UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER
PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER
THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of August 2021
Commission File Number: 001-38421
BIT DIGITAL, INC.
(Translation of registrant’s name into English)
33 Irving Place, New York, NY 10003
(Address of principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F
Form 20-F ☒ Form 40-F ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ☐
Explanatory Note
Bit Digital, Inc. is a Cayman Islands exempt company. As a foreign private issuer, it is not required to file Proxy Statements under Regulation 14A. This Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting and Proxy Statement are being furnished as Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2, respectively.
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit 4(c) | – | 2021 Second Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan |
Exhibit 99.1 | – | Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting |
Exhibit 99.2 | – | Proxy Statement for Extraordinary General Meeting |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
Bit Digital, Inc. | ||
(Registrant) | ||
By: | /s/ Erke Huang | |
Name: | Erke Huang | |
Title: | Chief Financial Officer |
Date: August 16, 2021
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EXHIBIT 4(c)
BIT DIGITAL, INC.
2021 SECOND OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE | ||
Article 1. Effective Date, Objectives and Duration | 1 | |
1.1 | Effective Date of the Plan | 1 |
1.2 | Objectives of the Plan | 1 |
1.3 | Duration of the Plan | 1 |
Article 2. Definitions | 1 | |
2.1 | “Applicable Law” | 1 |
2.2 | “Award” | 1 |
2.3 | “Award Agreement” | 1 |
2.4 | “Board” | 2 |
2.5 | “Bonus Shares” | 2 |
2.6 | “Cause” | 2 |
2.7 | “CEO” | 2 |
2.8 | “Code” | 2 |
2.9 | “Committee” | 2 |
2.10 | “Company” | 2 |
2.11 | “Compensation Committee” | 2 |
2.12 | “Corporate Transaction” | 2 |
2.13 | “Deferred Shares” | 2 |
2.14 | “Disability” or “Disabled” | 3 |
2.15 | “Dividend Equivalent” | 3 |
2.16 | “Effective Date” | 3 |
2.17 | “Eligible Person” | 3 |
2.18 | “Exchange Act” | 3 |
2.19 | “Exercise Price” | 3 |
2.20 | “Fair Market Value” | 3 |
2.21 | “Grant Date” | 4 |
2.22 | “Grantee” | 4 |
2.23 | “Incentive Share Option” | 4 |
2.24 | “Including” or “includes” | 4 |
2.25 | means “including, without limitation,” or “includes, without limitation,” respectively. | 4 |
2.26 | “Non-Employee Director” | 4 |
2.27 | “Option” | 4 |
2.28 | “Other Share-Based Award” | 4 |
2.29 | “Performance Period” | 4 |
2.30 | “Performance Share” and “Performance Share Unit” | 4 |
2.31 | “Period of Restriction” | 4 |
2.32 | “Person” | 4 |
2.33 | “Restricted Shares” | 4 |
2.34 | “Restricted Share Units” | 4 |
2.35 | “Rule 16b-3” | 4 |
2.36 | “SEC” | 4 |
2.37 | “Section 16 Non-Employee Director” | 4 |
2.38 | “Section 16 Person” | 5 |
2.39 | “Share” | 5 |
2.40 | “Share Appreciation Right” or “SAR” | 5 |
2.41 | “Subsidiary” | 5 |
2.42 | “Surviving Company” | 5 |
2.43 | “Term” | 5 |
2.44 | “Termination of Affiliation” | 5 |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE | ||
Article 3. Administration | 5 | |
3.1 | Committee | 5 |
3.2 | Powers of Committee | 6 |
3.3 | No Repricings | 8 |
Article 4. Shares Subject to the Plan | 8 | |
4.1 | Number of Shares Available for Grants | 8 |
4.2 | Adjustments in Authorized Shares and Awards; Corporate Transaction, Liquidation or Dissolution | 9 |
Article 5. Eligibility and General Conditions of Awards | 10 | |
5.1 | Eligibility | 10 |
5.2 | Award Agreement | 10 |
5.3 | General Terms and Termination of Affiliation | 10 |
5.4 | Nontransferability of Awards | 10 |
5.5 | Cancellation and Rescission of Awards | 11 |
5.6 | Stand-Alone, Tandem and Substitute Awards | 11 |
5.7 | Compliance with Rule 16b-3 | 11 |
5.8 | Deferral of Award Payouts | 12 |
Article 6. Share Options | 12 | |
6.1 | Grant of Options | 12 |
6.2 | Award Agreement | 12 |
6.3 | Option Exercise Price | 12 |
6.4 | Grant of Incentive Share Options | 13 |
6.5 | Payment of Exercise Price | 14 |
Article 7. Share Appreciation Rights | 14 | |
7.1 | Issuance | 14 |
7.2 | Award Agreements | 14 |
7.3 | SAR Exercise Price | 14 |
7.4 | Exercise and Payment | 14 |
Article 8. Restricted Shares | 15 | |
8.1 | Grant of Restricted Shares | 15 |
8.2 | Award Agreement | 15 |
8.3 | Consideration for Restricted Shares | 15 |
8.4 | Effect of Forfeiture | 15 |
8.5 | Escrow; Legends | 15 |
Article 9. Performance Share Units and Performance Shares | 15 | |
9.1 | Grant of Performance Share Units and Performance Shares | 15 |
9.2 | Value/Performance Goals | 16 |
9.3 | Earning of Performance Share Units and Performance Shares | 16 |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE | ||
Article 10. Deferred Shares and Restricted Share Units | 17 | |
10.1 | Grant of Deferred Shares and Restricted Share Units | 17 |
10.2 | Vesting and Delivery | 17 |
10.3 | Voting and Dividend Equivalent Rights Attributable to Deferred Shares and Restricted Share Units | 17 |
Article 11. Dividend Equivalents | 18 | |
Article 12. Bonus Shares | 18 | |
Article 13. Other Share-Based Awards | 18 | |
Article 14. Non-Employee Director Awards | 18 | |
Article 15. Amendment, Modification, and Termination | 19 | |
15.1 | Amendment, Modification, and Termination | 19 |
15.2 | Awards Previously Granted | 19 |
Article 16. Compliance with Code Section 409A | 19 | |
Article 17. Withholding | 19 | |
17.1 | Required Withholding | 19 |
17.2 | Notification under Code Section 83(b) | 20 |
Article 18. Additional Provisions | 20 | |
18.1 | Successors | 20 |
18.2 | Severability | 20 |
18.3 | Requirements of Law | 20 |
18.4 | Securities Law Compliance | 21 |
18.5 | Forfeiture Events | 21 |
18.6 | No Rights as a Shareholder | 21 |
18.7 | Nature of Payments | 22 |
18.8 | Non-Exclusivity of Plan | 22 |
18.9 | Governing Law | 22 |
18.10 | Unfunded Status of Awards; Creation of Trusts | 22 |
18.11 | Affiliation | 22 |
18.12 | Participation | 22 |
18.13 | Construction | 22 |
18.14 | Headings | 23 |
18.15 | Obligations | 23 |
18.16 | No Right to Continue as Director | 23 |
18.17 | Shareholder Approval | 23 |
18.18 | Forfeiture of Shares | 23 |
18.19 | Share Issuances | 23 |
18.20 | No Dividends on Unvested Awards | 23 |
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BIT DIGITAL, INC.
2021 SECOND OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
Article 1.
Effective Date, Objectives and Duration
1.1 Effective Date of the Plan. The Board of Bit Digital, Inc, an exempted company limited by shares and incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands (the “Company”) adopted the Bit Digital, Inc. 2021 Second Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) effective as of July 29, 2021 (the “Effective Date”).
1.2 Objectives of the Plan. The Plan is intended (a) to allow selected employees of and consultants to the Company and its Subsidiaries to acquire or increase equity ownership in the Company, thereby strengthening their commitment to the success of the Company and stimulating their efforts on behalf of the Company, and to assist the Company and its Subsidiaries in attracting new employees, officers and consultants and retaining existing employees and consultants, (b) to optimize the profitability and growth of the Company and its Subsidiaries through incentives which are consistent with the Company’s goals, (c) to provide Grantees with an incentive for excellence in individual performance, (d) to promote teamwork among employees, consultants and Non-Employee Directors, and (e) to attract and retain highly qualified persons to serve as Non-Employee Directors and to promote ownership by such Non-Employee Directors of a greater proprietary interest in the Company, thereby aligning such Non-Employee Directors’ interests more closely with the interests of the Company’s shareholders.
1.3 Duration of the Plan. The Plan shall commence on the Effective Date and shall remain in effect, subject to the right of the Board to amend or terminate the Plan at any time pursuant to Article 15 hereof, until the earlier of the tenth anniversary of the Effective Date, or the date all Shares subject to the Plan shall have been purchased or acquired and the restrictions on all Restricted Shares granted under the Plan shall have lapsed, according to the Plan’s provisions.
