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered

 

 

15,000,000

 

 

 

17,250,000

 

Less: Shares subject to conversion/tender

 

 

(14,825,633

)

 

 

(17,098,133

)

   

 

4,224,367

 

 

 

4,764,367

 

____________

(1)      Assumes the over-allotment option has not been exercised and an aggregate of 562,500 founder shares have been forfeited as a result thereof.

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CAPITALIZATION

The following table sets forth our capitalization at June 30, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the sale of our units in this offering and the sale of the private warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of the over-allotment option:

 

June 30, 2021

   

Actual

 

As Adjusted(1)

Notes payable to related party(1)

 

$

279,935

 

 

$

 

Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized; 0 and 14,825,633 shares subject to possible conversion, actual and as adjusted, respectively(2)

 

 

 

 

 

148,256,331

 

Preferred share, $0.0001 par value, 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized; 300,000 and 474,367 shares issued and outstanding (excluding 0 and 14,825,633 shares subject to possible conversion), actual and as adjusted, respectively

 

 

30

 

 

 

47

 

Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 4,312,500 and 3,750,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3)

 

 

431

 

 

 

375

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

24,579

 

 

$

5,018,287

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(18,708

)

 

$

(18,708

)

Total shareholders’ equity

 

 

6,332

 

 

 

5,000,001

 

Total capitalization

 

$

286,267

 

 

$

153,256,332

 

____________

(1)      Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the repayment of any loans made under this note out of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private warrants. As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was outstanding under the promissory note with our sponsor to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering.

(2)      Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, subject to the limitations described herein whereby our net tangible assets will be maintained at a minimum of $5,000,001 upon consummation of our initial business combination and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed initial business combination.

(3)      Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares by our sponsor and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

We were formed on February 3, 2021 for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more target businesses. While we may pursue an initial business combination with any target business and in any sector or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on targets energy transition technologies, such as battery materials, energy storage, EV infrastructure and advanced recycling in emerging/frontier countries including the CIS, South and South-East Asia and MENA regions. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering, our securities, debt or a combination of cash, securities and debt, in effecting a business combination. The issuance of additional ordinary shares or preferred shares:

•        may significantly reduce the equity interest of our shareholders, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;

•        may subordinate the rights of holders of ordinary shares if we issue preferred shares with rights senior to those afforded to our ordinary shares;

•        will likely cause a change in control if a substantial number of our Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and most likely will also result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and

•        may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our securities.

Similarly, if we issue debt securities, it could result in:

•        default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after a business combination are insufficient to pay our debt obligations;

•        acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we have made all principal and interest payments when due if the debt security contains covenants that required the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves and we breach any such covenant without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;

•        our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand; and

•        our inability to obtain additional financing, if necessary, if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain additional financing while such security is outstanding.

We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our entire activity since inception has been to prepare for our proposed fundraising through an offering of our equity securities.

We are an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act. As an emerging growth company, we have elected to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until those standards apply to private companies. As such, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with public company effective dates.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, at June 30, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficiency of $224,212. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management plans to address this uncertainty through this offering. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.

Our liquidity needs have been satisfied to date through the payment of certain of our deferred offering costs with the $25,000 purchase price of the founder shares. Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering under an unsecured promissory note. As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was

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outstanding under the unsecured promissory note. We estimate that that the net proceeds from (i) the sale of the units in this offering, after deducting offering expenses of approximately $650,000 and underwriting discounts and commissions of $3,000,000 (or $3,450,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) and (ii) the sale of the private warrants for a purchase price of $6,900,000 (or $7,575,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be $153,250,000 (or $175,975,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full). Of this amount, $151,500,000 (or $174,225,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account. The remaining $1,750,000 will not be held in trust.

We may use substantially all of the net proceeds of this offering, including the funds held in the trust account, to acquire a target business and to pay our expenses relating thereto, including a fee payable to EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, upon consummation of our initial business combination for assisting us in connection with our initial business combination, as described under the section titled “Underwriting — Business Combination Marketing Agreement.” To the extent that our shares are used in whole or in part as consideration to effect a business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account as well as any other net proceeds not expended will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business. Such working capital funds could be used in a variety of ways including continuing or expanding the target business’ operations, for strategic acquisitions and for marketing, research and development of existing or new products. Such funds could also be used to repay any operating expenses or finders’ fees which we had incurred prior to the completion of our business combination if the funds available to us outside of the trust account were insufficient to cover such expenses.

We believe that, upon consummation of this offering, the approximate $1,750,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account, together with the interest earned on the trust account that is available to us, will be sufficient to allow us to operate for at least the next 18 months, assuming that a business combination is not consummated during that time. Over this time period, we will be using these funds for identifying and evaluating prospective acquisition candidates, performing business due diligence on prospective target businesses, traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses, reviewing corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, selecting the target business to acquire and structuring, negotiating and consummating the business combination. We anticipate that we will incur approximately:

•        $200,000 of expenses for the search for target businesses and for the legal, accounting and other third-party expenses attendant to the due diligence investigations, structuring and negotiating of a business combination;

•        $600,000 of expenses for D&O insurance;

•        $100,000 of expenses for consulting and miscellaneous expenses incurred during the search for a business combination target;

•        $100,000 of expenses in legal and accounting fees relating to our SEC reporting obligations;

•        $75,000 for Nasdaq continued listing fees;

•        $180,000 for the payment of the administrative fee ($10,000 per month for up to 18 months); and

•        $495,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses.

If our estimates of the above costs are less than the actual costs, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing either to consummate our initial business combination or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon consummation of our initial business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. We do not have a maximum debt leverage ratio or a policy with respect to how much debt we may incur. The amount of debt we will be willing to incur will depend on the facts and circumstances of the proposed business combination and market conditions at the time of the potential business combination. At this time, we are not party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising additional funds through the sale of our securities or the incurrence of debt. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only consummate such financing simultaneously with the consummation of our initial business combination. In the current economic environment, it has become especially difficult to obtain acquisition financing. Additionally, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.

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Related Party Transactions

Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering under an unsecured promissory note. As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was outstanding under the unsecured promissory note. The loan will be payable without interest on the earlier to occur of December 31, 2021, the consummation of this offering, or the abandonment of this offering. If the offering is consummated, the loan will be repaid out of the proceeds of this offering not being placed in trust.

We are obligated, commencing on the date of this prospectus, to pay our sponsor a monthly administrative fee of $10,000 for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support.

Our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 6,900,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $6,900,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 6,150,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 675,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 36,685 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.10 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option.

We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business. However, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we consummate an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts; provided that up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment.

Controls and Procedures

We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. As of the date of this prospectus, we have not completed an assessment, nor have our auditors tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Target businesses we may consider for a business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:

•        staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;

•        reconciliation of accounts;

•        proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;

•        evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;

•        documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and

•        documentation of accounting policies and procedures.

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Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expense in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.

Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent auditors to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404. The independent auditors may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

The net proceeds of this offering, including amounts in the trust account, will be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less, or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results

As of the date of this prospectus, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have conducted no operations to date.

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PROPOSED BUSINESS

Introduction

We are a blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company. We were formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to as a “target business.” While we may pursue an initial business combination with any target business and in any sector or geographical location, we intend to focus our search on targets in energy transition technologies, such as battery materials, energy storage, EV infrastructure and advanced recycling in emerging/frontier countries including the CIS, South and South-East Asia and MENA regions. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities as well as activities related to this offering. None of our officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates has engaged in any substantive discussions on our behalf with representatives of other companies regarding the possibility of a potential business combination with us.

We intend to source our initial business combination opportunities through the networks of our management team who collectively have extensive experience in investing and operating businesses in our target regions. We believe that our strong ties in these regions will help to identify, structure, finance, acquire and support the operation of a business combination target and, therefore, drive value creation for all stakeholders. In addition, our management team has unique sector knowledge based on their experience, including with respect to existing businesses as well as prior investments, which range from mining battery metals to the development of the next-generation solid state batteries for electric vehicles. Our directors have significant experience with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures which we believe will be useful in the evaluation of potential targets and the structuring of the business combination as well as management of the company post-combination.

We believe, companies operating across energy transition verticals in emerging/frontier economies encounter difficulties in accessing capital from traditional sources. We believe that we have the opportunity to create an attractive business combination that will enable a target company to access the capital markets, thereby providing it with a growth capital.

Market opportunity

We believe that new energy transition technologies are one of the great investment opportunities for the next three decades. Energy transition is a transformational force, with a technology-based shift from fossil fuels to renewables and low-carbon fuels at its core. Key technologies and services include battery materials, energy storage, EV infrastructure and advanced recycling. Our team is focused on targeting sourcing materials and supply channels for advanced economies with an emphasis on rapid scaling opportunities in local markets of well understood technologies already in use in the US, Europe and China. We are seeking regional and national businesses that have adapted and optimized these technologies to local demographic trends and cultural habits.

The key energy transition technologies are hitting an inflection point across the value chain. Energy and natural resources consulting firm, Wood Mackenzie, estimates a minimum of $50 trillion in investment opportunities in low-carbon solutions over the next three decades.

According to BNEF, $501.3 billion has been invested in 2020 to decarbonization, where the majority has been invested into renewable energy capacity (61%) and electric vehicles and associated charging infrastructure (28%). The number of countries that pledge to achieve net-zero-emissions continue to grow. Many national regulatory bodies have already adopted legislation to incentivize a shift to lower-emission and zero emission vehicles. In the light of this, most every global automaker have announced plans or are already producing new battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell electric vehicles, including Ford, GM, Daimler, BMW, Hyundai and Kia. The high priority granted to EV production in the last number of years has led to the emergence of a significant number of private companies that create state-of-art industrial technologies and solutions. We believe that these private companies could benefit from access to the public equity markets, our strong ties in the region and access to technologies to build up a scale, accelerate growth, and secure supply chains of raw materials. We intend to pursue companies across the whole energy transition value chain, covering the supply chain of battery raw materials (Li, Ni, Co, and various rare earth metals), energy storage solutions, development of EV infrastructure, and recycling of used batteries in emerging/frontier countries including the CIS, South and South-East Asia, and MENA regions.

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Our Founder and Management Team

We will seek to capitalize on the substantial deal sourcing, investing and operating expertise of our founder, non-executive Chairman and director, Kenges Rakishev, our Chief Executive Officer, Kanat Mynzhanov, and our Chief Financial Officer, Askar Mametov, as well as our independent directors, Shiv Vikram Khemka, Christophe Charlier and Sergei Ivashkovsky.

Mr. Rakishev is a global investor and entrepreneur who focuses on acquiring and investing in businesses that can benefit from his group’s operating expertise. Over the course of his career, Mr. Rakishev has acquired and directly or indirectly invested in more than 50 businesses in metals & mining, oil, petrochemical, banking, fintech, information technology, ecommerce, logistics and insurance industries, including a current portfolio of ten active companies worldwide. He is the sole shareholder and chief executive officer of Fincraft (listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2019), chairman of the board of Fincraft Resources JSC (formerly SAT & Company)(listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2008), chairman of the board of Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., director of Evoshare Limited, president of Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, independent director of Satbayev Kazakh National Technical University, co-founder of Saby Charitable Foundation, and was one of the early investors in StoreDot and Net Element (NASDAQ: NETE). Mr. Rakishev was ranked 12th on the Forbes list of the most influential persons in Kazakhstan in 2020.

Mr. Rakishev made a significant investment in Net Element in 2012. Net Element is a global technology-driven company specializing in mobile payments and value-added transactional services. Net Element owns and operates a global mobile payments and transactional processing provider, TOT Group. TOT Group companies include Unified Payments, ranked as one of the fastest growing companies in North America on Deloitte’s 2018 Technology Fast 500™, Aptito, a next generation cloud-based point of sale payments platform and Payonline, fully-integrated, processor agnostic electronic commerce platform. In 2020, Net Element announced the execution of a definitive agreement to merge with privately-held Mullen, a Southern California-based electric vehicle company.

In 2013, Singulariteam Fund, a venture capital fund owned by one of Mr. Rakishev’s group’s companies, was an early investor in StoreDot. StoreDot is a pioneer of extreme fast charging (XFC) batteries that overcome the critical barrier to mainstream EV adoption — range and charging anxiety. The company has revolutionized the conventional Li-ion battery by designing and synthesizing proprietary organic and inorganic compounds, making it possible to fully charge an EV in just five minutes. The company was named “the pioneer of 2020” by BNEF, as one of ten game-changing technology companies creating a more sustainable future.

Mr. Rakishev is a significant shareholder and Chairman of Fincraft Resources JSC, which has expertise building, investing and operating internationally in the natural resources and disruptive technology industries. Through its subsidiary Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., the company is targeting metals necessary for electrification (in particular, nickel, cobalt and lithium) and has a significant nickel opportunity project in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is strategically located, linking China and South Asia with Russia and Western Europe by road, rail and port, and therefore is of great importance to China’s “Belt and Road” strategy. Fincraft Resources JSC recognized the potential to produce nickel from laterite ores of the Gornostaevskoe deposit using in-situ leaching (ISL) techniques, which offers significant economic, environmental and ecological advantages over conventional mining by extracting metals from the ground without physically removing the rock in which they are found. As a result, little or no tailing or waste rock is generated. In addition, ISL allows for increasing and decreasing production output more cost effectively than conventional mining.

From 2013 to 2018, Mr. Rakishev was a non-executive director of Central Asia Metals Plc (AIM: CAML). In 2014, Mr Rakishev became a major shareholder of BTA, which is currently a subsidiary of Fincraft. As of April 2021, Fincraft has over $1.2 billion in total assets. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Rakishev was a controlling shareholder and served as the chairman of Kazkommertsbank JSC, the largest Kazakh commercial bank. From 2017 to 2019, Mr. Rakishev was a major shareholder of Petropavlovsk Plc., a member of London’s FTSE 250 index and is one of the five largest gold mining companies in Russia. In these positions, he offered support on strategic development, including helping to resolve management conflicts as well as short-term liquidity issues.

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Mr. Rakishev is an active investor in start-ups that are developing some of the most disruptive and impressive technologies today, from EV battery technology, mobile payments, artificial intelligence and augmented reality to robotics and healthcare technology. He helps to establish an entrepreneurial environment as a foundation for growth, while offering support, resources, and advice.

In addition to Mr. Rakishev, we expect to benefit from the experience and networks of the following members of our management team:

Kanat Mynzhanov has served as our Chief Executive Officer and director since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mynzhanov co-founded Bellprescot Ltd. and Bellprescot in September 2016. He served as the chief investment officer of Bellprescot from 2016 to 2020 and operated Bellprescot’s fund, BP. BP’s primary focus of investments is technology driven public companies with leading and disruptive products and service, including internet of things and cloud, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, machine learning, semiconductors, cybersecurity and robotics. Mr. Mynzhanov founded D23 in June 2020 to manage private equity deals. Prior to founding BP and D23, Mr. Mynzhanov served as the head of investments at Kazatomprom-Damu, an investment subsidiary of NAC, where he led and mentored a team of highly skilled investment managers responsible for mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and business development across metals & mining, rare metals and alternative energy industries. Mr. Mynzhanov joined NAC in 2014 as an investment manager and during his time at NAC he oversaw numerous projects and established strong connections with some of the largest global firms. Over the years Mr. Mynzhanov consulted for various firms, including those in the metals and mining sector, on raising capital through initial public offerings, as well as restructuring and various business developments.

Askar Mametov has served as our Chief Financial Officer since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mametov has over 15 years of executive experience in mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and transportation industries with a thorough understanding of financial reporting (US GAAP and IFRS), taxation and accounting, financial planning and analysis. Previously, Mr. Mametov served as chief financial officer of KM Gold Inc., a public Kazakh gold mining company (KASE: KMGD) from August 2016 until October 2019. He led the public listing of the company on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange in 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Mametov served as financial controller of Sequa Petroleum Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of Sequa Petroleum, an oil and gas company listed on Euronext Access (EPA: MLSEQ), from January 2014 to July 2016. From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Mametov served in multiple roles at Caspian Services Inc. (NASDAQ: CSSV), including management reporting, US GAAP financial reporting, as well as IFRS financial reporting. In 2007, Mr. Mametov worked at Beeline Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of VEON (NASDAQ: VEON). From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Mametov served as financial reporting specialist and consortium accountant for PetroKazakhstan Inc. (TSX: PKZ), a Canadian oil company. Mr. Mametov is a member of IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) and since 2014, has served as the President of Kazakhstan Chapter of IMA.

We have a highly accomplished team of independent directors who are experienced in executive leadership, company governance and operations oversight. Our board members have served as directors, partners, executives and advisors for a number of publicly-traded companies. We believe that our independent directors’ combination of relationships, experience and expertise in a number of sectors (natural resources, green infrastructure, high technology, solid state batteries, financial services, telecom) and markets (India, Russia, the Middle East, Europe, North America, the CIS and other emerging markets) puts us in a strong position to complete a business combination:

Shiv Vikram Khemka will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Khemka has served as a vice-chairman of SUN Group, a 120-year-old family enterprise comprised of both operating and investment companies, since 1990. SUN Group is active in asset management, natural resources, green infrastructure and high technology. SUN co-founded SUN Mobility, an energy tech company focused on becoming a leader in EV energy. SUN is also a significant investor in a leading EV solid state battery manufacturer. The group has been active in various regions around the world, including India, Russia, the Middle East, Central and South-East Asia. Mr. Khemka is the chairman of the Entrepreneurship Sports Generation and executive chairman of the Global Education and Leadership Foundation. He is currently a member of the board of governors at Junior Achievement Worldwide and is a member of the Leadership Council at the Brooking Centre for Universal Education. The World

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Economic Forum elected Mr. Khemka a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” and he was also a member of the organization’s Global Agenda Council on Education. He has served on both the Brown University and Yale University’s President’s Councils. Mr. Khemka has also served as a board member on the Stanford Philanthropy and Civic Society (PACS) centre and was advisory board member of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian studies at Harvard University. He is currently a founding member of V20, a global community of values experts and practitioners that engage with G20, and serves as the chairman of Aikido Aikikai Foundation of India. Mr. Khemka was awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University, and the Outstanding Contribution to Education Prize and the India Alumni Award from the Wharton School of Business.

Christophe Charlier will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Charlier is an international financier with over 25 years of experience in investment banking, private equity and international management. Throughout his career he has acted as principal or advised on a number of landmark transactions in the telecom, financial services, natural resources and sports and entertainment industries across developed and emerging markets. He has served as an independent director of La Française de l’Energie, a French gas production company since April 2016, and chairman of Pure Grass Films, a UK-based film and TV series production company, since 2012. Mr. Charlier served as chairman of the board of directors of Renaissance Capital, a leading investment bank focused on emerging and frontier markets, from April 2017 to March 2020. As chairman, Mr. Charlier coordinated the work of Renaissance Capital’s board of directors and oversaw strategic development, the global brand, and relationships with key clients and stakeholders globally, as well as compliance with listing requirements of the Astana International Exchange (AIX) in Kazakhstan. Previously, Mr. Charlier served as deputy CEO of Onexim Group, a leading private equity fund based in Moscow from September 2008 to June 2014. In this capacity, he served on the boards of directors of several of Russia’s largest companies, including RusAl, Polyus Gold, Quadra-Power Generation, and RBC. He also acted as chairman of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets franchise from 2010 to 2014. Prior to that from February 2002 to March 2004, Mr. Charlier was director of strategic development of Norilsk Nickel, leading its acquisition of strategic stakes in Stillwater Mining Company and Gold Fields.  He started his investment banking career in 1995 at JPMorgan in the M&A Group in NY.

Sergei Ivashkovsky will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus. Mr. Ivashkovsky has over 16 years of experience in investment management in public and private equity markets in the CIS and other counties in Eastern Europe, in restructuring and turnaround projects for technology companies and in distressed assets in Russia, and participated in a significant number of deals in industrial, consumer and banking sector. In October 2019, Mr. Ivashkovsky founded an investment company Eurasia Investment Partners to advise private investors in LBO and private equity transactions. From May 2018 to October 2019, Mr. Ivashkovsky served as a managing director of the distressed assets bank TRUST, launched by the Central Bank of Russia along with McKinsey advisory to consolidate $40 billion of non-performing corporate loans. From 2013 until April 2018, he served as a managing director of Rusnano, a leading state-owned tech fund in Russia, and Gazprombank, a leading private bank in Russia, responsible for a number of turnaround projects in industrial technologies, fintech and artificial intelligence. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Ivashkovsky served as a senior analyst and co-portfolio manager of Prosperity Capital and East Capital, the leading Swedish asset management companies in Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe with long-only and special situation funds. From 2004 to 2006, he served as an analyst and junior portfolio manager in Rosbank AM, an asset management start-up of INTERROS, one of the largest financial and industrial groups in Russia.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, the past successes of Mr. Rakishev and our other officers and directors, and their respective affiliates is not a guarantee that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or realize success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of such individuals’ or entity’s performance as indicative of our future performance. Additionally, in the course of their respective careers, members of our management team may have been involved in businesses and deals that were unsuccessful. In addition, our officers and directors may have conflicts of interest with other entities to which they owe fiduciary or contractual obligations with respect to initial business combination opportunities. For a list of our officers and directors and entities for which a conflict of interest may or does exist between such persons and the company, as well as the priority and preference that such entity has with respect to performance of obligations and presentation of business opportunities to us, please refer to the table and subsequent explanatory paragraph in the section titled “Management — Conflicts of Interest.”

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Business Strategy

Our acquisition and value creation strategy is to identify and complete the initial business combination with a target in an industry that complements the experience and expertise of our founder and management team. We believe our founder’s broad experience owning and operating private and public companies positions us for a successful business combination. We also believe the resources and experience of our management team will provide us with an in-depth understanding of targets located in the CIS and other countries in South and South-East Asia and MENA regions, operating in energy transition technologies.

We expect to distinguish ourselves by leveraging our extensive internal and external network of relationships to create a significant pipeline of business combination opportunities. We have significant experience dealing with key stakeholders, including shareholders, administrators, governmental agencies as well as equity sponsors, lending institutions, family offices, investment banks, restructuring advisers, attorneys, brokers and employees built over many years of investing and operating businesses in different regions.

We believe our sponsor’s and management team’s deal sourcing, investing and operating expertise, as well as their extensive network of contacts in our focus regions will uniquely position us to take advantage of positive trends in our target industries. We believe this expertise and network of contacts will provide us access to a number of potential target businesses that could be attractive public companies in the United States.

We will evaluate a wide-range of organic and strategic growth opportunities to identify synergies, bolster a target’s competitive position and develop new areas of growth for it. We also intend to leverage our management team’s vision and substantial expertise in building vertically-integrated businesses when possible.

Acquisition Criteria

We intend to acquire a company that we believe can offer an attractive risk-adjusted returns for shareholders. Fundamental analysis, including historical and projected financial and operating data, extensive financial modelling and in-depth market risks reviews are the core to our investment strategy, as well as extensive legal and intellectual properties due diligence to evaluate a target company and to complete a thorough analysis of the potential impact of a business combination.

We intend to acquire companies or assets that we believe have some or all of the following attributes:

•        The potential to benefit from being publicly traded with access to the public capital markets and reduced cost of equity and debt capital to pursue further growth opportunities;

•        A professional management team whose interests are aligned with our investors (we may enhance the capabilities of the target’s business team by recruiting talent through our network of contacts);

•        The potential to grow organically as well as through acquisitions;

•        A defensible position within a target market as a result of a differentiated technology or other competitive advantages;

•        A proven business model;

•        The collective capabilities of our management can be leveraged to tangibly improve the operations and market position of the target; and

•        A history of strong operating and financial results with proven track records.

Given our management team’s extensive experience investing in a target’s industries, we expect that we may be familiar with the prospective target’s end-market, competitive landscape and business model. We intend to construct an operating and financial plan designed to significantly increase shareholder value. When necessary, we intend to assemble a team of industry and financial experts to supplement the management teams’ efforts. We expect to demonstrate to the target and its shareholders that we have the resources and expertise to provide the strategic and operational direction necessary to grow the business and improve the overall strategic prospects for the combined companies.

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These criteria and guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of an initial business combination may be based, to the extent relevant, on these general criteria and guidelines as well as other considerations, factors, guidelines, and criteria that our management team may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria and guidelines in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the SEC.

In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial and other information that will be made available to us. We will also utilize our operational and capital allocation experience.

We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.

Members of our management team will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors is included by a target business as a condition to our initial business combination.

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entities. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such opportunity to such entity. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability complete our business combination. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of our company and such opportunity is one we are legally and contractually permitted to undertake and would otherwise be reasonable for us to pursue.

Effecting a Business Combination

General

We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any substantive commercial business for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to utilize cash derived from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of private warrants, our ordinary shares, debt or a combination of these in effecting a business combination which has not yet been identified. Accordingly, investors in this offering are investing without first having an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of any one or more business combinations. A business combination may involve the acquisition of, or merger with, a company which does not need substantial additional capital, but which desires to establish a public trading market for its shares, while avoiding what it may deem to be adverse consequences of undertaking a public offering itself. These include time delays, significant expense, loss of voting control and compliance with various federal and state securities laws. In the alternative, we may seek to consummate a business combination with a company that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth. While we may seek to effect simultaneous business combinations with more than one target business, we will probably have the ability, as a result of our limited resources, to effect only a single business combination.

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We Have Not Identified a Target Business

To date, we have not selected any target business on which to concentrate our search for a business combination. None of our sponsor, officers, directors, promoters and other affiliates has engaged in any substantive discussions on our behalf with representatives of other companies regarding the possibility of a potential merger, capital share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with us. Additionally, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate such companies. As a result, we cannot assure you that we will be able to locate a target business or that we will be able to engage in a business combination with a target business on favorable terms or at all.

Subject to our management team’s pre-existing fiduciary obligations and the fair market value requirement described below, we will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective acquisition candidate. We have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses other than as described above. Accordingly, there is no basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete a business combination. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.

Sources of Target Businesses

While we have not yet selected a target business with which to consummate our initial business combination, we believe based on our management’s business knowledge and past experience that there are numerous potential candidates. We expect that our principal means of identifying potential target businesses will be through the extensive contacts and relationships of our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors. While our officers and directors are not required to commit any specific amount of time in identifying or performing due diligence on potential target businesses, our officers and directors believe that the relationships they have developed over their careers and their access to our sponsor’s contacts and resources will generate a number of potential business combination opportunities that will warrant further investigation. We also anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds and other members of the financial community. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses they think we may be interested in on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting.

Our officers and directors must present to us all target business opportunities that have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis (other than EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital as described elsewhere in this prospectus), we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. In no event, however, will our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their respective affiliates be paid any compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is), other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee, the repayment of up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses. Our audit committee will review and approve all reimbursements and payments made to our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or our or their respective affiliates, with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

We have no present intention to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors or sponsor. However, we are not restricted from entering into any such transactions and may do so if (i) such transaction is approved by a majority of our disinterested independent directors and (ii) we obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated shareholders from a financial point of view.

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Selection of a Target Business and Structuring of a Business Combination

Subject to our management team’s pre-existing fiduciary obligations and the limitations that a target business have a fair market value of at least 80% of the balance in the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination, as described below in more detail, and that we must acquire a controlling interest in the target business, our management will have virtually unrestricted flexibility in identifying and selecting a prospective target business. We have not established any specific attributes or criteria (financial or otherwise) for prospective target businesses other than as described above under the caption “Investment Criteria.” In evaluating a prospective target business, our management may consider a variety of factors, including one or more of the following:

•        financial condition and results of operation;

•        growth potential;

•        brand recognition and potential;

•        experience and skill of management and availability of additional personnel;

•        capital requirements;

•        competitive position;

•        barriers to entry;

•        stage of development of the products, processes or services;

•        existing distribution and potential for expansion;

•        degree of current or potential market acceptance of the products, processes or services;

•        proprietary aspects of products and the extent of intellectual property or other protection for products or formulas;

•        impact of regulation on the business;

•        regulatory environment of the industry;

•        costs associated with effecting the business combination;

•        industry leadership, sustainability of market share and attractiveness of market industries in which a target business participates; and

•        macro competitive dynamics in the industry within which the company competes.

These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular business combination will be based, to the extent relevant, on the above factors as well as other considerations deemed relevant by our management in effecting a business combination consistent with our business objective. In evaluating a prospective target business, we will conduct an extensive due diligence review which will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and inspection of facilities, as well as review of financial and other information which is made available to us. This due diligence review will be conducted either by our management or by unaffiliated third parties we may engage, although we have no current intention to engage any such third parties.

The time and costs required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete the business combination cannot presently be ascertained with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which a business combination is not ultimately completed will result in a loss to us and reduce the amount of capital available to otherwise complete a business combination.

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Fair Market Value of Target Business

The Nasdaq listing rules require that the target business or businesses that we acquire must collectively have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance of the funds in the trust account at the time of the execution of a definitive agreement for our initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

We currently anticipate structuring a business combination to acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination where we merge directly with the target business or a newly formed subsidiary or where we acquire less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post- transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock of a target. In this case, we could acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target; however, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% of trust account balance test.

The fair market value of the target will be determined by our board of directors based upon one or more standards generally accepted by the financial community (such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and/or book value). The proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents used by us in connection with any proposed transaction will provide public shareholders with our analysis of the fair market value of the target business, as well as the basis for our determinations. If our board is not able to independently determine that the target business has a sufficient fair market value, we will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We will not be required to obtain an opinion from an investment banking firm as to the fair market value if our board of directors independently determines that the target business complies with the 80% threshold.

Lack of Business Diversification

We may seek to effect a business combination with more than one target business, although we expect to complete our business combination with just one business. Therefore, at least initially, the prospects for our success may be entirely dependent upon the future performance of a single business operation. Unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations of entities operating in multiple industries or multiple areas of a single industry, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses. By consummating a business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:

•        subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to a business combination, and

•        result in our dependency upon the performance of a single operating business or the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.

If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses and such businesses are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other acquisitions, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete the business combination. With multiple acquisitions, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs

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with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business.

Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target Business’ Management

Although we intend to scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting a business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of the target business’ management will prove to be correct. In addition, we cannot assure you that the future management will have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of our officers and directors, if any, in the target business following a business combination cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that some of our key personnel will remain associated in senior management or advisory positions with us following a business combination, it is unlikely that they will devote their full-time efforts to our affairs subsequent to a business combination. Moreover, they would only be able to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for them to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to the company after the consummation of the business combination. While the personal and financial interests of our key personnel may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, their ability to remain with the company after the consummation of a business combination will not be the determining factor in our decision as to whether or not we will proceed with any potential business combination. Additionally, we cannot assure you that our officers and directors will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.

Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that any such additional managers we do recruit will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.

Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve an Initial Business Combination

In connection with any proposed business combination, we will either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. If we determine to engage in a tender offer, such tender offer will be structured so that each shareholder may tender all of his, her or its shares rather than some pro rata portion of his, her or its shares. In that case, we will file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. Whether we seek shareholder approval or engage in a tender offer, we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek shareholder approval, a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares voted are voted in favor of the business combination.

We chose our net tangible asset threshold of $5,000,001 to ensure that we would avoid being subject to Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. However, if we seek to consummate an initial business combination with a target business that imposes any type of working capital closing condition or requires us to have a minimum amount of funds available from the trust account upon consummation of such initial business combination, we may need to have more than $5,000,001 in net tangible assets upon consummation and this may force us to seek third party financing

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which may not be available on terms acceptable to us or at all. As a result, we may not be able to consummate such initial business combination and we may not be able to locate another suitable target within the applicable time period, if at all. Public shareholders may therefore have to wait 18 months from the closing of this offering in order to be able to receive a pro rata share of the trust account.

Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed (1) to vote any ordinary shares owned by them in favor of any proposed business combination, (2) not to convert any ordinary shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination and (3) not sell any ordinary shares in any tender in connection with a proposed initial business combination.

None of our officers, directors, sponsor, initial shareholders or their affiliates has indicated any intention to purchase units or Class A ordinary shares in this offering or from persons in the open market or in private transactions. However, if we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination and a significant number of shareholders vote, or indicate an intention to vote, against such proposed business combination or that they wish to convert their shares, our officers, directors, sponsor, initial shareholders or their affiliates could make such purchases in the open market or in private transactions in order to influence the vote and reduce the number of conversions. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our officers, directors, sponsor, initial shareholders and their affiliates will not make purchases of ordinary shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act, which are rules designed to stop potential manipulation of a company’s shares.

Conversion Rights

At any meeting called to approve an initial business combination, public shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, less any taxes then due but not yet paid. Alternatively, we may provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to sell their Class A ordinary shares to us through a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less any taxes then due but not yet paid.

Our sponsor, initial shareholders and our officers and directors will not have conversion rights with respect to any ordinary shares owned by them, directly or indirectly, whether acquired prior to this offering or purchased by them in this offering or in the aftermarket. In addition, the holders of the underwriter founder shares have agreed to waive their conversion rights with respect to the underwriter founder shares they hold.

We may require public shareholders, whether they are a record holder or hold their shares in “street name,” to either (i) tender their certificates to our transfer agent or (ii) deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, at the holder’s option, in each case prior to a date set forth in the proxy materials sent in connection with the proposal to approve the business combination.

There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced delivery process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker a nominal amount and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise conversion rights. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising conversion rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated. However, in the event we require shareholders seeking to exercise conversion rights prior to the consummation of the proposed business combination and the proposed business combination is not consummated this may result in an increased cost to shareholders.

Any proxy solicitation materials we furnish to shareholders in connection with a vote for any proposed business combination will indicate whether we are requiring shareholders to satisfy such certification and delivery requirements. Accordingly, a shareholder would have from the time the shareholder received our proxy statement up until the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination to deliver his shares if he wishes to seek to exercise his conversion rights. This time period varies depending on the specific facts of each transaction. However, as the delivery process can be accomplished by the shareholder, whether or not he is a record holder or his shares are held in “street name,” in a matter of hours by simply contacting the transfer agent or his broker and requesting delivery of his shares through the DWAC System, we believe this time period is sufficient for an average investor. However, we cannot assure you of this fact. Please see the risk factor titled “In connection with any shareholder meeting called to approve a proposed initial

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business combination, we may require shareholders who wish to convert their shares in connection with a proposed business combination to comply with specific requirements for conversion that may make it more difficult for them to exercise their conversion rights prior to the deadline for exercising their rights” for further information on the risks of failing to comply with these requirements.

Any request to convert such shares once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the vote on the proposed business combination or the expiration of the tender offer. Furthermore, if a holder of public shares delivered his certificate in connection with an election of their conversion and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, he may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically).

If the initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their conversion rights would not be entitled to convert their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any shares delivered by public holders.

Limitation on Conversion upon Completion of our Initial Business Combination if We Seek Shareholder Approval

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their conversion rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its conversion rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to convert no more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.

Liquidation if No Business Combination

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we will have only 18 months from the closing of this offering to complete an initial business combination. If we have not completed an initial business combination by such date, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest not previously released to us but net of taxes

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payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This conversion right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, initial shareholders, executive officers, directors or any other person.

We are required to seek to have all third parties (including any vendors or other entities we engage after this offering) and any prospective target businesses enter into agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account. As a result, the claims that could be made against us will be limited, thereby lessening the likelihood that any claim would result in any liability extending to the trust. We therefore believe that any necessary provision for creditors will be reduced and should not have a significant impact on our ability to distribute the funds in the trust account to our public shareholders. Nevertheless, Marcum LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of the offering, will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that other vendors, service providers and prospective target businesses will execute such agreements. Nor is there any guarantee that, even if they execute such agreements with us, they will not seek recourse against the trust account. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to ensure that the proceeds in the trust account are not reduced below $10.10 per share by the claims of target businesses or claims of vendors or other entities that are owed money by us for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to us, but we cannot assure you that it will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. We have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we believe it is unlikely that our sponsor will be able to satisfy its indemnification obligations if it is required to do so. Additionally, the agreement our sponsor entered into specifically provides for two exceptions to the indemnity it has given: it will have no liability (1) as to any claimed amounts owed to a target business or vendor or other entity who has executed an agreement with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the trust account, or (2) as to any claims for indemnification by the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As a result, if we liquidate, the per-share distribution from the trust account could be less than $10.10 due to claims or potential claims of creditors.

We anticipate notifying the trustee of the trust account to begin liquidating such assets promptly after our 24th month and anticipate it will take no more than 10 business days to effectuate such distribution. The holders of the founder shares and private shares have waived their rights to participate in any liquidation distribution from the trust account with respect to such shares. There will be no distribution from the trust account with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless. We will pay the costs of any subsequent liquidation from our remaining assets outside of the trust account. If such funds are insufficient, our sponsor has contractually agreed to advance us the funds necessary to complete such liquidation (currently anticipated to be no more than approximately $15,000) and has contractually agreed not to seek repayment for such expenses.

If we are unable to complete an initial business combination and expend all of the net proceeds of this offering, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the initial per-share redemption price would be $10.10.

Our public shareholders shall be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only in the event of our failure to complete a business combination within the required time period, if the shareholders seek to have us convert or purchase their respective shares upon a business combination which is actually completed by us or upon certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to consummating an initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account.

If we are forced to file a winding-up petition bankruptcy case or a winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return to our public shareholders at least $10.10 per share.

If we are forced to file a winding-up petition bankruptcy case or a winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy case is filed against us which is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As

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a result, a bankruptcy court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, because we intend to distribute the proceeds held in the trust account to our public shareholders promptly after 18 months from the closing of this offering, this may be viewed or interpreted as giving preference to our public shareholders over any potential creditors with respect to access to or distributions from our assets. Furthermore, our board may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.

Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will contain certain requirements and restrictions relating to this offering that will apply to us until the consummation of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without the approval of a majority of our shareholders. If we seek to amend any provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their public shares upon the approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest not previously released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. This conversion right shall apply in the event of the approval of any such amendment, whether proposed by our sponsor, initial shareholders, executive officers, directors or any other person. Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive any conversion rights with respect to any founder shares, private shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide, among other things, that:

•        we shall either (1) seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination at a meeting called for such purpose at which shareholders may seek to convert their shares, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or don’t vote at all, into their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), or (2) provide our shareholders with the opportunity to sell their shares to us by means of a tender offer (and thereby avoid the need for a shareholder vote) for an amount equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account (net of taxes payable), in each case subject to the limitations described herein;

•        we will consummate our initial business combination only if we have net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either immediately prior to or upon consummation of such business combination and, if we seek shareholder approval, a majority of the outstanding ordinary shares are voted in favor of the business combination;

•        if our initial business combination is not consummated within 18 months from the closing of this offering, then we will redeem all of the outstanding public shares and thereafter liquidate and dissolve our company;

•        upon the consummation of this offering, $150 million, or approximately $172.5 million if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, shall be placed into the trust account;

•        we may not consummate any other business combination, merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar transaction prior to our initial business combination; and

•        prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that participate in any manner in the proceeds of the trust account, or that votes as a class with the ordinary shares sold in this offering on an initial business combination.

Competition

In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business, we may encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Many of these competitors possess greater technical, human and other resources than us and our financial resources will be relatively limited when

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contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there may be numerous potential target businesses that we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering, our ability to compete in acquiring certain sizable target businesses may be limited by our available financial resources.

The following also may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses:

•        our obligation to seek shareholder approval of a business combination or engage in a tender offer may delay the completion of a transaction;

•        our obligation to convert or repurchase Class A ordinary shares held by our public shareholders may reduce the resources available to us for a business combination; and

•        our outstanding warrants and unit purchase options, and the potential future dilution they represent.

Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. Our management believes, however, that our status as a public entity and potential access to the United States public equity markets may give us a competitive advantage over privately held entities having a similar business objective as ours in acquiring a target business with significant growth potential on favorable terms.

If we succeed in effecting a business combination, there will be, in all likelihood, intense competition from competitors of the target business. We cannot assure you that, subsequent to a business combination, we will have the resources or ability to compete effectively.

Facilities

We currently maintain our principal executive offices at 7F 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan. The cost for this space is included in the $10,000 per-month administrative fee our sponsor will charge us for general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, commencing on the date of this prospectus, pursuant to a letter agreement between us and our sponsor. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services, that the administrative fee charged by our sponsor is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person. We consider our current office space, combined with the other office space otherwise available to our executive officers, adequate for our current operations.

Employees

We have two executive officers. These individuals are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters and intend to devote only as much time as they deem necessary to our affairs. The amount of time they will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for the business combination and the stage of the business combination process the company is in. Accordingly, once a suitable target business to acquire has been located, management may spend more time investigating such target business and negotiating and processing the business combination (and consequently spend more time on our affairs) than had been spent prior to locating a suitable target business. We presently expect our executive officers to devote such amount of time as they reasonably believe is necessary to our business. We do not intend to have any full- time employees prior to the consummation of a business combination.

Periodic Reporting and Audited Financial Statements

We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual report will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.

We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of any proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with or reconciled to United States generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards as promulgated by the International Accounting Standards Board. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential acquisition candidate will have the necessary financial statements. To the extent that this requirement cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business.

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We may be required to have our internal control procedures audited for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.

Legal Proceedings

There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such, and we and the members of our management team have not been subject to any such proceeding in the 12 months preceding the date of this prospectus.

Comparison to Offerings of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419

The following table compares and contrasts the terms of our offering and the terms of an offering of blank check companies under Rule 419 promulgated by the SEC assuming that the gross proceeds, underwriting discounts and underwriting expenses for the Rule 419 offering are the same as this offering and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the terms of a Rule 419 offering will apply to this offering because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the successful consummation of this offering and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact.

 

Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Escrow of offering proceeds

 

$151,500,000 of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private warrants will be deposited into a U.S.-based trust account maintained by Goldman Sachs Bank USA, with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee

 

$132,300,000 of the offering proceeds would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker- dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account.

Investment of net proceeds

 

The $151,500,000 of the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private warrants held in trust will only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations.

 

Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States.

Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business

 

Our initial business combination must occur with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value of at least 80% of the assets held in the trust account at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on Nasdaq for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.

 

We would be restricted from acquiring a target business unless the fair value of such business or net assets to be acquired represent at least 80% of the maximum offering proceeds.

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Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Trading of securities issued

 

The units may commence trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units are expected to begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital, the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, provided we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K, which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering, and issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

 

No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account.

Exercise of the warrants

 

The warrants cannot be exercised until 30 days after the completion of our business combination and, accordingly, will be exercised only after the trust account has been terminated and distributed.

 

The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account.

Election to remain an investor

 

We will either (1) give our shareholders the opportunity to vote on the business combination or (2) provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to sell their Class A ordinary shares to us in a tender offer for cash equal to their pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, less taxes. If we hold a meeting to approve a proposed business combination, we will send each shareholder a proxy statement containing information required by the SEC. Alternatively, if we do not hold a meeting and instead conduct a tender offer, we will conduct such tender offer in accordance with the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination as we would have included in a proxy statement.

 

A prospectus containing information required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company, in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of the post-effective amendment, to decide whether he or she elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of his or her investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account would automatically be returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all of the deposited funds in the escrow account must be returned to all investors and none of the securities will be issued.

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Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Business combination deadline

 

Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including any interest not released to us but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject (in the case of (ii) and (iii) above) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

If an acquisition has not been consummated within 18 months after the effective date of the initial registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account would be returned to investors.

Limitation on conversion rights of shareholders holding more than 15% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote

 

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking conversion rights with respect to Excess Shares (more than an aggregate of 15% of the shares sold in this offering). Our public shareholders’ inability to convert Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and they could suffer a material loss on their investment in us if they sell any Excess Shares in open market transactions.

 

Many blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination.

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Terms of the Offering

 

Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering

Interest earned on the funds in the trust account

 

There can be released to us, from time to time, any interest earned on the funds in the trust account that we may need to pay our tax obligations. The remaining interest earned on the funds in the trust account will not be released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

 

All interest earned on the funds in the trust account will be held in trust for the benefit of public shareholders until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

Release of funds

 

Except for any interest earned on the funds in the trust account released to us for our tax obligations, the proceeds held in the trust account will not be released to us until the earlier of the completion of a business combination and our liquidation upon failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

 

The proceeds held in the escrow account would not be released to the company until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time.

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MANAGEMENT

Directors and Executive Officers

Our current directors and executive officers are as follows

Name

 

Age

 

Title

Kenges Rakishev

 

42

 

Non-executive Chairman and Director

Kanat Mynzhanov

 

37

 

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Askar Mametov

 

38

 

Chief Financial Officer

Christophe Charlier

 

49

 

Director Nominee

Sergey Ivashkovsky

 

38

 

Director Nominee

Shiv Vikram Khemka

 

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Director Nominee

Kenges Rakishev has served as our non-executive Chairman since our inception in February 2021 and as our director since July 2021. Mr. Rakishev is a global investor and entrepreneur who focuses on acquiring and investing in businesses that can benefit from his group’s operating expertise. Over the course of his career, Mr. Rakishev has acquired and directly or indirectly invested in more than 50 businesses in metals & mining, oil, petrochemical, banking, fintech, information technology, ecommerce, logistics and insurance industries, including a current portfolio of ten active companies worldwide. Mr. Rakishev is the sole shareholder and has served as the chief executive officer of Fincraft Group LLP (listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2019), a diversified holding company, since March 2021 and as the chairman of the board of Fincraft Resources JSC (formerly SAT & Company)(listed on the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange since 2008) a diversified holding company with a focus on building, investing and operating internationally in the natural resources and disruptive technology industries, since September 2008. In addition, he has served as the chairman of the board of Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., an electric vehicle battery metals company, since December 2020 and as the director of Evoshare Limited, an international fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) company, since July 2013. Mr. Rakishev served as a director and chairman of the board of NetElement, global technology-driven group specializing in mobile payments and value-added transactional services, from October 2012 until November 2018. He served as a non-executive director of Central Asia Metals Plc (AIM: CAML) from 2013 to May 2018. Mr. Rakishev was a controlling shareholder and served as the chairman of Kazkommertsbank JSC, the largest Kazakh commercial bank from March 2015 to June 2017. From December 2017 to July 2019, Mr. Rakishev was a major shareholder of Petropavlovsk Plc., a member of the London’s FTSE 250 index and one of the five largest gold mining companies in Russia. In these positions, he offered support on strategic development, including helping to resolve management conflicts as well as short-term liquidity issues. Throughout his career, Mr. Rakishev has served in several notable positions in the public sector including independent director of Satbayev Kazakh National Technical University, co-founder of Saby Charitable Foundation, vice-president of the Union of Chambers of Commerce of the Republic of Kazakhstan, president of Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, vice-president of The Boxing Association of Republic of Kazakhstan and vice-president of the Asian Boxing Confederation. Mr. Rakishev holds a B.A. (Law) from the Kazakh State Law Academy and a B.A. (International Economics) from the Kazakh Economic University. Mr. Rakishev also has an AMP Diploma from Oxford University.

Kanat Mynzhanov has served as our Chief Executive Officer and director since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mynzhanov co-founded Bellprescot Ltd. and Bellprescot Asset Management (“Bellprescot”) in September 2016 and has served as the director of Bellprescot Ltd. from September 2016 until April 2021. He served as the chief investment officer of Bellprescot from September 2016 to June 2020 and has operated and served as the chief investment officer of Bellprescot’s fund, Bellprescot Prime Fund, since June 2020. BP’s primary focus of investments is technology driven public companies with leading and disruptive products and service, including internet of things and cloud, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence, machine learning, semiconductors, cybersecurity and robotics. Mr. Mynzhanov founded D23 in June 2020 to manage private equity deals. Prior to founding BP and D23, Mr. Mynzhanov served as the head of investments at Kazatomprom-Damu, an investment subsidiary of NAC, where he led and mentored a team of highly skilled investment managers responsible for mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and business development across metals & mining, rare metals and alternative energy industries. Mr. Mynzhanov joined NAC in 2014 as an investment manager and during his time at NAC he oversaw numerous projects and established strong connections with some of the largest global firms. Over the years Mr. Mynzhanov consulted for various firms, including those in the metals and mining sector, on raising capital through initial public offerings, as well as restructuring and various business developments. Mr. Mynzhanov holds a Master of Science from University of Westminster.

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Askar Mametov has served as our Chief Financial Officer since our inception in February 2021. Mr. Mametov has over 15 years of executive experience in mining, oil and gas, infrastructure and transportation industries with a thorough understanding of financial reporting (US GAAP and IFRS), taxation and accounting, financial planning and analysis. Mr. Mametov has served as the Director of Kaznedraproject LLP, a private Kazkh oil and gas exploration company, since July 2019. Previously, Mr. Mametov served as chief financial officer of KM Gold Inc., a public Kazakh gold mining company (KASE: KMGD) from August 2016 until October 2019. He led the process of public listing of the company on Kazakhstan Stock Exchange in 2016. Prior to that, Mr. Mametov served as financial controller of Sequa Petroleum Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of Sequa Petroleum, an oil and gas company, listed on Euronext Access (EPA: MLSEQ) from January 2014 to July 2016. From 2007 to 2014, Mr. Mametov served in multiple roles at Caspian Services Inc. (NASDAQ: CSSV), including management reporting, US GAAP financial reporting, as well as IFRS financial reporting for Kazakhstani Stock Exchange (KASE: US_CSSV). In 2007, Mr. Mametov worked at Beeline Kazakhstan, a subsidiary of VEON (NASDAQ: VEON). VEON (former Vympelcom), which operates through a number of connectivity and digital services’ brands. From 2005 to 2007, Mr. Mametov served as financial reporting specialist and consortium accountant in PetroKazakhstan Inc. (TSX: PKZ), a Canadian oil company. Mr. Mametov is a member of IMA (Institute of Management Accountants) and since 2014, has served as the President of Kazakhstan Chapter of IMA. Mr. Mametov earned a B.S. in Accounting and MBA in Financial Reporting from KIMEP University.

Christophe Charlier, who will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus, is an international financier with over 25 years of experience in investment banking, private equity and international management. Throughout his career he has acted as principal or advised on a number of landmark transactions in the telecoms, financial services, natural resources and sports and entertainment industries across developed and emerging markets. He has served as an independent director of La Française de l’Energie, a French gas production company since April 2016, and chairman of Pure Grass Films, a UK-based film and TV series production company, since 2012. Mr. Charlier served as chairman of the board of directors of Renaissance Capital, a leading investment bank focused on emerging and frontier markets, from April 2017 to March 2020. As chairman, Mr. Charlier coordinated the work of Renaissance Capital’s board of directors and oversaw strategic development, the global brand, and relationships with key clients and stakeholders globally, as well as compliance with listing requirements of the Astana International Exchange (AIX) in Kazakhstan. Previously, Mr. Charlier served as deputy CEO of Onexim Group, a leading private equity fund based in Moscow from September 2008 to June 2014. In this capacity, he served on the boards of directors of several of Russia’s largest companies including RusAl, Polyus Gold, Quadra-Power Generation, and RBC. He also acted as chairman of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets franchise from 2010 to 2014. Prior to that from February 2002 to March 2004, Mr. Charlier was director of strategic development of Norilsk Nickel, leading its acquisition of strategic stakes in Stillwater Mining Company and Gold Fields. He started his investment banking career in 1995 at JPMorgan in the M&A Group in New York. Mr. Charlier graduated cum laude in Finance from the Wharton School and in International Relations from the College of Arts & Sciences of the University of Pennsylvania in 1994.

Sergei Ivashkovsky, who will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus, has 16 years of experience in investment management in public and private equity markets in CIS and other counties in Eastern Europe, in restructuring and turnaround projects for technology companies and in distressed assets in Russia, and participated in a significant number of deals in industrial, consumer and banking sector. In October 2019, Sergei has founded an investment company Eurasia Investment Partners to advise private investors in LBO and private equity transactions. From May 2018 to October 2019, Mr. Ivashkovsky served as a managing director of the distressed assets bank TRUST, launched by the Central Bank of Russia along with McKinsey advisory to consolidate $40 billion of non-performing corporate loans. From 2013 until April 2018, he served as a managing director of Rusnano, a leading state-owned tech fund in Russia, and Gazprombank, a leading private bank in Russia, responsible for a number of turnaround projects in industrial technologies, fintech and artificial intelligence. From 2006 to 2012, Mr. Ivashkovsky served as a senior analyst and co-portfolio manager of Prosperity Capital and East Capital, the leading Swedish asset management companies in Russia, CIS and Eastern Europe with long-only and special situation funds. From 2004 to 2006, he served as an analyst and junior portfolio manager in Rosbank AM, an asset management start-up of INTERROS, one of the largest financial and industrial groups in Russia. He has MSc diploma from Russia Higher School of Economics, and also studied in London School of Economics and Oxford Said Business School.

Shiv Vikram Khemka who will serve as one of our independent directors commencing on the date of this prospectus, is a vice-chairman of SUN Group, a 120-year-old family enterprise comprised of both operating and investment companies. He has served as a vice-chairman of Sub Group since 1990. SUN Group is active in asset management, natural resources, green infrastructure and high technology. SUN has partnered to establish SUN Mobility, an energy

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tech company focused on becoming a leader in EV energy. SUN is also a significant investor in a leading EV solid state battery manufacturer. The group has been active in various regions around the world, including India, Russia, the Middle East, Central and South-East Asia. Mr. Khemka is the chairman of the Entrepreneurship Sports Generation, also executive chairman of the Global Education and Leadership Foundation. He is currently a member of the board of governors at Junior Achievement Worldwide and is a member of the Leadership Council at the Brooking Centre for Universal Education. The World Economic Forum elected Mr. Khemka a “Global Leader for Tomorrow” and he was also a member of the organization’s Global Agenda Council on Education. He has served on both the Brown University and Yale University’s President’s Councils. Mr. Khemka has also served as a board member on the Stanford Philanthropy and Civic Society (PACS) centre and was advisory board member of the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian studies at Harvard University. He is currently a founding member of V20, a global community of values experts and practitioners that engage with G20, and is the chairman of Aikido Aikikai Foundation of India. He was awarded the Dr. Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award from Tufts University, the Outstanding Contribution to Education Prize and the India Alumni Award from the Wharton School of Business. Mr. Khemka studied at Eton College, earned a BA in economics from Brown (‘85), an MBA/MA with distinction from the Wharton School of Business and the Lauder Institute at the University of Pennsylvania (‘90).

Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors

We intend to have five directors upon completion of this offering. Our board of directors will be divided into three classes with only one class of directors being elected in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual meeting of shareholders) serving a three-year term. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Sergey Ivashkovsky, will expire at our first annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Christophe Charlier and Shiv Vikram Khemka, will expire at our second annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Kenges Rakishev and Kanat Mynzhanov, will expire at our third annual meeting of shareholders. We may not hold an annual meeting of shareholders until after we consummate our initial business combination.

Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, any vacancy on our board of directors may be filled by a nominee chosen by holders of a majority of our founder shares.

Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint officers as it deems appropriate pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

Executive Compensation

No executive officer has received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date of this prospectus through the acquisition of a target business or our liquidation of the trust account, we will pay our sponsor $10,000 per month for providing us with general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support. However, this arrangement is solely for our benefit and is not intended to provide our officers or directors compensation in lieu of a salary.

Other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee and the repayment of up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor, no compensation or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, will be paid to our sponsor, initial shareholders, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, they will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders. However, the amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of the shareholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report, as required by the SEC.

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Director Independence

Currently, Christophe Charlier, Sergei Ivaskhovksy and Shiv Vikram Khemka would each be considered an “independent director” under the Nasdaq listing rules, which is defined generally as a person other than an officer or employee of the company or its subsidiaries or any other individual having a relationship, which, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors would interfere with the director’s exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.

Any affiliated transactions will be on terms no less favorable to us than could be obtained from independent parties. Our board of directors will review and approve all affiliated transactions with any interested director abstaining from such review and approval.

Audit Committee

Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Christophe Charlier (chairman), Shiv Vikram Khemka and Sergei Ivashkovsky, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The audit committee’s duties, which are specified in our Audit Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

•        reviewing and discussing with management and the independent auditor the annual audited financial statements, and recommending to the board whether the audited financial statements should be included in our Form 10-K;

•        discussing with management and the independent auditor significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of our financial statements;

•        discussing with management major risk assessment and risk management policies;

•        monitoring the independence of the independent auditor;

•        verifying the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law;

•        reviewing and approving all related party transactions;

•        inquiring and discussing with management our compliance with applicable laws and regulations;

•        pre-approving all audit services and permitted non-audit services to be performed by our independent auditor, including the fees and terms of the services to be performed;

•        appointing or replacing the independent auditor;

•        determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work;

•        establishing procedures for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by us regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies; and

•        approving reimbursement of expenses incurred by our management team in identifying potential target businesses.

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Financial Experts on Audit Committee

The audit committee will at all times be composed exclusively of “independent directors” who are “financially literate” as defined under Nasdaq’s listing standards. Nasdaq’s standards define “financially literate” as being able to read and understand fundamental financial statements, including a company’s balance sheet, income statement and cash flow statement.

In addition, we must certify to Nasdaq that the committee has, and will continue to have, at least one member who has past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or other comparable experience or background that results in the individual’s financial sophistication. The board of directors has determined that Christophe Charlier qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined under rules and regulations of the SEC.

Nominating Committee

Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish a nominating committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Christophe Charlier (chairman), Shiv Vikram Khemka and Sergei Ivashkovsky, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The nominating committee is responsible for overseeing the selection of persons to be nominated to serve on our board of directors. The nominating committee considers persons identified by its members, management, shareholders, investment bankers and others.

Guidelines for Selecting Director Nominees

The guidelines for selecting nominees, which are specified in the Nominating Committee Charter, generally provide that persons to be nominated:

•        should have demonstrated notable or significant achievements in business, education or public service;

•        should possess the requisite intelligence, education and experience to make a significant contribution to the board of directors and bring a range of skills, diverse perspectives and backgrounds to its deliberations; and

•        should have the highest ethical standards, a strong sense of professionalism and intense dedication to serving the interests of the shareholders.

The Nominating Committee will consider a number of qualifications relating to management and leadership experience, background and integrity and professionalism in evaluating a person’s candidacy for membership on the board of directors. The nominating committee may require certain skills or attributes, such as financial or accounting experience, to meet specific board needs that arise from time to time and will also consider the overall experience and makeup of its members to obtain a broad and diverse mix of board members. The nominating committee does not distinguish among nominees recommended by shareholders and other persons.

Compensation Committee

Effective upon the date of this prospectus, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors, which will consist of Christophe Charlier (chairman), Shiv Vikram Khemka and Sergei Ivashkovsky, each of whom is an independent director under Nasdaq’s listing standards. The compensation committee’s duties, which are specified in our Compensation Committee Charter, include, but are not limited to:

•        reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our Chief Executive Officer’s compensation, evaluating our Chief Executive Officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our Chief Executive Officer based on such evaluation;

•        reviewing and approving the compensation of all of our other executive officers;

•        reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;

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•        implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;

•        assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;

•        approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our executive officers and employees;

•        if required, producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and

•        reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

Code of Ethics

Effective upon consummation of this offering, we will adopt a code of ethics that applies to all of our executive officers, directors and employees. The code of ethics codifies the business and ethical principles that govern all aspects of our business.

Conflicts of Interest

Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:

(i)     duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;

(ii)    duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;

(iii)   directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;

(iv)   duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;

(v)    duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and

(vi)   duty to exercise independent judgment.

In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.

As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.

Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to at least one other entity pursuant to which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers or directors will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.

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The following table summarizes the relevant pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations of our officers and directors besides our sponsor:

Name of Individual

 

Name of Affiliated Entity

Kenges Rakishev

 

Fincraft Group LLP, Fincraft Investments LLP, Fincraft Investment House JSC, Fincraft Resources JSC, Nebo Aviation PTE.LTD, Oxus Capital Pte. Ltd, Net Element, Inc., Multipoint Investments LLC, Fincraft Holdings Ltd, Sirin SARL, SDB Group LLP, Hikmet Travel LLP, Evoshave Limited, BTA Bank JSC, Battery Metals Technologies Ltd., Kazakhstan Boxing Federation, Satbayev Kazakh National Technical University, Young Entrepreneurs Association (Kazakhstan), YPO (Kazakhstan),

Kanat Mynzhanov

 

Bellprescot Prime Fund

Askar Mametov

 

Kaznedraproject LLP

Sergey Ivashkovsky

 

Eurasia Investment Partners, Fincraft Resources JSC

Christophe Charlier

 

La Française de l’Energie and Pure Grass Films

Shiv Vikram Khemka

 

SRL 142 Holdings Ltd., SUN Natural Resources Limited, SUN Assets Management Ltd., SUN Technology Investors Ltd. , SUN Group Holdings Ltd.

Investors should also be aware of the following additional potential conflicts of interest:

•        None of our officers and directors is required to commit their full time to our affairs and, accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities.

•        Unless we consummate our initial business combination, our officers, directors and sponsor will not receive reimbursement or repayment for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them, or loans made to us, to the extent that such expenses exceed the amount of available proceeds not deposited in the trust account or interest earned on the trust account funds that are available to us.

•        The founder shares beneficially owned by our initial shareholders will be released from escrow only if a business combination is successfully completed, and the private warrants purchased by our sponsor, and any warrants which our officers or directors may purchase in the aftermarket will expire worthless if a business combination is not consummated. Additionally, our officers and directors and affiliates will not receive liquidation distributions from the trust account with respect to any of the founder shares or private shares. Furthermore, our initial shareholders have agreed that the private warrants will not be sold or transferred by them until after we have completed a business combination.

For the foregoing reasons, our board may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is appropriate to effect a business combination with.

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our officers, directors, sponsor or initial shareholders unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated shareholders from a financial point of view. We will also need to obtain the approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors. Furthermore, in no event will any of our sponsor, initial shareholders, members of our management team or their respective affiliates be paid any compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the consummation of an initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is) other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee, repayment of up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor and reimbursement of any out-of-pocket expenses.

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PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS

The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our ordinary shares included in the units offered by this prospectus and included in the private warrants (assuming none of the individuals listed purchase units in this offering), by:

•        each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our outstanding ordinary shares;

•        each of our officers and directors; and

•        all of our officers and directors as a group.

Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record of beneficial ownership of the warrants included in the units offered by this prospectus or the private warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.

The post-offering numbers and percentages presented in the following table assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that our initial shareholders forfeit 562,500 founder shares and that there are 19,050,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.

 

Prior to Offering

 

After Offering

Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1)

 

Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(2)

 

Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares

 

Amount and Nature of Beneficial Ownership(2)

 

Approximate Percentage of Outstanding Ordinary Shares

Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.(3)

 

7,037,500

 

93.9

%

 

6,100,000

 

19.3

%

Kenges Rakishev(3)

 

7,037,500

 

93.9

%

 

6,100,000

 

19.3

%

Kanat Mynzhanov

 

 

 

 

 

 

Askar Mametov

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sergey Ivashkovsky

 

50,000

 

 

 

50,000

 

 

Christophe Charlier

 

50,000

 

 

 

50,000

 

 

Shiv Vikram Khemka

 

50,000

 

 

 

50,000

 

 

All directors and executive officers as a group (seven individuals)

 

4,312,500

 

95.5

%

 

6,250,000

 

19.7

%

____________

*        Less than 1%.

(1)      Unless otherwise indicated, the business address of each of the individuals is 7F 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, 050040, Kazakhstan.

(2)      Interests shown include founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares are convertible into Class A ordinary shares on a one for one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities.”

(3)      Represents securities held by Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., our sponsor, of which Kenges Rakishev is the sole shareholder.

Immediately after this offering, our initial shareholders and holders of underwriter founder shares will beneficially own approximately 20.0% of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units offered by this prospectus and excluding the underwriter founder shares). None of our sponsor, officers, directors and initial shareholders has indicated to us that it or they intend to purchase our securities in the offering. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share dividend or a share contribution back to capital, or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units offered by this prospectus and excluding the underwriter founder shares). Because of the ownership block held by our sponsor, officers, directors and initial shareholders, such individuals may be able to effectively exercise influence over all matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including the election of directors and approval of significant corporate transactions other than approval of our initial business combination.

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If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of the over-allotment option, an aggregate of 562,500 founder shares will be forfeited. Only a number of shares necessary for the founder shares to continue to represent 20% of our ordinary shares after giving effect to the offering and the exercise, if any, of the underwriters’ over-allotment option (not including the private warrants) will be forfeited.

All of the founder shares outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until (i) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing after the consummation of our initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, the one-year anniversary of the consummation of our initial business combination, or, in each case, earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Up to 562,500 of the founder shares may also be released from escrow earlier than this date for cancellation if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full as described above.

During the escrow period, the holders of the founder shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except for transfers, assignments or sales (i) among our initial shareholders or to our initial shareholders’ members, officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a holder’s shareholders or members upon its liquidation, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the holder or a member of the holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, or (vii) in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be bound by these transfer restrictions, but will retain all other rights as our shareholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their ordinary shares and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in ordinary shares, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the founder shares.

Our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 6,900,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $6,900,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 6,150,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 675,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 36,685 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.10 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The private warrants are identical to the warrants underlying the units sold in this offering. Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private warrants (except in connection with the same limited exceptions that the founder shares may be transferred as described above) until after the completion of our initial business combination. Furthermore, our initial shareholders have agreed (A) to vote the private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to convert any private shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or sell any private shares to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination and (C) that the private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution from our trust account upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated. In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the private warrants will likely be worthless.

In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors and their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note.

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The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account other than the interest earned thereon would be used for such repayment.

Our executive officers and our sponsor are our “promoters,” as that term is defined under the federal securities laws.

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CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS

On March 22, 2021, we issued an aggregate of 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to our sponsor. In addition, we issued 200,000 Class A ordinary shares, at a price of $0.0001 per share, to each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their respective designees for an aggregate of 400,000 Class A ordinary shares in a private placement in March 2021. On June 10, 2021 and July 14, 2021, our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares, such that our sponsor owns an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares. In addition, on June 10, 2021 and July 14, 2021, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital forfeited 50,000 underwriter founder shares. In July 2021, our sponsor transferred 50,000 founder shares to each of our independent director nominees at their original purchase price. If the underwriters do not exercise all or a portion of their over-allotment option, our initial shareholders will forfeit up to an aggregate of 562,500 founder shares in proportion to the portion of the over-allotment option that was not exercised.

Our sponsor and EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital (and/or their respective designees) have committed to purchase from us an aggregate of 6,900,000 private warrants at $1.00 per warrant for a total purchase price of $6,900,000, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the consummation of this offering. Among the private warrants, 6,150,000 warrants will be purchased by our sponsor and 375,000 warrants will be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital. Our sponsor and each of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 675,000 private warrants, including up to a maximum of 36,685 private warrants to be purchased by each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, at a price of $1.00 per warrant) in an amount that is necessary to maintain in the trust account $10.10 per unit sold to the public in this offering. These additional private warrants will be purchased in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the purchase of units resulting from the exercise of the over-allotment option. The purchase price for the private warrants will be delivered to an escrow account at least 24 hours prior to the closing of this offering and will be deposited into the trust account simultaneously with the consummation of the offering. The private warrants are identical to the warrants underlying the units sold in this offering. Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of the private warrants (except to certain permitted transferees) until after the completion of our initial business combination. Furthermore, our initial shareholders have agreed (A) to vote the private shares in favor of any proposed business combination, (B) not to convert any private shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve a proposed initial business combination or sell any private shares to us in a tender offer in connection with a proposed initial business combination and (C) that the private shares shall not participate in any liquidating distribution from our trust account upon winding up if a business combination is not consummated. In the event of a liquidation prior to our initial business combination, the private warrants will likely be worthless.

In order to meet our working capital needs following the consummation of this offering, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds, from time to time or at any time, in whatever amount they deem reasonable in their sole discretion. Each loan would be evidenced by a promissory note. The notes would either be paid upon consummation of our initial business combination, without interest, or, at holder’s discretion, up to $1,500,000 of the notes may be converted into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant. The warrants would be identical to the private warrants. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts, but no proceeds from our trust account other than the interest earned thereon would be used for such repayment.

The holders of our founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private warrants and any warrants our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the date of this prospectus. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the founder shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which the founder shares are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private warrants and warrants issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

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Our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering under an unsecured promissory note. As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was outstanding under the unsecured promissory note. We intend to repay the loan from the proceeds of this offering not being placed in trust upon consummation of this offering.

Our sponsor has agreed that, commencing on the date of this prospectus and through the earlier of our consummation of our initial business combination or the liquidation of the trust account, it will make available to us certain general and administrative services, including office space, utilities and administrative support, as we may require from time to time. We have agreed to pay $10,000 per month for these services. We believe, based on rents and fees for similar services, that the administrative fee is at least as favorable as we could have obtained from an unaffiliated person.

We will enter into agreements with our officers and directors to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.

Other than the $10,000 per month administrative fee and repayment of up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor, no compensation or fees of any kind will be paid to our sponsor, initial shareholders, members of our management team or their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). However, such individuals will receive reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them in connection with activities on our behalf, such as identifying potential target businesses, performing business due diligence on suitable target businesses and business combinations as well as traveling to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses to examine their operations. There is no limit on the amount of out-of-pocket expenses reimbursable by us.

After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials furnished to our shareholders. However, the amount of such compensation may not be known at the time of the shareholder meeting held to consider an initial business combination, as it will be up to the directors of the post-combination business to determine executive and director compensation. In this event, such compensation will be publicly disclosed at the time of its determination in a Current Report on Form 8-K or a periodic report, as required by the SEC.

All ongoing and future transactions between us and any of our officers and directors or their respective affiliates will be on terms believed by us to be no less favorable to us than are available from unaffiliated third parties. Such transactions will require prior approval by a majority of our uninterested “independent” directors or the members of our board who do not have an interest in the transaction, in either case who had access, at our expense, to our attorneys or independent legal counsel. We will not enter into any such transaction unless our disinterested “independent” directors determine that the terms of such transaction are no less favorable to us than those that would be available to us with respect to such a transaction from unaffiliated third parties.

Related Party Policy

Our Code of Ethics requires us to avoid, wherever possible, all related party transactions that could result in actual or potential conflicts of interests, except under guidelines approved by the board of directors (or the audit committee). Related-party transactions are defined as transactions in which (1) the aggregate amount involved will or may be expected to exceed $120,000 in any calendar year, (2) we or any of our subsidiaries is a participant, and (3) any (a) executive officer, director or nominee for election as a director, (b) greater than 5% beneficial owner of our ordinary shares, or (c) immediate family member, of the persons referred to in clauses (a) and (b), has or will have a direct or indirect material interest (other than solely as a result of being a director or a less than 10% beneficial owner of another entity). A conflict of interest situation can arise when a person takes actions or has interests that may make it difficult to perform his or her work objectively and effectively. Conflicts of interest may also arise if a person, or a member of his or her family, receives improper personal benefits as a result of his or her position.

Our audit committee, pursuant to its written charter, will be responsible for reviewing and approving related-party transactions to the extent we enter into such transactions. The audit committee will consider all relevant factors when determining whether to approve a related party transaction, including whether the related party transaction is on terms no less favorable to us than terms generally available from an unaffiliated third-party under the same or similar circumstances and the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction. No director may participate in the

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approval of any transaction in which he is a related party, but that director is required to provide the audit committee with all material information concerning the transaction. We also require each of our directors and executive officers to complete a directors’ and officers’ questionnaire that elicits information about related party transactions.

These procedures are intended to determine whether any such related party transaction impairs the independence of a director or presents a conflict of interest on the part of a director, employee or officer.

To further minimize conflicts of interest, we have agreed not to consummate an initial business combination with an entity that is affiliated with any of our sponsor, officers or directors unless we have obtained an opinion from an independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the business combination is fair to our unaffiliated shareholders from a financial point of view. We will also need to obtain approval of a majority of our disinterested independent directors.

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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES

General

We are a Cayman Islands exempted company (company number 371168) and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which will be adopted upon the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each, and 5,000,000 preferred shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes certain terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.

Units

Each unit consists of one share of Class A ordinary shares and one warrant. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants are expected to begin to trade separately on the 90th day after the date of this prospectus unless EarlyBirdCapital, the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component pieces.

In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K with the SEC containing an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which is anticipated to take place three business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.

Ordinary Shares

Upon the closing of this offering, 19,050,000 of our ordinary shares will be outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding forfeiture of 562,500 founder shares by our initial shareholders, on a pro rata basis), consisting of:

•        15,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the units being offered in this offering;

•        3,750,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our initial shareholders; and

•        300,000 Class A ordinary shares issued to EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital.

If we increase or decrease the size of the offering we will effect a share dividend or a share contribution back to capital or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of the issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (not taking into account the underwriter founder shares and assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering).

Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders except as required by law. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the ordinary shares that are voted, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our

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amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the appointment of directors can elect all of the directors. However, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to appoint directors in any election held prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, meaning that holders of Class A ordinary shares will not have the right to appoint any directors until after the completion of our initial business combination. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.

Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of Class A ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination.

In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings or appoint directors. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.

We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to convert all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.10 per public share. Our initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Unlike many special purpose acquisition companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the conversion rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many special purpose acquisition companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if it is approved by an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the shares present in person or by proxy at a general meeting of the company. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any general meeting.

If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct conversions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13

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of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from converting its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering, which we refer to as the Excess Shares. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to convert the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market. Additionally, such shareholders will not receive conversion distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete the initial business combination. As a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 15% and, in order to dispose such shares, would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.

If we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, pursuant to the letter agreement our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares and underwriter founder shares, we would need only 5,475,001, or approximately 36.5% (assuming all outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised, or 712,501, or 4.8% (assuming only the minimum number of shares representing a quorum are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised), of the 15,000,000 public shares sold in the offering in order to have our initial business combination approved. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to convert its public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction (subject to the limitation described in the preceding paragraph).

Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter subject to lawfully available funds therefor, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Island law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. Our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering. However, if our initial shareholders acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.

In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein.

Founder Shares

The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (ii) our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed (A) to waive their conversion rights with respect to any founder shares, private shares and any public shares held by them in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) to waive their conversion rights with respect to their founder shares, private shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (x) to modify the substance or timing of our

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obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in this prospectus or (y) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity and (C) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares and private shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period, (iii) the founder shares are Class B ordinary shares that will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination, or at any time prior thereto at the option of the holder, on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and (iv) are entitled to registration rights. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors have agreed pursuant to the letter agreement to vote their founder shares, private shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. Permitted transferees of the founder shares held by our sponsor, initial shareholders, officers and directors would be subject to the same restrictions.

The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis (subject to adjustment for share divisions, share dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like), and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in this prospectus and related to the closing of the initial business combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon completion of this offering plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with the initial business combination (excluding any shares or equity-linked securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any additional warrants issued to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us). We cannot determine at this time whether a majority of the holders of our Class B ordinary shares at the time of any future issuance would agree to waive such adjustment to the conversion ratio. They may waive such adjustment due to (but not limited to) the following: (i) closing conditions which are part of the agreement for our initial business combination; (ii) negotiation with Class A shareholders on structuring an initial business combination; or (iii) negotiation with parties providing financing which would trigger the anti-dilution provisions of the Class B ordinary shares. If such adjustment is not waived, the issuance would not reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class B ordinary shares, but would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of our Class A ordinary shares. If such adjustment is waived, the issuance would reduce the percentage ownership of holders of both classes of our ordinary shares. Holders of founder shares may also elect to convert their Class B ordinary shares into an equal number of Class A ordinary shares, subject to adjustment as provided above, at any time. The term “equity-linked securities” refers to any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for Class A ordinary shares issues in a financing transaction in connection with our initial business combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt. Securities could be “deemed issued” for purposes of the conversion rate adjustment if such shares are issuable upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities, warrants or similar securities.

All of the founder shares outstanding prior to the date of this prospectus will be placed in escrow with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as escrow agent, until (i) with respect to 50% of the founder shares, the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of our initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing after the consummation of our initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of the founder shares, the one-year anniversary of the consummation of our initial business combination, or, in each case, earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, we consummate a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Up to 562,500 of the founder shares may also be released from escrow earlier than this date for cancellation if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full as described above.

During the escrow period, the holders of these shares will not be able to sell or transfer their securities except for transfers, assignments or sales (i) among our initial shareholders or to our initial shareholders’ members, officers,

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directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a holder’s shareholders or members upon its liquidation, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the holder or a member of the holder’s immediate family, for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to us for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of our initial business combination, or (vii) in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares were originally purchased, in each case (except for clause (vi) or with our prior consent) where the transferee agrees to the terms of the escrow agreement and to be bound by these transfer restrictions, but will retain all other rights as our shareholders, including, without limitation, the right to vote their shares of ordinary shares and the right to receive cash dividends, if declared. If dividends are declared and payable in ordinary shares, such dividends will also be placed in escrow. If we are unable to effect a business combination and liquidate, there will be no liquidation distribution with respect to the founder shares.

Prior to our initial business combination, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the election of directors during such time. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of our founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote.

Register of Members

Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:

•        the names and addresses of the members, a statement of the shares held by each member, and of the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member and the voting rights of the shares of each member;

•        whether voting rights are attached to the share in issue;

•        the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and

•        the date on which any person ceased to be a member.

Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.

Preferred Shares

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize 5,000,000 preferred shares and provide that preferred shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preferred shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preferred shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preferred shares outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preferred shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preferred shares are being issued or registered in this offering.

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Warrants

No warrants are currently outstanding. Each warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. However, no warrants will be exercisable for cash unless we have an effective and current registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to such Class A ordinary shares. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the public warrants is not effective within a specified period following the consummation of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we shall have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a cashless basis pursuant to the exemption provided by Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act, provided that such exemption is available. If that exemption, or another exemption, is not available, holders will not be able to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis. In the event of such cashless exercise, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose will mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 5 trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise. The warrants will expire on the fifth anniversary of our completion of an initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

The private warrants, as well as any warrants we issue to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us, will be identical to the warrants underlying the units being offered by this prospectus.

We may call the warrants for redemption, in whole and not in part, at a price of $0.01 per warrant:

•        at any time after the warrants become exercisable,

•        upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder,

•        if, and only if, the reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations), for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period commencing at any time after the warrants become exercisable and ending on the third business day prior to the notice of redemption to warrant holders; and

•        if, and only if, there is a current registration statement in effect with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying such warrants.

The right to exercise will be forfeited unless the warrants are exercised prior to the date specified in the notice of redemption. On and after the redemption date, a record holder of a warrant will have no further rights except to receive the redemption price for such holder’s warrant upon surrender of such warrant.

The redemption criteria for our warrants have been established at a price which is intended to provide warrant holders a reasonable premium to the initial exercise price and provide a sufficient differential between the then- prevailing share price and the warrant exercise price so that if the share price declines as a result of our redemption call, the redemption will not cause the share price to drop below the exercise price of the warrants.

If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” for this purpose shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 5 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants.

The warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder (i) to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions

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of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or to cure, correct or supplement any defective provision, or (ii) to add or change any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the warrant agreement as the parties to the warrant agreement may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem to not adversely affect the interests of the registered holders of the warrants, but requires the approval, by written consent or vote, of the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants in order to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders.

The exercise price and number of Class A ordinary shares issuable on exercise of the warrants may be adjusted in certain circumstances including in the event of a share dividend, extraordinary dividend or our recapitalization, reorganization, merger or consolidation. However, except as described below, the warrants will not be adjusted for issuances of Class A ordinary shares at a price below their respective exercise prices.

In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors, and in the case of any such issuance to our sponsor, initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by them prior to such issuance), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination on the date of the consummation of our initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the Market Value is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price.

The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price, by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A ordinary shares and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive Class A ordinary shares. After the issuance of Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by shareholders.

Warrant holders may elect to be subject to a restriction on the exercise of their warrants such that an electing warrant holder would not be able to exercise their warrants to the extent that, after giving effect to such exercise, such holder would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% of the Class A ordinary shares outstanding.

No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round up to the nearest whole number the number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.

Dividends

We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of a business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of a business combination. The payment of any dividends subsequent to a business combination will be within the discretion of our then board of directors. It is the present intention of our board of directors to retain all earnings, if any, for use in our business operations and, accordingly, our board does not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future.

Our Transfer Agent and Warrant Agent

The transfer agent for our securities and warrant agent for our warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, 1 State Street, New York, New York 10004.

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Listing of our Securities

We applied to list our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants on Nasdaq under the symbols “OXUSU,” “OXUS,” and “OXUSW,” respectively. We anticipate that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed separately and as a unit on Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq.

Certain Differences in Corporate Law

Cayman Islands companies are governed by the Companies Act. The Companies Act is modeled on English Law but does not follow recent English Law statutory enactments, and differs from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of the material differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the laws applicable to companies incorporated in the United States and their shareholders.

Mergers and Similar Arrangements.    In certain circumstances, the Companies Act allows for mergers or consolidations between two Cayman Islands companies, or between a Cayman Islands exempted company and a company incorporated in another jurisdiction (provided that is facilitated by the laws of that other jurisdiction).

Where the merger or consolidation is between two Cayman Islands companies, the directors of each company must approve a written plan of merger or consolidation containing certain prescribed information. That plan or merger or consolidation must then be authorized by either (a) a special resolution (usually a majority of 66 23% in value of the voting shares voted at a general meeting) of the shareholders of each company; or (b) such other authorization, if any, as may be specified in such constituent company’s articles of association. No shareholder resolution is required for a merger between a parent company (i.e., a company that owns at least 90% of the issued shares of each class in a subsidiary company) and its subsidiary company. The consent of each holder of a fixed or floating security interest of a constituent company must be obtained, unless the court waives such requirement. If the Cayman Islands Registrar of Companies is satisfied that the requirements of the Companies Act (which includes certain other formalities) have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies will register the plan of merger or consolidation.

Where the merger or consolidation involves a foreign company, the procedure is similar, save that with respect to the foreign company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the merger or consolidation is permitted or not prohibited by the constitutional documents of the foreign company and by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the foreign company is incorporated, and that those laws and any requirements of those constitutional documents have been or will be complied with; (ii) that no petition or other similar proceeding has been filed and remains outstanding or order made or resolution adopted to wind up or liquidate the foreign company in any jurisdictions; (iii) that no receiver, trustee, administrator or other similar person has been appointed in any jurisdiction and is acting in respect of the foreign company, its affairs or its property or any part thereof; (iv) that no scheme, order, compromise or other similar arrangement has been entered into or made in any jurisdiction whereby the rights of creditors of the foreign company are and continue to be suspended or restricted.

Where the surviving company is the Cayman Islands exempted company, the directors of the Cayman Islands exempted company are further required to make a declaration to the effect that, having made due enquiry, they are of the opinion that the requirements set out below have been met: (i) that the foreign company is able to pay its debts as they fall due and that the merger or consolidated is bona fide and not intended to defraud unsecured creditors of the foreign company; (ii) that in respect of the transfer of any security interest granted by the foreign company to the surviving or consolidated company (a) consent or approval to the transfer has been obtained, released or waived; (b) the transfer is permitted by and has been approved in accordance with the constitutional documents of the foreign company; and (c) the laws of the jurisdiction of the foreign company with respect to the transfer have been or will be complied with; (iii) that the foreign company will, upon the merger or consolidation becoming effective, cease to be incorporated, registered or exist under the laws of the relevant foreign jurisdiction; and (iv) that there is no other reason why it would be against the public interest to permit the merger or consolidation.

Where the above procedures are adopted, the Companies Act provides for a right of dissenting shareholders to be paid a payment of the fair value of his shares upon their dissenting to the merger or consolidation if they follow a prescribed procedure. In essence, that procedure is as follows (a) the shareholder must give his written objection to the merger or consolidation to the constituent company before the vote on the merger or consolidation, including a statement

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that the shareholder proposes to demand payment for his shares if the merger or consolidation is authorized by the vote; (b) within 20 days following the date on which the merger or consolidation is approved by the shareholders, the constituent company must give written notice to each shareholder who made a written objection; (c) a shareholder must within 20 days following receipt of such notice from the constituent company, give the constituent company a written notice of his intention to dissent including, among other details, a demand for payment of the fair value of his shares; (d) within seven days following the date of the expiration of the period set out in paragraph (b) above or seven days following the date on which the plan of merger or consolidation is filed, whichever is later, the constituent company, the surviving company or the consolidated company must make a written offer to each dissenting shareholder to purchase his shares at a price that the company determines is the fair value and if the company and the shareholder agree the price within 30 days following the date on which the offer was made, the company must pay the shareholder such amount; and (e) if the company and the shareholder fail to agree a price within such 30 day period, within 20 days following the date on which such 30 day period expires, the company (and any dissenting shareholder) must file a petition with the Cayman Islands Grand Court to determine the fair value and such petition must be accompanied by a list of the names and addresses of the dissenting shareholders with whom agreements as to the fair value of their shares have not been reached by the company. At the hearing of that petition, the court has the power to determine the fair value of the shares together with a fair rate of interest, if any, to be paid by the company upon the amount determined to be the fair value. Any dissenting shareholder whose name appears on the list filed by the company may participate fully in all proceedings until the determination of fair value is reached. These rights of a dissenting shareholder are not available in certain circumstances, for example, to dissenters holding shares of any class in respect of which an open market exists on a recognized stock exchange or recognized interdealer quotation system at the relevant date or where the consideration for such shares to be contributed are shares of any company listed on a national securities exchange or shares of the surviving or consolidated company.