Article 2.
Definitions
Whenever used in the Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:
2.1 “Applicable Law” means (i) the laws of the Cayman Islands as they relate to the Company and its Shares; (ii) the legal requirements relating to the Plan and the Awards under applicable provisions of the corporate, securities, tax and other laws, rules, regulations and government orders of any jurisdiction applicable to Awards granted to residents; and (iii) the rules of any applicable securities exchange, national market system or automated quotation system on which the Shares are listed, quoted or traded.
2.2 “Award” means Options (including non-qualified options and Incentive Share Options), SARs, Restricted Shares, Performance Share Units (which may be paid in cash), Performance Shares, Deferred Shares, Restricted Share Units, Dividend Equivalents, Bonus Shares or Other Share-Based Awards granted under the Plan.
2.3 “Award Agreement” means either (a) a written agreement entered into by the Company and a Grantee setting forth the terms and provisions applicable to an Award granted under the Plan, or (b) a written statement issued by the Company to a Grantee describing the terms and provisions of such Award, including any amendment or modification thereof. The Committee may provide for the use of electronic, internet or other non-paper Award Agreements and the use of electronic, internet or other non-paper means for the acceptance thereof and actions thereunder by the Grantee.
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2.4 “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company, from time to time.
2.5 “Bonus Shares” means Shares that are awarded to a Grantee with or without cost and without restrictions either in recognition of past performance (whether determined by reference to another employee benefit plan of the Company or otherwise), as an inducement to become an Eligible Person or, with the consent of the Grantee, as payment in lieu of any cash remuneration otherwise payable to the Grantee.
2.6 “Cause” means, except as otherwise defined in an Award Agreement:
(a) the commission of any act by a Grantee constituting a felony or crime of moral turpitude (or their equivalent in a non-United States jurisdiction);
(b) an act of dishonesty, fraud, intentional misrepresentation, or harassment which, as determined in good faith by the Committee, would: (i) materially adversely affect the business or the reputation of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with their respective current or prospective customers, suppliers, lenders and/or other third parties with whom such entity does or might do business; or (ii) expose the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to a risk of civil or criminal legal damages, liabilities or penalties;
(c) any material misconduct in violation of the Company’s or a Subsidiary’s written policies; or
(d) willful and deliberate non-performance of the Grantee’s duties in connection with the business affairs of the Company or its Subsidiaries;
provided, however, that if the Grantee has a written employment or consulting agreement with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or participates in any severance plan established by the Company applicable to Awards granted to the Grantee under the Plan that includes a definition of “cause” (or a substantially equivalent term), then Cause shall have the meaning set forth in such employment or consulting agreement or severance plan.
2.7 “CEO” means the Chief Executive Officer of the Company or any other named executive officer.
2.8 “Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. References to a particular section of the Code include references to regulations and rulings thereunder and to successor provisions.
2.9 “Committee” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.1.
2.10 “Company” means Bit Digital, Inc., an exempted company limited by shares and incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands.
2.11 “Compensation Committee” means the compensation committee of the Board.
2.12 “Corporate Transaction” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.2(b).
2.13 “Deferred Shares” means a right, granted under Article 10, to receive Shares at the end of a specified deferral period.
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2.14 “Disability” or “Disabled” means, unless otherwise defined in an Award Agreement, or as otherwise determined under procedures established by the Committee for purposes of the Plan, a Grantee is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than twelve (12) months.
2.15 “Dividend Equivalent” means a right to receive payments equal to dividends or property, if and when paid or distributed, on a specified number of Shares.
2.16 “Effective Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 1.1.
2.17 “Eligible Person” means any individual who is an employee (including any officer) of, a non-employee consultant to, or a Non-Employee Director of, the Company or any Subsidiary; provided, however, that solely with respect to the grant of an Incentive Share Option, an Eligible Person shall be any employee (including any officer) of the Company or any Subsidiary. Notwithstanding the foregoing, an Eligible Person shall also include an individual who is expected to become an employee to, non-employee consultant of or Non-Employee Director of the Company or any Subsidiary within a reasonable period of time after the grant of an Award (other than an Incentive Share Option); provided that any Award granted to any such individual shall be automatically terminated and cancelled without consideration if the individual does not begin performing services for the Company or any Subsidiary within twelve (12) months after the Grant Date. Solely for purposes of Section 5.6(b), current or former employees or non-employee directors of, or consultants to, an Acquired Entity who receive Substitute Awards in substitution for Acquired Entity Awards shall be considered Eligible Persons under this Plan with respect to such Substitute Awards.
2.18 “Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time. References to a particular section of the Exchange Act include references to successor provisions.
2.19 “Exercise Price” means (a) with respect to an Option, the price at which a Share may be purchased by a Grantee pursuant to such Option or (b) with respect to an SAR, the price established at the time an SAR is granted pursuant to Article 7, which is used to determine the amount, if any, of the payment due to a Grantee upon exercise of the SAR. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Exercise Price may never be less than the par value per Share of US$0.01.
2.20 “Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, unless otherwise specifically provided in an Award Agreement, the value of Shares determined as follows:
(a) If the Shares are listed on one or more established and regulated securities exchanges, national market systems or automated quotation systems on which Shares are listed, quoted or traded, Fair Market Value means a price that is based on the opening, closing, actual, high, low, or the arithmetic mean of selling prices of a Share reported on the principal exchange or system on which the Shares are traded on the applicable date or the preceding trading day.
(b) If the Shares are traded over the counter at the time a determination of Fair Market Value is required to be made hereunder, Fair Market Value shall be deemed to be equal to the arithmetic mean between the reported high and low or closing bid and asked prices of a Share on the applicable date, or if no such trades were made that day then the most recent date on which Shares were publicly traded.
(c) In the event Shares are not publicly traded at the time a determination of their value is required to be made hereunder, the determination of their Fair Market Value shall be made by the Committee in such manner as it deems appropriate.
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2.21 “Grant Date” means the date on which an Award is granted or such later date as specified in advance by the Committee.
2.22 “Grantee” means a person who has been granted an Award.
2.23 “Incentive Share Option” means an Option that is intended to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code.
2.24 “Including” or “includes” means “including, without limitation,” or “includes, without limitation,” respectively.
2.25 “Non-Employee Director” means a member of the Board who is not an employee of the Company or any Subsidiary.
2.26 “Option” means an option granted under Article 6 of the Plan.
2.27 “Other Share-Based Award” means a right, granted under Article 13 hereof, that relates to or is valued by reference to Shares or other Awards relating to Shares.
2.28 “Performance Period”means, with respect to an Award of Performance Shares or Performance Share Units, the period of time during which the performance vesting conditions applicable to such Award must be satisfied.
2.29 “Performance Share” and “Performance Share Unit”have the respective meanings set forth in Article 9.
2.30 “Period of Restriction” means the period during which Restricted Shares are subject to forfeiture if the conditions specified in the Award Agreement are not satisfied.
2.31 “Person” means any individual, sole proprietorship, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated organization, association, corporation, institution, public benefit corporation, entity or government instrumentality, division, agency, body or department.
2.32 “Restricted Shares” means Shares, granted under Article 8, that are both subject to forfeiture and are nontransferable if the Grantee does not satisfy the conditions specified in the Award Agreement applicable to such Shares.
2.33 “Restricted Share Units” are rights, granted under Article 10, to receive Shares if the Grantee satisfies the conditions specified in the Award Agreement applicable to such rights.
2.34 “Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3 promulgated by the SEC under the Exchange Act, as amended from time to time, together with any successor rule.
2.35 “SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, or any successor thereto.
2.36 “Section 16 Non-Employee Director” means a member of the Board who satisfies the requirements to qualify as a “non-employee director” under Rule 16b-3.
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2.37 “Section 16 Person” means a person who is subject to potential liability under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act with respect to transactions involving equity securities of the Company.
2.38 “Share” means an ordinary share of the Company, par value US$0.01, and such other securities of the Company, as may be substituted or resubstituted for Shares pursuant to Section 4.2 hereof.
2.39 “Share Appreciation Right” or “SAR” means an Award granted under Article 7 of the Plan.
2.40 “Subsidiary” means any corporation or other entity, including but not limited to partnerships, limited liability companies, exempted companies and joint ventures, with respect to which the Company, directly or indirectly, owns as applicable (a) shares possessing more than fifty percent (50%) of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares entitled to vote, or more than fifty percent (50%) of the total value of all shares of all classes of shares of such corporation, or (b) an aggregate of more than fifty percent (50%) of the profits interest or capital interest of a non-corporate entity.
2.41 “Surviving Company” means (a) the surviving entity in any merger, consolidation or similar transaction, involving the Company (including the Company if the Company is the surviving entity), (b) or the direct or indirect parent company of such surviving entity or (c) the direct or indirect parent company of the Company following a sale of substantially all of the issued and outstanding Shares of the Company.
2.42 “Term” of any Option or SAR means the period beginning on the Grant Date of an Option or SAR and ending on the date such Option or SAR expires, terminates or is cancelled. No Option or SAR granted under this Plan shall have a Term exceeding 10 years.
2.43 “Termination of Affiliation” occurs on the first day on which an individual is for any reason no longer performing services for the Company or any Subsidiary in the capacity of an employee of, a non-employee consultant to, or a Non-Employee Director of, the Company or any Subsidiary or with respect to an individual who is an employee of, a non-employee consultant to or a Non-Employee Director of a Subsidiary, the first day on which such entity ceases to be a Subsidiary of the Company unless such individual continues to perform Services for the Company or another Subsidiary without interruption after such entity ceases to be a Subsidiary.
Article 3.
Administration
3.1 Committee.
(a) Subject to Article 14, and to subsection (b) and to Section 3.2, the Plan shall be administered by the Compensation Committee. In the event that the Board determines that the Compensation Committee shall not be the administrator of the Plan, the term “Committee” as used hereunder shall (except as provided for in subsection (b)) mean the committee of the Board designated to administer the Plan, or the full Board should the Board so designate. The Committee may delegate to the CEO any or all of the authority of the Committee with respect to Awards to Grantees other than Grantees who are executive officers, Non-Employee Directors, or Section 16 Persons at the time any such delegated authority is exercised.
(b) Unless the context requires otherwise, any references herein to “Committee” include references to the CEO to the extent the CEO has been delegated authority pursuant to subsection (a); provided that (i) for purposes of Awards to Non-Employee Directors, “Committee” shall include only the full Board, and (ii) for purposes of Awards intended to comply with Rule 16b-3, the “Committee” shall include only the Compensation Committee.
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3.2 Powers of Committee. Subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan (including Article 14), the Committee has full and final authority and sole discretion as follows; provided that any such authority or discretion exercised with respect to a specific Non-Employee Director shall be approved by a majority of the members of the Board, but excluding the Non-Employee Director with respect to whom such authority or discretion is exercised:
(a) to determine when, to whom and in what types and amounts Awards should be granted;
(b) to grant Awards to Eligible Persons in any number and to determine the terms and conditions applicable to each Award (including the number of Shares or the amount of cash or other property to which an Award will relate, any Exercise Price or purchase price, any limitation or restriction, any schedule for or performance conditions relating to the earning of the Award or the lapse of limitations, forfeiture restrictions, restrictions on exercisability or transferability, any performance goals including those relating to the Company and/or a Subsidiary and/or any division thereof and/or an individual, and/or vesting based on the passage of time, based in each case on such considerations as the Committee shall determine);
(c) to determine the benefit payable, including where applicable the number of Shares issued, under any Performance Share Unit, Performance Share, Dividend Equivalent, Other Share-Based Award or Cash Incentive Award and to determine whether any performance or vesting conditions have been satisfied;
(d) to determine whether or not specific Awards shall be granted in connection with other specific Awards, and if so, whether they shall be exercisable cumulatively with, or alternatively to, such other specific Awards and all other matters to be determined in connection with an Award;
(e) to determine the Term of any Option or SAR;
(f) to determine the amount, if any, that a Grantee shall pay for Restricted Shares, whether to permit or require the payment of cash dividends thereon to be deferred and the terms related thereto, when Restricted Shares (including Restricted Shares acquired upon the exercise of an Option) shall be forfeited and whether such shares shall be held in escrow;
(g) to determine whether, to what extent and under what circumstances an Award may be settled in, or the exercise price of an Award may be paid in, cash, Shares, other Awards or other property, or an Award may be accelerated, vested, canceled, forfeited or surrendered or any terms of the Award may be waived, and to accelerate the exercisability of, and to accelerate or waive any or all of the terms and conditions applicable to, any Award or any group of Awards for any reason and at any time;
(h) to determine with respect to Awards granted to Eligible Persons whether, to what extent and under what circumstances cash, Shares, other Awards, other property and other amounts payable with respect to an Award will be deferred, either at the election of the Grantee or automatically pursuant to the terms of the Award Agreement;
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(i) to offer to exchange or buy out any previously granted Award for a payment in cash, Shares or other Award;
(j) to construe and interpret the Plan and to make all determinations, including factual determinations, necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan;
(k) to make, amend, suspend, waive and rescind rules and regulations relating to the Plan;
(l) to appoint such agents as the Committee may deem necessary or advisable to administer the Plan;
(m) to determine the terms and conditions of all Award Agreements applicable to Eligible Persons (which need not be identical) and, with the consent of the Grantee, to amend any such Award Agreement at any time, among other things, to permit transfers of such Awards to the extent permitted by the Plan; provided that the consent of the Grantee shall not be required for any amendment (i) which does not adversely affect the rights of the Grantee, or (ii) which is necessary or advisable (as determined by the Committee) to carry out the purpose of the Award as a result of any new Applicable Law or change in an existing Applicable Law, or (iii) to the extent the Award Agreement specifically permits amendment without consent;
(n) to cancel, with the consent of the Grantee, outstanding Awards and to grant new Awards in substitution therefor;
(o) to impose such additional terms and conditions upon the grant, exercise or retention of Awards as the Committee may, before or concurrently with the grant thereof, deem appropriate, including limiting the percentage of Awards which may from time to time be exercised by a Grantee;
(p) to make adjustments in the terms and conditions of, and the criteria in, Awards in recognition of unusual or nonrecurring events (including events described in Section 4.2) affecting the Company or a Subsidiary or the financial statements of the Company or a Subsidiary, or in response to changes in Applicable Law, regulations or accounting principles;
(q) to correct any defect or supply any omission or reconcile any inconsistency, and to construe and interpret the Plan, the rules and regulations, and Award Agreement or any other instrument entered into or relating to an Award under the Plan; and
(r) to take any other action with respect to any matters relating to the Plan for which it is responsible and to make all other decisions and determinations as may be required under the terms of the Plan or as the Committee may deem necessary or advisable for the administration of the Plan.
Any action of the Committee with respect to the Plan shall be final, conclusive and binding on all persons, including the Company, its Subsidiaries, any Grantee, any person claiming any rights under the Plan from or through any Grantee, and shareholders. If not specified in the Plan, the time at which the Committee must or may make any determination shall be determined by the Committee, and any such determination may thereafter be modified by the Committee. The express grant of any specific power to the Committee, and the taking of any action by the Committee, shall not be construed as limiting any power or authority of the Committee. Subject to Section 3.1(b), the Committee may delegate to officers of the Company or any Subsidiary the authority, subject to such terms as the Committee shall determine, to perform specified functions under the Plan.
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3.3 No Repricings. Notwithstanding any provision in Section 3.2 to the contrary, the terms of any outstanding Option or SAR may not be amended to reduce the Exercise Price of such Option or SAR or cancel any outstanding Option or SAR in exchange for other Options or SARs with an Exercise Price that is less than the Exercise Price of the cancelled Option or SAR or for any cash payment (or Shares having a Fair Market Value) in an amount that exceeds the excess of the Fair Market Value of the Shares underlying such cancelled Option or SAR over the aggregate Exercise Price of such Option or SAR or for any other Award, without shareholder approval; provided, however, that the restrictions set forth in this Section 3.3, shall not apply (i) unless the Company has a class of shares that is registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act or (ii) to any adjustment allowed under to Section 4.2.
Article 4.
Shares Subject to the Plan
4.1 Number of Shares Available for Grants.
(a) Subject to adjustment as provided in Section 4.2 and except as provided in Section 5.6(b), the maximum number of Shares hereby reserved for issuance under the Plan (including Incentive Share Options) shall be five million (5,000,000) Shares.
(b) If any Shares subject to an Award granted hereunder (other than a Substitute Award granted pursuant to Section 5.6(b)) are forfeited or such Award otherwise terminates without payment or delivery of such Shares, the Shares subject to such Award, to the extent of any such forfeiture or termination, shall again be available for grant under the Plan except where otherwise specified hereunder. For avoidance of doubt, however, if any Shares subject to an Award granted hereunder are withheld or applied as payment in connection with the exercise of an Award or the withholding or payment of taxes related thereto (“Returned Shares”), such Returned Shares will be treated as having been delivered for purposes of determining the maximum number of Shares available for grant under the Plan and shall not again be treated as available for grant under the Plan. Moreover, the number of Shares available for issuance under the Plan may not be increased through the Company’s purchase of Shares on the open market with the proceeds obtained from the exercise of any Options granted hereunder. Upon settlement of an SAR, the number of Shares underlying the portion of the SAR that is exercised will be treated as having been delivered for purposes of determining the maximum number of Shares available for grant under the Plan and shall not again be treated as available for issuance under the Plan.