Moreover, Cayman Islands law has separate statutory provisions that facilitate the reconstruction or amalgamation of companies in certain circumstances, schemes of arrangement will generally be more suited for complex mergers or other transactions involving widely held companies, commonly referred to in the Cayman Islands as a “scheme of arrangement” which may be tantamount to a merger. In the event that a merger was sought pursuant to a scheme of arrangement (the procedures for which are more rigorous and take longer to complete than the procedures typically required to consummate a merger in the United States), the arrangement in question must be approved by a majority in number of each class of shareholders and 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 meeting summoned for that purpose. The convening of the meetings and subsequently the terms of the arrangement must be sanctioned by the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands. While a dissenting shareholder would have the right to express to the court the view that the transaction should not be approved, the court can be expected to approve the arrangement if it satisfies itself that:

•        we are not proposing to act illegally or beyond the scope of our corporate authority and the statutory provisions as to majority vote have been complied with;

•        the shareholders have been fairly represented at the meeting in question;

•        the arrangement is such as a businessman would reasonably approve; and

•        the arrangement is not one that would more properly be sanctioned under some other provision of the Companies Act or that would amount to a “fraud on the minority.”

If a scheme of arrangement or takeover offer (as described below) is approved, any dissenting shareholder would have no rights comparable to appraisal rights (providing rights to receive payment in cash for the judicially determined value of the shares), which would otherwise ordinarily be available to dissenting shareholders of U.S. corporations.

Squeeze-out Provisions.    When a takeover offer is made and accepted by holders of 90% of the shares to whom the offer relates is made within four months, the offeror may, within a two-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 unless there is evidence of fraud, bad faith, collusion or inequitable treatment of the shareholders.

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Further, transactions similar to a merger, reconstruction and/or an amalgamation may in some circumstances be achieved through means other than these statutory provisions, such as a share capital exchange, asset acquisition or control, or through contractual arrangements, of an operating business.

Shareholders’ Suits.    Maples and Calder, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, is not aware of any reported class action having been brought in a Cayman Islands court. Derivative actions have been brought in the Cayman Islands courts, and the Cayman Islands courts have confirmed the availability for such actions. In most cases, we will be the proper plaintiff in any claim based on a breach of duty owed to us, and a claim against (for example) our officers or directors usually may not be brought by a shareholder. However, based both on Cayman Islands authorities and on English authorities, which would in all likelihood be of persuasive authority and be applied by a court in the Cayman Islands, exceptions to the foregoing principle apply in circumstances in which:

•        a company is acting, or proposing to act, illegally or beyond the scope of its authority;

•        the act complained of, although not beyond the scope of the authority, could be effected if duly authorized by more than the number of votes which have actually been obtained; or

•        those who control the company are perpetrating a “fraud on the minority.”

A shareholder may have a direct right of action against us where the individual rights of that shareholder have been infringed or are about to be infringed.

Enforcement of Civil Liabilities.    The Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States and provides less protection to investors. Additionally, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to sue before the Federal courts of the United States.

We have been advised by Maples and Calder, our Cayman Islands legal counsel, that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, the courts of the Cayman Islands will recognize and enforce a foreign money judgment of a foreign court of competent jurisdiction without retrial on the merits based on the principle that a judgment of a competent foreign court imposes upon the judgment debtor an obligation to pay the sum for which judgment has been given provided certain conditions are met. For a foreign judgment to be enforced in the Cayman Islands, such judgment must be final and conclusive and for a liquidated sum, and must not be in respect of taxes or a fine or penalty, inconsistent with a Cayman Islands judgment in respect of the same matter, impeachable on the grounds of fraud or obtained in a manner, and or be of a kind the enforcement of which is, contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands (awards of punitive or multiple damages may well be held to be contrary to public policy). A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.

Special Considerations for Exempted Companies.    We are an exempted company with limited liability under the Companies Act. The Companies Act distinguishes between ordinary resident companies and exempted companies. Any company that is registered in the Cayman Islands but conducts business mainly outside of the Cayman Islands may apply to be registered as an exempted company.

The requirements for an exempted company are essentially the same as for an ordinary company except for the exemptions and privileges below:

•        an exempted company does not have to file an annual return of its shareholders with the Registrar of Companies;

•        an exempted company’s register of members is not open to inspection;

•        an exempted company does not have to hold an annual general meeting;

•        an exempted company may issue shares with no par value;

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•        an exempted company may obtain an undertaking against the imposition of any future taxation (such undertakings are usually given for 20 years in the first instance);

•        an exempted company may register by way of continuation in another jurisdiction and be deregistered in the Cayman Islands;

•        an exempted company may register as a limited duration company; and

•        an exempted company may register as a segregated portfolio company.

“Limited liability” means that the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount unpaid by the shareholder on the shares of the company (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).

Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association

The Business Combination Article of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contains provisions designed to provide certain rights and protections relating to this offering that will apply to us until the completion of our initial business combination. These provisions cannot be amended without a special resolution. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a resolution is deemed to be a special resolution where it has been approved by either (i) at least two-thirds (or any higher threshold specified in a company’s articles of association) of a company’s shareholders at a general meeting for which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given; or (ii) if so authorized by a company’s articles of association, by a unanimous written resolution of all of the company’s shareholders. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that special resolutions must be approved either by at least two-thirds of our shareholders (i.e., the lowest threshold permissible under Cayman Islands law), or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders.

Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. Specifically, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that:

•        If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable), divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law;

•        Prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on our initial business combination;

•        Although we do not intend to enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or our officers, we are not prohibited from doing so. In the event we enter into such a transaction, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm that such a business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view;

•        If a shareholder vote on our initial business combination is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will offer to redeem our public shares pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, and will file tender offer documents

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with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act;

•        If our shareholders approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon such approval at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein; and

•        We will not effectuate our initial business combination with another blank check company or a similar company with nominal operations.

In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide we will not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets requirement.

The Companies Act permits a company incorporated in the Cayman Islands to amend its memorandum and articles of association with the approval of a special resolution. A company’s articles of association may specify that the approval of a higher majority is required but, provided the approval of the required majority is obtained, any Cayman Islands exempted company may amend its memorandum and articles of association regardless of whether its memorandum and articles of association provides otherwise. Accordingly, although we could amend any of the provisions relating to our proposed offering, structure and business plan which are contained in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we view all of these provisions as binding obligations to our shareholders and neither we, nor our officers or directors, will take any action to amend or waive any of these provisions unless we provide dissenting public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares.

Anti-Money Laundering — Cayman Islands

If any person in the Cayman Islands knows or suspects or has reasonable grounds for knowing or suspecting that another person is engaged in criminal conduct money laundering or is involved with terrorism or terrorist financing and property and the information for that knowledge or suspicion came to their attention in the course of business in the regulated sector, or other trade, profession, business or employment, the person will be required to report such knowledge or suspicion to (i) the Financial Reporting Authority of the Cayman Islands, pursuant to the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands if the disclosure relates to criminal conduct or money laundering, or (ii) a police officer of the rank of constable or higher, or the Financial Reporting Authority, pursuant to the Terrorism Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, if the disclosure relates to involvement with terrorism or terrorist financing and property. Such a report shall not be treated as a breach of confidence or of any restriction upon the disclosure of information imposed by any enactment or otherwise.

Cayman Islands Data Protection

We have certain duties under the Data Protection Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands (the “DPA”), based on internationally accepted principles of data privacy.

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Privacy Notice

Introduction

This privacy notice puts our shareholders on notice that through your investment in the company you will provide us with certain personal information, which constitutes “personal data” within the meaning of the DPA.

In the following discussion, the “company” refers to us and our affiliates and/or delegates, except where the context requires otherwise.

Investor Data

We will collect, use, disclose, retain and secure personal data to the extent reasonably required only and within the parameters that could be reasonably expected during the normal course of business. We will only process, disclose, transfer or retain personal data to the extent legitimately required to conduct our activities of on an ongoing basis or to comply with legal and regulatory obligations to which we are subject. We will only transfer personal data in accordance with the requirements of the DPA, and will apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of the personal data and against the accidental loss, destruction or damage to the personal data.

In our use of this personal data, we will be characterized as a “data controller” for the purposes of the DPA, while our affiliates and service providers who may receive this personal data from us in the conduct of our activities may either act as our “data processors” for the purposes of the DPA or may process personal information for their own lawful purposes in connection with services provided to us.

We may also obtain personal data from other public sources. Personal data includes, without limitation, the following information relating to a shareholder and/or any individuals connected with a shareholder as an investor: name, residential address, email address, contact details, corporate contact information, signature, nationality, place of birth, date of birth, tax identification, credit history, correspondence records, passport number, bank account details, source of funds details and details relating to the shareholder’s investment activity.

Who this Affects

If you are a natural person, this will affect you directly. If you are a corporate investor (including, for these purposes, legal arrangements such as trusts or exempted limited partnerships) that provides us with personal data on individuals connected to you for any reason in relation your investment in the Company, this will be relevant for those individuals and you should transmit the content of this Privacy Notice to such individuals or otherwise advise them of its content.

How the Company May Use Your Personal Data

The company, as the data controller, may collect, store and use personal data for lawful purposes, including, in particular:

(i)     where this is necessary for the performance of our rights and obligations under any purchase agreements;

(ii)    where this is necessary for compliance with a legal and regulatory obligation to which we are subject (such as compliance with anti-money laundering and FATCA/CRS requirements); and/or

(iii)   where this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests and such interests are not overridden by your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms.

Should we wish to use personal data for other specific purposes (including, if applicable, any purpose that requires your consent), we will contact you.

Why We May Transfer Your Personal Data

In certain circumstances, we may be legally obliged to share personal data and other information with respect to your shareholding with the relevant regulatory authorities such as the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority or the Tax Information Authority. They, in turn, may exchange this information with foreign authorities, including tax authorities.

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We anticipates disclosing personal data to persons who provide services to us and their respective affiliates (which may include certain entities located outside the US, the Cayman Islands or the European Economic Area), who will process your personal data on our behalf.

The Data Protection Measures We Take

Any transfer of personal data by us or our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates outside of the Cayman Islands shall be in accordance with the requirements of the DPA.

We and our duly authorized affiliates and/or delegates shall apply appropriate technical and organizational information security measures designed to protect against unauthorized or unlawful processing of personal data, and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data.

We shall notify you of any personal data breach that is reasonably likely to result in a risk to your interests, fundamental rights or freedoms or those data subjects to whom the relevant personal data relates.

Certain Anti-Takeover Provisions of our Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association

Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that our board of directors will be classified into three classes of directors. As a result, in most circumstances, a person can gain control of our board only by successfully engaging in a proxy contest at two or more annual general meetings.

Our authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and preferred shares are available for future issuances without shareholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued and unreserved Class A ordinary shares and preferred shares could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.

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SHARES ELIGIBLE FOR FUTURE SALE

Immediately after this offering, we will have 19,050,000 ordinary shares outstanding, or 21,862,500 shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full. Of these shares, the 15,000,000 shares sold in this offering, or 17,250,000 shares if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, will be freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for any shares purchased by one of our affiliates within the meaning of Rule 144 under the Securities Act. All of the remaining shares, including founder shares and underwriter founder shares, are restricted securities under Rule 144, in that they were issued in private transactions not involving a public offering. All of the founder shares have been placed in escrow and will not be transferable until they are released except in limited circumstances described elsewhere in this prospectus.

Rule 144

A person who has beneficially owned restricted shares of ordinary shares or warrants for at least six months would be entitled to sell their securities provided that (i) such person is not deemed to have been one of our affiliates at the time of, or at any time during the three months preceding, a sale and (ii) we are subject to the Exchange Act periodic reporting requirements for at least three months before the sale. Persons who have beneficially owned restricted ordinary shares for at least six months but who are our affiliates at the time of, or any time during the three months preceding, a sale, would be subject to additional restrictions, by which such person would be entitled to sell within any three-month period a number of shares that does not exceed the greater of either of the following:

•        1% of the number of Class A ordinary shares then outstanding, which will equal 150,000 shares immediately after this offering (or 172,500 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full); and

•        the average weekly trading volume of the Class A ordinary shares during the four calendar weeks preceding the filing of a notice on Form 144 with respect to the sale.

Sales under Rule 144 are also limited by manner of sale provisions and notice requirements and to the availability of current public information about us.

Restrictions on the Use of Rule 144 by Shell Companies or Former Shell Companies

Historically, the SEC staff had taken the position that Rule 144 is not available for the resale of securities initially issued by companies that are, or previously were, blank check companies, like us. The SEC has codified and expanded this position in the amendments discussed above by prohibiting the use of Rule 144 for resale of securities issued by any shell companies (other than business combination related shell companies) or any issuer that has been at any time previously a shell company. The SEC has provided an important exception to this prohibition, however, if the following conditions are met:

•        the issuer of the securities that was formerly a shell company has ceased to be a shell company;

•        the issuer of the securities is subject to the reporting requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

•        the issuer of the securities has filed all Exchange Act reports and material required to be filed, as applicable, during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the issuer was required to file such reports and materials), other than Form 8-K reports; and

•        at least one year has elapsed from the time that the issuer filed current Form 10 type information with the SEC reflecting its status as an entity that is not a shell company.

As a result, it is likely that pursuant to Rule 144, our sponsor will be able to sell its founder shares freely without registration one year after we have completed our initial business combination assuming it is not an affiliate of ours at that time.

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Registration Rights

The holders of the founder shares issued and outstanding on the date of this prospectus, as well as the holders of the private warrants, including EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital, and any warrants our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to us (and all underlying securities), will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to an agreement to be signed prior to or on the date of this prospectus. The holders of a majority of these securities are entitled to make up to two demands that we register such securities. The holders of the majority of the founder shares can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time commencing three months prior to the date on which the founder shares are to be released from escrow. The holders of a majority of the private warrants and warrants issued to our sponsor, officers, directors, initial shareholders or their affiliates in payment of working capital loans made to us (or underlying securities) can elect to exercise these registration rights at any time after we consummate a business combination. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital may only make a demand on one occasion and only during the five-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our consummation of a business combination; provided, however, that EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital may participate in a “piggy-back” registration only during the seven-year period beginning on the effective date of the registration statement of which the prospectus forms a part. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

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TAXATION

The following summary of certain Cayman Islands and United States federal income tax consequences of an investment in our units, each consisting of one Class A ordinary share and one warrant, which we refer to collectively as our securities, is based upon laws and relevant interpretations thereof in effect as of the date of this prospectus, all of which are subject to change. This summary does not deal with all possible tax consequences relating to an investment in our Class A ordinary shares and warrants, such as the tax consequences under state, local and other tax laws.

Prospective investors should consult their advisors on the possible tax consequences of investing in our securities under the laws of their country of citizenship, residence or domicile.

Cayman Islands Tax Considerations

The following is a discussion on certain Cayman Islands income tax consequences of an investment in our securities. The discussion is a general summary of present law, which is subject to prospective and retroactive change. It is not intended as tax advice, does not consider any investor’s particular circumstances, and does not consider tax consequences other than those arising under Cayman Islands law.

Existing Cayman Islands Laws

Payments of dividends and capital in respect of our securities will not be subject to taxation in the Cayman Islands and no withholding will be required on the payment of a dividend or capital to any holder of the securities nor will gains derived from the disposal of the securities be subject to Cayman Islands income or corporate tax. The Cayman Islands currently has no income, corporate or capital gains tax and no estate duty, inheritance tax or gift tax.

No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of the warrants. An instrument of transfer in respect of a warrant is stampable if executed in or brought into the Cayman Islands. No stamp duty is payable in respect of the issue of our Class A ordinary shares or on an instrument of transfer in respect of such shares.

Our company has been incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands as an exempted company with limited liability and, as such, has applied for and received an undertaking from the Financial Secretary of the Cayman Islands as described below.

Tax Concessions Law

Undertaking as to Tax Concessions

In accordance with the provision of Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Law, the Financial Secretary undertakes with us:

1.      That no law which is hereafter enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations shall apply to us or our operations; and

2.      In addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax shall be payable:

2.1    On or in respect of the shares, debentures or our other obligations; or

2.2    by way of the withholding in whole or part, of any relevant payment as defined in the Tax Concessions Law.

These concessions shall be for a period of twenty years from the date hereof.

Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations

The following discussion is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax considerations generally applicable to your acquisition, ownership and disposition of our units or components thereof, which we refer to collectively as our securities. Because the components of a unit are separable at the option of the holder, the holder of a unit generally should be treated, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as the owner of the underlying Class A ordinary share and one warrant components of the unit, as the case may be. As a result, the discussion below with respect to actual holders of Class A ordinary shares and warrants should also apply to holders of units (as the deemed owners of the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants that comprise the units). This discussion applies only to certain beneficial

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owners of our securities who are initial purchasers of units pursuant to this offering and who hold each unit and each component of a unit as a capital asset for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and assumes any distributions on our Class A ordinary shares will be paid in U.S. dollars.

This discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), Treasury Regulations, judicial opinions, and published positions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) as of the date hereof, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion does not address any aspect of state, local or non-U.S. taxation, or any U.S. federal taxes other than income taxes (such as estate or gift taxes).

This discussion does not address all of the U.S. federal income tax considerations that may be relevant to you in light of your particular circumstances, including the Medicare tax on certain investment income, and it does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant to persons subject to special rules, such as:

•        financial institutions;

•        insurance companies;

•        real estate investment trusts or regulated investment companies;

•        dealers and traders in securities or foreign currencies;

•        persons holding our securities as part of a hedge, straddle, conversion transaction or other integrated transaction;

•        former citizens or residents of the United States;

•        U.S. holders (as defined below) whose functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar;

•        partnerships or other entities classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes;

•        persons owning or considered as owning 10% or more (by vote or value) of our shares;

•        persons that acquired our securities as compensation for the performance of services;

•        individual retirement accounts and other tax-deferred accounts;

•        persons that are required to accelerate the recognition of any item of gross income with respect to our securities as a result of such income being recognized on an applicable financial statement;

•        controlled foreign corporations or passive foreign investment companies;

•        persons liable for the alternative minimum tax; and

•        tax-exempt organizations.

If an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our securities, the tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the entity. If you are a partner in such an entity, you should consult your tax advisor.

We have not sought, and do not expect to seek, a ruling from the IRS as to any U.S. federal income tax consequence described herein. The IRS may disagree with the discussion herein, and its determination may be upheld by a court. Moreover, there can be no assurance that future legislation, regulations, administrative rulings or court decisions will not adversely affect the accuracy of the statements in this discussion.

WE URGE PROSPECTIVE INVESTORS TO CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL AND NON-U.S. INCOME, ESTATE AND OTHER TAX CONSIDERATIONS WITH RESPECT TO ACQUIRING, HOLDING AND DISPOSING OF OUR SECURITIES.

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Allocation of Purchase Price and Characterization of a Unit

No statutory, administrative or judicial authority directly addresses the treatment of a unit or instruments similar to a unit for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, therefore, that treatment is not entirely clear. The acquisition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as the acquisition of one share of our Class A ordinary shares and one warrant to acquire one share of our Class A ordinary shares. We intend to treat the acquisition of a unit in this manner and, by purchasing a unit, you agree to adopt such treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For U.S. federal income tax purposes, each holder of a unit must allocate the purchase price paid by such holder for such unit between the one Class A ordinary share and the one warrant based on the relative fair market value of each at the time of issuance. Therefore, we strongly urge each investor to consult its own tax advisor regarding the determination of value for these purposes. The price allocated to each Class A ordinary share and the warrant should be the holder’s initial tax basis in such share or warrant, as the case may be. Any disposition of a unit should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a disposition of the Class A ordinary share and of the warrant comprising the unit, and the amount realized on the disposition should be allocated between the Class A ordinary share and the warrant based on their respective relative fair market values at the time of disposition. The separation of the Class A ordinary share and the warrant comprising a unit should not be a taxable event for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

The foregoing treatment of the units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants and a holder’s purchase price allocation are not binding on the IRS or the courts. Because there are no authorities that directly address instruments that are similar to the units, no assurance can be given that the IRS or the courts will agree with the characterization described above or the discussion below. Accordingly, each prospective investor is urged to consult its own tax advisor regarding the tax consequences of an investment in a unit (including alternative characterizations of a unit). The remainder of this discussion assumes that the characterization of the units described above is respected for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

U.S. Holders

This section is addressed to U.S. holders of our securities. For purposes of this discussion, you are a “U.S. holder” if you are a beneficial owner of a security that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

•        an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States;

•        a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation, created or organized in, or under the laws of, the United States or any state thereof or the District of Columbia; or

•        an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or

•        a trust, if (i) a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more United States persons (as defined in the Code) have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (ii) it has a valid election in effect under Treasury Regulations to be treated as a United States person.

Taxation of Distributions

As discussed under “Dividend Policy” above, we do not anticipate that any dividends will be paid in the foreseeable future. If we do make distributions on our ordinary shares, such distributions generally will be treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent of our current or accumulated earnings and profits. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a U.S. holder generally will be required to include in gross income amounts treated as dividends. Distributions in excess of our current or accumulated earnings and profits generally will first reduce your basis in the ordinary shares (but not below zero) and then will be treated as gain realized on the sale or other disposition of the ordinary shares (as described in the first paragraph under “— Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants” below).

Dividends paid by us will be taxable to a corporate U.S. holder at regular rates and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally allowed to domestic corporations in respect of dividends received from other domestic corporations. With respect to non-corporate U.S. holders, under tax law currently in effect, dividends paid by us will be considered “qualified dividends” and taxed at the lower applicable long-term capital gains rates, only if our Class A ordinary shares are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States, we are not a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year, and certain other requirements

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are met. U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability of the lower rate for any dividends paid with respect to our Class A ordinary shares. The conversion feature of the Class A ordinary shares described under “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Conversion Rights” may be viewed as a position with respect to substantially similar or related property which diminishes your risk of loss and thereby affects your ability to satisfy the holding period requirement for the preferential tax rate on qualified dividend income.

Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants

Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, gain or loss you realize on the sale or other taxable disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants (generally, including as a result of a liquidation in the event we do not consummate a business combination within the required time) will be capital gain or loss. The amount of your gain or loss will be equal to the difference between your tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares or warrants disposed of and the amount realized on the disposition. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Any capital gain or loss you realize on a sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants will generally be long-term capital gain or loss if your holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants is more than one year. However, the conversion feature of the Class A ordinary shares described under “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Conversion Rights” could affect your ability to satisfy the holding period requirements for the long-term capital gain tax rate with respect to the time period prior to the approval of an initial business combination.

Generally, the amount realized by a U.S. holder is the sum of the amount of cash and the fair market value of any property received in such disposition (or, if the Class A ordinary shares or warrants are held as part of units at the time of the disposition, the portion of the amount realized on such disposition that is allocated to the Class A ordinary shares or warrants based upon the then fair market values of the Class A ordinary shares and the warrants included in the units) and a U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its Class A ordinary shares or warrants generally will equal the U.S. holder’s acquisition cost (that is, as discussed above, the portion of the purchase price of a unit allocated to a Class A ordinary share or of one warrant or, as discussed below, the U.S. holder’s initial basis for Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of warrants) less, in the case of a share of Class A ordinary shares, any prior distributions treated as a return of capital.

Conversion or Redemption of Class A Ordinary shares

Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, if you convert your Class A ordinary shares into a right to receive cash as described in “Proposed Business — Effecting a Business Combination — Conversion Rights,” or if we purchase a U.S. holder’s Class A ordinary shares in an open market transaction (each such conversion or transaction referred to as a “redemption” for the remainder of this discussion), the treatment of the transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes will depend on whether the redemption qualifies as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares under Section 302 of the Code. If the redemption qualifies as a sale of ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as described under “— Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants” above. If the redemption does not qualify as a sale of Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder will be treated as receiving a corporate distribution with the tax consequences described above under “— Taxation of Distributions.” Whether a redemption qualifies for sale treatment will depend largely on the total number of our shares treated as held by the U.S. holder (including any shares constructively owned by the U.S. holder as a result of owning warrants) relative to all of our shares outstanding both before and after the redemption. The redemption of Class A ordinary shares generally will be treated as a sale of the Class A ordinary shares (rather than as a corporate distribution) if the redemption (i) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. holder, (ii) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. holder’s interest in us or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. holder. These tests are explained more fully below.

In determining whether any of the foregoing tests are satisfied, a U.S. holder takes into account not only shares actually owned by the U.S. holder, but also our shares that are constructively owned by it. A U.S. holder may constructively own, in addition to shares owned directly, shares owned by certain related individuals and entities in which the U.S. holder has an interest or that have an interest in such U.S. holder, as well as any shares the U.S. holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option, which would generally include Class A ordinary shares which could be acquired pursuant to the exercise of the warrants. In order to meet the substantially disproportionate test, the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately following the redemption of Class A ordinary shares must, among other requirements, be less than 80% of the percentage of our outstanding voting shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder immediately before the redemption. There will be a complete termination of a U.S. holder’s interest if either (i) all of our shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. holder

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are redeemed or (ii) all of our shares actually owned by the U.S. holder are redeemed and the U.S. holder is eligible to waive, and effectively waives in accordance with specific rules, the attribution of shares owned by certain family members and the U.S. holder does not constructively own any other shares. The redemption of the Class A ordinary shares will not be essentially equivalent to a dividend if a U.S. holder’s conversion results in a “meaningful reduction” of the U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us. Whether the redemption will result in a meaningful reduction in a U.S. holder’s proportionate interest in us will depend on the particular facts and circumstances. However, the IRS has indicated in a published ruling that even a small reduction in the proportionate interest of a small minority shareholder in a publicly held corporation who exercises no control over corporate affairs may constitute such a “meaningful reduction.” A U.S. holder should consult with its own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of a redemption.

If none of the foregoing tests is satisfied, then the redemption will be treated as a corporate distribution and the tax effects will be as described under “— Taxation of Distributions,” above. After the application of those rules, any remaining tax basis of the U.S. holder in the redeemed Class A ordinary shares will be added to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its remaining shares, or, if it has none, to the U.S. holder’s adjusted tax basis in its warrants or possibly in other shares constructively owned by it.

You should consult your own tax advisor as to whether conversion of your Class A ordinary shares will be treated as a sale or as a distribution under the Code and, if you actually or constructively own 5% (or, if our share are not then publicly traded, 1%) or more of our Class A ordinary shares before conversion, whether you are subject to special reporting requirements with respect to such conversion.

Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of Warrants

Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, except as discussed below with respect to the cashless exercise of a warrant, you generally will not be required to recognize gain or loss upon the acquisition of Class A ordinary shares upon the exercise of a warrant for cash. Your basis in a share of Class A ordinary shares received upon exercise of a warrant will be equal to the sum of (1) your basis in the warrant and (2) the exercise price of the warrant. Your holding period in the shares received upon exercise will commence on the day after you exercise the warrants (or possibly the date of exercise).

The tax consequences of a cashless exercise of a warrant are not clear under current tax law. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, a cashless exercise may be tax-free, either because the exercise is not a gain realization event or because the exercise is treated as a recapitalization for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In either tax-free situation, a U.S. holder’s basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the holder’s basis in the warrants exercised. If the cashless exercise were not treated as a gain realization event, a U.S. holder’s holding period in the Class A ordinary shares would be treated as commencing on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the warrants. If the cashless exercise were treated as a recapitalization, the holding period of the Class A ordinary shares would include the holding period of the warrants.

It is also possible that a cashless exercise could be treated in part as a taxable exchange in which gain or loss would be recognized. Subject to the PFIC rules discussed below, in such event, a U.S. holder would recognize gain or loss with respect to the portion of the exercised warrants treated as surrendered to pay the exercise price of the warrants (the “surrendered warrants”). The U.S. holder would recognize capital gain or loss in an amount equal to the difference between the fair market value of the surrendered warrants and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in such warrants. In this case, a U.S. holder’s tax basis in the Class A ordinary shares received would equal the sum of the fair market value of the surrendered warrants and the U.S. holder’s tax basis in the warrants exercised (except for any such tax basis allocable to the surrendered warrants). A U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares would commence on the date following the date of exercise (or possibly the date of exercise) of the warrants.

Due to the absence of authority on the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a cashless exercise, there can be no assurance which, if any, of the alternative tax consequences and holding periods described above would be adopted by the IRS or a court. Accordingly, U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a cashless exercise.

If we redeem warrants for cash pursuant to the redemption provisions described in the section of this prospectus entitled “Description of Securities — Warrants” or if we purchase warrants in an open market transaction, such redemption or purchase generally will be treated as a taxable disposition to the U.S. holder, taxed as described above under “— Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of Class A Ordinary Shares or Warrants.”

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If a warrant expires without being exercised, you will recognize a capital loss in an amount equal to your basis in the warrant. Such loss will be long-term capital loss if, at the time of the expiration, the warrant has been held by you for more than one year. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.

Possible Constructive Dividends on Warrants

The terms of the warrants provide for an adjustment to the number of ordinary shares for which the warrants may be exercised or to the exercise price of the warrants in certain events, as discussed in the section of this prospectus captioned “Description of Securities — Warrants.” An adjustment which has the effect of preventing dilution generally is not taxable. The U.S. holders of the warrants would, however, be treated as receiving a constructive distribution from us if, for example, the adjustment increases the warrant holders’ proportionate interest in our assets or earnings and profits (e.g., through an increase in the number of ordinary shares that would be obtained upon exercise or through a decrease to the exercise price) as a result of a distribution of cash to the holders of our ordinary shares which is taxable to the U.S. holders of such shares as described under “— Taxation of Distributions” above. Such constructive distribution would be subject to tax as described under that section in the same manner as if the U.S. holders of the warrants received a cash distribution from us equal to the fair market value the increase in the warrant holder’s interest.

Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules

A foreign (i.e., non-U.S.) corporation will be classified as a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes if either (i) at least 75% of its gross income in a taxable year, including its pro rata share of the gross income of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, is passive income, or (ii) at least 50% of its assets in a taxable year (ordinarily determined based on fair market value and averaged quarterly over the year), including its pro rata share of the assets of any corporation in which it is considered to own at least 25% of the shares by value, are held for the production of, or produce, passive income. Passive income generally includes dividends, interest, rents and royalties (other than rents or royalties derived from the active conduct of a trade or business) and gains from the disposition of assets giving rise to passive income. In determining the value and composition of our assets, the cash we raise in this offering generally will be considered to be held for the production of passive income and thus will be considered a passive asset.

Because we are a blank check company, with no current active business, we believe that it is likely that we will meet the PFIC asset or income test for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021. However, pursuant to a start-up exception, a corporation will not be a PFIC for the first taxable year the corporation has gross income, if (1) no predecessor of the foreign corporation was a PFIC; (2) the corporation satisfies the IRS that it will not be a PFIC for either of the first two taxable years following the start-up year; and (3) the corporation is not in fact a PFIC for either of those years. The applicability of the start-up exception to us is uncertain and will not be known until after the close of our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021. After the acquisition of a company or assets in a business combination, we may still meet one of the PFIC tests depending on the timing of the acquisition and the amount of our passive income and assets as well as the passive income and assets of the acquired business. If the company that we acquire in a business combination is a PFIC, then we will likely not qualify for the start-up exception and will be a PFIC for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021. Our actual PFIC status for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year. Accordingly, there can be no assurance with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year ending December 31, 2021 or any future taxable year.

If we are determined to be a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. holder of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants and, in the case of our Class A ordinary shares, the U.S. holder did not make a timely qualified electing fund, or QEF, election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder held (or was deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares, or a “mark-to-market” election (in each case as described below), such holder generally will be subject to special, generally adverse rules with respect to (i) any gain recognized by the U.S. holder on the sale or other disposition of its Class A ordinary shares or warrants and (ii) any “excess distribution” made to the U.S. holder (generally, any distributions to such U.S. holder during a taxable year of the U.S. holder that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions received by such U.S. holder in respect of the Class A ordinary shares during the three preceding taxable years of such U.S. holder or, if shorter, such U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares). Under these rules:

•        the U.S. holder’s gain or excess distribution will be allocated ratably over the U.S. holder’s holding period for the Class A ordinary shares or warrants;

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•        the amount allocated to the U.S. holder’s taxable year in which the U.S. holder recognized the gain or received the excess distribution, or to the period in the U.S. holder’s holding period before the first day of our first taxable year in which we are a PFIC, will be taxed as ordinary income;

•        the amount allocated to other taxable years (or portions thereof) of the U.S. holder and included in its holding period will be taxed at the highest tax rate in effect for that year and applicable to the U.S. holder; and

•        the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed in respect of the tax attributable to each such other taxable year of the U.S. holder.

In general, if we are determined to be a PFIC, a U.S. holder may avoid the PFIC tax consequences described above in respect to our Class A ordinary shares (but not our warrants) by making a timely QEF election (if eligible to do so) to include in income its pro rata share of our net capital gains (as long-term capital gain) and other earnings and profits (as ordinary income), on a current basis, in each case whether or not distributed, in the taxable year of the U.S. holder in which or with which our taxable year ends. A U.S. holder generally may make a separate election to defer the payment of taxes on undistributed income inclusions under the QEF rules, but if deferred, any such taxes will be subject to an interest charge. It should be noted that dividends paid by a PFIC would generally not qualify for the preferred capital gains rates discussed above.

The QEF election is made on a shareholder-by-shareholder basis and, once made, can be revoked only with the consent of the IRS. A QEF election may not be made with respect to our warrants. As a result, if a U.S. holder sells or otherwise disposes of such warrants (other than upon exercise of such warrants), any gain recognized generally will be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above, if we were a PFIC at any time during the period the U.S. holder held the warrants. If a U.S. holder that exercises such warrants properly makes and maintains a QEF election with respect to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (or has previously made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares), the QEF election will apply to the newly acquired Class A ordinary shares, but the adverse tax consequences relating to PFIC shares, adjusted to take into account the current income inclusions resulting from the QEF election, will continue to apply with respect to such newly acquired Class A ordinary shares (which generally will be deemed to have a holding period for purposes of the PFIC rules that includes the period the U.S. holder held the warrants), unless the U.S. holder makes a purging election under the PFIC rules. The purging election creates a deemed sale of such shares at their fair market value. The gain recognized by the purging election will be subject to the special tax and interest charge rules treating the gain as an excess distribution, as described above. As a result of the purging election, the U.S. holder will have a new basis and holding period in the Class A ordinary shares acquired upon the exercise of the warrants for purposes of the PFIC rules. U.S. holders are urged to consult their tax advisors as to the application of the rules governing purging elections to their particular circumstances.

A U.S. holder generally makes a QEF election by attaching a completed IRS Form 8621 (Information Return by a Shareholder of a Passive Foreign Investment Company or Qualified Electing Fund), including the information provided in a PFIC annual information statement, to a timely filed U.S. federal income tax return for the tax year to which the election relates. Retroactive QEF elections generally may be made only by filing a protective statement with such return and if certain other conditions are met or with the consent of the IRS. U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a retroactive QEF election under their particular circumstances.

If a U.S. holder has made a QEF election with respect to our Class A ordinary shares, and the special tax and interest charge rules do not apply to such shares (because of a timely QEF election for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) such shares), any gain recognized on the sale of our Class A ordinary shares generally will be taxable as capital gain and no interest charge will be imposed under the PFIC rules. As discussed above, U.S. holders of a QEF are currently taxed on their pro rata shares of its earnings and profits, whether or not distributed. In such case, a subsequent distribution of such earnings and profits that were previously included in income generally should not be taxable as a dividend to such U.S. holders. The tax basis of a U.S. holder’s shares in a QEF will be increased by amounts that are included in income, and decreased by amounts distributed but not taxed as dividends, under the above rules.

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Although a determination as to our PFIC status will be made annually, an initial determination that our company is a PFIC will generally apply for subsequent years to a U.S. holder who held Class A ordinary shares or warrants while we were a PFIC, whether or not we meet the test for PFIC status in those subsequent years. A U.S. holder who makes the QEF election discussed above for our first taxable year as a PFIC in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, however, will not be subject to the PFIC tax and interest charge rules discussed above in respect to such shares. In addition, such U.S. holder will not be subject to the QEF inclusion regime with respect to such shares for any taxable year of us that ends within or with a taxable year of the U.S. holder and in which we are not a PFIC. On the other hand, if the QEF election is not effective for each of our taxable years in which we are a PFIC and the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) our Class A ordinary shares, the PFIC rules discussed above will continue to apply to such shares unless the holder makes a purging election, as described above, and pays the tax and interest charge with respect to the gain inherent in such shares attributable to the pre-QEF election period.

Alternatively, if a U.S. holder, at the close of its taxable year, owns shares in a PFIC that are treated as marketable stock, the U.S. holder may make a mark-to-market election with respect to such shares for such taxable year. If the U.S. holder makes a valid mark-to-market election for the first taxable year of the U.S. holder in which the U.S. holder holds (or is deemed to hold) Class A ordinary shares in us and for which we are determined to be a PFIC, such holder generally will not be subject to the PFIC rules described above in respect to its Class A ordinary shares. Instead, in general, the U.S. holder will include as ordinary income each year the excess, if any, of the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year over the adjusted basis in its Class A ordinary shares. These amounts of ordinary income would not be eligible for the reduced tax rates applicable to qualified dividend income or long-term capital gains. The U.S. holder also will be allowed to take an ordinary loss in respect of the excess, if any, of the adjusted basis of its Class A ordinary shares over the fair market value of its Class A ordinary shares at the end of its taxable year (but only to the extent of the net amount of previously included income as a result of the mark-to-market election). The U.S. holder’s basis in its Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted to reflect any such income or loss amounts, and any further gain recognized on a sale or other taxable disposition of the Class A ordinary shares will be treated as ordinary income. Currently, a mark-to-market election may not be made with respect to our warrants.

The mark-to-market election is available only for stock that is regularly traded on a national securities exchange that is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or on a foreign exchange or market that the IRS determines has rules sufficient to ensure that the market price represents a legitimate and sound fair market value. If made, a mark-to-market election would be effective for the taxable year for which the election was made and for all subsequent taxable years unless the Class A ordinary shares ceased to qualify as marketable stock for purposes of the PFIC rules or the IRS consented to the revocation of the election. U.S. holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the availability and tax consequences of a mark-to-market election in respect to our Class A ordinary shares under their particular circumstances.

If we are a PFIC and, at any time, have a foreign subsidiary that is classified as a PFIC, U.S. holders generally would be deemed to own a portion of the shares of such lower-tier PFIC, and generally could incur liability for the deferred tax and interest charge described above if we receive a distribution from, or dispose of all or part of our interest in, the lower-tier PFIC or the U.S. holders otherwise were deemed to have disposed of an interest in the lower-tier PFIC. We will endeavor to cause any lower-tier PFIC to provide to a U.S. holder the information that may be required to make or maintain a QEF election with respect to the lower-tier PFIC. However, there is no assurance that we will have timely knowledge of the status of any such lower-tier PFIC. In addition, we may not hold a controlling interest in any such lower-tier PFIC and thus there can be no assurance we will be able to cause the lower-tier PFIC to provide the required information. A mark-to-market election generally would not be available with respect to any such lower-tier PFIC. U.S. holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax issues raised by lower-tier PFICs.

A U.S. holder that owns (or is deemed to own) shares in a PFIC during any taxable year of the U.S. holder, may have to file an IRS Form 8621(whether or not a QEF or mark-to-market election is made) and such other information as may be required by the U.S. Treasury Department.

The rules dealing with PFICs and with the QEF and mark-to-market elections are very complex and are affected by various factors in addition to those described above. Accordingly, U.S. holders of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants should consult their own tax advisors concerning the application of the PFIC rules to our Class A ordinary shares and warrants under their particular circumstances.

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Tax Reporting

Certain U.S. holders may be required to file an IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) to report a transfer of property (including cash) to us. Substantial penalties may be imposed on a U.S. holder that fails to comply with this reporting requirement. Furthermore, certain U.S. holders who are individuals and certain entities will be required to report information with respect to such U.S. holder’s investment in “specified foreign financial assets” on IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets), subject to certain exceptions. An interest in the Company constitutes a specified foreign financial asset for these purposes. Persons who are required to report specified foreign financial assets and fail to do so may be subject to substantial penalties. Potential investors are urged to consult their tax advisers regarding the foreign financial asset and other reporting obligations and their application to an investment in our securities.

Non-U.S. Holders

Dividends (including constructive distributions) paid or deemed paid to a non-U.S. holder in respect to its Class A ordinary shares generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax, unless the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States).

In addition, a non-U.S. holder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain attributable to a sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants unless such gain is effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base that such holder maintains in the United States) or the non-U.S. holder is an individual who is present in the United States for 183 days or more in the taxable year of sale or other disposition and certain other conditions are met (in which case, such gain from United States sources generally is subject to tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate).

Dividends (including constructive distributions) and gains that are effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States (and, if required by an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment or fixed base in the United States) generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at the same regular U.S. federal income tax rates applicable to a comparable U.S. holder and, in the case of a non-U.S. holder that is a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, also may be subject to an additional branch profits tax at a 30% rate or a lower applicable tax treaty rate.

The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a non-U.S. holder’s receipt of a Class A ordinary share upon the exercise of a warrant held by a non-U.S. holder, generally will correspond to the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the receipt of a share upon the exercise of a warrant by a U.S. holder, as described under “U.S. Holders — Exercise, Lapse or Redemption of Warrants,” above, although to the extent a cashless exercise results in a taxable exchange, the consequences would be similar to those described in the preceding paragraphs above for a non-U.S. holder’s gain on the sale or other disposition of our Class A ordinary shares and warrants.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding

Dividend payments with respect to our Class A ordinary shares and proceeds from the sale, exchange or redemption of our Class A ordinary shares may be subject to information reporting to the IRS and possible United States backup withholding. Backup withholding will not apply, however, to a U.S. holder who furnishes a correct taxpayer identification number and makes other required certifications, or who is otherwise exempt from backup withholding and establishes such exempt status. A non-U.S. holder generally will eliminate the requirement for information reporting and backup withholding by providing certification of its foreign status, under penalties of perjury, on a duly executed applicable IRS Form W-8 or by otherwise establishing an exemption.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld as backup withholding may be credited against a holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability, and a holder generally may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules by timely filing the appropriate claim for refund with the IRS and furnishing any required information. Holders are urged to consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of backup withholding and the availability of and procedure for obtaining an exemption from backup withholding in their particular circumstances.

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UNDERWRITING

We are offering the units described in this prospectus through the underwriters named below. EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. is acting as representative of the underwriters. We have entered into an underwriting agreement with the representative. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters have agreed to purchase, and we have agreed to sell to the underwriters, the number of units listed next to each of its name in the following table:

Underwriter

 

Number of
Units

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

   

Sova Capital Limited

 

Total

 

15,000,000

The underwriting agreement provides that the underwriters must buy all of the units if they buy any of them. However, the underwriters are not required to purchase the units covered by the option to purchase additional units as described below.

Our units are offered subject to a number of conditions, including:

•        receipt and acceptance of our units by the underwriters; and

•        the underwriters’ right to reject orders in whole or in part.

In connection with this offering, the underwriters or securities dealers may distribute prospectuses electronically.

All sales of the units in the United States will be made by U.S. registered broker-dealers. Sova Capital Limited is not a U.S. registered broker-dealer and therefore any offers and sales of the units by Sova Capital Limited in the United States will be made through Auerbach Grayson & Company Llc.

Sova Capital Limited has engaged Auerbach Grayson & Company Llc to act as its chaperone pursuant to Rule 15a-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 in connection with securities transactions effected by Sova Capital Limited with U.S. investors. Auerbach Grayson Llc is a U.S. broker-dealer registered with the SEC and a member of the FINRA with its principal place of business at 25 West 45 Street, New York, NY 10036. Sova Capital Limited will make offers and sales of the units to non-United States persons outside of the United States.

Option To Purchase Additional Units

We have granted the underwriters an over-allotment option to buy up to an aggregate of 2,250,000 additional units. The underwriters have 45 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option. If the underwriters exercise this option, they will purchase additional units approximately in proportion to the amounts specified in the table above.

Underwriting Discount

Units sold by the underwriters to the public will initially be offered at the initial offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus. Any units sold by the underwriters to securities dealers may be sold at a discount of up to $           per unit from the initial public offering price and the dealers may reallow a concession not in excess of $             per unit to other dealers. Sales of units made outside of the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriters. After completion of this offering, if the underwriters still hold any units sold by us to them in this offering, the representative may change the offering price and the other selling terms. Upon execution of the underwriting agreement, the underwriters will be obligated to purchase the units at the prices and upon the terms stated therein.

The following table shows the per unit and total underwriting discount we will pay to the underwriters assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional units.

 

No Exercise

 

Full Exercise

Per Unit

 

$

0.20

 

$

0.20

Total

 

$

3,000,000

 

$

3,450,000

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We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, not including the underwriting discount, will be approximately $650,000. We have agreed to pay for the FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriters’ legal counsel, not to exceed $15,000, and the expenses of transaction mementos, not to exceed $3,000, all of which are included in the total estimated expenses of $650,000.

Business Combination Marketing Agreement

We have engaged EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital as advisors in connection with our business combination to assist us in holding meetings with our shareholders to discuss the potential business combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce us to potential investors that are interested in purchasing our securities in connection with our initial business combination, assist us in obtaining shareholder approval for the business combination and assist us with our press releases and public filings in connection with the business combination. We will pay EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of our initial business combination in an amount equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of this offering (exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees which might become payable).

Rights of First Refusal

If, from the date of this offering until the earlier of the consummation of an initial business combination or the liquidation of the trust account if we fail to consummate a business combination during the required time period (but in no event later than three years from the effective date of the registration statement of which prospectus forms a part), we determine to pursue any equity, equity-linked, debt or mezzanine financing relating to or in connection with a business combination, then EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital shall have the right, but not the obligation, to act as book running managers, placement agents and/or arrangers, as the case may be, in any and all such financing or financings (with respect to Sova Capital, if and to the extent, permitted under law applicable to Sova Capital).

In addition, under certain circumstances EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital will be granted, from the date of this offering until the earlier of one year after the consummation of an initial business combination or the liquidation of the trust account if we fail to consummate a business combination during the required time period (but in no event later than three years from the effective date of the registration statement of which prospectus forms a part), the right to act as lead underwriter for the next U.S. registered public offering of securities undertaken by any of our officers and directors for the purpose of raising capital and placing 90% or more of the proceeds in a trust or escrow account to be used to acquire one or more operating businesses that have not been identified at the time of the public offering (with respect to Sova Capital, if and to the extent, permitted under law applicable to Sova Capital).

Indemnification

We have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act. If we are unable to provide this indemnification, we have agreed to contribute to payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect of those liabilities.

Nasdaq Listing

We applied to have our units listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “OXUSU” and, once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants begin separate trading, to have the Class A ordinary shares and warrants listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “OXUS” and “OXUSW,” respectively. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq.

Price Stabilization, Short Positions

In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in activities that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of units during and after this offering, including:

•        stabilizing transactions;

•        short sales;

•        purchases to cover positions created by short sales;

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•        imposition of penalty bids; and

•        syndicate covering transactions.

Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units while this offering is in progress. Stabilization transactions permit bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. These transactions may also include making short sales of our units, which involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of units than they are required to purchase in this offering and purchasing units on the open market to cover short positions created by short sales. Short sales may be “covered short sales,” which are short positions in an amount not greater than the underwriters’ option to purchase additional units referred to above, or may be “naked short sales,” which are short positions in excess of that amount.

The underwriters may close out any covered short position by either exercising their option, in whole or in part, or by purchasing units in the open market. In making this determination, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of units available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase units through the over-allotment option.

Naked short sales are short sales made in excess of the over-allotment option. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing units in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the units in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchased in this offering.

The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the representative of the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representative has repurchased units sold by or for the account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.

These stabilizing transactions, short sales, purchases to cover positions created by short sales, the imposition of penalty bids and syndicate covering transactions may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our units or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our units. As a result of these activities, the price of our units may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. The underwriters may carry out these transactions on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise. Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of the units. Neither we, nor the underwriters, make any representation that the underwriters will engage in these stabilization transactions or that any transaction, once commenced, will not be discontinued without notice.

Determination of Offering Price

Prior to this offering, there was no public market for our units. The initial public offering price will be determined by negotiation between us and the representative of the underwriters. The principal factors to be considered in determining the initial public offering price include:

•        the information set forth in this prospectus and otherwise available to the representative;

•        our history and prospects and the history and prospects for the industry in which we compete;

•        our past and present financial performance;

•        our prospects for future earnings and the present state of our development;

•        the general condition of the securities market at the time of this offering;

•        the recent market prices of, and demand for, publicly traded units of generally comparable companies; and

•        other factors deemed relevant by the underwriters and us.

Neither we nor the underwriters can assure investors that an active trading market will develop for our units, warrants or ordinary shares or that the units will trade in the public market at or above the initial public offering price.

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Underwriter Founder Shares

In March 2021, we issued to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and/or its designees and Sova Capital and/or its designees 200,000 Class A ordinary shares each for a total of 400,000 of Class A ordinary shares for nominal consideration. Subsequently, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital forfeited 50,000 underwriter founder shares. The holders of the underwriter founder shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares without our prior consent until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, the holders of the underwriter founder shares have agreed (i) to waive their conversion rights (or right to participate in any tender offer) with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering.

The underwriter founder shares have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a lock-up for a period of 180 days immediately following the date of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to Rule 5110(e)(1) of the FINRA Manual. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110(e)(1), these securities will not be sold during the offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged, or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or commencement of sales of the public offering, except to any underwriter and selected dealer participating in the offering and their bona fide officers or partners, provided that all securities so transferred remain subject to the lockup restriction above for the remainder of the time period.

We have granted the holders of these shares the registration rights as described under the section “Description of Securities — Registration Rights.” In compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), the registration rights are limited to demand and “piggy back” rights for periods of five and seven years, respectively, from the effective date of the registration statement of which prospectus form a part and demand right may only be exercised on one occasion.

Private Warrants

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 375,000 private warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $375,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. In addition, Sova Capital has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 375,000 private warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $375,000 in the aggregate, in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. In addition, each of EarlyBird, Inc. and Sova Capital have also agreed that if the over-allotment option is exercised by the underwriters in full or in part, they and/or their designees will purchase from us additional private warrants (up to a maximum of 36,685 private warrants to be purchased by each EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital). Each private warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share. Additionally, for so long as the private warrants are held by the underwriters or their designees or affiliates, they may not be exercised after five years from the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The private warrants have been deemed compensation by FINRA and are therefore subject to a 180-day lock-up pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110 commencing on the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or the date of commencement of this offering. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5110, these securities shall not be sold during this offering, or sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated, or be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the effective economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or the date of commencement of this offering. Additionally, the private warrants (and the underlying Class A ordinary shares) purchased by the underwriters may not be sold, transferred, assigned, pledged or hypothecated for 180 days following the effective date of this prospectus except to any selected dealer participating in the offering and the bona fide officers or partners of the underwriters and any such participating selected dealer. The private warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private warrants) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. We have granted the holders registration rights. In compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), the registration rights are limited to demand and “piggy back” rights for periods of five and seven years, respectively, from the effective date of the registration statement of which prospectus form a part and demand right may only be exercised on one occasion.

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Affiliations

EarlyBirdCapital is a full service financial institution engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. EarlyBirdCapital and its affiliates may from time to time in the future engage with us and perform services for us or in the ordinary course of their business for which they will receive customary fees and expenses. In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may also make or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade debt and equity securities (or related derivative securities) and financial instruments (including bank loans) for their own account and for the accounts of their customers, and such investment and securities activities may involve securities and/or instruments of us. The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of these securities or instruments and may at any time hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in these securities and instruments.

Sova Capital and its affiliates (“Sova Group”) are financial companies engaged in a wide range of financial services and businesses acting both for their own account and for the account of their clients, including securities trading, research, fund management, financing, corporate and investment banking and financial advisory services. Therefore, in its day-to-day trading, brokerage and financial activities, companies within Sova Group may, at any time:

•        hold short or long positions, and may trade or otherwise structure and execute, either at their own expense or at the expense of their clients, transactions in debt securities, equities, or other assets of any company that may be involved in this offering, or in any currency or another commodity that may be used in this offering or in any derivative instrument relating to this offering;

•        make investments as a principal, or manage investments made by other principals in debt securities or equities of any company that may be involved in this offering, or in any currency or another commodity that may be used in this offering, or in any derivative instrument relating to this offering; and

•        provide ordinary brokerage services to any company that may be involved in this offering.

Sova Capital have policies and procedures in place to identify and manage conflicts of interests and protect clients’ interests, including “Chinese Walls” between business activities likely to generate conflicts of interest and separation of business departments to prevent undue circulation of confidential information.

Additional Future Arrangements

Other than as described above, we are not under any contractual obligation to have any of the underwriters provide any services for us after this offering and have no present intent to engage any of them to do so. However, the underwriters may introduce us to potential target businesses or assist us in raising additional capital in the future. If any of the underwriters provide services to us after this offering, we may pay such underwriter fair and reasonable fees that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any underwriter and no fees for such services will be paid to any underwriter prior to the date that is 90 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriter’s compensation in connection with this offering.

Electronic Distribution

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the Internet sites or through other online services maintained by the underwriters participating in this offering, or by their affiliates. In those cases, prospective investors may view offering terms online and, depending upon the particular underwriter, prospective investors may be allowed to place orders online. The underwriters may agree with us to allocate a specific number of units for sale to online brokerage account holders. Any such allocation for online distributions will be made by the underwriters on the same basis as other allocations. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on any underwriter’s website and any information contained in any other website maintained by an underwriter is not part of the prospectus or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, has not been approved and/or endorsed by us or any underwriter in its capacity as underwriter and should not be relied upon by investors.

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Selling Restrictions

Canada

Resale Restrictions

We intend to distribute our securities in the Province of Ontario, Canada (the “Canadian Offering Jurisdiction”) by way of a private placement and exempt from the requirement that we prepare and file a prospectus with the securities regulatory authorities in such Canadian Offering Jurisdiction. Any resale of our securities in Canada must be made under applicable securities laws that will vary depending on the relevant jurisdiction, and which may require resales to be made under available statutory exemptions or under a discretionary exemption granted by the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authority. Canadian resale restrictions in some circumstances may apply to resales of interests made outside of Canada. Canadian purchasers are advised to seek legal advice prior to any resale of our securities. We may never be a “reporting issuer”, as such term is defined under applicable Canadian securities legislation, in any province or territory of Canada in which our securities will be offered and there currently is no public market for any of the securities in Canada, and one may never develop. Canadian investors are advised that we have no intention to file a prospectus or similar document with any securities regulatory authority in Canada qualifying the resale of the securities to the public in any province or territory in Canada.

Representations of Purchasers

A Canadian purchaser will be required to represent to us and the dealer from whom the purchase confirmation is received that:

•        the purchaser is entitled under applicable provincial securities laws to purchase our securities without the benefit of a prospectus qualified under those securities laws;

•        where required by law, that the purchaser is purchasing as principal and not as agent;

•        the purchaser has reviewed the text above under Resale Restrictions; and

•        the purchaser acknowledges and consents to the provision of specified information concerning its purchase of our securities to the regulatory authority that by law is entitled to collect the information.

Rights of Action — Ontario Purchasers Only

Under Ontario securities legislation, certain purchasers who purchase a security offered by this prospectus during the period of distribution will have a statutory right of action for damages, or while still the owner of our securities, for rescission against us in the event that this prospectus contains a misrepresentation without regard to whether the purchaser relied on the misrepresentation. The right of action for damages is exercisable not later than the earlier of 180 days from the date the purchaser first had knowledge of the facts giving rise to the cause of action and three years from the date on which payment is made for our securities. The right of action for rescission is exercisable not later than 180 days from the date on which payment is made for our securities. If a purchaser elects to exercise the right of action for rescission, the purchaser will have no right of action for damages against us. In no case will the amount recoverable in any action exceed the price at which our securities were offered to the purchaser and if the purchaser is shown to have purchased the securities with knowledge of the misrepresentation, we will have no liability. In the case of an action for damages, we will not be liable for all or any portion of the damages that are proven to not represent the depreciation in value of our securities as a result of the misrepresentation relied upon. These rights are in addition to, and without derogation from, any other rights or remedies available at law to an Ontario purchaser. The foregoing is a summary of the rights available to an Ontario purchaser. Ontario purchasers should refer to the complete text of the relevant statutory provisions.

Enforcement of Legal Rights

All of our directors and officers as well as the experts named herein are located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible for Canadian purchasers to effect service of process within Canada upon us or those persons. All of our assets and the assets of those persons are located outside of Canada and, as a result, it may not be possible to satisfy a judgment against us or those persons in Canada or to enforce a judgment obtained in Canadian courts against us or those persons outside of Canada.

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Collection of Personal Information

If a Canadian purchaser is resident in or otherwise subject to the securities laws of the Province of Ontario, the Purchaser authorizes the indirect collection of personal information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser by the Ontario Securities Commission (the “OSC”) and each Canadian purchaser will be required to acknowledge and agree that the Canadian purchaser has been notified by us (i) of the delivery to the OSC of personal information pertaining to the Canadian purchaser, including, without limitation, the full name, residential address and telephone number of the Canadian purchaser, the number and type of securities purchased and the total purchase price paid in respect of the securities, (ii) that this information is being collected indirectly by the OSC under the authority granted to it in securities legislation, (iii) that this information is being collected for the purposes of the administration and enforcement of the securities legislation of Ontario, and (iv) that the title, business address and business telephone number of the public official in Ontario who can answer questions about the OSC’s indirect collection of the information is the Administrative Assistant to the Director of Corporate Finance, the Ontario Securities Commission, Suite 1903, Box 5520, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 3S8, Telephone: (416) 593-8086, Facsimile: (416) 593-8252.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia

No placement document, prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document has been lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (“ASIC”), in relation to the offering. This prospectus does not constitute a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act 2001 (the “Corporations Act”) and does not purport to include the information required for a prospectus, product disclosure statement or other disclosure document under the Corporations Act.

Any offer in Australia of the shares may only be made to persons (the “Exempt Investors”) who are “sophisticated investors” (within the meaning of section 708(8) of the Corporations Act), “professional investors” (within the meaning of section 708(11) of the Corporations Act) or otherwise pursuant to one or more exemptions contained in section 708 of the Corporations Act so that it is lawful to offer the shares without disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act.

The shares applied for by Exempt Investors in Australia must not be offered for sale in Australia in the period of 12 months after the date of allotment under the offering, except in circumstances where disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act would not be required pursuant to an exemption under section 708 of the Corporations Act or otherwise or where the offer is pursuant to a disclosure document which complies with Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act. Any person acquiring shares must observe such Australian on-sale restrictions.

This prospectus contains general information only and does not take account of the investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs of any particular person. It does not contain any securities recommendations or financial product advice. Before making an investment decision, investors need to consider whether the information in this prospectus is appropriate to their needs, objectives and circumstances, and, if necessary, seek expert advice on those matters.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre

This prospectus relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Offered Securities Rules of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). This prospectus is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in the Offered Securities Rules of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for the prospectus. The shares to which this prospectus relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the shares offered should conduct their own due diligence on the shares. If you do not understand the contents of this prospectus you should consult an authorized financial advisor.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area

In relation to each member state of the European Economic Area that has implemented the Prospectus Regulation (each, a “relevant member state”), with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Regulation is implemented in that relevant member state (the “relevant implementation date”), an offer of units described in this prospectus may not be made to the public in that relevant member state prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the units

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that has been approved by the competent authority in that relevant member state or, where appropriate, approved in another relevant member state and notified to the competent authority in that relevant member state, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that, with effect from and including the relevant implementation date, an offer of our units may be made to the public in that relevant member state at any time:

•        to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined in the Prospectus Regulation;

•        to fewer than 100, or, if the relevant member state has implemented the relevant provisions of the 2010 PD Amending Directive, 150, natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined in the Prospectus Regulation), as permitted under the Prospectus Regulation, subject to obtaining the prior consent of the relevant Dealer or Dealers nominated by the issuer for any such offer; or natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined below) subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriter for any such offer; or

•        in any other circumstances that do not require the publication by us of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation.

Each purchaser of units described in this prospectus located within a relevant member state will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that it is a “qualified investor” within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Regulation.

For the purpose of this provision, the expression an “offer to the public” in any relevant member state means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the units to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the units, as the expression may be varied in that member state by any measure implementing the Prospectus Regulation in that member state, and the expression “Prospectus Regulation” means Directive 2003/71/EC (and amendments thereto, including the PD 2010 Amending Directive to the extent implemented by the relevant member state) and includes any relevant implementing measure in each relevant member state, and the expression 2010 PD Amending Directive means Directive 2010/73/EU.

We have not authorized and do not authorize the making of any offer of securities through any financial intermediary on their behalf, other than offers made by the underwriters with a view to the final placement of the units as contemplated in this prospectus. Accordingly, no purchaser of the units, other than the underwriters, is authorized to make any further offer of the units on behalf of us or the underwriters.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland

The shares may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (“SIX”) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the shares or the offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.

Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company or the shares have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of shares will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of shares has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (“CISA”). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of shares.

Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom

This prospectus is only being distributed to, and is only directed at, persons in the United Kingdom that are qualified investors within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive that are also (i) investment professionals falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 (the “Order”) or (ii) high net worth entities, and other persons to whom it may lawfully be communicated, falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as a “relevant person”). The units are

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only available to, and any invitation, offer or agreement to purchase or otherwise acquire such units will be engaged in only with, relevant persons. This prospectus and its contents are confidential and should not be distributed, published or reproduced (in whole or in part) or disclosed by recipients to any other persons in the United Kingdom. Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on this document or any of its contents.

Notice to Prospective Investors in France

Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units described in this prospectus has been submitted to the clearance procedures of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers or by the competent authority of another member state of the European Economic Area and notified to the Autorité des Marchés Financiers. The units have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in France. Neither this prospectus nor any other offering material relating to the units has been or will be:

•        released, issued, distributed or caused to be released, issued or distributed to the public in France; or

•        used in connection with any offer for subscription or sale of the units to the public in France. Such offers, sales and distributions will be made in France only:

•        to qualified investors (investisseurs qualifiés) and/or to a restricted circle of investors (cercle restreint d’investisseurs), in each case investing for their own account, all as defined in, and in accordance with, Article L.411-2, D.411-1, D.411-2, D.734-1, D.744-1, D.754-1 and D.764-1 of the French Code monétaire et financier;

•        to investment services providers authorized to engage in portfolio management on behalf of third parties; or

•        in a transaction that, in accordance with article L.411-2-II-1°-or-2°-or 3° of the French Code monétaire et financier and article 211-2 of the General Regulations (Règlement Général) of the Autorité des Marchés Financiers, does not constitute a public offer (appel public à l’épargne).

The units may be resold directly or indirectly, only in compliance with Articles L.411-1, L.411-2, L.412-1 and L.621-8 through L.621-8-3 of the French Code monétaire et financier.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong

The units may not be offered or sold in Hong Kong by means of any document other than (i) in circumstances which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong), (ii) to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder, or (iii) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a “prospectus” within the meaning of the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 32, Laws of Hong Kong) and no advertisement, invitation or document relating to the units may be issued or may be in the possession of any person for the purpose of issue (in each case whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere), which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public in Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to units which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to “professional investors” within the meaning of the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571, Laws of Hong Kong) and any rules made thereunder.

Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan

The units have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Instruments and Exchange Law of Japan (Law No. 25 of 1948, as amended) and, accordingly, will not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan, or for the benefit of any Japanese Person or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to any Japanese Person, except in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines promulgated by relevant Japanese governmental or regulatory authorities in effect at the relevant time. For the purposes of this paragraph, “Japanese Person” shall mean any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan.

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Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore

This prospectus has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the units may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the units be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA, in each case subject to compliance with conditions set forth in the SFA.

Where the units are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person that is:

•        a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 14A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor, or

•        a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:

•        to an institutional investor (for corporations, under Section 274 of the SFA) or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person pursuant to an offer that is made on terms that such shares, debentures and units of shares and debentures of that corporation or such rights and interest in that trust are acquired at a consideration of not less than S$200,000 (or its equivalent in a foreign currency) for each transaction, whether such amount is to be paid for in cash or by exchange of securities or other assets, and further for corporations, in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA;

•        where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; or

•        where the transfer is by operation of law.

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LEGAL MATTERS

Greenberg Traurig, P.A., Miami, Florida, is acting as our counsel in connection with the registration of our securities under the Securities Act, and as such, will pass upon the validity of the securities offered in this offering. Graubard Miller, New York, New York, is acting as counsel to the underwriters.

EXPERTS

The financial statements of Oxus Acquisition Corp. at March 22, 2021 and for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through March 22, 2021 included in this prospectus have been audited by Marcum LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report, thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to substantial doubt about the ability of Oxus Acquisition Corp. to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements), appearing elsewhere in this prospectus, and are included in reliance on such report given upon such firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

We have filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-1 under the Securities Act with respect to the securities we are offering by this prospectus. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For further information about us and our securities, you should refer to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with the registration statement. Whenever we make reference in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the references are materially complete but may not include a description of all aspects of such contracts, agreements or other documents, and you should refer to the exhibits attached to the registration statement for copies of the actual contract, agreement or other document.

Upon completion of this offering, we will be subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act and will file annual, quarterly and current event reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You can read our SEC filings, including the registration statement, over the Internet at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov

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OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

Page

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

 

F-2

Balance Sheets

 

F-3

Statements of Operations

 

F-4

Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity

 

F-5

Statements of Cash Flows

 

F-6

Notes to Financial Statements

 

F-7 – F-16

F-1

Table of Contents

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Shareholder and Board of Directors of

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

Opinion on the Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of March 22, 2021, the related statements of operations, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through March 22, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statements”). In our opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of March 22, 2021, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through March 22, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

Explanatory Paragraph — Going Concern

The accompanying financial statements have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. As more fully described in Note 1 to the financial statements, the Company’s business plan is dependent upon its completion of the proposed initial public offering described in Note 3 to the financial statements. The Company has a working capital deficiency as of March 22, 2021 and lacks the financial resources it needs to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statements. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern. Management’s plans with regard to these matters are also described in Notes 1 and 3. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Basis for Opinion

These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB and in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

/s/ Marcum LLP

Marcum LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.

New York, NY

April 1, 2021, except for Note 8 as to which the date is July 26, 2021.

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Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
BALANCE SHEETS

 

June 30,
2021

 

March 22,
2021

   

(Unaudited)

 

(Audited)

ASSETS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Assets

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash

 

$

87,734

 

 

$

 

Subscription receivable

 

 

40

 

 

 

 

Total Current Assets

 

 

87,774

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred offering costs associated with initial public offering

 

 

230,544

 

 

 

31,211

 

TOTAL ASSETS

 

$

318,318

 

 

$

31,211

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Current Liabilities

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued offering costs and expenses

 

$

32,051

 

 

$

24,129

 

Promissory note – related party

 

 

279,935

 

 

 

 

Total Current Liabilities

 

 

311,986

 

 

 

24,129

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Commitments and Contingencies (Note 6)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shareholders Equity

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preferred shares, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued or outstanding

 

 

 

 

 

 

Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 500,000,000 shares authorized;
300,000 issued or outstanding at June 30, 2021 and 0 issued or outstanding at March 22, 2021(1)(2)

 

 

30

 

 

 

 

Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 50,000,000 shares authorized;
4,312,500 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2021 and 4,312,500 shares issued and outstanding at March 22, 2021(3)(4)

 

 

431

 

 

 

431

 

Additional paid-in capital

 

 

24,579

 

 

 

24,569

 

Accumulated deficit

 

 

(18,708

)

 

 

(17,918

)

Total Shareholders Equity

 

 

6,332

 

 

 

7,082

 

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY

 

$

318,318

 

 

$

31,211

 

____________

(1)      Consists of Underwriter Founder Shares issued to the underwriters and/or its designees (see Note 5).

(2)      Through June 30, 2021, the underwriters and/or its designees effected a surrender of 60,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected surrendered additional 40,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 400,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

(3)      Through June 30, 2021, the Sponsor effected a surrender of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor surrendered additional 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 8,625,000 to 4,312,500. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

(4)      Includes up to 562,500 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

 

For the
Period from
February 3,
2021
(inception)
through
June 30,
2021

 

For the
Period from
February 3,
2021
(inception) through
March 22,
2021

   

(Unaudited)

 

(Audited)

Formation costs

 

$

18,708

 

 

$

17,918

 

Net loss

 

$

(18,708

)

 

$

(17,918

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average Class A ordinary shares outstanding, basic and diluted(1)(2)

 

 

300,000

 

 

 

 

Basic and diluted net loss per Class A ordinary shares

 

$

(0.00

)

 

$

(0.00

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weighted average Class B ordinary shares outstanding, basic and diluted(3)(4)

 

 

3,750,000

 

 

 

3,750,000

 

Basic and diluted net loss per Class B ordinary shares

 

$

(0.00

)

 

$

(0.00

)

____________

(1)      Consists of Underwriter Founder Shares issued to the underwriters and/or its designees (see Note 5).

(2)      Through June 30, 2021, the underwriters and/or its designees effected a surrender of 60,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected surrendered additional 40,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 400,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

(3)      Through June 30, 2021, the Sponsor effected a surrender of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor surrendered additional 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 8,625,000 to 4,312,500. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

(4)      Excludes up to 562,500 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

 

Class A
Ordinary Shares

 

Class B
Ordinary Shares

 

Additional Paid-in Capital

 

Accumulated Deficit

 

Total Shareholders Equity

   

Shares

 

Amount

 

Shares

 

Amount

 

Balance – February 3, 2021 (inception)

 

 

 

$

 

 

 

 

$

 

 

$

 

$

 

 

$

 

Issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor(1)

 

 

 

 

 

 

8,625,000

 

 

 

863

 

 

 

24,137

 

 

 

 

 

25,000

 

Surrender of Class B ordinary shares by Sponsor(2)(3)

 

 

 

 

 

 

(4,312,500

)

 

 

(432

)

 

 

432

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(17,918

)

 

 

(17,918

)

Balance – March 22, 2021 (Audited)

 

 

 

 

 

 

4,312,500

 

 

$

431

 

 

$

24,569

 

$

(17,918

)

 

$

7,082

 

Issuance of Underwriter Founder
Shares

 

400,000

 

 

 

40

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

40

 

Surrender of Underwriter Founder Shares(4)

 

(100,000

)

 

 

(10

)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(790

)

 

 

(790

)

Balance – June 30, 2021 (Unaudited)

 

300,000

 

 

$

30

 

 

4,312,500

 

 

$

431

 

 

$

24,579

 

$

(18,708

)

 

$

6,332

 

____________

(1)      Includes up to 1,125,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

(2)      Through June 30, 2021, the Sponsor effected a surrender of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor surrendered additional 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 8,625,000 to 4,312,500. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

(3)      Includes up to 562,500 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 7).

(4)      Through June 30, 2021, the underwriters and/or its designees effected a surrender of 60,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration. Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected surrendered additional 40,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 400,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 5 and Note 8).

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

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Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

 

For the
Period from
February 3,
2021
(inception)
through
June 30,
2021

 

For the
Period from
February 3,
2021
(inception)
through
March 22,
2021

   

(Unaudited)

 

(Audited)

Cash Flows from Operating Activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net loss

 

$

(18,708

)

 

$

(17,918

)

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changes in operating assets and liabilities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Accrued offering costs and expenses

 

 

790

 

 

 

 

Net cash used in operating activities

 

 

(17,918

)

 

 

(17,918

)

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Proceeds from issuance of Class B ordinary shares to Sponsor

 

 

25,000

 

 

 

25,000

 

Proceeds from promissory note – related party

 

 

279,935

 

 

 

 

Payment of offering costs

 

 

(199,283

)

 

 

(7,082

)

Net cash provided by financing activities

 

 

105,652

 

 

 

17,918

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Net Change in Cash:

 

 

87,734

 

 

 

 

Cash – Beginning

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cash – Ending

 

$

87,734

 

 

$

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental disclosure of non-cash investing and financing activities:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Deferred offering costs in accrued offering costs and expenses

 

$

32,051

 

 

$

24,129

 

Issuance of Underwriter Founder Shares

 

$

40

 

 

$

 

Surrender of Underwriter Founder Shares

 

$

(10

)

 

$

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

F-6

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS

Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on February 3, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”). The Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with emerging growth companies.

Although the Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of completing a Business Combination, the Company intends to focus its search on targets in energy transition technologies, such as battery materials, energy storage, electric vehicle (“EV”) infrastructure and advanced recycling in emerging/frontier countries including the Commonwealth of Independent States (“CIS”), South and South-East Asia and Middle East and North Africa (“MENA”) regions. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.

As of June 30, 2021, the Company had not commenced any operations. All activity for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the proposed initial public offering (“Proposed Public Offering”), which is described below. The Company will not generate any operating revenues until after the completion of a Business Combination, at the earliest. The Company will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income from the proceeds derived from the Proposed Public Offering. The Company has selected December 31 as its fiscal year end.

The Company’s ability to commence operations is contingent upon obtaining adequate financial resources through a Proposed Public Offering of 15,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the ordinary shares included in the Units being offered, the “Public Shares”) at $10.00 per Unit (or 17,250,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), which is discussed in Note 3, and the sale of warrants (the “Private Warrants”) in a private placement to Oxus Capital Pte. Ltd. (the “Sponsor”) that will close simultaneously with the Proposed Public Offering.

The Company’s management has broad discretion with respect to the specific application of the net proceeds of the Proposed Public Offering and the sale of the Private Warrants, although substantially all of the net proceeds are intended to be applied generally toward consummating a Business Combination. There is no assurance that the Company will be able to complete a Business Combination successfully. The Company must complete a Business Combination with one or more operating businesses or assets that together have an aggregate fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the Trust Account (net of amounts disbursed to management for working capital purposes, if permitted, and excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting commissions) at the time of the Company’s signing a definitive agreement in connection with its initial Business Combination. The Company will only complete a Business Combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires an interest in the target business or assets sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”). Upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering, management has agreed that an amount equal to at least $10.10 per Unit sold in the Proposed Public Offering, including the proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants, will be held in a trust account (“Trust Account”), located in the United States and invested only in U.S. government securities, within the meaning set forth in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act, with a maturity of 185 days or less or in any open-ended investment company that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting certain conditions of Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act, as determined by the Company, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) the distribution of the funds held in the Trust Account, as described below.

The Company will provide its holders of the outstanding Public Shares (the “public shareholders”) with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, solely in its discretion. The public shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount then in the Trust Account (initially anticipated to be $10.10 per Public Share, plus any pro rata interest

F-7

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS (cont.)

earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations). There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Public Shares subject to redemption will be recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480 “Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity.”

The Company will only proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 either prior to or upon such consummation of a Business Combination and, if the Company seeks shareholder approval, a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a shareholder vote is not required by applicable law or stock exchange rules and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by applicable law or stock exchange rules, or the Company decides to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, the Company will offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor has agreed to vote its Founder Shares (as defined in Note 5), and any Public Shares purchased during or after the Proposed Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or do not vote at all.

Notwithstanding the above, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Certificate of Incorporation provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% or more of the Public Shares, without the prior consent of the Company.

The Sponsor has agreed (a) to waive its redemption rights with respect to its Founder Shares (as defined at Note 5) and Public Shares held by it in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (b) not to propose an amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation (i) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with the Company’s initial Business Combination or to redeem 100% of its Public Shares if the Company does not complete a Business Combination or (ii) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless the Company provides the public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares in conjunction with any such amendment.

The Company will have until 18 months from the closing of the Proposed Public Offering to complete a Business Combination (the “Combination Period”). If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations (less up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in each case to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to the Company’s warrants, which will expire worthless if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

The Sponsor has agreed to waive its liquidation rights with respect to the Founder Shares (as defined at Note 5) if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. However, if the Sponsor acquires Public Shares in or after the Proposed Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions

F-8

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 1 — ORGANIZATION AND DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS (cont.)

from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period. The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Proposed Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).

In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below the lesser of (1) $10.10 per Public Share and (2) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the Trust Account nor will it apply to any claims under the Company’s indemnity of the underwriters of the Proposed Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (except the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses and other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

Going Concern Consideration

At June 30, 2021, the Company had $87,734 in cash and a working capital deficiency of $224,212. The Company has incurred and expects to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of its financing and acquisition plans. These conditions raise substantial doubt about the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. Management plans to address this uncertainty through the Proposed Public Offering as discussed in Note 3. There is no assurance that the Company’s plans to raise capital or to consummate a Business Combination will be successful or successful within the Combination Period. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

Risks and Uncertainties

Management is currently evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of these financial statements. The financial statements do not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying financial statements are presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

Emerging Growth Company

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as amended by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of

F-9

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)

Emerging Growth Company (cont.)

Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of June 30, 2021.

Deferred Offering Costs Associated with the Proposed Public Offering

Deferred offering costs consist of legal, accounting, and other expenses incurred through the balance sheet date that are directly related to the Proposed Public Offering and that will be charged to shareholders’ equity upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering. Should the Proposed Public Offering prove to be unsuccessful, these deferred costs, as well as additional expenses to be incurred, will be charged to operations.

Net Loss Per Ordinary Share

The Company complies with accounting and disclosure requirements of FASB ASC Topic 260, “Earnings Per Share.” Net loss per ordinary shares is computed by dividing net loss attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period, excluding ordinary shares subject to forfeiture. Weighted average ordinary shares at June 30, 2021 were reduced for the effect of an aggregate of 562,500 ordinary shares that are subject to forfeiture if the over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part by the underwriters (see Note 6). As of June 30, 2021, the Company did not have any dilutive securities and other contracts that could, potentially, be exercised or converted into ordinary shares and then share in the earnings of the Company. As a result, diluted loss per ordinary share is the same as basic loss per ordinary share for the period presented.

Concentration of Credit Risk

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist of cash accounts in a financial institution which, at times, may exceed the federal depository insurance coverage corporation limit of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on these accounts and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such accounts.

F-10

Table of Contents

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 2 — SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (cont.)

Financial Instruments

The fair value of the Company’s assets and liabilities, which qualify as financial instruments under FASB ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures,” approximates the carrying amounts represented in the balance sheets.

Income Taxes

The Company complies with the accounting and reporting requirements of FASB ASC, 740, “Income Taxes,”. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statements carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that included the enactment date. Valuation allowances are established, when necessary, to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount expected to be realized. There were no unrecognized tax benefits as of June 30, 2021.

FASB ASC 740 prescribes a recognition threshold and a measurement attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement of tax positions taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. No amounts were accrued for the payment of interest and penalties at June 30, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. The Company is subject to income tax examinations by major taxing authorities since inception.

The provision for income taxes was deemed to be de minimis for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through June 30, 2021.

Warrant Liabilities

ASC 480 requires a reporting entity to classify certain freestanding financial instruments as liabilities (or in some cases as assets). ASC 480-10-S99 addresses concerns raised by the SEC regarding the financial statement classification and measurement of securities subject to mandatory redemption requirements or whose redemption is outside the control of the issuer. If the stock subject to mandatory redemption provisions represents the only shares in the reporting entity, it must report instruments in the liabilities section of its statement of financial position. The stock subject must then describe them as shares subject to mandatory redemption, so as to distinguish the instruments from other financial statement liabilities. The Company concludes that the Public Unit Warrants do not exhibit any of the above characteristics and, therefore, are outside the scope of ASC 480.

The Company will account for the 21,900,000 warrants to be issued in connection with this offering (representing 15,000,000 public warrants included in the units and 6,900,000 private placement warrants, assuming the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40, Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity. Such guidance provides that because the warrants meet the criteria for equity treatment.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Management does not believe that any recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting pronouncements, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statements.

NOTE 3 PROPOSED PUBLIC OFFERING

Pursuant to the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will offer for sale up to 15,000,000 Units (or 17,250,000 Units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit will consist of one ordinary share and one warrant (“Public Warrant”). Each Public Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7).

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OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 4 PRIVATE WARRANTS

The Sponsor and the underwriters have committed to purchase an aggregate of 6,900,000 Private Warrants (or 7,575,000 Private Warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) at a price of $1.00 per Private Warrant from the Company in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of the Proposed Public Offering. Each Private Warrant is exercisable for one ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment (see Note 7). The proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants will be added to the net proceeds from the Proposed Public Offering held in the Trust Account.

If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Warrants held in the Trust Account will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Warrants will expire worthless.

NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Founder Shares

During the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through March 22, 2021, the Sponsor paid $25,000 to cover certain offering costs of the Company in consideration for 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”).

The Founder Shares include an aggregate of up to 1,125,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment is not exercised in full or in part, so that the number of Founder Shares will collectively represent 25% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering.

Through June 30, 2021, the Sponsor returned to the Company for no consideration, an aggregate of 1,437,500 Founder Shares, which have been cancelled.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor transferred an aggregate of 150,000 Founder Shares to the Company’s independent director nominees.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor surrendered additional 2,875,000 Founder Shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 8,625,000 to 4,312,500 (up to 562,500 of which are subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full). All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 8).

Founder Shares are subject to lock-up until (i) with respect to 50% of the Founder Shares, the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of the initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing after the consummation of the initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of the Founder Shares, the one-year anniversary of the consummation of the initial business combination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Founder Shares will be releases earlier if, subsequent to the initial business combination, the Company consummates a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

Underwriter Founder Shares

On March 23, 2021, the Company had issued to its underwriters and/or its designees, an aggregate of 400,000 Class A ordinary shares at $0.0001 per share (“Underwriter Founder Shares”). The holders of the Underwriter Founder Shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any such shares until the completion of a Business Combination. In addition, the holders have agreed (i) to waive their redemption rights with respect to such shares in connection with the completion of a Business Combination and (ii) to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to such shares if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period.

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OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 5 — RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS (cont.)

Underwriter Founder Shares (cont.)

Through June 30, 2021, the underwriters and/or its designees returned to the Company for no consideration, an aggregate of 60,000 Underwriter Founder Shares, which have been cancelled.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected surrendered additional 40,000 Underwriter Founder Shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 400,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender (see Note 8).

At the balance sheet date, the $40 payment due to the Company is recorded as subscription receivable in the current assets section of the accompanying balance sheet.

Promissory Note — Related Party

On March 22, 2021, the Sponsor issued an unsecured promissory note to the Company (the “Promissory Note”), pursuant to which the Company may borrow up to an aggregate principal amount of $300,000. The Promissory Note is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of June 30, 2021 or the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering.

On June 25, 2021, the terms of the Promissory Note were revised to be payable on the earlier of December 31, 2021, or the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering.

As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was outstanding under the Promissory Note.

Related Party Loans

In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with a Business Combination, the Sponsor, an affiliate of the Sponsor, or certain of the Company’s officers and directors or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, loan the Company funds as may be required (“Working Capital Loans”). If the Company completes a Business Combination, the Company would repay the Working Capital Loans out of the proceeds of the Trust Account released to the Company. Otherwise, the Working Capital Loans would be repaid only out of funds held outside the Trust Account. In the event that a Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of proceeds held outside the Trust Account to repay the Working Capital Loans but no proceeds held in the Trust Account would be used to repay the Working Capital Loans. The Working Capital Loans would either be repaid upon consummation of a Business Combination, without interest, or, at the lender’s discretion, up to $1.5 million of such Working Capital Loans may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity. The warrants would be identical to the Private Warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such Working Capital Loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. As of June 30, 2021, no Working Capital Loans were outstanding.

Administrative Support Agreement

Commencing on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering, the Company will agree to pay the Sponsor a total of up to $10,000 per month in the aggregate for up to 18 months for office space, utilities and secretarial and administrative support. Upon completion of the initial business combination or the Company’s liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.

NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Registration Rights

The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Warrants, and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Warrants or warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans and upon conversion of the Founder Shares) will be entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Proposed Public Offering requiring the Company to register such securities for resale (in the case of the Founder Shares, only after

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OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 6 — COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (cont.)

Registration Rights (cont.)

conversion to Class A ordinary shares The holders of these securities will be entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form registration demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders will have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to the completion of a Business Combination. The Company will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

Underwriting Agreement

The Company will grant the underwriters a 45-day option from the date of Proposed Public Offering to purchase up to 2,250,000 additional Units to cover over-allotments, if any, at the Proposed Public Offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions.

The underwriters will be entitled to an underwriting discount of $0.20 per unit, or $3.00 million in the aggregate (or $3.45 million in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), payable upon the closing of the Proposed Public Offering.

Business Combination Marketing Agreement

The Company intends to engage EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (“EarlyBirdCapital”) and Sova Capital Limited (“Sova Capital”) as advisors in connection with a Business Combination to assist the Company in holding meetings with its stockholders to discuss the potential Business Combination and the target business’ attributes, introduce the Company to potential investors that are interested in purchasing the Company’s securities in connection with a Business Combination, assist the Company in obtaining stockholder approval for the Business Combination and assist the Company with its press releases and public filings in connection with the Business Combination. The Company will pay EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital a cash fee for such services upon the consummation of a Business Combination of $4.50 million (or $5.23 million if the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised in full) that equals to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of Proposed Public Offering (exclusive of any applicable finders’ fees which might become payable); provided that up to 25% of the fee may be allocated at the Company’s sole discretion to other FINRA members that assist the Company in identifying and consummating a Business Combination.

NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Preferred Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 preferred shares with a par value of $0.0001 per preferred share. As of June 30, 2021, there are no preferred shares issued or outstanding.

Class A Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Through June 30, 2021, 400,000 Class A ordinary shares were issued or outstanding and a surrender of 60,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, was effected by the underwriters and/or its designees.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected surrendered additional 40,000 Class A ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 400,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.

Class B Ordinary Shares — The Company is authorized to issue 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of the Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. Through June 30, 2021, 8,625,000 shares of Class B ordinary shares were issued and outstanding, and a surrender of 1,437,500 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, was effected by Sponsor, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 8,625,000 to 7,187,500, of which an aggregate of up to 937,500 Class B ordinary shares remain subject to forfeiture to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.

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OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (cont.)

Class B Ordinary Shares (cont.)

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor surrendered additional 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 7,187,500 to 4,312,500 (up to 562,500 of which are subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full). All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.

Holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares, voting together as a single class, shall have the exclusive right to vote for the election of directors and on all other matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholder except as otherwise required by law. The Class B ordinary shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares on a one-for-one basis (A) at any time and from time to time at the option of the holder thereof and (B) automatically on the business day following the closing of the Business Combination, subject to adjustment. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares, or equity-linked securities, are issued or deemed issued in excess of the amounts offered in the closing of a Business Combination, the ratio at which Class B ordinary shares shall convert into Class A ordinary shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the outstanding Class B ordinary shares agree to waive such adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B ordinary shares will equal, in the aggregate, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the sum of the total number of all ordinary shares outstanding upon the completion of the Proposed Public Offering (not including the Class A ordinary shares underlying the Placement Units) plus all Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination. In addition, the calculation mentioned above will be subject to adjustment for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like. In no event will the Class B ordinary shares convert into Class A ordinary shares at a rate of less than one to one.

Warrants

The Public Warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination.

Redemption of Warrants When the Price per Class A Ordinary Share Equals or Exceeds $18.00 — once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may redeem the outstanding Public Warrants:

•        in whole and not in part;

•        at a price of $0.01 per Public Warrant;

•        upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and

•        if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A ordinary share for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading day period ending three business days before sending the notice of redemption to warrant holders (the “Reference Value”) equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like).

In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company’s board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our Sponsor or its affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by our Sponsor or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the Company’s initial business combination on the date of the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination (net of redemptions), and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of the Company’s ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which the Company consummates its initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share,

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OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

NOTE 7 — SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY (cont.)

Warrants (cont.)

the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above in this section will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

The Private Warrants will be identical to the Public Warrants underlying the Units being sold in the Proposed Public Offering.

NOTE 8 — SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to July 26, 2021, the date that the financial statements were available to be issued. Based on this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statements.

On June 25, 2021, the terms of the Promissory Note were revised to be payable on the earlier of December 31, 2021, or the consummation of the Proposed Public Offering.

As of June 30, 2021, $279,935 was outstanding under the Promissory Note.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor transferred an aggregated of 150,000 Founder Shares to the Company’s independent director nominees.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the underwriters and/or its designees effected a surrender of 40,000 Underwriter Founder Shares to the Company for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class A ordinary shares outstanding from 340,000 to 300,000. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.

Subsequent to balance sheet date, the Sponsor effected a surrender of 2,875,000 Founder Shares to the Company, for no consideration, resulting in a decrease in the total number of Class B ordinary shares outstanding from 7,187,500 to 4,312,500. All shares and associated amounts have been retroactively restated to reflect the share surrender.

Subscription receivable of $40 was received after balance sheet date.

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15,000,000 Units

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

_______________________

PROSPECTUS

            , 2021

_______________________

Joint Book-Running Managers

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

 

Sova Capital Limited

Until             , 2021, all dealers that buy, sell or trade Class A ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions

 

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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

ITEM 13.    OTHER EXPENSES OF ISSUANCE AND DISTRIBUTION.

The estimated expenses payable by us in connection with the offering described in this registration statement (other than the underwriting discount and commissions) will be as follows:

SEC expenses

 

$

40,463

FINRA expenses

 

 

26,375

Accounting fees and expenses

 

 

50,000

Printing and engraving expenses

 

 

40,000

Legal fees and expenses

 

 

300,000

Road show

 

 

20,000

Stock exchange listing and filing fees

 

 

75,000

Miscellaneous

 

 

98,162

Total

 

$

650,000

ITEM 14.    INDEMNIFICATION OF DIRECTORS AND OFFICERS.

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 willful default, willful neglect, civil fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers and directors to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We may purchase a policy of directors’ and officers’ liability insurance that insures our officers and directors against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers and directors.

Our officers and directors have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to 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.

ITEM 15.    RECENT SALES OF UNREGISTERED SECURITIES.

(a)    During the past three years, we sold the following ordinary shares without registration under the Securities Act:

Shareholders

 

Number of
Shares

Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.

 

8,625,000

EarlyBirdCapital Inc.

 

200,000

Sova Capital Limited

 

200,000

Such shares were issued in March 2021 in connection with our organization pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act as the shares were sold to accredited investors. The founder shares issued to Oxus Capital PTE, LTD. were sold for an aggregate purchase price of $25,000 at an average purchase price of approximately $0.003 per share and the underwriter founder shares issued to EarlyBirdCapital Inc. and Sova Capital were sold for an aggregate purchase price of $40 at an average purchase price of approximately $0.0001 per share.

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Subsequently, our sponsor forfeited an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares, such that our sponsor owns an aggregate of 4,312,500 founder shares. In addition, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital forfeited 50,000 underwriter founder shares.

Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., our sponsor, has also committed to purchase 6,150,000 warrants at $1.00 per warrant (for an aggregate of $6,150,000). In addition, each of EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital has committed to purchase 375,000 warrants each at $1.00 per warrant (for an aggregate of $750,000). This purchase will take place on a private placement basis simultaneously with the consummation of the initial public offering and will be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Regulation S of the Securities Act. Our sponsor, EarlyBirdCapital and Sova Capital also committed to purchase in aggregate of up to a maximum of 675,000 warrants in proportion to the amount of the underwriters’ over-allotment option that is exercised. These additional issuances will also be made pursuant to the exemption from registration contained in Section 4(a)(2) and/or Regulation S of the Securities Act.

No underwriting discounts or commissions were or will be paid with respect to such sales.

ITEM 16.    EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.

(a)    The following exhibits are filed as part of this Registration Statement:

Exhibit No.

 

Description

1.1

 

Form of Underwriting Agreement.*

1.2

 

Form of Business Combination Marketing Agreement.*

3.1

 

Memorandum and Articles of Association.*

3.2

 

Form of Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association.*

4.1

 

Specimen Unit Certificate.*

4.2

 

Specimen Class A Ordinary Share Certificate.*

4.3

 

Specimen Warrant Certificate.*

4.4

 

Form of Warrant Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.*

5.1

 

Opinion of Greenberg Traurig, P.A., counsel to the Registrant.*

5.2

 

Opinion of Maples and Calder, Cayman Islands counsel to the Registrant.*

10.1

 

Form of Letter Agreement among the Registrant, Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., the initial shareholders and each of the Registrant’s officers and directors.*

10.2

 

Form of Investment Management Trust Agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and the Registrant.*

10.3

 

Amended and Restated Promissory Note, dated June 25, 2021 issued to Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.*

10.4

 

Form of Registration Rights Agreement among the Registrant and certain security holders.*

10.5

 

Form of Subscription Agreement for Private Warrants between the Registrant and Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.*

10.6

 

Form of Subscription Agreement for Private Warrants between the Registrant and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.*

10.7

 

Form of Subscription Agreement for Private Warrants between the Registrant and Sova Capital Limited*

10.8

 

Form of Stock Escrow Agreement among the Registrant, Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and certain security holders.*

10.9

 

Form of Administrative Services Agreement between the Registrant and Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.*

10.10

 

Form of Indemnity Agreement.*

10.11

 

Subscription Agreement for Founder Shares, dated March 16, 2021, between the Registrant and Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.*

14

 

Form of Code of Ethics.*

23.1

 

Consent of Marcum LLP.*

23.2

 

Consent of Greenberg Traurig, P.A. (included in Exhibit 5.1).*

23.3

 

Consent of Maples and Calder (included as Exhibit 5.2).*

24

 

Power of Attorney (included on signature page of the initial Registration Statement).*

99.1

 

Form of Audit Committee Charter.*

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Exhibit No.

 

Description

99.2

 

Form of Compensation Committee Charter.*

99.3

 

Form of Nominating Committee Charter.*

99.4

 

Consent of Christophe Charlier.*

99.5

 

Consent of Sergey Ivashkovsky.*

99.6

 

Consent of Shiv Vikram Khemka.*

____________

*   Filed herewith.

ITEM 17.    UNDERTAKINGS.

(a)     The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:

(1)    To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this registration statement:

i.       To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

ii.      To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the registration statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement;

iii.     To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.

(2)    That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3)    To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4)    That for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933 in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

(i)     Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

(ii)    Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;

(iii)   The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and

(iv)   Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.

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(b)    The undersigned hereby undertakes to provide to the underwriter at the closing specified in the underwriting agreements, certificates in such denominations and registered in such names as required by the underwriter to permit prompt delivery to each purchaser.

(c)     Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

(d)    The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that:

(1)    For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.

(2)    For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Almaty, Kazakhstan on July 26, 2021.

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

   

By:

 

/s/ Kanat Mynzhanov

   

Name:

 

Kanat Mynzhanov

   

Title:

 

Chief Executive Officer and Director

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL BY THESE PRESENTS, that each of the undersigned constitutes and appoints each of Mr. Kanat Mynzhanov and Mr. Askar Mametov as his true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power of substitution and resubstitution for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities to sign any and all amendments including pre- and post-effective amendments to this registration statement, any subsequent registration statement for the same offering which may be filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and pre- or post-effective amendments thereto, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact or his substitute, each acting alone, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this registration statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

Name

 

Position

 

Date

/s/ Kanat Mynzhanov

 

Chief Executive Officer and Director

 

July 26, 2021

Kanat Mynzhanov

 

(Principal Executive Officer)

   

/s/ Askar Mametov

 

Chief Financial Officer

 

July 26, 2021

Askar Mametov

 

(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)

   

/s/ Kenges Rakishev

 

Director

 

July 26, 2021

Kenges Rakishev

       

II-5

Table of Contents

AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 6(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, the undersigned has signed this registration statement, solely in his capacity as the duly authorized representative of Oxus Acquisition Corp., in Newark, Delaware on the 26th day of July 2021.

 

By:

 

/s/ Donald J. Puglisi

 

Name:

 

Donald J. Puglisi

Managing Director

Puglisi & Associates

II-6

Exhibit 1.1

 

15,000,000 Units

 

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.

 

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

 

New York, New York

_______, 2021

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

366 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10017

 

As Representative of the Underwriters

named on Schedule A hereto

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), hereby confirms its agreement with EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (the “Representative”) and with the other underwriters named on Schedule A hereto (if any), for which the Representative is acting as representative (the Representative and such other underwriters being collectively referred to herein as the “Underwriters” or, each underwriter individually, an “Underwriter”) as follows:

 

1. Purchase and Sale of Securities.

 

1.1. Units.

 

1.1.1. Purchase of Units.  On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained, but subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the several Underwriters, severally and not jointly, an aggregate of 15,000,000 units of the Company (the “Firm Units”) at a purchase price (net of discounts and commissions) of $9.80 per Firm Unit. Each Firm Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), and one redeemable warrant (the “Warrant(s)”), each Warrant to purchase one share of Ordinary Shares for $11.50 per share. The Ordinary Shares and Warrants included in the Firm Units will not be separately tradable until 90 days after the date hereof unless the Representative informs the Company of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to the Company filing a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) containing an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the gross proceeds of the Offering (defined below) and the sale of the Private Units (defined below) and issuing a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. The Underwriters, severally and not jointly, agree to purchase from the Company the number of Firm Units set forth opposite their respective names on Schedule A.  The Firm Units are to be offered initially to the public (the “Offering”) at the offering price of $10.00 per Firm Unit.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 2 of 42

 

1.1.2. Payment and Delivery.  Delivery and payment for the Firm Units shall be made at 10:00 A.M., New York time, on the second (2nd) Business Day following the commencement of trading of the Firm Units, or at such earlier time as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company at the offices of one of the Representative or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representative and the Company.  The closing of the Offering is referred to herein as the “Closing” and the hour and date of delivery and payment for the Firm Units is referred to herein as the “Closing Date.”  Payment for the Firm Units shall be made on the Closing Date through the facilities of Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds. The Company shall receive an aggregate of approximately $152,650,000 net proceeds from the sale of the Firm Units and the Private Units (as defined in section 1.3.3), of which $151,500,000 shall be deposited on the Closing Date into the trust account (the “Trust Account”) established by the Company for the benefit of the Public Shareholders, as described in the Registration Statement (as defined in Section 2.1.1 below) and pursuant to the terms of an Investment Management Trust Agreement (the “Trust Agreement”) between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“CST&T”) substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement. The remaining proceeds (less actual expense payments or other fees payable pursuant to this Agreement) shall be paid to the order of the Company upon delivery of certificates (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Firm Units (or through the facilities of the DTC for the account of the Representative).  The Firm Units shall be registered in such name or names and in such authorized denominations as the Representative may request in writing at least two (2) Business Days (defined below) prior to the Closing Date.  The Company will permit the Representative to examine and package the Firm Units for delivery at least one (1) full Business Day prior to the Closing Date.  The Company shall not be obligated to sell or deliver the Firm Units except upon tender of payment by the Representative for all the Firm Units. As used herein, the term “Business Day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, for clarification, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York are generally are open for use by customers on such day, and the term “Public Shareholders” means the holders of Ordinary Shares sold in the Offering or acquired in the aftermarket, including any of the Insiders (as defined in Section 1.3.1 below) to the extent they acquire such Ordinary Shares in the Offering or in the aftermarket (and solely with respect to such shares).

 

1.2. Over-Allotment Option

 

1.2.1. The Underwriters shall have the option (the “Over-Allotment Option”) to purchase all or less than all of an additional 2,250,000 Units (the “Option Units”) solely for the purposes of covering any over-allotments in connection with the distribution and sale of the Firm Units. Such Option Units shall, at the Representative’s election, be purchased for each account of the several Underwriters in the same proportion as the number of Firm Units set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name on Schedule A hereto (subject to adjustment by the Representative to eliminate fractions). Such Option Units shall be identical in all respects to the Firm Units. The Firm Units and the Option Units are hereinafter collectively referred to as the “Public Securities.”  No Option Units shall be sold or delivered unless the Firm Units previously have been, or simultaneously are, sold and delivered. The right to purchase the Option Units, or any portion thereof, may be exercised from time to time and to the extent not previously exercised may be surrendered and terminated at any time upon notice by the Representative to the Company. The purchase price to be paid for each Option Unit (net of discounts and commissions) will be $9.80 per Option Unit.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

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1.2.2. Exercise of Option. The Over-Allotment Option granted pursuant to Section 1.2.1 hereof may be exercised by the Representative as to all (at any time) or any part (from time to time) of the Option Units within forty-five (45) days after the Effective Date. The Underwriters will not be under any obligation to purchase any Option Units prior to the exercise of the Over-Allotment Option. The Over-allotment Option granted hereby may be exercised by the giving of oral notice to the Company by the Representative, which must be confirmed in accordance with Section 10.1 herein setting forth the number of Option Units to be purchased and the date and time for delivery of and payment for the Option Units, if other than the Closing Date (the “Option Closing Date”), which shall not be earlier than the Closing Date or be later than ten (10) full Business Days after the date of the notice or such other time as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative, at the offices of the Representative or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Company and the Representative. Upon exercise of the Over-Allotment Option, the Company will become obligated to convey to the Representative, and, subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Underwriters will become obligated to purchase, the number of Option Units specified in such notice.

 

1.2.3. Payment and Delivery. Payment for the Option Units shall be made on the Option Closing Date at the Representative’s election by wire transfer in Federal (same day) funds or by certified or bank cashier’s check(s) in New York Clearing House funds, payable as follows: $9.80 per Option Unit shall be deposited in the Trust Account pursuant to the Trust Agreement upon delivery of certificates (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) representing the Option Units (or through the facilities of DTC) for the account of the Representative). The certificates representing the Option Units to be delivered will be in such denominations and registered in such names as the Representative request not less than two full business days prior to the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, as the case may be, and will be made available to the Representative for inspection, checking and packaging at the aforesaid office of the Company’s transfer agent or correspondent not less than one full business day prior to such Closing Date.

 

1.3. Private Placements.

 

1.3.1. On March 22, 2021, the Company issued to Oxus Capital PTE. LTD (the “Sponsor”), and certain other officers, directors or their affiliates or designees (collectively, the “Insiders”), for aggregate consideration of $25,000, an aggregate of 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Insider Shares”) in a private placement intended to be exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”). In June 2021 and July 2021, the Sponsor contributed an aggregate of 4,312,500 Insider Shares to the Company for cancellation, resulting in there being an aggregate of 4,312,500 Insider Shares outstanding. No underwriting discounts, commissions or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the sale of the Insider Shares. The Insider Shares shall be held in escrow and subject to restrictions on transfer as set forth in the Registration Statement. The Sponsor shall have no right to any liquidation distributions with respect to any portion of the Insider Shares in the event the Company fails to consummate any proposed initial merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination, or entering into contractual arrangements, with one or more businesses or entities (“Business Combination”) within the required time period except with respect to any funds held outside of the Trust Account remaining after payment of all fees and expenses. The Sponsor shall not have conversion rights with respect to the Insider Shares nor shall it be entitled to sell such Insider Shares to the Company in any tender offer in connection with a proposed Business Combination. To the extent that the Over-allotment Option is not exercised by the Underwriters in full or in part, up to 562,500 of the Insider Shares shall be forfeited in an amount necessary to maintain the Insiders’ 20% ownership interest in the Ordinary Shares after giving effect to the Offering and exercise, if any, of the Underwriters’ Over-allotment Option (and excluding the Representative’s Founder Shares (defined below) and any shares purchased in the Offering by the Insiders.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 4 of 42

 

1.3.2. In March 2021, the Company issued to the Representative and its designees, for an aggregate of approximately $40.00, 400,000 Ordinary Shares (the “Representative’s Founder Shares”) in a private placement intended to be exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Act. In June 2021, the Representative and its designees returned to the Company an aggregate of 100,000 Representative’s Founder Shares for no consideration, resulting in there being an aggregate of 300,000 Representative’s Founder Shares outstanding. No underwriting discounts, commissions or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the sale of the Representative’s Founder Shares. The holders of the Representative’s Founder Shares have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any Representative’s Founder Shares without the Company’s prior consent until the completion of an initial merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination, or entering into contractual arrangements, with one or more businesses or entities (“Business Combination”). The Representative’s Founder Shares are identical to the Ordinary Shares included in the Firm Units except the holders (i) shall not be entitled to exercise any conversion or redemption rights with respect to such Representative’s Founder Shares and shall not be entitled to sell any such shares to the Company in any tender offer in connection with a proposed Business Combination or amendment to the Charter Documents (as defined below) relating to pre-Business Combination activity and (ii) will have no right to any liquidation distributions with respect to any portion of the Representative’s Founder Shares in the event the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period. The holders of the Representative’s Founder Shares will not sell, transfer, assign, pledge or hypothecate any of the Representative’s Founder Shares for a period of 180 days pursuant to FINRA Conduct Rule 5110(e)(1) following the effective date of the Registration Statement to anyone other than (i) the Representative or an Underwriter or selected dealer in connection with the Offering, or (ii) a bona fide officer or partner of the Representative or of any such Underwriter or selected dealer. Additionally, pursuant to FINRA Conduct Rule 5110(e), the Representative’s Founder Shares will not be the subject of any hedging, short sale, derivative, put or call transaction that would result in the economic disposition of the securities by any person for a period of 180 days immediately following the effective date of the Registration Statement. The certificates for the Representative’s Founder Shares shall contain legends to reflect the above FINRA and contractual transfer restrictions. The holders of the Representative’s Founder Shares shall have registration rights as provided for in the Registration Rights Agreement (as defined in Section 2.24.5).

 

1.3.3. Simultaneously with the Closing Date, the Sponsor, the Representative and/or its designees will purchase from the Company pursuant to Subscription Agreements (as defined in Section 2.24.2 below), an aggregate of 6,900,000 warrants (the “Private Warrants” or “Private Securities”), with the Sponsor purchasing 6,150,000 Private Warrants and the Representative and/or its designees purchasing 750,000 Private Warrants, at a purchase price of $1.00 per Private Warrant in a private placement (the “Private Placement”) intended to be exempt from registration under the Act. The terms of the Private Warrants are as described in the Prospectus (as defined in Section 2.1.1 below). No underwriting discounts, commissions or placement fees have been or will be payable in connection with the Private Placement. The Sponsor and Representative has also agreed that, in the event the Over-allotment Option is exercised, it and/or its designees will purchase up to 675,000 additional Private Warrants, with the Sponsor purchasing 601,630 Private Warrants and the Representative and its designees purchasing 73,370 Private Warrants, and the Company shall cause to be deposited an amount of additional proceeds from the sale of such additional Private Warrants into the Trust Account such that the amount of funds in the Trust Account shall be $10.10 per Public Share sold in the Offering.

 

1.4 Working Capital; Trust Account Proceeds.

 

1.4.1 Working Capital. Upon consummation of the Offering, it is intended that approximately $1,750,000 of the proceeds from the sale of the Firm Units and Private Warrants will be released to the Company to fund the working capital requirements of the Company.

 

1.4.2 Trust Account Proceeds. Prior to the liquidation of the Trust Account in the event the Company has not completed a Business Combination as required by its Charter Documents (the “Termination Date”), interest income on the funds held in the Trust Account may be released to the Company from the Trust Account in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement to pay any taxes incurred by the Company, all as more fully described in the Prospectus.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 5 of 42

 

2. Representations and Warranties of the Company.  The Company represents and warrants to the Underwriters as follows:

 

2.1. Filing of Registration Statement.

 

2.1.1. Pursuant to the Act.  The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) a registration statement and an amendment or amendments thereto, on Form S-1 (File No. 333-____), including any related preliminary prospectus (the “Preliminary Prospectus”, including any prospectus that is included in the registration statement immediately prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement), for the registration of the Public Securities under the Act, which registration statement and amendment or amendments have been prepared by the Company in conformity with the requirements of the Act, and the rules and regulations (the “Regulations”) of the Commission under the Act.  Except as the context may otherwise require, such registration statement, as amended, on file with the Commission at the time the registration statement became effective (“Effective Date”) (including the prospectus, financial statements, schedules, exhibits and all other documents filed as a part thereof or incorporated therein and all information deemed to be a part thereof as of such time pursuant to Rule 430A of the Regulations), is hereinafter called the “Registration Statement,” and the form of the final prospectus dated the Effective Date included in the Registration Statement (or, if applicable, the form of final prospectus containing information permitted to be omitted at the time of effectiveness by Rule 430A of the Regulations, filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 of the Regulations), is hereinafter called the “Prospectus.” For purposes of this Agreement, “Time of Sale,” as used in the Act, means 5:00 p.m. New York City time, on the date of this Agreement. Prior to the Time of Sale, the Company prepared a Preliminary Prospectus, which was included in the Registration Statement filed on ________, 2021, for distribution by the Underwriter (such Preliminary Prospectus used most recently prior to the Time of Sale, the “Statutory Prospectus”). Unless otherwise specified, any reference herein to the term “Registration Statement” shall be deemed to include the Registration Statement the Company has or will file pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Act registering additional securities (a “Rule 462(b) Registration Statement”). Other than the Rule 462(b) Registration Statement and the Form 8-A referred to below in Section 2.1.2, no other document with respect to the Registration Statement has been filed with the Commission. All of the Public Securities have been or will be registered under the Act pursuant to the Registration Statement. The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof. If, subsequent to the date of this Agreement, the Company or the Representative have determined that at the Time of Sale the Statutory Prospectus included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted a statement of material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading and have agreed to provide an opportunity to purchasers of the Firm Units to terminate their old purchase contracts and enter into new purchase contracts, then the Statutory Prospectus will be deemed to include any additional information available to purchasers at the time of entry into the first such new purchase contract.

 

2.1.2. Pursuant to the Exchange Act.  The Company has filed with the Commission a Registration Statement on Form 8-A (File Number 001-_____) providing for the registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), of the Units, Ordinary Shares and Warrants.  The registration of the Units, Ordinary Shares and Warrants under the Exchange Act has been declared effective by the Commission on the date hereof.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

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2.2. No Stop Orders, etc.  Neither the Commission nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any foreign or state regulatory authority has issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of any Statutory Prospectus or Prospectus or has instituted or, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.

 

2.3. Disclosures in Registration Statement.

 

2.3.1. 10b-5 Representation.  At the time of effectiveness of the Registration Statement (or at the effective time of any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement) and at all times subsequent thereto up to the Closing Date, the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus contained or will contain all material statements that are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Act and the Regulations, and did or will, in all material respects, conform to the requirements of the Act and the Regulations. On the Effective Date and at the Time of Sale, the Registration Statement did not, and on the Closing Date it will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; on the date of any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and at the Time of Sale, the Statutory Prospectus does not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the representation and warranty made in this Section 2.3.1 does not apply to statements made or statements omitted in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to the Underwriters by the Underwriters expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus or Prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, which information, it is agreed, shall consist solely of the names of the Underwriters and the subsection titled “Determination of Offering Price,” the second sentence of the subsection titled “Underwriting Discount,” and the subsections titled “Price Stabilization, Short Positions,” “Determination of Offering Price,” “Electronic Distribution” and “Selling Restrictions” included in the section captioned “Underwriting.”

 

2.3.2. Disclosure of Agreements.  The agreements and documents described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus conform to the descriptions thereof contained therein and there are no agreements or other documents required to be described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus or to be filed with the Commission as exhibits to the Registration Statement, that have not been so described or filed.  Each agreement or other instrument (however characterized or described) to which the Company is a party or by which its property or business is or may be bound or affected and (i) that is referred to in the Registration Statement or attached as an exhibit thereto, or (ii) is material to the Company’s business, has been duly and validly executed by the Company, is in full force and effect in all material respects and is enforceable against the Company and, to the Company’s knowledge, the other parties thereto, in all material respects accordance with its terms, except (x) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (y) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under the foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (z) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought, and none of such agreements or instruments has been assigned by the Company, and neither the Company nor, to the Company’s knowledge, any other party is in breach or default thereunder and, to the Company’s knowledge, no event has occurred that, with the lapse of time or the giving of notice, or both, would constitute a breach or default thereunder.  To the Company’s knowledge, performance by the Company of the material provisions of such agreements or instruments will not result in a violation of any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its assets or businesses, including, without limitation, those relating to environmental laws and regulations.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

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2.3.3. Prior Securities Transactions.  No securities of the Company have been sold by the Company or by or on behalf of, or for the benefit of, any person or persons controlling, controlled by, or under common control with the Company since the date of the Company’s formation, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement.

 

2.3.4. Regulations. The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus concerning the effects of foreign, federal, state and local regulation on the Company’s business as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances in which they were made, not misleading.

 

2.4. Changes After Dates in Registration Statement.

 

2.4.1. No Material Adverse Change.  Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, except as otherwise specifically stated therein: (i) there has been no material adverse change in the condition, financial or otherwise, or business prospects of the Company; (ii) there have been no material transactions entered into by the Company, other than as contemplated pursuant to this Agreement; (iii) no member of the Company’s board of directors or management has resigned from any position with the Company; and (iv) no event or occurrence has taken place which materially impairs, or would likely materially impair, with the passage of time, the ability of the members of the Company’s board of directors or management to act in their capacities with the Company as described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.

 

2.4.2. Recent Securities Transactions, etc. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus and except as may otherwise be indicated or contemplated herein or therein, the Company has not: (i) issued any securities or incurred any liability or obligation, direct or contingent, for borrowed money; or (ii) declared or paid any dividend or made any other distribution on or in respect to its shares.

 

 

2.5. Independent Accountants. Marcum LLP (“Marcum”), whose report is filed with the Commission as part of the Registration Statement and included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, are independent registered public accountants as required by the Act, the Regulations and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the “PCAOB”), including the rules and regulations promulgated by such entity. To the Company’s knowledge, Marcum is duly registered and in good standing with the PCAOB. Marcum has not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 8 of 42

 

2.6. Financial Statements; Statistical Data

 

2.6.1. Financial Statements. The financial statements, including the notes thereto and supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, fairly present in all material respects the financial position and the results of operations of the Company at the dates and for the periods to which they apply; and such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with United States generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”), consistently applied throughout the periods involved; and the supporting schedules included in the Registration Statement present fairly in all material respects the information required to be stated therein in conformity with the Regulations.  No other financial statements or supporting schedules are required to be included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus. The Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus disclose all material off-balance sheet transactions, arrangements, obligations (including contingent obligations), and other relationships of the Company with unconsolidated entities or other persons that may have a material current or future effect on the Company’s financial condition, changes in financial condition, results of operations, prospects, liquidity, capital expenditures, capital resources, or significant components of revenues or expenses. There are no pro forma or as adjusted financial statements which are required to be included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus in accordance with Regulation S-X of the Regulations which have not been included as so required.

 

2.6.2. Statistical Data. The statistical, industry-related and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and/or the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources which the Company reasonably and in good faith believes are reliable and accurate, and such data agree with the sources from which they are derived.

 

2.7. Authorized Capital; Options, etc.  The Company had at the date or dates indicated in each of the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be, duly authorized, issued and outstanding capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.  Based on the assumptions stated in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company will have on the Closing Date the adjusted share capitalization set forth therein. Except as set forth in, or contemplated by, the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, on the Effective Date and on the Closing Date, there will be no options, warrants, or other rights to purchase or otherwise acquire any authorized, but unissued Ordinary Shares or any security convertible into Ordinary Shares, or any contracts or commitments to issue or sell Ordinary Shares or any such options, warrants, rights or convertible securities.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

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2.8. Valid Issuance of Securities, etc.

 

2.8.1. Outstanding Securities.  All issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof have no rights of rescission with respect thereto, and are not subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; and none of such securities were issued in violation of the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company. The outstanding Ordinary Shares conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus. All offers, sales and any transfers of the outstanding Ordinary Shares of the Company were at all relevant times either registered under the Act and the applicable state securities or Blue Sky laws (based in part on the representations and warranties of the purchasers of the Ordinary Shares) or exempt from such registration requirements.

 

2.8.2. Securities To Be Sold.

 

2.8.2.1. The Public Securities have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and when issued and paid for in accordance with this Agreement, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Public Securities are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Public Securities has been duly and validly taken.  The Public Securities conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be. 

 

2.8.2.2. The Representative’s Founder Shares have been duly authorized, duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Representative’s Founder Shares are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Representative’s Founder Shares has been duly and validly taken. The Representative’s Founder Shares conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

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2.8.2.3. The Private Securities (and underlying shares) have been duly authorized and reserved for issuance and when issued and paid for in accordance with the Subscription Agreements, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Private Securities are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Private Securities has been duly and validly taken.  The Private Securities conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be. The offer and sale of the Private Securities was exempt from the registration requirements of the Act.

 

2.8.2.4. The Insider Shares have been duly authorized, duly and validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable; the holders thereof are not and will not be subject to personal liability by reason of being such holders; the Insider Shares are not and will not be subject to the preemptive rights of any holders of any security of the Company or similar contractual rights granted by the Company; and all corporate action required to be taken for the authorization, issuance and sale of the Insider Shares has been duly and validly taken.  The Insider Shares conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, as the case may be.

 

2.8.3. No Integration. Neither the Company nor any of its affiliates has, prior to the date hereof, made any offer or sale of any securities which are required to be “integrated” pursuant to the Act or the Regulations with the offer and sale of the Public Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement.

 

2.9. Registration Rights of Third Parties.  Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, no holders of any securities of the Company or any rights exercisable for or convertible or exchangeable into securities of the Company have the right to require the Company to register any such securities of the Company under the Act or to include any such securities in a registration statement to be filed by the Company.

 

 

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2.10. Validity and Binding Effect of Agreements.  This Agreement, the Trust Agreement, the Subscription Agreements, the Business Combination Marketing Agreement (as defined in Section 2.26 below), the Warrant Agreement, the Escrow Agreement (as defined in Section 2.24.7) and the Registration Rights Agreement (collectively, the “Transaction Documents”) have been duly and validly authorized by the Company and, when executed and delivered by the Company and the other parties thereto, will constitute valid and binding agreements of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their respective terms, except: (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally; (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification or contribution provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws; and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought.

 

2.11. No Conflicts, etc.  The execution, delivery, and performance by the Company of the Transaction Documents, the consummation by the Company of the transactions herein and therein contemplated and the compliance by the Company with the terms hereof and thereof do not and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both: (i) result in a breach or violation of, or conflict with any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, or result in the creation, modification, termination or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company pursuant to the terms of any agreement, obligation, condition, covenant or instrument to which the Company is a party or bound or to which its property is subject except pursuant to the Trust Agreement; (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company, as amended (collectively, the “Charter Documents”); or (iii) violate any existing applicable statute, law, rule, regulation, judgment, order or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties, business or assets.

 

2.12. No Defaults; Violations.  No material default or violation exists in the due performance and observance of any term, covenant or condition of any material license, contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, note, loan or credit agreement, or any other agreement or instrument evidencing an obligation for borrowed money, or any other material agreement or instrument to which the Company is a party or by which the Company may be bound or to which any of the properties or assets of the Company is subject. The Company is not in violation of any term or provision of its Charter Documents or in violation of any franchise, license, permit, applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment or decree of any governmental agency or court, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its properties or businesses.

 

 

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2.13. Corporate Power; Licenses; Consents.

 

2.13.1. Conduct of Business.  The Company has all requisite corporate power and authority, and has all necessary authorizations, approvals, orders, licenses, certificates and permits of and from all governmental regulatory officials and bodies that it needs as of the date hereof to conduct its business for the purposes described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.  The disclosures in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus concerning the effects of foreign, federal, state and local regulation on this Offering and the Company’s business purpose as currently contemplated are correct in all material respects and do not omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. Since its formation and except as described in the Registration Statement, the Company has conducted no business and has incurred no liabilities other than in connection with its formation and in furtherance of the Offering.

 

2.13.2. Transactions Contemplated Herein.  The Company has all corporate power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to carry out the provisions and conditions hereof, and all consents, authorizations, approvals and orders required in connection therewith have been obtained.  No consent, authorization or order of, and no filing with, any court, government agency or other body, foreign or domestic, is required for the valid issuance, sale and delivery, of the Public Securities, Private Securities and Representative’s Founder Shares and the consummation of the transactions and agreements contemplated by the Transaction Documents and as contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus, except with respect to applicable foreign, federal and state securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”).

 

2.14. D&O Questionnaires. To the Company’s knowledge, all information contained in the questionnaires (the “Questionnaires”) completed by each of the Company’s officers, directors, 10% beneficial owners and owners of unregistered securities acquired within the past 180 days (the “Respondents”) immediately prior to the initial filing of the Registration Statement and provided to the Representative, as such Questionnaires may have been updated from time to time and confirmed by each of the Respondents, as well as in the biographies previously provided to the Representative, is true and correct in all material respects and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the Questionnaires to become inaccurate and incorrect.

 

2.15. Litigation; Governmental Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry, arbitration, investigation, litigation or governmental proceeding pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened against, or involving the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of the Respondents or any of the Insiders, which has not been disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.

 

2.16. Good Standing.  The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation and is in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation and is duly qualified to do business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation in each jurisdiction in which its ownership or lease of property or the conduct of business requires such qualification, except where the failure to qualify would not have a material adverse effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), prospects, earnings, business or properties of the Company, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto) (a “Material Adverse Effect”).

 

 

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2.17. No Contemplation of a Business Combination. The Company does not have any specific Business Combination under consideration and it has not (nor has anyone on its behalf), directly or indirectly, contacted any prospective business (each, a “Target Business”) or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to such a transaction.

 

2.18. Transactions Affecting Disclosure to FINRA.

 

2.18.1. To the Company’s knowledge, all information contained in the questionnaires (the “FINRA Questionnaires”) completed by each of the Respondents and provided to the Representative, as such FINRA Questionnaires may have been updated from time to time and confirmed by each of the Respondents, is true and correct in all material respects and the Company has not become aware of any information which would cause the information disclosed in the FINRA Questionnaires to become inaccurate and incorrect.

 

2.18.2. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, there are no claims, payments, arrangements, agreements or understandings relating to the payment of a finder’s, consulting or origination fee by the Company or any Company Affiliate with respect to the sale of the Public Securities hereunder or any other arrangements, agreements or understandings of the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any Insider that may affect the Underwriters’ compensation, as determined by FINRA.

 

2.18.3. Except as described herein or in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company has not made any direct or indirect payments (in cash, securities or otherwise) to: (i) any person, as a finder’s fee, consulting fee or otherwise, in consideration of such person raising capital for the Company or introducing to the Company persons who raised or provided capital to the Company; (ii) to any FINRA member; or (iii) to any person or entity that has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member, within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement with the Commission.

 

2.18.4. To the Company’s knowledge, except as set forth in the FINRA Questionnaires, no officer or director or any direct or indirect beneficial owner of 10% or greater of any class of the Company’s securities, including the Insiders and holders of securities to be purchased in the Private Placement (whether debt or equity, registered or unregistered, regardless of the time acquired or the source from which derived) (any such individual or entity, a “Company Affiliate”) is a member of FINRA, or a person associated or affiliated with a member of FINRA.

 

 

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2.18.5. To the Company’s knowledge, except as set forth in the FINRA Questionnaires, no Company Affiliate is an owner of stock or other securities of any member of FINRA (other than securities purchased on the open market).

 

2.18.6. To the Company’s knowledge, except as set forth in the FINRA Questionnaires, no Company Affiliate has made a subordinated loan to any member of FINRA.

 

2.18.7. No proceeds from the sale of the Public Securities or Private Securities (excluding underwriting compensation) will be paid to any FINRA member, or any persons associated or affiliated with a member of FINRA, except as specifically authorized herein.

 

2.18.8. Other than the Representative’s Founder Shares, the Company has not issued any warrants or other securities, or granted any options, directly or indirectly to anyone who is a potential underwriter in the Offering or a related person (as defined by FINRA rules) of such an underwriter within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement with the Commission, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus.

 

2.18.9. To the Company’s knowledge, except as set forth in the FINRA Questionnaires, no person to whom securities of the Company have been privately issued within the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement with the Commission has any relationship or affiliation or association with any member of FINRA.

 

2.18.10. To the Company’s knowledge, no FINRA member intending to participate in the Offering has a conflict of interest (as defined by FINRA rules) with the Company.

 

2.18.11. Except with respect to the Representative in connection with the Offering, the Company has not entered into any agreement or arrangement (including, without limitation, any consulting agreement or any other type of agreement) during the 180-day period prior to the initial filing date of the Registration Statement with the Commission, which arrangement or agreement provides for the receipt of any item of value and/or the transfer or issuance of any warrants, options, or other securities from the Company to a FINRA member, any person associated with a member (as defined by FINRA rules), any potential underwriters in the Offering and/or any related persons.

 

2.19. Taxes.

 

2.19.1. There are no transfer taxes or other similar fees or charges under Cayman Islands law, U.S. federal law or the laws of any U.S. state or any political subdivision thereof, required to be paid in connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement or the issuance or sale by the Company of the Public Securities.

 

 

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2.19.2. The Company has filed all non-U.S. and U.S. federal, state and local tax returns that are required to be a filed or has requested extensions thereof, except in any case in which the failure to so file would not have a Material Adverse Effect, and has paid all taxes required to be paid by it and any other assessment, fine or penalty levied against it, to the extent that any of the foregoing in due and payable, except for any such assessment, fine or penalty that is currently being contested in good faith or as would not have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

2.19.3. Assuming the Company satisfies the "start up exception" (as described in the Registration Statement) to the "passive foreign investment company" ("PFIC") provisions of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and subject to the discussion of PFICs and other Federal income tax issues set forth in the Registration Statement under the heading "Taxation", the Company will not be a PFIC for Federal income tax purposes for its initial taxable year ending December 31, 2021.

 

2.20. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  Neither the Company nor any of the Respondents or any other person acting on behalf of the Company is aware of or has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that: (i) would result in a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder (the “FCPA”) or otherwise subject the Company to any damage or penalty in any civil, criminal or governmental litigation or proceeding; (ii) if not done in the past, might reasonably be expected to have had a Material Adverse Effect or (iii) if not continued in the future, might reasonably be expected to materially and adversely affect the assets, business or operations of the Company, including, without limitation, given or agreed to give any money, gift or similar benefit (other than legal price concessions to customers in the ordinary course of business) to any customer, supplier, employee or agent of a customer or supplier, or official or employee of any governmental agency or instrumentality of any government (domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic or foreign) or any political party or candidate for office (domestic or foreign) or other person who was, is, or may be in a position to help or hinder the business of the Company (or assist it in connection with any actual or proposed transaction). The Company’s internal accounting controls and procedures are sufficient to cause the Company to comply with the FCPA.

 

2.21. Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act. The operations of the Company are and have been conducted at all times in material compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transaction Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.

 

2.22. Bank Secrecy Act; Money Laundering; Patriot Act. Neither the Company, nor to the Company’s knowledge, any Company Affiliate, has violated: (i) the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended, (ii) the Money Laundering Laws or (iii) the Uniting and Strengthening of America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA PATRIOT ACT) Act of 2001, and/or the rules and regulations promulgated under any such law, or any successor law.

 

 

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2.23. Officers’ Certificate.  Any certificate signed by any duly authorized officer of the Company and delivered to the Representative or to its counsel shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to the Underwriters as to the matters covered thereby.

 

2.24. Agreements With Company Affiliates.

 

2.24.1. Insider Letters.  The Company has caused to be duly executed legally binding and enforceable agreements (except (i) as such enforceability may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as enforceability of any indemnification contribution provision may be limited under foreign, federal and state securities laws, and (iii) that the remedy of specific performance and injunctive and other forms of equitable relief may be subject to the equitable defenses and to the discretion of the court before which any proceeding therefor may be brought) in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Insider Letters”), pursuant to which each of the Respondents agrees to certain matters, including but not limited to, the voting of the Ordinary Shares held by them and certain matters described as being agreed to by them under the “Proposed Business” section of the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus.

 

2.24.2. Subscription Agreement. The Sponsor and Representative (and its designees) have executed and delivered subscription agreements, the form of which is annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Subscription Agreements”), pursuant to which the Sponsor and Representative (and its designees) have agreed, among other things, that they and/or their designees will purchase on the Closing Date the Private Warrants in the Private Placement.  Pursuant to the Subscription Agreements, the Sponsor and Representative (and its designees) have waived any and all rights and claims they may have to any proceeds, and any interest thereon, held in the Trust Account in respect of the Ordinary Shares underlying the Private Units in the event that a Business Combination is not consummated and the Trust Account is liquidated in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement.  

 

2.24.3. Non-Competition/Solicitation. To the Company’s knowledge, no Respondent is subject to any non-competition agreement or non-solicitation agreement with any employer or prior employer which could materially affect such Respondent’s ability to be and act in the capacity of a director or officer of the Company, as applicable.

 

2.24.4. Loans. The Sponsor has agreed to make loans to the Company in the aggregate amount of up to $300,000, as described in the Registration Statement (the “Insider Loan”). The Insider Loan will not bear any interest and will be repayable by the Company on the consummation of the Offering.

 

 

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2.24.5. Registration Rights Agreement. The Company, the Insiders and the Representative have entered into a registration rights agreement (“Registration Rights Agreement”) substantially in the form annexed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, whereby such parties will be entitled to certain registration rights with respect to their securities, as set forth in such Registration Rights Agreement and described more fully in the Registration Statement.

 

2.24.6. Intentionally Omitted.

 

2.24.7. Escrow Agreement.  The Company has caused the holders of the Insider Shares to enter into an escrow agreement (the “Escrow Agreement”) with CST&T substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement whereby the Insider Shares will be held in escrow by CST&T for a period of time as described in the Registration Statement (the “Escrow Period”). During the Escrow Period, such parties shall be prohibited from selling or otherwise transferring such Insider Shares, except in certain limited circumstances set forth in the Escrow Agreement. To the Company’s knowledge, the Escrow Agreement is enforceable against the holders of Insider Shares and will not, with or without the giving of notice or the lapse of time or both, result in a breach of, or conflict with, any of the terms and provisions of, or constitute a default under, an agreement or instrument to which the holders of the Insider Shares is a party.

 

2.25. Investment Management Trust Agreement.  The Company has entered into the Trust Agreement with respect to certain proceeds of the Offering and the Private Placement substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, pursuant to which the funds held in the Trust Account may be released under limited circumstances. The Trust Agreement shall not be amended, modified or otherwise changed in any way that modifies the rights or obligations of the Company without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

2.26. Business Combination Marketing Agreement. The Company and the Representative (and SOVA Capital Limited) have entered into a separate business combination marketing agreement substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Business Combination Marketing Agreement”).

 

2.27. Warrant Agreement. The Company has entered into a warrant agreement with respect to the Warrants, Private Warrants and any other warrants that may be issued by the Company with CST&T substantially in the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Warrant Agreement”).

 

2.28. Investments.  No more than 45% of the “value” (as defined in Section 2(a)(41) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (“Investment Company Act”)) of the Company’s total assets (exclusive of cash items and “Government Securities,” as defined in Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act) consist of, and no more than 45% of the Company’s net income after taxes is derived from, securities other than Government Securities.

 

 

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2.29. Investment Company Act. The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the Public Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Prospectus will not be required, to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act.

 

2.30. Subsidiaries.  The Company does not own an interest in any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other business entity.

 

2.31. Related Party Transactions.  No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among any of the Company or any Company Affiliate, on the one hand, and any director, officer, customer or supplier of the Company or any Company Affiliate, on the other hand, which is required by the Act, the Exchange Act or the Regulations to be described in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, which is not so described as required. There are no outstanding loans, advances or guarantees of indebtedness by the Company to or for the benefit of any of the officers or directors of the Company or any of their respective family members, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus. The Company has not extended or maintained credit, arranged for the extension of credit, or renewed an extension of credit, in the form of a personal loan to or for any director or officer of the Company.

 

2.32. No Influence. The Company has not offered, or caused the Underwriters to offer, the Firm Units to any person or entity with the intention of unlawfully influencing: (a) a customer or supplier of the Company or any affiliate of the Company to alter the customer’s or supplier’s level or type of business with the Company or such affiliate or (b) a journalist or publication to write or publish favorable information about the Company or any such affiliate.

 

2.33. Sarbanes-Oxley. The Company is in material compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, as amended (“SOX”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules and regulations promulgated by any governmental or self-regulatory entity or agency, that are applicable to it as of the date hereof.

 

2.34. Nasdaq Eligibility. As of the Effective Date, the Public Securities have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“NASDAQ”), subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or any of the Company's directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply with (as and when applicable), and immediately following the effectiveness of the Registration Statement the Company will be in compliance with, the rules of NASDAQ, as amended.

 

2.35. Emerging Growth Status. From the date of the Company’s formation through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Act (an “Emerging Growth Company”).

 

 

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2.36. Free-Writing Prospectus and Testing-the-Waters. The Company has not made any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Act, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405. The Company (a) has not engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communication other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representative with entities that are qualified institutional buyers within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501 under the Act and (b) has not authorized anyone to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications other than its officers and the Representative and individuals engaged by the Representative. The Company has not distributed any written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Schedule B hereto. As used herein, “Testing-the-Waters Communication” means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on Section 5(d) of the Act.

 

2.37. Disclosure Controls and Procedures. The Company maintains effective “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined under Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act to the extent required by such rule).

 

2.38. Definition of “Knowledge”. As used in herein, the term “knowledge of the Company” (or similar language) shall mean the knowledge of the Company’s executive officers and directors, with the assumption that such officers and directors shall have made reasonable and diligent inquiry of the matters presented.

 

3. Covenants of the Company.  The Company covenants and agrees as follows:

 

3.1. Amendments to Registration Statement.  The Company will deliver to the Representative, prior to filing, any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus proposed to be filed after the Effective Date and shall not file any such amendment or supplement to which the Representative shall reasonably object in writing.

 

3.2. Federal Securities Laws.

 

3.2.1. Compliance.  During the time when a prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act, the Company will use all reasonable efforts to comply with all requirements imposed upon it by the Act, the Regulations and the Exchange Act and by the regulations under the Exchange Act, as from time to time in force, so far as necessary to permit the continuance of sales of or dealings in the Public Securities in accordance with the provisions hereof and the Prospectus.  If at any time when a Prospectus relating to the Public Securities is required to be delivered under the Act, any event shall have occurred as a result of which, in the opinion of counsel for the Company or counsel for the Underwriters, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus, as then amended or supplemented includes an untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, or if it is necessary during such period to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus to comply with the Act, the Company will notify the Representative promptly and prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3.1 hereof, an appropriate amendment to the Registration Statement or amendment or supplement to the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus (at the expense of the Company) so as to correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance.

 

 

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3.2.2. Filing of Final Prospectus.  The Company will promptly file the Prospectus (in form and substance satisfactory to the Representative) with the Commission pursuant to the requirements of Rule 424 of the Regulations.

 

3.2.3. Exchange Act Registration.  For a period of five years from the Effective Date (except in connection with a going private transaction), or until such earlier time upon which the Trust Account is to be liquidated if a Business Combination has not been consummated by the Termination Date: the Company (i) will use its best efforts to maintain the registration of the Ordinary Shares and Warrants under the provisions of the Exchange Act and (ii) will not deregister the Ordinary Shares or Warrants under the Exchange Act without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

3.2.4. Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company agrees that it will not make any offer relating to the Public Securities that would constitute an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433 under the Act.

 

3.2.5. Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance. As soon as it is legally required to do so, the Company shall take all actions necessary to obtain and thereafter maintain material compliance with each applicable provision of SOX and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder and related or similar rules and regulations promulgated by any other governmental or self-regulatory entity or agency with jurisdiction over the Company.

 

3.3. Emerging Growth Company Status. The Company will promptly notify the Representative if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the earlier of five years after the consummation of the Company’s initial Business Combination, or the liquidation of the Trust Account if a Business Combination is not consummated by the Termination Date. 

 

3.4. Intentionally Omitted.

 

3.5. Delivery of Materials to Underwriters.  The Company will deliver to each of the several Underwriters, without charge and from time to time during the period when a prospectus is required to be delivered under the Act or the Exchange Act, such number of copies of each Statutory Prospectus, the Prospectus and all amendments and supplements to such documents as such Underwriters may reasonably request.

 

 

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3.6. Effectiveness and Events Requiring Notice to the Representative.  The Company will use its best efforts to cause the Registration Statement to remain effective and will notify the Representative immediately and confirm the notice in writing: (i) of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement and any amendment thereto; (ii) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, or any post-effective amendment thereto or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iii) of the issuance by any foreign or state securities commission of any proceedings for the suspension of the qualification of the Public Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction or of the initiation, or the threatening, of any proceeding for that purpose; (iv) of the mailing and delivery to the Commission for filing of any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement or Prospectus; (v) of the receipt of any comments or request for any additional information from the Commission; and (vi) of the happening of any event during the period described in this Section 3.6 hereof that, in the judgment of the Company or its counsel, makes any statement of a material fact made in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus untrue or that requires the making of any changes in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus in order to make the statements therein, (with respect to the Prospectus and the Statutory Prospectus and in light of the circumstances under which they were made), not misleading.  If the Commission or any foreign or state securities commission shall enter a stop order or suspend such qualification at any time, the Company will make every reasonable effort to obtain promptly the lifting of such order.

 

3.7. Review of Financial Statements.  Until the earlier of five years from the Effective Date, or until the liquidation of the Trust Account if a Business Combination is not consummated by the Termination Date, the Company, at its expense, shall cause its regularly engaged independent certified public accountants to review (but not audit) the Company’s financial statements for each of the first three fiscal quarters prior to the announcement of quarterly financial information, the filing of the Company’s Form 10-Q quarterly report.

 

3.8. Affiliated Transactions.

 

3.8.1. Business Combinations.  The Company will not consummate a Business Combination with an entity that is affiliated with any Insider unless in each case the Company obtains an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that the Business Combination is fair to the Company from a financial point of view and a majority of the Company’s disinterested and independent directors (if there are any) approve such transaction.

 

3.8.2. Compensation.  Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Company shall not pay any Insider or Company Affiliate or any of their affiliates any fees or compensation for services rendered to the Company prior to, or in connection with, either this Offering or the Business Combination.

 

3.9. Secondary Market Trading and Standard & Poor’s. If the Company does not maintain the listing of the Public Securities on NASDAQ or another national securities exchange, the Company will (i) apply to be included in Standard & Poor’s Daily News and Corporation Records Corporate Descriptions for a period of five years from the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) take such commercially reasonable steps as may be necessary to obtain a secondary market trading exemption for the Company’s securities in the State of California and (iii) take such other action as may be reasonably requested by the Representative to obtain a secondary market trading exemption in such other states as may be requested by the Representative; provided that no qualification shall be required in any jurisdiction where, as a result thereof, the Company would be subject to service of general process or to taxation as a foreign corporation doing business in such jurisdiction.

 

 

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3.10. Intentionally Omitted.

 

3.11. Reports to the Representative.

 

3.11.1. Periodic Reports, etc.  For a period of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated and dissolved, the Company will furnish to the Representative and its counsel copies of such financial statements and other periodic and special reports as the Company from time to time furnishes generally to holders of any class of its securities, and promptly furnish to the Representative: (i) a copy of each periodic report the Company shall be required to file with the Commission; (ii) a copy of every press release and every news item and article with respect to the Company or its affairs which was released by the Company; (iii) a copy of each Current Report on Form 8-K and any Schedules 13D, 13G, 14D-1 or 13E-4 received or prepared by the Company; (iv) five copies of each registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission under the Securities Act; and (v) such additional documents and information with respect to the Company and the affairs of any future subsidiaries of the Company as the Representative may from time to time reasonably request; provided that the Representative shall sign, if requested by the Company, a Regulation FD compliant confidentiality agreement which is reasonably acceptable to the Representative and its counsel in connection with the Representative’s receipt of such information. Documents filed with the Commission pursuant to Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System (“EDGAR”) shall be deemed to have been delivered to the Representative pursuant to this section.

 

3.11.2. For a period of five years following the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Company is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain a transfer agent and warrant agent acceptable to the Representative. CST&T is acceptable to the Underwriters.

 

3.12. Payment of Expenses.  The Company hereby agrees to pay on each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the extent not paid at Closing Date, or such later date as may be agreed to by the Representative in its sole discretion, all fees and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company under this Agreement, including, but not limited to: (i) the preparation, printing, filing and mailing (including the payment of postage with respect to such mailing) of the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus, and the final Prospectus and mailing of this Agreement and related documents, including the cost of all copies thereof and any amendments thereof or supplements thereto supplied to the Underwriters in quantities as may be required by the Underwriters; (ii) the printing, engraving, issuance and delivery of the Units, Ordinary Shares and Warrants included in the Units, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon; (iii) NASDAQ filing fees or, if necessary, the qualification of the Public Securities under state or foreign securities or Blue Sky laws; (iv) fees and expenses (including legal fees of the Representative’s counsel not to exceed $15,000) incurred in registering the Offering with FINRA; (v) fees and disbursements of the transfer and warrant agent; (vi) all costs and expenses of the Company associated with “road show” marketing and “due diligence” trips for the Company’s management to meet with prospective investors, including without limitation, all travel, food and lodging expenses associated with such trips incurred by the Company or such management; (vii) the cost of transaction bibles and lucite mementos not to exceed $3,000 and (viii) all other costs and expenses customarily borne by an issuer incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder which are not otherwise specifically provided for in this Section 3.12. The Company also agrees that it will pay for an investigative search firm of the Representative’s choice to conduct an investigation of the principals of the Company as shall be mutually selected by the Representative and the Company (not to exceed $3,500 per individual). If the Offering is consummated, the Representative may deduct from the net proceeds of the Offering payable to the Company on the Closing Date the expenses set forth above (which shall be mutually agreed upon between the Company and the Representative prior to the Closing Date) to be paid by the Company to the Representative and others. If the Offering is not consummated for any reason (other than a breach by the Representative of any of its obligations hereunder), then the Company shall reimburse the Representative in full for their out-of-pocket accountable expenses actually incurred through such date, including, without limitation, reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Representative.

 

 

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3.13. Application of Net Proceeds.  The Company will apply the net proceeds from this Offering received by it in a manner substantially consistent with the application described under the caption “Use of Proceeds” in the Prospectus.

 

3.14. Delivery of Earnings Statements to Security Holders.  The Company will make generally available to its security holders as soon as practicable, but not later than the first day of the sixteenth full calendar month following the Effective Date, an earnings statement (which need not be certified by independent public or independent certified public accountants unless required by the Act or the Regulations, but which shall satisfy the provisions of Rule 158(a) under Section 11(a) of the Act) covering a period of at least twelve consecutive months beginning after the Effective Date.

 

3.15. Notice to FINRA.

 

3.15.1. Assistance with Business Combination. For a period of sixty days following the Effective Date, in the event any person or entity (regardless of any FINRA affiliation or association) is engaged to assist the Company in its search for a Business Combination candidate or to provide any similar Business Combination-related services, the Company will provide the following information (the “Business Combination Information”) to the Representative:  (i) complete details of all services and copies of agreements governing such services (which details or agreements may be appropriately redacted to account for privilege or confidentiality concerns); and (ii) justification as to why the person or entity providing the Business Combination-related services should not be considered an “underwriter and related person” with respect to the Company’s initial public offering, as such term is defined in Rule 5110 of FINRA’s Conduct Rules.  The Company also agrees that proper disclosure of such arrangement or potential arrangement will be made in the proxy statement which the Company will file for purposes of soliciting shareholder approval for the Business Combination. Upon the Company’s delivery of the Business Combination Information to the Representative, the Company hereby expressly authorizes the Representative to provide such information directly to FINRA as a result of representations the Representative have made to FINRA in connection with the Offering.

 

3.15.2. Broker/Dealer. In the event the Company intends to register as a broker/dealer, merge with or acquire a registered broker/dealer, or otherwise become a member of FINRA, it shall promptly notify the Representative.

 

3.16. Stabilization. Neither the Company, nor, to its knowledge, any of its employees, officers, directors or shareholders (without the consent of the Representative) has taken or will take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that has constituted or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act, or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Units.

 

3.17. Internal Controls.  From and after the Closing Date, the Company will maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary in order to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences.

 

3.18. Accountants.  For a period of five years from the Effective Date or until such earlier time upon which the Trust Account is required to be liquidated, the Company shall retain Marcum or other independent public accountants reasonably acceptable to the Representative.

 

 

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3.19. Form 8-K’s.  The Company has retained Marcum to audit the balance sheet of the Company as of the Closing Date (the “Audited Balance Sheet”) reflecting the receipt by the Company of the proceeds of the Offering and the Private Placement.  Within four (4) Business Days of the Closing Date, the Company shall file a Current Report on Form 8-K with the Commission, which Report shall contain the Company’s Audited Balance Sheet. If the Over-Allotment Option has not been exercised on the Effective Date, the Company will also file an amendment to the Form 8-K, or a new Form 8-K, to provide updated financial information of the Company to reflect the exercise and consummation of the Over-Allotment Option.

 

3.20. FINRA.  Until the Option Closing Date, if any, the Company shall advise the Representative if it is aware that any 10% or greater shareholder of the Company becomes an affiliate or associated person of a FINRA member participating in the distribution of the Public Securities.

 

3.21. Corporate Proceedings. All corporate proceedings and other legal matters necessary to carry out the provisions of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby shall have been done to the reasonable satisfaction to counsel for the Underwriters.

 

3.22. Investment Company. The Company shall cause the proceeds of the Offering to be held in the Trust Account to be invested only as set forth in the Trust Agreement as in effect on the date hereof and disclosed in the Prospectus. The Company will otherwise conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act. Furthermore, once the Company consummates a Business Combination, it will be engaged in a business other than that of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading securities.

 

3.23. Press Releases. The Company agrees that it will not issue press releases or engage in any other publicity relating to the Company, without the Representative’s prior written consent (not to be unreasonably withheld), for a period of twenty-five (25) days after the Closing Date; provided that in no event shall the Company be prohibited from issuing any press release or engaging in any other publicity required by law.

 

3.24. Electronic Prospectus. The Company shall cause to be prepared and delivered to the Representative, at its expense, promptly, but in no event later than two (2) Business Days from the effective date of this Agreement, an Electronic Prospectus to be used by the Underwriters in connection with the Offering. As used herein, the term “Electronic Prospectus” means a form of prospectus, and any amendment or supplement thereto, that meets each of the following conditions: (i) it shall be encoded in an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that may be transmitted electronically by the other Underwriters to offerees and purchasers of the Ordinary Shares for at least the period during which a Prospectus relating to the Ordinary Shares is required to be delivered under the Act; (ii) it shall disclose the same information as the paper prospectus and prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent that graphic and image material cannot be disseminated electronically, in which case such graphic and image material shall be replaced in the electronic prospectus with a fair and accurate narrative description or tabular representation of such material, as appropriate; and (iii) it shall be in or convertible into a paper format or an electronic format, satisfactory to the Representative, that will allow recipients thereof to store and have continuously ready access to the prospectus at any future time, without charge to such recipients (other than any fee charged for subscription to the Internet as a whole and for on-line time). The Company hereby confirms that it has included or will include in the Prospectus filed pursuant to EDGAR or otherwise with the Commission and in the Registration Statement at the time it was declared effective an undertaking that, upon receipt of a request by an investor or his or her representative within the period when a prospectus relating to the Ordinary Shares is required to be delivered under the Act, the Company shall transmit or cause to be transmitted promptly, without charge, a paper copy of the Prospectus.

 

 

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3.25. Future Financings. The Company agrees that neither it, nor any successor or subsidiary of the Company, will consummate any public or private equity or debt financing prior to or in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, unless all investors in such financing expressly waive, in writing, any rights in or claims against the Trust Account.

 

3.26. NASDAQ Maintenance. Until the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain the listing by NASDAQ of the Units and the Ordinary Shares and Warrants included within the Units.

 

3.27. Private Placement Proceeds. On the Closing Date, the Company shall cause to be deposited $6,900,000 of proceeds from the Private Placement into the Trust Account. On the Option Closing Date, if any, the Company shall cause to be deposited an amount of additional proceeds from the additional Private Warrants sold on the Option Closing Date into the Trust Account such that the amount of funds in the Trust Account shall be $10.10 per Public Share sold in the Offering.

 

3.28. Reservation of Shares.  The Company will reserve and keep available that maximum number of its authorized but unissued securities which are issuable pursuant to the Warrants and the Private Securities (as well as any other warrants that may be issued and covered by the Warrant Agreement) outstanding from time to time.

 

3.29. Testing-the-Waters Communications. If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly (i) notify the Representative so that use of the Written Testing-the-Waters Communication may cease until it is amended or supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission; and (iii) supply any amendment or supplement to the Representative in such quantities as may be reasonably requested.

 

 

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3.30. Rights of First Refusal.

 

3.30.1. The Representative is hereby granted a right of first refusal for a period commencing on the consummation of this Offering and continuing until the earlier of the consummation of an initial Business Combination or the liquidation of the Trust Account in the event that the Company fails to consummate an initial Business Combination within the prescribed time period (but in no event longer than three years from the consummation of this Offering), to act as book running manager, placement agent and/or arranger (with the Representative on the cover page of any offering materials related to such financing and holding the role and responsibilities conventionally understood to be associated with such name placement, including, without limitation, billing, delivery and stabilization), as the case may be, for all financings where the Company seeks to raise equity, equity-linked, debt or mezzanine financings relating to or in connection with a Business Combination and to be paid a gross spread or fees from any and all such financings in an amount to be mutually determined in good faith by the Company and the Representative and based on the prevailing market for similar transactions.

 

3.30.2. For a period commencing on the date hereof and ending one year from the consummation of the Business Combination, the Representative shall have the right to act as lead underwriter for the next U.S.-registered public offering of securities undertaken by any of the Insiders for the purpose of raising capital and placing 90% or more of the proceeds in a trust (or similar) account to be used to acquire one or more operating businesses which have not been identified at the time of the capital raising transaction. The terms of such offering shall be mutually determined in good faith by the applicable Insider(s) and the Representative and will be based on the prevailing market for similar offerings.

 

4. Conditions.

 

4.1. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations.  The obligations of the several Underwriters to purchase and pay for the Public Securities, as provided herein, shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company as of the date hereof and as of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, to the accuracy of the statements of officers of the Company made pursuant to the provisions hereof and to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following conditions:

 

4.1.1. Regulatory Matters.

 

4.1.1.1. Effectiveness of Registration Statement.  The Registration Statement shall have become effective not later than 5:00 p.m., New York time, on the date of this Agreement or such later date and time as shall be consented to in writing by the Representative, and, at the Closing Date, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued and no proceedings for the purpose shall have been instituted or shall be pending or contemplated by the Commission and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with.

 

4.1.1.2. FINRA Clearance.  By the Effective Date, the Representative shall have received clearance from FINRA as to the amount of compensation allowable or payable to the Underwriters as described in the Registration Statement.

 

 

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4.1.1.3. No Commission Stop Order. At the Closing Date, the Commission has not issued any order or threatened to issue any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any part thereof, and has not instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened to institute any proceedings with respect to such an order.

 

4.1.1.4. NASDAQ Listing. The Public Securities shall have been approved for listing on NASDAQ, subject to official notice of issuance and evidence of satisfactory distribution.

 

4.1.2. Company Counsel Matters.

 

4.1.2.1. Opinions of Company Counsel.  On each of the Closing Date or the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received the favorable opinions (along with negative assurance letters) of Greenberg Traurig PA and Maples and Calder, counsel to the Company, addressed to the Representative as representative for the several Underwriters and in form mutually agreed to by the Company and the Representative.

 

4.1.2.2. Reliance.  In rendering such opinions, such counsels may rely: (i) as to matters involving the application of laws other than the laws of the United States and jurisdictions in which they are admitted, to the extent such counsels deem proper and to the extent specified in such opinion, if at all, upon an opinion or opinions (in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representative) of other counsel reasonably acceptable to the Representative, familiar with the applicable laws; and (ii) as to matters of fact, to the extent they deem proper, on certificates or other written statements of officers of the Company and officers of departments of various jurisdiction having custody of documents respecting the corporate existence or good standing of the Company, provided that copies of any such statements or certificates shall be delivered to the Underwriters’ counsel if requested.  The opinions of counsels for the Company and any opinion relied upon by such counsel for the Company shall include a statement to the effect that it may be relied upon by counsel for the Underwriters in its opinion delivered to the Underwriters.

 

4.1.3. Cold Comfort Letter.  At the time this Agreement is executed, and at the Closing Date and Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a letter, addressed to the Representative as representative for the several Underwriters and in form and substance satisfactory in all respects (including the non-material nature of the changes or decreases, if any, referred to in clause (iii) below) to the Representative from Marcum dated, respectively, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the Closing Date and Option Closing Date, if any:

 

(i) Confirming that they are independent accountants with respect to the Company within the meaning of the Act and the applicable Regulations and that they have not, during the periods covered by the financial statements included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, provided to the Company any non-audit services, as such term is used in Section 10A(g) of the Exchange Act;

 

 

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(ii) Stating that in their opinion the financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the published Regulations thereunder;

 

(iii) Stating that, on the basis of a limited review which included a reading of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements of the Company (with an indication of the date of the latest available unaudited interim financial statements), a reading of the latest available minutes of the shareholders and board of directors and the various committees of the board of directors, consultations with officers and other employees of the Company responsible for financial and accounting matters and other specified procedures and inquiries, nothing has come to their attention which would lead them to believe that: (a) the unaudited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus do not comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Act and the Regulations or are not fairly presented in conformity with GAAP applied on a basis substantially consistent with that of the audited financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus; or (b) at a date immediately prior to the Effective Date or Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company, or any decrease in the shareholders’ equity of the Company as compared with amounts shown in the June 30, 2021 balance sheet included in the Registration Statement, other than as set forth in or contemplated by the Registration Statement, or, if there was any decrease, setting forth the amount of such decrease, and (c) during the period from June 30, 2021 to a specified date immediately prior to the Effective Date or Closing Date, as the case may be, there was any changes in revenues, net earnings (losses), or net earnings (losses) per share, in each case as compared with the Statement of Operations for the period from February 9, 2021 (Inception) to June 30, 2021 included in the Registration Statement, or, if there was any such change, setting forth the amount of such change;

 

(iv)  Stating that they have compared specific dollar amounts, numbers of shares, percentages of revenues and earnings, statements and other financial information pertaining to the Company set forth in the Registration Statement in each case to the extent that such amounts, numbers, percentages, statements and information may be derived from the general accounting records, including work sheets, of the Company and excluding any questions requiring an interpretation by legal counsel, with the results obtained from the application of specified readings, inquiries and other appropriate procedures (which procedures do not constitute an examination in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards) set forth in the letter and found them to be in agreement; and

 

(v) Statements as to such other matters incident to the transaction contemplated hereby as the Representative may reasonably request.

 

 

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4.1.4. Officers’ Certificates.

 

4.1.4.1. Officers’ Certificate.  As of each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Chairman of the Board or President (in their capacities as such), respectively, to the effect that the Company has performed all covenants and complied with all conditions required by this Agreement to be performed or complied with by the Company prior to and as of the Closing Date and that the conditions set forth in Section 4 hereof have been satisfied as of such date and that, as of Closing Date, the representations and warranties of the Company set forth in Section 2 hereof are true and correct.  In addition, the Representative will have received such other and further certificates of officers of the Company as the Representative may reasonably request.

 

4.1.4.2. Secretary’s Certificate.  As of each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any, the Representative shall have received a certificate of the Company signed by the Secretary of the Company, respectively, certifying: (i) that the Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, of the Company are true and complete, have not been modified and are in full force and effect; (ii) that the resolutions relating to the Offering are in full force and effect and have not been modified; (iii) all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the Commission; (iv) all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and NASDAQ; and (v) as to the incumbency of the officers of the Company.  The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.

 

4.1.5. No Material Changes.  Prior to each of the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, if any: (i) there shall have been no material adverse change or development involving a material adverse change in the condition or prospects or the business activities, financial or otherwise, of the Company from the latest dates as of which such condition is set forth in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus; (ii) no action suit or proceeding, at law or in equity, shall have been pending or threatened against the Company or any Company Affiliate before or by any court or foreign, federal or state commission, board or other administrative agency wherein an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding may materially adversely affect the business, operations, prospects or financial condition or income of the Company, except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus; (iii) no stop order shall have been issued under the Act against the Company and no proceedings therefor shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and (iv) the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus and the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto shall contain all material statements which are required to be stated therein in accordance with the Act and the Regulations and shall conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Regulations, and none of the Registration Statement, the Statutory Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto shall contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omits to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein (in the case of the Statutory Prospectus and Prospectus, in light of the circumstances under which they were made), not misleading.

 

 

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4.1.6. Delivery of Agreements. On the Effective Date, the Company shall have delivered to the Representative executed copies of the Transaction Documents.

 

4.1.7. Private Warrants. On the Closing Date and the Option Closing Date, as applicable, the Private Warrants have been purchased as provided for in the Subscription Agreements and the purchase price for such securities shall be deposited into the Trust Account.

 

5. Indemnification.

 

5.1. Indemnification of Underwriters.

 

5.1.1. General.  Subject to the conditions set forth below, the Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each of the Underwriters and each dealer selected by the Representative that participates in the offer and sale of the Public Securities (each a “Selected Dealer”) and each of their respective directors, officers, partners and employees and each person, if any, who controls any such Underwriter or Selected Dealer (“Controlling Person”) within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act, and its counsel, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever (including but not limited to any and all legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever, whether arising out of any action between any of the Underwriters and the Company or between any of the Underwriters and any third party or otherwise) to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or any other foreign, federal, state or local statute, law, rule, regulation or ordinance or at common law or otherwise or under the laws, rules and regulation of foreign countries, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in (i) any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, or the Prospectus (as from time to time each may be amended and supplemented); (ii) in any post-effective amendment or amendments or any new registration statement and prospectus relating to any of the Public Securities; or (iii) any application or other document or written communication (in this Section 5 collectively called “application”) executed by the Company or based upon written information furnished by the Company in any jurisdiction in order to qualify the Public Securities under the securities laws thereof or filed with the Commission, any foreign or state securities commission or agency, NASDAQ (in each case other than statements contained in the section captioned “Selling Restrictions”); or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, unless such statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company with respect to an Underwriter by or on behalf of such Underwriter expressly for use in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereof, or in any application, as the case may be, which furnished written information, it is expressly agreed, consists solely of the information described in the proviso contained in the last sentence of Section 2.3.1.  With respect to any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in the Preliminary Prospectus, the indemnity agreement contained in this paragraph shall not inure to the benefit of any Underwriter to the extent that any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense of such Underwriter results from the fact that a copy of the Prospectus was not given or sent to the person asserting any such loss, liability, claim or damage at or prior to the written confirmation of sale of the Public Securities to such person as required by the Act and the Regulations, and if the untrue statement or omission has been corrected in the Prospectus, unless such failure to deliver the Prospectus was a result of non-compliance by the Company with its obligations under Section 3.4 hereof. The Company agrees promptly to notify the Representative of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings against the Company or any of its officers, directors or controlling persons in connection with the issue and sale of the Public Securities or in connection with the Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.

 

 

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5.1.2. Procedure.  If any action is brought against an Underwriter or controlling person in respect of which indemnity may be sought against the Company pursuant to Section 5.1.1, such Underwriter shall promptly notify the Company in writing of the institution of such action and the Company shall assume the defense of such action, including the employment and fees of counsel (subject to the reasonable approval of such Underwriter) and payment of actual expenses.  Such Underwriter or controlling person shall have the right to employ its or their own counsel in any such case, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Underwriter or such controlling person unless: (i) the employment of such counsel at the expense of the Company shall have been authorized in writing by the Company in connection with the defense of such action; (ii) the Company shall not have employed counsel to have charge of the defense of such action; or (iii) counsel to such indemnified party or parties shall have reasonably concluded that there may be defenses available to it or them which are different from or additional to those available to the Company (in which case the Company shall not have the right to direct the defense of such action on behalf of the indemnified party or parties), in any of which events the reasonable fees and expenses of not more than one additional firm of attorneys selected by the Underwriter and/or controlling person shall be borne by the Company.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if the Underwriter or controlling person shall assume the defense of such action as provided above, the Company shall have the right to approve the terms of any settlement of such action which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld.

 

5.2. Indemnification of the Company.  Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, officers, and employees and agents who control the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, and its counsel, against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the several Underwriters, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions made in the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or in any application, in reliance upon, and in strict conformity with, written information furnished to the Company with respect to such Underwriter by or on behalf of the Underwriter expressly for use in such Registration Statement, Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or in any such application, which furnished written information, it is expressly agreed, consists solely of the information described in clause (ii) of the last sentence of Section 2.3.1.  In case any action shall be brought against the Company or any other person so indemnified based on any Preliminary Prospectus, the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto or any application, and in respect of which indemnity may be sought against any Underwriter, such Underwriter shall have the rights and duties given to the Company, and the Company and each other person so indemnified shall have the rights and duties given to the several Underwriters by the provisions of Section 5.1.2.

 

 

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5.3. Contribution.

 

5.3.1. Contribution Rights.  In order to provide for just and equitable contribution under the Act in any case in which (i) any person entitled to indemnification under this Section 5 makes claim for indemnification pursuant hereto but it is judicially determined (by the entry of a final judgment or decree by a court of competent jurisdiction and the expiration of time to appeal or the denial of the last right of appeal) that such indemnification may not be enforced in such case notwithstanding the fact that this Section 5 provides for indemnification in such case, or (ii) contribution under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise may be required on the part of any such person in circumstances for which indemnification is provided under this Section 5 but is unavailable, then, and in each such case, the Company and the Underwriters shall contribute to the aggregate losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses of the nature contemplated by said indemnity agreement incurred by the Company and the Underwriters, as incurred, in such proportions that the Underwriters are responsible for that portion represented by the percentage that the underwriting discount appearing on the cover page of the Prospectus bears to the initial offering price appearing thereon and the Company is responsible for the balance; provided, that, no person guilty of a fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.  Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 5.3.1, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Public Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay in respect of such losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses.  For purposes of this Section, each director, officer and employee of an Underwriter or the Company, as applicable, and each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter or the Company, as applicable, within the meaning of Section 15 of the Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Underwriters or the Company, as applicable.

 

5.3.2. Contribution Procedure.  Within fifteen days after receipt by any party to this Agreement (or its representatives) of notice of the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, such party will, if a claim for contribution in respect thereof is to be made against another party (“contributing party”), notify the contributing party of the commencement thereof, but the omission to so notify the contributing party will not relieve it from any liability which it may have to any other party other than for contribution hereunder.  In case any such action, suit or proceeding is brought against any party, and such party notifies a contributing party or its representatives of the commencement thereof within the aforesaid fifteen days, the contributing party will be entitled to participate therein with the notifying party and any other contributing party similarly notified.  Any such contributing party shall not be liable to any party seeking contribution on account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding effected by such party seeking contribution on account of any settlement of any claim, action or proceeding effected by such party seeking contribution without the written consent of such contributing party.  The contribution provisions contained in this Section are intended to supersede, to the extent permitted by law, any right to contribution under the Act, the Exchange Act or otherwise available.  The Underwriters’ obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 5.3 are several and not joint.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 33 of 42

 

6. Default by an Underwriter.

 

6.1. Default Not Exceeding 10% of Firm Units.  If any Underwriter or Underwriters shall default in its or their obligations to purchase the Firm Units and if the number of the Firm Units with respect to which such default relates does not exceed in the aggregate 10% of the number of Firm Units that all Underwriters have agreed to purchase hereunder, then such Firm Units to which the default relates shall be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters in proportion to their respective commitments hereunder.

 

6.2. Default Exceeding 10% of Firm Units.  In the event that the default addressed in Section 6.1 above relates to more than 10% of the Firm Units, the Representative may, in its discretion, arrange for it or for another party or parties to purchase such Firm Units to which such default relates on the terms contained herein.  If within one (1) Business Day after such default relating to more than 10% of the Firm Units the Representative do not arrange for the purchase of such Firm Units, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of one (1) Business Day within which to procure another party or parties satisfactory to the Representative to purchase said Firm Units on such terms.  In the event that neither the Representative nor the Company arrange for the purchase of the Firm Units to which a default relates as provided in this Section 6, this Agreement may be terminated by the Representative or the Company without liability on the part of the Company (except as provided in Sections 3.12 and 5 hereof) or the several Underwriters (except as provided in Section 5 hereof); provided that nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of its liability, if any, to the other several Underwriters and to the Company for damages occasioned by its default hereunder.

 

6.3. Postponement of Closing Date.  In the event that the Firm Units to which the default relates are to be purchased by the non-defaulting Underwriters, or are to be purchased by another party or parties as aforesaid, the Representative or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date for a reasonable period, but not in any event exceeding five (5) Business Days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement and/or the Prospectus, as the case may be, or in any other documents and arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendment to, or to supplement, the Registration Statement and/or the Prospectus, as the case may be, that in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any party substituted under this Section 6 with like effect as if it had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such securities.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 34 of 42

 

7. Additional Covenants.

 

7.1. Additional Shares or Options.  Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Company hereby agrees that until the Company consummates a Business Combination, it shall not issue any Ordinary Shares or any options or other securities convertible into Ordinary Shares or any preferred shares which participate in any manner in the Trust Account or which vote on a Business Combination.

 

7.2. Trust Account Waiver Acknowledgments. The Company hereby agrees that, prior to commencing its due diligence investigation of any Target Business or obtaining the services of any vendor, it will use its best efforts to have such Target Business or vendor acknowledge in writing, whether through a letter of intent, memorandum of understanding, agreement in principle or other similar document (and subsequently acknowledges the same in any definitive document replacing any of the foregoing), that (a) it has read the Prospectus, and understands that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of $151,500,000 for the benefit of the Public Shareholders and that, except for the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Shareholders in the event of the conversion of their shares upon consummation of a Business Combination or amendment to the Company’s Charter relating to pre-Business Combination activity, (ii) to the Public Shareholders in connection with the Company’s liquidation in the event the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period or (iii) to the Company and others concurrently with, or after it consummates a Business Combination, and (b) for and in consideration of the Company (1) agreeing to evaluate such Target Business for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with it or (2) agreeing to engage the services of the vendor, as the case may be, such Target Business or vendor agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies of the Trust Account (“Claim”) and waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The foregoing letters shall substantially be in the form attached hereto as Exhibit A and B, respectively.

 

7.3. Insider Letters.  The Company shall not take any action or omit to take any action which would cause a breach of any of the Insider Letters executed between each Company Affiliate and the Representative and will not allow any amendments to, or waivers of, such Insider Letters without the prior written consent of the Representative.

 

7.4. Tender Offer, Proxy and Other Information.  The Company shall provide the Representative with copies of all proxy or tender offer documentation and other information and all related material sent to Public Shareholders in connection with a Business Combination.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 35 of 42

 

7.5. Rule 419. The Company agrees that it will use its best efforts to prevent the Company from becoming subject to Rule 419 under the Act prior to the consummation of any Business Combination, including, but not limited to, using its best efforts to prevent any of the Company’s outstanding securities from being deemed to be a “penny stock” as defined in Rule 3a-51-1 under the Exchange Act during such period.

 

7.6. Presentation of Potential Target Businesses.  The Company shall cause each of the Respondents to agree that, in order to minimize potential conflicts of interest which may arise from multiple affiliations, the Respondents will present to the Company for its consideration, prior to presentation to any other person or company, any suitable opportunity to acquire an operating business, until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of a Business Combination or the liquidation of the Trust Account, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary obligations the Respondents might have.

 

7.7. Target Fair Market Value. The Company agrees that the Target Business that it acquires must have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the Trust Account (excluding any taxes) at the time of signing the definitive agreement for the Business Combination with such Target Business. The fair market value of such business must be determined by the Board of Directors of the Company based upon standards generally accepted by the financial community, such as actual and potential sales, earnings, cash flow and book value. If the Board of Directors of the Company is not able to independently determine that the target business meets such fair market value requirement, the Company will obtain an opinion from an unaffiliated, independent investment banking firm, or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions. The Company is not required to obtain such an opinion as to the fair market value if the Company’s Board of Directors independently determines that the Target Business does have sufficient fair market value.

 

8. Representations and Agreements to Survive Delivery.  Except as the context otherwise requires, all representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be deemed to be representations, warranties and agreements at the Closing Date or Option Closing Date, as applicable, and such representations, warranties and agreements of the Underwriters and Company, including the indemnity agreements contained in Section 5 hereof, shall remain operative and in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter, the Company or any controlling person, and shall survive termination of this Agreement or the issuance and delivery of the Public Securities to the several Underwriters until the earlier of the expiration of any applicable statute of limitations and the seventh (7th) anniversary of the Closing Date, at which time the representations, warranties and agreements shall terminate and be of no further force and effect.