(c) Shares issued pursuant to the Plan may be, in whole or in part, authorized and unissued Shares, or treasury Shares, including Shares repurchased by the Company for purposes of the Plan. Additionally, at the discretion of the Committee, any Shares distributed pursuant to an Award may be represented by American Depositary Shares.
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4.2 Adjustments in Authorized Shares and Awards; Corporate Transaction, Liquidation or Dissolution.
(a) Adjustment in Authorized Shares and Awards. In the event that the Committee determines that any dividend or other distribution (whether in the form of cash, equity, or other property), recapitalization, forward or reverse share split, subdivision, consolidation or reduction of capital, reorganization, merger, consolidation, scheme of arrangement, split-up, spin-off or combination involving the Company or repurchase or exchange of Shares or other securities of the Company or other rights to purchase Shares or other securities of the Company, or other similar corporate transaction or event affects the Shares such that any adjustment is determined by the Committee to be appropriate in order to prevent dilution or enlargement of the benefits or potential benefits intended to be made available under the Plan, then the Committee shall, in such manner as it may deem equitable, adjust any or all of (i) the number and type of Shares (or other securities or property) with respect to which Awards may be granted, (ii) the number and type of Shares (or other securities or property) subject to outstanding Awards, (iii) the Exercise Price with respect to any Option or SAR or, if deemed appropriate, make provision for a cash payment to the holder of an outstanding Award, and (iv) the number and kind of Shares of outstanding Restricted Shares, or the Shares underlying any other form of Award. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such adjustment shall be authorized with respect to any Options or SARs to the extent that such adjustment would cause the Option or SAR to violate Section 424(a) of the Code or otherwise subject any Grantee to taxation under Section 409A of the Code; and provided further that the number of Shares subject to any Award denominated in Shares shall always be a whole number.
(b) Merger, Consolidation or Similar Corporate Transaction. In the event of a merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another entity or a sale of substantially all of the Shares of the Company (a “Corporate Transaction”), unless an outstanding Award is assumed by the Surviving Company or replaced with an equivalent Award granted by the Surviving Company in substitution for such outstanding Award, the Committee shall cancel any outstanding Awards that are not vested and non-forfeitable as of the consummation of such Corporate Transaction (unless the Committee accelerates the vesting of any such Awards) and with respect to any vested and non-forfeitable Awards, the Committee may either (i) allow all Grantees to exercise such Awards of Options and SARs within a reasonable period prior to the consummation of the Corporate Transaction and cancel any outstanding Options or SARs that remain unexercised upon consummation of the Corporate Transaction, or (ii) cancel any or all of such outstanding Awards in exchange for a payment (in cash, or in securities or other property) in an amount equal to the amount that the Grantee would have received (net of the Exercise Price with respect to any Options or SARs) if such vested Awards were settled or distributed or such vested Options and SARs were exercised immediately prior to the consummation of the Corporate Transaction. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if an Option or SAR is not assumed by the Surviving Company or replaced with an equivalent Award issued by the Surviving Company and the Exercise Price with respect to any outstanding Option or SAR exceeds the Fair Market Value of the Shares immediately prior to the consummation of the Corporation Transaction, such Awards shall be cancelled without any payment to the Grantee.
(c) Liquidation, Winding-Up or Dissolution of the Company. In the event of the proposed liquidation, winding-up or dissolution of the Company, each Award will terminate immediately prior to the consummation of such proposed action, unless otherwise provided by the Committee. Additionally, the Committee may, in the exercise of its sole discretion, cause Awards to be vested and non-forfeitable and cause any conditions on any such Award to lapse, as to all or any part of such Award, including Shares as to which the Award would not otherwise be exercisable or non-forfeitable and allow all Grantees to exercise such Awards of Options and SARs within a reasonable period prior to the consummation of such proposed action. Any Awards that remain unexercised upon consummation of such proposed action shall be cancelled.
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Article 5.
Eligibility and General Conditions of Awards
5.1 Eligibility. The Committee may in its discretion grant Awards to any Eligible Person, whether or not he or she has previously received an Award; provided, however, that all Awards made to Non-Employee Directors shall be determined by the Board in its sole discretion.
5.2 Award Agreement. To the extent not set forth in the Plan, the terms and conditions of each Award shall be set forth in an Award Agreement.
5.3 General Terms and Termination of Affiliation. The Committee may impose on any Award or the exercise or settlement thereof, at the date of grant or, subject to the provisions of Section 15.2, thereafter, such additional terms and conditions not inconsistent with the provisions of the Plan as the Committee shall determine, including terms requiring forfeiture, acceleration or pro-rata acceleration of Awards in the event of a Termination of Affiliation by the Grantee. Awards may be granted for no consideration other than prior and future services. Except as set forth in an Award Agreement or as otherwise determined by the Committee, (a) all Options and SARs that are not vested and exercisable at the time of a Grantee’s Termination of Affiliation, and any other Awards that remain subject to a risk of forfeiture or which are not otherwise vested at the time of the Grantee’s Termination of Affiliation shall be forfeited to the Company and (b) all outstanding Options and SARs not previously exercised shall expire three months after the Grantee’s Termination of Affiliation. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Committee may not take any actions hereunder, and no Awards shall be granted, that would violate any Applicable Law.
5.4 Non-transferability of Awards.
(a) Each Award and each right under any Award shall be exercisable only by the Grantee during the Grantee’s lifetime, or, if permissible under Applicable Law, by the Grantee’s guardian or legal representative.
(b) No Award (prior to the time, if applicable, Shares are delivered in respect of such Award), and no right under any Award, may be assigned, alienated, pledged, mortgaged, encumbered, attached, sold or otherwise transferred or encumbered by a Grantee otherwise than by will or by the laws of descent and distribution (or in the case of Restricted Shares, to the Company), and any such purported assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance shall be void and unenforceable against the Company or any Subsidiary; provided that the designation of a beneficiary to receive benefits in the event of the Grantee’s death shall not constitute an assignment, alienation, pledge, attachment, sale, transfer or encumbrance.
(c) Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) above, to the extent provided in the Award Agreement or as otherwise approved by the Committee, Options (other than Incentive Share Options) and Restricted Shares, may be transferred, without consideration, to a Permitted Transferee. For this purpose, a “Permitted Transferee” in respect of any Grantee means any member of the Immediate Family of such Grantee, any trust of which all of the primary beneficiaries are such Grantee or members of his or her Immediate Family, or any partnership (including limited liability companies and similar entities) of which all of the partners or members are such Grantee or members of his or her Immediate Family; and the “Immediate Family” of a Grantee means the Grantee’s spouse, children, stepchildren, grandchildren, parents, stepparents, siblings, grandparents, nieces and nephews. Such Option may be exercised by such transferee in accordance with the terms of the Award Agreement. If so determined by the Committee, a Grantee may, in the manner established by the Committee, designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries to exercise the rights of the Grantee, and to receive any distribution with respect to any Award upon the death of the Grantee. A transferee, beneficiary, guardian, legal representative or other person claiming any rights under the Plan from or through any Grantee shall be subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan and any applicable Award Agreement, except to the extent the Plan and Award Agreement otherwise provide with respect to such persons, and to any additional restrictions or limitations deemed necessary or appropriate by the Committee.
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5.5 Cancellation and Rescission of Awards. Unless the Award Agreement specifies otherwise, the Committee may cancel, rescind, suspend, withhold, or otherwise limit or restrict any unexercised Award at any time if the Grantee is not in compliance with all applicable provisions of the Award Agreement and the Plan or if the Grantee has a Termination of Affiliation.
5.6 Stand-Alone, Tandem and Substitute Awards.
(a) Awards granted under the Plan may, in the discretion of the Committee, be granted either alone or in addition to, in tandem with, or in substitution for, any other Award granted under the Plan unless such tandem or substitution Award would subject the Grantee to tax penalties imposed under Section 409A of the Code. If an Award is granted in substitution for another Award or any non-Plan award or benefit, the Committee shall require the surrender of such other Award or non-Plan award or benefit in consideration for the grant of the new Award. Awards granted in addition to or in tandem with other Awards or non-Plan awards or benefits may be granted either at the same time as or at a different time from the grant of such other Awards or non-Plan awards or benefits; provided, however, that if any SAR is granted in tandem with an Incentive Share Option, such SAR and Incentive Share Option must have the same Grant Date, Term and the Exercise Price of the SAR may not be less than the Exercise Price of the Incentive Share Option.