 

9. Effective Date of This Agreement and Termination Thereof.

 

9.1. Effective Date.  This Agreement shall become effective on the Effective Date at the time the Registration Statement is declared effective by the Commission.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 36 of 42

 

9.2. Termination.  The Representative shall have the right to terminate this Agreement at any time prior to any Closing Date: (i) if any domestic or international event or act or occurrence has materially disrupted or, in the Representative’s sole opinion, will in the immediate future materially disrupt, general securities markets in the United States; or (ii) if trading on the New York Stock Exchange, the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Stock Market or on the OTC Bulletin Board (or successor trading market) shall have been suspended, or minimum or maximum prices for trading shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities shall have been required on the OTC Bulletin Board or by order of the Commission or any other government authority having jurisdiction, or (iii) if the United States shall have become involved in a war or an increase in existing major hostilities, or (iv) if a banking moratorium has been declared by a New York State or federal authority, or (v) if a moratorium on foreign exchange trading has been declared which materially adversely impacts the United States securities market, or (vi) if the Company shall have sustained a material loss by fire, flood, accident, hurricane, earthquake, theft, sabotage or other calamity or malicious act which, whether or not such loss shall have been insured, will, in the Representative’s sole opinion, make it inadvisable to proceed with the delivery of the Firm Units, (vii) if any of the Company’s representations, warranties or covenants hereunder are breached, or (viii) if the Representative shall have become aware after the date hereof of a Material Adverse Effect on the Company, or such adverse material change in general market conditions, including, without limitation, as a result of terrorist activities or any other calamity or crisis either within or outside the United States after the date hereof, or any increase in any of the foregoing, as in the Representative’s sole judgment would make it impracticable to proceed with the offering, sale and/or delivery of the Firm Units or to enforce contracts made by the Underwriters for the sale of the Firm Units.

 

9.3. Expenses.  In the event that this Agreement shall not be carried out for any reason whatsoever, within the time specified herein or any extensions thereof pursuant to the terms herein, the obligations of the Company to pay the out of pocket expenses related to the transactions contemplated herein shall be governed by Section 3.12 hereof.

 

9.4. Indemnification.  Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in this Agreement, any election hereunder or any termination of this Agreement, and whether or not this Agreement is otherwise carried out, the provisions of Section 5 shall not be in any way effected by, such election or termination or failure to carry out the terms of this Agreement or any part hereof.

 

10. Miscellaneous.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 37 of 42

 

10.1. Notices.  All communications hereunder, except as herein otherwise specifically provided, shall be in writing and shall be mailed by certified mail (with return receipt), delivered by hand or reputable overnight courier, delivered by facsimile transmission (with printed confirmation of receipt) and confirmed, or by electronic transmission via PDF and shall be deemed given when so mailed, delivered, or faxed or transmitted (or if mailed, five days after such mailing):

 

If to the Representative:

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

366 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10017
Fax No.: (212) 661-4936

Attn: Steven Levine

Email: slevine@ebcap.com

 

With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Graubard Miller

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Fax No.: (212) 818-8881

Attn: David Alan Miller, Esq.

Email: dmiller@graubard.com

 

If to the Company, to:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F

77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty

050040

Kazakhstan

Attn:

Email:

 

With a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Greenberg Traurig, P.A.

333 S.E. 2nd Avenue

Miami, FL 33131

Fax No.:

Attn:

Email:

 

10.2. Headings.  The headings contained herein are for the sole purpose of convenience of reference, and shall not in any way limit or affect the meaning or interpretation of any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 38 of 42

 

10.3. Amendment.  This Agreement may only be amended by a written instrument executed by each of the parties hereto.

 

10.4. Entire Agreement.  This Agreement (together with the other agreements and documents being delivered pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement) constitute the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and thereof, and supersede all prior agreements and understandings of the parties, oral and written, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

10.5. Binding Effect.  This Agreement shall inure solely to the benefit of and shall be binding upon the Representative, the Underwriters, the Company and the controlling persons, directors and officers referred to in Section 5 hereof, and their respective successors, legal representatives and assigns, and no other person shall have or be construed to have any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of or by virtue of this Agreement or any provisions herein contained.

 

10.6. Governing Law, Venue, etc.

 

10.6.1. In connection with Section 5-1401 of the General Obligations Law of the State of New York, this Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York without regard to principles of conflicts of law that would result in the application of the substantive law of another jurisdiction. The parties hereto agree that any action, proceeding or claim arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement shall be resolved through final and binding arbitration in accordance with the International Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”). The arbitration shall be brought before the AAA International Center for Dispute Resolution’s offices in New York City, New York, will be conducted in English and will be decided by a panel of three arbitrators selected from the AAA Commercial Disputes Panel and that the arbitrator panel’s decision shall be final and enforceable by any court having jurisdiction over the party from whom enforcement is sought. The cost of such arbitrators and arbitration services, together with the prevailing party’s legal fees and expenses, shall be borne by the non-prevailing party or as otherwise directed by the arbitrators. The Company hereby appoints, without power of revocation, Greenberg Traurig P.A., as its agent to accept and acknowledge on its behalf service of any and all process which may be served in any arbitration, action, proceeding or counterclaim in any way relating to or arising out of this Agreement. The Company further agrees to take any and all action as may be necessary to maintain such designation and appointment of such agent in full force and effect for a period of seven years from the date of the Effective Date.

 

10.6.2. THE COMPANY (ON BEHALF OF ITSELF AND, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ON BEHALF OF ITS EQUITY HOLDERS AND CREDITORS) HEREBY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY CLAIM BASED UPON, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT AND THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT, THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROSPECTUS.

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 39 of 42

 

10.6.3. The Company agrees that the prevailing party(ies) in any such action shall be entitled to recover from the other party(ies) all of its reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to such action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefor.

 

10.7. Execution in Counterparts.  This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties hereto in separate counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts has been signed by each of the parties hereto and delivered to each of the other parties hereto. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by fax or email/.pdf transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof.

 

10.8. Waiver, etc.  The failure of any of the parties hereto to at any time enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall not be deemed or construed to be a waiver of any such provision, nor to in any way affect the validity of this Agreement or any provision hereof or the right of any of the parties hereto to thereafter enforce each and every provision of this Agreement.  No waiver of any breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be effective unless set forth in a written instrument executed by the party or parties against whom or which enforcement of such waiver is sought; and no waiver of any such breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment shall be construed or deemed to be a waiver of any other or subsequent breach, non-compliance or non-fulfillment.

 

10.9. No Fiduciary Relationship. The Company hereby acknowledges that the Underwriters are acting solely as underwriters in connection with the offering of the Public Securities. The Company further acknowledges that the Underwriters are acting pursuant to a contractual relationship created solely by this Agreement entered into on an arm's length basis and in no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, shareholders, creditors or any other person in connection with any activity that the Underwriters may undertake or have undertaken in furtherance of the offering of the Public Securities, either before or after the date hereof. The Underwriters hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary or similar obligations to the Company, either in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions, and the Company hereby confirms its understanding and agreement to that effect. The Company and the Underwriters agree that they are each responsible for making their own independent judgments with respect to any such transactions, and that any opinions or views expressed by the Underwriters to the Company regarding such transactions, including but not limited to any opinions or views with respect to the price or market for the Public Securities, do not constitute advice or recommendations to the Company. The Company hereby waives and releases, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any claims that the Company may have against the Underwriters with respect to any breach or alleged breach of any fiduciary or similar duty to the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or any matters leading up to such transactions.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

_______, 2021

Page 40 of 42

 

If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Underwriters and the Company, please so indicate in the space provided below for that purpose, whereupon this letter shall constitute a binding agreement between us.

 

  Very Truly Yours,
     
  OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
     
     
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:

 

Agreed to and accepted  
as of the date first written above:  
       
EARLYBIRDCAPITAL, INC., as Representative of the several Underwriters  
       
By:                             
  Name:    
  Title:    

 

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement, dated _______, 2021]

 

 

 

 

SCHEDULE A

 

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.

 

15,000,000 Units

 

Underwriter   Number of Firm Units to be Purchased  
EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.        
SOVA Capital Limited        
         
         
TOTAL     15,000,000  

 

 

 

 

SCHEDULE B

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Form of Target Business Letter

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), dated _______, 2021 (the “Prospectus”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Prospectus.

 

We have read the Prospectus and understand that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $151,500,000, for the benefit of the Public Shareholders and that, except for the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Shareholders in the event of the conversion of their shares upon consummation of a Business Combination or amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation relating to pre-Business Combination activity, (ii) to the Public Shareholders in connection with the Company’s liquidation in the event the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period or (iii) to the Company concurrently with, or after it consummates a Business Combination.

 

For and in consideration of the Company agreeing to evaluate the undersigned for purposes of consummating a Business Combination with it, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “Claim”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

 

   
  Print Name of Target Business
   
   
  Authorized Signature of Target Business

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT B

 

Form of Vendor Letter

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Reference is made to the Final Prospectus of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), dated _______, 2021 (the “Prospectus”). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to them in the Prospectus.

 

We have read the Prospectus and understand that the Company has established the Trust Account, initially in an amount of at least $151,500,000, for the benefit of the Public Shareholders and that, except for the interest earned on the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Company may disburse monies from the Trust Account only: (i) to the Public Shareholders in the event of the conversion of their shares upon consummation of a Business Combination or amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation relating to pre-Business Combination activity, (ii) to the Public Shareholders in connection with the Company’s liquidation in the event the Company is unable to consummate a Business Combination within the required time period or (iii) to the Company concurrently with, or after it consummates a Business Combination.

 

For and in consideration of the Company agreeing to use the services of the undersigned, the undersigned hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Trust Account (each, a “Claim”) and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

 

 

   
  Print Name of Vendor
   
   
  Authorized Signature of Vendor

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 1.2

 

EARLYBIRDCAPITAL, INC.

366 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10017

SOVA CAPITAL LIMITED

119049, Moscow, 5 Koroviy Val, bldg. 1

BC Oasis, 7th floor

 

___________, 2021

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F

77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty

050040

Kazakhstan

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

This is to confirm our agreement (this “Agreement”) whereby Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (“Company”), has requested EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and SOVA Capital Limited (each an “Advisor” and collectively the “Advisors”) to assist it in connection with the Company’s merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or similar business combination (in each case, a “Business Combination”) with one or more businesses or entities (each a “Target”) as described in the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-_____) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Registration Statement”) in connection with its initial public offering (“IPO”).

 

1. Services and Fees.

 

(a) The Advisors will, if requested by the Company:

 

  (i)

Assist the Company in holding meetings with Company shareholders to discuss the Business Combination

and the Target’s attributes;

 

  (ii) Introduce the Company to potential investors to purchase the Company’s securities in connection with the Business Combination;

 

  (iii) Assist the Company in trying to obtain shareholder approval for the Business Combination, including assistance with the Company’s proxy statement or tender offer materials; and

 

  (iv) Assist the Company with relevant financial analysis, presentations, press releases and filings related to the Business Combination or the Target.

 

(b) As compensation for the foregoing services, the Company will pay the Advisors an aggregate cash fee equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds received by the Company in the IPO (“Fee”). The Fee shall be exclusive of any finder’s fees which may become payable to the Advisors pursuant to any other agreement between the Advisors and the Company or the Target.

 

(c) The Fee shall be payable in cash and is due and payable to the Advisors by wire transfer at the closing of the Business Combination (“Closing”); provided that the Fee shall not be paid prior to the date that is 60 days from the effective date of the Registration Statement unless the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with the IPO. If a proposed Business Combination is not consummated for any reason, no Fee shall be due or payable to the Advisors hereunder.

 

 

 

 

2. Expenses.

 

At the Closing, the Company shall reimburse the Advisors up to $20,000 for its reasonable costs and expenses incurred (including its fees and disbursements of counsel) in connection with the performance of its services hereunder; provided, however, all expenses in excess of $5,000 in the aggregate shall be subject to the Company’s prior written approval, which approval will not be unreasonably withheld. Reimbursable expenses shall be due and payable to the Advisors by wire transfer at the Closing from the Trust Account.

 

3. Company Cooperation.

 

The Company will cooperate with the Advisors including, but not limited to, providing to the Advisors and its counsel, on a timely basis, all documents and information regarding the Company and Target that the Advisors may reasonably request or that are otherwise relevant to the Advisors’ performance of their obligations hereunder (collectively, the “Information”); making the Company’s management, auditors, consultants and advisors available to the Advisors; and, using commercially reasonable efforts to provide the Advisors with reasonable access to the management, auditors, suppliers, customers, consultants and advisors of Target. The Company will promptly notify the Advisors of any change in facts or circumstances or new developments affecting the Company or Target or that might reasonably be considered material to the Advisors’ engagement hereunder.

 

4. Representations; Warranties and Covenants.

 

The Company represents, warrants and covenants to the Advisors that all Information it makes available to the Advisors by or on behalf of the Company in connection with the performance of its obligations hereunder will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make statements made, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading as of the date thereof and as of the consummation of the Business Combination.

 

5. Indemnity.

 

The Company shall indemnify the Advisors and their affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees, shareholders, representatives and agents in accordance with the indemnification provisions set forth in Annex I hereto, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing and Annex I, each of the Advisors agree, if there is no Closing, (i) that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the Company’s trust account established in connection with the IPO (“Trust Account”) with respect to this Agreement (each, a “Claim”); (ii) to waive any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to the Company hereunder; and (iii) to not seek recourse against the Trust Account with respect to the Fee.

 

6. Use of Name and Reports.

 

Without the Advisors’ prior written consent, neither the Company nor any of its affiliates (nor any director, officer, manager, partner, member, employee, representative or agent thereof) shall quote or refer to, in any filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, any advice rendered by the Advisors to the Company or any communication from the Advisors, in each case, in connection with performance of the Advisors’ services hereunder; provided that, if any such quote or reference is required by applicable federal or state law, regulation or securities exchange rule, then (i) the Company shall provide Advisors with a draft of such disclosure prior to the filing being made; (ii) Advisors shall be given the opportunity to comment on same; and (iii) Advisors’ consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

 

7. Status as Independent Contractor.

 

Advisors shall perform its services as an independent contractor and not as an employee of the Company or affiliate thereof. It is expressly understood and agreed to by the parties that the Advisors shall have no authority to act for, represent or bind the Company or any affiliate thereof in any manner, except as may be expressly agreed to by the Company in writing. In rendering such services, the Advisors will be acting solely pursuant to a contractual relationship on an arm’s-length basis. This Agreement is not intended to create a fiduciary relationship between the parties and neither the Advisors nor any of the Advisors’ officers, directors or personnel will owe any fiduciary duty to the Company or any other person in connection with any of the matters contemplated by this Agreement.

 

8. Potential Conflicts.

 

The Company acknowledges that the Advisors are full-service securities firms engaged in securities trading and brokerage activities and providing investment banking and advisory services from which conflicting interests may arise. Subject to applicable law, in the ordinary course of business, the Advisors and their affiliates may at any time hold long or short positions, and may trade or otherwise effect transactions, for their own account or the accounts of customers, in debt or equity securities of the Company, its affiliates or other entities that may be involved in the transactions contemplated hereby. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to limit or restrict the Advisors or any of their affiliates in conducting such business to the extent permitted by applicable law.

 

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9. Entire Agreement.

 

This Agreement constitutes the entire understanding between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, oral or written, with respect thereto. This Agreement may not be modified or terminated orally or in any manner other than by an agreement in writing signed by the parties hereto. 

 

10. Notices.

 

Any notices required or permitted to be given hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed given when mailed by certified mail or private courier service, return receipt requested, addressed to each party at its respective addresses set forth above, or such other address as may be given by a party in a notice given pursuant to this Section.

 

11. Successors and Assigns.

 

This Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the written consent of the other. This Agreement shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and, except where prohibited, to their successors and assigns.

 

12. Non-Exclusivity.

 

Nothing herein shall be deemed to restrict or prohibit the engagement by the Company of other consultants providing the same or similar services or the payment by the Company of fees to such other consultants. The Company’s engagement of any other consultant(s) shall not affect the Advisors’ right to receive the Fee and reimbursement of expenses pursuant to this Agreement.

 

13. Applicable Law; Venue.

 

This Agreement shall be construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without giving effect to conflict of laws.

 

In the event of any dispute under this Agreement, then and in such event, each party hereto agrees that the dispute shall either be (i) resolved through final and binding arbitration in accordance with the International Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) or ( ii) brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York, County of New York under the accelerated adjudication procedures of the Commercial Division, or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, in each event at the discretion of the party initiating the dispute. Once a party files a dispute with one of the above forums, the parties agree that all issues regarding such dispute or this Agreement must be resolved before such forum rather than seeking to resolve it through another alternative forum set forth above.

 

In the event the dispute is brought before the AAA, the arbitration shall be brought before the AAA International Center for Dispute Resolution’s offices in New York City, New York, will be conducted in English and will be decided by a panel of three arbitrators selected from the AAA Commercial Disputes Panel. Each of the parties agrees that the decision and/or award made by the arbitrators shall be final and enforceable by any court having jurisdiction over the party from whom enforcement is sought. Furthermore, the parties to any such arbitration shall be entitled to make one motion for summary judgment within 60 days of the commencement of the arbitration, which shall be decided by the arbitrator[s] prior to the commencement of the hearings.

 

In the event the dispute is brought by a party in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, each party irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive. Each party hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Any such process or summons to be served upon a party may be served by transmitting a copy thereof by registered or certified mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such party at the address set forth at the beginning of this Agreement. Such mailing shall be deemed personal service and shall be legal and binding upon the party being served in any action, proceeding or claim. The parties agree that the prevailing party(ies) in any such action shall be entitled to recover from the other party(ies) all of its reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses relating to such action or proceeding and/or incurred in connection with the preparation therefor.

  

14. Counterparts.

 

This Agreement may be executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original, and together shall constitute but one instrument.

 

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If the foregoing correctly sets forth the understanding between the Advisors and the Company with respect to the foregoing, please so indicate your agreement by signing in the place provided below, at which time this letter shall become a binding contract.

 

  EARLYBIRDCAPITAL, INC
   

 

  By:                              
  Name:    
  Title:  
     
  SOVA CAPITAL LIMITED
   

 

  By:      
  Name:    
  Title:  

 

AGREED AND ACCEPTED BY:  
   
OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.  
 

 

 
By:                
Name:      
Title:    

 

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ANNEX I

 

Indemnification

 

In connection with the Company’s engagement of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and SOVA Capital Limited (the “Advisors”) pursuant to that certain letter agreement (“Agreement”) of which this Annex forms a part, Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) hereby agrees, subject to the second paragraph of Section 5 of the Agreement, to indemnify and hold harmless the Advisors and their affiliates and their respective directors, officers, shareholders, agents and employees of any of the foregoing (collectively the “Indemnified Persons”), from and against any and all claims, actions, suits, proceedings (including those of shareholders), damages, liabilities and expenses incurred by any of them (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel), as incurred, (collectively a “Claim”), that (A) are related to or arise out of (i) any actions taken or omitted to be taken (including any untrue statements made or any statements omitted to be made) by the Company, or (ii) any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any Indemnified Person in connection with the Company’s engagement of the Advisors, or (B) otherwise relate to or arise out of the Advisors’ activities on the Company’s behalf under the Advisors’ engagement, and the Company shall reimburse any Indemnified Person for all expenses (including the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel) as incurred by such Indemnified Person in connection with investigating, preparing or defending any such claim, action, suit or proceeding, whether or not in connection with pending or threatened litigation in which any Indemnified Person is a party.

 

The Company will not, however, be responsible for any Claim that is finally judicially determined to have resulted from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of any person seeking indemnification for such Claim. The Company further agrees that no Indemnified Person shall have any liability to the Company for or in connection with the Company’s engagement of the Advisors except for any Claim incurred by the Company as a result of such Indemnified Person’s gross negligence or willful misconduct.

 

The Company further agrees that it will not, without the prior written consent of the Advisors which consent may not be unreasonably withheld, settle, compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment in any pending or threatened Claim in respect of which indemnification may be sought hereunder (whether or not any Indemnified Person is an actual or potential party to such Claim), unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional, irrevocable release of each Indemnified Person from any and all liability arising out of such Claim.

 

Promptly upon receipt by an Indemnified Person of notice of any complaint or the assertion or institution of any Claim with respect to which indemnification is being sought hereunder, such Indemnified Person shall notify the Company in writing of such complaint or of such assertion or institution but failure to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company from any obligation it may have hereunder, except and only to the extent such failure results in the forfeiture by the Company of substantial rights and defenses. If the Company so elects or is requested by such Indemnified Person, the Company will assume the defense of such Claim, including the employment of counsel reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person and the payment of the fees and expenses of such counsel. In the event, however, that legal counsel to such Indemnified Person reasonably determines that having common counsel would present such counsel with a conflict of interest or if the defendant in, or target of, any such Claim, includes an Indemnified Person and the Company, and legal counsel to such Indemnified Person reasonably concludes that there may be legal defenses available to it or other Indemnified Persons different from or in addition to those available to the Company, then such Indemnified Person may employ its own separate counsel to represent or defend him, her or it in any such Claim and the Company shall pay the reasonable fees and expenses of such counsel. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if the Company fails timely or diligently to defend, contest, or otherwise protect against any Claim, the relevant Indemnified Party shall have the right, but not the obligation, to defend, contest, compromise, settle, assert crossclaims, or counterclaims or otherwise protect against the same, and shall be fully indemnified by the Company therefor, including without limitation, for the reasonable fees and expenses of its counsel and all amounts paid as a result of such Claim or the compromise or settlement thereof.

 

In addition, with respect to any Claim in which the Company assumes the defense, the Indemnified Person shall have the right to participate in such Claim and to retain his, her or its own counsel therefor at his, her or its own expense.

 

The Company agrees that if any indemnity sought by an Indemnified Person hereunder is held by a court to be unavailable for any reason then (whether or not either Advisor is an Indemnified Person), the Company and the Advisors shall contribute to the Claim for which such indemnity is held unavailable in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits to the Company, on the one hand, and the Advisors on the other, in connection with the Advisors’ engagement referred to above, subject to the limitation that in no event shall the amount of the Advisors’ contribution to such Claim exceed the amount of fees actually received by the Advisor from the Company pursuant to the Advisors’ engagement. The Company hereby agrees that the relative benefits to the Company, on the one hand, and the Advisors on the other, with respect to the Advisors’ engagement shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as (a) the total value paid or proposed to be paid or received by the Company or its shareholders as the case may be, pursuant to the transaction (whether or not consummated) for which the Advisor is engaged to render services bears to (b) the fee paid or proposed to be paid to the Advisors in connection with such engagement.

 

The Company’s indemnity, reimbursement and contribution obligations under this Agreement (a) shall be in addition to, and shall in no way limit or otherwise adversely affect any rights that any Indemnified Party may have at law or at equity and (b) shall be effective whether or not the Company is at fault in any way.

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 3.1

 

THE COMPANIES ACT (AS REVISED)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

 

 

 

MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE COMPANIES ACT (AS REVISED)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

 

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

OF

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

1 The name of the Company is Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

2 The Registered Office of the Company shall be at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands, or at such other place within the Cayman Islands as the Directors may decide.

 

3 The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the laws of the Cayman Islands.

 

4 The liability of each Member is limited to the amount unpaid on such Member’s shares.

 

5 The share capital of the Company is US$55,500 divided into 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each and 5,000,000 preference shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each.

 

6 The Company has power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.

 

7 Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Memorandum of Association bear the respective meanings given to them in the Articles of Association of the Company.

 

 

 

 

WE, the subscriber to this Memorandum of Association, wish to form a company pursuant to this Memorandum of Association, and we agree to take the number of shares shown opposite our name.

 

Dated this       day of                  2021

 

Signature and Address of Subscriber Number of Shares Taken
   

Maples Corporate Services Limited

 

of PO Box 309, Ugland House

 

Grand Cayman

 

KY1-1104

 

Cayman Islands

 

acting by:

One Class B Ordinary Share

 

/s/ Jessica Bent  
Jessica Bent  
   
/s/ Ruth Grizzel  
Ruth Grizzel  
Witness to the above signature  

 

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THE COMPANIES ACT (AS REVISED)

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

OF

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

1 Interpretation

 

1.1 In the Articles Table A in the First Schedule to the Statute does not apply and, unless there is something in the subject or context inconsistent therewith:

 

 

“Articles”

means these articles of association of the Company.
     
  “Auditor” means the person for the time being performing the duties of auditor of the Company (if any).
     
  “Business Combination” means a merger, amalgamation, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganisation or similar business combination involving the Company, with one or more businesses or entities (the “target business”), which Business Combination: (a) must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80 per cent of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the agreement to enter into such Business Combination; and (b) must not be effectuated with another blank cheque company or a similar company with nominal operations.
     
  “Class A Share” means a Class A ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company.
     
  “Class B Share” means a Class B ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company.
     
  “Company” means the above named company.
     
  “Directors” means the directors for the time being of the Company.
     
  “Dividend” means any dividend (whether interim or final) resolved to be paid on Shares pursuant to the Articles.

 

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  “Electronic Record” has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Act.
     
  “Electronic Transactions Act” means the Electronic Transactions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands.
     
  “Equity-linked Securities” means any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for Class A Shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with a Business Combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt.
     
  “IPO” means the Company’s initial public offering of securities.
     
  “Member” has the same meaning as in the Statute.
     
  “Memorandum” means the memorandum of association of the Company.
     
  “Ordinary Resolution” means a resolution passed by a simple majority of the Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting, and includes a unanimous written resolution. In computing the majority when a poll is demanded regard shall be had to the number of votes to which each Member is entitled by the Articles.
     
  “Preference Share” means a preference share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company.
     
  “Register of Members” means the register of Members maintained in accordance with the Statute and includes (except where otherwise stated) any branch or duplicate register of Members.
     
  “Registered Office” means the registered office for the time being of the Company.
     
  “Seal” means the common seal of the Company and includes every duplicate seal.
     
  “Share” means a Class A Share, a Class B Share or a Preference Share and includes a fraction of a share in the Company.
     
  “Special Resolution” has the same meaning as in the Statute, and includes a unanimous written resolution.
     
  “Statute” means the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands.
     
  “Subscriber” means the subscriber to the Memorandum.

 

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  “Treasury Share” means a Share held in the name of the Company as a treasury share in accordance with the Statute.
     
  “Trust Account” means the trust account established by the Company upon the consummation of its IPO and into which a certain amount of the net proceeds of the IPO, together with a certain amount of the proceeds of a private placement of warrants simultaneously with the closing date of the IPO, will be deposited.

 

1.2 In the Articles:

 

(a) words importing the singular number include the plural number and vice versa;

 

(b) words importing the masculine gender include the feminine gender;

 

(c) words importing persons include corporations as well as any other legal or natural person;

 

(d) “written” and “in writing” include all modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form, including in the form of an Electronic Record;

 

(e) “shall” shall be construed as imperative and “may” shall be construed as permissive;

 

(f) references to provisions of any law or regulation shall be construed as references to those provisions as amended, modified, re-enacted or replaced;

 

(g) any phrase introduced by the terms “including”, “include”, “in particular” or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms;

 

(h) the term “and/or” is used herein to mean both “and” as well as “or.” The use of “and/or” in certain contexts in no respects qualifies or modifies the use of the terms “and” or “or” in others. The term “or” shall not be interpreted to be exclusive and the term “and” shall not be interpreted to require the conjunctive (in each case, unless the context otherwise requires);

 

(i) headings are inserted for reference only and shall be ignored in construing the Articles;

 

(j) any requirements as to delivery under the Articles include delivery in the form of an Electronic Record;

 

(k) any requirements as to execution or signature under the Articles including the execution of the Articles themselves can be satisfied in the form of an electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Transactions Act;

 

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(l) sections 8 and 19(3) of the Electronic Transactions Act shall not apply;

 

(m) the term “clear days” in relation to the period of a notice means that period excluding the day when the notice is received or deemed to be received and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect; and

 

(n) the term “holder” in relation to a Share means a person whose name is entered in the Register of Members as the holder of such Share.

 

2 Commencement of Business

 

2.1 The business of the Company may be commenced as soon after incorporation of the Company as the Directors shall see fit.

 

2.2 The Directors may pay, out of the capital or any other monies of the Company, all expenses incurred in or about the formation and establishment of the Company, including the expenses of registration.

 

3 Issue of Shares and other Securities

 

3.1 Subject to the provisions, if any, in the Memorandum (and to any direction that may be given by the Company in general meeting) and without prejudice to any rights attached to any existing Shares, the Directors may allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise dispose of Shares (including fractions of a Share) with or without preferred, deferred or other rights or restrictions, whether in regard to Dividend or other distribution, voting, return of capital or otherwise and to such persons, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper, and may also (subject to the Statute and the Articles) vary such rights, save that the Directors shall not allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise dispose of Shares (including fractions of a Share) to the extent that it may affect the ability of the Company to carry out a Class B Share Conversion set out in the Articles.

 

3.2 The Company may issue rights, options, warrants or convertible securities or securities of similar nature conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of Shares or other securities in the Company on such terms as the Directors may from time to time determine.

 

3.3 The Company may issue units of securities in the Company, which may be comprised of whole or fractional Shares, rights, options, warrants or convertible securities or securities of similar nature conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of Shares or other securities in the Company, upon such terms as the Directors may from time to time determine.

 

3.4 The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer.

 

6

 

 

4 Register of Members

 

4.1 The Company shall maintain or cause to be maintained the Register of Members in accordance with the Statute.

 

4.2 The Directors may determine that the Company shall maintain one or more branch registers of Members in accordance with the Statute. The Directors may also determine which register of Members shall constitute the principal register and which shall constitute the branch register or registers, and to vary such determination from time to time.

 

5 Closing Register of Members or Fixing Record Date

 

5.1 For the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of Members or any adjournment thereof, or Members entitled to receive payment of any Dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose, the Directors may provide that the Register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not in any case exceed forty days.

 

5.2 In lieu of, or apart from, closing the Register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance or arrears a date as the record date for any such determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of the Members or any adjournment thereof, or for the purpose of determining the Members entitled to receive payment of any Dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose.

 

5.3 If the Register of Members is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at, a meeting of Members or Members entitled to receive payment of a Dividend or other distribution, the date on which notice of the meeting is sent or the date on which the resolution of the Directors resolving to pay such Dividend or other distribution is passed, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Members. When a determination of Members entitled to vote at any meeting of Members has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof.

 

6 Certificates for Shares

 

6.1 A Member shall only be entitled to a share certificate if the Directors resolve that share certificates shall be issued. Share certificates representing Shares, if any, shall be in such form as the Directors may determine. Share certificates shall be signed by one or more Directors or other person authorised by the Directors. The Directors may authorise certificates to be issued with the authorised signature(s) affixed by mechanical process. All certificates for Shares shall be consecutively numbered or otherwise identified and shall specify the Shares to which they relate. All certificates surrendered to the Company for transfer shall be cancelled and subject to the Articles no new certificate shall be issued until the former certificate representing a like number of relevant Shares shall have been surrendered and cancelled.

 

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6.2 The Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate for Shares held jointly by more than one person and delivery of a certificate to one joint holder shall be a sufficient delivery to all of them.

 

6.3 If a share certificate is defaced, worn out, lost or destroyed, it may be renewed on such terms (if any) as to evidence and indemnity and on the payment of such expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in investigating evidence, as the Directors may prescribe, and (in the case of defacement or wearing out) upon delivery of the old certificate.

 

6.4 Every share certificate sent in accordance with the Articles will be sent at the risk of the Member or other person entitled to the certificate. The Company will not be responsible for any share certificate lost or delayed in the course of delivery.

 

7 Transfer of Shares

 

7.1 Subject to Article 3.1, Shares are transferable subject to the approval of the Directors by resolution who may, in their absolute discretion, decline to register any transfer of Shares without giving any reason. If the Directors refuse to register a transfer they shall notify the transferee within two months of such refusal.

 

7.2 The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing and shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor (and if the Directors so require, signed by or on behalf of the transferee). The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of a Share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members.

 

8 Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares

 

8.1 Subject to the provisions of the Statute the Company may issue Shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Member or the Company. The redemption of such Shares shall be effected in such manner and upon such other terms as the Company may, by Special Resolution, determine before the issue of the Shares.

 

8.2 Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Company may purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) in such manner and on such other terms as the Directors may agree with the relevant Member.

 

8.3 The Company may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Statute, including out of capital.

 

8.4 The Directors may accept the surrender for no consideration of any fully paid Share.

 

9 Treasury Shares

 

9.1 The Directors may, prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of any Share, determine that such Share shall be held as a Treasury Share.

 

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9.2 The Directors may determine to cancel a Treasury Share or transfer a Treasury Share on such terms as they think proper (including, without limitation, for nil consideration).

 

10 Variation of Rights of Shares

 

10.1 If at any time the share capital of the Company is divided into different classes of Shares, all or any of the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class) may, whether or not the Company is being wound up, be varied without the consent of the holders of the issued Shares of that class where such variation is considered by the Directors not to have a material adverse effect upon such rights; otherwise, any such variation shall be made only with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than two thirds of the issued Shares of that class, or with the approval of a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two thirds of the votes cast at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares of that class. For the avoidance of doubt, the Directors reserve the right, notwithstanding that any such variation may not have a material adverse effect, to obtain consent from the holders of Shares of the relevant class. To any such meeting all the provisions of the Articles relating to general meetings shall apply mutatis mutandis, except that the necessary quorum shall be one person holding or representing by proxy at least one third of the issued Shares of the class and that any holder of Shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll.

 

10.2 For the purposes of a separate class meeting, the Directors may treat two or more or all the classes of Shares as forming one class of Shares if the Directors consider that such class of Shares would be affected in the same way by the proposals under consideration, but in any other case shall treat them as separate classes of Shares.

 

10.3 The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights 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 therewith.

 

11 Commission on Sale of Shares

 

The Company may, in so far as the Statute permits, pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe (whether absolutely or conditionally) or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions (whether absolutely or conditionally) for any Shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash and/or the issue of fully or partly paid-up Shares. The Company may also on any issue of Shares pay such brokerage as may be lawful.

 

12 Non Recognition of Trusts

 

The Company shall not be bound by or compelled to recognise in any way (even when notified) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share, or (except only as is otherwise provided by the Articles or the Statute) any other rights in respect of any Share other than an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the holder.

 

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13 Lien on Shares

 

13.1 The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on all Shares (whether fully paid-up or not) registered in the name of a Member (whether solely or jointly with others) for all debts, liabilities or engagements to or with the Company (whether presently payable or not) by such Member or his estate, either alone or jointly with any other person, whether a Member or not, but the Directors may at any time declare any Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The registration of a transfer of any such Share shall operate as a waiver of the Company’s lien thereon. The Company’s lien on a Share shall also extend to any amount payable in respect of that Share.

 

13.2 The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors think fit, any Shares on which the Company has a lien, if a sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable, and is not paid within fourteen clear days after notice has been received or deemed to have been received by the holder of the Shares, or to the person entitled to it in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of the holder, demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the Shares may be sold.

 

13.3 To give effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Shares sold to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The purchaser or his nominee shall be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer, and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the sale or the exercise of the Company’s power of sale under the Articles.

 

13.4 The net proceeds of such sale after payment of costs, shall be applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable and any balance shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares before the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the Shares at the date of the sale.

 

14 Call on Shares

 

14.1 Subject to the terms of the allotment and issue of any Shares, the Directors may make calls upon the Members in respect of any monies unpaid on their Shares (whether in respect of par value or premium), and each Member shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen clear days’ notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on the Shares. A call may be revoked or postponed, in whole or in part, as the Directors may determine. A call may be required to be paid by instalments. A person upon whom a call is made shall remain liable for calls made upon him notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the Shares in respect of which the call was made.

 

14.2 A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed.

 

14.3 The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect thereof.

 

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14.4 If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable, the person from whom it is due shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid at such rate as the Directors may determine (and in addition all expenses that have been incurred by the Company by reason of such non-payment), but the Directors may waive payment of the interest or expenses wholly or in part.

 

14.5 An amount payable in respect of a Share on issue or allotment or at any fixed date, whether on account of the par value of the Share or premium or otherwise, shall be deemed to be a call and if it is not paid all the provisions of the Articles shall apply as if that amount had become due and payable by virtue of a call.

 

14.6 The Directors may issue Shares with different terms as to the amount and times of payment of calls, or the interest to be paid.

 

14.7 The Directors may, if they think fit, receive an amount from any Member willing to advance all or any part of the monies uncalled and unpaid upon any Shares held by him, and may (until the amount would otherwise become payable) pay interest at such rate as may be agreed upon between the Directors and the Member paying such amount in advance.

 

14.8 No such amount paid in advance of calls shall entitle the Member paying such amount to any portion of a Dividend or other distribution payable in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such amount would, but for such payment, become payable.

 

15 Forfeiture of Shares

 

15.1 If a call or instalment of a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the Directors may give to the person from whom it is due not less than fourteen clear days’ notice requiring payment of the amount unpaid together with any interest which may have accrued and any expenses incurred by the Company by reason of such non-payment. The notice shall specify where payment is to be made and shall state that if the notice is not complied with the Shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

15.2 If the notice is not complied with, any Share in respect of which it was given may, before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors. Such forfeiture shall include all Dividends, other distributions or other monies payable in respect of the forfeited Share and not paid before the forfeiture.

 

15.3 A forfeited Share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit and at any time before a sale, re-allotment or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit. Where for the purposes of its disposal a forfeited Share is to be transferred to any person the Directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Share in favour of that person.

 

15.4 A person any of whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Member in respect of them and shall surrender to the Company for cancellation the certificate for the Shares forfeited and shall remain liable to pay to the Company all monies which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of those Shares together with interest at such rate as the Directors may determine, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all monies due and payable by him in respect of those Shares.

 

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15.5 A certificate in writing under the hand of one Director or officer of the Company that a Share has been forfeited on a specified date shall be conclusive evidence of the facts stated in it as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the Share. The certificate shall (subject to the execution of an instrument of transfer) constitute a good title to the Share and the person to whom the Share is sold or otherwise disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the Share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, sale or disposal of the Share.

 

15.6 The provisions of the Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the par value of the Share or by way of premium as if it had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

16 Transmission of Shares

 

16.1 If a Member dies the survivor or survivors (where he was a joint holder) or his legal personal representatives (where he was a sole holder), shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his Shares. The estate of a deceased Member is not thereby released from any liability in respect of any Share, for which he was a joint or sole holder.

 

16.2 Any person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of a Member (or in any other way than by transfer) may, upon such evidence being produced as may be required by the Directors, elect, by a notice in writing sent by him to the Company, either to become the holder of such Share or to have some person nominated by him registered as the holder of such Share. If he elects to have another person registered as the holder of such Share he shall sign an instrument of transfer of that Share to that person. The Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the relevant Member before his death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution, as the case may be.

 

16.3 A person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of a Member (or in any other case than by transfer) shall be entitled to the same Dividends, other distributions and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the holder of such Share. However, he shall not, before becoming a Member in respect of a Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to general meetings of the Company and the Directors may at any time give notice requiring any such person to elect either to be registered himself or to have some person nominated by him be registered as the holder of the Share (but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the relevant Member before his death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution or any other case than by transfer, as the case may be). If the notice is not complied with within ninety days of being received or deemed to be received (as determined pursuant to the Articles) the Directors may thereafter withhold payment of all Dividends, other distributions, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with.

 

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17 Class B Ordinary Share Conversion

 

17.1 The rights attaching to the Class A Shares and Class B Shares shall rank pari passu in all respects, and the Class A Shares and Class B Shares shall vote together as a single class on all matters (subject to the Variation of Rights of Shares Article) with the exception that the holder of a Class B Share shall have the conversion rights referred to in this Article.

 

17.2 Class B Shares shall automatically convert into Class A Shares on a one-for-one basis (the “Initial Conversion Ratio”): (a) at any time and from time to time at the option of the holders thereof; and (b) automatically on the day of the closing of a Business Combination.

 

17.3 Notwithstanding the Initial Conversion Ratio, in the case that additional Class A Shares or any other Equity-linked Securities, are issued, or deemed issued, by the Company in excess of the amounts offered in the IPO and related to the closing of a Business Combination, all Class B Shares in issue shall automatically convert into Class A Shares at the time of the closing of a Business Combination at a ratio for which the Class B Shares shall convert into Class A Shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the Class B Shares in issue agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A Shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B Shares will equal, on an as-converted basis, in the aggregate, 20 per cent of the sum of all Class A Shares and Class B Shares in issue upon completion of the IPO plus all Class A Shares and Equity-linked Securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination, excluding any Shares or Equity-linked Securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination and any private placement warrants issued to the Sponsor or its Affiliates upon conversion of working capital loans made to the Company.

 

17.4 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the foregoing adjustment to the Initial Conversion Ratio may be waived as to any particular issuance or deemed issuance of additional Class A Shares or Equity-linked Securities by the written consent or agreement of holders of a majority of the Class B Shares then in issue consenting or agreeing separately as a separate class in the manner provided in the Variation of Rights of Shares Article hereof.

 

17.5 The foregoing conversion ratio shall also be adjusted to account for any subdivision (by share subdivision, exchange, capitalisation, rights issue, reclassification, recapitalisation or otherwise) or combination (by share consolidation, exchange, reclassification, recapitalisation or otherwise) or similar reclassification or recapitalisation of the Class A Shares in issue into a greater or lesser number of shares occurring after the original filing of the Articles without a proportionate and corresponding subdivision, combination or similar reclassification or recapitalisation of the Class B Shares in issue.

 

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17.6 Each Class B Share shall convert into its pro rata number of Class A Shares pursuant to this Article. The pro rata share for each holder of Class B Shares will be determined as follows: each Class B Share shall convert into such number of Class A Shares as is equal to the product of 1 multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total number of Class A Shares into which all of the Class B Shares in issue shall be converted pursuant to this Article and the denominator of which shall be the total number of Class B Shares in issue at the time of conversion.

 

17.7 References in this Article to “converted”, “conversion” or “exchange” shall mean the compulsory redemption without notice of Class B Shares of any Member and, on behalf of such Members, automatic application of such redemption proceeds in paying for such new Class A Shares into which the Class B Shares have been converted or exchanged at a price per Class B Share necessary to give effect to a conversion or exchange calculated on the basis that the Class A Shares to be issued as part of the conversion or exchange will be issued at par. The Class A Shares to be issued on an exchange or conversion shall be registered in the name of such Member or in such name as the Member may direct.

 

17.8 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article, in no event may any Class B Share convert into Class A Shares at a ratio that is less than one-for-one.

 

18 Amendments of Memorandum and Articles of Association and Alteration of Capital

 

18.1 The Company may by Ordinary Resolution:

 

(a) increase its share capital by such sum as the Ordinary Resolution shall prescribe and with such rights, priorities and privileges annexed thereto, as the Company in general meeting may determine;

 

(b) consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares;

 

(c) convert all or any of its paid-up Shares into stock, and reconvert that stock into paid-up Shares of any denomination;

 

(d) by subdivision of its existing Shares or any of them divide the whole or any part of its share capital into Shares of smaller amount than is fixed by the Memorandum or into Shares without par value; and

 

(e) cancel any Shares that at the date of the passing of the Ordinary Resolution have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled.

 

18.2 All new Shares created in accordance with the provisions of the preceding Article shall be subject to the same provisions of the Articles with reference to the payment of calls, liens, transfer, transmission, forfeiture and otherwise as the Shares in the original share capital.

 

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18.3 Subject to the provisions of the Statute and the provisions of the Articles as regards the matters to be dealt with by Ordinary Resolution, the Company may by Special Resolution:

 

(a) change its name;

 

(b) alter or add to the Articles;

 

(c) alter or add to the Memorandum with respect to any objects, powers or other matters specified therein; and

 

(d) reduce its share capital or any capital redemption reserve fund.

 

19 Offices and Places of Business

 

Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Company may by resolution of the Directors change the location of its Registered Office. The Company may, in addition to its Registered Office, maintain such other offices or places of business as the Directors determine.

 

20 General Meetings

 

20.1 All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.

 

20.2 The Company may, but shall not (unless required by the Statute) be obliged to, in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. Any annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Directors shall appoint and if no other time and place is prescribed by them, it shall be held at the Registered Office on the second Wednesday in December of each year at ten o’clock in the morning. At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented.

 

20.3 The Directors may call general meetings, and they shall on a Members’ requisition forthwith proceed to convene an extraordinary general meeting of the Company.

 

20.4 A Members’ requisition is a requisition of Members holding at the date of deposit of the requisition not less than ten per cent. in par value of the issued Shares which as at that date carry the right to vote at general meetings of the Company.

 

20.5 The Members’ requisition must state the objects of the meeting and must be signed by the requisitionists and deposited at the Registered Office, and may consist of several documents in like form each signed by one or more requisitionists.

 

20.6 If there are no Directors as at the date of the deposit of the Members’ requisition or if the Directors do not within twenty-one days from the date of the deposit of the Members’ requisition duly proceed to convene a general meeting to be held within a further twenty-one days, the requisitionists, or any of them representing more than one-half of the total voting rights of all of the requisitionists, may themselves convene a general meeting, but any meeting so convened shall be held no later than the day which falls three months after the expiration of the said twenty-one day period.

 

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20.7 A general meeting convened as aforesaid by requisitionists shall be convened in the same manner as nearly as possible as that in which general meetings are to be convened by Directors.

 

21 Notice of General Meetings

 

21.1 At least five clear days’ notice shall be given of any general meeting. Every notice shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be conducted at the general meeting and shall be given in the manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner if any as may be prescribed by the Company, provided that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice specified in this Article has been given and whether or not the provisions of the Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed:

 

(a) in the case of an annual general meeting, by all of the Members entitled to attend and vote thereat; and

 

(b) in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by a majority in number of the Members having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, together holding not less than ninety five per cent. in par value of the Shares giving that right.

 

21.2 The accidental omission to give notice of a general meeting to, or the non receipt of notice of a general meeting by, any person entitled to receive such notice shall not invalidate the proceedings of that general meeting.

 

22 Proceedings at General Meetings

 

22.1 No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present. Two Members being individuals present in person or by proxy or if a corporation or other non-natural person by its duly authorised representative or proxy shall be a quorum unless the Company has only one Member entitled to vote at such general meeting in which case the quorum shall be that one Member present in person or by proxy or (in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person) by its duly authorised representative or proxy.

 

22.2 A person may participate at a general meeting by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation by a person in a general meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting.

 

22.3 A resolution (including a Special Resolution) in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by or on behalf of all of the Members for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings (or, being corporations or other non-natural persons, signed by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the resolution had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held.

 

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22.4 If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting to commence or if during such a meeting a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting, if convened upon a Members’ requisition, shall be dissolved and in any other case it shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and/or place or to such other day, time and/or place as the Directors may determine, and if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Members present shall be a quorum.

 

22.5 The Directors may, at any time prior to the time appointed for the meeting to commence, appoint any person to act as chairman of a general meeting of the Company or, if the Directors do not make any such appointment, the chairman, if any, of the board of Directors shall preside as chairman at such general meeting. If there is no such chairman, or if he shall not be present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, or is unwilling to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

22.6 If no Director is willing to act as chairman or if no Director is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Members present shall choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

22.7 The chairman may, with the consent of a meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place.

 

22.8 When a general meeting is adjourned for thirty days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any such notice of an adjourned meeting.

 

22.9 A resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a show of hands unless before, or on the declaration of the result of, the show of hands, the chairman demands a poll, or any other Member or Members collectively present in person or by proxy (or in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy) and holding at least ten per cent. in par value of the Shares giving a right to attend and vote at the meeting demand a poll.

 

22.10 Unless a poll is duly demanded and the demand is not withdrawn a declaration by the chairman that a resolution has been carried or carried unanimously, or by a particular majority, or lost or not carried by a particular majority, an entry to that effect in the minutes of the proceedings of the meeting shall be conclusive evidence of that fact without proof of the number or proportion of the votes recorded in favour of or against such resolution.

 

22.11 The demand for a poll may be withdrawn.

 

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22.12 Except on a poll demanded on the election of a chairman or on a question of adjournment, a poll shall be taken as the chairman directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the general meeting at which the poll was demanded.

 

22.13 A poll demanded on the election of a chairman or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such date, time and place as the chairman of the general meeting directs, and any business other than that upon which a poll has been demanded or is contingent thereon may proceed pending the taking of the poll.

 

22.14 In the case of an equality of votes, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, the chairman shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.

 

23 Votes of Members

 

23.1 Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any Shares, on a show of hands every Member who (being an individual) is present in person or by proxy or, if a corporation or other non-natural person is present by its duly authorised representative or by proxy, shall have one vote and on a poll every Member present in any such manner shall have one vote for every Share of which he is the holder.

 

23.2 In the case of joint holders the vote of the senior holder who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy (or, in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy), shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders, and seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the holders stand in the Register of Members.

 

23.3 A Member of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court, having jurisdiction in lunacy, may vote, whether on a show of hands or on a poll, by his committee, receiver, curator bonis, or other person on such Member’s behalf appointed by that court, and any such committee, receiver, curator bonis or other person may vote by proxy.

 

23.4 No person shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting unless he is registered as a Member on the record date for such meeting nor unless all calls or other monies then payable by him in respect of Shares have been paid.

 

23.5 No objection shall be raised as to the qualification of any voter except at the general meeting or adjourned general meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered and every vote not disallowed at the meeting shall be valid. Any objection made in due time in accordance with this Article shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

 

23.6 On a poll or on a show of hands votes may be cast either personally or by proxy (or in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person by its duly authorised representative or proxy). A Member may appoint more than one proxy or the same proxy under one or more instruments to attend and vote at a meeting. Where a Member appoints more than one proxy the instrument of proxy shall state which proxy is entitled to vote on a show of hands and shall specify the number of Shares in respect of which each proxy is entitled to exercise the related votes.

 

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23.7 On a poll, a Member holding more than one Share need not cast the votes in respect of his Shares in the same way on any resolution and therefore may vote a Share or some or all such Shares either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting a Share or some or all of the Shares and, subject to the terms of the instrument appointing him, a proxy appointed under one or more instruments may vote a Share or some or all of the Shares in respect of which he is appointed either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting a Share or some or all of the Shares in respect of which he is appointed.

 

24 Proxies

 

24.1 The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing and shall be executed under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing, or, if the appointor is a corporation or other non natural person, under the hand of its duly authorised representative. A proxy need not be a Member.

 

24.2 The Directors may, in the notice convening any meeting or adjourned meeting, or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, specify the manner by which the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited and the place and the time (being not later than the time appointed for the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting to which the proxy relates) at which the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited. In the absence of any such direction from the Directors in the notice convening any meeting or adjourned meeting or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited physically at the Registered Office not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the meeting or adjourned meeting to commence at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote.

 

24.3 The chairman may in any event at his discretion declare that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited. An instrument of proxy that is not deposited in the manner permitted, or which has not been declared to have been duly deposited by the chairman, shall be invalid.

 

24.4 The instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form (or such other form as the Directors may approve) and may be expressed to be for a particular meeting or any adjournment thereof or generally until revoked. An instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to include the power to demand or join or concur in demanding a poll.

 

24.5 Votes given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy shall be valid notwithstanding the previous death or insanity of the principal or revocation of the proxy or of the authority under which the proxy was executed, or the transfer of the Share in respect of which the proxy is given unless notice in writing of such death, insanity, revocation or transfer was received by the Company at the Registered Office before the commencement of the general meeting, or adjourned meeting at which it is sought to use the proxy.

 

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25 Corporate Members

 

Any corporation or other non-natural person which is a Member may in accordance with its constitutional documents, or in the absence of such provision by resolution of its directors or other governing body, authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any class of Members, and the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as the corporation could exercise if it were an individual Member.

 

26 Shares that May Not be Voted

 

Shares in the Company that are beneficially owned by the Company shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding Shares at any given time.

 

27 Directors

 

There shall be a board of Directors consisting of not less than one person (exclusive of alternate Directors) provided however that the Company may by Ordinary Resolution increase or reduce the limits in the number of Directors. The first Directors of the Company shall be determined in writing by, or appointed by a resolution of, the Subscriber.

 

28 Powers of Directors

 

28.1 Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Memorandum and the Articles and to any directions given by Special Resolution, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors who may exercise all the powers of the Company. No alteration of the Memorandum or Articles and no such direction shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that direction had not been given. A duly convened meeting of Directors at which a quorum is present may exercise all powers exercisable by the Directors.

 

28.2 All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable or transferable instruments and all receipts for monies paid to the Company shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed as the case may be in such manner as the Directors shall determine by resolution.

 

28.3 The Directors on behalf of the Company may pay a gratuity or pension or allowance on retirement to any Director who has held any other salaried office or place of profit with the Company or to his widow or dependants and may make contributions to any fund and pay premiums for the purchase or provision of any such gratuity, pension or allowance.

 

28.4 The Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital or any part thereof and to issue debentures, debenture stock, mortgages, bonds and other such securities whether outright or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.

 

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29 Appointment and Removal of Directors

 

29.1 The Company may by Ordinary Resolution appoint any person to be a Director or may by Ordinary Resolution remove any Director.

 

29.2 The Directors may appoint any person to be a Director, either to fill a vacancy or as an additional Director provided that the appointment does not cause the number of Directors to exceed any number fixed by or in accordance with the Articles as the maximum number of Directors.

 

30 Vacation of Office of Director

 

The office of a Director shall be vacated if:

 

(a) the Director gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns the office of Director; or

 

(b) the Director absents himself (for the avoidance of doubt, without being represented by proxy or an alternate Director appointed by him) from three consecutive meetings of the board of Directors without special leave of absence from the Directors, and the Directors pass a resolution that he has by reason of such absence vacated office; or

 

(c) the Director dies, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; or

 

(d) the Director is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; or

 

(e) all of the other Directors (being not less than two in number) determine that he should be removed as a Director, either by a resolution passed by all of the other Directors at a meeting of the Directors duly convened and held in accordance with the Articles or by a resolution in writing signed by all of the other Directors.

 

31 Proceedings of Directors

 

31.1 The quorum for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed shall be two if there are two or more Directors, and shall be one if there is only one Director. A person who holds office as an alternate Director shall, if his appointor is not present, be counted in the quorum. A Director who also acts as an alternate Director shall, if his appointor is not present, count twice towards the quorum.

 

31.2 Subject to the provisions of the Articles, the Directors may regulate their proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall have a second or casting vote. A Director who is also an alternate Director shall be entitled in the absence of his appointor to a separate vote on behalf of his appointor in addition to his own vote.

 

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31.3 A person may participate in a meeting of the Directors or any committee of Directors by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other at the same time. Participation by a person in a meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting. Unless otherwise determined by the Directors the meeting shall be deemed to be held at the place where the chairman is located at the start of the meeting.

 

31.4 A resolution in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of the Directors or, in the case of a resolution in writing relating to the removal of any Director or the vacation of office by any Director, all of the Directors other than the Director who is the subject of such resolution (an alternate Director being entitled to sign such a resolution on behalf of his appointor and if such alternate Director is also a Director, being entitled to sign such resolution both on behalf of his appointer and in his capacity as a Director) shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors, or committee of Directors as the case may be, duly convened and held.

 

31.5 A Director or alternate Director may, or other officer of the Company on the direction of a Director or alternate Director shall, call a meeting of the Directors by at least two days’ notice in writing to every Director and alternate Director which notice shall set forth the general nature of the business to be considered unless notice is waived by all the Directors (or their alternates) either at, before or after the meeting is held. To any such notice of a meeting of the Directors all the provisions of the Articles relating to the giving of notices by the Company to the Members shall apply mutatis mutandis.

 

31.6 The continuing Directors (or a sole continuing Director, as the case may be) may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, but if and so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to the Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors the continuing Directors or Director may act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to be equal to such fixed number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.

 

31.7 The Directors may elect a chairman of their board and determine the period for which he is to hold office; but if no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within five minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

31.8 All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors (including any person acting as an alternate Director) shall, notwithstanding that it is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any Director or alternate Director, and/or that they or any of them were disqualified, and/or had vacated their office and/or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and/or not disqualified to be a Director or alternate Director and/or had not vacated their office and/or had been entitled to vote, as the case may be.

 

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31.9 A Director but not an alternate Director may be represented at any meetings of the board of Directors by a proxy appointed in writing by him. The proxy shall count towards the quorum and the vote of the proxy shall for all purposes be deemed to be that of the appointing Director.

 

32 Presumption of Assent

 

A Director or alternate Director who is present at a meeting of the board of Directors at which action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent from such action with the person acting as the chairman or secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered post to such person immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director or alternate Director who voted in favour of such action.

 

33 Directors’ Interests

 

33.1 A Director or alternate Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of Auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms as to remuneration and otherwise as the Directors may determine.

 

33.2 A Director or alternate Director may act by himself or by, through or on behalf of his firm in a professional capacity for the Company and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director or alternate Director.

 

33.3 A Director or alternate Director may be or become a director or other officer of or otherwise interested in any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested as a shareholder, a contracting party or otherwise, and no such Director or alternate Director shall be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefits received by him as a director or officer of, or from his interest in, such other company.

 

33.4 No person shall be disqualified from the office of Director or alternate Director or prevented by such office from contracting with the Company, either as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director or alternate Director shall be in any way interested be or be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director or alternate Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by or arising in connection with any such contract or transaction by reason of such Director or alternate Director holding office or of the fiduciary relationship thereby established. A Director (or his alternate Director in his absence) shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested provided that the nature of the interest of any Director or alternate Director in any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him at or prior to its consideration and any vote thereon.

 

33.5 A general notice that a Director or alternate Director is a shareholder, director, officer or employee of any specified firm or company and is to be regarded as interested in any transaction with such firm or company shall be sufficient disclosure for the purposes of voting on a resolution in respect of a contract or transaction in which he has an interest, and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction.

 

23

 

 

34 Minutes

 

The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books kept for the purpose of recording all appointments of officers made by the Directors, all proceedings at meetings of the Company or the holders of any class of Shares and of the Directors, and of committees of the Directors, including the names of the Directors or alternate Directors present at each meeting.

 

35 Delegation of Directors’ Powers

 

35.1 The Directors may delegate any of their powers, authorities and discretions, including the power to sub-delegate, to any committee consisting of one or more Directors. They may also delegate to any managing director or any Director holding any other executive office such of their powers, authorities and discretions as they consider desirable to be exercised by him provided that an alternate Director may not act as managing director and the appointment of a managing director shall be revoked forthwith if he ceases to be a Director. Any such delegation may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and any such delegation may be revoked or altered by the Directors. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of a committee of Directors shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying.

 

35.2 The Directors may establish any committees, local boards or agencies or appoint any person to be a manager or agent for managing the affairs of the Company and may appoint any person to be a member of such committees, local boards or agencies. Any such appointment may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose, and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and any such appointment may be revoked or altered by the Directors. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of any such committee, local board or agency shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying.

 

35.3 The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any person to be the agent of the Company on such conditions as the Directors may determine, provided that the delegation is not to the exclusion of their own powers and may be revoked by the Directors at any time.

 

35.4 The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any company, firm, person or body of persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or authorised signatory of the Company for such purpose and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under the Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such powers of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of persons dealing with any such attorneys or authorised signatories as the Directors may think fit and may also authorise any such attorney or authorised signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him.

 

24

 

 

35.5 The Directors may appoint such officers of the Company (including, for the avoidance of doubt and without limitation, any secretary) as they consider necessary on such terms, at such remuneration and to perform such duties, and subject to such provisions as to disqualification and removal as the Directors may think fit. Unless otherwise specified in the terms of his appointment an officer of the Company may be removed by resolution of the Directors or Members. An officer of the Company may vacate his office at any time if he gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns his office.

 

36 Alternate Directors

 

36.1 Any Director (but not an alternate Director) may by writing appoint any other Director, or any other person willing to act, to be an alternate Director and by writing may remove from office an alternate Director so appointed by him.

 

36.2 An alternate Director shall be entitled to receive notice of all meetings of Directors and of all meetings of committees of Directors of which his appointor is a member, to attend and vote at every such meeting at which the Director appointing him is not personally present, to sign any written resolution of the Directors, and generally to perform all the functions of his appointor as a Director in his absence.

 

36.3 An alternate Director shall cease to be an alternate Director if his appointor ceases to be a Director.

 

36.4 Any appointment or removal of an alternate Director shall be by notice to the Company signed by the Director making or revoking the appointment or in any other manner approved by the Directors.

 

36.5 Subject to the provisions of the Articles, an alternate Director shall be deemed for all purposes to be a Director and shall alone be responsible for his own acts and defaults and shall not be deemed to be the agent of the Director appointing him.

 

37 No Minimum Shareholding

 

The Company in general meeting may fix a minimum shareholding required to be held by a Director, but unless and until such a shareholding qualification is fixed a Director is not required to hold Shares.

 

38 Remuneration of Directors

 

38.1 The remuneration to be paid to the Directors, if any, shall be such remuneration as the Directors shall determine. The Directors shall also be entitled to be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of Directors or committees of Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or separate meetings of the holders of any class of Shares or debentures of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company or the discharge of their duties as a Director, or to receive a fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other.

 

25

 

 

38.2 The Directors may by resolution approve additional remuneration to any Director for any services which in the opinion of the Directors go beyond his ordinary routine work as a Director. Any fees paid to a Director who is also counsel, attorney or solicitor to the Company, or otherwise serves it in a professional capacity shall be in addition to his remuneration as a Director.

 

39 Seal

 

39.1 The Company may, if the Directors so determine, have a Seal. The Seal shall only be used by the authority of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors authorised by the Directors. Every instrument to which the Seal has been affixed shall be signed by at least one person who shall be either a Director or some officer of the Company or other person appointed by the Directors for the purpose.

 

39.2 The Company may have for use in any place or places outside the Cayman Islands a duplicate Seal or Seals each of which shall be a facsimile of the common Seal of the Company and, if the Directors so determine, with the addition on its face of the name of every place where it is to be used.

 

39.3 A Director or officer, representative or attorney of the Company may without further authority of the Directors affix the Seal over his signature alone to any document of the Company required to be authenticated by him under seal or to be filed with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere wheresoever.

 

40 Dividends, Distributions and Reserve

 

40.1 Subject to the Statute and this Article and except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares, the Directors may resolve to pay Dividends and other distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the Dividends or other distributions out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor. A Dividend shall be deemed to be an interim Dividend unless the terms of the resolution pursuant to which the Directors resolve to pay such Dividend specifically state that such Dividend shall be a final Dividend. No Dividend or other distribution shall be paid except out of the realised or unrealised profits of the Company, out of the share premium account or as otherwise permitted by law.

 

40.2 Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares, all Dividends and other distributions shall be paid according to the par value of the Shares that a Member holds. If any Share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for Dividend as from a particular date, that Share shall rank for Dividend accordingly.

 

40.3 The Directors may deduct from any Dividend or other distribution payable to any Member all sums of money (if any) then payable by him to the Company on account of calls or otherwise.

 

26

 

 

40.4 The Directors may resolve that any Dividend or other distribution be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular (but without limitation) by the distribution of shares, debentures, or securities of any other company or in any one or more of such ways and where any difficulty arises in regard to such distribution, the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient and in particular may issue fractional Shares and may fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part thereof and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any Members upon the basis of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of all Members and may vest any such specific assets in trustees in such manner as may seem expedient to the Directors.

 

40.5 Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares, Dividends and other distributions may be paid in any currency. The Directors may determine the basis of conversion for any currency conversions that may be required and how any costs involved are to be met.

 

40.6 The Directors may, before resolving to pay any Dividend or other distribution, set aside such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, at the discretion of the Directors, be applicable for any purpose of the Company and pending such application may, at the discretion of the Directors, be employed in the business of the Company.

 

40.7 Any Dividend, other distribution, interest or other monies payable in cash in respect of Shares may be paid by wire transfer to the holder or by cheque or warrant sent through the post directed to the registered address of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the registered address of the holder who is first named on the Register of Members or to such person and to such address as such holder or joint holders may in writing direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent. Any one of two or more joint holders may give effectual receipts for any Dividends, other distributions, bonuses, or other monies payable in respect of the Share held by them as joint holders.

 

40.8 No Dividend or other distribution shall bear interest against the Company.

 

40.9 Any Dividend or other distribution which cannot be paid to a Member and/or which remains unclaimed after six months from the date on which such Dividend or other distribution becomes payable may, in the discretion of the Directors, be paid into a separate account in the Company’s name, provided that the Company shall not be constituted as a trustee in respect of that account and the Dividend or other distribution shall remain as a debt due to the Member. Any Dividend or other distribution which remains unclaimed after a period of six years from the date on which such Dividend or other distribution becomes payable shall be forfeited and shall revert to the Company.

 

27

 

 

41 Capitalisation

 

The Directors may at any time capitalise any sum standing to the credit of any of the Company’s reserve accounts or funds (including the share premium account and capital redemption reserve fund) or any sum standing to the credit of the profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution; appropriate such sum to Members in the proportions in which such sum would have been divisible amongst such Members had the same been a distribution of profits by way of Dividend or other distribution; and apply such sum on their behalf in paying up in full unissued Shares for allotment and distribution credited as fully paid-up to and amongst them in the proportion aforesaid. In such event the Directors shall do all acts and things required to give effect to such capitalisation, with full power given to the Directors to make such provisions as they think fit in the case of Shares becoming distributable in fractions (including provisions whereby the benefit of fractional entitlements accrue to the Company rather than to the Members concerned). The Directors may authorise any person to enter on behalf of all of the Members interested into an agreement with the Company providing for such capitalisation and matters incidental or relating thereto and any agreement made under such authority shall be effective and binding on all such Members and the Company.

 

42 Books of Account

 

42.1 The Directors shall cause proper books of account (including, where applicable, material underlying documentation including contracts and invoices) to be kept with respect to all sums of money received and expended by the Company and the matters in respect of which the receipt or expenditure takes place, all sales and purchases of goods by the Company and the assets and liabilities of the Company. Such books of account must be retained for a minimum period of five years from the date on which they are prepared. Proper books shall not be deemed to be kept if there are not kept such books of account as are necessary to give a true and fair view of the state of the Company’s affairs and to explain its transactions.

 

42.2 The Directors shall determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Members not being Directors and no Member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by Statute or authorised by the Directors or by the Company in general meeting.

 

42.3 The Directors may cause to be prepared and to be laid before the Company in general meeting profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, group accounts (if any) and such other reports and accounts as may be required by law.

 

43 Audit

 

43.1 The Directors may appoint an Auditor of the Company who shall hold office on such terms as the Directors determine.

 

43.2 Every Auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and officers of the Company such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the Auditor.

 

28

 

 

43.3 Auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next annual general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company which is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an ordinary company, and at the next extraordinary general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company which is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an exempted company, and at any other time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members.

 

44 Notices

 

44.1 Notices shall be in writing and may be given by the Company to any Member either personally or by sending it by courier, post, cable, telex, fax or e-mail to him or to his address as shown in the Register of Members (or where the notice is given by e-mail by sending it to the e-mail address provided by such Member). Any notice, if posted from one country to another, is to be sent by airmail.

 

44.2 Where a notice is sent by courier, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by delivery of the notice to a courier company, and shall be deemed to have been received on the third day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays) following the day on which the notice was delivered to the courier. Where a notice is sent by post, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre paying and posting a letter containing the notice, and shall be deemed to have been received on the fifth day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays in the Cayman Islands) following the day on which the notice was posted. Where a notice is sent by cable, telex or fax, service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing and sending such notice and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was transmitted. Where a notice is given by e-mail service shall be deemed to be effected by transmitting the e-mail to the e-mail address provided by the intended recipient and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was sent, and it shall not be necessary for the receipt of the e-mail to be acknowledged by the recipient.

 

44.3 A notice may be given by the Company to the person or persons which the Company has been advised are entitled to a Share or Shares in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member in the same manner as other notices which are required to be given under the Articles and shall be addressed to them by name, or by the title of representatives of the deceased, or trustee of the bankrupt, or by any like description at the address supplied for that purpose by the persons claiming to be so entitled, or at the option of the Company by giving the notice in any manner in which the same might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred.

 

44.4 Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner authorised by the Articles to every holder of Shares carrying an entitlement to receive such notice on the record date for such meeting except that in the case of joint holders the notice shall be sufficient if given to the joint holder first named in the Register of Members and every person upon whom the ownership of a Share devolves by reason of his being a legal personal representative or a trustee in bankruptcy of a Member where the Member but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting, and no other person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.

 

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45 Winding Up

 

45.1 If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator shall apply the assets of the Company in satisfaction of creditors’ claims in such manner and order as such liquidator thinks fit. Subject to the rights attaching to any Shares, in a winding up:

 

(a) if the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the Company’s issued share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them; or

 

(b) if the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the Company’s issued share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Members 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 the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise.

 

45.2 If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, subject to the rights attaching to any Shares and with the approval of a Special Resolution of the Company and any other approval required by the Statute, divide amongst the Members in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether such assets shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may for that purpose value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may, with the like approval, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as the liquidator, with the like approval, shall think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability.

 

46 Indemnity and Insurance

 

46.1 Every Director and officer of the Company (which for the avoidance of doubt, shall not include auditors of the Company), together with every former Director and former officer of the Company (each an “Indemnified Person”) shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against any liability, action, proceeding, claim, demand, costs, damages or expenses, including legal expenses, whatsoever which they or any of them may incur as a result of any act or failure to act in carrying out their functions other than such liability (if any) that they may incur by reason of their own actual fraud or wilful default. No Indemnified Person shall be liable to the Company for any loss or damage incurred by the Company as a result (whether direct or indirect) of the carrying out of their functions unless that liability arises through the actual fraud or wilful default of such Indemnified Person. No person shall be found to have committed actual fraud or wilful default under this Article unless or until a court of competent jurisdiction shall have made a finding to that effect.

 

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46.2 The Company shall advance to each Indemnified Person reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred in connection with the defence of any action, suit, proceeding or investigation involving such Indemnified Person for which indemnity will or could be sought. In connection with any advance of any expenses hereunder, the Indemnified Person shall execute an undertaking to repay the advanced amount to the Company if it shall be determined by final judgment or other final adjudication that such Indemnified Person was not entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Article. If it shall be determined by a final judgment or other final adjudication that such Indemnified Person was not entitled to indemnification with respect to such judgment, costs or expenses, then such party shall not be indemnified with respect to such judgment, costs or expenses and any advancement shall be returned to the Company (without interest) by the Indemnified Person.

 

46.3 The Directors, on behalf of the Company, may purchase and maintain insurance for the benefit of any Director or other officer of the Company against any liability which, by virtue of any rule of law, would otherwise attach to such person in respect of any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which such person may be guilty in relation to the Company.

 

47 Financial Year

 

Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on 31st December in each year and, following the year of incorporation, shall begin on 1st January in each year.

 

48 Transfer by Way of Continuation

 

If the Company is exempted as defined in the Statute, it shall, subject to the provisions of the Statute and with the approval of a Special Resolution, have the power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.

 

49 Mergers and Consolidations

 

The Company shall have the power to merge or consolidate with one or more other constituent companies (as defined in the Statute) upon such terms as the Directors may determine and (to the extent required by the Statute) with the approval of a Special Resolution.

 

31

 

 

Dated this 3rd day of February 2021.

 

Signature and Address of Subscriber  
   

Maples Corporate Services Limited

 

of PO Box 309, Ugland House

 

Grand Cayman

 

KY1-1104

 

Cayman Islands

 

acting by:

 

 

/s/ Jessica Bent  
Jessica Bent  
   
/s/ Ruth Grizzel  
Ruth Grizzel  
Witness to the above signature  

 

 

32

 

 

Exhibit 3.2

 

THE COMPANIES ACT (As Revised)

 

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

 

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED

 

MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

(adopted by special resolution dated [Date] 2021 and effective on [date] 2021)

 

 

 

 

THE COMPANIES ACT (As Revised)

 

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

 

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED

 

MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

(adopted by special resolution dated [Date] 2021 and effective on [date] 2021)

 

1 The name of the Company is Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

2 The Registered Office of the Company shall be at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands, or at such other place within the Cayman Islands as the Directors may decide.

 

3 The objects for which the Company is established are unrestricted and the Company shall have full power and authority to carry out any object not prohibited by the laws of the Cayman Islands.

 

4 The liability of each Member is limited to the amount unpaid on such Member’s shares.

 

5 The share capital of the Company is US$55,500 divided into 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each and 5,000,000 preference shares of a par value of US$0.0001 each.

 

6 The Company has power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate limited by shares under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.

 

7 Capitalised terms that are not defined in this Amended and Restated Memorandum of Association bear the respective meanings given to them in the Amended and Restated Articles of Association of the Company.

 

2

 

 

THE COMPANIES ACT (As Revised)

 

OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

 

COMPANY LIMITED BY SHARES

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED

 

ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

OF

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

(adopted by special resolution dated [Date] 2021 and effective on [date] 2021)

 

1 Interpretation

 

1.1 In the Articles Table A in the First Schedule to the Statute does not apply and, unless there is something in the subject or context inconsistent therewith:

 

 

“Affiliate”

in respect of a person, means any other person that, directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such person, and (a) in the case of a natural person, shall include, without limitation, such person’s spouse, parents, children, siblings, mother-in-law and father-in-law and brothers and sisters-in-law, whether by blood, marriage or adoption or anyone residing in such person’s home, a trust for the benefit of any of the foregoing, a company, partnership or any natural person or entity wholly or jointly owned by any of the foregoing and (b) in the case of an entity, shall include a partnership, a corporation or any natural person or entity which directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, such entity.
   
“Applicable Law” means, with respect to any person, all provisions of laws, statutes, ordinances, rules, regulations, permits, certificates, judgments, decisions, decrees or orders of any governmental authority applicable to such person.
   
“Articles” means these amended and restated articles of association of the Company.
   
“Audit Committee” means the audit committee of the board of directors of the Company established pursuant to the Articles, or any successor committee.

 

3

 

  

“Auditor” means the person for the time being performing the duties of auditor of the Company (if any).
   
“Business Combination” means a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganisation or similar business combination involving the Company, with one or more businesses or entities (the “target business”), which Business Combination: (a) as long as the Company’s securities are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, must occur with one or more target businesses that together have an aggregate fair market value of at least 80 per cent of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the signing of the definitive agreement to enter into such Business Combination; and (b) must not be solely effectuated with another blank cheque company or a similar company with nominal operations.
   
“business day” means any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a legal holiday or a day on which banking institutions or trust companies are authorised or obligated by law to close in New York City.
   
“Clearing House” means a clearing house recognised by the laws of the jurisdiction in which the Shares (or depositary receipts therefor) are listed or quoted on a stock exchange or interdealer quotation system in such jurisdiction.
   
“Class A Share” means a Class A ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company.
   
“Class B Share” means a Class B ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company.
   
“Company” means the above named company.
   
“Company’s Website” means the website of the Company and/or its web-address or domain name (if any).
   
“Compensation Committee” means the compensation committee of the board of directors of the Company established pursuant to the Articles, or any successor committee.
   
“Designated Stock Exchange” means any United States national securities exchange on which the securities of the Company are listed for trading, including the Nasdaq Capital Market.

 

4

 

  

“Directors” means the directors for the time being of the Company.
   
“Dividend” means any dividend (whether interim or final) resolved to be paid on Shares pursuant to the Articles.
   
“Electronic Communication” means a communication sent by electronic means, including electronic posting to the Company’s Website, transmission to any number, address or internet website (including the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission) or other electronic delivery methods as otherwise decided and approved by the Directors.
   
“Electronic Record” has the same meaning as in the Electronic Transactions Act.
   
“Electronic Transactions Act” means the Electronic Transactions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands.
   
“Equity-linked Securities” means any debt or equity securities that are convertible, exercisable or exchangeable for Class A Shares issued in a financing transaction in connection with a Business Combination, including but not limited to a private placement of equity or debt.
   
“Exchange Act” means the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any similar U.S. federal statute and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time.
   
“Founders” means all Members immediately prior to the consummation of the IPO.
   
“Independent Director” has the same meaning as in the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange or in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act, as the case may be.
   
“IPO” means the Company’s initial public offering of securities.
   
“Member” has the same meaning as in the Statute.
   
“Memorandum” means the amended and restated memorandum of association of the Company.

 

5

 

  

“Nominating Committee” means the nominating committee of the board of directors of the Company established pursuant to the Articles, or any successor committee.
   
“Officer” means a person appointed to hold an office in the Company.
   
“Ordinary Resolution” means a resolution passed by a simple majority of the Members as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting, and includes a unanimous written resolution. In computing the majority when a poll is demanded regard shall be had to the number of votes to which each Member is entitled by the Articles.
   
“Over-Allotment Option” means the option of the Underwriters to purchase up to an additional 15 per cent of the firm units (as described in the Articles) issued in the IPO at a price equal to US$10 per unit, less underwriting discounts and commissions.
   
“Preference Share” means a preference share of a par value of US$0.0001 in the share capital of the Company.
   
“Public Share” means a Class A Share issued as part of the units (as described in the Articles) issued in the IPO.
   
“Redemption Notice” means a notice in a form approved by the Company by which a holder of Public Shares is entitled to require the Company to redeem its Public Shares, subject to any conditions contained therein.
   
“Register of Members” means the register of Members maintained in accordance with the Statute and includes (except where otherwise stated) any branch or duplicate register of Members.
   
“Registered Office” means the registered office for the time being of the Company.
   
“Representative” means a representative of the Underwriters.
   
“Seal” means the common seal of the Company and includes every duplicate seal.
   
“Securities and Exchange Commission” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
   
“Share” means a Class A Share, a Class B Share or a Preference Share and includes a fraction of a share in the Company.

 

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“Special Resolution” subject to Article 29.4, has the same meaning as in the Statute, and includes a unanimous written resolution.
   
“Sponsor” means Oxus Capital PTE. LTD., a company incorporated in Singapore, and its successors or assigns.
   
“Statute” means the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands.
   
“Treasury Share” means a Share held in the name of the Company as a treasury share in accordance with the Statute.
   
“Trust Account” means the trust account established by the Company upon the consummation of the IPO and into which a certain amount of the net proceeds of the IPO, together with a certain amount of the proceeds of a private placement of warrants simultaneously with the closing date of the IPO, will be deposited.
   
“Underwriter” means an underwriter of the IPO from time to time and any successor underwriter.

 

1.2 In the Articles:
     
(a) words importing the singular number include the plural number and vice versa;

 

(b) words importing the masculine gender include the feminine gender;

 

(c) words importing persons include corporations as well as any other legal or natural person;
     
(d) “written” and “in writing” include all modes of representing or reproducing words in visible form, including in the form of an Electronic Record;
     
(e) “shall” shall be construed as imperative and “may” shall be construed as permissive;
     
(f) references to provisions of any law or regulation shall be construed as references to those provisions as amended, modified, re-enacted or replaced;
     
(g) any phrase introduced by the terms “including”, “include”, “in particular” or any similar expression shall be construed as illustrative and shall not limit the sense of the words preceding those terms;
     
(h) the term “and/or” is used herein to mean both “and” as well as “or.” The use of “and/or” in certain contexts in no respects qualifies or modifies the use of the terms “and” or “or” in others. The term “or” shall not be interpreted to be exclusive and the term “and” shall not be interpreted to require the conjunctive (in each case, unless the context otherwise requires);

 

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(i) headings are inserted for reference only and shall be ignored in construing the Articles;
     
(j) any requirements as to delivery under the Articles include delivery in the form of an Electronic Record;
     
(k) any requirements as to execution or signature under the Articles including the execution of the Articles themselves can be satisfied in the form of an electronic signature as defined in the Electronic Transactions Act;
     
(l) sections 8 and 19(3) of the Electronic Transactions Act shall not apply;
     
(m) the term “clear days” in relation to the period of a notice means that period excluding the day when the notice is received or deemed to be received and the day for which it is given or on which it is to take effect; and
     
(n) the term “holder” in relation to a Share means a person whose name is entered in the Register of Members as the holder of such Share.

  

  2 Commencement of Business

 

  2.1 The business of the Company may be commenced as soon after incorporation of the Company as the Directors shall see fit.

 

  2.2 The Directors may pay, out of the capital or any other monies of the Company, all expenses incurred in or about the formation and establishment of the Company, including the expenses of registration.

 

  3 Issue of Shares and other Securities

 

  3.1 Subject to the provisions, if any, in the Memorandum (and to any direction that may be given by the Company in general meeting) and, where applicable, the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, and without prejudice to any rights attached to any existing Shares, the Directors may allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise dispose of Shares (including fractions of a Share) with or without preferred, deferred or other rights or restrictions, whether in regard to Dividends or other distributions, voting, return of capital or otherwise and to such persons, at such times and on such other terms as they think proper, and may also (subject to the Statute and the Articles) vary such rights, save that the Directors shall not allot, issue, grant options over or otherwise dispose of Shares (including fractions of a Share) to the extent that it may affect the ability of the Company to carry out a Class B Ordinary Share Conversion set out in the Articles.

 

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  3.2 The Company may issue rights, options, warrants or convertible securities or securities of similar nature conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of Shares or other securities in the Company on such terms as the Directors may from time to time determine.

 

  3.3 The Company may issue units of securities in the Company, which may be comprised of whole or fractional Shares, rights, options, warrants or convertible securities or securities of similar nature conferring the right upon the holders thereof to subscribe for, purchase or receive any class of Shares or other securities in the Company, upon such terms as the Directors may from time to time determine. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising any such units which are issued in connection with the IPO can only be traded separately from one another on the 90th day following the date of the prospectus relating to the IPO unless the Representative determines that an earlier date is acceptable, subject to the Company having filed a current report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission and a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Prior to such date, the units can be traded, but the securities comprising such units cannot be traded separately from one another.

 

  3.4 The Company shall not issue Shares to bearer.

 

  4 Register of Members

 

  4.1 The Company shall maintain or cause to be maintained the Register of Members in accordance with the Statute.

 

  4.2 The Directors may determine that the Company shall maintain one or more branch registers of Members in accordance with the Statute. The Directors may also determine which register of Members shall constitute the principal register and which shall constitute the branch register or registers, and to vary such determination from time to time.

 

  5 Closing Register of Members or Fixing Record Date

 

  5.1 For the purpose of determining Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of Members or any adjournment thereof, or Members entitled to receive payment of any Dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose, the Directors may, after notice has been given by advertisement in an appointed newspaper or any other newspaper or by any other means in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, provide that the Register of Members shall be closed for transfers for a stated period which shall not in any case exceed forty days.

 

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  5.2 In lieu of, or apart from, closing the Register of Members, the Directors may fix in advance or arrears a date as the record date for any such determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at any meeting of the Members or any adjournment thereof, or for the purpose of determining the Members entitled to receive payment of any Dividend or other distribution, or in order to make a determination of Members for any other purpose.

 

  5.3 If the Register of Members is not so closed and no record date is fixed for the determination of Members entitled to notice of, or to vote at, a meeting of Members or Members entitled to receive payment of a Dividend or other distribution, the date on which notice of the meeting is sent or the date on which the resolution of the Directors resolving to pay such Dividend or other distribution is passed, as the case may be, shall be the record date for such determination of Members. When a determination of Members entitled to vote at any meeting of Members has been made as provided in this Article, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof.

 

  6 Certificates for Shares

 

  6.1 A Member shall only be entitled to a share certificate if the Directors resolve that share certificates shall be issued. Share certificates representing Shares, if any, shall be in such form as the Directors may determine. Share certificates shall be signed by one or more Directors or other person authorised by the Directors. The Directors may authorise certificates to be issued with the authorised signature(s) affixed by mechanical process. All certificates for Shares shall be consecutively numbered or otherwise identified and shall specify the Shares to which they relate. All certificates surrendered to the Company for transfer shall be cancelled and, subject to the Articles, no new certificate shall be issued until the former certificate representing a like number of relevant Shares shall have been surrendered and cancelled.

 

  6.2 The Company shall not be bound to issue more than one certificate for Shares held jointly by more than one person and delivery of a certificate to one joint holder shall be a sufficient delivery to all of them.

 

  6.3 If a share certificate is defaced, worn out, lost or destroyed, it may be renewed on such terms (if any) as to evidence and indemnity and on the payment of such expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in investigating evidence, as the Directors may prescribe, and (in the case of defacement or wearing out) upon delivery of the old certificate.

 

  6.4 Every share certificate sent in accordance with the Articles will be sent at the risk of the Member or other person entitled to the certificate. The Company will not be responsible for any share certificate lost or delayed in the course of delivery.

 

  6.5 Share certificates shall be issued within the relevant time limit as prescribed by the Statute, if applicable, or as the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law may from time to time determine, whichever is shorter, after the allotment or, except in the case of a Share transfer which the Company is for the time being entitled to refuse to register and does not register, after lodgement of a Share transfer with the Company.

 

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  7 Transfer of Shares

 

  7.1 Subject to the terms of the Articles, any Member may transfer all or any of his Shares by an instrument of transfer provided that such transfer complies with the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law. If the Shares in question were issued in conjunction with rights, options, warrants or units issued pursuant to the Articles on terms that one cannot be transferred without the other, the Directors shall refuse to register the transfer of any such Share without evidence satisfactory to them of the like transfer of such right, option, warrant or unit.

 

  7.2 The instrument of transfer of any Share shall be in writing in the usual or common form or in a form prescribed by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law or in any other form approved by the Directors and shall be executed by or on behalf of the transferor (and if the Directors so require, signed by or on behalf of the transferee) and may be under hand or, if the transferor or transferee is a Clearing House or its nominee(s), by hand or by machine imprinted signature or by such other manner of execution as the Directors may approve from time to time. The transferor shall be deemed to remain the holder of a Share until the name of the transferee is entered in the Register of Members.

 

  8 Redemption, Repurchase and Surrender of Shares

 

  8.1 Subject to the provisions of the Statute, and, where applicable, the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, the Company may issue Shares that are to be redeemed or are liable to be redeemed at the option of the Member or the Company. The redemption of such Shares, except Public Shares, shall be effected in such manner and upon such other terms as the Company may, by Special Resolution, determine before the issue of such Shares. With respect to redeeming or repurchasing the Shares:

 

  (a) Members who hold Public Shares are entitled to request the redemption of such Shares in the circumstances described in the Business Combination Article hereof;

 

  (b) Class B Shares held by the Sponsor shall be surrendered by the Sponsor for no consideration to the extent that the Over-Allotment Option is not exercised in full so that the Sponsor will own 20 per cent of the Company’s issued Shares after the IPO (exclusive of any shares issued to the Underwriters prior to the IPO or securities purchased in a private placement simultaneously with the IPO); and

 

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  (c) Public Shares shall be repurchased by way of tender offer in the circumstances set out in the Business Combination Article hereof.

 

  8.2 Subject to the provisions of the Statute, and, where applicable, the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, the Company may purchase its own Shares (including any redeemable Shares) in such manner and on such other terms as the Directors may agree with the relevant Member. For the avoidance of doubt, redemptions, repurchases and surrenders of Shares in the circumstances described in the Article above shall not require further approval of the Members.

 

  8.3 The Company may make a payment in respect of the redemption or purchase of its own Shares in any manner permitted by the Statute, including out of capital.

 

  8.4 The Directors may accept the surrender for no consideration of any fully paid Share.

 

  9 Treasury Shares

 

  9.1 The Directors may, prior to the purchase, redemption or surrender of any Share, determine that such Share shall be held as a Treasury Share.

 

  9.2 The Directors may determine to cancel a Treasury Share or transfer a Treasury Share on such terms as they think proper (including, without limitation, for nil consideration).

 

  10 Variation of Rights of Shares

 

  10.1 Subject to Article 3.1, if at any time the share capital of the Company is divided into different classes of Shares, all or any of the rights attached to any class (unless otherwise provided by the terms of issue of the Shares of that class) may, whether or not the Company is being wound up, be varied without the consent of the holders of the issued Shares of that class where such variation is considered by the Directors not to have a material adverse effect upon such rights; otherwise, any such variation shall be made only with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than two thirds of the issued Shares of that class (other than with respect to a waiver of the provisions of the Class B Ordinary Share Conversion Article hereof, which as stated therein shall only require the consent in writing of the holders of a majority of the issued Shares of that class), or with the approval of a resolution passed by a majority of not less than two thirds of the votes cast at a separate meeting of the holders of the Shares of that class. For the avoidance of doubt, the Directors reserve the right, notwithstanding that any such variation may not have a material adverse effect, to obtain consent from the holders of Shares of the relevant class. To any such meeting all the provisions of the Articles relating to general meetings shall apply mutatis mutandis, except that the necessary quorum shall be one person holding or representing by proxy at least one third of the issued Shares of the class and that any holder of Shares of the class present in person or by proxy may demand a poll.

 

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  10.2 For the purposes of a separate class meeting, the Directors may treat two or more or all the classes of Shares as forming one class of Shares if the Directors consider that such class of Shares would be affected in the same way by the proposals under consideration, but in any other case shall treat them as separate classes of Shares.

 

  10.3 The rights conferred upon the holders of the Shares of any class issued with preferred or other rights 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 therewith or Shares issued with preferred or other rights.

 

  11 Commission on Sale of Shares
     
    The Company may, in so far as the Statute permits, pay a commission to any person in consideration of his subscribing or agreeing to subscribe (whether absolutely or conditionally) or procuring or agreeing to procure subscriptions (whether absolutely or conditionally) for any Shares. Such commissions may be satisfied by the payment of cash and/or the issue of fully or partly paid-up Shares. The Company may also on any issue of Shares pay such brokerage as may be lawful.

 

  12 Non Recognition of Trusts
     
    The Company shall not be bound by or compelled to recognise in any way (even when notified) any equitable, contingent, future or partial interest in any Share, or (except only as is otherwise provided by the Articles or the Statute) any other rights in respect of any Share other than an absolute right to the entirety thereof in the holder.

 

  13 Lien on Shares

 

  13.1 The Company shall have a first and paramount lien on all Shares (whether fully paid-up or not) registered in the name of a Member (whether solely or jointly with others) for all debts, liabilities or engagements to or with the Company (whether presently payable or not) by such Member or his estate, either alone or jointly with any other person, whether a Member or not, but the Directors may at any time declare any Share to be wholly or in part exempt from the provisions of this Article. The registration of a transfer of any such Share shall operate as a waiver of the Company’s lien thereon. The Company’s lien on a Share shall also extend to any amount payable in respect of that Share.

 

  13.2 The Company may sell, in such manner as the Directors think fit, any Shares on which the Company has a lien, if a sum in respect of which the lien exists is presently payable, and is not paid within fourteen clear days after notice has been received or deemed to have been received by the holder of the Shares, or to the person entitled to it in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of the holder, demanding payment and stating that if the notice is not complied with the Shares may be sold.

 

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  13.3 To give effect to any such sale the Directors may authorise any person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Shares sold to, or in accordance with the directions of, the purchaser. The purchaser or his nominee shall be registered as the holder of the Shares comprised in any such transfer, and he shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, nor shall his title to the Shares be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the sale or the exercise of the Company’s power of sale under the Articles.

 

  13.4 The net proceeds of such sale after payment of costs, shall be applied in payment of such part of the amount in respect of which the lien exists as is presently payable and any balance shall (subject to a like lien for sums not presently payable as existed upon the Shares before the sale) be paid to the person entitled to the Shares at the date of the sale.

 

  14 Call on Shares

 

  14.1 Subject to the terms of the allotment and issue of any Shares, the Directors may make calls upon the Members in respect of any monies unpaid on their Shares (whether in respect of par value or premium), and each Member shall (subject to receiving at least fourteen clear days’ notice specifying the time or times of payment) pay to the Company at the time or times so specified the amount called on the Shares. A call may be revoked or postponed, in whole or in part, as the Directors may determine. A call may be required to be paid by instalments. A person upon whom a call is made shall remain liable for calls made upon him notwithstanding the subsequent transfer of the Shares in respect of which the call was made.

 

  14.2 A call shall be deemed to have been made at the time when the resolution of the Directors authorising such call was passed.

 

  14.3 The joint holders of a Share shall be jointly and severally liable to pay all calls in respect thereof.

 

  14.4 If a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable, the person from whom it is due shall pay interest on the amount unpaid from the day it became due and payable until it is paid at such rate as the Directors may determine (and in addition all expenses that have been incurred by the Company by reason of such non-payment), but the Directors may waive payment of the interest or expenses wholly or in part.

 

  14.5 An amount payable in respect of a Share on issue or allotment or at any fixed date, whether on account of the par value of the Share or premium or otherwise, shall be deemed to be a call and if it is not paid all the provisions of the Articles shall apply as if that amount had become due and payable by virtue of a call.

 

  14.6 The Directors may issue Shares with different terms as to the amount and times of payment of calls, or the interest to be paid.

 

  14.7 The Directors may, if they think fit, receive an amount from any Member willing to advance all or any part of the monies uncalled and unpaid upon any Shares held by him, and may (until the amount would otherwise become payable) pay interest at such rate as may be agreed upon between the Directors and the Member paying such amount in advance.

 

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  14.8 No such amount paid in advance of calls shall entitle the Member paying such amount to any portion of a Dividend or other distribution payable in respect of any period prior to the date upon which such amount would, but for such payment, become payable.

 

  15 Forfeiture of Shares

 

  15.1 If a call or instalment of a call remains unpaid after it has become due and payable the Directors may give to the person from whom it is due not less than fourteen clear days’ notice requiring payment of the amount unpaid together with any interest which may have accrued and any expenses incurred by the Company by reason of such non-payment. The notice shall specify where payment is to be made and shall state that if the notice is not complied with the Shares in respect of which the call was made will be liable to be forfeited.

 

  15.2 If the notice is not complied with, any Share in respect of which it was given may, before the payment required by the notice has been made, be forfeited by a resolution of the Directors. Such forfeiture shall include all Dividends, other distributions or other monies payable in respect of the forfeited Share and not paid before the forfeiture.

 

  15.3 A forfeited Share may be sold, re-allotted or otherwise disposed of on such terms and in such manner as the Directors think fit and at any time before a sale, re-allotment or disposition the forfeiture may be cancelled on such terms as the Directors think fit. Where for the purposes of its disposal a forfeited Share is to be transferred to any person the Directors may authorise some person to execute an instrument of transfer of the Share in favour of that person.

 

  15.4 A person any of whose Shares have been forfeited shall cease to be a Member in respect of them and shall surrender to the Company for cancellation the certificate for the Shares forfeited and shall remain liable to pay to the Company all monies which at the date of forfeiture were payable by him to the Company in respect of those Shares together with interest at such rate as the Directors may determine, but his liability shall cease if and when the Company shall have received payment in full of all monies due and payable by him in respect of those Shares.

 

  15.5 A certificate in writing under the hand of one Director or Officer that a Share has been forfeited on a specified date shall be conclusive evidence of the facts stated in it as against all persons claiming to be entitled to the Share. The certificate shall (subject to the execution of an instrument of transfer) constitute a good title to the Share and the person to whom the Share is sold or otherwise disposed of shall not be bound to see to the application of the purchase money, if any, nor shall his title to the Share be affected by any irregularity or invalidity in the proceedings in reference to the forfeiture, sale or disposal of the Share.

 

  15.6 The provisions of the Articles as to forfeiture shall apply in the case of non payment of any sum which, by the terms of issue of a Share, becomes payable at a fixed time, whether on account of the par value of the Share or by way of premium as if it had been payable by virtue of a call duly made and notified.

 

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  16 Transmission of Shares

 

  16.1 If a Member dies, the survivor or survivors (where he was a joint holder), or his legal personal representatives (where he was a sole holder), shall be the only persons recognised by the Company as having any title to his Shares. The estate of a deceased Member is not thereby released from any liability in respect of any Share, for which he was a joint or sole holder.

 

  16.2 Any person becoming entitled to a Share in consequence of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of a Member (or in any other way than by transfer) may, upon such evidence being produced as may be required by the Directors, elect, by a notice in writing sent by him to the Company, either to become the holder of such Share or to have some person nominated by him registered as the holder of such Share. If he elects to have another person registered as the holder of such Share he shall sign an instrument of transfer of that Share to that person. The Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the relevant Member before his death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution, as the case may be.

 

  16.3 A person becoming entitled to a Share by reason of the death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution of a Member (or in any other case than by transfer) shall be entitled to the same Dividends, other distributions and other advantages to which he would be entitled if he were the holder of such Share. However, he shall not, before becoming a Member in respect of a Share, be entitled in respect of it to exercise any right conferred by membership in relation to general meetings of the Company and the Directors may at any time give notice requiring any such person to elect either to be registered himself or to have some person nominated by him be registered as the holder of the Share (but the Directors shall, in either case, have the same right to decline or suspend registration as they would have had in the case of a transfer of the Share by the relevant Member before his death or bankruptcy or liquidation or dissolution or any other case than by transfer, as the case may be). If the notice is not complied with within ninety days of being received or deemed to be received (as determined pursuant to the Articles), the Directors may thereafter withhold payment of all Dividends, other distributions, bonuses or other monies payable in respect of the Share until the requirements of the notice have been complied with.

 

  17 Class B Share Conversion

 

  17.1 The rights attaching to the Class A Shares and Class B Shares shall rank pari passu in all respects, and the Class A Shares and Class B Shares shall vote together as a single class on all matters (subject to the Variation of Rights of Shares Article and the Appointment and Removal of Directors Article hereof) with the exception that the holder of a Class B Share shall have the conversion rights referred to in this Article.

 

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  17.2 Class B Shares shall automatically convert into Class A Shares on a one-for-one basis (the “Initial Conversion Ratio”) automatically on the day of the consummation of a Business Combination.

 

  17.3 Notwithstanding the Initial Conversion Ratio, in the case that additional Class A Shares or any other Equity-linked Securities, are issued, or deemed issued, by the Company in excess of the amounts offered in the IPO and related to the consummation of a Business Combination, all Class B Shares in issue shall automatically convert into Class A Shares at the time of the consummation of a Business Combination at a ratio for which the Class B Shares shall convert into Class A Shares will be adjusted (unless the holders of a majority of the Class B Shares in issue agree to waive such anti-dilution adjustment with respect to any such issuance or deemed issuance) so that the number of Class A Shares issuable upon conversion of all Class B Shares will equal, on an as-converted basis, in the aggregate, 20 per cent of the sum of all Class A Shares and Class B Shares in issue upon completion of the IPO plus all Class A Shares and Equity-linked Securities issued or deemed issued in connection with a Business Combination, excluding any Shares or Equity-linked Securities issued, or to be issued, to any seller in a Business Combination and any private placement warrants issued to the Sponsor or its Affiliates or any member of the Company’s management upon conversion of working capital loans made to the Company.

 

  17.4 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the foregoing adjustment to the Initial Conversion Ratio may be waived as to any particular issuance or deemed issuance of additional Class A Shares or Equity-linked Securities by the written consent or agreement of holders of a majority of the Class B Shares then in issue consenting or agreeing separately as a separate class in the manner provided in the Variation of Rights of Shares Article hereof.

 

  17.5 The foregoing conversion ratio shall also be adjusted to account for any subdivision (by share subdivision, exchange, capitalisation, rights issue, reclassification, recapitalisation or otherwise) or combination (by share consolidation, exchange, reclassification, recapitalisation or otherwise) or similar reclassification or recapitalisation of the Class A Shares in issue into a greater or lesser number of shares occurring after the original filing of the Articles without a proportionate and corresponding subdivision, combination or similar reclassification or recapitalisation of the Class B Shares in issue.

 

  17.6 Each Class B Share shall convert into its pro rata number of Class A Shares pursuant to this Article. The pro rata share for each holder of Class B Shares will be determined as follows: each Class B Share shall convert into such number of Class A Shares as is equal to the product of 1 multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the total number of Class A Shares into which all of the Class B Shares in issue shall be converted pursuant to this Article and the denominator of which shall be the total number of Class B Shares in issue at the time of conversion.

 

  17.7 References in this Article to “converted”, “conversion” or “exchange” shall mean the compulsory redemption without notice of Class B Shares of any Member and, on behalf of such Members, automatic application of such redemption proceeds in paying for such new Class A Shares into which the Class B Shares have been converted or exchanged at a price per Class B Share necessary to give effect to a conversion or exchange calculated on the basis that the Class A Shares to be issued as part of the conversion or exchange will be issued at par. The Class A Shares to be issued on an exchange or conversion shall be registered in the name of such Member or in such name as the Member may direct.

 

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  17.8 Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article, in no event may any Class B Share convert into Class A Shares at a ratio that is less than one-for-one.

 

  18 Amendments of Memorandum and Articles of Association and Alteration of Capital

 

  18.1 The Company may by Ordinary Resolution:

 

  (a) increase its share capital by such sum as the Ordinary Resolution shall prescribe and with such rights, priorities and privileges annexed thereto, as the Company in general meeting may determine;

 

  (b) consolidate and divide all or any of its share capital into Shares of larger amount than its existing Shares;

 

  (c) convert all or any of its paid-up Shares into stock, and reconvert that stock into paid-up Shares of any denomination;

 

  (d) by subdivision of its existing Shares or any of them divide the whole or any part of its share capital into Shares of smaller amount than is fixed by the Memorandum or into Shares without par value; and

 

  (e) cancel any Shares that at the date of the passing of the Ordinary Resolution have not been taken or agreed to be taken by any person and diminish the amount of its share capital by the amount of the Shares so cancelled.

 

  18.2 All new Shares created in accordance with the provisions of the preceding Article shall be subject to the same provisions of the Articles with reference to the payment of calls, liens, transfer, transmission, forfeiture and otherwise as the Shares in the original share capital.

 

  18.3 Subject to the provisions of the Statute, and the provisions of the Articles as regards the matters to be dealt with by Ordinary Resolution and Article 29.4, the Company may by Special Resolution:

 

  (a) change its name;

 

  (b) alter or add to the Articles;

 

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  (c) alter or add to the Memorandum with respect to any objects, powers or other matters specified therein; and

 

  (d) reduce its share capital or any capital redemption reserve fund.

 

  19 Offices and Places of Business
     
    Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Company may by resolution of the Directors change the location of its Registered Office. The Company may, in addition to its Registered Office, maintain such other offices or places of business as the Directors determine.
     

  20 General Meetings

 

  20.1 All general meetings other than annual general meetings shall be called extraordinary general meetings.

 

  20.2 The Company may, but shall not (unless required by the Statute) be obliged to, in each year hold a general meeting as its annual general meeting, and shall specify the meeting as such in the notices calling it. Any annual general meeting shall be held at such time and place as the Directors shall appoint. At these meetings the report of the Directors (if any) shall be presented.

 

  20.3 The Directors, the chief executive officer or the chairman of the board of Directors may call general meetings, and, for the avoidance of doubt, Members shall not have the ability to call general meetings.

 

  20.4 Members seeking to bring business before the annual general meeting or to nominate candidates for appointment as Directors at the annual general meeting must deliver notice to the principal executive offices of the Company not less than 120 calendar days before the date of the Company’s proxy statement released to Members in connection with the previous year’s annual general meeting or, if the Company did not hold an annual general meeting the previous year, or if the date of the current year’s annual general meeting has been changed by more than 30 days from the date of the previous year’s annual general meeting, then the deadline shall be set by the board of Directors with such deadline being a reasonable time before the Company begins to print and send its related proxy materials.

 

  21 Notice of General Meetings

 

  21.1 At least five clear days’ notice shall be given of any general meeting. Every notice shall specify the place, the day and the hour of the meeting and the general nature of the business to be conducted at the general meeting and shall be given in the manner hereinafter mentioned or in such other manner if any as may be prescribed by the Company, provided that a general meeting of the Company shall, whether or not the notice specified in this Article has been given and whether or not the provisions of the Articles regarding general meetings have been complied with, be deemed to have been duly convened if it is so agreed:

 

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  (a) in the case of an annual general meeting, by all of the Members entitled to attend and vote thereat; and

 

  (b) in the case of an extraordinary general meeting, by a majority in number of the Members having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, together holding not less than ninety-five per cent in par value of the Shares giving that right.

 

  21.2 The accidental omission to give notice of a general meeting to, or the non receipt of notice of a general meeting by, any person entitled to receive such notice shall not invalidate the proceedings of that general meeting.

 

  22 Proceedings at General Meetings

 

  22.1 No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present. The holders of a majority of the Shares being individuals present in person or by proxy or if a corporation or other non-natural person by its duly authorised representative or proxy shall be a quorum.

 

  22.2 A person may participate at a general meeting by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation by a person in a general meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting.

 

  22.3 A resolution (including a Special Resolution) in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by or on behalf of all of the Members for the time being entitled to receive notice of and to attend and vote at general meetings (or, being corporations or other non-natural persons, signed by their duly authorised representatives) shall be as valid and effective as if the resolution had been passed at a general meeting of the Company duly convened and held.

 

  22.4 If a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the meeting shall stand adjourned to the same day in the next week at the same time and/or place or to such other day, time and/or place as the Directors may determine, and if at the adjourned meeting a quorum is not present within half an hour from the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Members present shall be a quorum.

 

  22.5 The Directors may, at any time prior to the time appointed for the meeting to commence, appoint any person to act as chairman of a general meeting of the Company or, if the Directors do not make any such appointment, the chairman, if any, of the board of Directors shall preside as chairman at such general meeting. If there is no such chairman, or if he shall not be present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, or is unwilling to act, the Directors present shall elect one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

  22.6 If no Director is willing to act as chairman or if no Director is present within fifteen minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Members present shall choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

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  22.7 The chairman may, with the consent of a meeting at which a quorum is present (and shall if so directed by the meeting) adjourn the meeting from time to time and from place to place, but no business shall be transacted at any adjourned meeting other than the business left unfinished at the meeting from which the adjournment took place.

 

  22.8 When a general meeting is adjourned for thirty days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any such notice of an adjourned meeting.

 

  22.9 If, prior to a Business Combination, a notice is issued in respect of a general meeting and the Directors, in their absolute discretion, consider that it is impractical or undesirable for any reason to hold that general meeting at the place, the day and the hour specified in the notice calling such general meeting, the Directors may postpone the general meeting to another place, day and/or hour provided that notice of the place, the day and the hour of the rearranged general meeting is promptly given to all Members. No business shall be transacted at any postponed meeting other than the business specified in the notice of the original meeting.

 

  22.10 When a general meeting is postponed for thirty days or more, notice of the postponed meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Otherwise it shall not be necessary to give any such notice of a postponed meeting. All proxy forms submitted for the original general meeting shall remain valid for the postponed meeting. The Directors may postpone a general meeting which has already been postponed.

 

  22.11 A resolution put to the vote of the meeting shall be decided on a poll.

 

  22.12 A poll shall be taken as the chairman directs, and the result of the poll shall be deemed to be the resolution of the general meeting at which the poll was demanded.

 

  22.13 A poll demanded on the election of a chairman or on a question of adjournment shall be taken forthwith. A poll demanded on any other question shall be taken at such date, time and place as the chairman of the general meeting directs, and any business other than that upon which a poll has been demanded or is contingent thereon may proceed pending the taking of the poll.

 

  22.14 In the case of an equality of votes the chairman shall be entitled to a second or casting vote.

 

  23 Votes of Members

 

  23.1 Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any Shares, including as set out at Article 29.4, every Member present in any such manner shall have one vote for every Share of which he is the holder.

 

  23.2 In the case of joint holders the vote of the senior holder who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy (or, in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person, by its duly authorised representative or proxy), shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders, and seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the holders stand in the Register of Members.

 

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  23.3 A Member of unsound mind, or in respect of whom an order has been made by any court, having jurisdiction in lunacy, may vote by his committee, receiver, curator bonis, or other person on such Member’s behalf appointed by that court, and any such committee, receiver, curator bonis or other person may vote by proxy.

 

  23.4 No person shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting unless he is registered as a Member on the record date for such meeting nor unless all calls or other monies then payable by him in respect of Shares have been paid.

 

  23.5 No objection shall be raised as to the qualification of any voter except at the general meeting or adjourned general meeting at which the vote objected to is given or tendered and every vote not disallowed at the meeting shall be valid. Any objection made in due time in accordance with this Article shall be referred to the chairman whose decision shall be final and conclusive.

 

  23.6 Votes may be cast either personally or by proxy (or in the case of a corporation or other non-natural person by its duly authorised representative or proxy). A Member may appoint more than one proxy or the same proxy under one or more instruments to attend and vote at a meeting. Where a Member appoints more than one proxy the instrument of proxy shall specify the number of Shares in respect of which each proxy is entitled to exercise the related votes.

 

  23.7 A Member holding more than one Share need not cast the votes in respect of his Shares in the same way on any resolution and therefore may vote a Share or some or all such Shares either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting a Share or some or all of the Shares and, subject to the terms of the instrument appointing him, a proxy appointed under one or more instruments may vote a Share or some or all of the Shares in respect of which he is appointed either for or against a resolution and/or abstain from voting a Share or some or all of the Shares in respect of which he is appointed.

 

  24 Proxies

 

  24.1 The instrument appointing a proxy shall be in writing and shall be executed under the hand of the appointor or of his attorney duly authorised in writing, or, if the appointor is a corporation or other non natural person, under the hand of its duly authorised representative. A proxy need not be a Member.

 

  24.2 The Directors may, in the notice convening any meeting or adjourned meeting, or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, specify the manner by which the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited and the place and the time (being not later than the time appointed for the commencement of the meeting or adjourned meeting to which the proxy relates) at which the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited. In the absence of any such direction from the Directors in the notice convening any meeting or adjourned meeting or in an instrument of proxy sent out by the Company, the instrument appointing a proxy shall be deposited physically at the Registered Office not less than 48 hours before the time appointed for the meeting or adjourned meeting to commence at which the person named in the instrument proposes to vote.

 

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  24.3 The chairman may in any event at his discretion declare that an instrument of proxy shall be deemed to have been duly deposited. An instrument of proxy that is not deposited in the manner permitted, or which has not been declared to have been duly deposited by the chairman, shall be invalid.

 

  24.4 The instrument appointing a proxy may be in any usual or common form (or such other form as the Directors may approve) and may be expressed to be for a particular meeting or any adjournment thereof or generally until revoked. An instrument appointing a proxy shall be deemed to include the power to demand or join or concur in demanding a poll.

 

  24.5 Votes given in accordance with the terms of an instrument of proxy shall be valid notwithstanding the previous death or insanity of the principal or revocation of the proxy or of the authority under which the proxy was executed, or the transfer of the Share in respect of which the proxy is given unless notice in writing of such death, insanity, revocation or transfer was received by the Company at the Registered Office before the commencement of the general meeting, or adjourned meeting at which it is sought to use the proxy.

 

  25 Corporate Members

 

  25.1 Any corporation or other non-natural person which is a Member may in accordance with its constitutional documents, or in the absence of such provision by resolution of its directors or other governing body, authorise such person as it thinks fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or of any class of Members, and the person so authorised shall be entitled to exercise the same powers on behalf of the corporation which he represents as the corporation could exercise if it were an individual Member.

 

  25.2 If a Clearing House (or its nominee(s)), being a corporation, is a Member, it may authorise such persons as it sees fit to act as its representative at any meeting of the Company or at any meeting of any class of Members provided that the authorisation shall specify the number and class of Shares in respect of which each such representative is so authorised. Each person so authorised under the provisions of this Article shall be deemed to have been duly authorised without further evidence of the facts and be entitled to exercise the same rights and powers on behalf of the Clearing House (or its nominee(s)) as if such person was the registered holder of such Shares held by the Clearing House (or its nominee(s)).

 

  26 Shares that May Not be Voted
     
    Shares in the Company that are beneficially owned by the Company shall not be voted, directly or indirectly, at any meeting and shall not be counted in determining the total number of outstanding Shares at any given time.

 

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  27 Directors

 

  27.1 There shall be a board of Directors consisting of not less than one person provided however that the Company may by Ordinary Resolution increase or reduce the limits in the number of Directors.

 

  27.2 The Directors shall be divided into three classes: Class I, Class II and Class III. The number of Directors in each class shall be as nearly equal as possible. Upon the adoption of the Articles, the existing Directors shall by resolution classify themselves as Class I, Class II or Class III Directors. The Class I Directors shall stand appointed for a term expiring at the Company’s first annual general meeting, the Class II Directors shall stand appointed for a term expiring at the Company’s second annual general meeting and the Class III Directors shall stand appointed for a term expiring at the Company’s third annual general meeting. Commencing at the Company’s first annual general meeting, and at each annual general meeting thereafter, Directors appointed to succeed those Directors whose terms expire shall be appointed for a term of office to expire at the third succeeding annual general meeting after their appointment. Except as the Statute or other Applicable Law may otherwise require, in the interim between annual general meetings or extraordinary general meetings called for the appointment of Directors and/or the removal of one or more Directors and the filling of any vacancy in that connection, additional Directors and any vacancies in the board of Directors, including unfilled vacancies resulting from the removal of Directors for cause, may be filled by the vote of a majority of the remaining Directors then in office, although less than a quorum (as defined in the Articles), or by the sole remaining Director. All Directors shall hold office until the expiration of their respective terms of office and until their successors shall have been appointed and qualified. A Director appointed to fill a vacancy resulting from the death, resignation or removal of a Director shall serve for the remainder of the full term of the Director whose death, resignation or removal shall have created such vacancy and until his successor shall have been appointed and qualified.

 

  28 Powers of Directors

 

  28.1 Subject to the provisions of the Statute, the Memorandum and the Articles and to any directions given by Special Resolution, the business of the Company shall be managed by the Directors who may exercise all the powers of the Company. No alteration of the Memorandum or Articles and no such direction shall invalidate any prior act of the Directors which would have been valid if that alteration had not been made or that direction had not been given. A duly convened meeting of Directors at which a quorum is present may exercise all powers exercisable by the Directors.

 

  28.2 All cheques, promissory notes, drafts, bills of exchange and other negotiable or transferable instruments and all receipts for monies paid to the Company shall be signed, drawn, accepted, endorsed or otherwise executed as the case may be in such manner as the Directors shall determine by resolution.

 

  28.3 The Directors on behalf of the Company may pay a gratuity or pension or allowance on retirement to any Director who has held any other salaried office or place of profit with the Company or to his widow or dependants and may make contributions to any fund and pay premiums for the purchase or provision of any such gratuity, pension or allowance.

 

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  28.4 The Directors may exercise all the powers of the Company to borrow money and to mortgage or charge its undertaking, property and assets (present and future) and uncalled capital or any part thereof and to issue debentures, debenture stock, mortgages, bonds and other such securities whether outright or as security for any debt, liability or obligation of the Company or of any third party.

 

  29 Appointment and Removal of Directors

 

  29.1 Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution of the holders of the Class B Shares appoint any person to be a Director or may by Ordinary Resolution of the holders of the Class B Shares remove any Director. For the avoidance of doubt, prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, holders of Class A Shares shall have no right to vote on the appointment or removal of any Director.

 

  29.2 The Directors may appoint any person to be a Director, either to fill a vacancy or as an additional Director provided that the appointment does not cause the number of Directors to exceed any number fixed by or in accordance with the Articles as the maximum number of Directors.

 

  29.3 After the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company may by Ordinary Resolution appoint any person to be a Director or may by Ordinary Resolution remove any Director.

 

  29.4 Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, Article 29.1 may only be amended by a Special Resolution passed by at least two-thirds of such Members (which shall include a simple majority of the holders of Class B Shares) as, being entitled to do so, vote in person or, where proxies are allowed, by proxy at a general meeting of which notice specifying the intention to propose the resolution as a special resolution has been given, or by way of unanimous written resolution.

 

  30 Vacation of Office of Director

The office of a Director shall be vacated if:

  (a) the Director gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns the office of Director; or

 

  (b) the Director absents himself (for the avoidance of doubt, without being represented by proxy) from three consecutive meetings of the board of Directors without special leave of absence from the Directors, and the Directors pass a resolution that he has by reason of such absence vacated office; or

 

  (c) the Director dies, becomes bankrupt or makes any arrangement or composition with his creditors generally; or

 

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  (d) the Director is found to be or becomes of unsound mind; or

 

  (e) all of the other Directors (being not less than two in number) determine that he should be removed as a Director, either by a resolution passed by all of the other Directors at a meeting of the Directors duly convened and held in accordance with the Articles or by a resolution in writing signed by all of the other Directors.

 

  31 Proceedings of Directors

 

  31.1 The quorum for the transaction of the business of the Directors may be fixed by the Directors, and unless so fixed shall be a majority of the Directors then in office.

 

  31.2 Subject to the provisions of the Articles, the Directors may regulate their proceedings as they think fit. Questions arising at any meeting shall be decided by a majority of votes. In the case of an equality of votes, the chairman shall have a second or casting vote.

 

  31.3 A person may participate in a meeting of the Directors or any committee of Directors by conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all the persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other at the same time. Participation by a person in a meeting in this manner is treated as presence in person at that meeting. Unless otherwise determined by the Directors, the meeting shall be deemed to be held at the place where the chairman is located at the start of the meeting.

 

  31.4 A resolution in writing (in one or more counterparts) signed by all the Directors or all the members of a committee of the Directors or, in the case of a resolution in writing relating to the removal of any Director or the vacation of office by any Director, all of the Directors other than the Director who is the subject of such resolution shall be as valid and effectual as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Directors, or committee of Directors as the case may be, duly convened and held.

 

  31.5 A Director may, or other Officer on the direction of a Director shall, call a meeting of the Directors by at least two days’ notice in writing to every Director which notice shall set forth the general nature of the business to be considered unless notice is waived by all the Directors either at, before or after the meeting is held. To any such notice of a meeting of the Directors all the provisions of the Articles relating to the giving of notices by the Company to the Members shall apply mutatis mutandis.

 

  31.6 The continuing Directors (or a sole continuing Director, as the case may be) may act notwithstanding any vacancy in their body, but if and so long as their number is reduced below the number fixed by or pursuant to the Articles as the necessary quorum of Directors the continuing Directors or Director may act for the purpose of increasing the number of Directors to be equal to such fixed number, or of summoning a general meeting of the Company, but for no other purpose.

 

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  31.7 The Directors may elect a chairman of their board and determine the period for which he is to hold office; but if no such chairman is elected, or if at any meeting the chairman is not present within five minutes after the time appointed for the meeting to commence, the Directors present may choose one of their number to be chairman of the meeting.

 

  31.8 All acts done by any meeting of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors shall, notwithstanding that it is afterwards discovered that there was some defect in the appointment of any Director, and/or that they or any of them were disqualified, and/or had vacated their office and/or were not entitled to vote, be as valid as if every such person had been duly appointed and/or not disqualified to be a Director and/or had not vacated their office and/or had been entitled to vote, as the case may be.

 

  31.9 A Director may be represented at any meetings of the board of Directors by a proxy appointed in writing by him. The proxy shall count towards the quorum and the vote of the proxy shall for all purposes be deemed to be that of the appointing Director.

 

  32 Presumption of Assent
     
   

A Director who is present at a meeting of the board of Directors at which action on any Company matter is taken shall be presumed to have assented to the action taken unless his dissent shall be entered in the minutes of the meeting or unless he shall file his written dissent from such action with the person acting as the chairman or secretary of the meeting before the adjournment thereof or shall forward such dissent by registered post to such person immediately after the adjournment of the meeting. Such right to dissent shall not apply to a Director who voted in favour of such action.

     
  33 Directors’ Interests

 

  33.1 A Director may hold any other office or place of profit under the Company (other than the office of Auditor) in conjunction with his office of Director for such period and on such terms as to remuneration and otherwise as the Directors may determine.

 

  33.2 A Director may act by himself or by, through or on behalf of his firm in a professional capacity for the Company and he or his firm shall be entitled to remuneration for professional services as if he were not a Director.

 

  33.3 A Director may be or become a director or other officer of or otherwise interested in any company promoted by the Company or in which the Company may be interested as a shareholder, a contracting party or otherwise, and no such Director shall be accountable to the Company for any remuneration or other benefits received by him as a director or officer of, or from his interest in, such other company.

 

  33.4 No person shall be disqualified from the office of Director or prevented by such office from contracting with the Company, either as vendor, purchaser or otherwise, nor shall any such contract or any contract or transaction entered into by or on behalf of the Company in which any Director shall be in any way interested be or be liable to be avoided, nor shall any Director so contracting or being so interested be liable to account to the Company for any profit realised by or arising in connection with any such contract or transaction by reason of such Director holding office or of the fiduciary relationship thereby established. A Director shall be at liberty to vote in respect of any contract or transaction in which he is interested provided that the nature of the interest of any Director in any such contract or transaction shall be disclosed by him at or prior to its consideration and any vote thereon.

  

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  33.5 A general notice that a Director is a shareholder, director, officer or employee of any specified firm or company and is to be regarded as interested in any transaction with such firm or company shall be sufficient disclosure for the purposes of voting on a resolution in respect of a contract or transaction in which he has an interest, and after such general notice it shall not be necessary to give special notice relating to any particular transaction.

 

  34 Minutes
     
    The Directors shall cause minutes to be made in books kept for the purpose of recording all appointments of Officers made by the Directors, all proceedings at meetings of the Company or the holders of any class of Shares and of the Directors, and of committees of the Directors, including the names of the Directors present at each meeting.
     

  35 Delegation of Directors’ Powers

 

  35.1 The Directors may delegate any of their powers, authorities and discretions, including the power to sub-delegate, to any committee consisting of one or more Directors (including, without limitation, the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating Committee). Any such delegation may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and any such delegation may be revoked or altered by the Directors. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of a committee of Directors shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying.

 

  35.2 The Directors may establish any committees, local boards or agencies or appoint any person to be a manager or agent for managing the affairs of the Company and may appoint any person to be a member of such committees, local boards or agencies. Any such appointment may be made subject to any conditions the Directors may impose, and either collaterally with or to the exclusion of their own powers and any such appointment may be revoked or altered by the Directors. Subject to any such conditions, the proceedings of any such committee, local board or agency shall be governed by the Articles regulating the proceedings of Directors, so far as they are capable of applying.

 

  35.3 The Directors may adopt formal written charters for committees and, if so adopted, shall review and assess the adequacy of such formal written charters on an annual basis. Each of these committees shall be empowered to do all things necessary to exercise the rights of such committee set forth in the Articles and shall have such powers as the Directors may delegate pursuant to the Articles and as required by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law. Each of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating Committee, if established, shall consist of such number of Directors as the Directors shall from time to time determine (or such minimum number as may be required from time to time by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law). For so long as any class of Shares is listed on the Designated Stock Exchange, the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Nominating Committee shall be made up of such number of Independent Directors as is required from time to time by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law.

 

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  35.4 The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any person to be the agent of the Company on such conditions as the Directors may determine, provided that the delegation is not to the exclusion of their own powers and may be revoked by the Directors at any time.

 

  35.5 The Directors may by power of attorney or otherwise appoint any company, firm, person or body of persons, whether nominated directly or indirectly by the Directors, to be the attorney or authorised signatory of the Company for such purpose and with such powers, authorities and discretions (not exceeding those vested in or exercisable by the Directors under the Articles) and for such period and subject to such conditions as they may think fit, and any such powers of attorney or other appointment may contain such provisions for the protection and convenience of persons dealing with any such attorneys or authorised signatories as the Directors may think fit and may also authorise any such attorney or authorised signatory to delegate all or any of the powers, authorities and discretions vested in him.

 

  35.6 The Directors may appoint such Officers as they consider necessary on such terms, at such remuneration and to perform such duties, and subject to such provisions as to disqualification and removal as the Directors may think fit. Unless otherwise specified in the terms of his appointment an Officer may be removed by resolution of the Directors or Members. An Officer may vacate his office at any time if he gives notice in writing to the Company that he resigns his office.

 

  36 No Minimum Shareholding

The Company in general meeting may fix a minimum shareholding required to be held by a Director, but unless and until such a shareholding qualification is fixed a Director is not required to hold Shares.

  37 Remuneration of Directors

 

  37.1 The remuneration to be paid to the Directors, if any, shall be such remuneration as the Directors shall determine, provided that no cash remuneration shall be paid to any Director by the Company prior to the consummation of a Business Combination. The Directors shall also, whether prior to or after the consummation of a Business Combination, be entitled to be paid all travelling, hotel and other expenses properly incurred by them in connection with their attendance at meetings of Directors or committees of Directors, or general meetings of the Company, or separate meetings of the holders of any class of Shares or debentures of the Company, or otherwise in connection with the business of the Company or the discharge of their duties as a Director, or to receive a fixed allowance in respect thereof as may be determined by the Directors, or a combination partly of one such method and partly the other.

 

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  37.2 The Directors may by resolution approve additional remuneration to any Director for any services which in the opinion of the Directors go beyond his ordinary routine work as a Director. Any fees paid to a Director who is also counsel, attorney or solicitor to the Company, or otherwise serves it in a professional capacity shall be in addition to his remuneration as a Director.

 

  38 Seal

 

  38.1 The Company may, if the Directors so determine, have a Seal. The Seal shall only be used by the authority of the Directors or of a committee of the Directors authorised by the Directors. Every instrument to which the Seal has been affixed shall be signed by at least one person who shall be either a Director or some Officer or other person appointed by the Directors for the purpose.

 

  38.2 The Company may have for use in any place or places outside the Cayman Islands a duplicate Seal or Seals each of which shall be a facsimile of the common Seal of the Company and, if the Directors so determine, with the addition on its face of the name of every place where it is to be used.

 

  38.3 A Director or Officer, representative or attorney of the Company may without further authority of the Directors affix the Seal over his signature alone to any document of the Company required to be authenticated by him under seal or to be filed with the Registrar of Companies in the Cayman Islands or elsewhere wheresoever.

 

  39 Dividends, Distributions and Reserve

 

  39.1 Subject to the Statute and this Article and except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares, the Directors may resolve to pay Dividends and other distributions on Shares in issue and authorise payment of the Dividends or other distributions out of the funds of the Company lawfully available therefor. A Dividend shall be deemed to be an interim Dividend unless the terms of the resolution pursuant to which the Directors resolve to pay such Dividend specifically state that such Dividend shall be a final Dividend. No Dividend or other distribution shall be paid except out of the realised or unrealised profits of the Company, out of the share premium account or as otherwise permitted by law.

 

  39.2 Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares, all Dividends and other distributions shall be paid according to the par value of the Shares that a Member holds. If any Share is issued on terms providing that it shall rank for Dividend as from a particular date, that Share shall rank for Dividend accordingly.

 

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  39.3 The Directors may deduct from any Dividend or other distribution payable to any Member all sums of money (if any) then payable by him to the Company on account of calls or otherwise.

 

  39.4 The Directors may resolve that any Dividend or other distribution be paid wholly or partly by the distribution of specific assets and in particular (but without limitation) by the distribution of shares, debentures, or securities of any other company or in any one or more of such ways and where any difficulty arises in regard to such distribution, the Directors may settle the same as they think expedient and in particular may issue fractional Shares and may fix the value for distribution of such specific assets or any part thereof and may determine that cash payments shall be made to any Members upon the basis of the value so fixed in order to adjust the rights of all Members and may vest any such specific assets in trustees in such manner as may seem expedient to the Directors.

 

  39.5 Except as otherwise provided by the rights attached to any Shares, Dividends and other distributions may be paid in any currency. The Directors may determine the basis of conversion for any currency conversions that may be required and how any costs involved are to be met.

 

  39.6 The Directors may, before resolving to pay any Dividend or other distribution, set aside such sums as they think proper as a reserve or reserves which shall, at the discretion of the Directors, be applicable for any purpose of the Company and pending such application may, at the discretion of the Directors, be employed in the business of the Company.

 

  39.7 Any Dividend, other distribution, interest or other monies payable in cash in respect of Shares may be paid by wire transfer to the holder or by cheque or warrant sent through the post directed to the registered address of the holder or, in the case of joint holders, to the registered address of the holder who is first named on the Register of Members or to such person and to such address as such holder or joint holders may in writing direct. Every such cheque or warrant shall be made payable to the order of the person to whom it is sent. Any one of two or more joint holders may give effectual receipts for any Dividends, other distributions, bonuses, or other monies payable in respect of the Share held by them as joint holders.

 

  39.8 No Dividend or other distribution shall bear interest against the Company.

 

  39.9 Any Dividend or other distribution which cannot be paid to a Member and/or which remains unclaimed after six months from the date on which such Dividend or other distribution becomes payable may, in the discretion of the Directors, be paid into a separate account in the Company’s name, provided that the Company shall not be constituted as a trustee in respect of that account and the Dividend or other distribution shall remain as a debt due to the Member. Any Dividend or other distribution which remains unclaimed after a period of six years from the date on which such Dividend or other distribution becomes payable shall be forfeited and shall revert to the Company.

 

31

 

  

  40 Capitalisation
     
   

The Directors may at any time capitalise any sum standing to the credit of any of the Company’s reserve accounts or funds (including the share premium account and capital redemption reserve fund) or any sum standing to the credit of the profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution; appropriate such sum to Members in the proportions in which such sum would have been divisible amongst such Members had the same been a distribution of profits by way of Dividend or other distribution; and apply such sum on their behalf in paying up in full unissued Shares for allotment and distribution credited as fully paid-up to and amongst them in the proportion aforesaid. In such event the Directors shall do all acts and things required to give effect to such capitalisation, with full power given to the Directors to make such provisions as they think fit in the case of Shares becoming distributable in fractions (including provisions whereby the benefit of fractional entitlements accrue to the Company rather than to the Members concerned). The Directors may authorise any person to enter on behalf of all of the Members interested into an agreement with the Company providing for such capitalisation and matters incidental or relating thereto and any agreement made under such authority shall be effective and binding on all such Members and the Company.

 
  41 Books of Account

 

  41.1 The Directors shall cause proper books of account (including, where applicable, material underlying documentation including contracts and invoices) to be kept with respect to all sums of money received and expended by the Company and the matters in respect of which the receipt or expenditure takes place, all sales and purchases of goods by the Company and the assets and liabilities of the Company. Such books of account must be retained for a minimum period of five years from the date on which they are prepared. Proper books shall not be deemed to be kept if there are not kept such books of account as are necessary to give a true and fair view of the state of the Company’s affairs and to explain its transactions.

 

  41.2 The Directors shall determine whether and to what extent and at what times and places and under what conditions or regulations the accounts and books of the Company or any of them shall be open to the inspection of Members not being Directors and no Member (not being a Director) shall have any right of inspecting any account or book or document of the Company except as conferred by Statute or authorised by the Directors or by the Company in general meeting.

 

  41.3 The Directors may cause to be prepared and to be laid before the Company in general meeting profit and loss accounts, balance sheets, group accounts (if any) and such other reports and accounts as may be required by law.

 

  42 Audit

 

  42.1 The Directors may appoint an Auditor of the Company who shall hold office on such terms as the Directors determine.

 

32

 

  

  42.2 Without prejudice to the freedom of the Directors to establish any other committee, if the Shares (or depositary receipts therefor) are listed or quoted on the Designated Stock Exchange, and if required by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law, the Directors shall establish and maintain an Audit Committee as a committee of the Directors and shall adopt a formal written Audit Committee charter and review and assess the adequacy of the formal written charter on an annual basis. The composition and responsibilities of the Audit Committee shall comply with the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law. The Audit Committee shall meet at least once every financial quarter, or more frequently as circumstances dictate.

 

  42.3 If the Shares (or depositary receipts therefor) are listed or quoted on the Designated Stock Exchange, the Company shall conduct an appropriate review of all related party transactions on an ongoing basis and shall utilise the Audit Committee for the review and approval of potential conflicts of interest.

 

  42.4 The remuneration of the Auditor shall be fixed by the Audit Committee (if one exists).

 

  42.5 If the office of Auditor becomes vacant by resignation or death of the Auditor, or by his becoming incapable of acting by reason of illness or other disability at a time when his services are required, the Directors shall fill the vacancy and determine the remuneration of such Auditor.

 

  42.6 Every Auditor of the Company shall have a right of access at all times to the books and accounts and vouchers of the Company and shall be entitled to require from the Directors and Officers such information and explanation as may be necessary for the performance of the duties of the Auditor.

 

  42.7 Auditors shall, if so required by the Directors, make a report on the accounts of the Company during their tenure of office at the next annual general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company which is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an ordinary company, and at the next extraordinary general meeting following their appointment in the case of a company which is registered with the Registrar of Companies as an exempted company, and at any other time during their term of office, upon request of the Directors or any general meeting of the Members.

 

  42.8 Any payment made to members of the Audit Committee (if one exists) shall require the review and approval of the Directors, with any Director interested in such payment abstaining from such review and approval.

 

  42.9 The Audit Committee shall monitor compliance with the terms of the IPO and, if any non-compliance is identified, the Audit Committee shall be charged with the responsibility to take all action necessary to rectify such non-compliance or otherwise cause compliance with the terms of the IPO.

 

33

 

  

  42.10 At least one member of the Audit Committee shall be an “audit committee financial expert” as determined by the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or otherwise under Applicable Law. The “audit committee financial expert” shall have such past employment experience in finance or accounting, requisite professional certification in accounting, or any other comparable experience or background which results in the individual’s financial sophistication.

 

  43 Notices

 

  43.1 Notices shall be in writing and may be given by the Company to any Member either personally or by sending it by courier, post, cable, telex, fax or e-mail to him or to his address as shown in the Register of Members (or where the notice is given by e-mail by sending it to the e-mail address provided by such Member). Notice may also be served by Electronic Communication in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Designated Stock Exchange, the Securities and Exchange Commission and/or any other competent regulatory authority or by placing it on the Company’s Website.

 

  43.2 Where a notice is sent by:

 

  (a) courier; service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by delivery of the notice to a courier company, and shall be deemed to have been received on the third day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays) following the day on which the notice was delivered to the courier;

 

  (b) post; service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing, pre paying and posting a letter containing the notice, and shall be deemed to have been received on the fifth day (not including Saturdays or Sundays or public holidays in the Cayman Islands) following the day on which the notice was posted;

 

  (c) cable, telex or fax; service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by properly addressing and sending such notice and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was transmitted;

 

  (d) e-mail or other Electronic Communication; service of the notice shall be deemed to be effected by transmitting the e-mail to the e-mail address provided by the intended recipient and shall be deemed to have been received on the same day that it was sent, and it shall not be necessary for the receipt of the e-mail to be acknowledged by the recipient; and

 

  (e) placing it on the Company’s Website; service of the notice shall be deemed to have been effected one hour after the notice or document was placed on the Company’s Website.

 

  43.3 A notice may be given by the Company to the person or persons which the Company has been advised are entitled to a Share or Shares in consequence of the death or bankruptcy of a Member in the same manner as other notices which are required to be given under the Articles and shall be addressed to them by name, or by the title of representatives of the deceased, or trustee of the bankrupt, or by any like description at the address supplied for that purpose by the persons claiming to be so entitled, or at the option of the Company by giving the notice in any manner in which the same might have been given if the death or bankruptcy had not occurred.

 

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  43.4 Notice of every general meeting shall be given in any manner authorised by the Articles to every holder of Shares carrying an entitlement to receive such notice on the record date for such meeting except that in the case of joint holders the notice shall be sufficient if given to the joint holder first named in the Register of Members and every person upon whom the ownership of a Share devolves by reason of his being a legal personal representative or a trustee in bankruptcy of a Member where the Member but for his death or bankruptcy would be entitled to receive notice of the meeting, and no other person shall be entitled to receive notices of general meetings.

 

  44 Winding Up

 

  44.1 If the Company shall be wound up, the liquidator shall apply the assets of the Company in satisfaction of creditors’ claims in such manner and order as such liquidator thinks fit. Subject to the rights attaching to any Shares, in a winding up:

 

  (a) if the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be insufficient to repay the whole of the Company’s issued share capital, such assets shall be distributed so that, as nearly as may be, the losses shall be borne by the Members in proportion to the par value of the Shares held by them; or

 

  (b) if the assets available for distribution amongst the Members shall be more than sufficient to repay the whole of the Company’s issued share capital at the commencement of the winding up, the surplus shall be distributed amongst the Members 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 the Company for unpaid calls or otherwise.

 

  44.2 If the Company shall be wound up the liquidator may, subject to the rights attaching to any Shares and with the approval of a Special Resolution of the Company and any other approval required by the Statute, divide amongst the Members in kind the whole or any part of the assets of the Company (whether such assets shall consist of property of the same kind or not) and may for that purpose value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the Members or different classes of Members. The liquidator may, with the like approval, vest the whole or any part of such assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the Members as the liquidator, with the like approval, shall think fit, but so that no Member shall be compelled to accept any asset upon which there is a liability.

 

35

 

 

  45 Indemnity and Insurance

 

  45.1 Every Director and Officer (which for the avoidance of doubt, shall not include auditors of the Company), together with every former Director and former Officer (each an “Indemnified Person”) shall be indemnified out of the assets of the Company against any liability, action, proceeding, claim, demand, costs, damages or expenses, including legal expenses, whatsoever which they or any of them may incur as a result of any act or failure to act in carrying out their functions other than such liability (if any) that they may incur by reason of their own actual fraud, wilful neglect or wilful default. No Indemnified Person shall be liable to the Company for any loss or damage incurred by the Company as a result (whether direct or indirect) of the carrying out of their functions unless that liability arises through the actual fraud, wilful neglect or wilful default of such Indemnified Person. No person shall be found to have committed actual fraud, wilful neglect or wilful default under this Article unless or until a court of competent jurisdiction shall have made a finding to that effect.

 

  45.2 The Company shall advance to each Indemnified Person reasonable attorneys’ fees and other costs and expenses incurred in connection with the defence of any action, suit, proceeding or investigation involving such Indemnified Person for which indemnity will or could be sought. In connection with any advance of any expenses hereunder, the Indemnified Person shall execute an undertaking to repay the advanced amount to the Company if it shall be determined by final judgment or other final adjudication that such Indemnified Person was not entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Article. If it shall be determined by a final judgment or other final adjudication that such Indemnified Person was not entitled to indemnification with respect to such judgment, costs or expenses, then such party shall not be indemnified with respect to such judgment, costs or expenses and any advancement shall be returned to the Company (without interest) by the Indemnified Person.

 

  45.3 The Directors, on behalf of the Company, may purchase and maintain insurance for the benefit of any Director or Officer against any liability which, by virtue of any rule of law, would otherwise attach to such person in respect of any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust of which such person may be guilty in relation to the Company.

 

  46 Financial Year
     
    Unless the Directors otherwise prescribe, the financial year of the Company shall end on 31st December in each year and, following the year of incorporation, shall begin on 1st January in each year.
     

  47 Transfer by Way of Continuation
     
    If the Company is exempted as defined in the Statute, it shall, subject to the provisions of the Statute and with the approval of a Special Resolution, have the power to register by way of continuation as a body corporate under the laws of any jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands and to be deregistered in the Cayman Islands.

 

36

 

  

  48 Mergers and Consolidations
     
    The Company shall have the power to merge or consolidate with one or more other constituent companies (as defined in the Statute) upon such terms as the Directors may determine and (to the extent required by the Statute) with the approval of a Special Resolution.
     

  49 Business Combination

 

  49.1 Notwithstanding any other provision of the Articles, this Article shall apply during the period commencing upon the adoption of the Articles and terminating upon the first to occur of the consummation of a Business Combination and the full distribution of the Trust Account pursuant to this Article. In the event of a conflict between this Article and any other Articles, the provisions of this Article shall prevail.

 

  49.2 Prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company shall either:

 

  (a) submit such Business Combination to its Members for approval; or

 

  (b) provide Members with the opportunity to have their Shares repurchased by means of a tender offer for a per-Share repurchase price payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of such Business Combination, including interest earned on the Trust Account (net of taxes paid or payable, if any), divided by the number of then issued Public Shares, provided that the Company shall not repurchase Public Shares in an amount that would cause the Company’s net tangible assets to be less than US$5,000,001 immediately prior to or upon consummation of such Business Combination. Such obligation to repurchase Shares is subject to the completion of the proposed Business Combination to which it relates.

 

  49.3 If the Company initiates any tender offer in accordance with Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act in connection with a proposed Business Combination, it shall file tender offer documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission prior to completing such Business Combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about such Business Combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act. If, alternatively, the Company holds a general meeting to approve a proposed Business Combination, the Company will conduct any redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and file proxy materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

  49.4 At a general meeting called for the purposes of approving a Business Combination pursuant to this Article, in the event that such Business Combination is approved by Ordinary Resolution, the Company shall be authorised to consummate such Business Combination, provided that the Company shall not consummate such Business Combination unless the Company has net tangible assets of at least US$5,000,001 immediately prior to, or upon such consummation of, or any greater net tangible asset or cash requirement that may be contained in the agreement relating to, such Business Combination.

 

37

 

  

  49.5 Any Member holding Public Shares who is not the Sponsor, a Founder, Officer or Director may, at least two business days’ prior to any vote on a Business Combination, elect to have their Public Shares redeemed for cash, in accordance with any applicable requirements provided for in the related proxy materials (the “IPO Redemption”), provided that no such Member acting together with any Affiliate of his or any other person with whom he is acting in concert or as a partnership, limited partnership, syndicate, or other group for the purposes of acquiring, holding, or disposing of Shares may exercise this redemption right with respect to more than 15 per cent of the Public Shares in the aggregate without the prior consent of the Company and provided further that any beneficial holder of Public Shares on whose behalf a redemption right is being exercised must identify itself to the Company in connection with any redemption election in order to validly redeem such Public Shares. If so demanded, the Company shall pay any such redeeming Member, regardless of whether he is voting for or against such proposed Business Combination, a per-Share redemption price payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, including interest earned on the Trust Account (such interest shall be net of taxes payable) and not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes, divided by the number of then issued Public Shares (such redemption price being referred to herein as the “Redemption Price”), but only in the event that the applicable proposed Business Combination is approved and consummated. The Company shall not redeem Public Shares that would cause the Company’s net tangible assets to be less than US$5,000,001 following such redemptions (the “Redemption Limitation”).

 

  49.6 A Member may not withdraw a Redemption Notice once submitted to the Company unless the Directors determine (in their sole discretion) to permit the withdrawal of such redemption request (which they may do in whole or in part).

 

  49.7 In the event that the Company does not consummate a Business Combination within 18 months from the consummation of the IPO, or such later time as the Members may approve in accordance with the Articles, the Company shall:

 

  (a) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up;

 

  (b) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-Share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company (less taxes payable), divided by the number of then Public Shares in issue, which redemption will completely extinguish public Members’ rights as Members (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any); and

 

38

 

  

  (c) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining Members and the Directors, liquidate and dissolve,

 

subject in each case to its obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and other requirements of Applicable Law.

 

  49.8 In the event that any amendment is made to the Articles:

 

  (a) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to allow redemption in connection with a Business Combination or redeem 100 per cent of the Public Shares if the Company does not consummate a Business Combination within 18 months from the consummation of the IPO, or such later time as the Members may approve in accordance with the Articles; or

 

  (b) with respect to any other provision relating to Members’ rights or pre-Business Combination activity,

 

each holder of Public Shares who is not the Sponsor, a Founder, Officer or Director shall be provided with the opportunity to redeem their Public Shares upon the approval or effectiveness of any such amendment at a per-Share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its taxes, divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares. The Company’s ability to provide such redemption in this Article is subject to the Redemption Limitation.

 

  49.9 A holder of Public Shares shall be entitled to receive distributions from the Trust Account only in the event of an IPO Redemption, a repurchase of Shares by means of a tender offer pursuant to this Article, or a distribution of the Trust Account pursuant to this Article. In no other circumstance shall a holder of Public Shares have any right or interest of any kind in the Trust Account.

 

  49.10 After the issue of Public Shares, and prior to the consummation of a Business Combination, the Company shall not issue additional Shares or any other securities that would entitle the holders thereof to:

 

  (a) receive funds from the Trust Account; or

 

  (b) vote as a class with Public Shares on a Business Combination.

 

  49.11 The uninterested Independent Directors shall approve any transaction or transactions between the Company and any of the following parties:

 

  (a) any Member owning an interest in the voting power of the Company that gives such Member a significant influence over the Company; and

 

  (b) any Director or Officer and any Affiliate of such Director or Officer.

 

39

 

  

  49.12 A Director may vote in respect of a Business Combination in which such Director has a conflict of interest with respect to the evaluation of such Business Combination. Such Director must disclose such interest or conflict to the other Directors.

 

  49.13 As long as the securities of the Company are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Company must complete one or more Business Combinations having an aggregate fair market value of at least 80 per cent of the assets held in the Trust Account (excluding the taxes payable on the income earned on the Trust Account) at the time of the Company’s signing a definitive agreement in connection with a Business Combination. A Business Combination must not be effectuated with another blank cheque company or a similar company with nominal operations.

 

  49.14 The Company may enter into a Business Combination with a target business that is Affiliated with the Sponsor, a Founder, a Director or an Officer. In the event the Company seeks to consummate a Business Combination with a target that is Affiliated with the Sponsor, a Founder, a Director or an Officer, the Company, or a committee of Independent Directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that the Business Combination is fair to the unaffiliated shareholders of the Company from a financial point of view.
     

Business Opportunities

 

  49.15 To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, no individual serving as a Director or an Officer (“Management”) shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as the Company. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, the Company renounces any interest or expectancy of the Company in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for Management, on the one hand, and the Company, on the other. Except to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, Management shall have no duty to communicate or offer any such corporate opportunity to the Company and shall not be liable to the Company or its Members for breach of any fiduciary duty as a Member, Director and/or Officer solely by reason of the fact that such party pursues or acquires such corporate opportunity for itself, himself or herself, directs such corporate opportunity to another person, or does not communicate information regarding such corporate opportunity to the Company.

 

  49.16 Except as provided elsewhere in this Article, the Company hereby renounces any interest or expectancy of the Company in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for both the Company and Management, about which a Director and/or Officer who is also a member of Management acquires knowledge.

 

  49.17 To the extent a court might hold that the conduct of any activity related to a corporate opportunity that is renounced in this Article to be a breach of duty to the Company or its Members, the Company hereby waives, to the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, any and all claims and causes of action that the Company may have for such activities. To the fullest extent permitted by Applicable Law, the provisions of this Article apply equally to activities conducted in the future and that have been conducted in the past.

 

 

40

 

Exhibit 4.1

 

NUMBER

U-__________ 

 

  UNITS
SEE REVERSE FOR
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS
OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.  

 

CUSIP [●]

 

UNITS CONSISTING OF ONE CLASS A ORDINARY SHARE AND

ONE WARRANT

 

THIS CERTIFIES THAT ______________________________________________________________________________________________

is the owner of ___________________________________________________________________________________________Units.

 

Each Unit (“Unit”) consists of one (1) Class A ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Ordinary Share”), of Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and one warrant (“Warrant”). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one (1) Class A Ordinary Share for $11.50 per share (subject to adjustment). Each Warrant will become exercisable on 30 days after the Company’s completion of a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, or reorganization or engaging in any other similar initial business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a “Business Combination”) and will expire unless exercised before 5:00 p.m., New York City Time, on the fifth anniversary of the Company’s completion of an initial Business Combination, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. The Class A Ordinary Share(s) and Warrant(s) comprising the Unit(s) represented by this certificate are not transferable separately until 90 days following the date of the final prospectus relating to the Company’s initial public offering (“IPO”), unless the underwriters inform the Company of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, except that in no event will the Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants be separately tradeable until the Company has filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting the Company’s receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of its IPO and issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. The terms of the Warrants are governed by a Warrant Agreement, dated as of [●], 2021, between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Warrant Agent, and are subject to the terms and provisions contained therein, all of which terms and provisions the holder of this certificate consents to by acceptance hereof. Copies of the Warrant Agreement are on file at the office of the Warrant Agent at 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10004, and are available to any Warrant holder on written request and without cost.

 

This certificate is not valid unless countersigned by the Transfer Agent and Registrar of the Company.

 

Witness the facsimile signature of a director of the Company.

 

By:      
     
  Chief Executive Officer   Chief Financial Officer

 

 

 

 

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.

 

The Company will furnish without charge to each shareholder who so requests, a statement of the powers, designations, preferences, and relative, participating, optional, or other special rights of each class of shares or series thereof of the Company and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of such preferences and/or rights.

 

The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this certificate, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations:

 

TEN COM     as tenants in common   UNIF GIFT MIN ACT         Custodian    
                    (Cust)       (Minor)
TEN ENT     as tenants by the entireties                    
                   

Under Uniform Gifts to

JT TEN     as joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common           Minors Act________________

           (State)

 

Additional abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.

 

For value received, ___________________________ hereby sells, assigns, and transfers unto

 

PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER

IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE

 

 
(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME AND ADDRESS, INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE)
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Units represented by the within Certificate, and hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint

 

  Attorney
   
to transfer the said Units on the books of the within named Company with full power of substitution in the premises.

 

Dated    

 

     
    Notice: The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever.

 

Signature(s) Guaranteed:

 

   
THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION  
(BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH  
MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM,  
PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15).  

 

In each case, as more fully described in the Company’s final prospectus dated [●], 2021, the holder(s) of this certificate shall be entitled to receive a pro-rata portion of certain funds held in the trust account established in connection with the Company’s initial public offering only in the event that (i) the Company redeems the Class A ordinary shares sold in its initial public offering and liquidates because it does not consummate an initial business combination within the period of time set forth in, or such later time as the shareholders of the Company may approve in accordance with, the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as the same may be amended from time to time, (ii) the Company redeems the Class A ordinary shares sold in its initial public offering in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association that would affect the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to provide for the redemption of Class A ordinary shares in connection with an initial business combination or to redeem 100% of the Class A ordinary shares if it does not consummate an initial business combination within the time period set forth therein (or such later time as the shareholders of the Company may approve), or (iii) if the holder(s) seek(s) to redeem for cash his, her or its respective Class A ordinary shares in connection with a tender offer (or proxy solicitation, solely in the event the Company seeks shareholder approval of the proposed initial business combination) setting forth the details of a proposed initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any right or interest of any kind in or to the trust account.

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 4.2

 

 

SPECIMEN CLASS A ORDINARY SHARE CERTIFICATE 

 

NUMBER

___________

  SHARES

 

oxus acquisition corp.

 

INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE CAYMAN ISLANDS

 

CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES

 

 

 

SEE REVERSE FOR
CERTAIN DEFINITIONS

 

This Certifies that CUSIP [●]
   
is the owner of  

 

FULLY PAID AND NON-ASSESSABLE CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES OF THE PAR VALUE OF US $0.0001

 

oxus acquisition corp. (the “company”)

 

transferable on the books of the Company in person or by duly authorized attorney upon surrender of this certificate properly endorsed.
The Company will be forced to liquidate and redeem all of the Class A ordinary shares sold in its initial public offering if it is unable to complete an initial business combination within the time period set forth in, or such later time as the shareholders of the Company may approve in accordance with, the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as the same may be amended from time to time, all as more fully described in the Company’s final prospectus dated [●], 2021.
This certificate is not valid unless countersigned by the Transfer Agent and registered by the Registrar.
Witness the facsimile signature of a director of the Company.

 

Dated: [●], 2021

 

 

 

 

Cayman Islands

   
  Chief Executive Officer Chief Financial Officer  

 

 

 

 

oxus acquisition corp.

 

The Company will furnish without charge to each shareholder who so requests the powers, designations, preferences, and relative, participating, optional, or other special rights of each class of shares or series thereof of the Company and the qualifications, limitations, or restrictions of such preferences, and/or rights. This certificate and the shares represented thereby are issued and shall be held subject to all the provisions of the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association and all amendments thereto and resolutions of the Company’s board of directors providing for the issue of Class A ordinary shares (copies of which may be obtained from the secretary of the Company), to all of which the holder of this certificate by acceptance hereof assents. The following abbreviations, when used in the inscription on the face of this certificate, shall be construed as though they were written out in full according to applicable laws or regulations:

  

TEN COM –

as tenants in common UNIF GIFT MIN ACT - _____ Custodian ______
TEN ENT – as tenants by the entireties (Cust)                         (Minor)       
JT TEN – as joint tenants with right of survivorship under Uniform Gifts to Minors
  and not as tenants in common Act _______________
    (State)

 

Additional Abbreviations may also be used though not in the above list.

 

 

 

 

For value received, ___________________________ hereby sell, assign and transfer unto

 

PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER

IDENTIFYING NUMBER(S) OF ASSIGNEE(S)

 

 
   

 

 

   
(PLEASE PRINT OR TYPEWRITE NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES), INCLUDING ZIP CODE, OF ASSIGNEE(S)  
   
   
   
   

shares represented by the within Certificate, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint

 

  Attorney

 

to transfer the said shares on the books of the within named Company with full power of substitution in the premises.

 

 

Dated

   
      Shareholder

 

   
  Notice: The signature to this assignment must correspond with the name as written upon the face of the certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatever.

 

Signature(s) Guaranteed:

 

By:  
 
   
 

 

   

THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION

(BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH

MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM,

PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15).

 

In each case, as more fully described in the Company’s final prospectus dated [●], 2021, the holder(s) of this certificate shall be entitled to receive a pro rata portion of certain funds held in the trust account established in connection with its initial public offering only in the event (i) the Company redeems the Class A ordinary shares sold in its initial public offering and liquidates because it does not complete an initial business combination within the period of time set forth in, or such later time as the shareholders of the Company may approve in accordance with, the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, (ii) the Company redeems the Class A ordinary shares sold in its initial public offering in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (a) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligation to redeem 100% of the Class A ordinary shares if it does not complete an initial business combination within the time period set forth therein (or such later time as the shareholders of the Company may approve) or (b) with respect to any other provisions relating to the rights of holders of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares or pre-initial business combination activity, or (iii) if the holder(s) seek(s) to redeem for cash his, her or its respective Class A ordinary shares in connection with a tender offer (or proxy solicitation, solely in the event the Company seeks shareholder approval of the proposed initial business combination) setting forth the details of a proposed initial business combination. In no other circumstances shall the holder(s) have any right or interest of any kind in or to the trust account.

 

 

 

Exhibit 4.3

 

SPECIMEN WARRANT CERTIFICATE

 

[FACE]

 

Number Warrants  

 

THIS WARRANT SHALL BE VOID IF NOT EXERCISED PRIOR TO

THE EXPIRATION OF THE EXERCISE PERIOD PROVIDED FOR

IN THE WARRANT AGREEMENT DESCRIBED BELOW

 

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.

Incorporated Under the Laws of the Cayman Islands

 

CUSIP [●]

 

Warrant Certificate

 

This Warrant Certificate certifies that [●], or registered assigns, is the registered holder of [●] warrant(s) (the “Warrants” and each, a “Warrant”) to purchase Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value (“Ordinary Shares”), of Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”). Each Warrant entitles the holder, upon exercise during the period set forth in the Warrant Agreement referred to below, to receive from the Company that number of fully paid and nonassessable Ordinary Shares as set forth below, at the exercise price (the “Exercise Price”) as determined pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, payable in lawful money (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) of the United States of America upon surrender of this Warrant Certificate and payment of the Exercise Price at the office or agency of the Warrant Agent referred to below, subject to the conditions set forth herein and in the Warrant Agreement. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.

 

Each Warrant is initially exercisable for one fully paid and non-assessable Ordinary Share. Fractional shares shall not be issued upon exercise of any Warrant. If, upon the exercise of Warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in an Ordinary Share, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to the Warrant holder. The number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.

 

The initial Exercise Price per one Ordinary Share for any Warrant is equal to $11.50 per share. The Exercise Price is subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.

 

Subject to the conditions set forth in the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants may be exercised only during the Exercise Period and to the extent not exercised by the end of such Exercise Period, such Warrants shall become void. The Warrants may be redeemed, subject to certain conditions, as set forth in the Warrant Agreement.

 

 

 

 

Reference is hereby made to the further provisions of this Warrant Certificate set forth on the reverse hereof and such further provisions shall for all purposes have the same effect as though fully set forth at this place.

 

This Warrant Certificate shall not be valid unless countersigned by the Warrant Agent, as such term is used in the Warrant Agreement. This Warrant Certificate shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York.

 

  OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By:                
  Name:  
  Title:  
     
  CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, AS WARRANT AGENT
     
  By:  
  Name:  
  Title:  

 

 

 

 

[REVERSE]

 

The Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate are part of a duly authorized issue of Warrants entitling the holder on exercise to receive [●] Ordinary Shares and are issued or to be issued pursuant to a Warrant Agreement dated as of [●], 2021 (the “Warrant Agreement”), entered into by and between the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a New York corporation, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”), which Warrant Agreement is hereby incorporated by reference in and made a part of this instrument and is hereby referred to for a description of the rights, limitation of rights, obligations, duties and immunities thereunder of the Warrant Agent, the Company and the holders (the words “holders” or “holder” meaning the registered holders or registered holder, respectively) of the Warrants. A copy of the Warrant Agreement may be obtained by the holder hereof upon written request to the Company. Defined terms used in this Warrant Certificate but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to them in the Warrant Agreement.

 

Warrants may be exercised at any time during the Exercise Period set forth in the Warrant Agreement. The holder of Warrants evidenced by this Warrant Certificate may exercise them by surrendering this Warrant Certificate, with the form of Election to Purchase set forth hereon properly completed and executed, together with payment of the Exercise Price as specified in the Warrant Agreement (or through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement) at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent. In the event that upon any exercise of Warrants evidenced hereby the number of Warrants exercised shall be less than the total number of Warrants evidenced hereby, there shall be issued to the holder hereof or his, her or its assignee, a new Warrant Certificate evidencing the number of Warrants not exercised.

 

Notwithstanding anything else in this Warrant Certificate or the Warrant Agreement, no Warrant may be exercised unless at the time of exercise (i) a registration statement covering the issuance of the Ordinary Shares to be issued upon exercise is effective under the Act and (ii) a prospectus thereunder relating to the Ordinary Shares is current, except through “cashless exercise” as provided for in the Warrant Agreement.

 

The Warrant Agreement provides that upon the occurrence of certain events the number of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants set forth on the face hereof may, subject to certain conditions, be adjusted. If, upon exercise of a Warrant, the holder thereof would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in an Ordinary Share, the Company shall, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of Ordinary Shares to be issued to the holder of the Warrant.

 

Warrant Certificates, when surrendered at the principal corporate trust office of the Warrant Agent by the registered holder thereof in person or by legal representative or attorney duly authorized in writing, may be exchanged, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, but without payment of any service charge, for another Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants.

 

Upon due presentation for registration of transfer of this Warrant Certificate at the office of the Warrant Agent a new Warrant Certificate or Warrant Certificates of like tenor and evidencing in the aggregate a like number of Warrants shall be issued to the transferee(s) in exchange for this Warrant Certificate, subject to the limitations provided in the Warrant Agreement, without charge except for any tax or other governmental charge imposed in connection therewith.

 

The Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the registered holder(s) hereof as the absolute owner(s) of this Warrant Certificate (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing hereon made by anyone), for the purpose of any exercise hereof, of any distribution to the holder(s) hereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary. Neither the Warrants nor this Warrant Certificate entitles any holder hereof to any rights of a shareholder of the Company.

 

 

 

 

Election to Purchase

 

(To Be Executed Upon Exercise of Warrant)

 

The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, to receive [●] Ordinary Shares and herewith tenders payment for such Ordinary Shares to the order of Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”) in the amount of $[●] in accordance with the terms hereof. The undersigned requests that a certificate for such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of [●], whose address is [●] and that such Ordinary Shares be delivered to [●] whose address is [●]. If said [●] number of Ordinary Shares is less than all of the Ordinary Shares purchasable hereunder, the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of [●], whose address is [●]and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to [●], whose address is [●].

 

In the event that the Warrant is a Private Placement Warrant that is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with subsection 3.3.1(b) of the Warrant Agreement.

 

In the event that the Warrant is to be exercised on a “cashless” basis pursuant to Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement, the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for shall be determined in accordance with Section 7.4 of the Warrant Agreement.

 

In the event that the Warrant may be exercised, to the extent allowed by the Warrant Agreement through cashless exercise, the number of Ordinary Shares that this Warrant is exercisable for will be determined in accordance with the relevant section of the Warrant Agreement which allows for such cashless exercise and the holder hereof shall complete the following: The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise the right, represented by this Warrant Certificate, through the cashless exercise provisions of the Warrant Agreement, to receive Ordinary Shares. If said number of shares is less than all of the Ordinary Shares purchasable hereunder (after giving effect to the cashless exercise), the undersigned requests that a new Warrant Certificate representing the remaining balance of such Ordinary Shares be registered in the name of [●], whose address is [●] and that such Warrant Certificate be delivered to [●], whose address is [●].

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

 

 

 

Date: [●], 20[●]

 

  (Signature)
   
  (Address)
   
 

 

  (Tax Identification Number)

 

  Signature Guaranteed:
   
 

 

 

THE SIGNATURE(S) SHOULD BE GUARANTEED BY AN ELIGIBLE GUARANTOR INSTITUTION (BANKS, STOCKBROKERS, SAVINGS AND LOAN ASSOCIATIONS AND CREDIT UNIONS WITH MEMBERSHIP IN AN APPROVED SIGNATURE GUARANTEE MEDALLION PROGRAM, PURSUANT TO S.E.C. RULE 17Ad-15 UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED).

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 4.4

 

WARRANT AGREEMENT

 

This agreement (“Agreement”) is made as of [●], 2021 between Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company, with offices at 7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040 (“Company”), and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, a limited purpose trust company, with offices at 1 State Street, 30th Floor, New York, New York 10004, as warrant agent (the “Warrant Agent”, also referred to herein as the “Transfer Agent”).

 

WHEREAS, the Company is engaged in a public offering (“Public Offering”) of up to 17,250,000 units (including up to 2,250,000 units subject to the Over-allotment Option (as defined below)) (“Public Units”), each Public Unit comprised of one Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Ordinary Shares”), and one warrant, where each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Ordinary Share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein, and, in connection therewith, will issue and deliver up to 17,250,000 warrants (including up to 2,250,000 warrants subject to the Over-allotment Option) (the “Public Warrants”) to the public investors in connection with the Public Offering; and

 

WHEREAS, the Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a Registration Statement on Form S-1, File No. 333-[●] (“Registration Statement”), and a prospectus (the “Prospectus”) for the registration, under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Act”), of the Public Units, the Public Warrants and the Ordinary Shares included in the Public Units; and

 

WHEREAS, the Company has received binding commitments from Oxus Capital PTE. LTD. (the “Sponsor”), and EarlyBirdCapital Inc. (“EarlyBirdCapital”) and Sova Capital Limited (“Sova” and together with EarlyBirdCapital, the “Underwriters”) to purchase up to an aggregate of 7,575,000 warrants (including up to 675,000 warrants subject to the Over-allotment Option) (the “Private Warrants”) bearing the legend set forth in Exhibit B hereto, in a private placement transaction to occur simultaneously with the consummation of the Public Offering; and

 

WHEREAS, the Company may issue up to an additional 1,500,000 warrants (“Working Capital Warrants”) in satisfaction of certain working capital loans the Sponsor or the Company’s officers, directors, initial shareholders (as defined in the Prospectus) or their affiliates may, but are not obligated to, make to the Company; and

 

WHEREAS, following consummation of the Public Offering, the Company may issue additional warrants (“Post IPO Warrants” and together with the Public Warrants, Private Warrants, and Working Capital Warrants, the “Warrants”) in connection with, or following the consummation by the Company of, a Business Combination (defined below); and

 

WHEREAS, the Company desires the Warrant Agent to act on behalf of the Company, and the Warrant Agent is willing to so act, in connection with the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange, redemption, and exercise of the Warrants; and

 

WHEREAS, the Company desires to provide for the form and provisions of the Warrants, the terms upon which they shall be issued and exercised, and the respective rights, limitation of rights, and immunities of the Company, the Warrant Agent, and the holders of the Warrants; and

 

WHEREAS, all acts and things have been done and performed which are necessary to make the Warrants, when executed on behalf of the Company and countersigned by or on behalf of the Warrant Agent, as provided herein, the valid, binding, and legal obligations of the Company, and to authorize the execution and delivery of this Agreement.

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements herein contained, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1. Appointment of Warrant Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Warrant Agent to act as agent for the Company for the Warrants, and the Warrant Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to perform the same in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement.

 

 

 

2. Warrants.

 

2.1. Form of Warrant. Each Warrant shall be issued in registered form only, shall be in substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto, the provisions of which are incorporated herein and shall be signed by, or bear the facsimile signature of, the Chairman of the Board of Directors or Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary of the Company and shall bear a facsimile of the Company’s seal. In the event the person whose facsimile signature has been placed upon any Warrant shall have ceased to serve in the capacity in which such person signed the Warrant before such Warrant is issued, it may be issued with the same effect as if he or she had not ceased to be such at the date of issuance.

 

2.2. Uncertificated Warrants. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, any Warrant, or portion thereof, may be issued as part of, and be represented by, a Unit, and any Warrant may be issued in uncertificated or book-entry form through the Warrant Agent and/or the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or other book-entry depositary system, in each case as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company or by an authorized committee thereof. Any Warrant so issued shall have the same terms, force and effect as a certificated Warrant that has been duly countersigned by the Warrant Agent in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.

 

2.3. Effect of Countersignature. Except with respect to uncertificated Warrants as described above, unless and until countersigned by the Warrant Agent pursuant to this Agreement, a Warrant shall be invalid and of no effect and may not be exercised by the holder thereof.

 

2.4. Registration.

 

2.4.1. Warrant Register. The Warrant Agent shall maintain books (“Warrant Register”) for the registration of original issuance and the registration of transfer of the Warrants. Upon the initial issuance of the Warrants, the Warrant Agent shall issue and register the Warrants in the names of the respective holders thereof in such denominations and otherwise in accordance with instructions delivered to the Warrant Agent by the Company.

 

2.4.2. Registered Holder. Prior to due presentment for registration of transfer of any Warrant, the Company and the Warrant Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name such Warrant is then registered in the Warrant Register (“registered holder”) as the absolute owner of such Warrant and of each Warrant represented thereby (notwithstanding any notation of ownership or other writing on the Warrant certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Warrant Agent), for the purpose of any exercise thereof, and for all other purposes, and neither the Company nor the Warrant Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.

 

2.5. Detachability of Warrants. The securities comprising the Public Units will not be separately transferable until the 90th day following the date of the Prospectus or, if such 90th day is not on a day, other than Saturday, Sunday or federal holiday, on which banks in New York City are generally open for normal business (a “Business Day”), then on the immediately succeeding Business Day following such date, or earlier with the consent of EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (the “Representative”), but in no event will the Representative allow separate trading of the securities comprising the Public Units until (i) the Company has filed a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting the receipt by the Company of the gross proceeds of the Public Offering including the proceeds received by the Company from the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option in the Public Offering (the “Over-allotment Option”), if the Over-allotment Option is exercised prior to the filing of the Form 8-K, and (ii) the Company has issued a press release announcing when such separate trading shall begin (the “Detachment Date”); provided that no fractional Warrants will be issued upon separation of the Units and only whole Warrants will trade.

 

2.6. Private Warrant and Working Capital Warrant Attributes. The Private Warrants and Working Capital Warrants will be issued in the same form as the Public Warrants.

 

2.7. Post IPO Warrants. The Post IPO Warrants, when and if issued, shall have the same terms and be in the same form as the Public Warrants except as may be agreed upon by the Company.

 

2

 

 

3. Terms and Exercise of Warrants

 

3.1. Warrant Price. Each whole Warrant shall, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent (except with respect to uncertificated Warrants), entitle the registered holder thereof, subject to the provisions of such Warrant and of this Agreement, to purchase from the Company the number of shares of Ordinary Shares stated therein, at the price of $11.50 per share, subject to the adjustments provided in Section 4 hereof and in the last sentence of this Section 3.1. The term “Warrant Price” as used in this Agreement refers to the price per share at which the shares of Ordinary Shares may be purchased at the time a Warrant is exercised. The Company in its sole discretion may lower the Warrant Price at any time prior to the Expiration Date (as defined below) for a period of not less than twenty (20) Business Days; provided, that the Company shall provide at least twenty (20) days’ prior written notice of such reduction to registered holders of the Warrants and, provided further that any such reduction shall be applied consistently to all of the Warrants.

 

3.2. Duration of Warrants. A Warrant may be exercised only during the period commencing on the later of 30 days after the consummation by the Company of a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (“Business Combination”) (as described more fully in the Registration Statement) or 12 months from the closing of the Public Offering, and terminating at 5:00 p.m., New York City time on the earlier to occur of (i) five years from the consummation of a Business Combination, (ii) the Redemption Date as provided in Section 6.2 of this Agreement and (iii) the liquidation of the Company (“Expiration Date”). The period of time from the date the Warrants will first become exercisable until the expiration of the Warrants shall hereafter be referred to as the “Exercise Period.” Except with respect to the right to receive the Redemption Price (as set forth in Section 6 hereunder), as applicable, each Warrant not exercised on or before the Expiration Date shall become void, and all rights thereunder and all rights in respect thereof under this Agreement shall cease at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on the Expiration Date. The Company in its sole discretion may extend the duration of the Warrants by delaying the Expiration Date; provided, however, that the Company will provide at least twenty (20) days’ prior written notice of any such extension to registered holders and, provided further that any such extension shall be applied consistently to all of the Warrants.