(b) The Committee may, in its discretion and on such terms and conditions as the Committee considers appropriate in the circumstances, grant Awards under the Plan (“Substitute Awards”) in substitution for Shares and Share-based awards (“Acquired Entity Awards”) held by current or former employees or non-employee directors of, or consultants to, another corporation or entity who become Eligible Persons as the result of a merger or consolidation of the employing corporation or other entity (the “Acquired Entity”) with the Company or a Subsidiary or the acquisition by the Company or a Subsidiary of property or shares of the Acquired Entity immediately prior to such merger, consolidation or acquisition in order to preserve for the Grantee the economic value of all or a portion of such Acquired Entity Award at such price as the Committee determines necessary to achieve preservation of economic value. The limitations in Section 4.1(a) on the number of Shares reserved or available for grants shall not apply to Substitute Awards granted under this Section 5.6(b).
5.7 Compliance with Rule 16b-3. The provisions of this Section 5.7 will not apply unless and until the Company has a class of Shares that is registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act and fails to qualify as a foreign private issuer as defined therein.
(a) Six-Month Holding Period Advice. Unless a Grantee could otherwise dispose of or exercise a derivative security or dispose of Shares issued under the Plan without incurring liability under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act, the Committee may advise or require a Grantee to comply with the following in order to avoid incurring liability under Section 16(b) of the Exchange Act: (i) at least six months must elapse from the date of acquisition of a derivative security under the Plan to the date of disposition of the derivative security (other than upon exercise or conversion) or its underlying equity security, and (ii) Shares granted or awarded under the Plan other than upon exercise or conversion of a derivative security must be held for at least six months from the date of grant of an Award.
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(b) Reformation to Comply with Exchange Act Rules. To the extent the Committee determines that a grant or other transaction by a Section 16 Person should comply with applicable provisions of Rule 16b-3 (except for transactions exempted under alternative Exchange Act rules), the Committee shall take such actions as necessary to make such grant or other transaction so comply, and if any provision of this Plan or any Award Agreement relating to a given Award does not comply with the requirements of Rule 16b-3 as then applicable to any such grant or transaction, such provision will be construed or deemed amended, if the Committee so determines, to the extent necessary to conform to the then applicable requirements of Rule 16b-3.
(c) Rule 16b-3 Administration. Any function relating to a Section 16 Person shall be performed solely by the Committee or the Board if necessary to ensure compliance with applicable requirements of Rule 16b-3, to the extent the Committee determines that such compliance is desired. Each member of the Committee or person acting on behalf of the Committee shall be entitled to, in good faith, rely or act upon any report or other information furnished to him by any officer, manager or other employee of the Company or any Subsidiary, the Company’s independent certified public accountants or any executive compensation consultant or attorney or other professional retained by the Company to assist in the administration of the Plan.
5.8 Deferral of Award Payouts. The Committee may permit a Grantee to defer, or if and to the extent specified in an Award Agreement require the Grantee to defer, receipt of the payment of cash or the delivery of Shares that would otherwise be due by virtue of the lapse or waiver of restrictions with respect to Restricted Share Units, the satisfaction of any requirements or goals with respect to Performance Share Units or Performance Shares, the lapse or waiver of the deferral period for Deferred Shares, or the lapse or waiver of restrictions with respect to Other Share-Based Awards or Cash Incentive Awards. If the Committee permits such deferrals, the Committee shall establish rules and procedures for making such deferral elections and for the payment of such deferrals. Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, any payment or any Shares that are subject to such deferral shall be made or delivered to the Grantee as specified in the Award Agreement or pursuant to the Grantee’s deferral election.
Article 6.
Share Options
6.1 Grant of Options. Subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, Options may be granted to any Eligible Person in such number, and upon such terms, and at any time and from time to time as shall be determined by the Committee.
6.2 Award Agreement. Each Option grant shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the Exercise Price, the Term of the Option, the number of Shares to which the Option pertains, the time or times at which such Option shall be exercisable and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine.
6.3 Option Exercise Price. The Exercise Price of an Option under this Plan shall be determined in the sole discretion of the Committee but may not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the Grant Date.
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6.4 Grant of Incentive Share Options. At the time of the grant of any Option, the Committee may in its discretion designate that such Option shall be made subject to additional restrictions to permit it to qualify as an Incentive Share Option. Any Option designated as an Incentive Share Option:
(a) shall be granted only to an employee of the Company or a Subsidiary;
(b) shall have an Exercise Price of not less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the Grant Date, and, if granted to a person who owns Shares (including Shares treated as owned under Section 424(d) of the Code) possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of shares of the Company or any Subsidiary (a “More Than 10% Owner”), have an Exercise Price not less than 110% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on its Grant Date;
(c) shall be for a period of not more than 10 years (five years if the Grantee is a More Than 10% Owner) from its Grant Date, and shall be subject to earlier termination as provided herein or in the applicable Award Agreement;
(d) shall not have an aggregate Fair Market Value (as of the Grant Date) of the Shares with respect to which Incentive Share Options (whether granted under the Plan or any other share option plan of the Grantee’s employer or any parent or Subsidiary (“Other Plans”)) are exercisable for the first time by such Grantee during any calendar year (“Current Grant”), determined in accordance with the provisions of Section 422 of the Code, which exceeds US$100,000 (the “$100,000 Limit”);
(e) shall, if the aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares (determined on the Grant Date) with respect to the Current Grant and all Incentive Share Options previously granted under the Plan and any Other Plans which are exercisable for the first time during a calendar year (“Prior Grants”) would exceed the $100,000 Limit, be, as to the portion in excess of the $100,000 Limit, exercisable as a separate option that is not an Incentive Share Option at such date or dates as are provided in the Current Grant;
(f) shall require the Grantee to notify the Committee of any disposition of any Shares issued pursuant to the exercise of the Incentive Share Option under the circumstances described in Section 421(b) of the Code (relating to holding periods and certain disqualifying dispositions) (“Disqualifying Disposition”) within 10 days of such a Disqualifying Disposition;
(g) shall by its terms not be assignable or transferable other than by will or the laws of descent and distribution and may be exercised, during the Grantee’s lifetime, only by the Grantee; provided, however, that the Grantee may, to the extent provided in the Plan in any manner specified by the Committee, designate in writing a beneficiary to exercise his or her Incentive Share Option after the Grantee’s death; and
(h) shall, if such Option nevertheless fails to meet the foregoing requirements, or otherwise fails to meet the requirements of Section 422 of the Code for an Incentive Share Option, be treated for all purposes of this Plan, except as otherwise provided in subsections (d) and (e) above, as an Option that is not an Incentive Share Option.
Notwithstanding the foregoing and Section 3.2, the Committee may, without the consent of the Grantee, at any time before the exercise of an Option (whether or not an Incentive Share Option), take any action necessary to prevent such Option from being treated as an Incentive Share Option.
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6.5 Payment of Exercise Price. Except as otherwise provided in an Award Agreement, Options shall be exercised by the delivery of a written notice of exercise to the Company, setting forth the number of Shares with respect to which the Option is to be exercised, accompanied by full payment for the Shares made by any one or more of the following means:
(a) cash, personal check or wire transfer;
(b) with the approval of the Committee, delivery of Shares owned by the Grantee prior to exercise, valued at Fair Market Value on the date of exercise;
(c) with the approval of the Committee, Shares acquired upon the exercise of such Option, such Shares valued at Fair Market Value on the date of exercise;
(d) with the approval of the Committee, Restricted Shares held by the Grantee prior to the exercise of the Option, valued at Fair Market Value on the date of exercise; or
(e) subject to Applicable Law (including the prohibited loan provisions of Section 402 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 if applicable), through the sale of the Shares acquired on exercise of the Option through a broker-dealer to whom the Grantee has submitted an irrevocable notice of exercise and irrevocable instructions to deliver promptly to the Company the amount of sale proceeds sufficient to pay for such Shares, together with, if requested by the Company, the amount of federal, state, local or foreign withholding taxes payable by Grantee by reason of such exercise.
The Committee may in its discretion specify that, if any Restricted Shares (“Tendered Restricted Shares”) are used to pay the Exercise Price, (x) all the Shares acquired on exercise of the Option shall be subject to the same restrictions as the Tendered Restricted Shares, determined as of the date of exercise of the Option, or (y) a number of Shares acquired on exercise of the Option equal to the number of Tendered Restricted Shares shall be subject to the same restrictions as the Tendered Restricted Shares, determined as of the date of exercise of the Option.
Article 7.
Share Appreciation Rights
7.1 Issuance. Subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant SARs to any Eligible Person either alone or in addition to other Awards granted under the Plan. Such SARs may, but need not, be granted in connection with a specific Option granted under Article 6. The Committee may impose such conditions or restrictions on the exercise of any SAR as it shall deem appropriate.