 

3.3. Exercise of Warrants.

 

3.3.1. Payment. Subject to the provisions of the Warrant and this Agreement, a Warrant, when countersigned by the Warrant Agent, may be exercised by the registered holder thereof by surrendering it, at the office of the Warrant Agent, or at the office of its successor as Warrant Agent, in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, with the subscription form, as set forth in the Warrant, duly executed, and by paying in full the Warrant Price for each full share of Ordinary Shares as to which the Warrant is exercised and any and all applicable taxes due in connection with the exercise of the Warrant, the exchange of the Warrant for the shares of Ordinary Shares and the issuance of such shares of Ordinary Shares, as follows:

 

(a) in lawful money of the United States, by good certified check or wire payable to the Warrant Agent; or

 

(b) in the event of redemption pursuant to Section 6 hereof in which the Company’s management has elected to force all holders of Warrants to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis,” by surrendering the Warrants for that number of shares of Ordinary Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the Warrant Price and the “Fair Market Value” (defined below) by (y) the Fair Market Value. Solely for purposes of this Section 3.3.1(b), the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Ordinary Shares for the five (5) trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to holders of the Warrants pursuant to Section 6 hereof; or

 

(c) in the event the registration statement required by Section 7.4 hereof is not effective and current within sixty (60) Business Days after the closing of a Business Combination, by surrendering such Warrants for that number of shares of Ordinary Shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Ordinary Shares underlying the Warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the Warrants and the “Fair Market Value” by (y) the Fair Market Value; provided, however, that no cashless exercise shall be permitted unless the Fair Market Value is equal to or higher than the exercise price. Solely for purposes of this Section 3.3.1(c), the “Fair Market Value” shall mean the average reported last sale price of the Ordinary Shares for the five (5) trading days ending on the trading day prior to the date of exercise.

 

3

 

 

3.3.2. Issuance of Shares of Ordinary Shares. As soon as practicable after the exercise of any Warrant and the clearance of the funds in payment of the Warrant Price (if any), the Company shall issue to the registered holder of such Warrant a certificate or certificates, or book entry position, for the number of shares of Ordinary Shares to which he, she or it is entitled, registered in such name or names as may be directed by him, her or it, and if such Warrant shall not have been exercised in full, a new countersigned Warrant, or book entry position, for the number of shares as to which such Warrant shall not have been exercised. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event will the Company be required to net cash settle the Warrant exercise. No Warrant shall be exercisable for cash and the Company shall not be obligated to issue shares of Ordinary Shares upon exercise of a Warrant unless the Ordinary Shares issuable upon such Warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the Warrants. In the event that the condition in the immediately preceding sentence is not satisfied with respect to a Warrant, the holder of such Warrant shall not be entitled to exercise such Warrant for cash and such Warrant may have no value and expire worthless, in which case the purchaser of a Unit containing such Public Warrants shall have paid the full purchase price for the Unit solely for the shares of Ordinary Shares underlying such Unit. Warrants may not be exercised by, or securities issued to, any registered holder in any state in which such exercise would be unlawful.

 

3.3.3. Valid Issuance. All shares of Ordinary Shares issued upon the proper exercise of a Warrant in conformity with this Agreement shall be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

 

3.3.4. Date of Issuance. Each person in whose name any book entry position or certificate for shares of Ordinary Shares is issued shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of such shares on the date on which the Warrant, or book entry position representing such Warrant, was surrendered and payment of the Warrant Price was made, irrespective of the date of delivery of such certificate, except that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date when the share transfer books of the Company or book entry system of the Warrant Agent are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the holder of such shares at the close of business on the next succeeding date on which the share transfer books or book entry system are open.

 

3.3.5 Maximum Percentage. A holder of a Warrant may notify the Company in writing in the event it elects to be subject to the provisions contained in this subsection 3.3.5; however, no holder of a Warrant shall be subject to this subsection 3.3.5 unless he, she or it makes such election. If the election is made by a holder, the Warrant Agent shall not effect the exercise of the holder’s Warrant, and such holder shall not have the right to exercise such Warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the Warrant Agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 9.8% (the “Maximum Percentage”) of the shares of Ordinary Shares outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of Ordinary Shares beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of Ordinary Shares that would be issuable upon (x) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the Warrant beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates and (y) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of the Company beneficially owned by such person and its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred shares or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). For purposes of the Warrant, in determining the number of outstanding shares of Ordinary Shares, the holder may rely on the number of outstanding shares of Ordinary Shares as reflected in (1) the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly report on Form 10-Q, current report on Form 8-K or other public filing with the SEC as the case may be, (2) a more recent public announcement by the Company or (3) any other notice by the Company or the Transfer Agent setting forth the number of shares of Ordinary Shares outstanding. For any reason at any time, upon the written request of the holder of the Warrant, the Company shall, within two (2) Business Days, confirm orally and in writing to such holder the number of shares of Ordinary Shares then outstanding. In any case, the number of outstanding shares of Ordinary Shares shall be determined after giving effect to the conversion or exercise of equity securities of the Company by the holder and its affiliates since the date as of which such number of outstanding shares of Ordinary Shares was reported. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a Warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the Maximum Percentage applicable to such holder to any other percentage specified in such notice; provided, however, that any such increase shall not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to the Company.

 

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4. Adjustments.

 

4.1. Share Dividends; Split Ups. If after the date hereof, and subject to the provisions of Section 4.6 below, the number of outstanding Ordinary Shares is increased by a share dividend payable in Ordinary Shares, or by a division of Ordinary Shares, or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such share dividend, division or similar event, the number of Ordinary Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be increased in proportion to such increase in outstanding Ordinary Shares.

 

4.2. Aggregation of Shares. If after the date hereof, the number of outstanding shares of Ordinary Shares is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse division or reclassification of Ordinary Shares or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse division, reclassification or similar event, the number of Ordinary Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant shall be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding Ordinary Shares.

 

4.3. Extraordinary Dividends. If the Company, at any time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, shall pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of the shares of Ordinary Shares or other shares of the Company into which the Warrants are convertible (an “Extraordinary Dividend”), then the Warrant Price shall be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such Extraordinary Dividend, by the amount of cash and the fair market value (as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors, in good faith) of any securities or other assets paid in respect of such Extraordinary Dividend divided by all outstanding shares of the Company at such time (whether or not any shareholders waived their right to receive such dividend); provided, however, that none of the following shall be deemed an Extraordinary Dividend for purposes of this provision: (a) any adjustment described in subsection 4.1 above, (b) any cash dividends or cash distributions which, when combined on a per share basis with all other cash dividends and cash distributions paid on the Ordinary Shares during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such dividend or distribution does not exceed $0.50 per share (taking into account all of the outstanding shares of the Company at such time (whether or not any shareholders waived their right to receive such dividend) and as adjusted to appropriately reflect any of the events referred to in other subsections of this Section 4 and excluding cash dividends or cash distributions that resulted in an adjustment to the Warrant Price or to the number of shares of Ordinary Shares issuable on exercise of each Warrant) but only with respect to the amount of the aggregate cash dividends or cash distributions equal to or less than $0.50, (c) any payment to satisfy the conversion rights of the holders of the shares of Ordinary Shares in connection with a proposed initial Business Combination or certain amendments to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (as described in the Registration Statement) or (d) any payment in connection with the Company’s liquidation and the distribution of its assets upon its failure to consummate a Business Combination. Solely for purposes of illustration, if the Company, at a time while the Warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pays a cash dividend of $0.35 and previously paid an aggregate of $0.40 of cash dividends and cash distributions on the Ordinary Shares during the 365-day period ending on the date of declaration of such $0.35 dividend, then the Warrant Price will be decreased, effectively immediately after the effective date of such $0.35 dividend, by $0.25 (the absolute value of the difference between $0.75 (the aggregate amount of all cash dividends and cash distributions paid or made in such 365-day period, including such $0.35 dividend) and $0.50 (the greater of (x) $0.50 and (y) the aggregate amount of all cash dividends and cash distributions paid or made in such 365-day period prior to such $0.35 dividend)). Furthermore, solely for the purposes of illustration, if following the closing of the Company’s initial Business Combination, there were total shares outstanding of 100,000,000 and the Company paid a $1.00 dividend to 17,500,000 of such shares (with the remaining 82,500,000 shares waiving their right to receive such dividend), then no adjustment to the Warrant Price would occur as a $17.5 million dividend payment divided by 100,000,000 shares equals $0.175 per share which is less than $0.50 per share.

 

4.4. Adjustments in Exercise Price. Whenever the number of shares of Ordinary Shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants is adjusted, as provided in Sections 4.1 and 4.2 above, the Warrant Price shall be adjusted (to the nearest cent) by multiplying such Warrant Price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Ordinary Shares purchasable upon the exercise of the Warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Ordinary Shares so purchasable immediately thereafter.

 

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4.5. Replacement of Securities upon Reorganization, etc. In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Ordinary Shares (other than a change covered by Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3 hereof or that solely affects the par value of the Ordinary Shares), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding Ordinary Shares), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of the assets or other property of the Company as an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which the Company is dissolved, the Warrant holders shall thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the Warrants and in lieu of the shares of Ordinary Shares of the Company immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the Warrant holder would have received if such Warrant holder had exercised his, her or its Warrant(s) immediately prior to such event. If any reclassification also results in a change in the Ordinary Shares covered by Section 4.1, 4.2 or 4.3, then such adjustment shall be made pursuant to Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4 and this Section 4.5. The provisions of this Section 4.5 shall similarly apply to successive reclassifications, reorganizations, mergers or consolidations, sales or other transfers. In no event will the Warrant Price be reduced to less than the par value per share issuable upon exercise of the Warrant.

 

4.6. Issuance in connection with a Business Combination. If, in connection with a Business Combination, the Company (a) issues additional shares of Ordinary Shares or equity-linked securities at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per share (with such issue price or effective issue price as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors, in good faith, and in the case of any such issuance to the Sponsor, the initial shareholders or their affiliates, without taking into account any shares of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class B Ordinary Shares”), issued prior to the Public Offering and held by the initial shareholders or their affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (b) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of the Business Combination on the date of the consummation of such Business Combination (net of redemptions), and (c) the Market Value (as defined below) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) Newly Issued Price, and the Redemption Trigger Price (as defined below) will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the greater of (i) the Market Value or (ii) the Newly Issued Price. Solely for purposes of this Section 4.6, the “Market Value” shall mean the volume weighted average trading price of the Ordinary Shares during the twenty (20) trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the date of the consummation of the Business Combination.

 

4.7. Notices of Changes in Warrant. Upon every adjustment of the Warrant Price or the number of shares issuable upon exercise of a Warrant, the Company shall give written notice thereof to the Warrant Agent, which notice shall state the Warrant Price resulting from such adjustment and the increase or decrease, if any, in the number of shares purchasable at such price upon the exercise of a Warrant, setting forth in reasonable detail the method of calculation and the facts upon which such calculation is based. Upon the occurrence of any event specified in Sections 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, or 4.6, then, in any such event, the Company shall give written notice to each Warrant holder, at the last address set forth for such holder in the Warrant Register, of the record date or the effective date of the event. Failure to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of such event.

 

4.8. No Fractional Warrants or Shares. Notwithstanding any provision contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company shall not issue fractional shares upon exercise of Warrants. If, by reason of any adjustment made pursuant to this Section 4, the holder of any Warrant would be entitled, upon the exercise of such Warrant, to receive a fractional interest in a share, the Company shall, upon such exercise, round up to the nearest whole number of shares of Ordinary Shares to be issued to the Warrant holder.

 

4.9. Form of Warrant. The form of Warrant need not be changed because of any adjustment pursuant to this Section 4, and Warrants issued after such adjustment may state the same Warrant Price and the same number of shares as is stated in the Warrants initially issued pursuant to this Agreement. However, the Company may at any time in its sole discretion make any change in the form of Warrant that the Company may deem appropriate and that does not affect the substance thereof, and any Warrant thereafter issued or countersigned, whether in exchange or substitution for an outstanding Warrant or otherwise, may be in the form as so changed.

 

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4.10. Other Events. In case any event shall occur affecting the Company as to which none of the provisions of preceding subsections of this Section 4 are strictly applicable, but which would require an adjustment to the terms of the Warrants in order to (i) avoid an adverse impact on the Warrants and (ii) effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4, then, in each such case, the Company shall appoint a firm of independent public accountants, investment banking or other appraisal firm of recognized national standing, which shall give its opinion as to whether or not any adjustment to the rights represented by the Warrants is necessary to effectuate the intent and purpose of this Section 4 and, if they determine that an adjustment is necessary, the terms of such adjustment. The Company shall adjust the terms of the Warrants in a manner that is consistent with any adjustment recommended in such opinion.

 

4.11. No Adjustment. For the avoidance of doubt, no adjustment shall be made to the terms of the Warrants solely as a result of an adjustment to the conversion ratio of the Class B Ordinary Shares into shares of Ordinary Shares or the conversion of the shares of Class B Ordinary Shares into shares of Ordinary Shares, in each case, pursuant to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as further amended from time to time.

 

5. Transfer and Exchange of Warrants.

 

5.1. Registration of Transfer. The Warrant Agent shall register the transfer, from time to time, of any outstanding Warrant upon the Warrant Register, upon surrender of such Warrant for transfer, properly endorsed with signatures, in the case of certificated Warrants, properly guaranteed and accompanied by appropriate instructions for transfer. Upon any such transfer, a new Warrant representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants shall be issued and the old Warrant shall be cancelled by the Warrant Agent. In the case of certificated Warrants, the Warrants so cancelled shall be delivered by the Warrant Agent to the Company from time to time upon request.

 

5.2. Procedure for Surrender of Warrants. Warrants may be surrendered to the Warrant Agent, either in certificated form or in book entry position, together with a written request for exchange or transfer, and thereupon the Warrant Agent shall issue in exchange therefor one or more new Warrants, or book entry positions, as requested by the registered holder of the Warrants so surrendered, representing an equal aggregate number of Warrants; provided, however, that in the event that a Warrant surrendered for transfer bears a restrictive legend, the Warrant Agent shall not cancel such Warrant and issue new Warrants in exchange therefor until the Warrant Agent has received an opinion of counsel for the Company stating that such transfer may be made and indicating whether the new Warrants must also bear a restrictive legend.

 

5.3. Fractional Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not be required to effect any registration of transfer or exchange which will result in the issuance of a warrant certificate or book-entry position for a fraction of a warrant, except as part of the Units.

 

5.4. Service Charges. No service charge shall be made for any exchange or registration of transfer of Warrants.

 

5.5. Warrant Execution and Countersignature. The Warrant Agent is hereby authorized to countersign and to deliver, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, the Warrants required to be issued pursuant to the provisions of this Section 5, and the Company, whenever required by the Warrant Agent, will supply the Warrant Agent with Warrants duly executed on behalf of the Company for such purpose.

 

5.6. Private Warrants and Working Capital Warrants. The Warrant Agent shall not register any transfer of Private Warrants or Working Capital Warrants until after the consummation by the Company of an initial Business Combination, except for transfers (i) among the initial shareholders or to the Company’s or the initial shareholders’ members, officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a holder’s shareholders or members upon the holder’s liquidation, in each case if the holder is an entity, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of the holder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is the holder or a member of the holder’s immediate family, in each case for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, (vi) to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (vii) in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which the Warrants were originally purchased, (viii) in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to its consummation of an initial Business Combination or (ix) in the event that, subsequent to the consummation of an initial Business Combination, the Company completes a liquidation, merger, shares exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property, in each case (except for clauses (vi), (viii) or (ix) or with the Company’s prior written consent) on the condition that prior to such registration for transfer, the Warrant Agent shall be presented with written documentation pursuant to which each transferee (each, a “Permitted Transferee”) or the trustee or legal guardian for such Permitted Transferee agrees to be bound by the transfer restrictions contained in this Agreement and any other applicable agreement the transferor is bound by.

 

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5.7. Transfers prior to Detachment. Prior to the Detachment Date, the Public Warrants may be transferred or exchanged only together with the Unit in which such Warrant is included, and only for the purpose of effecting, or in conjunction with, a transfer or exchange of such Unit. Furthermore, each transfer of a Unit on the register relating to such Units shall operate also to transfer the Warrants included in such Unit. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this Section 5.7 shall have no effect on any transfer of Warrants on or after the Detachment Date.

 

6. Redemption.

 

6.1. Redemption. Not less than all of the outstanding Warrants may be redeemed, at the option of the Company, at any time during the Exercise Period, at the office of the Warrant Agent, upon the notice referred to in Section 6.2, at the price of $0.01 per Warrant (“Redemption Price”), provided that the last sales price of the Ordinary Shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (subject to adjustment in accordance with Section 4 hereof) (the “Redemption Trigger Price”), on each of twenty (20) trading days within any thirty (30) trading day period commencing after the Warrants become exercisable and ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which notice of redemption is given and provided that there is an effective registration statement covering the shares of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and a current prospectus relating thereto, available throughout the 30-day redemption or the Company has elected to require the exercise of the Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to subsection 3.3.1(b); provided, however, that if and when the Warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may not exercise such redemption right if the issuance of shares of Ordinary Shares upon exercise of the Warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or the Company is unable to effect such registration or qualification.

 

6.2. Date Fixed for, and Notice of, Redemption. In the event the Company shall elect to redeem all of the Warrants that are subject to redemption, the Company shall fix a date for the redemption (the “Redemption Date”). Notice of redemption shall be mailed by first class mail, postage prepaid, by the Company not less than thirty (30) days prior to the Redemption Date to the registered holders of the Warrants to be redeemed 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.

 

6.3. Exercise After Notice of Redemption. The Warrants may be exercised, for cash (or on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3 of this Agreement) at any time after notice of redemption shall have been given by the Company pursuant to Section 6.2 hereof and prior to the Redemption Date. In the event the Company determines to require all holders of Warrants to exercise their Warrants on a “cashless basis” pursuant to Section 3.3.1(b), the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Ordinary Shares to be received upon exercise of the Warrants, including the “Fair Market Value” in such case. On and after the Redemption Date, the record holder of the Warrants shall have no further rights except to receive, upon surrender of the Warrants, the Redemption Price.

 

7. Other Provisions Relating to Rights of Holders of Warrants.

 

7.1. No Rights as Shareholder. A Warrant does not entitle the registered holder thereof to any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to receive dividends, or other distributions, exercise any preemptive rights to vote or to consent or to receive notice as shareholders in respect of the meetings of shareholders or the election of directors of the Company or any other matter.

 

7.2. Lost, Stolen, Mutilated, or Destroyed Warrants. If any Warrant is lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed, the Company and the Warrant Agent may on such terms as to indemnity or otherwise as they may in their discretion impose (which shall, in the case of a mutilated Warrant, include the surrender thereof), issue a new Warrant of like denomination, tenor, and date as the Warrant so lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed. Any such new Warrant shall constitute a substitute contractual obligation of the Company, whether or not the allegedly lost, stolen, mutilated, or destroyed Warrant shall be at any time enforceable by anyone.

 

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7.3. Reservation of Shares of Ordinary Shares. The Company shall at all times reserve and keep available a number of its authorized but unissued shares of Ordinary Shares that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Warrants issued pursuant to this Agreement.

 

7.4. Registration of Shares of Ordinary Shares. The Company agrees that as soon as practicable after the closing of its initial Business Combination, it shall use its best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Act, of the shares of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, and it shall use its best efforts to take such action as is necessary to register or qualify for sale, in those states in which the Warrants were initially offered by the Company and in those states where holders of Warrants then reside, the shares of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, to the extent an exemption is not available. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement until the expiration of the Warrants in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. If any such registration statement has not been declared effective by the 60th Business Day following the closing of the Business Combination, holders of the Warrants shall have the right, during the period beginning on the 61st Business Day after the closing of the Business Combination and ending upon such registration statement being declared effective by the SEC, and during any other period when the Company shall fail to have maintained an effective registration statement covering the shares of Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of the Warrants, to exercise such Warrants on a “cashless basis” as determined in accordance with Section 3.3.1(c). The Company shall provide the Warrant Agent with an opinion of counsel for the Company (which shall be an outside law firm with securities law experience) stating that (i) the exercise of the Warrants on a cashless basis in accordance with this Section 7.4 is not required to be registered under the Act and (ii) the shares of Ordinary Shares issued upon such exercise will be freely tradable under U.S. federal securities laws by anyone who is not an affiliate (as such term is defined in Rule 144 under the Act) of the Company and, accordingly, will not be required to bear a restrictive legend. For the avoidance of any doubt, unless and until all of the Warrants have been exercised on a cashless basis, the Company shall continue to be obligated to comply with its registration obligations under the first three sentences of this Section 7.4. The provisions of this Section 7.4 may not be modified, amended, or deleted without the prior written consent of EarlyBirdCapital.

 

8. Concerning the Warrant Agent and Other Matters.

 

8.1. Payment of Taxes. The Company will from time to time promptly pay all taxes and charges that may be imposed upon the Company or the Warrant Agent in respect of the issuance or delivery of shares of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of Warrants, but the Company shall not be obligated to pay any transfer taxes in respect of the Warrants or such shares.

 

8.2. Resignation, Consolidation, or Merger of Warrant Agent.

 

8.2.1. Appointment of Successor Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent, or any successor to it hereafter appointed, may resign its duties and be discharged from all further duties and liabilities hereunder after giving sixty (60) days’ notice in writing to the Company. If the office of the Warrant Agent becomes vacant by resignation or incapacity to act or otherwise, the Company shall appoint in writing a successor Warrant Agent in place of the Warrant Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of the Warrant (who shall, with such notice, submit his Warrant for inspection by the Company), then the holder of any Warrant may apply to the Supreme Court of the State of New York for the County of New York for the appointment of a successor Warrant Agent at the Company’s cost. Any successor Warrant Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such court, shall be a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, in good standing and having its principal office in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, and authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust powers and subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority. After appointment, any successor Warrant Agent shall be vested with all the authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations of its predecessor Warrant Agent with like effect as if originally named as Warrant Agent hereunder, without any further act or deed; but if for any reason it becomes necessary or appropriate, the predecessor Warrant Agent shall execute and deliver, at the expense of the Company, an instrument transferring to such successor Warrant Agent all the authority, powers, and rights of such predecessor Warrant Agent hereunder; and upon request of any successor Warrant Agent the Company shall make, execute, acknowledge, and deliver any and all instruments in writing for more fully and effectually vesting in and confirming to such successor Warrant Agent all such authority, powers, rights, immunities, duties, and obligations.

 

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8.2.2. Notice of Successor Warrant Agent. In the event a successor Warrant Agent shall be appointed, the Company shall give notice thereof to the predecessor Warrant Agent and the Transfer Agent for the shares of Ordinary Shares not later than the effective date of any such appointment.

 

8.2.3. Merger or Consolidation of Warrant Agent. Any corporation into which the Warrant Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated or any corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Warrant Agent shall be a party shall be the successor Warrant Agent under this Agreement without any further act.

 

8.3. Fees and Expenses of Warrant Agent.

 

8.3.1. Remuneration. The Company agrees to pay the Warrant Agent reasonable remuneration for its services as such Warrant Agent hereunder and will reimburse the Warrant Agent upon demand for all expenditures that the Warrant Agent may reasonably incur in the execution of its duties hereunder.

 

8.3.2. Further Assurances. The Company agrees to perform, execute, acknowledge, and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged, and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments, and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Warrant Agent for the carrying out or performing of the provisions of this Agreement.

 

8.4. Liability of Warrant Agent.

 

8.4.1. Reliance on Company Statement. Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Operating Officer, President, Secretary or Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Company and delivered to the Warrant Agent. The Warrant Agent may rely upon such statement for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement.

 

8.4.2. Indemnity. The Warrant Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct or bad faith. The Company agrees to indemnify the Warrant Agent and save it harmless against any and all liabilities, including judgments, costs and reasonable counsel fees, for anything done or omitted by the Warrant Agent in the execution of this Agreement except as a result of the Warrant Agent’s fraud, gross negligence, willful misconduct, or bad faith.

 

8.4.3. Exclusions. The Warrant Agent shall have no responsibility with respect to the validity of this Agreement or with respect to the validity or execution of any Warrant (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Warrant; nor shall it be responsible to make any adjustments required under the provisions of Section 4 hereof or responsible for the manner, method, or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment; nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Ordinary Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Warrant or as to whether any shares of Ordinary Shares will, when issued, be valid and fully paid and nonassessable.

 

8.5. Acceptance of Agency. The Warrant Agent hereby accepts the agency established by this Agreement and agrees to perform the same upon the terms and conditions herein set forth and among other things, shall account promptly to the Company with respect to Warrants exercised and concurrently account for, and pay to the Company, all monies received by the Warrant Agent for the purchase of shares of Ordinary Shares through the exercise of Warrants.

 

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9. Miscellaneous Provisions.

 

9.1. Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Warrant Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns.

 

9.2. Notices. Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Warrant Agent or by the holder of any Warrant to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five (5) days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Company with the Warrant Agent), as follows:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040
Attention: Kanat Mynzhanov, Chief Executive Officer

Email: kanat@qmbits.com

 

Any notice, statement or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the holder of any Warrant or by the Company to or on the Warrant Agent shall be sufficiently given when so delivered if by hand or overnight delivery or if sent by certified mail or private courier service within five days after deposit of such notice, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing by the Warrant Agent with the Company), as follows:

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th Floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Compliance Department

 

with a copy in each case to:

 

Greenberg Traurig, LLP
1750 Tysons Blvd., Suite 1000

McLean, VA 22102
Attention: Jason T. Simon, Esq.

Email: simonj@gtlaw.com

 

and

 

Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building

405 Lexington Avenue

New York, New York 10174

Attn: David Alan Miller, Esq.

 

and

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

366 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor

New York, NY 10017

Attn: Steven Levine

 

9.3. Applicable Law and Exclusive Forum. The validity, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement 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. Subject to applicable law, the Company hereby agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against it arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement, including under the Act, 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 forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. The Company hereby waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the provisions of this paragraph will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum.

 

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Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in the Warrants shall be deemed to have notice of and to have consented to the forum provisions in this Section 9.3. If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope the forum provisions above, is filed in a court other than a court located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any warrant holder, such warrant holder shall be deemed to have consented to: (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such warrant holder in any such enforcement action by service upon such warrant holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such warrant holder.

 

9.4. Persons Having Rights under this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement expressed and nothing that may be implied from any of the provisions hereof is intended, or shall be construed, to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto and the registered holders of the Warrants any right, remedy, or claim under or by reason of this Agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise, or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises, and agreements contained in this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto (and EarlyBirdCapital with respect to Sections 7.4, 9.4, 9.8 hereof) and their successors and assigns and of the registered holders of the Warrants.

 

9.5. Examination of the Warrant Agreement. A copy of this Agreement shall be available at all reasonable times at the office of the Warrant Agent in the Borough of Manhattan, City and State of New York, for inspection by the registered holder of any Warrant. The Warrant Agent may require any such holder to submit his Warrant for inspection by it.

 

9.6. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts 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.

 

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

 

9.8. Amendments. This Agreement may be amended by the parties hereto without the consent of any registered holder for the purpose of (i) curing any ambiguity or to correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions hereof to the description of the terms of the Warrants and this Agreement set forth in the Prospectus, or curing, correcting or supplementing any defective provision contained herein, or (ii) adding or changing any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under this Agreement as the parties may deem necessary or desirable and that the parties deem shall not adversely affect the interest of the registered holders. All other modifications or amendments, including any amendment to increase the Warrant Price or shorten the Exercise Period, shall require the written consent or vote of the registered holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding Public Warrants. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company may lower the Warrant Price or extend the duration of the Exercise Period pursuant to Sections 3.1 and 3.2, respectively, without the consent of the registered holders. The provisions of this Section 9.8 may not be modified, amended or deleted without the prior written consent of EarlyBirdCapital.

 

9.9. Trust Account Waiver. The Warrant Agent acknowledges and agrees that it shall not make any claims or proceed against the trust account established by the Company in connection with the Public Offering (as more fully described in the Registration Statement) (“Trust Account”), including by way of set-off, and shall not be entitled to any funds in the Trust Account under any circumstance. In the event that the Warrant Agent has a claim against the Company under this Agreement, the Warrant Agent will pursue such claim solely against the Company and not against the property held in the Trust Account.

 

9.10. Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement 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 Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

 

Exhibit A – Form of Warrant Certificate

 

Exhibit B – Legend

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

12

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Agreement has been duly executed by the parties hereto as of the day and year first above written.

 

  OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:
     
  CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER
  & TRUST COMPANY, as Warrant Agent
     
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:

 

[Signature Page to Warrant Agreement]

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Form of Warrant Certificate

 

[See attached]

 

 

 

EXHIBIT B

 

LEGEND FOR PRIVATE PLACEMENT WARRANTS

 

THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR ANY STATE SECURITIES LAWS, AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF UNLESS REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, AND ANY APPLICABLE STATE SECURITIES LAWS OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, SUBJECT TO ANY ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON TRANSFER DESCRIBED IN THE LETTER AGREEMENT BY AND AMONG OXUS ACQUISITION CORP. (THE “COMPANY”), OXUS CAPITAL PTE. LTD AND THE OTHER PARTIES THERETO, THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE MAY NOT BE SOLD OR TRANSFERRED PRIOR TO THE DATE THAT IS THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER THE DATE UPON WHICH THE COMPANY COMPLETES ITS INITIAL BUSINESS COMBINATION (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 3 OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT REFERRED TO HEREIN) EXCEPT TO A PERMITTED TRANSFEREE (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 5 OF THE WARRANT AGREEMENT) WHO AGREES IN WRITING WITH THE COMPANY TO BE SUBJECT TO SUCH TRANSFER PROVISIONS.

 

SECURITIES EVIDENCED BY THIS CERTIFICATE AND CLASS A ORDINARY SHARES OF THE COMPANY ISSUED UPON EXERCISE OF SUCH SECURITIES SHALL BE ENTITLED TO REGISTRATION RIGHTS UNDER A REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT TO BE EXECUTED BY THE COMPANY.

 

NO. [      ] WARRANT

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 5.1

 

 

 

July 26, 2021

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040

 

Re: Oxus Acquisition Corp.

Registration Statement on Form S-1

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), has filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), covering up to 17,250,000 units of the Company (the “Units”) (including up to 2,250,000 Units subject to the Underwriters’ (as defined below) over-allotment option), with each Unit consisting of (i) one Class A ordinary share of the Company, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class A Ordinary Shares,” and the Class A Ordinary Shares underlying the Units, the “Class A Shares”), for an aggregate of up to 17,250,000 Class A Shares (including up to 2,250,000 Class A Shares included in the Units subject to the Underwriters’ over-allotment option), and (ii) one warrant (“Warrant”), each whole Warrant entitling the holder to purchase one Ordinary Share, at a price of $11.50 per share, for an aggregate of up to 17,250,000 Warrants (including up to 2,250,000 Warrants included in the Units subject to the Underwriters’ over-allotment option) to be issued under a Warrant Agreement (the “Warrant Agreement”) to be entered into by the Company and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as Warrant Agent, pursuant to the terms of an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) to be executed by the Company and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and Sova Capital Limited (the “Underwriters”).

 

We have acted as counsel to the Company in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement and this opinion is being furnished in accordance with the “Legal Matters” section of the Registration Statement, as it pertains to the portions of New York law set forth below and with the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K under the Act.

 

We have examined copies of such corporate records, agreements, documents and other instruments of the Company and other certificates and documents of officials of the Company, public officials, and others, as we have deemed appropriate for purposes of this letter. We have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals, and the conformity to authentic original documents of all copies submitted to us as conformed, certified, or reproduced copies. We have also assumed that (i) upon sale and delivery of the Units, the Class A Shares, and the Warrants, the certificates representing such Units, Class A Shares, and Warrants will conform to the specimens thereof filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement and will have been duly countersigned by the transfer agent and duly registered by the registrar or, if uncertificated, valid book-entry notations for the issuance of the Units, the Class A Shares, and the Warrants in uncertificated form will have been duly made in the register of the Company and (ii) at the time of execution, countersigning, issuance, and delivery of the Warrants, the Warrant Agreement will be a valid and binding obligation of the Warrant Agent, enforceable against the Warrant Agent in accordance with its terms. In addition, in providing the opinions herein, we have relied, with respect to matters related to the Company’s existence, upon the certificates referenced above.

 

Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the assumptions, exceptions, qualifications, and limitations stated herein, we are of the opinion that:

 

1. When the Units have been duly executed, issued and delivered by the respective parties thereto and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriter pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement, the Units will be valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.

 

2. When the Warrants have been duly executed, issued and delivered by the respective parties thereto and delivered to and paid for by the Underwriter pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement and the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants will be valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms.

 

The opinions and other matters in this letter are qualified in their entirety and subject to the following:

 

A. We express no opinion as to the laws of any jurisdiction other than the laws of the State of New York.

 

B. The matters expressed in this letter are subject to and qualified and limited by (i) applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer and conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and similar laws affecting creditors’ rights and remedies generally; and (ii) general principles of equity, including without limitation, concepts of materiality, reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing and the possible unavailability of specific performance or injunctive relief (regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).

 

C. This opinion letter is limited to the matters expressly stated herein and no opinion is to be inferred or implied beyond the opinions expressly set forth herein. We undertake no, and hereby disclaim any, obligation to make any inquiry after the date hereof or to advise you of any changes in any matter set forth herein, whether based on a change in the law, a change in any fact relating to the Company or any other person or any other circumstance.

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the reference to us under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus comprising a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are included within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  /s/ Greenberg Traurig, P.A.
   
  GREENBERG TRAURIG, P.A.

 

Exhibit 5.2

 

 

Our ref MNG/783086-000001/28722551v4

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

PO Box 309, Ugland House

Grand Cayman

KY1-1104

Cayman Islands

 

22 July 2021

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

We have acted as counsel as to Cayman Islands law to Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) in connection with the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, including all amendments or supplements thereto, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) (including its exhibits, the “Registration Statement”) for the purposes of, registering with the Commission under the Act, the offering and sale to the public of:

 

(a) up to 17,250,000 units (including 2,250,000 units, consisting of 2,250,000 Class A ordinary shares and 2,250,000 redeemable warrants, which the several underwriters (“Underwriters”), for whom EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. is acting as representative, have a 45-day option to purchase from the Company to cover over-allotments, if any) (“Units”) at an offering price of US$10 per Unit, each Unit consisting of:

 

(i) one Class A ordinary share of a par value of US$0.0001 of the Company (“Class A Ordinary Shares”); and

 

(ii) one redeemable warrant, each whole warrant exercisable to purchase one Class A Ordinary Share at a price of US$11.50 per Class A Ordinary Share (“Warrants”); and

 

(b) all Class A Ordinary Shares and Warrants issued as part of the Units.

 

This opinion letter is given in accordance with the terms of the Legal Matters section of the Registration Statement.

 

 

 

 

1 Documents Reviewed

 

We have reviewed originals, copies, drafts or conformed copies of the following documents:

 

1.1 The certificate of incorporation dated 3 February 2021 and the memorandum and articles of association of the Company as registered or adopted on 3 February 2021 (the “Memorandum and Articles”).

 

1.2 The written resolutions of the board of directors of the Company dated 20 July 2021 (the “Resolutions”) and the corporate records of the Company maintained at its registered office in the Cayman Islands.

 

1.3 A certificate of good standing with respect to the Company issued by the Registrar of Companies (the “Certificate of Good Standing”).

 

1.4 A certificate from a director of the Company a copy of which is attached to this opinion letter (the “Director’s Certificate”).

 

1.5 The Registration Statement.

 

1.6 A draft of the form of the unit certificate representing the Units (the “Unit Certificate”).

 

1.7 A draft of the form of the warrant agreement and the warrant certificate constituting the Warrants (the “Warrant Documents”).

 

1.8 A draft of the underwriting agreement between the Company and the Underwriters’ representatives.

 

The documents listed in paragraphs 1.6 to 1.8 inclusive above shall be referred to collectively herein as the “Documents”.

 

2 Assumptions

 

The following opinions are given only as to, and based on, circumstances and matters of fact existing and known to us on the date of this opinion letter. These opinions only relate to the laws of the Cayman Islands which are in force on the date of this opinion letter. In giving the following opinions, we have relied (without further verification) upon the completeness and accuracy, as at the date of this opinion letter, of the Director’s Certificate and the Certificate of Good Standing. We have also relied upon the following assumptions, which we have not independently verified:

 

2.1 The Documents have been or will be authorised and duly executed and unconditionally delivered by or on behalf of all relevant parties in accordance with all relevant laws (other than, with respect to the Company, the laws of the Cayman Islands).

 

2.2 The Documents are, or will be, legal, valid, binding and enforceable against all relevant parties in accordance with their terms under the laws of the State of New York (the “Relevant Law”) and all other relevant laws (other than, with respect to the Company, the laws of the Cayman Islands).

 

2.3 The choice of the Relevant Law as the governing law of the Documents has been made in good faith and would be regarded as a valid and binding selection which will be upheld by the courts of the State of New York and any other relevant jurisdiction (other than the Cayman Islands) as a matter of the Relevant Law and all other relevant laws (other than the laws of the Cayman Islands).

 

2

 

 

2.4 Copies of documents, conformed copies or drafts of documents provided to us are true and complete copies of, or in the final forms of, the originals.

 

2.5 All signatures, initials and seals are genuine.

 

2.6 The capacity, power, authority and legal right of all parties under all relevant laws and regulations (other than, with respect to the Company, the laws and regulations of the Cayman Islands) to enter into, execute, unconditionally deliver and perform their respective obligations under the Documents.

 

2.7 No invitation has been or will be made by or on behalf of the Company to the public in the Cayman Islands to subscribe for any of the Units, the Warrants or the Class A Ordinary Shares.

 

2.8 There is no contractual or other prohibition or restriction (other than as arising under Cayman Islands law) binding on the Company prohibiting or restricting it from entering into and performing its obligations under the Documents.

 

2.9 No monies paid to or for the account of any party under the Documents or any property received or disposed of by any party to the Documents in each case in connection with the Documents or the consummation of the transactions contemplated thereby represent or will represent proceeds of criminal conduct or criminal property or terrorist property (as defined in the Proceeds of Crime Act (As Revised) and the Terrorism Act (As Revised), respectively).

 

2.10 There is nothing under any law (other than the laws of the Cayman Islands) which would or might affect the opinions set out below. Specifically, we have made no independent investigation of the Relevant Law.

 

2.11 The Company will receive money or money’s worth in consideration for the issue of the Class A Ordinary Shares and none of the Class A Ordinary Shares were or will be issued for less than par value.

 

Save as aforesaid we have not been instructed to undertake and have not undertaken any further enquiry or due diligence in relation to the transaction the subject of this opinion letter.

 

3 Opinions

 

Based upon, and subject to, the foregoing assumptions and the qualifications set out below, and having regard to such legal considerations as we deem relevant, we are of the opinion that:

 

3.1 The Company has been duly incorporated as an exempted company with limited liability and is validly existing and in good standing with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands.

 

3.2 The Class A Ordinary Shares to be offered and issued by the Company as contemplated by the Registration Statement (including the issuance of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the Warrants in accordance with the Warrant Documents) have been duly authorised for issue, and when issued by the Company against payment in full of the consideration as set out in the Registration Statement and in accordance with the terms set out in the Registration Statement (including the issuance of Ordinary Shares upon the exercise of the Warrants in accordance with the Warrant Documents), such Class A Ordinary Shares will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. As a matter of Cayman Islands law, a share is only issued when it has been entered in the register of members (shareholders).

 

3

 

 

3.3 The execution, delivery and performance of the Unit Certificate and the Warrant Documents have been authorised by and on behalf of the Company and, once the Unit Certificate and the Warrant Documents have been executed and delivered by any director or officer of the Company, the Unit Certificate and the Warrant Documents will be duly executed and delivered on behalf of the Company and will constitute the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Company enforceable in accordance with their terms.

 

4 Qualifications

 

The opinions expressed above are subject to the following qualifications:

 

4.1 The term “enforceable” as used above means that the obligations assumed by the Company under the Documents are of a type which the courts of the Cayman Islands will enforce. It does not mean that those obligations will necessarily be enforced in all circumstances in accordance with their terms. In particular:

 

(a) enforcement may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, liquidation, reorganisation, readjustment of debts or moratorium or other laws of general application relating to or affecting the rights of creditors;

 

(b) enforcement may be limited by general principles of equity. For example, equitable remedies such as specific performance may not be available, inter alia, where damages are considered to be an adequate remedy;

 

(c) where obligations are to be performed in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands, they may not be enforceable in the Cayman Islands to the extent that performance would be illegal under the laws of that jurisdiction; and

 

(d) some claims may become barred under relevant statutes of limitation or may be or become subject to defences of set off, counterclaim, estoppel and similar defences.

 

4.2 To maintain the Company in good standing with the Registrar of Companies under the laws of the Cayman Islands, annual filing fees must be paid and returns made to the Registrar of Companies within the time frame prescribed by law.

 

4.3 Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members (shareholders) is prima facie evidence of title to shares and this register would not record a third party interest in such shares. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. As far as we are aware, such applications are rarely made in the Cayman Islands and for the purposes of the opinion given in paragraph 3.2, there are no circumstances or matters of fact known to us on the date of this opinion letter which would properly form the basis for an application for an order for rectification of the register of members of the Company, but if such an application were made in respect of the Class A Ordinary Shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.

 

4

 

 

4.4 Except as specifically stated herein, we make no comment with respect to any representations and warranties which may be made by or with respect to the Company in any of the documents or instruments cited in this opinion letter or otherwise with respect to the commercial terms of the transactions the subject of this opinion letter.

 

4.5 In this opinion letter, the phrase “non-assessable” means, with respect to shares in the Company, that a shareholder shall not, solely by virtue of its status as a shareholder, be liable for additional assessments or calls on the shares by the Company or its creditors (except in exceptional circumstances, such as involving fraud, the establishment of an agency relationship or an illegal or improper purpose or other circumstances in which a court may be prepared to pierce or lift the corporate veil).

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the references to our firm under the headings “Legal Matters”, “Risk Factors”, “Shareholders’ Suits” and “Enforcement of Civil Liabilities” in the prospectus included in the Registration Statement. In providing our consent, we do not thereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Act or the Rules and Regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

This opinion letter is addressed to you and may be relied upon by you, your counsel and purchasers of Units pursuant to the Registration Statement. This opinion letter is limited to the matters detailed herein and is not to be read as an opinion with respect to any other matter.

 

Yours faithfully

 

Maples and Calder

 

 

5

 

 

Exhibit 10.1

 

[ ], 2021 

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

366 Madison Ave., 8th Floor

New York, New York 10017

 

Sova Capital Limited

119049, Moscow, 5 Koroviy Val, Bldg. 1

BC Oasis, 7th floor

 

  Re: Initial Public Offering.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

This letter is being delivered to you in accordance with the Underwriting Agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) entered into by and between Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. as representative (the “Representative”) of the several underwriters named in Schedule I thereto (the “Underwriters”), relating to an underwritten initial public offering (the “IPO”) of the Company’s units (the “Units”), each comprised of one of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Ordinary Shares”), and one warrant, each whole warrant exercisable for one Ordinary Share (each, a “Warrant”). Certain capitalized terms used herein are defined in paragraph 13 hereof.

 

In order to induce the Company and the Underwriters to enter into the Underwriting Agreement and to proceed with the IPO, and in recognition of the benefit that such IPO will confer upon the undersigned, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, each of the undersigned hereby agrees with the Company as follows:

 

1. If the Company solicits approval of its shareholders of a Business Combination, the undersigned will vote all shares beneficially owned by him, her or it, whether acquired before, in, or after the IPO, in favor of such Business Combination.

 

2. (a) In the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “MAA”), the undersigned will, as promptly as possible, cause the Company to (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible, but not more than 10 business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the outstanding IPO Shares at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including any interest earned on the Trust Account not previously released to the Company but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding IPO Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law, and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company’s remaining shareholders and the Company’s board of directors, dissolve and liquidate, subject in the cases of clauses (ii) and (iii) to the Company’s obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

(b) The undersigned hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any distribution of the Trust Account (“Claim”) with respect to the Founder Shares and Private Warrants owned by the undersigned and hereby waives any Claim the undersigned may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that there will be no distribution from the Trust Account with respect to any Warrants, all rights of which will terminate on the Company’s liquidation.

 

 

 

 

(c) In the event of the liquidation of the Trust Account, the Sponsor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company for any debts and obligations to target businesses or vendors or other entities that are owed money by the Company for services rendered or contracted for or products sold to the Company, but only to the extent necessary to ensure that such debt or obligation does not reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account below $10.00 per share; provided that such indemnity shall not apply (i) if such vendor or prospective target business executed an agreement waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in or to any monies held in the Trust Account, or (ii) as to any claims under the Company’s obligation to indemnify the Underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). 

 

3. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that prior to entering into a Business Combination with a target business that is affiliated with any Insiders of the Company or their affiliates, such transaction must be approved by a majority of the Company’s disinterested independent directors and the Company must obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions, that such Business Combination is fair to the Company’s unaffiliated shareholders from a financial point of view.

 

4. During the period commencing on the effective date of the Underwriting Agreement and ending 180 days after such date, each of the undersigned shall not, without the prior written consent of the Representative, (i) sell, offer to sell, contract or agree to sell, hypothecate, pledge, grant any option to purchase or otherwise dispose of or agree to dispose of, directly or indirectly, or establish or increase a put equivalent position or liquidate or decrease a call equivalent position within the meaning of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) promulgated thereunder, with respect to any Units, shares of Ordinary Shares, Founder Shares, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Ordinary Shares owned by it, him or her, (ii) enter into any swap or other arrangement that transfers to another, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of any Units, shares of Ordinary Shares, Founder Shares, Warrants or any securities convertible into, or exercisable, or exchangeable for, shares of Ordinary Shares owned by it, him or her, whether any such transaction is to be settled by delivery of such securities, in cash or otherwise, or (iii) publicly announce any intention to effect any transaction specified in clause (i) or (ii).

 

5. Neither the undersigned nor any affiliate of the undersigned will be entitled to receive and will not accept any compensation or other cash payment or fees of any kind, including finder’s, consulting fees and other similar fees, prior to, or for services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of the Business Combination; provided that the Company shall be allowed to make the payments set forth in the Registration Statement under the caption “Prospectus Summary – The Offering – Limited payments to insiders.”

 

6. (a) The undersigned will place into escrow all Founder Shares owned by him/her/it pursuant to the terms of a Stock Escrow Agreement which the Company will enter into with the undersigned, as applicable, and an escrow agent.

 

(b) The undersigned agrees that all Private Warrants owned by him/her/it, as applicable, will be subject to the transfer restrictions described in the Subscription Agreement relating to the Private Warrants.

 

7. To the extent that the Underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option to purchase up to an additional 2,250,000 Units within 45 days from the date of the prospectus which forms a part of the Registration Statement (and as further described in the Registration Statement), the Sponsor agrees to forfeit, at no cost, a number of Founder Shares in the aggregate equal to 562,500 multiplied by a fraction, (i) the numerator of which is 2,250,000 minus the number of Units purchased by the Underwriters upon the exercise of their over-allotment option, and (ii) the denominator of which is 2,250,000. The forfeiture will be adjusted to the extent that the over-allotment option is not exercised in full by the Underwriters so that the Company’s initial shareholders will own an aggregate of 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the IPO (assuming the initial shareholders do not purchase any Units in the IPO).

 

8. (a) In order to minimize potential conflicts of interest that may arise from multiple corporate affiliations, the undersigned hereby agrees that until the earliest of the Company’s initial Business Combination, the Company’s liquidation or the time that the undersigned ceases to be an officer or director of the Company, as applicable, the undersigned shall present to the Company for its consideration, prior to presentation to any other entity, any suitable target business, subject to any pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations the undersigned might have.

 

2

 

 

(b) The undersigned hereby agrees and acknowledges that (i) each of the Underwriters and the Company may be irreparably injured in the event of a breach of any of the obligations contained in this letter, (ii) monetary damages may not be an adequate remedy for such breach and (iii) the non-breaching party shall be entitled to injunctive relief, in addition to any other remedy that such party may have in law or in equity, in the event of such breach.

 

9. The undersigned agrees to be an officer and/or director of the Company, as applicable, until the earlier of the consummation by the Company of a Business Combination, the liquidation of the Trust Account or his or her removal, death or incapacity. In the event of the removal or resignation of the undersigned as an officer and/or director of the Company, as applicable, the undersigned agrees that he or she will not, prior to the consummation of the Business Combination, without the prior express written consent of the Company, (i) use for the benefit of the undersigned or to the detriment of the Company or (ii) disclose to any third party (unless required by law or governmental authority), any information regarding a potential target of the Company that is not generally known by persons outside of the Company, the Sponsor, or their respective affiliates. The undersigned’s biographical information previously furnished to the Company and the Representative, as applicable, is true and accurate in all respects and does not omit any material information with respect to the undersigned’s background. The undersigned’s FINRA Questionnaire previously furnished to the Company and the Representative is true and accurate in all respects. The undersigned represents and warrants that:

 

(a) he/she/it has never had a petition under the federal bankruptcy laws or any state insolvency law been filed by or against (i) him/her/it or any partnership in which he/she/it was a general partner at or within two years before the time of filing; or (ii) any corporation or business association of which he/she/it was an executive officer at or within two years before the time of such filing;

 

  (b) he/she/it has never had a receiver, fiscal agent or similar officer been appointed by a court for his/her/its business or property, or any such partnership;

 

  (c) he/she/it has never been convicted of fraud in a civil or criminal proceeding;

 

  (d) he/she/it/ has never been convicted in a criminal proceeding or named the subject of a pending criminal proceeding (excluding traffic violations and minor offenses);

 

  (e) he/she/it has never been the subject of any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any court of competent jurisdiction, permanently or temporarily enjoining or otherwise limiting him/her/it from (i) acting as a futures commission merchant, introducing broker, commodity trading advisor, commodity pool operator, floor broker, leverage transaction merchant, any other person regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) or an associated person of any of the foregoing, or as an investment adviser, underwriter, broker or dealer in securities, or as an affiliated person, director or employee of any investment company, bank, savings and loan association or insurance company, or from engaging in or continuing any conduct or practice in connection with any such activity; or (ii) engaging in any type of business practice; or (iii) engaging in any activity in connection with the purchase or sale of any security or commodity or in connection with any violation of federal or state securities or federal commodities laws;

 

  (f) he/she/it has never been the subject of any order, judgment or decree, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, of any federal or state authority barring, suspending or otherwise limiting for more than 60 days his/her/its right to engage in any activity described in paragraph 9(e)(i) above, or to be associated with persons engaged in any such activity;

 

  (g) he/she/it has never been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the SEC to have violated any federal or state securities law, where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the SEC has not been subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated;

 

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  (h) he/she/it has never been found by a court of competent jurisdiction in a civil action or by the CFTC to have violated any federal commodities law, where the judgment in such civil action or finding by the CFTC has not been subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated;

 

  (i) he/she/it has never been the subject of, or a party to, any Federal or State judicial or administrative order, judgment, decree or finding, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, relating to an alleged violation of (i) any Federal or State securities or commodities law or regulation, (ii) any law or regulation respecting financial institutions or insurance companies including, but not limited to, a temporary or permanent injunction, order of disgorgement or restitution, civil money penalty or temporary or permanent cease-and desist order, or removal or prohibition order or (iii) any law or regulation prohibiting mail or wire fraud or fraud in connection with any business entity;

 

  (j) he/she/it has never been the subject of, or party to, any sanction or order, not subsequently reversed, suspended or vacated, or any self-regulatory organization, any registered entity, or any equivalent exchange, association, entity or organization that has disciplinary authority over its members or persons associated with a member;

 

  (k) he/she/it has never been convicted of any felony or misdemeanor: (i) in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; (ii) involving the making of any false filing with the SEC; or (iii) arising out of the conduct of the business of an underwriter, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, investment advisor or paid solicitor of purchasers of securities;

 

  (l) he/she/it was never subject to a final order of a state securities commission (or an agency of officer of a state performing like functions); a state authority that supervises or examines banks, savings associations, or credit unions; a state insurance commission (or an agency or officer of a state performing like functions); an appropriate federal banking agency; the CFTC; or the National Credit Union Administration that is based on a violation of any law or regulation that prohibits fraudulent, manipulative, or deceptive conduct;

 

  (m) he/she/it has never been subject to any order, judgment or decree of any court of competent jurisdiction, that, at the time of such sale, restrained or enjoined him/her/it from engaging or continuing to engage in any conduct or practice: (i) in connection with the purchase or sale of any security; (ii) involving the making of any false filing with the SEC; or (iii) arising out of the conduct of the business of an underwriter, broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer, investment adviser or paid solicitor of purchasers of securities;

 

  (n) he/she/it has never been subject to any order of the SEC that orders him/her/it to cease and desist from committing or causing a future violation of: (i) any scienter-based anti-fraud provision of the federal securities laws, including, but not limited to, Section 17(a)(1) of the Securities Act, Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Section 206(1) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act”), or any other rule or regulation thereunder; or (ii) Section 5 of the Securities Act;

 

  (o) he/she/it has never been named as an underwriter in any registration statement or Regulation A offering statement filed with the SEC that was the subject of a refusal order, stop order, or order suspending the Regulation A exemption, or is, currently, the subject of an investigation or proceeding to determine whether a stop order or suspension order should be issued;

 

  (p) he/she/it has never been subject to a United States Postal Service false representation order, or is currently subject to a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction with respect to conduct alleged by the United States Postal Service to constitute a scheme or device for obtaining money or property through the mail by means of false representations;

 

  (q) he/she/it is not subject to a final order of a state securities commission (or an agency of officer of a state performing like functions); a state authority that supervises or examines banks, savings associations, or credit unions; a state insurance commission (or an agency or officer of a state performing like functions); an appropriate federal banking agency; the Commodity Futures Trading Commission; or the National Credit Union Administration that bars the undersigned from: (i) association with an entity regulated by such commission, authority, agency or officer; (ii) engaging in the business of securities, insurance or banking; or (iii) engaging in savings association or credit union activities;

 

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  (r) he/she/it is not subject to an order of the SEC entered pursuant to section 15(b) or 15B(c) of the Exchange Act or section 203(e) or 203(f) of the Advisers Act that: (i) suspends or revokes the undersigned’s registration as a broker, dealer, municipal securities dealer or investment adviser; (ii) places limitations on the activities, functions or operations of, or imposes civil money penalties on, such person; or (iii) bars the undersigned from being associated with any entity or from participating in the offering of any penny stock; and

 

  (s) he/she/it has never been suspended or expelled from membership in, or suspended or barred from association with a member of, a securities self-regulatory organization (e.g., a registered national securities exchange or a registered national or affiliated securities association) for any act or omission to act constituting conduct inconsistent with just and equitable principles of trade.

 

10. The undersigned has full right and power, without violating any agreement by which he, she or it is bound, to enter into this letter agreement and to serve as a director and/or officer of the Company, as applicable.

 

11. The undersigned hereby waives any right to exercise conversion rights with respect to any shares owned or to be owned by the undersigned, directly or indirectly (or to sell such shares to the Company in a tender offer), whether acquired before, in or after the IPO, and agrees not to seek conversion with respect to such shares in connection with any vote to approve a Business Combination (or sell such shares to the Company in a tender offer in connection with such a Business Combination) or any amendment to the MAA prior thereto (although the undersigned shall be entitled to conversion rights with respect to any IPO Shares he/she/it holds if the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period set forth in the MAA). 

 

12. The undersigned hereby agrees to not propose, or vote in favor of, any amendment to the MAA (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in the Registration Statement or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, unless the Company provides public shareholders with the opportunity to convert their IPO Shares upon the approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest not previously released to the Company but net of taxes payable, divided by the number of then outstanding IPO Shares.  

 

13. In the event that the Company does not consummate a Business Combination and must liquidate and its remaining net assets are insufficient to complete such liquidation, the Sponsor agrees to advance such funds necessary to complete such liquidation and agrees not to seek repayment for such expenses.

 

14. This letter agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with 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 Company and the undersigned hereby (i) agrees that any action, proceeding or claim against him arising out of or relating in any way to this letter agreement shall be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York of the United States of America for the Southern District of New York, and irrevocably submits to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be exclusive and (ii) waives any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.

 

15. As used herein, (i) a “Business Combination” means a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities; (ii) “Insiders” means the Sponsor and all officers, directors and initial shareholders of the Company immediately prior to the IPO; (iii) “Founder Shares” means all of the outstanding shares of Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company issued prior to the consummation of the IPO and shall be deemed to include the shares of Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion thereof; (iv) “IPO Shares” means the shares of Ordinary Shares issued in the Company’s IPO; (v) “Private Warrants” means the warrants of the Company that the Sponsor and certain other investors have agreed to purchase in a private placement simultaneously with the consummation of the IPO, and (vi) “Trust Account” means the trust account into which a portion of the net proceeds of the IPO will be deposited; (vii) “Registration Statement” means the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, as amended (File No. 333-) filed with the SEC and (viii) “Sponsor” means Oxus Capital PTE. LTD.

 

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16. This letter agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby. This letter agreement may not be changed, amended, modified or waived (other than to correct a typographical error) as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto.

 

17. Each of the undersigned acknowledges and understands that the Underwriters and the Company will rely upon the agreements, representations and warranties set forth herein in proceeding with the IPO. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to render the Underwriters a representative of, or a fiduciary with respect to, the Company, its shareholders or any creditor or vendor of the Company with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

18. No party hereto may assign either this letter agreement or any of its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of the other parties. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee. This letter agreement shall be binding on each of the undersigned and their respective successors, heirs and assigns and permitted transferees.

 

19. Nothing in this letter agreement shall be construed to confer upon, or give to, any person or corporation other than the parties hereto any right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this letter agreement or of any covenant, condition, stipulation, promise or agreement hereof. All covenants, conditions, stipulations, promises and agreements contained in this letter agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the parties hereto and their successors, heirs, personal representatives and assigns and permitted transferees.

 

20. This letter agreement may be executed in any number of original or facsimile counterparts 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.

 

21. This letter agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this letter agreement 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 letter agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be valid and enforceable.

 

22. Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this letter agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or electronic transmission.

 

23. This letter agreement shall terminate on the earlier of (i) the expiration of the restrictions set forth in paragraph 6 hereof or (ii) the liquidation of the Company; provided that paragraph 2(c) of this letter agreement shall survive such liquidation.

  

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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  Sincerely,
     
  Oxus capital pte. ltd
   
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:
     
  earlybirdcapital, inc.
   
  By:
    Name:
    Title:
     
  sova capital limited
   
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:
     
    Kenges Rakishev
     
    Kanat Mynzhanov
     
    Askar Mametov
     
    Sergey Ivashkovsy
     
    Christophe Charlier
     
    Shiv Vikram Khemka

 

  Acknowledged and Agreed:
   
  oxus acquisition corp.
   
  By:  
    Name: Kanat Mynzhanov
    Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

[Signature Page to Letter Agreement]

 

 

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Exhibit 10.2

 

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT TRUST AGREEMENT

 

This Agreement is made as of [ ] by and between Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company (“Trustee”).

 

WHEREAS, the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1, File No. 333- (the “Registration Statement”) for its initial public offering of securities (“IPO”) has been declared effective as of the date hereof (the “Effective Date”) by the Securities and Exchange Commission (capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Registration Statement); and

 

WHEREAS, EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. is acting as the representative (the “Representative”) of the several underwriters in the IPO; and

 

WHEREAS, as described in the Registration Statement, and in accordance with the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “MAA”), $151,500,000 ($174,225,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full) of the proceeds from the IPO and a simultaneous private placement of warrants will be delivered to the Trustee to be deposited and held in a segregated trust account located at all times in the United States (the “Trust Account”) for the benefit of the Company and the holders of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (“Ordinary Shares”), issued in the IPO as hereinafter provided (the proceeds to be delivered to the Trustee will be referred to herein as the “Property”; the shareholders for whose benefit the Trustee shall hold the Property will be referred to as the “Public Shareholders,” and the Public Shareholders and the Company will be referred to together as the “Beneficiaries”); and

 

WHEREAS, the Company and the Trustee desire to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions pursuant to which the Trustee shall hold the Property;

 

IT IS AGREED:

 

1. Agreements and Covenants of Trustee. The Trustee hereby agrees and covenants to:

 

(a) Hold the Property in trust for the Beneficiaries in accordance with the terms of this Agreement in the Trust Account established by the Trustee initially at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (or at another U.S. chartered commercial bank with consolidated assets of $100 billion or more) in the United States, maintained by Trustee, and at a brokerage institution selected by the Trustee that is reasonably satisfactory to the Company;

 

(b) Manage, supervise, and administer the Trust Account subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein;

 

(c) In a timely manner, upon the written instruction of the Company, invest and reinvest the Property solely in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), having a maturity of 185 days or less, and/or in any open ended investment company registered under the Investment Company Act that holds itself out as a money market fund selected by the Company meeting the conditions of paragraph (d) of Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act (or any successor rule), which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations; it being understood that the Trust Account will earn no interest while account funds are uninvested awaiting the Company’s instructions hereunder; while invested and uninvested, the Trustee may earn bank credits or other consideration;

 

(d) Collect and receive, when due, all principal, interest or other income arising from the Property, which shall become part of the “Property,” as such term is used herein;

 

(e) Promptly notify the Company and the Representative of all communications received by the Trustee with respect to any Property requiring action by the Company;

 

(f) Supply any necessary information or documents as may be requested by the Company (or its authorized agents) in connection with the Company’s preparation of the tax returns relating to assets held in the Trust Account;

 

 

 

 

 

(g) Participate in any plan or proceeding for protecting or enforcing any right or interest arising from the Property if, as, and when instructed by the Company to do so;

 

(h) Render to the Company monthly written statements of the activities of and amounts in the Trust Account reflecting all receipts and disbursements of the Trust Account;

 

(i) Commence liquidation of the Trust Account only after and promptly after receipt of, and only in accordance with, the terms of a letter (“Termination Letter”), in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as either Exhibit A or Exhibit B, signed on behalf of the Company and, in the case of a Termination Letter in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit A, jointly acknowledged and agreed to by the Representative, and complete the liquidation of the Trust Account and distribute the Property in the Trust Account only as directed in the Termination Letter and the other documents referred to therein; provided, however, that in the event that a Termination Letter has not been received by the Trustee within the period of time (the “Last Date”) provided in the Company’s MAA, the Trust Account shall be liquidated in accordance with the procedures set forth in the Termination Letter attached as Exhibit B hereto and distributed to the Public Shareholders of record as of the Last Date; and

 

(j) Upon receipt of a letter (an “Amendment Notification Letter”) in the form of Exhibit C, signed on behalf of the Company by an authorized officer, distribute to Public Shareholders who exercised their conversion rights in connection with an amendment to the Company’s MAA (A) to modify the substance or timing of the Company’s obligations with respect to conversion rights as described in the Registration Statement or (B) with respect to any other provision relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination (as defined below) activity (an “Amendment”) an amount equal to the pro rata portion of the Property relating to the Ordinary Shares for which such Public Shareholders have exercised conversion rights in connection with such Amendment.

 

2. Limited Distributions of Income from Trust Account.

 

(a) Upon written request from the Company, which may be given from time to time in a form substantially similar to that attached hereto as Exhibit D, the Trustee shall distribute to the Company the amount of interest income earned on the Trust Account requested by the Company to cover any income or other tax obligation owed by the Company.

 

(b) The limited distributions referred to in Section 2(a) above shall be made only from income collected on the Property. Except as provided in Section 2(a) above, no other distributions from the Trust Account shall be permitted except in accordance with Sections 1(i) or 1(j) hereof.

 

3. Agreements and Covenants of the Company. The Company agrees and covenants to:

 

(a) Give all instructions to the Trustee hereunder in writing, signed by any one of the Company’s authorized officers. In addition, except with respect to its duties under Sections 1(i), 1(j), and 2(a) above, the Trustee shall be entitled to rely on, and shall be protected in relying on, any verbal or telephonic advice or instruction which it, in good faith and with reasonable care, believes to be given by any one of the persons authorized above to give written instructions, provided that the Company shall promptly confirm such instructions in writing;

 

(b) Subject to the provisions of Section 5 of this Agreement, hold the Trustee harmless and indemnify the Trustee from and against any and all expenses, including reasonable counsel fees and disbursements, or losses suffered by the Trustee in connection with any claim, potential claim, action, suit, or other proceeding brought against the Trustee which in any way arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the services of the Trustee hereunder, or the Property or any income earned from investment of the Property, except for expenses and losses resulting from the Trustee’s gross negligence or willful misconduct. Promptly after the receipt by the Trustee of notice of demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit, or proceeding, pursuant to which the Trustee intends to seek indemnification under this paragraph, it shall notify the Company in writing of such claim (hereinafter referred to as the “Indemnified Claim”). The Trustee shall have the right to conduct and manage the defense against such Indemnified Claim, provided, that the Trustee shall obtain the consent of the Company with respect to the selection of counsel, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Trustee may not agree to settle any Indemnified Claim without the prior written consent of the Company, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld. The Company may participate in such action with its own counsel;

 

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(c) Pay the Trustee an initial acceptance fee, an annual fee, and a transaction processing fee for each disbursement made pursuant to Section 2(a) as set forth on Schedule A hereto, which fees shall be subject to modification by the parties from time to time. It is expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay such fees and further agreed that any fees owed to the Trustee shall be deducted by the Trustee from the disbursements made to the Company pursuant to Section 1(i) solely in connection with the consummation of a business combination (a “Business Combination”). The Company shall pay the Trustee the initial acceptance fee and first annual fee at the consummation of the IPO and thereafter on the anniversary of the Effective Date;

 

(d) In connection with any vote of the Company’s shareholders regarding a Business Combination, provide to the Trustee an affidavit or certificate of a firm regularly engaged in the business of soliciting proxies and/or tabulating shareholder votes verifying the vote of the Company’s shareholders regarding such Business Combination;

 

(e) In the event that the Company directs the Trustee to commence liquidation of the Trust Account pursuant to Section 1(i), the Company agrees that it will not direct the Trustee to make any payments that are not specifically authorized by this Agreement;

 

(f) If the Company has an Amendment approved by its shareholders, provide the Trustee with an Amendment Notification Letter in the form of Exhibit C providing instructions for the distribution of funds to Public Shareholders who exercise their conversion rights in connection with such Amendment; and

 

(g) Provide the Representative with a copy of any Termination Letter, Amendment Notification Letter, and/or any other correspondence that it issues to the Trustee with respect to any proposed withdrawal from the Trust Account promptly after such issuance.

 

4. Limitations of Liability. The Trustee shall have no responsibility or liability to:

 

(a) Take any action with respect to the Property, other than as directed in Sections 1 and 2 hereof, and the Trustee shall have no liability to any party except for liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct;

 

(b) Institute any proceeding for the collection of any principal and income arising from, or institute, appear in, or defend any proceeding of any kind with respect to, any of the Property unless and until the Trustee shall have received instructions from the Company given as provided herein to do so and the Company shall have advanced or guaranteed to it funds sufficient to pay any expenses incident thereto;

 

(c) Change the investment of any Property, other than in compliance with Section 1(c);

 

(d) Refund any depreciation in principal of any Property;

 

(e) Assume that the authority of any person designated by the Company to give instructions hereunder shall not be continuing unless provided otherwise in such designation, or unless the Company shall have delivered a written revocation of such authority to the Trustee;

 

(f) The other parties hereto or to anyone else for any action taken or omitted by the Trustee, or any action suffered by the Trustee to be taken or omitted, in good faith and in the exercise of the Trustee’s best judgment, except for the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct. The Trustee may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion, or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Trustee), statement, instrument, report, or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which is believed by the Trustee, in good faith and with reasonable care, to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Trustee shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination, or rescission of this Agreement or any of the terms hereof, unless evidenced by a written instrument delivered to the Trustee signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Trustee are affected, unless it shall give its prior written consent thereto;

 

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(g) Verify the correctness of the information set forth in the Registration Statement or to confirm or assure that any Business Combination consummated by the Company or any other action taken by it is as contemplated by the Registration Statement;

 

(h) File local, state, and/or federal tax returns or information returns with any taxing authority on behalf of the Trust Account or deliver payee statements to the Company documenting the taxes, if any, payable by the Company or the Trust Account, relating to the income earned on the Property;

 

(i) Pay any taxes on behalf of the Trust Account (it being expressly understood that the Property shall not be used to pay any such taxes and that such taxes, if any, shall be paid by the Company from funds not held in the Trust Account or released to it under Section 2(a) hereof);

 

(j) Imply obligations, perform duties, inquire, or otherwise be subject to the provisions of any agreement or document other than this agreement and that which is expressly set forth herein; or

 

(k) Verify calculations, qualify, or otherwise approve Company requests for distributions pursuant to Sections 1(i), 1(j), or 2(a) above.

 

5. Trust Account Waiver. The Trustee has no right of set-off or any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account, and hereby irrevocably waives any Claim to, or to any monies in, the Trust Account that it may have now or in the future. In the event the Trustee has any Claim against the Company under this Agreement, including, without limitation, under Section 3(b) or Section 3(c) hereof, the Trustee shall pursue such Claim solely against the Company and its assets outside the Trust Account and not against the Property or any monies in the Trust Account.

 

6. Termination. This Agreement shall terminate as follows:

 

(a) If the Trustee gives written notice to the Company that it desires to resign under this Agreement, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to locate a successor trustee during which time the Trustee shall act in accordance with this Agreement. At such time that the Company notifies the Trustee that a successor trustee has been appointed by the Company and has agreed to become subject to the terms of this Agreement, the Trustee shall transfer the management of the Trust Account to the successor trustee, including but not limited to the transfer of copies of the reports and statements relating to the Trust Account, whereupon this Agreement shall terminate; provided, however, that, in the event that the Company does not locate a successor trustee within ninety (90) days of receipt of the resignation notice from the Trustee, the Trustee may submit an application to have the Property deposited with any court in the State of New York or with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and upon such deposit, the Trustee shall be immune from any liability whatsoever; or

 

(b) At such time that the Trustee has completed the liquidation of the Trust Account in accordance with the provisions of Section 1(i) hereof, and distributed the Property in accordance with the provisions of the Termination Letter, this Agreement shall terminate except with respect to Section 3(b) and Section 5.

 

7. Miscellaneous.

 

(a) The Company and the Trustee will each restrict access to confidential information relating to funds being transferred to or from the Trust Account to authorized persons. Each party must notify the other party immediately if it has reason to believe unauthorized persons may have obtained access to such information, or of any change in its authorized personnel. In executing funds transfers, the Trustee will rely upon all information supplied to it by the Company, including account names, account numbers, and all other identifying information relating to a beneficiary, beneficiary’s bank, or intermediary bank. Except for any liability arising out of the Trustee’s gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct, the Trustee shall not be liable for any loss, liability, or expense resulting from any error in the information supplied to it or funds transferred based on such information.

 

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(b) This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with 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. The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court located in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for purposes of resolving any disputes hereunder. As to any claim, cross-claim, or counterclaim in any way relating to this Agreement, each party waives the right to trial by jury.

 

(c) This Agreement may be executed in several original or facsimile counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original, and together shall constitute but one instrument.

 

(d) This Agreement contains the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof. Except for Sections 1(i) and 1(j) (which sections may not be modified, amended or deleted without the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two thirds of the then outstanding Ordinary Shares in respect of which votes are cast at a duly convened general meeting of the Company; provided that no such amendment will affect any Public Shareholder who has otherwise indicated his, her or its election to convert his, her or its shares of Ordinary Shares in connection with a shareholder vote sought to amend this Agreement, including a corresponding change to the Company’s MAA), this Agreement or any provision hereof may only be changed, amended or modified by a writing signed by each of the parties hereto; provided, however, that no such change, amendment or modification may be made without the prior written consent of the Representative. The Trustee may require from Company counsel an opinion as to the propriety of any proposed amendment.

 

(e) Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery, by email or by facsimile transmission:

 

if to the Trustee, to:

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th Floor
New York, New York 10004
Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez
Email: fwolf@continentalstock.com

 

 

if to the Company, to:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue
Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040
Attn: Kanat Mynzhanov
Email: kanat@qmbits.com

 

in either case with a copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:

 

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

1750 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 1000
McLean, VA 22102
Attn: Jason Simon, Esq.
Email: simonj@gtlaw.com

 

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and

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

366 Madison Avenue, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Attn: Steven Levine
Email: slevine@ebccap.com

 

and

 

Graubard Miller

The Chrysler Building
405 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10174
Attn: David Alan Miller, Esq.
Email: dmiller@graubard.com

 

(f) This Agreement may not be assigned by the Trustee without the prior consent of the Company.

 

(g) Each of the Trustee and the Company hereby represents that it has the full right and power and has been duly authorized to enter into this Agreement and to perform its respective obligations as contemplated hereunder.

 

(h) Each of the Company and the Trustee hereby acknowledge that the Representative is a third party beneficiary of this Agreement.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have duly executed this Investment Management Trust Agreement as of the date first written above.

 

     
  CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER
  & TRUST COMPANY, as Trustee
     
  By:  
    Name: Francis Wolf
    Title: Vice President
     
  OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
   
  By:  
    Name: Kanat Mynzhanov
    Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

[Signature Page to Investment Management Trust Agreement]

 

7

 

 

SCHEDULE A

 

Fee Item   Time and method of payment   Amount  
Initial acceptance fee   Initial closing of IPO by wire transfer   $ 3,500.00  
Annual fee   First year, initial closing of IPO by wire transfer; thereafter on the anniversary of the effective date of the IPO by wire transfer or check   $ 10,000.00  
Transaction processing fee for disbursements to Company under Section 2   Billed to Company following disbursement made to Company under Section 2   $ 250.00  
Paying Agent services as required pursuant to Sections 1(i) and 1(j)   Billed to Company upon delivery of service pursuant to Section 1(i) and 1(j)     Prevailing rates  

 

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

[Letterhead of Company]

 

[Insert date]

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th Floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

 

Re: Trust Account – Termination Letter

 

Dear Mr. Wolf and Ms. Gonzalez:

 

Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [ ], 2021 (“Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has entered into an agreement with [ ] (the “Target Business”) to consummate a business combination with the Target Business (“Business Combination”) on or about [insert date]. The Company shall notify you at least 72 hours in advance (or such shorter time as you may agree) of the actual date of the consummation of the Business Combination (the “Consummation Date”). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.

 

In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to commence to liquidate all of the assets of the Trust Account and transfer the proceeds to a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries to the effect that, on the Consummation Date, all of the funds held in the trust operating account [_______] (the “Trust Operating Account”) will be immediately available for transfer to the account or accounts that the Company shall direct on the Consummation Date. It is acknowledged and agreed that while the funds are on deposit in the Trust Operating Account awaiting distribution, the Company will not earn any interest or dividends.

 

On the Consummation Date (i) counsel for the Company shall deliver to you written notification that the Business Combination has been consummated, or will be consummated substantially concurrently with your transfer of funds to the accounts as directed by the Company (the “Notification”) and (ii) the Company shall deliver to you (a) [an affidavit] [a certificate] by the Chief Executive Officer, which verifies that the Business Combination has been approved by a vote of the Company’s shareholders, if a vote is held and (b) joint written instructions from the Company and the Representative with respect to the transfer of the funds held in the Trust Account, including payment of amounts owed to Public Shareholders who have properly exercised their conversion rights (“Instruction Letter”). You are hereby directed and authorized to transfer the funds held in the Trust Account immediately upon your receipt of the Notification and the Instruction Letter, in accordance with the terms of the Instruction Letter. In the event that certain deposits held in the Trust Account may not be liquidated by the Consummation Date without penalty, you will notify the Company in writing of the same and the Company shall direct you as to whether such funds should remain in the Trust Account and be distributed after the Consummation Date to the Company. Upon the distribution of all the funds in the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.

 

In the event that the Business Combination is not consummated on the Consummation Date described in the notice thereof and we have not notified you on or before the original Consummation Date of a new Consummation Date, then upon receipt by the you of written instructions from the Company, the funds held in the Trust Account shall be reinvested as provided in the Trust Agreement on the business day immediately following the Consummation Date as set forth in such notice as soon thereafter as possible.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

  Very truly yours,
  OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
   
  By:
    Name:
    Title:

 

AGREED TO AND ACKNOWLEDGED BY:  
   
EARLYBIRDCAPITAL, INC.  
   
By:  
  Name:  
  Title  

:

A-1

 

 

EXHIBIT B

 

[Letterhead of Company]

 

[Insert date]

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th Floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

 

Re: Trust Account - Termination Letter

 

Dear Mr. Wolf and Ms. Gonzalez:

 

Pursuant to Section 1(i) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [ ], 2021 (the “Trust Agreement”), this is to advise you that the Company has been unable to effect a Business Combination with a target business within the time frame specified in the Company’s MAA, as described in the Company’s prospectus relating to its IPO. Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Trust Agreement.

 

In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate all of the assets in the Trust Account and transfer the total proceeds into a segregated account held by you on behalf of the Beneficiaries to await distribution to the Public Shareholders. The Company has selected [ , 20 ] 1 as the effective date for the purpose of determining when the Public Shareholders will be entitled to receive their share of the liquidation proceeds. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, agree to distribute said funds directly to the Public Shareholders in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the Company’s MAA. Upon the distribution of all the funds in the Trust Account, your obligations under the Trust Agreement shall be terminated.

 

  Very truly yours,
  oxus Acquisition Corp.
   
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:

 

cc: EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

 

1 18 months from the closing of the IPO

 

B-1

 

 

EXHIBIT C

 

[Letterhead of Company]

 

[Insert date]

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th Floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

 

Re: Trust Account – Amendment Notification Letter

 

Dear Mr. Wolf and Ms. Gonzalez:

 

Pursuant to Section 1(j) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [ ], 2021 (the “Trust Agreement”), this is to inform you that in connection with the shareholder vote to approve an Amendment to the Company’s MAA, Public Shareholders holding [____] shares of the Company’s Ordinary Shares have properly requested conversion of such shares for their pro rata portion of the Property held in the Trust Account. Capitalized words used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Trust Agreement.

 

In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, we hereby authorize you to liquidate such investments in the Trust Account on [ , 20 ], as required to pay an aggregate of $[_________], or $[_________] per share, to the Public Shareholders that have properly requested conversion of their shares of Ordinary Shares for their pro rata portion of the Property held in Trust Account and to transfer the total proceeds into the trust operating account at [•] to await distribution to such Public Shareholders. You agree to be the Paying Agent of record and, in your separate capacity as Paying Agent, agree to distribute said funds directly to the Public Shareholders that have properly requested conversion of their shares of the Company’s Ordinary Shares in accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement and the Company’s MAA.

 

 

 

Very truly yours,
  OXUS Acquisition Corp.
   
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:

 

 

cc: EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

 

C-1

 

 

EXHIBIT D

 

[Letterhead of Company]

 

[Insert date]

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company

1 State Street, 30th Floor

New York, New York 10004

Attn: Francis Wolf and Celeste Gonzalez

 

Re: Trust Account – Withdrawal Instruction

 

Dear Mr. Wolf and Ms. Gonzalez:

 

Pursuant to Section 2(a) of the Investment Management Trust Agreement between Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, dated as of [ ], 2021 (“Trust Agreement”), the Company hereby requests that you deliver to the Company $[____] of the interest income earned on the Property as of the date hereof. Capitalized words used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings ascribed to them in the Trust Agreement.

 

The Company needs such funds [to pay for the tax obligations as set forth on the attached tax return or tax statement]. In accordance with the terms of the Trust Agreement, you are hereby directed and authorized to transfer (via wire transfer) such funds promptly upon your receipt of this letter to the Company’s operating account at:

 

[WIRE INSTRUCTION INFORMATION]

 

 

Very truly yours,
   
  oxus Acquisition Corp.
   
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:

 

cc: EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.

 

 

D-1

 

Exhibit 10.3

 

THIS PROMISSORY NOTE (“NOTE”) HAS NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”).  THIS NOTE HAS BEEN ACQUIRED FOR INVESTMENT ONLY AND MAY NOT BE SOLD, TRANSFERRED OR ASSIGNED IN THE ABSENCE OF REGISTRATION OF THE RESALE THEREOF UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OR AN OPINION OF COUNSEL REASONABLY SATISFACTORY IN FORM, SCOPE AND SUBSTANCE TO THE MAKER THAT SUCH REGISTRATION IS NOT REQUIRED.  

 

PROMISSORY NOTE

 

Principal Amount: Up to $300,000 Dated as of June 25, 2021 Cayman Islands

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands company (the “Maker”), promises to pay to the order of Oxus Capital PTE. LTD or its registered assigns or successors in interest (the “Payee”), or order, the principal sum of up to Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000) in lawful money of the United States of America, on the terms and conditions described below.  All payments on this Note shall be made by check or wire transfer of immediately available funds or as otherwise determined by the Maker to such account as the Payee may from time to time designate by written notice in accordance with the provisions of this Note.

 

1. Principal. The principal balance of Note shall be payable on the earlier of: (i) June 30, 2021 or (ii) the date on which Maker consummates an initial public offering of its securities. The principal balance may be prepaid at any time.

 

2. Interest. No interest shall accrue on the unpaid principal balance of this Note.

 

3. Drawdown Requests. The principal of this Note may be drawn down from time to time prior to the earlier of: (i) June 30, 2021 or (ii) the date on which Maker consummates an initial public offering of its securities, upon request from Maker to Payee (each, a “Drawdown Request”). Payee shall fund each Drawdown Request within five (5) business days after receipt of a Drawdown Request; provided, however, that the maximum amount of drawdowns collectively under this Note is Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000).

 

4. Terms of Drawdown Requests. Maker and Payee agree that Maker may request up to Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000) for offering costs.

 

5. Application of Payments. All payments shall be applied first to payment in full of any costs incurred in the collection of any sum due under this Note, including (without limitation) reasonable attorney’s fees, then to the payment in full of any late charges and finally to the reduction of the unpaid principal balance of this Note.

 

6. Events of Default. The following shall constitute an event of default (“Event of Default”):

 

(a) Failure to Make Required Payments. Failure by Maker to pay the principal amount due pursuant to this Note within five (5) business days of the date specified above.

 

(b) Voluntary Bankruptcy, Etc. The commencement by Maker of a voluntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, rehabilitation or other similar law, or the consent by it to the appointment of or taking possession by a receiver, liquidator, assignee, trustee, custodian, sequestrator (or other similar official) of Maker or for any substantial part of its property, or the making by it of any assignment for the benefit of creditors, or the failure of Maker generally to pay its debts as such debts become due, or the taking of corporate action by Maker in furtherance of any of the foregoing.

 

(c) Involuntary Bankruptcy, Etc. The entry of a decree or order for relief by a court having jurisdiction in the premises in respect of Maker in an involuntary case under any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or other similar law, or appointing a receiver, liquidator, assignee, custodian, trustee, sequestrator (or similar official) of Maker or for any substantial part of its property, or ordering the winding-up or liquidation of its affairs, and the continuance of any such decree or order unstayed and in effect for a period of 60 consecutive days.

 

 

 

 

7. Remedies.

 

(a) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default specified in Section 6(a) hereof, Payee may, by written notice to Maker, declare this Note to be due immediately and payable, whereupon the unpaid principal amount of this Note, and all other amounts payable thereunder, shall become immediately due and payable without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived, anything contained herein or in the documents evidencing the same to the contrary notwithstanding.

 

(b) Upon the occurrence of an Event of Default specified in Sections 6(b) or 6(c), the unpaid principal balance of this Note, and all other sums payable with regard to this Note, shall automatically and immediately become due and payable, in all cases without any action on the part of Payee.

 

8. Waivers. Maker and all endorsers and guarantors of, and sureties for, this Note waive presentment for payment, demand, notice of dishonor, protest, and notice of protest with regard to the Note, all errors, defects and imperfections in any proceedings instituted by Payee under the terms of this Note, and all benefits that might accrue to Maker by virtue of any present or future laws exempting any property, real or personal, or any part of the proceeds arising from any sale of any such property, from attachment, levy or sale under execution, or providing for any stay of execution, exemption from civil process, or extension of time for payment; and Maker agrees that any real estate that may be levied upon pursuant to a judgment obtained by virtue hereof, on any writ of execution issued hereon, may be sold upon any such writ in whole or in part in any order desired by Payee.

 

9. Unconditional Liability. Maker hereby waives all notices in connection with the delivery, acceptance, performance, default, or enforcement of the payment of this Note, and agrees that its liability shall be unconditional, without regard to the liability of any other party, and shall not be affected in any manner by any indulgence, extension of time, renewal, waiver or modification granted or consented to by Payee, and consents to any and all extensions of time, renewals, waivers, or modifications that may be granted by Payee with respect to the payment or other provisions of this Note, and agrees that additional makers, endorsers, guarantors, or sureties may become parties hereto without notice to Maker or affecting Maker’s liability hereunder.

 

10. Notices.  All notices, statements or other documents which are required or contemplated by this Agreement shall be in writing and delivered: (i) personally or sent by first class registered or certified mail, overnight courier service to the address designated in writing, (ii) by facsimile to the number most recently provided to such party or such other address or fax number as may be designated in writing by such party or (iii) by electronic mail, to the electronic mail address most recently provided to such party or such other electronic mail address as may be designated in writing by such party.  Any notice or other communication so transmitted shall be deemed to have been given on the day of delivery, if delivered personally, on the business day following receipt of written confirmation, if sent by facsimile or electronic mail, one (1) business day after delivery to an overnight courier service or five (5) days after mailing if sent by mail.

 

11. Construction. THIS NOTE SHALL BE CONSTRUED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICT OF LAW PROVISIONS THEREOF.