7.2 Award Agreements. Each SAR grant shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement in such form as the Committee may approve and shall contain such terms and conditions not inconsistent with other provisions of the Plan as shall be determined from time to time by the Committee.
7.3 SAR Exercise Price. The Exercise Price of a SAR shall be determined by the Committee in its sole discretion; provided that the Exercise Price shall not be less than 100% of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of the grant of the SAR.
7.4 Exercise and Payment. Upon the exercise of an SAR, a Grantee shall be entitled to receive payment from the Company in an amount determined by multiplying:
(a) The excess of the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of exercise over the Exercise Price; by
(b) The number of Shares with respect to which the SAR is exercised.
SARs shall be deemed exercised on the date written notice of exercise in a form acceptable to the Committee is received by the Company. The Company shall make payment in respect of any SAR within five (5) days of the date the SAR is exercised. Any payment by the Company in respect of a SAR may be made in cash, Shares, other property, or any combination thereof, as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine or, to the extent permitted under the terms of the applicable Award Agreement, at the election of the Grantee.
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Article 8.
Restricted Shares
8.1 Grant of Restricted Shares. Subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Restricted Shares to any Eligible Person in such amounts as the Committee shall determine.
8.2 Award Agreement. Each grant of Restricted Shares shall be evidenced by an Award Agreement that shall specify the Period(s) of Restriction, the number of Restricted Shares granted, and such other provisions as the Committee shall determine. The Committee may impose such conditions and/or restrictions on any Restricted Shares granted pursuant to the Plan as it may deem advisable, including restrictions based upon the achievement of specific performance goals, time-based restrictions on vesting following the attainment of the performance goals, and/or restrictions under applicable securities laws; provided that such conditions and/or restrictions may lapse, if so determined by the Committee, in the event of the Grantee’s Termination of Affiliation due to death, Disability, or involuntary termination by the Company or a Subsidiary without Cause.
8.3 Consideration for Restricted Shares. The Committee shall determine the amount, if any, that a Grantee shall pay for Restricted Shares.
8.4 Effect of Forfeiture. If Restricted Shares are forfeited, and if the Grantee was required to pay for such shares or acquired such Restricted Shares upon the exercise of an Option, the Grantee shall be deemed to have resold such Restricted Shares to the Company at a price equal to the lesser of (x) the amount paid by the Grantee for such Restricted Shares, or (y) the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of such forfeiture. The Company shall pay to the Grantee the deemed sale price as soon as is administratively practical. Such Restricted Shares shall cease to be outstanding and shall no longer confer on the Grantee thereof any rights as a shareholder of the Company, from and after the date of the event causing the forfeiture, whether or not the Grantee accepts the Company’s tender of payment for such Restricted Shares.
8.5 Escrow; Legends. The Committee may provide that the certificates (if any) for any Restricted Shares (x) shall be held (together with a share transfer power executed in blank by the Grantee) in escrow by the Company until such Restricted Shares become non-forfeitable or are forfeited and/or (y) shall bear an appropriate legend restricting the transfer of such Restricted Shares under the Plan. If any Restricted Shares become non-forfeitable, the Company shall cause certificates (if any) for such shares to be delivered without such legend.
Article 9.
Performance Share Units and Performance Shares
9.1 Grant of Performance Share Units and Performance Shares. Subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, Performance Share Units or Performance Shares may be granted to any Eligible Person in such amounts and upon such terms, and at any time and from time to time, as shall be determined by the Committee. The Committee shall have the authority, at the time of grant of any Award under this Plan, to designate such Award as an Award intended to qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code. The Committee shall also have the authority to make an award of a cash bonus to any Grantee and designate such Award as an Award intended to qualify as “performance-based compensation” under Section 162(m) of the Code.
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9.2 Value/Performance Goals. The Committee shall set performance goals in its discretion which, depending on the extent to which they are met, will determine the number or value of Performance Units or Performance Shares that will be paid to the Grantee.
(a) Performance Unit. Each Performance Unit shall have an initial value that is established by the Committee at the time of grant.
(b) Performance Share. Each Performance Share shall have an initial value equal to the Fair Market Value of a Share on the date of grant.
9.3 Earning of Performance Share Units and Performance Shares.
(a) After the applicable Performance Period has ended, the holder of Performance Units or Performance Shares shall be entitled to payment based on the level of achievement of performance goals set by the Committee. In determining the actual amount of an individual Grantee’s performance compensation Award for a Performance Period, the Committee may reduce or eliminate the amount of the performance compensation Award earned during the Performance Period through the use of negative discretion (consistent with Section 162(m) of the Code) if, in its sole judgment, such reduction or elimination is appropriate. The Committee shall not have the discretion, except as is otherwise provided in this Plan, to (A) grant or provide payment in respect of performance compensation Awards for a Performance Period if the performance goals for such Performance Period have not been attained; or (B) increase a performance compensation Award above the applicable overall share issuance limitations set forth in this Plan.
(b) The performance criteria that will be used to establish the performance goal(s) required to be achieved for the vesting of Performance Share Units or Performance Shares shall be based on the attainment of specific levels of performance of the Company and/or one or more Affiliates, divisions or operational units, or any combination of the foregoing, as determined by the Committee, which criteria will be based on one or more of the following business criteria or any combination thereof: (i) revenue; (ii) sales; (iii) profit (net profit, gross profit, operating profit, economic profit, profit margins or other corporate profit measures); (iv) earnings (EBIT, EBITDA, earnings per share, or other corporate earnings measures); (v) net income (before or after taxes, operating income or other income measures); (vi) cash (cash flow, cash generation or other cash measures); (vii) share price or performance; (viii) total shareholder return (share price appreciation plus reinvested dividends divided by beginning share price); (ix) economic value added; (x) return measures (including, but not limited to, return on assets, capital, equity, investments or sales, and cash flow return on assets, capital, equity, or sales); (xi) market share; (xii) improvements in capital structure; (xiii) expenses (expense management, expense ratio, expense efficiency ratios or other expense measures); (xiv) business expansion or consolidation (acquisitions and divestitures); (xv) internal rate of return or increase in net present value; (xvi) working capital targets relating to inventory and/or accounts receivable; (xvii) inventory management; (xviii) service or product delivery or quality; (xix) employee retention; (xx) safety standards; (xxi) productivity measures; (xxii) cost reduction measures; and/or (xxiii) strategic plan development and implementation.
(c) At the discretion of the Committee, the settlement of Performance Share Units or Performance Shares may be in cash, Shares of equivalent value, or in some combination thereof, as set forth in the Award Agreement.
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(d) If a Grantee is promoted, demoted or transferred to a different business unit of the Company during a Performance Period, then, to the extent the Committee determines that the Award, the performance goals, or the Performance Period are no longer appropriate, the Committee may adjust, change, eliminate or cancel the Award, the performance goals, or the applicable Performance Period, as it deems appropriate in order to make them appropriate and comparable to the initial Award, the performance goals, or the Performance Period.
(e) At the discretion of the Committee, a Grantee may be entitled to receive any dividends or Dividend Equivalents declared with respect to Shares issuable in connection with vested Performance Shares which have been earned, but not yet issued to the Grantee.
Article 10.
Deferred Shares and Restricted Share Units
10.1 Grant of Deferred Shares and Restricted Share Units. Subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, the Committee, at any time and from time to time, may grant Deferred Shares and/or Restricted Share Units to any Eligible Person, in such amount and upon such terms as the Committee shall determine.
10.2 Vesting and Delivery.
(a) Deferred Shares. Delivery of Shares subject to a Deferred Shares grant will occur upon expiration of the deferral period or upon the occurrence of one or more of the distribution events described in Section 409A(a)(2) of the Code as specified by the Committee in the Grantee’s Award Agreement for the Award of Deferred Shares. An Award of Deferred Shares may be subject to such substantial risk of forfeiture conditions as the Committee may impose, which conditions may lapse at such times or upon the achievement of such objectives as the Committee shall determine at the time of grant or thereafter. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, to the extent that the Grantee has a Termination of Affiliation while the Deferred Shares remains subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture, such Deferred Shares shall be forfeited, unless the Committee determines that such substantial risk of forfeiture shall lapse in the event of the Grantee’s Termination of Affiliation due to death, Disability, or involuntary termination by the Company or a Subsidiary without “cause.”
(b) Restricted Share Units. Delivery of Shares subject to a grant of Restricted Share Units will occur upon the expiration of the period during which the Restricted Share Units are subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, to the extent that the Grantee has a Termination of Affiliation while the Restricted Share Units remains subject to a substantial risk of forfeiture, such Restricted Share Units shall be forfeited, unless the Committee determines that such substantial risk of forfeiture shall lapse in the event of the Grantee’s Termination of Affiliation due to death, Disability, or involuntary termination by the Company or a Subsidiary without “cause.”