 

12. Severability. Any provision contained in this Note which is prohibited or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such prohibition or unenforceability without invalidating the remaining provisions hereof, and any such prohibition or unenforceability in any jurisdiction shall not invalidate or render unenforceable such provision in any other jurisdiction.

 

13. Trust Waiver.  Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Payee hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) in or to any distribution of or from the trust account to be established in which the proceeds of the IPO conducted by the Maker (including the deferred underwriters discounts and commissions) and the proceeds of the sale of the units issued in a private placement to occur prior to the consummation of the IPO are to be deposited, as described in greater detail in the registration statement and prospectus to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with the IPO, and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the trust account for any reason whatsoever.

 

14. Amendment; Waiver.  Any amendment hereto or waiver of any provision hereof may be made with, and only with, the written consent of the Maker and the Payee.

 

15. Assignment.  No assignment or transfer of this Note or any rights or obligations hereunder may be made by any party hereto (by operation of law or otherwise) without the prior written consent of the other party hereto and any attempted assignment without the required consent shall be void.

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

 

2

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Maker, intending to be legally bound hereby, has caused this Note to be duly executed by the undersigned as of the day and year first above written.

 

  OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By: /s/ Kanat Mynzhanov
    Name:  Kanat Mynzhanov
    Title: Chief Executive Officer and Director

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE TO PROMISSORY NOTE]

 

 

3

 

 

Exhibit 10.4

 

REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT

 

THIS REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of [   ], 2021, by and among Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and the undersigned parties listed under Investors on the signature page hereto (each, an “Investor” and collectively, the “Investors”).

 

WHEREAS, the Investors and the Company desire to enter into this Agreement to provide the Investors with certain rights relating to the registration of the securities held by them as of the date hereof or that may be held by them upon consummation of a Business Combination (defined below);

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants and agreements set forth herein, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto agree as follows:

 

1. DEFINITIONS. The following capitalized terms used herein have the following meanings:

 

Agreement” means this Agreement, as amended, restated, supplemented, or otherwise modified from time to time.

 

Business Combination” means the acquisition of direct or indirect ownership through a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar type of transaction, of one or more businesses or entities.

 

Commission” means the Securities and Exchange Commission, or any other Federal agency then administering the Securities Act or the Exchange Act.

 

Ordinary Shares” means the Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company.

 

Company” is defined in the preamble to this Agreement.

 

Demand Registration” is defined in Section 2.1.1.

 

Demanding Holder” is defined in Section 2.1.1.

 

Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time.

 

Form S-3” is defined in Section 2.3.

 

Founder Shares” means all of the outstanding shares of Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company issued prior to the consummation of its initial public offering and shall be deemed to include the shares of Ordinary Shares issuable upon conversion thereof.

 

Indemnified Party” is defined in Section 4.3.

 

Indemnifying Party” is defined in Section 4.3.e

 

Investor” is defined in the preamble to this Agreement.

 

Investor Indemnified Party” is defined in Section 4.1.

 

Maximum Number of Shares” is defined in Section 2.1.4.

 

Notices” is defined in Section 6.3.

 

Piggy-Back Registration” is defined in Section 2.2.1.

 

 

 

 

Private Warrants” means the Warrants certain of the Investors are privately purchasing simultaneously with the consummation of the Company’s initial public offering.

 

Pro Rata” is defined in Section 2.1.4.

 

Register,” “Registered” and “Registration” mean a registration effected by preparing and filing a registration statement or similar document in compliance with the requirements of the Securities Act, and the applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and such registration statement becoming effective.

 

Registrable Securities” means (i) the Founder Shares, (ii) the Private Warrants (and underlying securities) and (iii) the Representative Shares, and (iv) the Working Capital Warrants (and underlying securities), if any. Registrable Securities include any warrants, shares or other securities of the Company issued as a dividend or other distribution with respect to or in exchange for or in replacement of such Founder Shares, Private Warrants (and underlying securities), Representative Shares and Working Capital Warrants (and underlying securities). As to any particular Registrable Securities, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities when: (a) a Registration Statement with respect to the sale of such securities shall have become effective under the Securities Act and such securities shall have been sold, transferred, disposed of or exchanged in accordance with such Registration Statement; (b) such securities shall have been otherwise transferred, new certificates for them not bearing a legend restricting further transfer shall have been delivered by the Company, and subsequent public distribution of them shall not require registration under the Securities Act; (c) such securities shall have ceased to be outstanding, or (d) the Registrable Securities are freely saleable under Rule 144 under the Securities Act without volume limitations.

 

Registration Statement” means a registration statement filed by the Company with the Commission in compliance with the Securities Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder for a public offering and sale of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, equity securities (other than a registration statement on Form S-4 or Form S-8, or their successors, or any registration statement covering only securities proposed to be issued in exchange for securities or assets of another entity).

 

Release Date” means the date on which the Founder Shares are disbursed from escrow pursuant to Section 3 of that certain Stock Escrow Agreement dated as of [   ], 2021 by and among the holders of Founder Shares and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.

 

Representative Shares” means the Ordinary Shares the Company issued to EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. and/or its designees and Sova Capital and/or its designees for nominal consideration in a private placement in March 2021.

 

Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder, all as the same shall be in effect at the time.

 

Underwriter” means a securities dealer who purchases any Registrable Securities as principal in an underwritten offering and not as part of such dealer’s market-making activities.

 

Units” means the units of the Company, each comprised of one share of Ordinary Shares and one Warrant.

 

Warrants” means the warrants of the Company with each whole warrant entitling the holder to purchase one share of Ordinary Shares.

 

Working Capital Warrants” means any Units held by Investors, officers or directors of the Company or their affiliates which may be issued in payment of working capital loans made to the Company.

 

2

 

 

2. REGISTRATION RIGHTS.

 

2.1 Demand Registration.

 

2.1.1 Request for Registration. At any time and from time to time on or after (i) the date that the Company consummates a Business Combination with respect to the Private Warrants (or underlying securities) and Working Capital Warrants (or underlying securities) or (ii) three months prior to the Release Date with respect to all other Registrable Securities, the holders of a majority-in-interest of such Founder Shares, Private Warrants (or underlying securities), Representative Shares, Working Capital Warrants (or underlying securities) or other Registrable Securities, as the case may be, held by the Investors, officers or directors of the Company or their affiliates, or the transferees of the Investors may make a written demand for registration under the Securities Act of all or part of their Founder Shares, Private Warrants (or underlying securities), Representative Shares, Working Capital Warrants (or underlying securities) or other Registrable Securities, as the case may be (a “Demand Registration”). Any demand for a Demand Registration shall specify the number of shares of Registrable Securities proposed to be sold and the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. The Company will notify all holders of Registrable Securities of the demand, and each holder of Registrable Securities who wishes to include all or a portion of such holder’s Registrable Securities in the Demand Registration (each such holder including shares of Registrable Securities in such registration, a “Demanding Holder”) shall so notify the Company within fifteen (15) days after the receipt by the holder of the notice from the Company. Upon any such request, the Demanding Holders shall be entitled to have their Registrable Securities included in the Demand Registration, subject to Section 2.1.4 and the provisos set forth in Section 3.1.1. The Company shall not be obligated to effect more than an aggregate of two (2) Demand Registrations under this Section 2.1.1 in respect of all Registrable Securities.

 

2.1.2 Effective Registration. A registration will not count as a Demand Registration until the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Demand Registration has been declared effective and the Company has complied with all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect thereto; provided, however, that if, after such Registration Statement has been declared effective, the offering of Registrable Securities pursuant to a Demand Registration is interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the Commission or any other governmental agency or court, the Registration Statement with respect to such Demand Registration will be deemed not to have been declared effective, unless and until, (i) such stop order or injunction is removed, rescinded or otherwise terminated, and (ii) a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders thereafter elect to continue the offering; provided, further, that the Company shall not be obligated to file a second Registration Statement until a Registration Statement that has been filed is counted as a Demand Registration or is terminated.

 

2.1.3 Underwritten Offering. If a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders so elect and such holders so advise the Company as part of their written demand for a Demand Registration, the offering of such Registrable Securities pursuant to such Demand Registration shall be in the form of an underwritten offering. In such event, the right of any holder to include its Registrable Securities in such registration shall be conditioned upon such holder’s participation in such underwriting and the inclusion of such holder’s Registrable Securities in the underwriting to the extent provided herein. All Demanding Holders proposing to distribute their Registrable Securities through such underwriting shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter or Underwriters selected for such underwriting by a majority-in-interest of the holders initiating the Demand Registration.

 

2.1.4 Reduction of Offering. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters for a Demand Registration that is to be an underwritten offering advises the Company and the Demanding Holders in writing that the dollar amount or number of shares of Registrable Securities which the Demanding Holders desire to sell, taken together with all other shares of Ordinary Shares or other securities which the Company desires to sell and the shares of Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights held by other shareholders of the Company who desire to sell, exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of shares that can be sold in such offering without adversely affecting the proposed offering price, the timing, the distribution method, or the probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount or maximum number of shares, as applicable, the “Maximum Number of Shares”), then the Company shall include in such registration: (i) first, the Registrable Securities as to which Demand Registration has been requested by the Demanding Holders (pro rata in accordance with the number of shares that each such Person has requested be included in such registration, regardless of the number of shares held by each such Person (such proportion is referred to herein as “Pro Rata”)) that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (ii) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clause (i), the shares of Ordinary Shares or other securities that the Company desires to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (iii) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), the shares of Ordinary Shares or other securities for the account of other persons that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to written contractual arrangements with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares.

 

3

 

 

2.1.5 Withdrawal. If a majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders disapprove of the terms of any underwriting or are not entitled to include all of their Registrable Securities in any offering, such majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders may elect to withdraw from such offering by giving written notice to the Company and the Underwriter or Underwriters of their request to withdraw prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement filed with the Commission with respect to such Demand Registration. If the majority-in-interest of the Demanding Holders withdraws from a proposed offering relating to a Demand Registration, then such registration shall not count as a Demand Registration provided for in Section 2.1.

 

2.2 Piggy-Back Registration.

 

2.2.1 Piggy-Back Rights. If at any time on or after the date the Company consummates a Business Combination the Company proposes to file a Registration Statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of equity securities, or securities or other obligations exercisable or exchangeable for, or convertible into, equity securities, by the Company for its own account or for shareholders of the Company for their account (or by the Company and by shareholders of the Company including, without limitation, pursuant to Section 2.1), other than a Registration Statement (i) filed in connection with any employee stock option or other benefit plan, (ii) for an exchange offer or offering of securities solely to the Company’s existing shareholders, (iii) for an offering of debt that is convertible into equity securities of the Company or (iv) for a dividend reinvestment plan, then the Company shall (x) give written notice of such proposed filing to the holders of Registrable Securities as soon as practicable but in no event less than ten (10) days before the anticipated filing date, which notice shall describe the amount and type of securities to be included in such offering, the intended method(s) of distribution, and the name of the proposed managing Underwriter or Underwriters, if any, of the offering, and (y) offer to the holders of Registrable Securities in such notice the opportunity to register the sale of such number of shares of Registrable Securities as such holders may request in writing within five (5) days following receipt of such notice (a “Piggy-Back Registration”). The Company shall cause such Registrable Securities to be included in such registration and shall use its best efforts to cause the managing Underwriter or Underwriters of a proposed underwritten offering to permit the Registrable Securities requested to be included in a Piggy-Back Registration on the same terms and conditions as any similar securities of the Company and to permit the sale or other disposition of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof. All holders of Registrable Securities proposing to distribute their securities through a Piggy-Back Registration that involves an Underwriter or Underwriters shall enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with the Underwriter or Underwriters selected for such Piggy-Back Registration.

 

2.2.2 Reduction of Offering. If the managing Underwriter or Underwriters for a Piggy-Back Registration that is to be an underwritten offering advises the Company and the holders of Registrable Securities in writing that the dollar amount or number of shares of Ordinary Shares which the Company desires to sell, taken together with shares of Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which registration has been demanded pursuant to separate written contractual arrangements with persons or entities other than the holders of Registrable Securities hereunder, the Registrable Securities as to which registration has been requested under this Section 2.2, and the shares of Ordinary Shares, if any, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to the written contractual piggy-back registration rights of other shareholders of the Company, exceeds the Maximum Number of Shares, then the Company shall include in any such registration:

 

(a) If the registration is undertaken for the Company’s account: (A) the shares of Ordinary Shares or other securities that the Company desires to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (B) to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the shares of Ordinary Shares or other securities, if any, comprised of Registrable Securities, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to the applicable written contractual piggy-back registration rights of such security holders, Pro Rata, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; and (C) to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), the shares of Ordinary Shares or other securities for the account of other persons that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to written contractual piggy-back registration rights with such persons and that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; and

 

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(b) If the registration is a “demand” registration undertaken at the demand of persons other than either the holders of Registrable Securities, (A) first, the shares of Ordinary Shares or other securities for the account of the demanding persons that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (B) second, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clause (A), the shares of Ordinary Shares or other securities that the Company desires to sell that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; (C) third, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A) and (B), collectively, the shares of Ordinary Shares or other securities comprised of Registrable Securities, Pro Rata, as to which registration has been requested pursuant to the terms hereof, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares; and (D) fourth, to the extent that the Maximum Number of Shares has not been reached under the foregoing clauses (A), (B) and (C), the shares of Ordinary Shares or other securities for the account of other persons that the Company is obligated to register pursuant to written contractual arrangements with such persons, that can be sold without exceeding the Maximum Number of Shares.

 

2.2.3 Withdrawal. Any holder of Registrable Securities may elect to withdraw such holder’s request for inclusion of Registrable Securities in any Piggy-Back Registration by giving written notice to the Company of such request to withdraw prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement. The Company (whether on its own determination or as the result of a withdrawal by persons making a demand pursuant to written contractual obligations) may withdraw a Registration Statement at any time prior to the effectiveness of such Registration Statement. Notwithstanding any such withdrawal, the Company shall pay all expenses incurred by the holders of Registrable Securities in connection with such Piggy-Back Registration as provided in Section 3.3.

 

2.3 Registrations on Form S-3. The holders of Registrable Securities may at any time and from time to time request in writing that the Company register the resale of any or all of such Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or any similar short-form registration which may be available at such time (“Form S-3”); provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect such request through an underwritten offering. Upon receipt of such written request, the Company will promptly give written notice of the proposed registration to all other holders of Registrable Securities, and, as soon as practicable thereafter, effect the registration of all or such portion of such holder’s or holders’ Registrable Securities as are specified in such request, together with all or such portion of the Registrable Securities or other securities of the Company, if any, of any other holder or holders joining in such request as are specified in a written request given within fifteen (15) days after receipt of such written notice from the Company; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to effect any such registration pursuant to this Section 2.3: (i) if Form S-3 is not available for such offering; or (ii) if the holders of the Registrable Securities, together with the holders of any other securities of the Company entitled to inclusion in such registration, propose to sell Registrable Securities and such other securities (if any) at any aggregate price to the public of less than $500,000. Registrations effected pursuant to this Section 2.3 shall not be counted as Demand Registrations effected pursuant to Section 2.1.

 

2.4 FINRA. In compliance with FINRA Rule 5110(g)(8), the registration rights of the Investors are limited to demand and “piggy back” rights for periods of five and seven years, respectively, from the effective date of the registration statement of which prospectus form a part and demand right may only be exercised on one occasion.

 

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3. REGISTRATION PROCEDURES.

 

3.1 Filings; Information. Whenever the Company is required to effect the registration of any Registrable Securities pursuant to Section 2, the Company shall use its best efforts to effect the registration and sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof as expeditiously as practicable, and in connection with any such request:

 

3.1.1 Filing Registration Statement. The Company shall use its best efforts to, as expeditiously as possible after receipt of a request for a Demand Registration pursuant to Section 2.1, prepare and file with the Commission a Registration Statement on any form for which the Company then qualifies or which counsel for the Company shall deem appropriate and which form shall be available for the sale of all Registrable Securities to be registered thereunder in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution thereof, and shall use its best efforts to cause such Registration Statement to become effective and use its best efforts to keep it effective for the period required by Section 3.1.3; provided, however, that the Company shall have the right to defer any Demand Registration for up to thirty (30) days, and any Piggy-Back Registration for such period as may be applicable to deferment of any demand registration to which such Piggy-Back Registration relates, in each case if the Company shall furnish to the holders a certificate signed by the President or Chairman of the Company stating that, in the good faith judgment of the Board of Directors of the Company, it would be materially detrimental to the Company and its shareholders for such Registration Statement to be effected at such time; provided further, however, that the Company shall not have the right to exercise the right set forth in the immediately preceding proviso more than once in any 365-day period in respect of a Demand Registration hereunder.

 

3.1.2 Copies. The Company shall, prior to filing a Registration Statement or prospectus, or any amendment or supplement thereto, furnish without charge to the holders of Registrable Securities included in such registration, and such holders’ legal counsel, copies of such Registration Statement as proposed to be filed, each amendment and supplement to such Registration Statement (in each case including all exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein), the prospectus included in such Registration Statement (including each preliminary prospectus), and such other documents as the holders of Registrable Securities included in such registration or legal counsel for any such holders may request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such holders.

 

3.1.3 Amendments and Supplements. The Company shall prepare and file with the Commission such amendments, including post-effective amendments, and supplements to such Registration Statement and the prospectus used in connection therewith as may be necessary to keep such Registration Statement effective and in compliance with the provisions of the Securities Act until all Registrable Securities and other securities covered by such Registration Statement have been disposed of in accordance with the intended method(s) of distribution set forth in such Registration Statement or such securities have been withdrawn.

 

3.1.4 Notification. After the filing of a Registration Statement, the Company shall promptly, and in no event more than two (2) business days after such filing, notify the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement of such filing, and shall further notify such holders promptly and confirm such advice in writing in all events within two (2) business days of the occurrence of any of the following: (i) when such Registration Statement becomes effective; (ii) when any post-effective amendment to such Registration Statement becomes effective; (iii) the issuance or threatened issuance by the Commission of any stop order (and the Company shall take all actions required to prevent the entry of such stop order or to remove it if entered); and (iv) any request by the Commission for any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement or any prospectus relating thereto or for additional information or of the occurrence of an event requiring the preparation of a supplement or amendment to such prospectus so that, as thereafter delivered to the purchasers of the securities covered by such Registration Statement, such prospectus will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and promptly make available to the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement any such supplement or amendment; except that before filing with the Commission a Registration Statement or prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, including documents incorporated by reference, the Company shall furnish to the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement and to the legal counsel for any such holders, copies of all such documents proposed to be filed sufficiently in advance of filing to provide such holders and legal counsel with a reasonable opportunity to review such documents and comment thereon, and the Company shall not file any Registration Statement or prospectus or amendment or supplement thereto, including documents incorporated by reference, to which such holders or their legal counsel shall object.

 

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3.1.5 State Securities Laws Compliance. The Company shall use its best efforts to (i) register or qualify the Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement under such securities or “blue sky” laws of such jurisdictions in the United States as the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement (in light of their intended plan of distribution) may request and (ii) take such action necessary to cause such Registrable Securities covered by the Registration Statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental authorities as may be necessary by virtue of the business and operations of the Company and do any and all other acts and things that may be necessary or advisable to enable the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities in such jurisdictions; provided, however, that the Company shall not be required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this paragraph or subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction.

 

3.1.6 Agreements for Disposition. The Company shall enter into customary agreements (including, if applicable, an underwriting agreement in customary form) and take such other actions as are reasonably required in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Securities. The representations, warranties and covenants of the Company in any underwriting agreement which are made to or for the benefit of any Underwriters, to the extent applicable, shall also be made to and for the benefit of the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement. No holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement shall be required to make any representations or warranties in the underwriting agreement except, if applicable, with respect to such holder’s organization, good standing, authority, title to Registrable Securities, lack of conflict of such sale with such holder’s material agreements and organizational documents, and with respect to written information relating to such holder that such holder has furnished in writing expressly for inclusion in such Registration Statement.

 

3.1.7 Cooperation. The principal executive officer of the Company, the principal financial officer of the Company, the principal accounting officer of the Company and all other officers and members of the management of the Company shall cooperate fully in any offering of Registrable Securities hereunder, which cooperation shall include, without limitation, the preparation of the Registration Statement with respect to such offering and all other offering materials and related documents, and participation in meetings with Underwriters, attorneys, accountants and potential investors.

 

3.1.8 Records. The Company shall make available for inspection by the holders of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, any Underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to such Registration Statement and any attorney, accountant or other professional retained by any holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement or any Underwriter, all financial and other records, pertinent corporate documents and properties of the Company, as shall be necessary to enable them to exercise their due diligence responsibility, and cause the Company’s officers, directors and employees to supply all information requested by any of them in connection with such Registration Statement.

 

3.1.9 Opinions and Comfort Letters. The Company shall furnish to each holder of Registrable Securities included in any Registration Statement a signed counterpart, addressed to such holder, of (i) any opinion of counsel to the Company delivered to any Underwriter and (ii) any comfort letter from the Company’s independent public accountants delivered to any Underwriter. In the event no legal opinion is delivered to any Underwriter, the Company shall furnish to each holder of Registrable Securities included in such Registration Statement, at any time that such holder elects to use a prospectus, an opinion of counsel to the Company to the effect that the Registration Statement containing such prospectus has been declared effective and that no stop order is in effect.

 

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3.1.10 Earnings Statement. The Company shall comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Commission and the Securities Act, and make available to its shareholders, as soon as practicable, an earnings statement covering a period of twelve (12) months, which earnings statement shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 thereunder.

 

3.1.11 Listing. The Company shall use its best efforts to cause all Registrable Securities included in any registration to be listed on such exchanges or otherwise designated for trading in the same manner as similar securities issued by the Company are then listed or designated or, if no such similar securities are then listed or designated, in a manner satisfactory to the holders of a majority of the Registrable Securities included in such registration.

 

3.1.12 Road Show. If the registration involves the registration of Registrable Securities involving gross proceeds in excess of $25,000,000, the Company shall use its reasonable efforts to make available senior executives of the Company to participate in customary “road show” presentations that may be reasonably requested by the Underwriter in any underwritten offering.

 

3.2 Obligation to Suspend Distribution. Upon receipt of any notice from the Company of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 3.1.4(iv), or, in the case of a resale registration on Form S-3 pursuant to Section 2.3 hereof, upon any suspension by the Company, pursuant to a written insider trading compliance program adopted by the Company’s Board of Directors, of the ability of all “insiders” covered by such program to transact in the Company’s securities because of the existence of material non-public information, each holder of Registrable Securities included in any registration shall immediately discontinue disposition of such Registrable Securities pursuant to the Registration Statement covering such Registrable Securities until such holder receives the supplemented or amended prospectus contemplated by Section 3.1.4(iv) or the restriction on the ability of “insiders” to transact in the Company’s securities is removed, as applicable, and, if so directed by the Company, each such holder will deliver to the Company all written copies, other than permanent file copies then in such holder’s possession, of the most recent prospectus covering such Registrable Securities at the time of receipt of such notice.

 

3.3 Registration Expenses. The Company shall bear all costs and expenses incurred in connection with any Demand Registration pursuant to Section 2.1, any Piggy-Back Registration pursuant to Section 2.2, and any registration on Form S-3 effected pursuant to Section 2.3, and all expenses incurred in performing or complying with its other obligations under this Agreement, whether or not the Registration Statement becomes effective, including, without limitation: (i) all registration and filing fees; (ii) fees and expenses of compliance with securities or “blue sky” laws (including fees and disbursements of counsel in connection with blue sky qualifications of the Registrable Securities); (iii) printing expenses; (iv) the Company’s internal expenses (including, without limitation, all salaries and expenses of its officers and employees); (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the listing of the Registrable Securities as required by Section 3.1.11; (vi) Financial Industry Regulatory Authority fees; (vii) fees and disbursements of counsel for the Company and fees and expenses for independent certified public accountants retained by the Company (including the expenses or costs associated with the delivery of any opinions or comfort letters requested pursuant to Section 3.1.9); (viii) the fees and expenses of any special experts retained by the Company in connection with such registration; and (ix) the fees and expenses of one legal counsel selected by the holders of a majority-in-interest of the Registrable Securities included in such registration. The Company shall have no obligation to pay any underwriting discounts or selling commissions attributable to the Registrable Securities being sold by the holders thereof, which underwriting discounts or selling commissions shall be borne by such holders. Additionally, in an underwritten offering, all selling shareholders and the Company shall bear the expenses of the Underwriter pro rata in proportion to the respective amount of shares each is selling in such offering.

 

3.4 Information. The holders of Registrable Securities shall provide such information as may reasonably be requested by the Company, or the managing Underwriter, if any, in connection with the preparation of any Registration Statement, including amendments and supplements thereto, in order to effect the registration of any Registrable Securities under the Securities Act pursuant to Section 2 and in connection with the Company’s obligation to comply with federal and applicable state securities laws.

 

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4. INDEMNIFICATION AND CONTRIBUTION.

 

4.1 Indemnification by the Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Investor and each other holder of Registrable Securities, and each of their respective officers, employees, affiliates, directors, partners, members, attorneys and agents, and each person, if any, who controls an Investor and each other holder of Registrable Securities (within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act) (each, an “Investor Indemnified Party”), from and against any expenses, losses, judgments, claims, damages or liabilities, whether joint or several, arising out of or based upon any untrue statement (or allegedly untrue statement) of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement under which the sale of such Registrable Securities was registered under the Securities Act, any preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or summary prospectus contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement to such Registration Statement, or arising out of or based upon any omission (or alleged omission) to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or any violation by the Company of the Securities Act or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder applicable to the Company and relating to action or inaction required of the Company in connection with any such registration; and the Company shall promptly reimburse the Investor Indemnified Party for any legal and any other expenses reasonably incurred by such Investor Indemnified Party in connection with investigating and defending any such expense, loss, judgment, claim, damage, liability or action whether or not any such person is a party to any such claim or action and including any and all legal and other expenses incurred in giving testimony or furnishing documents in response to a subpoena or otherwise; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such expense, loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any untrue statement or allegedly untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in such Registration Statement, preliminary prospectus, final prospectus, or summary prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement, in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished to the Company, in writing, by such selling holder expressly for use therein. The Company also shall indemnify any Underwriter of the Registrable Securities, their officers, affiliates, directors, partners, members and agents and each person who controls such Underwriter on substantially the same basis as that of the indemnification provided above in this Section 4.1.

 

4.2 Indemnification by Holders of Registrable Securities. Subject to the limitations set forth in Section 4.4.3 hereof, each selling holder of Registrable Securities will, in the event that any registration is being effected under the Securities Act pursuant to this Agreement of any Registrable Securities held by such selling holder, indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors and officers and each Underwriter (if any), and each other selling holder and each other person, if any, who controls another selling holder or such Underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act, against any losses, claims, judgments, damages or liabilities, whether joint or several, insofar as such losses, claims, judgments, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or allegedly untrue statement of a material fact contained in any Registration Statement under which the sale of such Registrable Securities was registered under the Securities Act, any preliminary prospectus, final prospectus or summary prospectus contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, or arise out of or are based upon any omission or the alleged omission to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statement therein not misleading, if the statement or omission was made in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by such selling holder expressly for use therein, and shall reimburse the Company, its directors and officers, and each other selling holder or controlling person for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by any of them in connection with investigation or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action. Each selling holder’s indemnification obligations hereunder shall be several and not joint and shall be limited to the amount of any net proceeds actually received by such selling holder.

 

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4.3 Conduct of Indemnification Proceedings. Promptly after receipt by any person of any notice of any loss, claim, damage or liability or any action in respect of which indemnity may be sought pursuant to Section 4.1 or 4.2, such person (the “Indemnified Party”) shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against any other person for indemnification hereunder, notify such other person (the “Indemnifying Party”) in writing of the loss, claim, judgment, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the failure by the Indemnified Party to notify the Indemnifying Party shall not relieve the Indemnifying Party from any liability which the Indemnifying Party may have to such Indemnified Party hereunder, except and solely to the extent the Indemnifying Party is actually prejudiced by such failure. If the Indemnified Party is seeking indemnification with respect to any claim or action brought against the Indemnified Party, then the Indemnifying Party shall be entitled to participate in such claim or action, and, to the extent that it wishes, jointly with all other Indemnifying Parties, to assume control of the defense thereof with counsel satisfactory to the Indemnified Party. After notice from the Indemnifying Party to the Indemnified Party of its election to assume control of the defense of such claim or action, the Indemnifying Party shall not be liable to the Indemnified Party for any legal or other expenses subsequently incurred by the Indemnified Party in connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation; provided, however, that in any action in which both the Indemnified Party and the Indemnifying Party are named as defendants, the Indemnified Party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (but no more than one such separate counsel) to represent the Indemnified Party and its controlling persons who may be subject to liability arising out of any claim in respect of which indemnity may be sought by the Indemnified Party against the Indemnifying Party, with the fees and expenses of such counsel to be paid by such Indemnifying Party if, based upon the written advice of counsel of such Indemnified Party, representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. No Indemnifying Party shall, without the prior written consent of the Indemnified Party, consent to entry of judgment or effect any settlement of any claim or pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which the Indemnified Party is or could have been a party and indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Party, unless such judgment or settlement includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Party from all liability arising out of such claim or proceeding.

 

4.4 Contribution.

 

4.4.1 If the indemnification provided for in the foregoing Sections 4.1, 4.2 and 4.3 is unavailable to any Indemnified Party in respect of any loss, claim, damage, liability or action referred to herein, then each such Indemnifying Party, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Party, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Party as a result of such loss, claim, damage, liability or action in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Indemnified Parties and the Indemnifying Parties in connection with the actions or omissions which resulted in such loss, claim, damage, liability or action, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of any Indemnified Party and any Indemnifying Party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by such Indemnified Party or such Indemnifying Party and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

 

4.4.2 The parties hereto agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 4.4 were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in the immediately preceding Section 4.4.1.

 

4.4.3 The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Party as a result of any loss, claim, damage, liability or action referred to in the immediately preceding paragraph shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 4.4, no holder of Registrable Securities shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the dollar amount of the net proceeds (after payment of any underwriting fees, discounts, commissions or taxes) actually received by such holder from the sale of Registrable Securities which gave rise to such contribution obligation. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) with respect to any action shall be entitled to contribution in such action from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

 

5. UNDERWRITING AND DISTRIBUTION.

 

5.1 Rule 144. The Company covenants that it shall file any reports required to be filed by it under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and shall take such further action as the holders of Registrable Securities may reasonably request, all to the extent required from time to time to enable such holders to sell Registrable Securities without registration under the Securities Act within the limitation of the exemptions provided by Rule 144 under the Securities Act, as such Rules may be amended from time to time, or any similar rule or regulation hereafter adopted by the Commission.

 

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6. MISCELLANEOUS.

 

6.1 Other Registration Rights. The Company represents and warrants that no person, other than the holders of the Registrable Securities, has any right to require the Company to register any shares of the Company for sale or to include shares of the Company in any registration filed by the Company for the sale of shares for its own account or for the account of any other person.

 

6.2 Assignment; No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the Company hereunder may not be assigned or delegated by the Company in whole or in part. This Agreement and the rights, duties and obligations of the holders of Registrable Securities hereunder may be freely assigned or delegated by such holder of Registrable Securities in conjunction with and to the extent of any transfer of Registrable Securities by any such holder. This Agreement and the provisions hereof shall be binding upon and shall inure to the benefit of each of the parties, to the permitted assigns of the Investors or holder of Registrable Securities or of any assignee of the Investors or holder of Registrable Securities. This Agreement is not intended to confer any rights or benefits on any persons that are not party hereto other than as expressly set forth in Article 4 and this Section 6.2.

 

6.3 Notices. All notices, demands, requests, consents, approvals or other communications (collectively, “Notices”) required or permitted to be given hereunder or which are given with respect to this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be personally served, delivered by reputable air courier service with charges prepaid, or transmitted by hand delivery, telegram, telex or facsimile, addressed as set forth below, or to such other address as such party shall have specified most recently by written notice. Notice shall be deemed given on the date of service or transmission if personally served or transmitted by telegram, telex or facsimile; provided, that if such service or transmission is not on a business day or is after normal business hours, then such notice shall be deemed given on the next business day. Notice otherwise sent as provided herein shall be deemed given on the next business day following timely delivery of such notice to a reputable air courier service with an order for next-day delivery.

 

To the Company:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040

Attn: Kanat Minzhanov

Emial: Kanat@qmbits.com

 

with a copy to:

 

Greenberg Traurig, LLP

1750 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 1000

McLean, VA 22102

Attn: Jason Simon, Esq.

Email: simonj@gtlaw.com

 

To an Investor, to the address set forth below such Investor’s name on Exhibit A hereto.

 

6.4 Severability. This Agreement shall be deemed severable, and the invalidity or unenforceability of any term or provision hereof shall not affect the validity or enforceability of this Agreement 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 Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible that is valid and enforceable. 

 

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6.5 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, and all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Delivery of a signed counterpart of this Agreement by facsimile or email/pdf transmission shall constitute valid and sufficient delivery thereof. 

 

6.6 Entire Agreement. This Agreement (including all agreements entered into pursuant hereto and all certificates and instruments delivered pursuant hereto and thereto) constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior and contemporaneous agreements, representations, understandings, negotiations and discussions between the parties, whether oral or written. 

 

6.7 Modifications and Amendments. No amendment, modification or termination of this Agreement shall be binding upon any party unless executed in writing by such party. 

 

6.8 Titles and Headings. Titles and headings of sections of this Agreement are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction of any provision of this Agreement. 

 

6.9 Waivers and Extensions. Any party to this Agreement may waive any right, breach or default which such party has the right to waive, provided that such waiver will not be effective against the waiving party unless it is in writing, is signed by such party, and specifically refers to this Agreement. Waivers may be made in advance or after the right waived has arisen or the breach or default waived has occurred. Any waiver may be conditional. No waiver of any breach of any agreement or provision herein contained shall be deemed a waiver of any preceding or succeeding breach thereof nor of any other agreement or provision herein contained. No waiver or extension of time for performance of any obligations or acts shall be deemed a waiver or extension of the time for performance of any other obligations or acts.

 

6.10 Remedies Cumulative. In the event that the Company fails to observe or perform any covenant or agreement to be observed or performed under this Agreement, the Investor or any other holder of Registrable Securities may proceed to protect and enforce its rights by suit in equity or action at law, whether for specific performance of any term contained in this Agreement or for an injunction against the breach of any such term or in aid of the exercise of any power granted in this Agreement or to enforce any other legal or equitable right, or to take any one or more of such actions, without being required to post a bond. None of the rights, powers or remedies conferred under this Agreement shall be mutually exclusive, and each such right, power or remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to any other right, power or remedy, whether conferred by this Agreement or now or hereafter available at law, in equity, by statute or otherwise.

 

6.11 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, interpreted under, and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York applicable to agreements made and to be performed within the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice-of-law provisions thereof that would compel the application of the substantive laws of any other jurisdiction. The Company irrevocably submits to the nonexclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or United States Federal court sitting in The City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement. The Company irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection that they may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court and any claim that any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such a court has been brought in an inconvenient forum.

 

6.12 Waiver of Trial by Jury. EACH PARTY HEREBY IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, SUIT, COUNTERCLAIM OR OTHER PROCEEDING (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF, CONNECTED WITH OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY, OR THE ACTIONS OF THE INVESTORS IN THE NEGOTIATION, ADMINISTRATION, PERFORMANCE OR ENFORCEMENT HEREOF.

 

[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]

 

12

 

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Registration Rights Agreement to be executed and delivered by their duly authorized representatives as of the date first written above.

 

  COMPANY:
     
  OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By:                                   
  Name:  Kanat Mynzhamov
  Title: Chief Executive Officer
     
  HOLDERS:
     
  OXUS CAPITAL PTE. LTD
     
  By:  
  Name:  
  Title:  
     
  EARLYBIRDCAPITAL, INC.
     
  By:  
  Name:  
  Title:  
     
  SOVA CAPITAL LIMITED
     
  By:  
  Name:  
  Title:  
     
  Name: Sergey Ivashkovsy
     
  Name: Christophe Charlier
     
  Name: Shiv Vikram Khemka

 

[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]

 

 

 

 

EXHIBIT A

 

Name and Address of Investor  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.5

 

[  ], 2021

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a “Business Combination”), intends to register its securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with its initial public offering (“IPO”). The Company currently anticipates selling units in the IPO, each comprised of one Class A ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (“Ordinary Share(s)”) and one warrant (“Warrant”), each whole Warrant to purchase one Ordinary Share. 

 

The undersigned hereby commits to purchase an aggregate of 6,150,000 warrants of the Company (“Initial Warrants”) at $1.00 per Initial Warrant for an aggregate purchase price of $6,150,000 (the “Initial Purchase Price”). Additionally, if the underwriters in the IPO (“Underwriters”) exercise their over-allotment option in full or in part, the undersigned further commits to purchase up to an additional 601,630 Warrants (“Additional Warrants” and together with the Initial Warrants, the “Private Warrants”) at $1.00 per Additional Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of up to $601,630 (the “Over-Allotment Purchase Price” and together with the Initial Purchase Price, the “Purchase Price”)). The Private Warrants will be identical to the warrants to be sold in the IPO except as described in the Company’s registration statement filed in connection with the IPO (“Registration Statement”).

 

On the date of the closing of the IPO (the “IPO Closing Date”), the Company shall issue and sell to the undersigned, and the undersigned shall purchase from the Company, the Initial Warrants for the Initial Purchase Price. At least one (1) business day prior to the date the Registration Statement is declared effective, the undersigned will cause the Purchase Price to be delivered by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts designated by the Company, including to the trust account at a financial institution to be chosen by the Company, maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee, in accordance with the Company’s wiring instructions. On the IPO Closing Date, the Initial Purchase Price shall be released to the Company and the Company shall effect delivery of the Initial Warrants to the undersigned in book-entry form.

 

On the date of the closing of the over-allotment option, if any, in connection with the IPO (each such date, an “Over-Allotment Closing Date,” and each Over-Allotment Closing Date (if any) and the IPO Closing Date, a “Closing Date”), the Over-Allotment Purchase Price shall be released to the Company and the Company shall issue and sell to the undersigned, and the undersigned shall purchase from the Company, the Additional Warrants (or, to the extent the over-allotment option is not exercised in full, a lesser number of Additional Warrants in proportion to portion of the over-allotment option that is exercised). On each Over-Allotment Closing Date, if any, subject to receipt of funds pursuant to the immediately prior sentence, the Company shall effect delivery of the Additional Warrants to the undersigned in book-entry form. 

 

The Private Warrants will be identical to the warrants to be sold by the Company in the IPO, except that:

 

the Private Warrants will not be transferable by the undersigned until the consummation of a Business Combination (subject to certain exceptions as described in the Registration Statement and set forth in the warrant agreement governing the Private Warrants (the “Warrant Agreement”));

 

the Private Warrants and underlying securities will be subject to customary registration rights, pursuant to a registration rights agreement on terms agreed upon by the Company and the Underwriters to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”); and

 

the Private Warrants and the underlying securities will include any additional terms or restrictions as is customary in other similarly structured blank check company offerings or as may be reasonably required by the Underwriters in order to consummate the IPO, which terms or restrictions will be described in the Registration Statement.

 

 

 

 

The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that it will execute agreements in form and substance typical for transactions of this nature necessary to effectuate the foregoing agreements and obligations prior to the consummation of the IPO as are reasonably acceptable to the undersigned, including but not limited to (i) an insider letter and (ii) the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

The undersigned hereby represents and warrants to the Company (which representations and warranties shall survive each Closing Date) that:

 

(a) it has been advised that the Private Warrants and, upon exercise of the Private Warrants, the shares of Ordinary Shares issuable upon such exercise (collectively, the “Securities”), have not been registered under the Securities Act;

 

(b) it is acquiring the Securities for its own account, for investment purposes only and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, any public sale or distribution thereof;

 

(c) it understands that the Securities are being offered and will be sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of the United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of, and the undersigned’s compliance with, the representations and warranties of the undersigned set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the undersigned to acquire such Securities;

 

(d) it is an “accredited investor” as defined by Rule 501(a)(3) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act, and it has not experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D under the Securities Act. The undersigned did not decide to enter into this letter agreement as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502(c) of Regulation D under the Securities Act;

 

(e) it has been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and materials relating to the offer and sale of the Securities which have been requested by the undersigned. The undersigned has been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the executive officers and directors of the Company. The undersigned understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk and it has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the acquisition of the Securities;

 

(f) it understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities by the undersigned nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities;

 

(g) it understands that: (A) the Securities have not been and are not being registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (1) subsequently registered thereunder or (2) sold in reliance on an exemption therefrom; and (B) except as specifically set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, neither the Company nor any other person is under any obligation to register the Securities under the Securities Act or any state securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder. In this regard, the undersigned understands that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has taken the position that promoters or affiliates of a blank check company and their transferees, both before and after an initial Business Combination, are deemed to be “underwriters” under the Securities Act when reselling the securities of a blank check company. Based on that position, Rule 144 adopted pursuant to the Securities Act would not be available for resale transactions of the Securities despite technical compliance with the requirements of such Rule, and the Securities can be resold only through a registered offering or in reliance upon another exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act;

 

2

 

 

(h) it has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters, knowledge of the high degree of risk associated with investments in the securities of companies in the development stage such as the Company, is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Securities and is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities in the amount contemplated hereunder for an indefinite period of time. The undersigned has adequate means of providing for its current financial needs and contingencies and will have no current or anticipated future needs for liquidity which would be jeopardized by the investment in the Securities. The undersigned can afford a complete loss of its investments in the Securities;

 

(i) it has full power, authority and legal capacity to execute and deliver this letter agreement and any documents contemplated herein or needed to consummate the transactions contemplated in this letter agreement;

 

(j) it understands that the Private Warrants shall bear the legend substantially in the form set forth in the Warrant Agreement and be subject to appropriate “stop transfer restrictions”;

 

(k) this letter agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the undersigned, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law); and

 

(l) the execution and delivery by the undersigned of this letter agreement and the fulfillment of and compliance with the terms hereof by the undersigned do not and shall not as of each Closing Date (a) conflict with or result in a breach by the undersigned of the terms, conditions or provisions of, (b) constitute a default under, (c) result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance upon the undersigned’s equity or assets under, (d) result in a violation of, or (e) require any authorization, consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to, or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental body or agency pursuant to the undersigned’s organizational documents in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended prior to completion of the contemplated IPO, or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the undersigned is subject, or any agreement, instrument, order, judgment or decree to which the undersigned is subject, except for any filings required after the date hereof under federal or state securities laws.

 

All of the representations and warranties contained herein shall survive each Closing Date. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all covenants and agreements contained in this letter agreement by or on behalf of any of the parties hereto shall bind and inure to the benefit of the respective successors of the parties hereto whether so expressed or not. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary herein, the parties may not assign this letter agreement, other than assignments by the undersigned to affiliates thereof (including, without limitation one or more of its members). This letter agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by the parties hereto.

 

Whenever possible, each provision of letter agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this letter agreement is held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of this letter agreement. This letter agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts, none of which need contain the signatures of more than one party, but all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

 

Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this letter agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or electronic transmission.

 

This letter agreement shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of New York and for all purposes shall be construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the laws of another jurisdiction.

 

This letter agreement may be terminated by the Company or the undersigned at any time after [ ], 2021 upon written notice to the other party hereto if the closing of the IPO does not occur prior to such date.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

3

 

 

  Very truly yours,
   
  OXUS CAPITAL PTE. LTD
     
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:

 

  Accepted and Agreed:
   
  oxus ACQUISITION CORP.
   
  By:  
    Name: Kanat Mynzhanov
    Title: Chief Executive Officer

 

[Signature Page to Subscription Agreement for Private Warrants]

 

 

4

 

 

Exhibit 10.6

 

  [   ], 2021

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a “Business Combination”), intends to register its securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with its initial public offering (“IPO”). The Company currently anticipates selling units in the IPO, each comprised of one Class A ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (“Ordinary Share(s)”) and one warrant (“Warrant”), each whole Warrant to purchase one Ordinary Share. 

 

The undersigned hereby commits to purchase an aggregate of 375,000 warrants of the Company (“Initial Warrants”) at $1.00 per Initial Warrant for an aggregate purchase price of $375,000 (the “Initial Purchase Price”). Additionally, if the underwriters in the IPO (“Underwriters”) exercise their over-allotment option in full or in part, the undersigned further commits to purchase up to an additional 36,685 Warrants (“Additional Warrants” and together with the Initial Warrants, the “Private Warrants”) at $1.00 per Additional Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of up to $36,685 (the “Over-Allotment Purchase Price” and together with the Initial Purchase Price, the “Purchase Price”)). The Private Warrants will be identical to the warrants to be sold in the IPO except as described in the Company’s registration statement filed in connection with the IPO (“Registration Statement”).

 

On the date of the closing of the IPO (the “IPO Closing Date”), the Company shall issue and sell to the undersigned, and the undersigned shall purchase from the Company, the Initial Warrants for the Initial Purchase Price. At least one (1) business day prior to the date the Registration Statement is declared effective, the undersigned will cause the Purchase Price to be delivered by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts designated by the Company, including to the trust account at a financial institution to be chosen by the Company, maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee, in accordance with the Company’s wiring instructions. On the IPO Closing Date, the Initial Purchase Price shall be released to the Company and the Company shall effect delivery of the Initial Warrants to the undersigned in book-entry form.

 

On the date of the closing of the over-allotment option, if any, in connection with the IPO (each such date, an “Over-Allotment Closing Date,” and each Over-Allotment Closing Date (if any) and the IPO Closing Date, a “Closing Date”), the Over-Allotment Purchase Price shall be released to the Company and the Company shall issue and sell to the undersigned, and the undersigned shall purchase from the Company, the Additional Warrants (or, to the extent the over-allotment option is not exercised in full, a lesser number of Additional Warrants in proportion to portion of the over-allotment option that is exercised). On each Over-Allotment Closing Date, if any, subject to receipt of funds pursuant to the immediately prior sentence, the Company shall effect delivery of the Additional Warrants to the undersigned in book-entry form. 

 

The Private Warrants will be identical to the warrants to be sold by the Company in the IPO, except that:

 

the Private Warrants will not be transferable by the undersigned until the consummation of a Business Combination (subject to certain exceptions as described in the Registration Statement and set forth in the warrant agreement governing the Private Warrants (the “Warrant Agreement”));

 

the Private Warrants and underlying securities will be subject to customary registration rights, pursuant to a registration rights agreement on terms agreed upon by the Company and the Underwriters to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”); and

 

 

 

 

the Private Warrants and the underlying securities will include any additional terms or restrictions as is customary in other similarly structured blank check company offerings or as may be reasonably required by the Underwriters in order to consummate the IPO, which terms or restrictions will be described in the Registration Statement.

 

The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that it will execute agreements in form and substance typical for transactions of this nature necessary to effectuate the foregoing agreements and obligations prior to the consummation of the IPO as are reasonably acceptable to the undersigned, including but not limited to (i) an insider letter and (ii) the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

The undersigned hereby represents and warrants to the Company (which representations and warranties shall survive each Closing Date) that:

 

(a) it has been advised that the Private Warrants and, upon exercise of the Private Warrants, the shares of Ordinary Shares issuable upon such exercise (collectively, the “Securities”), have not been registered under the Securities Act;

 

(b) it is acquiring the Securities for its own account, for investment purposes only and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, any public sale or distribution thereof;

 

(c) it understands that the Securities are being offered and will be sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of the United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of, and the undersigned’s compliance with, the representations and warranties of the undersigned set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the undersigned to acquire such Securities;

 

(d) it is an “accredited investor” as defined by Rule 501(a)(3) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act, and it has not experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D under the Securities Act. The undersigned did not decide to enter into this letter agreement as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502(c) of Regulation D under the Securities Act;

 

(e) it has been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and materials relating to the offer and sale of the Securities which have been requested by the undersigned. The undersigned has been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the executive officers and directors of the Company. The undersigned understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk and it has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the acquisition of the Securities;

 

(f) it understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities by the undersigned nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities;

 

2

 

 

(g) it understands that: (A) the Securities have not been and are not being registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (1) subsequently registered thereunder or (2) sold in reliance on an exemption therefrom; and (B) except as specifically set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, neither the Company nor any other person is under any obligation to register the Securities under the Securities Act or any state securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder. In this regard, the undersigned understands that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has taken the position that promoters or affiliates of a blank check company and their transferees, both before and after an initial Business Combination, are deemed to be “underwriters” under the Securities Act when reselling the securities of a blank check company. Based on that position, Rule 144 adopted pursuant to the Securities Act would not be available for resale transactions of the Securities despite technical compliance with the requirements of such Rule, and the Securities can be resold only through a registered offering or in reliance upon another exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act;

 

(h) it has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters, knowledge of the high degree of risk associated with investments in the securities of companies in the development stage such as the Company, is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Securities and is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities in the amount contemplated hereunder for an indefinite period of time. The undersigned has adequate means of providing for its current financial needs and contingencies and will have no current or anticipated future needs for liquidity which would be jeopardized by the investment in the Securities. The undersigned can afford a complete loss of its investments in the Securities;

 

(i) it has full power, authority and legal capacity to execute and deliver this letter agreement and any documents contemplated herein or needed to consummate the transactions contemplated in this letter agreement;

 

(j) it understands that the Private Warrants shall bear the legend substantially in the form set forth in the Warrant Agreement and be subject to appropriate “stop transfer restrictions”;

 

(k) this letter agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the undersigned, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law); and

 

(l) the execution and delivery by the undersigned of this letter agreement and the fulfillment of and compliance with the terms hereof by the undersigned do not and shall not as of each Closing Date (a) conflict with or result in a breach by the undersigned of the terms, conditions or provisions of, (b) constitute a default under, (c) result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance upon the undersigned’s equity or assets under, (d) result in a violation of, or (e) require any authorization, consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to, or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental body or agency pursuant to the undersigned’s organizational documents in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended prior to completion of the contemplated IPO, or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the undersigned is subject, or any agreement, instrument, order, judgment or decree to which the undersigned is subject, except for any filings required after the date hereof under federal or state securities laws.

 

3

 

 

All of the representations and warranties contained herein shall survive each Closing Date. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all covenants and agreements contained in this letter agreement by or on behalf of any of the parties hereto shall bind and inure to the benefit of the respective successors of the parties hereto whether so expressed or not. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary herein, the parties may not assign this letter agreement, other than assignments by the undersigned to affiliates thereof (including, without limitation one or more of its members). This letter agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by the parties hereto.

 

Whenever possible, each provision of letter agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this letter agreement is held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of this letter agreement. This letter agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts, none of which need contain the signatures of more than one party, but all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

 

Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this letter agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or electronic transmission.

 

This letter agreement shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of New York and for all purposes shall be construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the laws of another jurisdiction.

 

This letter agreement may be terminated by the Company or the undersigned at any time after [   ], 2021 upon written notice to the other party hereto if the closing of the IPO does not occur prior to such date.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

4

 

 

  Very truly yours,
     
  EARLYBIRDCAPITAL, INC.
     
  By:                          
    Name:
    Title:

 

Accepted and Agreed:  
       
oxus ACQUISITION CORP.  
       
By:    
  Name:  Kanat Mynzhanov  
  Title: Chief Executive Officer  

 

[Signature Page to Subscription Agreement for Private Warrants]

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.7

 

  [   ], 2021

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), a blank check company formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities (a “Business Combination”), intends to register its securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with its initial public offering (“IPO”). The Company currently anticipates selling units in the IPO, each comprised of one Class A ordinary share, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (“Ordinary Share(s)”) and one warrant (“Warrant”), each whole Warrant to purchase one Ordinary Share. 

 

The undersigned hereby commits to purchase an aggregate of 375,000 warrants of the Company (“Initial Warrants”) at $1.00 per Initial Warrant for an aggregate purchase price of $375,000 (the “Initial Purchase Price”). Additionally, if the underwriters in the IPO (“Underwriters”) exercise their over-allotment option in full or in part, the undersigned further commits to purchase up to an additional 36,685 Warrants (“Additional Warrants” and together with the Initial Warrants, the “Private Warrants”) at $1.00 per Additional Warrant, for an aggregate purchase price of up to $36,685 (the “Over-Allotment Purchase Price” and together with the Initial Purchase Price, the “Purchase Price”)). The Private Warrants will be identical to the warrants to be sold in the IPO except as described in the Company’s registration statement filed in connection with the IPO (“Registration Statement”).

 

On the date of the closing of the IPO (the “IPO Closing Date”), the Company shall issue and sell to the undersigned, and the undersigned shall purchase from the Company, the Initial Warrants for the Initial Purchase Price. At least one (1) business day prior to the date the Registration Statement is declared effective, the undersigned will cause the Purchase Price to be delivered by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the accounts designated by the Company, including to the trust account at a financial institution to be chosen by the Company, maintained by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, acting as trustee, in accordance with the Company’s wiring instructions. On the IPO Closing Date, the Initial Purchase Price shall be released to the Company and the Company shall effect delivery of the Initial Warrants to the undersigned in book-entry form.

 

On the date of the closing of the over-allotment option, if any, in connection with the IPO (each such date, an “Over-Allotment Closing Date,” and each Over-Allotment Closing Date (if any) and the IPO Closing Date, a “Closing Date”), the Over-Allotment Purchase Price shall be released to the Company and the Company shall issue and sell to the undersigned, and the undersigned shall purchase from the Company, the Additional Warrants (or, to the extent the over-allotment option is not exercised in full, a lesser number of Additional Warrants in proportion to portion of the over-allotment option that is exercised). On each Over-Allotment Closing Date, if any, subject to receipt of funds pursuant to the immediately prior sentence, the Company shall effect delivery of the Additional Warrants to the undersigned in book-entry form. 

 

The Private Warrants will be identical to the warrants to be sold by the Company in the IPO, except that:

 

the Private Warrants will not be transferable by the undersigned until the consummation of a Business Combination (subject to certain exceptions as described in the Registration Statement and set forth in the warrant agreement governing the Private Warrants (the “Warrant Agreement”));

 

the Private Warrants and underlying securities will be subject to customary registration rights, pursuant to a registration rights agreement on terms agreed upon by the Company and the Underwriters to be filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”); and

 

 

 

 

the Private Warrants and the underlying securities will include any additional terms or restrictions as is customary in other similarly structured blank check company offerings or as may be reasonably required by the Underwriters in order to consummate the IPO, which terms or restrictions will be described in the Registration Statement.

 

The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that it will execute agreements in form and substance typical for transactions of this nature necessary to effectuate the foregoing agreements and obligations prior to the consummation of the IPO as are reasonably acceptable to the undersigned, including but not limited to (i) an insider letter and (ii) the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

The undersigned hereby represents and warrants to the Company (which representations and warranties shall survive each Closing Date) that:

 

(a) it has been advised that the Private Warrants and, upon exercise of the Private Warrants, the shares of Ordinary Shares issuable upon such exercise (collectively, the “Securities”), have not been registered under the Securities Act;

 

(b) it is acquiring the Securities for its own account, for investment purposes only and not with a view towards, or for resale in connection with, any public sale or distribution thereof;

 

(c) it understands that the Securities are being offered and will be sold to it in reliance on specific exemptions from the registration requirements of the United States federal and state securities laws and that the Company is relying upon the truth and accuracy of, and the undersigned’s compliance with, the representations and warranties of the undersigned set forth herein in order to determine the availability of such exemptions and the eligibility of the undersigned to acquire such Securities;

 

(d) it is an “accredited investor” as defined by Rule 501(a)(3) of Regulation D promulgated under the Securities Act, and it has not experienced a disqualifying event as enumerated pursuant to Rule 506(d) of Regulation D under the Securities Act. The undersigned did not decide to enter into this letter agreement as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502(c) of Regulation D under the Securities Act;

 

(e) it has been furnished with all materials relating to the business, finances and operations of the Company and materials relating to the offer and sale of the Securities which have been requested by the undersigned. The undersigned has been afforded the opportunity to ask questions of the executive officers and directors of the Company. The undersigned understands that its investment in the Securities involves a high degree of risk and it has sought such accounting, legal and tax advice as it has considered necessary to make an informed investment decision with respect to the acquisition of the Securities;

 

(f) it understands that no United States federal or state agency or any other government or governmental agency has passed on or made any recommendation or endorsement of the Securities or the fairness or suitability of the investment in the Securities by the undersigned nor have such authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the offering of the Securities;

 

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(g) it understands that: (A) the Securities have not been and are not being registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws, and may not be offered for sale, sold, assigned or transferred unless (1) subsequently registered thereunder or (2) sold in reliance on an exemption therefrom; and (B) except as specifically set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement, neither the Company nor any other person is under any obligation to register the Securities under the Securities Act or any state securities laws or to comply with the terms and conditions of any exemption thereunder. In this regard, the undersigned understands that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has taken the position that promoters or affiliates of a blank check company and their transferees, both before and after an initial Business Combination, are deemed to be “underwriters” under the Securities Act when reselling the securities of a blank check company. Based on that position, Rule 144 adopted pursuant to the Securities Act would not be available for resale transactions of the Securities despite technical compliance with the requirements of such Rule, and the Securities can be resold only through a registered offering or in reliance upon another exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act;

 

(h) it has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters, knowledge of the high degree of risk associated with investments in the securities of companies in the development stage such as the Company, is capable of evaluating the merits and risks of an investment in the Securities and is able to bear the economic risk of an investment in the Securities in the amount contemplated hereunder for an indefinite period of time. The undersigned has adequate means of providing for its current financial needs and contingencies and will have no current or anticipated future needs for liquidity which would be jeopardized by the investment in the Securities. The undersigned can afford a complete loss of its investments in the Securities;

 

(i) it has full power, authority and legal capacity to execute and deliver this letter agreement and any documents contemplated herein or needed to consummate the transactions contemplated in this letter agreement;

 

(j) it understands that the Private Warrants shall bear the legend substantially in the form set forth in the Warrant Agreement and be subject to appropriate “stop transfer restrictions”;

 

(k) this letter agreement constitutes a legal, valid and binding obligation of the undersigned, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (whether considered in a proceeding in equity or law); and

 

(l) the execution and delivery by the undersigned of this letter agreement and the fulfillment of and compliance with the terms hereof by the undersigned do not and shall not as of each Closing Date (a) conflict with or result in a breach by the undersigned of the terms, conditions or provisions of, (b) constitute a default under, (c) result in the creation of any lien, security interest, charge or encumbrance upon the undersigned’s equity or assets under, (d) result in a violation of, or (e) require any authorization, consent, approval, exemption or other action by or notice or declaration to, or filing with, any court or administrative or governmental body or agency pursuant to the undersigned’s organizational documents in effect on the date hereof or as may be amended prior to completion of the contemplated IPO, or any material law, statute, rule or regulation to which the undersigned is subject, or any agreement, instrument, order, judgment or decree to which the undersigned is subject, except for any filings required after the date hereof under federal or state securities laws.

 

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All of the representations and warranties contained herein shall survive each Closing Date. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all covenants and agreements contained in this letter agreement by or on behalf of any of the parties hereto shall bind and inure to the benefit of the respective successors of the parties hereto whether so expressed or not. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary herein, the parties may not assign this letter agreement, other than assignments by the undersigned to affiliates thereof (including, without limitation one or more of its members). This letter agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by the parties hereto.

 

Whenever possible, each provision of letter agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this letter agreement is held to be prohibited by or invalid under applicable law, such provision shall be ineffective only to the extent of such prohibition or invalidity, without invalidating the remainder of this letter agreement. This letter agreement may be executed simultaneously in two or more counterparts, none of which need contain the signatures of more than one party, but all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.

 

Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this letter agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery or electronic transmission.

 

This letter agreement shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of New York and for all purposes shall be construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to conflicts of law principles that would result in the application of the laws of another jurisdiction.

 

This letter agreement may be terminated by the Company or the undersigned at any time after [   ], 2021 upon written notice to the other party hereto if the closing of the IPO does not occur prior to such date.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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  Very truly yours,
   
  SOVA CAPITAL LIMITED
     
  By:  
    Name:
    Title:

 

Accepted and Agreed:  
       
oxus ACQUISITION CORP.  
       
By:    
Name:  Kanat Mynzhanov  
Title: Chief Executive Officer  

 

[Signature Page to Subscription Agreement for Private Warrants]

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.8

 

STOCK ESCROW AGREEMENT

 

STOCK ESCROW AGREEMENT, dated as of [ ], 2021 (the “Agreement”), by and among OXUS Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), Oxus capital pte. ltd (the “Sponsor”), the shareholders of the Company listed on Exhibit A hereto (together with Sponsor and any permitted transferee of the Sponsor or such shareholders after the date hereof in accordance with the terms hereof being referred to as, the “Founders”) and CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST COMPANY, a New York limited purpose trust company (the “Escrow Agent”).

 

WHEREAS, the Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination (a “Business Combination”) with one or more businesses or entities.

 

WHEREAS, the Company has entered into an Underwriting Agreement, dated as of [ ], 2021 (the “Underwriting Agreement”), with EarlyBirdCapital, Inc. (the “Representative”) acting as representative of the several underwriters (collectively, the “Underwriters”), pursuant to which, among other matters, the Underwriters have agreed to purchase 15,000,000 units (the “Units”) of the Company, plus an additional 2,250,000 Units if the Underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full. Each Unit consists of one of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share (“Ordinary Shares”), and one warrant (“Warrant”), each whole Warrant to purchase one Ordinary Shares, all as more fully described in the Company’s prospectus, comprising part of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Registration Statement”), declared effective on [ ], 2021 (the “Effective Date”).

 

WHEREAS, the Founders have agreed as a condition of the sale of the Units to deposit their shares of Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Company (“Founder Shares”) in escrow as hereinafter provided.

 

WHEREAS, the Company and the Founders desire that the Escrow Agent accept the Founder Shares, in escrow, to be held and disbursed as hereinafter provided.

 

IT IS AGREED:

 

1. Appointment of Escrow Agent. The Company and the Founders hereby appoint the Escrow Agent to act in accordance with and subject to the terms of this Agreement and the Escrow Agent hereby accepts such appointment and agrees to act in accordance with and subject to such terms.

 

2. Deposit of Shares. On or before the Effective Date, the Founders’ respective Founder Shares set forth on Exhibit A hereto shall be deposited in escrow, to be held and disbursed subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement. The Founders acknowledge that the shares deposited in escrow will be legended to reflect the deposit of such shares under this Agreement.

 

3. Disbursement of the Escrow Shares.

 

3.1 If the over-allotment option to purchase all or a portion of the additional 2,250,000 Units of the Company is not exercised in full within 45 days of the date of the Registration Statement (as described in the Underwriting Agreement), the Sponsor agrees that the Escrow Agent shall return to the Company for cancellation, at no cost, the number of Founder Shares held by the Sponsor determined by multiplying 562,500 by a fraction, (i) the numerator of which is 2,250,000 minus the number of Units purchased by the Underwriters upon the exercise of the over-allotment option, and (ii) the denominator of which is 2,250,000. The Company shall promptly provide notice to the Escrow Agent of the expiration or termination of the over-allotment option and the number of Units, if any, purchased by the Underwriters in connection with the exercise thereof.

 

3.2 Except as otherwise set forth herein, the Escrow Agent shall hold the Founder Shares remaining after any cancellation required pursuant to Section 3.1 above (such remaining shares to be referred to herein as the “Escrow Shares”) until (i) with respect to 50% of the Founder Shares, the earlier of one year after the date of the consummation of the initial business combination and the date on which the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing after the consummation of the initial business combination and (ii) with respect to the remaining 50% of the Founder Shares, the one-year anniversary of the consummation of the initial business combination (such period of time during which the Escrow Shares are held in escrow, the “Escrow Period”). The Company shall promptly provide notice of the consummation of an initial Business Combination to the Escrow Agent. Upon completion of the Escrow Period, the Escrow Agent shall disburse such amount of each Founder’s Escrow Shares to the applicable Founder; provided, however, that if, after the consummation of an initial Business Combination and during the Escrow Period, the Company (or the surviving entity) consummates a liquidation, merger, stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the shareholders of such entity having the right to exchange their shares of Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property, then the Escrow Agent will, upon receipt of a notice executed by the Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Officer or other authorized officer of the Company (or the surviving entity), in form reasonably acceptable to the Escrow Agent, certifying that such transaction is then being consummated or such conditions have been achieved, as applicable, release the Escrow Shares to the Founders. The Escrow Agent shall have no further duties hereunder after the disbursement of the Escrow Shares in accordance with this Section 3.2.

 

 

 

3.3 If the Escrow Agent is notified by the Company pursuant to Section 6.7 hereof that the Company’s Trust Account (as defined in that certain Investment Management Trust Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and between the Company and the Escrow Agent as trustee thereunder) is being liquidated, then the Escrow Agent shall deliver the certificates representing the Escrow Shares to the Founders promptly after the public shareholders are paid the liquidating distributions and shall have no further duties hereunder.

 

4. Rights of Founders in Escrow Shares.

 

4.1 Voting Rights as a Shareholder. Subject to the terms of the Insider Letter described in Section 4.4 hereof and except as herein provided, the Founders shall retain all of their rights as shareholders of the Company as long as any shares are held in escrow pursuant to this Agreement, including, without limitation, the right to vote such shares.

 

4.2 Dividends and Other Distributions in Respect of the Escrow Shares. For as long as any shares are held in escrow pursuant to this Agreement, all dividends payable in cash with respect to the Escrow Shares shall be paid to the Founders, but all dividends payable in stock or other non-cash property (“Non-Cash Dividends”) shall be delivered to the Escrow Agent to hold in accordance with the terms hereof. As used herein, the term “Escrow Shares” shall be deemed to include the Non-Cash Dividends distributed thereon, if any.

 

4.3 Restrictions on Transfer. During the Escrow Period, the only permitted transfers of the Escrow Shares will be (i) among the Founders or to the Company’s or the Founders’ members, officers, directors, consultants or their affiliates, (ii) to a Founder’s shareholders or members upon such Founder’s liquidation, in each case if the Founder is an entity, (iii) by bona fide gift to a member of a Founder’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a Founder or a member of a Founder’s immediate family, in each case for estate planning purposes, (iv) by virtue of the laws of descent and distribution upon death, (v) pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order, or (vi) to the Company for no value for cancellation in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination, (vii) in connection with the consummation of a Business Combination at prices no greater than the price at which the Escrow Shares were originally purchased, (viii) in the event of the Company’s liquidation prior to its consummation of an initial Business Combination or (ix) in the event that, subsequent to the consummation of an initial Business Combination, the Company completes a liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property; provided, however, that except for clauses (vi), (viiii) or (ix) or with the Company’s prior written consent, such permitted transfers may be implemented only upon the respective transferee’s written agreement to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement and of the Insider Letter.

 

4.4 Insider Letter. The Founders have executed a letter agreement with the Company, dated as of the date hereof, the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement (“Insider Letter”), respecting the rights and obligations of such Founders in certain events, including, but not limited to, the liquidation of the Company.

 

5. Concerning the Escrow Agent.

 

5.1 Good Faith Reliance. The Escrow Agent shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted by it in good faith and in the exercise of its own best judgment, and may rely conclusively and shall be protected in acting upon any order, notice, demand, certificate, opinion or advice of counsel (including counsel chosen by the Escrow Agent), statement, instrument, report or other paper or document (not only as to its due execution and the validity and effectiveness of its provisions, but also as to the truth and acceptability of any information therein contained) which is believed by the Escrow Agent in good faith to be genuine and to be signed or presented by the proper person or persons. The Escrow Agent shall not be bound by any notice or demand, or any waiver, modification, termination or rescission of this Agreement unless evidenced by a writing delivered to the Escrow Agent signed by the proper party or parties and, if the duties or rights of the Escrow Agent are affected, unless it shall have given its prior written consent thereto.

 

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5.2 Indemnification. Subject to Section 5.8 below, the Escrow Agent shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Company from and against any expenses, including reasonable counsel fees and disbursements, or loss suffered by the Escrow Agent in connection with any action, suit or other proceeding involving any claim which in any way, directly or indirectly, arises out of or relates to this Agreement, the services of the Escrow Agent hereunder, or the Escrow Shares held by it hereunder, other than expenses or losses arising from the gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct of the Escrow Agent. Promptly after the receipt by the Escrow Agent of notice of any demand or claim or the commencement of any action, suit or proceeding, the Escrow Agent shall notify the other parties hereto in writing. In the event of the receipt of such notice, the Escrow Agent, in its sole discretion, may commence an action in the nature of interpleader in an appropriate court to determine ownership or disposition of the Escrow Shares or it may deposit the Escrow Shares with the clerk of any appropriate court or it may retain the Escrow Shares pending receipt of a final, non-appealable order of a court having jurisdiction over all of the parties hereto directing to whom and under what circumstances the Escrow Shares are to be disbursed and delivered. The provisions of this Section 5.2 shall survive in the event the Escrow Agent resigns or is discharged pursuant to Sections 5.5 or 5.6 below.

 

5.3 Compensation. Subject to Section 5.8 below, the Escrow Agent shall be entitled to reasonable compensation from the Company for all services rendered by it hereunder. The Escrow Agent shall also be entitled to reimbursement from the Company for all reasonable expenses paid or incurred by it in the administration of its duties hereunder including, but not limited to, all counsel, advisors’ and agents’ fees and disbursements and all taxes or other governmental charges.

 

5.4 Further Assurances. From time to time on and after the date hereof, the Company and the Founders shall deliver or cause to be delivered to the Escrow Agent such further documents and instruments and shall do or cause to be done such further acts as the Escrow Agent shall reasonably request to carry out more effectively the provisions and purposes of this Agreement, to evidence compliance herewith or to assure itself that it is protected in acting hereunder.

 

5.5 Resignation. The Escrow Agent may resign at any time and be discharged from its duties as escrow agent hereunder by its giving the other parties hereto written notice and such resignation shall become effective as hereinafter provided. Such resignation shall become effective at such time that the Escrow Agent shall turn the Escrow Shares over to a successor escrow agent appointed by the Company and approved by the Representative, which approval will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. If no new escrow agent is so appointed within the 60-day period following the giving of such notice of resignation, the Escrow Agent may deposit the Escrow Shares with any court it reasonably deems appropriate in the State of New York.

 

5.6 Discharge of Escrow Agent. The Escrow Agent shall resign and be discharged from its duties as escrow agent hereunder if so requested in writing at any time by all of the other parties hereto; provided, however, that such resignation shall become effective only upon the appointment of a successor escrow agent selected by the Company and approved by the Representative, which approval will not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.

 

5.7 Liability. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Escrow Agent shall not be relieved from liability hereunder for its own gross negligence, fraud or willful misconduct.

 

5.8 Waiver. The Escrow Agent hereby waives any right of set-off or any other right, title, interest or claim of any kind (“Claim”) in, or to any distribution of, the Trust Account and hereby agrees not to seek recourse, reimbursement, payment or satisfaction for any Claim against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

 

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6. Miscellaneous.

 

6.1 Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed and enforced in accordance with 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. The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction and venue of any state or federal court located in the City of New York, Borough of Manhattan, for purposes of resolving any disputes hereunder. As to any claim, cross-claim, or counterclaim in any way relating to this Agreement, each party waives the right to trial by jury.

 

6.2 Third Party Beneficiaries. Each of the parties to this Agreement hereby acknowledges that the Representative is a third party beneficiary of this Agreement.

 

6.3 Entire Agreement. This Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and, except as expressly provided herein, may only be changed, amended, or modified by a writing signed by each of the parties hereto.

 

6.4 Headings. The headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation thereof.

 

6.5 Binding Effect. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the respective parties hereto and their legal representatives, successors and assigns.

 

6.6 Notices. Any notice, consent or request to be given in connection with any of the terms or provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be sent by express mail or similar private courier service, by certified mail (return receipt requested), by hand delivery, by email or by electronic transmission:

 

If to the Company, to:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.
7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue
Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040
Attn: Kanat Mynzhanov
Email: kanat@qmbits.com

 

If to a Founder, to his/her/its address set forth in Exhibit A.

 

and if to the Escrow Agent, to:

 

Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company
1 State Street
New York, New York 10004
Attn:
Email:

 

A copy of any notice sent hereunder shall be sent to:

 

EarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
366 Madison Ave., 8th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Attn: Steven Levine
Email: slevine@ebccap.com

 

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with a copy to: 

 

Greenberg Traurig, LLP
1750 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 1000
McLean, VA 22102
Attn: Jason Simon, Esq.
Email: simonj@gtlaw.com

 

and:

 

Graubard Miller
The Chrysler Building
405 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York 10174
Attn: David Alan Miller, Esq.
Fax No.: (212) 818-8881
Email: dmiller@graubard.com

 

The parties may change the persons and addresses to which the notices or other communications are to be sent by giving written notice to any such change in the manner provided herein for giving notice.

 

6.7 Liquidation of the Trust Account. The Company shall give the Escrow Agent written notification of the liquidation of the Trust Account in the event that the Company fails to consummate a Business Combination within the time period specified in the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as the same may be amended from time to time.

 

6.8 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each one of which shall constitute an original and may be delivered by facsimile transmission and together shall constitute one instrument.

 

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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WITNESS the execution of this Agreement as of the date first above written.

 

  OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By:
    Name: Kanat Mynzhanov
    Title: Chief Executive Officer
     
     
  CONTINENTAL STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST
     
  COMPANY, as Escrow Agent
     
  By:
    Name:
    Title:
     
  FOUNDERS:
     
  OXUS CAPITAL PTE. LTD
     
  By:  
    Name: Kenges Rakishev
    Title:

 

   

Sergey Ivashkovsy

   
  Christophe Charlier
   
  Shiv Vikram Khemka

 

[Signature Page to Stock Escrow Agreement]

 

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EXHIBIT A

 

Name and Address of Founder   Number of Shares  
       
Oxus Capital PTE. LTD
7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue
Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040
  7,037,500  
         
Sergey Ivashkovsy
  50,000  
         
Chritophe Charlier
  50,000  
         
Shiv Vikram Khemka
  50,000  

 

 

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Exhibit 10.9

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040

 

[ ], 2021

 

Oxus Capital PTE. LTD

7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue

Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

This letter will confirm our agreement that, commencing on the effective date (the “Effective Date”) of the registration statement (the “Registration Statement”) for the initial public offering (the “IPO”) of the securities of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) and continuing until the earlier of (i) the consummation by the Company of an initial business combination or (ii) the Company’s liquidation (in each case as described in the Registration Statement) (such earlier date hereinafter referred to as the “Termination Date”), Oxus Capital PTE. LTD (the “Sponsor”) shall make available, or cause to be made available, to the Company certain office space, utilities and administrative support as may be reasonably required by the Company from time to time, situated at 7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040 (or any successor location). In exchange therefor, the Company shall pay the Sponsor the sum of $10,000 per month on the Effective Date and continuing monthly thereafter until the Termination Date. The Sponsor hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest, cause of action or claim of any kind (each, a “Claim”) in or to any monies that may be set aside in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) to be established upon the consummation of the IPO for the benefit of the public stockholders of the Company and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with the Company and will not seek recourse against the Trust Account for any reason whatsoever.

 

This letter agreement constitutes the entire agreement and understanding of the parties hereto in respect of its subject matter and supersedes all prior understandings, agreements, or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, to the extent they relate in any way to the subject matter hereof or the transactions contemplated hereby.

 

This letter agreement may not be amended, modified or waived as to any particular provision, except by a written instrument executed by all parties hereto.

 

No party hereto may assign either this letter agreement or any of its rights, interests, or obligations hereunder without the prior written approval of the other party. Any purported assignment in violation of this paragraph shall be void and ineffectual and shall not operate to transfer or assign any interest or title to the purported assignee.

 

This letter agreement constitutes the entire relationship of the parties hereto, and any litigation between the parties (whether grounded in contract, tort, statute, law or equity) shall be governed by, construed in accordance with, and interpreted pursuant to the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to its choice of laws principles.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

 

 

  Very truly yours,
     
  OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By:  
    Name:  Kanat Mynzhanov
    Title: Chief Executive Officer

``

AGREED TO AND ACCEPTED BY:  
     
OXUS CAPITAL PTE. LTD  
     
By:    
  Name:    
  Title:  

 

[Signature Page to Administrative Services Agreement]

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.10

 

INDEMNITY AGREEMENT

 

THIS INDEMNITY AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made as of [   ], 2021, by and between Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”), and ________________ (“Indemnitee”).

 

RECITALS

 

WHEREAS, highly competent persons have become more reluctant to serve publicly-held corporations as directors, officers or in other capacities unless they are provided with adequate protection through insurance or adequate indemnification against inordinate risks of claims and actions against them arising out of their service to and activities on behalf of such corporations;

 

WHEREAS, the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) has determined that, in order to attract and retain qualified individuals, the Company will attempt to maintain on an ongoing basis, at its sole expense, liability insurance to protect persons serving the Company and its subsidiaries from certain liabilities. Although the furnishing of such insurance has been a customary and widespread practice among United States-based corporations and other business enterprises, the Company believes that, given current market conditions and trends, such insurance may be available to it in the future only at higher premiums and with more exclusions. At the same time, directors, officers and other persons in service to corporations or business enterprises are being increasingly subjected to expensive and time-consuming litigation relating to, among other things, matters that traditionally would have been brought only against the Company or business enterprise itself. The Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association (the “Charter”) of the Company require indemnification of the officers and directors of the Company. Indemnitee may also be entitled to indemnification pursuant to applicable Cayman Islands law. The Charter provides that the indemnification provisions set forth therein are not exclusive, and thereby contemplate that contracts may be entered into between the Company and members of the Board, officers and other persons with respect to indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, advancement and reimbursement rights;

 

WHEREAS, the uncertainties relating to such insurance and to indemnification have increased the difficulty of attracting and retaining such persons;

 

WHEREAS, the Board has determined that the increased difficulty in attracting and retaining such persons is detrimental to the best interests of the Company’s shareholders and that the Company should act to assure such persons that there will be increased certainty of such protection in the future;

 

WHEREAS, it is reasonable, prudent and necessary for the Company contractually to obligate itself to indemnify, hold harmless, exonerate and to advance expenses on behalf of, such persons to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law so that they will serve or continue to serve the Company free from undue concern that they will not be so protected against liabilities;

 

WHEREAS, this Agreement is a supplement to and in furtherance of the Charter of the Company and any resolutions adopted pursuant thereto, and shall not be deemed a substitute therefor, nor to diminish or abrogate any rights of Indemnitee thereunder;

 

WHEREAS, Indemnitee may not be willing to serve as an officer or director, advisor or in another capacity without adequate protection, and the Company desires Indemnitee to serve in such capacity. Indemnitee is willing to serve, continue to serve and to take on additional service for or on behalf of the Company on the condition that he or she be so indemnified; and

 

 

 

 

NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the covenants contained herein and subject to the provisions of the letter agreement, dated the date hereof, among the Company, Indemnitee and the other parties thereto, the Company and Indemnitee do hereby covenant and agree as follows:

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

 

1. SERVICES TO THE COMPANY. In consideration of the Company’s covenants and obligations hereunder, Indemnitee will serve or continue to serve as an officer, director, advisor, key employee or in any other capacity of the Company, as applicable, for so long as Indemnitee is duly elected or appointed or retained or until Indemnitee tenders his or her resignation or until Indemnitee is removed. The foregoing notwithstanding, this Agreement shall continue in full force and effect after Indemnitee has ceased to serve as a director, officer, advisor, key employee or in any other capacity of the Company, as provided in Section 17. This Agreement, however, shall not impose any obligation on Indemnitee or the Company to continue Indemnitee’s service to the Company beyond any period otherwise required by law or by other agreements or commitments of the parties, if any.

 

2. DEFINITIONS. As used in this Agreement:

 

(a) References to “agent” shall mean any person who is or was a director, officer or employee of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company or other person authorized by the Company to act for the Company, to include such person serving in such capacity as a director, officer, employee, advisor, fiduciary or other official of another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or other enterprise at the request of, for the convenience of, or to represent the interests of the Company or a subsidiary of the Company.

 

(b) The terms “Beneficial Owner” and “Beneficial Ownership” shall have the meanings set forth in Rule 13d-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act (as defined below) as in effect on the date hereof.

 

(c) A “Change in Control” shall be deemed to occur upon the earliest to occur after the date of this Agreement of any of the following events:

 

(i)  Acquisition of Shares by Third Party. Other than an affiliate or member of Oxus Capital PTE. LTD (the “Sponsor”), any Person (as defined below) is or becomes the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing fifteen percent (15%) or more of the combined voting power of the Company’s then outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, unless (1) the change in the relative Beneficial Ownership of the Company’s securities by any Person results solely from a reduction in the aggregate number of outstanding shares of securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, or (2) such acquisition was approved in advance by the Continuing Directors (as defined below) and such acquisition would not constitute a Change in Control under part (iii) of this definition;

 

(ii) Change in Board of Directors. Individuals who, as of the date hereof, constitute the Board, and any new director whose election by the Board or nomination for election by the Company’s shareholders was approved by a vote of at least two thirds of the directors then still in office who were directors on the date hereof or whose election or nomination for election was previously so approved (collectively, the “Continuing Directors”), cease for any reason to constitute at least a majority of the members of the Board;

 

(iii) Corporate Transactions. The effective date of a merger, capital stock exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination, involving the Company and one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”), in each case, unless, following such Business Combination: (1) all or substantially all of the individuals and entities who were the Beneficial Owners of securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors immediately prior to such Business Combination beneficially own, directly or indirectly, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding securities of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors resulting from such Business Combination (including, without limitation, a corporation which as a result of such transaction owns the Company or all or substantially all of the Company’s assets either directly or through one or more Subsidiaries (as defined below)) in substantially the same proportions as their ownership immediately prior to such Business Combination, of the securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors; (2) other than a member or an affiliate of the Sponsor, no Person (excluding any corporation resulting from such Business Combination) is the Beneficial Owner, directly or indirectly, of 15% or more of the combined voting power of the then outstanding securities entitled to vote generally in the election of directors of the surviving corporation except to the extent that such ownership existed prior to the Business Combination; and (3) at least a majority of the Board of Directors of the corporation resulting from such Business Combination were Continuing Directors at the time of the execution of the initial agreement, or of the action of the Board of Directors, providing for such Business Combination;

 

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(iv)  Liquidation. The approval by the shareholders of the Company of a complete liquidation of the Company or an agreement or series of agreements for the sale or disposition by the Company of all or substantially all of the Company’s assets, other than factoring the Company’s current receivables or escrows due (or, if such shareholder approval is not required, the decision by the Board to proceed with such a liquidation, sale, or disposition in one transaction or a series of related transactions); or

 

(v) Other Events. There occurs any other event of a nature that would be required to be reported in response to Item 6(e) of Schedule 14A of Regulation 14A (or any successor rule) (or a response to any similar item on any similar schedule or form) promulgated under the Exchange Act (as defined below), whether or not the Company is then subject to such reporting requirement.

 

(d) Corporate Status” describes the status of a person who is or was a director, officer, trustee, general partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of the Company or of any other Enterprise (as defined below) which such person is or was serving at the request of the Company.

 

(e) Cayman Court” shall mean the courts of the Cayman Islands.

 

(f)   Disinterested Director” shall mean a director of the Company who is not and was not a party to the Proceeding (as defined below) in respect of which indemnification is sought by Indemnitee.

 

(g) Enterprise” shall mean the Company and any other corporation, constituent corporation (including any constituent of a constituent) absorbed in a consolidation or merger to which the Company (or any of its wholly owned subsidiaries) is a party, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other enterprise of which Indemnitee is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent.

 

(h) Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

 

(i)  Expenses” shall include all direct and indirect costs, fees and expenses of any type or nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, all reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, retainers, court costs, transcript costs, fees of experts, witness fees, travel expenses, fees of private investigators and professional advisors, duplicating costs, printing and binding costs, telephone charges, postage, delivery service fees, fax transmission charges, secretarial services and all other disbursements, obligations or expenses in connection with prosecuting, defending, preparing to prosecute or defend, investigating, being or preparing to be a witness in, settlement or appeal of, or otherwise participating in, a Proceeding (as defined below), including reasonable compensation for time spent by Indemnitee for which he or she is not otherwise compensated by the Company or any third party. Expenses also shall include Expenses incurred in connection with any appeal resulting from any Proceeding (as defined below), including without limitation the principal, premium, security for, and other costs relating to any cost bond, supersedeas bond, or other appeal bond or its equivalent. Expenses, however, shall not include amounts paid in settlement by Indemnitee or the amount of judgments or fines against Indemnitee.