10.3 Voting and Dividend Equivalent Rights Attributable to Deferred Shares and Restricted Share Units. A Grantee awarded Deferred Shares or Restricted Share Units will have no voting rights with respect to such Deferred Shares or Restricted Share Units prior to the delivery of Shares in settlement of such Deferred Shares and/or Restricted Share Units. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, a Grantee will have the rights to receive Dividend Equivalents in respect of Deferred Shares and/or Restricted Share Units, which Dividend Equivalents shall be deemed reinvested in additional Shares of Deferred Shares or Restricted Share Units, as applicable, which shall remain subject to the same forfeiture conditions applicable to the Deferred Shares or Restricted Share Units to which such Dividend Equivalents relate.
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Article 11.
Dividend Equivalents
The Committee is authorized to grant Awards of Dividend Equivalents alone or in conjunction with other Awards. The Committee may provide that Dividend Equivalents shall be paid or distributed when accrued or shall be deemed to have been reinvested in additional Shares or additional Awards or otherwise reinvested subject to distribution at the same time and subject to the same conditions as the Award to which it relates; provided, however, that any Dividend Equivalents granted in conjunction with any Award that is subject to forfeiture conditions shall remain subject to the same forfeiture conditions applicable to the Award to which such Dividend Equivalents relate and any payments in respect of any Dividend Equivalents granted in conjunction with any Options or SARs may not be conditioned, directly or indirectly, on the Grantee’s exercise of the Options or SARs or paid at the same time that the Options or SARs are exercised.
Article 12.
Bonus Shares
Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Committee may grant Bonus Shares to any Eligible Person, in such amount and upon such terms and at any time and from time to time as shall be determined by the Committee.
Article 13.
Other Share-Based Awards
The Committee is authorized, subject to limitations under Applicable Law, to grant such other Awards that are denominated or payable in, valued in whole or in part by reference to, or otherwise based on, or related to, Shares, as deemed by the Committee to be consistent with the purposes of the Plan, including Shares awarded which are not subject to any restrictions or conditions, convertible or exchangeable debt securities or other rights convertible or exchangeable into Shares, and Awards valued by reference to the value of securities of or the performance of specified Subsidiaries. Subject to and consistent with the provisions of the Plan, the Committee shall determine the terms and conditions of such Awards. Except as provided by the Committee, Shares issued pursuant to a purchase right granted under this Article 13 shall be purchased for such consideration, paid for by such methods and in such forms, including cash, Shares, outstanding Awards or other property, as the Committee shall determine.
Article 14.
Non-Employee Director Awards
Subject to the terms of the Plan, the Board may grant Awards to any Non-Employee Director, in such amount and upon such terms and at any time and from time to time as shall be determined by the full Board in its sole discretion. Except as otherwise provided in Section 5.6(b), a Non-Employee Director may not be granted Awards with respect to Shares that have a Fair Market Value (determined as of the date of grant) in excess of US$500,000 in a single calendar year.
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Article 15.
Amendment, Modification, and Termination
15.1 Amendment, Modification, and Termination. Subject to Section 15.2, the Board may, at any time and from time to time, alter, amend, suspend, discontinue or terminate the Plan in whole or in part without the approval of the Company’s shareholders, except that (a) any amendment or alteration shall be subject to the approval of the Company’s shareholders if such shareholder approval is required by any federal or state law or regulation or the rules of any stock exchange or automated quotation system on which the Shares may then be listed or quoted, and (b) the Board may otherwise, in its discretion, determine to submit other such amendments or alterations to shareholders for approval.
15.2 Awards Previously Granted. Except as otherwise specifically permitted in the Plan or an Award Agreement, no termination, amendment, or modification of the Plan shall adversely affect in any material way any Award previously granted under the Plan, without the written consent of the Grantee of such Award.
Article 16.
Compliance with Code Section 409A
The Plan and all Awards granted hereunder are intended to comply with, or otherwise be exempt from, the requirements of Section 409A of the Code. The Plan and all Awards granted under this Plan shall be administered, interpreted, and construed in a manner consistent with Section 409A of the Code to the extent necessary to avoid the imposition of additional taxes under Section 409A(a)(1)(B) of the Code. To the extent that the Committee determines that any Award is subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Award Agreement evidencing such Award shall incorporate the terms and conditions required by Section 409A of the Code. To the extent applicable, the Plan and Award Agreements shall be interpreted in accordance with Section 409A of the Code and U.S. Department of Treasury regulations and other interpretive guidance issued thereunder. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan or any Award Agreement to the contrary, if the Committee determines that any Award may be subject to Section 409A of the Code, the Committee may adopt such amendments to the Plan and each applicable Award Agreement as the Committee determines necessary or appropriate to (a) exempt the Award from Section 409A of the Code, or (b) comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code and related U.S. Department of Treasury guidance.
Article 17.
Withholding
17.1 Required Withholding.
(a) The Committee in its sole discretion may provide that when taxes under any Applicable Law are to be withheld in connection with the exercise of an Option or SAR, or upon the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Shares, or upon the transfer of Shares, or upon payment of any other benefit or right under this Plan (the date on which such exercise occurs or such restrictions lapse or such payment of any other benefit or right occurs hereinafter referred to as the “Tax Date”), the Grantee may elect to make payment for the withholding of taxes under Applicable Law, including without limitation United States federal, state and local taxes, including Social Security and Medicare (“FICA”) taxes, by one or a combination of the following methods:
(i) payment of an amount in cash equal to the amount to be withheld (including cash obtained through the sale of the Shares acquired on exercise of an Option or SAR, upon the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Shares, or upon the transfer of Shares, through a broker-dealer to whom the Grantee has submitted an irrevocable instructions to deliver promptly to the Company, the amount to be withheld);
(ii) delivering part or all of the amount to be withheld in the form of Shares valued at its Fair Market Value on the Tax Date;
(iii) requesting the Company to withhold from those Shares that would otherwise be received upon exercise of the Option or SAR, upon the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Shares, or upon the transfer of Shares, a number of Shares having a Fair Market Value on the Tax Date equal to the amount to be withheld; or
(iv) withholding from any compensation otherwise due to the Grantee.
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The Committee shall provide that the amount of tax withholding upon exercise of an Option or SARs, upon the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Shares, or upon the transfer of Shares, to be satisfied by withholding Shares upon exercise of such Option or SAR, upon the lapse of restrictions on Restricted Shares, or upon the transfer of Shares, pursuant to clause (iii) above shall not exceed the maximum amount of taxes, including FICA taxes, required to be withheld under federal, state and local law. An election by Grantee under this subsection is irrevocable. Any fractional share amount and any additional withholding not paid by the withholding or surrender of Shares must be paid in cash. If no timely election is made, the Grantee must deliver cash to satisfy all tax withholding requirements.
(b) Any Grantee who makes a Disqualifying Disposition (as defined in Section 6.4(f)) or an election under Section 83(b) of the Code shall remit to the Company an amount sufficient to satisfy all resulting tax withholding requirements in the same manner as set forth in subsection (a).
17.2 Notification under Code Section 83(b). If the Grantee, in connection with the exercise of any Option, or the grant of Restricted Shares, makes the election permitted under Section 83(b) of the Code to include in such Grantee’s gross income in the year of transfer the amounts specified in Section 83(b) of the Code, then such Grantee shall notify the Company of such election within 10 days of filing the notice of the election with the Internal Revenue Service, in addition to any filing and notification required pursuant to regulations issued under Section 83(b) of the Code. The Committee may, in connection with the grant of an Award or at any time thereafter, prohibit a Grantee from making the election described above.
Article 18.
Additional Provisions
18.1 Successors. Subject to Section 4.2(b), all obligations of the Company under the Plan with respect to Awards granted hereunder shall be binding on any successor to the Company, whether the existence of such successor is the result of a direct or indirect purchase, merger, consolidation, or otherwise of all or substantially all of the business and/or assets of the Company.
18.2 Severability. If any part of the Plan is declared by any court or governmental authority to be unlawful or invalid, such unlawfulness or invalidity shall not invalidate any other part of the Plan. Any Section or part of a Section so declared to be unlawful or invalid shall, if possible, be construed in a manner which will give effect to the terms of such Section or part of a Section to the fullest extent possible while remaining lawful and valid.
18.3 Requirements of Law. The granting of Awards and the delivery of Shares under the Plan shall be subject to all Applicable Law, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or national securities exchanges as may be required. Notwithstanding any provision of the Plan or any Award, Grantees shall not be entitled to exercise, or receive benefits under, any Award, and the Company (and any Subsidiary) shall not be obligated to deliver any Shares or deliver benefits to a Grantee, if such exercise or delivery would constitute a violation by the Grantee or the Company of any Applicable Law or regulation.
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18.4 Securities Law Compliance.