 

(j) References to “fines” shall include any excise tax assessed on Indemnitee with respect to any employee benefit plan; references to “serving at the request of the Company” shall include any service as a director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary of the Company which imposes duties on, or involves services by, such director, officer, employee, agent or fiduciary with respect to an employee benefit plan, its participants or beneficiaries; and if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner Indemnitee reasonably believed to be in the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of an employee benefit plan, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in a manner “not opposed to the best interests of the Company” as referred to in this Agreement.

 

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(k) Independent Counsel” shall mean a law firm or a member of a law firm with significant experience in matters of corporation law and that neither presently is, nor in the past five years has been, retained to represent: (i) the Company or Indemnitee in any matter material to either such party (other than with respect to matters concerning Indemnitee under this Agreement, or of other indemnitees under similar indemnification agreements); or (ii) any other party to the Proceeding (as defined below) giving rise to a claim for indemnification hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the term “Independent Counsel” shall not include any person who, under the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing, would have a conflict of interest in representing either the Company or Indemnitee in an action to determine Indemnitee’s rights under this Agreement.

 

(l)  The term “Person” shall have the meaning as set forth in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act as in effect on the date hereof; provided, however, that “Person” shall exclude: (i) the Company; (ii) any Subsidiaries (as defined below) of the Company; (iii) any employment benefit plan of the Company or of a Subsidiary (as defined below) of the Company or of any corporation owned, directly or indirectly, by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of shares of the Company; and (iv) any trustee or other fiduciary holding securities under an employee benefit plan of the Company or of a Subsidiary (as defined below) of the Company or of a corporation owned directly or indirectly by the shareholders of the Company in substantially the same proportions as their ownership of shares of the Company.

 

(m)  The term “Proceeding” shall include any threatened, pending or completed action, suit, arbitration, mediation, alternate dispute resolution mechanism, investigation, inquiry, administrative hearing or any other actual, threatened or completed proceeding, whether brought in the right of the Company or otherwise and whether of a civil (including intentional or unintentional tort claims), criminal, administrative or investigative or related nature, in which Indemnitee was, is, will or might be involved as a party or otherwise by reason of the fact that Indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company, by reason of any action (or failure to act) taken by him or her or of any action (or failure to act) on his or her part while acting as a director or officer of the Company, or by reason of the fact that he or she is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, general partner, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise, in each case whether or not serving in such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification, reimbursement, or advancement of expenses can be provided under this Agreement.

 

(n) The term “Subsidiary,” with respect to any Person, shall mean any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity of which a majority of the voting power of the voting equity securities or equity interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by that Person.

 

(o) The phrase “to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law” shall include, but not be limited to: (a) to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by the provision of the Cayman Islands law that authorizes or contemplates additional indemnification by agreement, or the corresponding provision of any amendment to or replacement of the Cayman Islands law, and (b) to the fullest extent authorized or permitted by any amendments to or replacements of the Cayman Islands law adopted after the date of this Agreement that increase the extent to which a corporation may indemnify its officers and directors.

 

3. INDEMNITY IN THIRD-PARTY PROCEEDINGS. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 3 if Indemnitee was, is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant (as a witness, deponent or otherwise) in any Proceeding, other than a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status. Pursuant to this Section 3, Indemnitee shall be indemnified, held harmless and exonerated against all Expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually, and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee or on his or her behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company and, in the case of a criminal Proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful; provided, in no event shall Indemnitee be entitled to be indemnified, held harmless or advanced any amounts hereunder in respect of any Expenses, judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (if any) that Indemnitee may incur by reason of his or her own actual fraud or intentional misconduct. Indemnitee shall not be found to have committed actual fraud or intentional misconduct for any purpose of this Agreement unless or until a court of competent jurisdiction shall have made a finding to that effect.

 

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4. INDEMNITY IN PROCEEDINGS BY OR IN THE RIGHT OF THE COMPANY. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Company shall indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with the provisions of this Section 4 if Indemnitee was, is, or is threatened to be made, a party to or a participant (as a witness, deponent or otherwise) in any Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status. Pursuant to this Section 4, Indemnitee shall be indemnified, held harmless and exonerated against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf in connection with such Proceeding or any claim, issue or matter therein, if Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company. No indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration for Expenses shall be made under this Section 4 in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which Indemnitee shall have been finally adjudged by a court to be liable to the Company, unless and only to the extent that any court in which the Proceeding was brought or the Cayman Court shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, Indemnitee is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnification, to be held harmless or to exoneration.

 

5. INDEMNIFICATION FOR EXPENSES OF A PARTY WHO IS WHOLLY OR PARTLY SUCCESSFUL. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement except for Section 27, to the extent that Indemnitee was or is, by reason of Indemnitee’s Corporate Status, a party to (or a participant in) and is successful, on the merits or otherwise, in any Proceeding or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, in whole or in part, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her in connection therewith. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding but is successful, on the merits or otherwise, as to one or more but less than all claims, issues or matters in such Proceeding, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf in connection with each successfully resolved claim, issue or matter. If Indemnitee is not wholly successful in such Proceeding, the Company also shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee against all Expenses reasonably incurred in connection with a claim, issue or matter related to any claim, issue, or matter on which Indemnitee was successful. For purposes of this Section and without limitation, the termination of any claim, issue or matter in such a Proceeding by dismissal, with or without prejudice, shall be deemed to be a successful result as to such claim, issue or matter.

 

6. INDEMNIFICATION FOR EXPENSES OF A WITNESS. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement except for Section 27, to the extent that Indemnitee is, by reason of his or her Corporate Status, a witness or deponent in any Proceeding to which Indemnitee was or is not a party or threatened to be made a party, he or she shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, be indemnified, held harmless and exonerated against all Expenses actually and reasonably incurred by him or her or on his or her behalf in connection therewith.

 

7. ADDITIONAL INDEMNIFICATION, HOLD HARMLESS AND EXONERATION RIGHTS.

 

(a) Notwithstanding any limitation in Sections 3, 4, or 5, except for Section 27, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee if Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding (including a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor) against all Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the Proceeding. No indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration rights shall be available under this Section 7(a) on account of Indemnitee’s conduct which constitutes a breach of Indemnitee’s duty of loyalty to the Company or its shareholders or is an act or omission not in good faith or which involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law.

 

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(b) Notwithstanding any limitation in Sections 3, 4, 5 or 7(a), except for Section 27, the Company shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee if Indemnitee is a party to or threatened to be made a party to any Proceeding (including a Proceeding by or in the right of the Company to procure a judgment in its favor) against all Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement (including all interest, assessments and other charges paid or payable in connection with or in respect of such Expenses, judgments, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement) actually and reasonably incurred by Indemnitee in connection with the Proceeding.

 

8. CONTRIBUTION IN THE EVENT OF JOINT LIABILITY.

 

(a) To the fullest extent permissible under applicable law, if the indemnification, hold harmless and/or exoneration rights provided for in this Agreement are unavailable to Indemnitee in whole or in part for any reason whatsoever, the Company, in lieu of indemnifying, holding harmless or exonerating Indemnitee, shall pay, in the first instance, the entire amount incurred by Indemnitee, whether for judgments, liabilities, fines, penalties, amounts paid or to be paid in settlement and/or for Expenses, in connection with any Proceeding without requiring Indemnitee to contribute to such payment, and the Company hereby waives and relinquishes any right of contribution it may have at any time against Indemnitee.

 

(b) The Company shall not enter into any settlement of any Proceeding in which the Company is jointly liable with Indemnitee (or would be if joined in such Proceeding) unless such settlement provides for a full and final release of all claims asserted against Indemnitee.

 

(c) The Company hereby agrees to fully indemnify, hold harmless and exonerate Indemnitee from any claims for contribution which may be brought by officers, directors or employees of the Company other than Indemnitee who may be jointly liable with Indemnitee.

 

9. EXCLUSIONS. Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement (except for section 27), the Company shall not be obligated under this Agreement to make any indemnification, advance expenses, hold harmless or exoneration payment in connection with any claim made against Indemnitee:

 

(a) for which payment has actually been received by or on behalf of Indemnitee under any insurance policy or other indemnity or advancement provision, except with respect to any excess beyond the amount actually received under any insurance policy, contract, agreement, other indemnity or advancement provision or otherwise;

 

(b) for an accounting of profits made from the purchase and sale (or sale and purchase) by Indemnitee of securities of the Company within the meaning of Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act (or any successor rule) or similar provisions of state statutory law or common law; or

 

(c) except as otherwise provided in Sections 14(f) and (g) hereof, prior to a Change in Control, in connection with any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee, including any Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) initiated by Indemnitee against the Company or its directors, officers, employees or other indemnitees, unless (i) the Board authorized the Proceeding (or any part of any Proceeding) prior to its initiation or (ii) the Company provides the indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration payment, in its sole discretion, pursuant to the powers vested in the Company under applicable law. Indemnitee shall seek payments or advances from the Company only to the extent that such payments or advances are unavailable from any insurance policy of the Company covering Indemnitee.

 

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10. ADVANCES OF EXPENSES; DEFENSE OF CLAIM.

 

(a) Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary except for Section 27, and to the fullest extent not prohibited by applicable law, the Company shall pay the Expenses incurred by Indemnitee (or reasonably expected by Indemnitee to be incurred by Indemnitee within three months) in connection with any Proceeding within ten (10) days after the receipt by the Company of a statement or statements requesting such advances from time to time, prior to the final disposition of any Proceeding. Advances shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be unsecured and interest free. Advances shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be made without regard to Indemnitee’s ability to repay the Expenses and without regard to Indemnitee’s ultimate entitlement to be indemnified, held harmless or exonerated under the other provisions of this Agreement. Advances shall include any and all reasonable Expenses incurred pursuing a Proceeding to enforce this right of advancement, including Expenses incurred preparing and forwarding statements to the Company to support the advances claimed. To the fullest extent required by applicable law, such payments of Expenses in advance of the final disposition of the Proceeding shall be made only upon the Company’s receipt of an undertaking, by or on behalf of Indemnitee, to repay the advanced amounts to the extent that it is ultimately determined that Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company under the provisions of this Agreement, the Charter, , applicable law or otherwise. If it shall be determined by a final judgment or other final adjudication that Indemnitee was not so entitled to indemnification, any advancement shall be returned to the Company (without interest) by the Indemnitee. This Section 10(a) shall not apply to any claim made by Indemnitee for which an indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration payment is excluded pursuant to Section 9 but shall apply to any Proceeding referenced in Section 9(b) prior to a final determination that Indemnitee is liable therefor.

 

(b) The Company will be entitled to participate in the Proceeding at its own expense.

 

(c) The Company shall not settle any action, claim or Proceeding (in whole or in part) which would impose any Expense, judgment, fine, penalty or limitation on Indemnitee without Indemnitee’s prior written consent.

 

11. PROCEDURE FOR NOTIFICATION AND APPLICATION FOR INDEMNIFICATION.

 

(a) Indemnitee agrees to notify promptly the Company in writing upon being served with any summons, citation, subpoena, complaint, indictment, information or other document relating to any Proceeding, claim, issue or matter therein which may be subject to indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration rights, or advancement of Expenses covered hereunder. The failure of Indemnitee to so notify the Company shall not relieve the Company of any obligation which it may have to Indemnitee under this Agreement, or otherwise.

 

(b) Indemnitee may deliver to the Company a written application to indemnify, hold harmless or exonerate Indemnitee in accordance with this Agreement. Such application(s) may be delivered from time to time and at such time(s) as Indemnitee deems appropriate in his or her sole discretion. Following such a written application for indemnification by Indemnitee, Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification shall be determined according to Section 12(a) of this Agreement.

 

12. PROCEDURE UPON APPLICATION FOR INDEMNIFICATION.

 

(a) A determination, if required by applicable law, with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification shall be made in the specific case by one of the following methods, which shall be at the election of Indemnitee: (i) by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors, even though less than a quorum of the Board, (ii) by a committee of such directors designated by majority vote of such directors, (iii) if there are no Disinterested Directors or if such directors so direct, by Independent Counsel in a written opinion to the Board, a copy of which shall be delivered to Indemnitee, or (iv) by vote of the shareholders. The Company promptly will advise Indemnitee in writing with respect to any determination that Indemnitee is or is not entitled to indemnification, including a description of any reason or basis for which indemnification has been denied. If it is so determined that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, payment to Indemnitee shall be made within ten (10) days after such determination. Indemnitee shall reasonably cooperate with the person, persons or entity making such determination with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification, including providing to such person, persons or entity upon reasonable advance request any documentation or information which is not privileged or otherwise protected from disclosure and which is reasonably available to Indemnitee and reasonably necessary to such determination. Any costs or Expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and disbursements) incurred by Indemnitee in so cooperating with the person, persons or entity making such determination shall be borne by the Company (irrespective of the determination as to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification) and the Company hereby agrees to indemnify and to hold Indemnitee harmless therefrom.

 

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(b) In the event the determination of entitlement to indemnification is to be made by Independent Counsel pursuant to Section 12(a) hereof, the Independent Counsel shall be selected as provided in this Section 12(b). The Independent Counsel shall be selected by Indemnitee (unless Indemnitee shall request that such selection be made by the Board), and Indemnitee shall give written notice to the Company advising it of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected and certifying that the Independent Counsel so selected meets the requirements of “Independent Counsel” as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement. If the Independent Counsel is selected by the Board, the Company shall give written notice to Indemnitee advising him or her of the identity of the Independent Counsel so selected and certifying that the Independent Counsel so selected meets the requirements of “Independent Counsel” as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement. In either event, Indemnitee or the Company, as the case may be, may, within ten (10) days after such written notice of selection shall have been received, deliver to the Company or to Indemnitee, as the case may be, a written objection to such selection; provided, however, that such objection may be asserted only on the ground that the Independent Counsel so selected does not meet the requirements of “Independent Counsel” as defined in Section 2 of this Agreement, and the objection shall set forth with particularity the factual basis of such assertion. Absent a proper and timely objection, the person so selected shall act as Independent Counsel. If such written objection is so made and substantiated, the Independent Counsel so selected may not serve as Independent Counsel unless and until such objection is withdrawn or a court of competent jurisdiction has determined that such objection is without merit. If, within twenty (20) days after submission by Indemnitee of a written request for indemnification pursuant to Section 11(b) hereof, no Independent Counsel shall have been selected and not objected to, either the Company or Indemnitee may petition the Cayman Court for resolution of any objection which shall have been made by the Company or Indemnitee to the other’s selection of Independent Counsel and/or for the appointment as Independent Counsel of a person selected by the Cayman Court, and the person with respect to whom all objections are so resolved or the person so appointed shall act as Independent Counsel under Section 12(a) hereof. Upon the due commencement of any judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to Section 14(a) of this Agreement, Independent Counsel shall be discharged and relieved of any further responsibility in such capacity (subject to the applicable standards of professional conduct then prevailing).

 

(c) The Company agrees to pay the reasonable fees and expenses of Independent Counsel and to fully indemnify and hold harmless such Independent Counsel against any and all Expenses, claims, liabilities and damages arising out of or relating to this Agreement or its engagement pursuant hereto.

 

13. PRESUMPTIONS AND EFFECT OF CERTAIN PROCEEDINGS.

 

(a) In making a determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification hereunder, the person, persons or entity making such determination shall presume that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification under this Agreement if Indemnitee has submitted a request for indemnification in accordance with Section 11(b) of this Agreement, and the Company shall have the burden of proof to overcome that presumption in connection with the making by any person, persons or entity of any determination contrary to that presumption. Neither the failure of the Company (including by the Disinterested Directors or Independent Counsel) to have made a determination prior to the commencement of any action pursuant to this Agreement that indemnification is proper in the circumstances because Indemnitee has met the applicable standard of conduct, nor an actual determination by the Company (including by the Disinterested Directors or Independent Counsel) that Indemnitee has not met such applicable standard of conduct, shall be a defense to the action or create a presumption that Indemnitee has not met the applicable standard of conduct.

 

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(b) If the person, persons or entity empowered or selected under Section 12 of this Agreement to determine whether Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification shall not have made a determination within thirty (30) days after receipt by the Company of the request therefor, the requisite determination of entitlement to indemnification shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be deemed to have been made and Indemnitee shall be entitled to such indemnification, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a final judicial determination that any or all such indemnification is expressly prohibited under applicable law; provided, however, that such 30-day period may be extended for a reasonable time, not to exceed an additional fifteen (15) days, if the person, persons or entity making the determination with respect to entitlement to indemnification in good faith requires such additional time for the obtaining or evaluating of documentation and/or information relating thereto.

 

(c) The termination of any Proceeding or of any claim, issue or matter therein, by judgment, order, settlement or conviction, or upon a plea of nolo contendere or its equivalent, shall not (except as otherwise expressly provided in this Agreement) of itself adversely affect the right of Indemnitee to indemnification or create a presumption that Indemnitee did not act in good faith and in a manner which he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Company or, with respect to any criminal Proceeding, that Indemnitee had reasonable cause to believe that his or her conduct was unlawful.

 

(d) For purposes of any determination of good faith, Indemnitee shall be deemed to have acted in good faith if Indemnitee’s action is based on the records or books of account of the Enterprise, including financial statements, or on information supplied to Indemnitee by the directors, manager, or officers of the Enterprise in the course of their duties, or on the advice of legal counsel for the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board or any director, trustee, general partner, manager or managing member, or on information or records given or reports made to the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board or any director, trustee, general partner, manager or managing member, by an independent certified public accountant or by an appraiser or other expert selected by the Enterprise, its Board, any committee of the Board or any director, trustee, general partner, manager or managing member. The provisions of this Section 13(d) shall not be deemed to be exclusive or to limit in any way the other circumstances in which Indemnitee may be deemed or found to have met the applicable standard of conduct set forth in this Agreement.

 

(e) The knowledge and/or actions, or failure to act, of any other director, officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, agent or employee of the Enterprise shall not be imputed to Indemnitee for purposes of determining the right to indemnification under this Agreement.

 

14. REMEDIES OF INDEMNITEE.

 

(a) In the event that (i) a determination is made pursuant to Section 12 of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification under this Agreement, (ii) advancement of Expenses, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, is not timely made pursuant to Section 10 of this Agreement, (iii) no determination of entitlement to indemnification shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement within thirty (30) days after receipt by the Company of the request for indemnification, (iv) payment of indemnification is not made pursuant to Section 5, 6, 7 or the last sentence of Section 12(a) of this Agreement within ten (10) days after receipt by the Company of a written request therefor, (v) a contribution payment is not made in a timely manner pursuant to Section 8 of this Agreement, (vi) payment of indemnification pursuant to Section 3 or 4 of this Agreement is not made within ten (10) days after a determination has been made that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, or (vii) payment to Indemnitee pursuant to any hold harmless or exoneration rights under this Agreement or otherwise is not made in accordance with this Agreement within ten (10) days after receipt by the Company of a written request therefor, Indemnitee shall be entitled to an adjudication by the Cayman Court to such indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, contribution or advancement rights. Alternatively, Indemnitee, at his or her option, may seek an award in arbitration to be conducted by a single arbitrator pursuant to the Commercial Arbitration Rules and Mediation Procedures of the American Arbitration Association. Except as set forth herein, the provisions of Cayman Islands law (without regard to its conflict of laws rules) shall apply to any such arbitration. The Company shall not oppose Indemnitee’s right to seek any such adjudication or award in arbitration.

 

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(b) In the event that a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is not entitled to indemnification, any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14 shall be conducted in all respects as a de novo trial, or arbitration, on the merits and Indemnitee shall not be prejudiced by reason of that adverse determination.

 

(c) In any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14, Indemnitee shall be presumed to be entitled to be indemnified, held harmless, exonerated to receive advancement of Expenses under this Agreement and the Company shall have the burden of proving Indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified, held harmless, exonerated and to receive advancement of Expenses, as the case may be, and the Company may not refer to or introduce into evidence any determination pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement adverse to Indemnitee for any purpose. If Indemnitee commences a judicial proceeding or arbitration pursuant to this Section 14, Indemnitee shall not be required to reimburse the Company for any advances pursuant to Section 10 until a final determination is made with respect to Indemnitee’s entitlement to indemnification (as to which all rights of appeal have been exhausted or lapsed).

 

(d) If a determination shall have been made pursuant to Section 12(a) of this Agreement that Indemnitee is entitled to indemnification, the Company shall be bound by such determination in any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14, absent (i) a misstatement by Indemnitee of a material fact, or an omission of a material fact necessary to make Indemnitee’s statement not materially misleading, in connection with the request for indemnification, or (ii) a prohibition of such indemnification under applicable law.

 

(e) The Company shall be precluded from asserting in any judicial proceeding or arbitration commenced pursuant to this Section 14 that the procedures and presumptions of this Agreement are not valid, binding and enforceable and shall stipulate in any such court or before any such arbitrator that the Company is bound by all the provisions of this Agreement.

 

(f)   The Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Indemnitee to the fullest extent permitted by law against all Expenses and, if requested by Indemnitee, shall (within ten (10) days after the Company’s receipt of such written request) pay to Indemnitee, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, such Expenses which are incurred by Indemnitee in connection with any judicial proceeding or arbitration brought by Indemnitee: (i) to enforce his or her rights under, or to recover damages for breach of, this Agreement or any other indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, advancement or contribution agreement or provision of the Charter now or hereafter in effect; or (ii) for recovery or advances under any insurance policy maintained by any person for the benefit of Indemnitee, regardless of the outcome and whether Indemnitee ultimately is determined to be entitled to such indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration right, advancement, contribution or insurance recovery, as the case may be (unless such judicial proceeding or arbitration was not brought by Indemnitee in good faith).

 

(g) Interest shall be paid by the Company to Indemnitee at the legal rate under Cayman Islands law for amounts which the Company indemnifies, holds harmless or exonerates, or advances, or is obliged to indemnify, hold harmless or exonerate or advance for the period commencing with the date on which Indemnitee requests indemnification, to be held harmless, exonerated, contribution, reimbursement or advancement of any Expenses and ending with the date on which such payment is made to Indemnitee by the Company.

 

15. SECURITY. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, except for Section 27, to the extent requested by Indemnitee and approved by the Board, the Company may at any time and from time to time provide security to Indemnitee for the Company’s obligations hereunder through an irrevocable bank line of credit, funded trust or other collateral. Any such security, once provided to Indemnitee, may not be revoked or released without the prior written consent of Indemnitee.

 

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16. NON-EXCLUSIVITY; SURVIVAL OF RIGHTS; INSURANCE; SUBROGATION.

 

(a) The rights of Indemnitee as provided by this Agreement shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which Indemnitee may at any time be entitled under applicable law, the Charter, any agreement, a vote of shareholders or a resolution of directors, or otherwise. No amendment, alteration or repeal of this Agreement or of any provision hereof shall limit or restrict any right of Indemnitee under this Agreement in respect of any Proceeding (regardless of when such Proceeding is first threatened, commenced or completed) or claim, issue or matter therein arising out of, or related to, any action taken or omitted by such Indemnitee in his or her Corporate Status prior to such amendment, alteration or repeal. To the extent that a change in applicable law, whether by statute or judicial decision, permits greater indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration rights or advancement of Expenses than would be afforded currently under the Charter or this Agreement, it is the intent of the parties hereto that Indemnitee shall enjoy by this Agreement the greater benefits so afforded by such change. No right or remedy herein conferred is intended to be exclusive of any other right or remedy, and every other right and remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to every other right and remedy given hereunder or now or hereafter existing at law or in equity or otherwise. The assertion or employment of any right or remedy hereunder, or otherwise, shall not prevent the concurrent assertion or employment of any other right or remedy.

 

(b) The Cayman Islands law and the Charter permit the Company to purchase and maintain insurance or furnish similar protection or make other arrangements including, but not limited to, providing a trust fund, letter of credit, or surety bond (“Indemnification Arrangements”) on behalf of Indemnitee against any liability asserted against him or her or incurred by or on behalf of him or her or in such capacity as a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company, or arising out of his or her status as such, whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify him or her against such liability under the provisions of this Agreement or under the Cayman Islands law, as it may then be in effect. The purchase, establishment, and maintenance of any such Indemnification Arrangement shall not in any way limit or affect the rights and obligations of the Company or of Indemnitee under this Agreement except as expressly provided herein, and the execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company and Indemnitee shall not in any way limit or affect the rights and obligations of the Company or the other party or parties thereto under any such Indemnification Arrangement.

 

(c) To the extent that the Company maintains an insurance policy or policies providing liability insurance for directors, officers, trustees, partners, managers, managing members, fiduciaries, employees, or agents of the Company or of any other Enterprise which such person serves at the request of the Company, Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies in accordance with its or their terms to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any such director, officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent under such policy or policies. If, at the time the Company receives notice from any source of a Proceeding as to which Indemnitee is a party or a participant (as a witness, deponent or otherwise), the Company has director and officer liability insurance in effect, the Company shall give prompt notice of such Proceeding to the insurers in accordance with the procedures set forth in the respective policies. The Company shall thereafter use commercially reasonable efforts to cause such insurers to pay, on behalf of Indemnitee, all amounts payable as a result of such Proceeding in accordance with the terms of such policies.

 

(d) In the event of any payment under this Agreement, the Company, to the fullest extent permitted by law, shall be subrogated to the extent of such payment to all of the rights of recovery of Indemnitee, who shall execute all papers required and take all action necessary to secure such rights, including execution of such documents as are necessary to enable the Company to bring suit to enforce such rights. No such payment by the Company shall be deemed to relieve any insurer of its obligations.

 

(e) The Company’s obligation to indemnify, hold harmless, exonerate or advance Expenses hereunder to Indemnitee who is or was serving at the request of the Company as a director, officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise shall be reduced by any amount Indemnitee has actually received as indemnification, hold harmless or exoneration payments or advancement of expenses from such Enterprise. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary except for Section 27, (i) Indemnitee shall have no obligation to reduce, offset, allocate, pursue or apportion any indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration, advancement, contribution or insurance coverage among multiple parties possessing such duties to Indemnitee prior to the Company’s satisfaction and performance of all its obligations under this Agreement, and (ii) the Company shall perform fully its obligations under this Agreement without regard to whether Indemnitee holds, may pursue or has pursued any indemnification, advancement, hold harmless, exoneration, contribution or insurance coverage rights against any person or entity other than the Company.

 

(f)  Notwithstanding anything contained herein, the Company is the primary indemnitor, and any indemnification or advancement obligation of the Sponsor or its affiliates or members or any other Person is secondary.

 

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17. DURATION OF AGREEMENT. All agreements and obligations of the Company contained herein shall continue during the period Indemnitee serves as a director or officer of the Company or as a director, officer, trustee, partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other Enterprise which Indemnitee serves at the request of the Company and shall continue thereafter so long as Indemnitee shall be subject to any possible Proceeding (including any rights of appeal thereto and any Proceeding commenced by Indemnitee pursuant to Section 14 of this Agreement) by reason of his or her Corporate Status, whether or not he or she is acting in any such capacity at the time any liability or expense is incurred for which indemnification or advancement can be provided under this Agreement.

 

18. SEVERABILITY. If any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason whatsoever: (a) the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of any Section, paragraph or sentence of this Agreement containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and shall remain enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law; (b) such provision or provisions shall be deemed reformed to the extent necessary to conform to applicable law and to give the maximum effect to the intent of the parties hereto; and (c) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Agreement (including, without limitation, each portion of any Section, paragraph or sentence of this Agreement containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable, that is not itself invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to give effect to the intent manifested thereby.

 

19. ENFORCEMENT AND BINDING EFFECT.

 

(a) The Company expressly confirms and agrees that it has entered into this Agreement and assumed the obligations imposed on it hereby in order to induce Indemnitee to serve as a director, officer or key employee of the Company, and the Company acknowledges that Indemnitee is relying upon this Agreement in serving as a director, officer or key employee of the Company.

 

(b) Without limiting any of the rights of Indemnitee under the Charter of the Company as they may be amended from time to time, this Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, oral, written and implied, between the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

(c) The indemnification, hold harmless, exoneration and advancement of expenses rights provided by or granted pursuant to this Agreement shall be binding upon and be enforceable by the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns (including any direct or indirect successor by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise to all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company), shall continue as to an Indemnitee who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent of the Company or a director, officer, trustee, general partner, manager, managing member, fiduciary, employee or agent of any other Enterprise at the Company’s request, and shall inure to the benefit of Indemnitee and his or her spouse, assigns, heirs, devisees, executors and administrators and other legal representatives.

 

(d) The Company shall require and cause any successor (whether direct or indirect by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all, substantially all or a substantial part, of the business and/or assets of the Company, by written agreement in form and substance satisfactory to Indemnitee, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.

 

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(e) The Company and Indemnitee agree herein that a monetary remedy for breach of this Agreement, at some later date, may be inadequate, impracticable and difficult of proof, and further agree that such breach may cause Indemnitee irreparable harm. Accordingly, the parties hereto agree that Indemnitee may, to the fullest extent permitted by law, enforce this Agreement by seeking, among other things, injunctive relief and/or specific performance hereof, without any necessity of showing actual damage or irreparable harm and that by seeking injunctive relief and/or specific performance, Indemnitee shall not be precluded from seeking or obtaining any other relief to which he or she may be entitled. The Company and Indemnitee further agree that Indemnitee shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be entitled to such specific performance and injunctive relief, including temporary restraining orders, preliminary injunctions and permanent injunctions, without the necessity of posting bonds or other undertaking in connection therewith. The Company acknowledges that in the absence of a waiver, a bond or undertaking may be required of Indemnitee by a court of competent jurisdiction, and the Company hereby waives any such requirement of such a bond or undertaking to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

20. MODIFICATION AND WAIVER. No supplement, modification or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by the Company and Indemnitee. No waiver of any of the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed or shall constitute a waiver of any other provisions of this Agreement nor shall any waiver constitute a continuing waiver.

 

21. NOTICES. All notices, requests, demands and other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given (i) if delivered by hand and receipted for by the party to whom said notice or other communication shall have been directed, on such delivery, or (ii) if mailed by certified or registered mail with postage prepaid, on the third (3rd) business day after the date on which it is so mailed:

 

(a) If to Indemnitee, at the address indicated on the signature page of this Agreement, or such other address as Indemnitee shall provide in writing to the Company.

 

(b) If to the Company, to:

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.
7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue
Almaty, Kazakhstan 050040
Attn: Kanat Mynzhanov, Chief Executive Officer
Email: kanat@qmbits.com
   
With a copy, which shall not constitute notice, to:
 
Greenberg Traurig, LLP
1750 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 1000
McLean, VA 22102
Attn: Jason Simon, Esq.
Email: simonj@gtlaw.com

 

or to any other address as may have been furnished to Indemnitee in writing by the Company.

 

22. APPLICABLE LAW AND CONSENT TO JURISDICTION. This Agreement and the legal relations among the parties shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the laws of the Cayman Islands, without regard to its conflict of laws rules. Except with respect to any arbitration commenced by Indemnitee pursuant to Section 14(a) of this Agreement, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company and Indemnitee hereby irrevocably and unconditionally: (a) agree that any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement shall be brought only in the Cayman Court and not in any other state or federal court in the United States of America or any court in any other country; (b) consent to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Cayman Court for purposes of any action or proceeding arising out of or in connection with this Agreement; (c) waive any objection to the laying of venue of any such action or proceeding in the Cayman Court; and (d) waive, and agree not to plead or to make, any claim that any such action or proceeding brought in the Cayman Court has been brought in an improper or inconvenient forum, or is subject (in whole or in part) to a jury trial. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the parties hereby agree that the mailing of process and other papers in connection with any such action or proceeding in the manner provided by Section 21 or in such other manner as may be permitted by law, shall be valid and sufficient service thereof.

 

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23. IDENTICAL COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original but all of which together shall constitute one and the same Agreement. Only one such counterpart signed by the party against whom enforceability is sought needs to be produced to evidence the existence of this Agreement.

 

24. MISCELLANEOUS. The headings of the paragraphs of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not be deemed to constitute part of this Agreement or to affect the construction thereof.

 

25. PERIOD OF LIMITATIONS. No legal action shall be brought and no cause of action shall be asserted by or in the right of the Company against Indemnitee, Indemnitee’s spouse, heirs, executors or personal or legal representatives after the expiration of two years from the date of accrual of such cause of action, and any claim or cause of action of the Company shall be extinguished and deemed released unless asserted by the timely filing of a legal action within such two-year period; provided, however, that if any shorter period of limitations is otherwise applicable to any such cause of action such shorter period shall govern.

 

26. ADDITIONAL ACTS. If for the validation of any of the provisions in this Agreement any act, resolution, approval or other procedure is required to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Company undertakes to cause such act, resolution, approval or other procedure to be affected or adopted in a manner that will enable the Company to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement.

 

27. WAIVER OF CLAIMS TO TRUST ACCOUNT. Indemnitee hereby agrees that it does not have any right, title, interest or claim of any kind (each, a “Claim”) in or to any monies in the trust account established in connection with the Company’s initial public offering for the benefit of the Company and holders of shares issued in such offering, and hereby waives any Claim it may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to the Company and will not seek recourse against such trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, Indemnitee acknowledges and agrees that any indemnification provided hereto will only be able to be satisfied by the Company if (i) the Company has sufficient funds outside of the trust account to satisfy its obligations hereunder or (ii) the Company consummates a Business Combination.

 

28. MAINTENANCE OF INSURANCE. The Company shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain and maintain in effect during the entire period for which the Company is obligated to indemnify Indemnitee under this Agreement, one or more policies of insurance with reputable insurance companies to provide the officers/directors of the Company with coverage for losses from wrongful acts and omissions and to ensure the Company’s performance of its indemnification obligations under this Agreement. Indemnitee shall be covered by such policy or policies in accordance with its or their terms to the maximum extent of the coverage available for any such director or officer under such policy or policies. In all such insurance policies, Indemnitee shall be named as an insured in such a manner as to provide Indemnitee with the same rights and benefits as are accorded to the most favorably insured of the Company’s directors and officers.

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Indemnity Agreement to be signed as of the day and year first above written.

 

  OXUS ACQuisition Corp.
     
  By:                     
  Name:  
  Title:  
     
  INDEMNITEE
     
  By:  
  Name:  
  Address:   

 

[Signature Page to Indemnity Agreement]

 

 

 

 

 

Exhibit 10.11

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

March 16, 2021

 

To: OXUS Capital PTE. LTD

 

RE: Securities Purchase Agreement

 

Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

We are pleased to accept the offer you (the “Subscriber”) have made to purchase an aggregate of 8,625,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) of par value $0.0001 per share, up to 1,125,000 of which Founder Shares are subject to complete or partial forfeiture (the “forfeiture”) if the underwriters of the initial public offering (“IPO”) of Oxus Acquisition Corp., a Cayman Islands exempted company (the “Company”) do not fully exercise their over-allotment option (the “Over-allotment Option”). For the purposes of this Agreement (this “Agreement”), references to “Ordinary Shares” are to, collectively, the Class B ordinary shares of the Company, including the Founder Shares, and the Class A ordinary shares of the Company, $0.0001 par value per share (the “Class A Ordinary Shares”). Pursuant to the Company’s memorandum and articles of association (the “Articles”), the Founders Shares will automatically convert into Class A Ordinary Shares, upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Articles and unless the context otherwise requires, as used herein, Founder Shares shall be deemed to include any Class A Ordinary Shares issued upon conversion of the Founder Shares. The terms on which the Company is willing to sell the Founder Shares to the Subscriber, and the Company’s and the Subscriber’s agreements regarding such Founder Shares, are as follows:

 

1. Purchase of Founders Shares. For the aggregate sum of $25,000 (the “Purchase Price”), which the Company acknowledges receiving in cash, the Company hereby sells and issues to the Subscriber, and the Subscriber hereby purchases from the Company 8,625,000 Founder Shares, to be issued fully paid but subject to forfeiture by the Subscriber, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Agreement. Following the Subscriber’s execution of this Agreement and if the Subscriber so requests, the Company shall deliver to the Subscriber a share certificate (the “Original Certificate”) evidencing the Founder Shares registered in the Subscriber’s name pursuant to its subscription under this Agreement.

 

2. Representations, Warranties and Agreements.

 

2.1 Subscriber’s Representations, Warranties and Agreements. To induce the Company to issue the Founder Shares to the Subscriber, the Subscriber hereby represents and warrants to the Company and agrees with the Company as follows:

 

2.1.1. No Government Recommendation or Approval. The Subscriber understands that no United States federal or state agency or similar agency of any other country has passed upon or made any recommendation or endorsement of the offering of the Founder Shares.

 

 

 

 

2.1.2. No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation by the Subscriber of the transactions contemplated hereby do not violate, conflict with or constitute a default under (i) the registration statement or limited liability company agreement of the Subscriber; (ii) any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Subscriber is a party; or (iii) any law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Subscriber is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Subscriber is subject.

 

2.1.3. Organization and Authority. The Subscriber is a company incorporated under the laws of Singapore and possesses all requisite power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

2.1.4  Experience, Financial Capability and Suitability. The Subscriber is sufficiently experienced in financial and business matters to be capable of evaluating the merits and risks of this investment and to make an informed decision relating thereto. The Subscriber is aware its investment in the Company is a speculative investment that has limited liquidity, because there may never be an established market for the Company’s securities. The Subscriber has the financial capability for making the investment and the investment is a suitable one for the Subscriber. The Subscriber can, without impairing its financial condition, hold the Founder Shares for an indefinite period of time and can afford a complete loss of the investment. The Subscriber acknowledges that the Company has urged the Subscriber to seek independent advice from professional advisors relating to the suitability of an investment in the Company and in connection with this Agreement, and that the Subscriber has sought and received such independent professional advice with respect to such investment and this Agreement or, after careful consideration, the Subscriber has determined to waive its right to seek and/or receive such independent professional advice.

 

2.1.5. Access to Information. Prior to the execution of this Agreement, the Subscriber has had the opportunity to ask questions of and receive answers from representatives of the Company concerning an investment in the Company, as well as the finances, operations, business and prospects of the Company, and the opportunity to obtain additional information to verify the accuracy of all information so obtained.

 

2.1.6. Private Offering. The Subscriber represents that it is (a) an “accredited investor” as such term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”) or (b) not a “U.S. Person” as defined in Rule 902 of Regulation S (“Regulation S”) under the Securities Act. The Subscriber acknowledges the sale contemplated hereby is being made in reliance on a private placement exemption to “Accredited Investors” within the meaning of Section 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act or similar exemptions under state law or to a non-U.S. Person under Regulation S. Accordingly, the Founder Shares will be “restricted securities” within the meaning of Rule 144(a)(3) under the Securities Act, and therefore, other than the transfer by the Subscriber of certain of the Founder Shares to the independent director or independent director nominees of the Company pursuant to securities assignment agreements to be entered into by the Subscriber and each such independent director (the “Independent Director Founder Shares Transfers”), may not be offered, pledged or sold by the Subscriber, directly or indirectly, in the United States without registration under United States federal and state securities laws or an exemption therefrom and the Subscriber understands the certificates representing the Founder Shares will contain a legend in respect of such restrictions. The Subscriber did not decide to enter into this Agreement as a result of any general solicitation or general advertising within the meaning of Rule 502 under the Securities Act or as a result of any “directed selling efforts” within the meaning of Rule 902 under Regulation S.

 

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2.1.7  Investment Purposes. The Subscriber is purchasing the Founder Shares solely for investment purposes, for the Subscriber’s own account and not for the account or benefit of any U.S. Person, and not with a view towards the distribution thereof and, other than the Independent Director Founder Shares Transfers, the Subscriber has no present arrangement to sell the Founder Shares to or through any person or entity. The Subscriber shall not engage in hedging transactions with regard to the Founder Shares unless in compliance with the Securities Act.

 

2.1.8. Restrictions on Transfer. The Subscriber understands the Founder Shares are being offered in a transaction not involving a public offering within the meaning of the Securities Act. The Founder Shares have not been registered under the Securities Act, and, other than the Independent Director Founder Shares Transfers, if in the future the Subscriber decides to offer, resell, pledge or otherwise transfer the Founder Shares, such Founder Shares may be offered, resold, pledged or otherwise transferred only (a) in accordance with the provisions of Regulation S (Rule 901 through 905), (b) pursuant to a registration under the Securities Act, or (c) pursuant to an available exemption from registration. Other than the Independent Director Founder Shares Transfers, Subscriber agrees that if any transfer of its Founder Shares or any interest therein is proposed to be made, as a condition precedent to any such transfer, Subscriber may be required to deliver to the Company an opinion of counsel satisfactory to the Company. Absent registration or an exemption, the Subscriber agrees not to resell the Founder Shares. The Subscriber further acknowledges that because the Company is a shell company and Rule 144 may not be available to the Subscriber for the resale of the Founder Shares until one year following the consummation of a business combination despite technical compliance with the requirements of Rule 144 and the release or waiver of any contractual transfer restrictions.

 

2.2 Company’s Representations, Warranties and Agreements. To induce the Subscriber to purchase the Founder Shares, the Company hereby represents and warrants to the Subscriber and agrees with the Subscriber as follows:

 

2.2.1 Organization and Corporate Power. The Company is an exempted company duly incorporated, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the Cayman Islands and is qualified to do business in every jurisdiction in which the failure to so qualify would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on the financial condition, operating results or assets of the Company. The Company possesses all requisite corporate power and authority necessary to carry out the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.

 

2.2.2. No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement and the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated hereby do not violate, conflict with or constitute a default under (a) the memorandum and articles of association of the Company, (b) any agreement, indenture or instrument to which the Company is a party or (c) any law, statute, rule or regulation to which the Company is subject, or any agreement, order, judgment or decree to which the Company is subject.

 

2.2.3. Title to Founder Shares. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof, the Founder Shares will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable. Upon issuance in accordance with, and payment pursuant to, the terms hereof the Subscriber will have or receive good title to the Founder Shares, free and clear of all liens, claims and encumbrances of any kind, other than (a) transfer restrictions hereunder and under the other agreements contemplated hereby, (b) transfer restrictions under federal and state securities laws, and (c) liens, claims or encumbrances imposed due to the actions of the Subscriber.

 

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3. Forfeiture of Founder Shares.

 

3.1. Partial or No Exercise of the Over-allotment Option. In the event the Over-allotment Option is not exercised in full, the Subscriber shall forfeit any and all rights to up to 1,125,000 Founder Shares (based upon the percentage of the Over-allotment Option not exercised) such that immediately following such forfeiture, the Subscriber and all other initial shareholders, including the independent directors, prior to the IPO will own an aggregate number of Founder Shares (not including Class A Ordinary Shares issuable upon exercise of any warrants or any shares purchased by the Subscriber in the Company’s IPO or in the aftermarket) equal to 20% of the issued and outstanding Ordinary Shares of the Company immediately following the IPO.

 

3.2. Termination of Rights as Shareholder. If any of the Founder Shares are forfeited by the Subscriber in accordance with this Section 3, then after such time, the Subscriber (or successor in interest), shall no longer have any rights as a holder of such Founder Shares, and the Company shall take such action as is appropriate to cancel such Founder Shares which may include by way of the surrender and cancellation of such Founder Shares for nil consideration. In addition, the Subscriber hereby irrevocably grants the Company a limited power of attorney for the purpose of effectuating the foregoing and agrees to take any and all actions reasonably requested by the Company necessary to effect any adjustment in this Section 3 (including any such surrender as is referred to herein above).

 

3.3 Share Certificates.  In the event an adjustment to the Original Certificate, if any, is required pursuant to this Section 3, then the Subscriber shall return such Original Certificate to the Company or its designated agent as soon as practicable upon its receipt of notice from the Company advising Subscriber of such adjustment, following which a new certificate (the “New Certificate”), if any, shall be issued in such amount representing the adjusted number of Founder Shares held by the Subscriber.  The New Certificate, if any, shall be returned to the Subscriber as soon as practicable.  Any such adjustment for any uncertificated securities held by the Subscriber shall be made in book-entry form.

 

4. Waiver of Liquidation Distributions; Redemption Rights. In connection with the Founder Shares purchased pursuant to this Agreement and any other Company securities purchased on a private placement basis, the Subscriber hereby waives any and all right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any distributions by the Company from the Trust Account (as such term will be defined in the Investment Management Trust Agreement to be entered by and between the Company and the trustee thereunder), in the event of a liquidation of the Company upon the Company’s failure to timely complete a business combination. For purposes of clarity, in the event the Subscriber purchases Class A Ordinary Shares in the IPO or in the aftermarket, any additional Class A Ordinary Shares so purchased shall be eligible to receive their pro rata portion of any liquidating distributions by the Company. However, in no event will the Subscriber have the right to redeem any Founder Shares, or any Class A Ordinary Shares purchased in the IPO or in the aftermarket, for funds held in the Trust Account upon the successful completion of a business combination.

 

4

 

 

5. Restrictions on Transfer.

 

5.1. Securities Law Restrictions. In addition to any restrictions to be contained in the Letter Agreement (as defined in Section 5.4 below) and other than the Independent Director Founder Shares Transfers, the Subscriber agrees not to sell, transfer, pledge, hypothecate or otherwise dispose of all or any part of the Founder Shares unless, prior thereto (a) a registration statement on the appropriate form under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws with respect to the Founder Shares proposed to be transferred shall then be effective or (b) the Company shall have received an opinion from counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Company, that such registration is not required because such transaction is exempt from registration under the Securities Act and the rules promulgated by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) thereunder and with all applicable state securities laws.

  

5.2 Restrictive Legends. All certificates representing the Founder Shares (if any) shall have endorsed thereon legends substantially as follows:

 

“THESE SECURITIES (i) HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “SECURITIES ACT”), AND THESE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE TRANSFERRED EXCEPT (A) PURSUANT TO AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT FILED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (B) TO A NON-U.S. PERSON IN AN OFFSHORE TRANSACTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH RULE 903 OR RULE 904 OF REGULATION S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (C) PURSUANT TO THE RESALE LIMITATIONS SET FORTH IN RULE 905 OF REGULATIONS S UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT, (D) PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION PROVIDED BY RULE 144 UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT (IF AVAILABLE) OR (E) PURSUANT TO ANY OTHER EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT, IN EACH CASE IN ACCORDANCE WITH ANY APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS OF ANY STATE OF THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION. HEDGING TRANSACTIONS INVOLVING THESE SECURITIES MAY NOT BE CONDUCTED UNLESS IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE SECURITIES ACT.”

 

“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE SUBJECT TO A LETTER AGREEMENT AND MAY NOT BE OFFERED, SOLD, TRANSFERRED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED DURING THE TERM OF THE LETTER AGREEMENT, EXCEPT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS THEREOF.”

 

5.3. Additional Ordinary Shares or Substituted Securities. In the event of the declaration of a share dividend, the declaration of an extraordinary dividend payable in a form other than share, a spin-off, a share split, an adjustment in conversion ratio, a recapitalization or a similar transaction affecting the Company’s outstanding share capital without receipt of consideration, any new, substituted or additional securities or other property which are by reason of such transaction distributed with respect to any Founder Shares subject to this Section 5 or into which such Founder Shares thereby become convertible shall immediately be subject to this Section 5 and Section 3. Appropriate adjustments to reflect the distribution of such securities or property shall be made to the number and/or class of Founder Shares subject to this Section 5 and Section 3.

 

5

 

 

5.4 Lock-up. The Subscriber acknowledges that the Founder Shares will be subject to lock-up provisions (the “Lock-up”) contained in a Letter Agreement, to be entered into prior to the date of the preliminary prospectus in connection with the IPO between the Subscriber and the Company (the “Letter Agreement”). Pursuant to the Letter Agreement and other than the Independent Director Founder Shares Transfers, the Subscriber shall not sell, transfer or otherwise assign of any or all of its Founder Shares until the earlier of (a) one year after the date of the consummation of the Company’s initial business combination (the “Consummation Date”) and (b) the date on which the last reported sale price of the Class A Ordinary Shares of the Company equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share splits, share dividends, reorganizations and recapitalizations) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after the Consummation Date. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the aforesaid restrictions shall lapse if, subsequent to the Consummation Date, the Company consummates a subsequent liquidation, merger, capital stock exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of the Company’s shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A Ordinary Shares for cash, securities or other property.

 

5.5 Registration Rights. The Subscriber acknowledges that the Founder Shares are being purchased pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act and will become freely tradable only after they are registered pursuant to a Registration Rights Agreement to be entered into with the Company prior to the closing of the IPO (“Registration Rights Agreement”). The Subscriber is entitled to make such number of demands that the Company registers the Founder Shares pursuant to the terms and restrictions as set forth in the Registration Rights Agreement.

 

6. Other Agreements.

 

6.1. Further Assurances. The Subscriber agrees to execute such further instruments and to take such further action as may reasonably be necessary to carry out the intent of this Agreement.

 

6.2 No Obligation as to Employment. The Company is not by reason of this Agreement obligated to employ, or continue to employ, the Subscriber in any capacity.

 

6.3. Notices. All notices, requests, consents and other communications hereunder shall be in writing, shall be addressed to such address as a party may designate by notice hereunder, and shall be either (a) delivered by hand, (b) sent by overnight courier, (c) sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, postage prepaid, or (d) sent by electronic email. All notices, requests, consents and other communications hereunder shall be deemed to have been given either (i) if by hand, at the time of the delivery thereof to the receiving party at the address of such party set forth on the signature page hereto, (ii) if sent by overnight courier, on the next business day following the day such notice is delivered to the courier service, (iii) if sent by certified mail, on the fifth business day following the day such mailing is made, or (iv) if sent by electronic mail, at the time of the delivery thereof to the receiving party at the address of such party set forth on the signature page hereto.

 

6

 

 

6.4. Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with the Letter Agreement, substantially in the form to be filed as an exhibit to the Company’s registration statement on Form S-1 with the SEC, embodies the entire agreement and understanding between the Subscriber and the Company with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior oral or written agreements and understandings relating to the subject matter hereof. No statement, representation, warranty, covenant or agreement of any kind not expressly set forth in this Agreement shall affect, or be used to interpret, change or restrict, the express terms and provisions of this Agreement.

 

6.5. Modifications and Amendments. The terms and provisions of this Agreement may be modified or amended only by written agreement executed by all parties hereto.

 

6.6. Waivers and Consents. The terms and provisions of this Agreement may be waived, or consent for the departure therefrom granted, only by written document executed by the party entitled to the benefits of such terms or provisions. No such waiver or consent shall be deemed to be or shall constitute a waiver or consent with respect to any other terms or provisions of this Agreement, whether or not similar. Each such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which it was given, and shall not constitute a continuing waiver or consent.

  

6.7. Assignment. The rights and obligations under this Agreement may not be assigned by either party hereto without the prior written consent of the other party.

 

6.8. Benefit. All statements, representations, warranties, covenants and agreements in this Agreement shall be binding on the parties hereto and shall inure to the benefit of the respective successors and permitted assigns of each party hereto. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to create any rights or obligations except among the parties hereto, and no person or entity shall be regarded as a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement.

 

6.9. Governing Law. This Agreement and the rights and obligations of the parties hereunder shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to the conflict of law principles thereof.

 

6.10. Severability. In the event that any court of competent jurisdiction shall determine that any provision, or any portion thereof, contained in this Agreement shall be unreasonable or unenforceable in any respect, then such provision shall be deemed limited to the extent that such court deems it reasonable and enforceable, and as so limited shall remain in full force and effect. In the event that such court shall deem any such provision, or portion thereof, wholly unenforceable, the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect.

 

6.11. No Waiver of Rights, Powers and Remedies. No failure or delay by a party hereto in exercising any right, power or remedy under this Agreement, and no course of dealing between the parties hereto, shall operate as a waiver of any such right, power or remedy of such party. No single or partial exercise of any right, power or remedy under this Agreement by a party hereto, nor any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce any such right, power or remedy, shall preclude such party from any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or remedy hereunder. The election of any remedy by a party hereto shall not constitute a waiver of the right of such party to pursue other available remedies. No notice to or demand on a party not expressly required under this Agreement shall entitle the party receiving such notice or demand to any other or further notice or demand in similar or other circumstances or constitute a waiver of the rights of the party giving such notice or demand to any other or further action in any circumstances without such notice or demand.

 

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6.12. Survival of Representations and Warranties. All representations and warranties made by the parties hereto in this Agreement or in any other agreement, certificate or instrument provided for or contemplated hereby, shall survive the execution and delivery hereof and any investigations made by or on behalf of the parties.

 

6.13. No Broker or Finder. Each of the parties hereto represents and warrants to the other that no broker, finder or other financial consultant has acted on its behalf in connection with this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in such a way as to create any liability on the other. Each of the parties hereto agrees to indemnify and save the other harmless from any claim or demand for commission or other compensation by any broker, finder, financial consultant or similar agent claiming to have been employed by or on behalf of such party and to bear the cost of legal expenses incurred in defending against any such claim.

  

6.14. Headings and Captions. The headings and captions of the various subdivisions of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and shall in no way modify or affect the meaning or construction of any of the terms or provisions hereof.

 

6.15. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which when taken together shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when counterparts have been signed by each party and delivered to the other party, it being understood that both parties need not sign the same counterpart.  In the event that any signature is delivered by facsimile transmission or by e-mail delivery of a “.pdf” format data file, such signature shall create a valid and binding obligation of the party executing (or on whose behalf such signature is executed) with the same force and effect as if such facsimile or “.pdf” signature page were an original thereof.

 

7. Voting and Tender of Shares. The Subscriber agrees to vote the Founder Shares as well as any Class A Ordinary Shares acquired in the IPO or the aftermarket in favor of a business combination that the Company negotiates and presents for approval to the Company’s shareholders and shall not seek redemption with respect to the Founder Shares. Additionally, the Subscriber agrees not to seek the redemption or repurchase of any Founder Shares in connection with a redemption or tender offer respectively presented to the Company’s shareholders in connection with an initial business combination negotiated by the Company.

 

8. Indemnification. Each party shall indemnify the other against any loss, cost or damages (including reasonable attorney’s fees and expenses) incurred as a result of such party’s breach of any representation, warranty, covenant or agreement in this Agreement.

 

[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]

 

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If the foregoing accurately sets forth our understanding and agreement, please sign the enclosed copy of this agreement and return it to us.

 

  Very truly yours,
     
  OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.
     
  By: /s/ Kanat Mynzhanov
    Name: Kanat Mynzhanov
    Title: Director

 

Accepted and agreed as of the date first written above.

 

  OXUS CAPITAL PTE. LTD
     
  By: /s/ Wee Sung Cheng
    Name:  Wee Sung Cheng
    Title:  Director

 

[Signature Page to Securities Purchase Agreement]

 

 

9

 

 

Exhibit 14 

 

CODE OF ETHICS

 

OF

 

OXUS ACQUISITION CORP.

 

1. Introduction

 

The Board of Directors of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) has adopted this code of ethics (the “Code”), which is applicable to all directors, officers and employees of the Company, with the intent to:

 

· promote honest and ethical conduct, including the ethical handling of actual or apparent conflicts of interest between personal and professional relationships;

 

· promote the full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable disclosure in reports and documents that the Company files with, or submits to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), as well as in other public communications made by or on behalf of the Company;

 

· promote compliance with applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations;

 

· deter wrongdoing; and

 

· require prompt internal reporting of breaches of, and accountability for adherence to, this Code.

 

This Code may be amended only by resolution of the Company’s Board of Directors In this Code, references to the “Company” include, in appropriate context, the Company’s subsidiaries, if any.

 

2. Honest, Ethical and Fair Conduct

 

Each person owes a duty to the Company to act with integrity. Integrity requires, among other things, being honest, fair and candid. Deceit, dishonesty and subordination of the Company’s interests to personal interests are inconsistent with integrity. Service to the Company should never be subordinated to personal gain or advantage.

 

Each person must:

 

· Act with integrity, including being honest and candid while still maintaining the confidentiality of the Company’s information where required or in the Company’s interests.

 

· Observe all applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations.

 

· Comply with the requirements of applicable accounting and auditing standards, as well as Company policies, in order to maintain a high standard of accuracy and completeness in the Company’s financial records and other business-related information and data.

 

· Adhere to a high standard of business ethics and not seek competitive advantage through unlawful or unethical business practices.

 

· Deal fairly with the Company’s customers, suppliers, competitors and employees.

 

· Refrain from taking advantage of anyone through manipulation, concealment, abuse of privileged information, misrepresentation of material facts or any other unfair-dealing practice.

 

· Protect the assets of the Company and ensure their proper use.

 

· Refrain from taking for themselves personally opportunities that are discovered through the use of corporate assets and refrain from using corporate assets, information, or position for general personal gain outside the scope of employment with the Company.

 

 

 

 

· Avoid conflicts of interest, wherever possible, except under guidelines or resolutions approved by the Board of Directors (or the appropriate committee of the Board of Directors). Anything that would be a conflict for a person subject to this Code also will be a conflict if it is related to a member of his or her family or a close relative. Examples of conflict of interest situations include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

any significant ownership interest in any supplier or customer;

 

any consulting or employment relationship with any customer, supplier, or competitor;

 

any outside business activity that detracts from an individual’s ability to devote appropriate time and attention to his or her responsibilities with the Company;

 

the receipt of any money, non-nominal gifts or excessive entertainment from any company with which the Company has current or prospective business dealings;

 

being in the position of supervising, reviewing, or having any influence on the job evaluation, pay, or benefit of any close relative;

 

selling anything to the Company or buying anything from the Company, except on the same terms and conditions as comparable officers or directors are permitted to so purchase or sell; and

 

any other circumstance, event, relationship or situation in which the personal interest of a person subject to this Code interferes, or even appears to interfere, with the interests of the Company as a whole.

 

3. Disclosure

 

The Company strives to ensure that the contents of and the disclosures in public communications and in the reports and documents that the Company files with the SEC shall be full, fair, accurate, timely and understandable in accordance with applicable disclosure standards, including standards of materiality, where appropriate. Each person must:

 

· not knowingly misrepresent, or cause others to misrepresent, facts about the Company to others, whether within or outside the Company, including to the Company’s independent auditors, governmental regulators, self-regulating organizations and other governmental officials, as appropriate; and

 

· in relation to his or her area of responsibility, properly review and critically analyze proposed disclosure for accuracy and completeness.

 

In addition to the foregoing, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company and each subsidiary of the Company (or persons performing similar functions), if any, and each other person that typically is involved in the financial reporting of the Company must familiarize himself or herself with the disclosure requirements applicable to the Company as well as the business and financial operations of the Company.

 

Each person must promptly bring to the attention of the Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors (or the Chairman of the Company’s Board of Directors if no Audit Committee exists) any information he or she may have concerning (a) significant deficiencies in the design or operation of internal and/or disclosure controls which could adversely affect the Company’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial data or (b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s financial reporting, disclosures, or internal controls.

 

4. Compliance

 

It is the Company’s obligation and policy to comply with all applicable governmental laws, rules and regulations. It is the personal responsibility of each person to, and each person must, adhere to the standards and restrictions imposed by those laws, rules, and regulations, including those relating to accounting and auditing matters.

 

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5. Reporting and Accountability

 

The Board of Directors or Audit Committee, if one exists, of the Company is responsible for applying this Code to specific situations in which questions are presented to it and has the authority to interpret this Code in any particular situation. Any person who becomes aware of any existing or potential breach of this Code is required to notify the Chairman of the Board of Directors or Audit Committee promptly. Failure to do so is itself a breach of this Code.

 

Specifically, each person must:

 

· Notify the Chairman promptly of any existing or potential violation of this Code.

 

· Not retaliate against any other person for reports of potential violations that are made in good faith.

 

· The Company will follow the following procedures in investigating and enforcing this Code and in reporting on the Code:

 

The Board of Directors or Audit Committee, if one exists, will take all appropriate action to investigate any breaches reported to it.

 

If the Audit Committee (if one exists) determines by majority decision that a breach has occurred, it will inform the Board of Directors.

 

Upon being notified that a breach has occurred, the Board of Directors by majority decision will take or authorize such disciplinary or preventive action as it deems appropriate, after consultation with the Audit Committee (if one exists) and/or the Company’s counsel, up to and including dismissal or, in the event of criminal or other serious violations of law, notification of the SEC or other appropriate law enforcement authorities.

 

No person following the above procedure shall, as a result of following such procedure, be subject by the Company or any officer or employee thereof to discharge, demotion suspension, threat, harassment or, in any manner, discrimination against such person in terms and conditions of employment.

 

6. Waivers and Amendments

 

Any waiver (defined below) or an implicit waiver (defined below) from a provision of this Code for the principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, and persons performing similar functions or any amendment (as defined below) to this Code is required to be disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K or in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC.

 

A “waiver” means the approval by the Company’s Board of Directors of a material departure from a provision of the Code. An “implicit waiver” means the Company’s failure to take action within a reasonable period of time regarding a material departure from a provision of the Code that has been made known to an executive officer of the Company. An “amendment” means any amendment to this Code other than minor technical, administrative or other non-substantive amendments hereto.

 

All persons should note that it is not the Company’s intention to grant or to permit waivers from the requirements of this Code. The Company expects full compliance with this Code.

 

7. Other Policies and Procedures

 

Any other policy or procedure set out by the Company in writing or made generally known to employees, officers or directors of the Company prior to the date hereof or hereafter are separate requirements and remain in full force and effect.

 

8. Inquiries

 

All inquiries and questions in relation to this Code or its applicability to particular people or situations should be addressed to the Company’s Secretary.

 

 

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Exhibit 23.1

 

Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm’s Consent

 

We consent to the inclusion in this Registration Statement of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) on Form S-1 of our report dated April 1, 2021, except for Note 8 as to which the date is July 26, 2021, which includes an explanatory paragraph as to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, with respect to our audit of the financial statements of Oxus Acquisition Corp. as of March 22, 2021 and for the period from February 3, 2021 (inception) through March 22, 2021, which report appears in the Prospectus, which is part of this Registration Statement. We also consent to the reference to our Firm under the heading “Experts” in such Prospectus.

 

/s/ Marcum llp  
   
Marcum llp  
New York, NY  
July 26, 2021  

 

 

Exhibit 99.1

 

AUDIT COMMITTEE CHARTER

 

of

 

oxus acquisition corp.

 

I. Purpose

 

The purposes of the Audit Committee (the “Audit Committee”) of the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) are to assist the Board in monitoring: (1) the integrity of the annual, quarterly, and other financial statements of the Company, (2) the independent auditor’s qualifications and independence, (3) the performance of the Company’s independent auditor, and (4) the compliance by the Company with legal and regulatory requirements. The Audit Committee also shall review and approve all related-party transactions.

 

The Audit Committee shall prepare the report required by the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“Commission”) to be included in the Company’s annual proxy statement.

 

II. Committee Membership

 

The Audit Committee shall consist of no fewer than three members, absent a temporary vacancy. The Audit Committee shall meet the “Audit Committee Requirements” of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC and the independence and experience requirements of Section 10A(m)(3) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”) and the rules and regulations of the Commission.

 

The members of the Audit Committee shall be appointed by the Board. Audit Committee members may be replaced by the Board. There shall be a chairperson of the Audit Committee which shall also be appointed by the Board. The chairperson of the Audit Committee shall be a member of the Audit Committee and, if present, shall preside at each meeting of the Audit Committee. He or she shall advise and counsel with the executives of the Company, and shall perform such other duties as may from time to time be assigned to him by the Audit Committee or the Board.

 

III. Meetings

 

The Audit Committee shall meet as often as it determines, but not less frequently than quarterly. The Audit Committee shall meet periodically with management and the independent auditor in separate executive sessions. The Audit Committee may request any officer or employee of the Company or the Company’s outside counsel or independent auditor to attend a meeting of the Audit Committee or to meet with any members of, or consultants to, the Audit Committee.

 

IV. Committee Authority and Responsibilities

 

The Audit Committee shall have the sole authority to appoint or replace the independent auditor. The Audit Committee shall be directly responsible for determining the compensation and oversight of the work of the independent auditor (including resolution of disagreements between management and the independent auditor regarding financial reporting) for the purpose of preparing or issuing an audit report or related work. The independent auditor shall report directly to the Audit Committee.

 

The Audit Committee shall pre-approve all auditing services and permitted non-audit services to be performed for the Company by its independent auditor, including the fees and terms thereof (subject to the de minimus exceptions for non-audit services described in Section 10A(i)(1)(B) of the Exchange Act which are approved by the Audit Committee prior to the completion of the audit). The Audit Committee may form and delegate authority to subcommittees of the Audit Committee consisting of one or more members when appropriate, including the authority to grant pre-approvals of audit and permitted non-audit services, provided that decisions of such subcommittee to grant pre-approvals shall be presented to the full Audit Committee at its next scheduled meeting.

 

The Audit Committee shall have the authority, to the extent it deems necessary or appropriate, to retain independent legal, accounting, or other advisors. The Company shall provide for appropriate funding, as determined by the Audit Committee, for payment of compensation to (i) the independent auditor for the purpose of rendering or issuing an audit report and (ii) any advisors employed by the Audit Committee.

 

 

 

The Audit Committee shall make regular reports to the Board. The Audit Committee shall review and reassess the adequacy of this Charter annually and recommend any proposed changes to the Board for approval. The Audit Committee annually shall review the Audit Committee’s own performance.

 

The Audit Committee shall:

 

Financial Statement and Disclosure Matters

 

1. Meet with the independent auditor prior to the audit to review the scope, planning, and staffing of the audit.

 

2. Review and discuss with management and the independent auditor the annual audited financial statements, and recommend to the Board whether the audited financial statements should be included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (or the annual report to shareholders if distributed prior to the filing of the Form 10-K).

 

3. Review and discuss with management and the independent auditor the Company’s quarterly financial statements prior to the filing of its Form 10-Q, including the results of the independent auditor’s review of the quarterly financial statements.

 

4. Discuss with management and the independent auditor, as appropriate, significant financial reporting issues and judgments made in connection with the preparation of the Company’s financial statements, including:

 

(a) any significant changes in the Company’s selection or application of accounting principles;

 

(b) the Company’s critical accounting policies and practices;

 

(c) all alternative treatments of financial information within GAAP that have been discussed with management and the ramifications of the use of such alternative accounting principles;

 

(d) any major issues as to the adequacy of the Company’s internal controls and any special steps adopted in light of material control deficiencies; and

 

(e) any material written communications between the independent auditor and management, such as any management letter or schedule of unadjusted differences.

 

5. Discuss with management the Company’s earnings press releases generally, including the use of “pro forma” or “adjusted” non-GAAP information, and any financial information and earnings guidance provided to analysts and rating agencies. Such discussion may be general and include the types of information to be disclosed and the types of presentations to be made.

 

6. Discuss with management and the independent auditor the effect on the Company’s financial statements of (i) regulatory and accounting initiatives and (ii) off-balance sheet structures.

 

7. Discuss with management the Company’s major financial risk exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor and control such exposures, including the Company’s risk assessment and risk management policies.

 

8. Discuss with the independent auditor the matters required to be discussed by Statement on Auditing Standards No. 61 relating to the conduct of the audit, including any difficulties encountered in the course of the audit work, any restrictions on the scope of activities or access to requested information, and any significant disagreements with management.

 

9. Review disclosures made to the Audit Committee by the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer (or individuals performing similar functions) during their certification process for the Form 10-K and Form 10-Qs about any significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting and any fraud involving management or other employees who have a significant role in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.

 

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Oversight of the Company’s Relationship with the Independent Auditor

 

10. At least annually, obtain and review a report from the independent auditor, consistent with the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, regarding (a) the independent auditor’s internal quality-control procedures, (b) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm, (c) any steps taken to deal with any such issues and (d) all relationships between the independent auditor and the Company. Evaluate the qualifications, performance and independence of the independent auditor, including whether the auditor’s quality controls are adequate and the provision of permitted non-audit services is compatible with maintaining the auditor’s independence, and taking into account the opinions of management and the internal auditor. The Audit Committee shall present its conclusions with respect to the independent auditor to the Board.

 

11. Verify the rotation of the lead (or coordinating) audit partner having primary responsibility for the audit and the audit partner responsible for reviewing the audit as required by law. Consider whether, in order to assure continuing auditor independence, it is appropriate to adopt a policy of rotating the independent auditing firm on a regular basis.

 

12. Oversee the Company’s hiring of employees or former employees of the independent auditor who participated in any capacity in the audit of the Company.

 

13. Be available to the independent auditor during the year for consultation purposes.

 

Compliance Oversight Responsibilities

 

14. Obtain assurance from the independent auditor that Section 10A(b) of the Exchange Act has not been implicated.

 

15. Review and approve all related-party transactions and reimbursement of expenses incurred by the Company’s management team in identifying potential target businesses.

 

16. Inquire and discuss with management the Company’s compliance with applicable laws and regulations and with the Company’s Code of Ethics in effect at such time, if any, and, where applicable, recommend policies and procedures for future compliance.

 

17. Establish procedures (which may be incorporated in the Company’s Code of Ethics, in effect at such time, if any) for the receipt, retention and treatment of complaints received by the Company regarding accounting, internal accounting controls or reports which raise material issues regarding the Company’s financial statements or accounting policies.

 

18. Discuss with management and the independent auditor any correspondence with regulators or governmental agencies and any published reports that raise material issues regarding the Company’s financial statements or accounting policies.

 

19. Discuss with the Company’s General Counsel and/or outside counsel the status of legal matters that may have a material impact on the financial statements or the Company’s compliance policies.

 

20. Review and approve all payments made to the Company’s officers and directors or its or their affiliates. Any payments made to members of the Audit Committee will be reviewed and approved by the Board, with the interested director or directors abstaining from such review and approval.

 

Limitation of Audit Committee’s Role

 

While the Audit Committee has the responsibilities and powers set forth in this Charter, it is not the duty of the Audit Committee to plan or conduct audits or to determine that the Company’s financial statements and disclosures are complete and accurate and are in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and applicable rules and regulations. These are the responsibilities of management and the independent auditor.

 

 

3

 

Exhibit 99.2

 

COMPENSATION COMMITTEE CHARTER

 

OF

 

OXUS acquisition corp.

 

I. PURPOSES

 

The Compensation Committee (the “Committee”) is appointed by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) for the purposes of, among other things, (a) discharging the Board’s responsibilities relating to the compensation of the Company’s chief executive officer (the “CEO”) and other executive officers of the Company, (b) administering or delegating the power to administer the Company’s incentive compensation and equity-based compensation plans, and (c) if required by applicable rules and regulations, issuing a “Compensation Committee Report” to be included in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K or proxy statement, as applicable.

 

II. RESPONSIBILITIES

 

In addition to such other duties as the Board may from time to time assign, the Committee shall:

 

Establish, review, and approve the overall executive compensation philosophy and policies of the Company, including the establishment, if deemed appropriate, of performance-based incentives that support and reinforce the Company’s long-term strategic goals, organizational objectives, and shareholder interests.

 

Review and approve the Company’s goals and objectives relevant to the compensation of the CEO, annually evaluate the CEO’s performance in light of those goals and objectives and, based on this evaluation, determine the CEO’s compensation level, including, but not limited to, salary, bonus or bonus target levels, long and short-term incentive and equity compensation, retirement plans, and deferred compensation plans as the Committee deems appropriate. In determining the long-term incentive component of the CEO’s compensation, the Committee shall consider, among other factors, the Company’s performance and relative shareholder return, the value of similar incentive awards to CEOs at comparable companies, and the awards given to the Company’s CEO in past years. The CEO shall not be present during voting and deliberations relating to CEO compensation.

 

Determine the compensation of all other executive officers, including, but not limited to, salary, bonus or bonus target levels, long and short-term incentive and equity compensation, retirement plans, and deferred compensation plans, as the Committee deems appropriate. Members of senior management may report on the performance of the other executive officers of the Company and make compensation recommendations to the Committee, which will review and, as appropriate, approve the compensation recommendations.

 

Receive and evaluate performance target goals for the senior officers and employees (other than executive officers) and review periodic reports from the CEO as to the performance and compensation of such senior officers and employees.

 

Administer or delegate the power to administer the Company’s incentive and equity-based compensation plans, including the grant of stock options, restricted stock, and other equity awards under such plans.

 

Review and make recommendations to the Board with respect to the adoption of, and amendments to, incentive compensation and equity-based plans and approve for submission to the shareholders all new equity compensation plans that must be approved by shareholders pursuant to applicable law.

 

Review and approve any annual or long-term cash bonus or incentive plans in which the executive officers of the Company may participate.

 

 

 

Review and approve for the CEO and the other executive officers of the Company any employment agreements, severance arrangements, and change in control agreements or provisions.

 

Review and approve all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for the Company’s executive officers and employees.

 

Review, evaluate and recommend changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.

 

Review and discuss with the Company’s management the Compensation Discussion and Analysis set forth in Securities and Exchange Commission Regulation S-K, Item 402, if required, and, based on such review and discussion, determine whether to recommend to the Board of Directors of the Company that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in the Company’s annual report or proxy statement for the annual meeting of shareholders.

 

Provide the Compensation Committee Report for the Company’s annual report or proxy statement for the annual meeting of shareholders, if required.

 

Conduct an annual performance evaluation of the Committee. In conducting such review, the Committee shall evaluate and address all matters that the Committee considers relevant to its performance, including at least the following: (a) the adequacy, appropriateness, and quality of the information received from management or others; (b) the manner in which the Committee’s recommendations were discussed or debated; (c) whether the number and length of meetings of the Committee were adequate for the Committee to complete its work in a thorough and thoughtful manner; and (d) whether this Charter appropriately addresses the matters that are or should be within its scope.

 

III. COMPOSITION

 

The Committee shall be comprised of two or more members (including a chairperson), all of whom shall be “independent directors,” as such term is defined in the rules and regulations of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”), except that the Committee may have as one of its members a “non-independent director” under exceptional and limited circumstances pursuant to the exemption under Rule 5605(d)(2)(B) of Nasdaq. At least two of the Committee members shall be “non-employee directors” as defined by Rule 16b-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”). The members of the Committee and the chairperson shall be selected not less frequently than annually by the Board and serve at the pleasure of the Board. A Committee member (including the chairperson) may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by the Board.

 

The Committee shall have authority to delegate any of its responsibilities to one or more subcommittees as the Committee may from time to time deem appropriate. If at any time the Committee includes a member who is not a “non employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, then a subcommittee comprised entirely of individuals who are “non-employee directors” may be formed by the Committee for the purpose of ratifying any grants of awards under any incentive or equity-based compensation plan for the purposes of complying with the exemption requirements of Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act; provided that any such grants shall not be contingent on such ratification.

 

2

 

 

IV. MEETINGS AND OPERATIONS

 

The Committee shall meet as often as necessary, but at least two times each year, to enable it to fulfill its responsibilities. The Committee shall meet at the call of its chairperson or a majority of its members. The Committee may meet by telephone conference call or by any other means permitted by law or the Company’s Bylaws. A majority of the members of the Committee shall constitute a quorum. The Committee shall act on the affirmative vote of a majority of members present at a meeting at which a quorum is present. Subject to the Company’s Bylaws, the Committee may act by unanimous written consent of all members in lieu of a meeting. The Committee shall determine its own rules and procedures, including designation of a chairperson pro tempore in the absence of the chairperson, and designation of a secretary. The secretary need not be a member of the Committee and shall attend Committee meetings and prepare minutes. The Secretary of the Company shall be the Secretary of the Committee unless the Committee designates otherwise. The Committee shall keep written minutes of its meetings, which shall be recorded or filed with the books and records of the Company. Any member of the Board shall be provided with copies of such Committee minutes if requested.

 

The Committee may ask members of management, employees, outside counsel, or others whose advice and counsel are relevant to the issues then being considered by the Committee to attend any meetings (or a portion thereof) and to provide such pertinent information as the Committee may request.

 

The chairperson of the Committee shall be responsible for leadership of the Committee, including preparing the agenda which shall be circulated to the members prior to the meeting date, presiding over Committee meetings, making Committee assignments, and reporting the Committee’s actions to the Board. Following each of its meetings, the Committee shall deliver a report on the meeting to the Board, including a description of all actions taken by the Committee at the meeting.

 

If at any time during the exercise of his or her duties on behalf of the Committee, a Committee member has a direct conflict of interest with respect to an issue subject to determination or recommendation by the Committee, such Committee member shall abstain from participation, discussion, and resolution of the instant issue, and the remaining members of the Committee shall advise the Board of their recommendation on such issue. The Committee shall be able to make determinations and recommendations even if only one Committee member is free from conflicts of interest on a particular issue.

 

V. AUTHORITY

 

The Committee has the authority, to the extent it deems appropriate, to conduct or authorize investigations into or studies of matters within the Committee’s scope of responsibilities and to retain one or more compensation consultants to assist in the evaluation of CEO or executive compensation or other matters. The Committee shall have the sole authority to retain and terminate any such consulting firm, and to approve the firm’s fees and other retention terms. The Committee shall evaluate whether any compensation consultant retained or to be retained by it has any conflict of interest in accordance with Item 407(e)(3)(iv) of Regulation S-K. The Committee shall also have the authority, to the extent it deems necessary or appropriate, to retain legal counsel or other advisors. In retaining compensation consultants, outside counsel, and other advisors, the Committee must take into consideration factors specified in the Nasdaq listing rules. The Company will provide for appropriate funding, as determined by the Committee, for payment of any such investigations or studies and the compensation to any consulting firm, legal counsel, or other advisors retained by the Committee.

 

 

3

 

Exhibit 99.3

 

NOMINATING COMMITTEE CHARTER

 

OF

 

oXUS acquisition corp.

 

The responsibilities and powers of the Nominating Committee (the “Nominating Committee”) of the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), as delegated by the Board, are set forth in this charter. Whenever the Nominating Committee takes an action, it shall exercise its independent judgment on an informed basis that the action is in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

 

I. PURPOSE

 

As set forth herein, the Nominating Committee shall, among other things, discharge the responsibilities of the Board relating to the appropriate size, functioning, and needs of the Board including, but not limited to, recruitment and retention of high quality Board members and committee composition and structure.

 

II. MEMBERSHIP

 

The Nominating Committee shall consist of at least two members of the Board as determined from time to time by the Board. Each member shall be “independent” in accordance with the listing standards of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, as amended from time to time.

 

The Board shall elect the members of this Nominating Committee at the first Board meeting practicable following the annual meeting of shareholders and may make changes from time to time pursuant to the provisions below. Unless a chair is elected by the Board, the members of the Nominating Committee shall designate a chair by majority vote of the full Nominating Committee membership.

 

A Nominating Committee member may resign by delivering his or her written resignation to the Chairman of the Board, or may be removed by majority vote of the Board by delivery to such member of written notice of removal, to take effect at a date specified therein, or upon delivery of such written notice to such member if no date is specified.

 

III. MEETINGS AND COMMITTEE ACTION

 

The Nominating Committee shall meet at such times as it deems necessary to fulfill its responsibilities. Meetings of the Nominating Committee shall be called by the chairperson of the Nominating Committee upon such notice as is provided for in the Bylaws of the company with respect to meetings of the Board. A majority of the members shall constitute a quorum. Actions of the Nominating Committee may be taken in person at a meeting or in writing without a meeting. Actions taken at a meeting, to be valid, shall require the approval of a majority of the members present and voting. Actions taken in writing, to be valid, shall be signed by all members of the Nominating Committee. The Nominating Committee shall report its minutes from each meeting to the Board.

 

The chairperson of the Nominating Committee may establish such rules as may from time to time be necessary or appropriate for the conduct of the business of the Nominating Committee. At each meeting, the chairperson shall appoint as secretary a person who may, but need not, be a member of the Nominating Committee. A certificate of the secretary of the Nominating Committee or minutes of a meeting of the Nominating Committee executed by the secretary setting forth the names of the members of the Nominating Committee present at the meeting or actions taken by the Nominating Committee at the meeting shall be sufficient evidence at all times as to the members of the Nominating Committee who were present, or such actions taken.

 

 

 

IV. COMMITTEE AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES

 

Developing the criteria and qualifications for membership on the Board.

 

Recruiting, reviewing and nominating candidates for election to the Board or to fill vacancies on the Board.

 

Reviewing candidates proposed by shareholders, and conducting appropriate inquiries into the background and qualifications of any such candidates.

 

Establishing subcommittees for the purpose of evaluating special or unique matters.

 

Monitoring and making recommendations regarding committee functions, contributions, and composition.

 

Evaluating, on an annual basis, the Nominating Committee’s performance.

 

V. REPORTING

 

The Nominating Committee shall prepare a statement each year concerning its compliance with this charter for inclusion in the Company’s proxy statement.

 

2

 

 

oxus ACQUISITION CORp.

 

Board of Director Candidate Guidelines

 

The Nominating Committee (the “Nominating Committee”) of the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) will identify, evaluate, and recommend candidates to become members of the Board with the goal of creating a balance of knowledge and experience. Nominations to the Board may also be submitted to the Nominating Committee by the Company’s shareholders in accordance with the Company’s policy, a copy of which is attached hereto. Candidates will be reviewed in the context of current composition of the Board (including the diversity in background, experience, and viewpoints of the Board), the operating requirements of the Company, and the long-term interests of the Company’s shareholders. In conducting this assessment, the Nominating Committee will consider and evaluate each director-candidate based upon its assessment of the following criteria:

 

Whether the candidate is independent pursuant to the requirements of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC.

 

Whether the candidate is accomplished in his or her field and has a reputation, both personal and professional, that is consistent with the image and reputation of the Company.

 

Whether the candidate has the ability to read and understand basic financial statements. The Nominating Committee also will determine if a candidate satisfies the criteria for being an “audit committee financial expert,” as defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

Whether the candidate has relevant experience and expertise and would be able to provide insights and practical wisdom based upon that experience and expertise.

 

Whether the candidate has knowledge of the Company and issues affecting the Company.

 

Whether the candidate is committed to enhancing shareholder value.

 

Whether the candidate fully understands, or has the capacity to fully understand, the legal responsibilities of a director and the governance processes of a public company.

 

Whether the candidate is of high moral and ethical character and would be willing to apply sound, objective, and independent business judgment, and to assume broad fiduciary responsibility.

 

Whether the candidate has, and would be willing to commit, the required hours necessary to discharge the duties of Board membership.

 

Whether the candidate has any prohibitive interlocking relationships or conflicts of interest.

 

Whether the candidate is able to develop a good working relationship with other Board members and contribute to the Board’s working relationship with the senior management of the Company.

 

Whether the candidate is able to suggest business opportunities to the Company.

 

3

 

 

oxus acquisition corp.

 

Shareholder Recommendations for Directors

 

Shareholders who wish to recommend to the Nominating Committee (the “Nominating Committee”) of the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), a candidate for election to the Board should send a written recommendation to Oxus Acquisition Corp., 7F, 77/2 Al-Farabi Avenue, Almaty, 050040 Attention: Nominating Committee. The Corporate Secretary will promptly forward all such letters to the members of the Nominating Committee. Shareholders must follow certain procedures to recommend to the Nominating Committee candidates for election as directors. In general, in order to provide sufficient time to enable the Nominating Committee to evaluate candidates recommended by shareholders in connection with selecting candidates for nomination in connection with the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders, the Corporate Secretary must receive the shareholder’s recommendation no later than thirty (30) days after the end of the Company’s fiscal year.

 

The recommendation must contain the following information about the candidate:

 

Name;

 

Age;

 

Business and current residence addresses, as well as residence addresses for the past 20 years;

 

Principal occupation or employment and employment history (name and address of employer and job title) for the past 10 years (or such shorter period as the candidate has been in the workforce);

 

Educational background;

 

Permission for the Company to conduct a background investigation, including the right to obtain education, employment, and credit information;

 

The number of shares of common stock of the Company beneficially owned by the candidate;

 

The information that would be required to be disclosed by the Company about the candidate under the rules of the SEC in a Proxy Statement soliciting proxies for the election of such candidate as a director (which currently includes information required by Items 401, 404 and 405 of Regulation S-K); and

 

A signed consent of the nominee to serve as a director of the Company, if elected.

 

 

4

 

Exhibit 99.4

 

Consent of Director Nominee

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

Pursuant to Rule 438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), the undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this consent as of July 14, 2021.

 

  /s/ Christophe Charlier
  Name:   Christophe Charlier

 

Exhibit 99.5

 

Consent of Director Nominee

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

Pursuant to Rule 438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), the undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this consent as of July 19, 2021.

 

  /s/ Sergey Ivashkovsky
  Name:    Sergey Ivashkovsky

 

Exhibit 99.6

 

Consent of Director Nominee

 

Oxus Acquisition Corp.

 

Pursuant to Rule 438 of Regulation C promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in connection with the Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the “Registration Statement”) of Oxus Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”), the undersigned hereby consents to being named and described as a director nominee in the Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement to any prospectus included in such Registration Statement, any amendment to such Registration Statement or any subsequent Registration Statement filed pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act and to the filing or attachment of this consent with such Registration Statement and any amendment or supplement thereto.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has executed this consent as of July 22, 2021.

 

  /s/ Shiv Vikram Khemka
  Name: Shiv Vikram Khemka