(a) If the Committee deems it necessary to comply with any applicable securities law, or the requirements of any stock exchange upon which Shares may be listed, the Committee may impose any restriction on Awards or Shares acquired pursuant to Awards under the Plan as it may deem advisable. In addition, if requested by the Company and any underwriter engaged by the Company, Shares acquired pursuant to Awards may not be sold or otherwise transferred or disposed of for such period following the effective date of any registration statement of the Company filed under the Securities Act as the Company or such underwriter shall specify reasonably and in good faith, not to exceed 180 days in the case of the Company’s initial public offering or 90 days in the case of any other public offering. All certificates (if any) for Shares issued under the Plan pursuant to any Award or the exercise thereof shall be subject to such stop transfer orders and other restrictions as the Committee may deem advisable under the rules, regulations and other requirements of the SEC, any stock exchange upon which Shares are then listed, any applicable securities law, and the Committee may cause a legend or legends to be put on any such certificates (if any) to make appropriate reference to such restrictions. If so requested by the Company, the Grantee shall make a written representation to the Company that he or she will not sell or offer to sell any Shares unless a registration statement shall be in effect with respect to such Shares under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and any applicable state securities law or unless he or she shall have furnished to the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to the Company, that such registration is not required.
(b) If the Committee determines that the exercise or non-forfeitability of, or delivery of benefits pursuant to, any Award would violate any applicable provision of securities laws or the listing requirements of any national securities exchange or national market system on which are listed any of the Company’s equity securities, then the Committee may postpone any such exercise, non-forfeitability or delivery, as applicable, but the Company shall use all reasonable efforts to cause such exercise, non-forfeitability or delivery to comply with all such provisions at the earliest practicable date.
18.5 Forfeiture Events. Notwithstanding any provisions herein to the contrary, the Committee shall have the authority to provide in any Award Agreement that a Grantee’s (including his or her estate’s, beneficiary’s or transferee’s) rights (including the right to exercise any Option or SAR), payments and benefits with respect to any Award shall be subject to reduction, cancellation, forfeiture or recoupment (to the extent permitted by Applicable Law) in the event of the Participant’s termination for Cause; serious misconduct; violation of the Company’s or a Subsidiary’s policies; breach of fiduciary duty; unauthorized disclosure of any trade secret or confidential information of the Company or a Subsidiary; breach of applicable non-competition, non-solicitation, confidentiality or other restrictive covenants; or other conduct or activity that is in competition with the business of the Company or a Subsidiary, or otherwise detrimental to the business, reputation or interests of the Company and/or a Subsidiary; or upon the occurrence of certain events specified in the applicable Award Agreement (in any such case, whether or not the Grantee is then an Employee or Non-Employee Director). The determination of whether a Grantee's conduct, activities or circumstances are described in the immediately preceding sentence shall be made by the Committee in its discretion, and pending any such determination, the Committee shall have the authority to suspend the exercise, payment, delivery or settlement of all or any portion of such Grantee’s outstanding Awards pending any investigation of the matter.
18.6 No Rights as a Shareholder. No Grantee shall have any rights as a shareholder of the Company with respect to the Shares (other than Restricted Shares) which may be deliverable upon exercise or payment of such Award until such Shares have been delivered to him or her. Restricted Shares, whether held by a Grantee or in escrow by the Company, shall confer on the Grantee all rights of a shareholder of the Company, except as otherwise provided in the Plan or Award Agreement. At the time of a grant of Restricted Shares, the Committee may require the payment of cash dividends thereon to be deferred and, if the Committee so determines, reinvested in additional Restricted Shares. Share dividends and deferred cash dividends issued with respect to Restricted Shares shall be subject to the same restrictions and other terms as apply to the Restricted Shares with respect to which such dividends are issued. The Committee may in its discretion provide for payment of interest on deferred cash dividends.
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18.7 Nature of Payments. Unless otherwise specified in the Award Agreement, Awards shall be special incentive payments to the Grantee and shall not be taken into account in computing the amount of salary or compensation of the Grantee for purposes of determining any pension, retirement, death or other benefit under (a) any pension, retirement, profit sharing, bonus, insurance or other employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary, except as such plan shall otherwise expressly provide, or (b) any agreement between (i) the Company or any Subsidiary and (ii) the Grantee, except as such agreement shall otherwise expressly provide.
18.8 Non-Exclusivity of Plan. Neither the adoption of the Plan by the Board nor its submission to the shareholders of the Company for approval shall be construed as creating any limitations on the power of the Board to adopt such other compensatory arrangements for employees or Non-Employee Directors as it may deem desirable.
18.9 Governing Law. The Plan is governed by and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Cayman Islands. The courts of the Cayman Islands and the courts of appeal from them shall have non-exclusive jurisdiction to determine any disputes which may arise out of or in connection with this Plan, accordingly, any legal action or proceedings arising out of or in connection with this Plan may be brought in those courts, but without prejudice to the right of the Company or any Grantee to bring proceedings in any other appropriate jurisdiction.
18.10 Unfunded Status of Awards; Creation of Trusts. The Plan is intended to constitute an “unfunded” plan for incentive and deferred compensation. With respect to any payments not yet made to a Grantee pursuant to an Award, nothing contained in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall give any such Grantee any rights that are greater than those of a general creditor of the Company; provided, however, that the Committee may authorize the creation of trusts or make other arrangements to meet the Company’s obligations under the Plan to deliver cash, Shares or other property pursuant to any Award which trusts or other arrangements shall be consistent with the “unfunded” status of the Plan unless the Committee otherwise determines.
18.11 Affiliation. Nothing in the Plan or an Award Agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the Company or any Subsidiary to terminate any Grantee’s employment or consulting contract at any time, nor confer upon any Grantee the right to continue in the employ of or as an officer of or as a consultant to or Non-Employee Director of the Company or any Subsidiary.
18.12 Participation. No employee or officer shall have the right to be selected to receive an Award under this Plan or, having been so selected, to be selected to receive a future Award.
18.13 Construction. The following rules of construction will apply to the Plan: (a) the word “or” is disjunctive but not necessarily exclusive, (b) “including” (and with correlative meaning “include”) means including without limiting the generality of any description preceding or succeeding such term and shall be deemed in each case to be followed by the words “without limitation”, and (c) words in the singular include the plural, words in the plural include the singular, and words in the neuter gender include the masculine and feminine genders and words in the masculine or feminine gender include the other neuter genders.
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18.14 Headings. The headings of articles and sections are included solely for convenience of reference, and if there is any conflict between such headings and the text of this Plan, the text shall control.
18.15 Obligations. Unless otherwise specified in the Award Agreement, the obligation to deliver, pay or transfer any amount of money or other property pursuant to Awards under this Plan shall be the sole obligation of a Grantee’s employer; provided that the obligation to deliver or transfer any Shares pursuant to Awards under this Plan shall be the sole obligation of the Company.
18.16 No Right to Continue as Director. Nothing in the Plan or any Award Agreement shall confer upon any Non-Employee Director the right to continue to serve as a director of the Company.
18.17 Shareholder Approval. All Incentive Share Options granted on or after the Effective Date and prior to the date the Company’s shareholders approve the Plan are expressly conditioned upon and subject to approval of the Plan by the Company’s shareholders.
18.18 Forfeiture of Shares. Any forfeiture of Shares described in this Plan will take effect as a surrender for no consideration of such Shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
18.19 Share Issuances. The allotment and issuance of Shares pursuant to the terms of this Plan following the exercise of an Option shall be subject to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company. Shares shall not in fact be allotted and issued (or repurchased or forfeited) until the time at which the Grantee's name (and number of Shares to be allotted and issued) is entered on the Company's Register of Members (or the existing entry is updated to reflect the repurchase or forfeiture) (the register being prima facie evidence of legal title to Shares).
18.20 No Dividends on Unvested Awards. Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, in no event shall the Board or the Committee approve the payment of any dividend by the Company on unvested Awards.
# # #
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EXHIBIT 99.1
Bit Digital, Inc.
Registered Company No 319983
(Company)
Notice of Extraordinary General Meeting
Notice is hereby given that a general meeting of the Company will be held at the Company’s principal executive offices, at 33 Irving Place, New York, New York 10003, on September 8, 2021 at 9:00 (local time). You will be able to attend, vote your shares and submit questions during the General Meeting via a live telecast available at http://www.transhare.com for the purpose of considering and, if thought fit, passing, with or without amendment, the following resolutions which will be proposed as ordinary resolutions of the Company:
Ordinary business
1. | “That the authorised share capital of the Company be increased from US$1,500,000 consisting of 140,000,000 Ordinary Shares of US$0.01 each and 10,000,000 Preference Shares of US$0.01 each to US$3,500,000 consisting of 340,000,000 Ordinary Shares of US$0.01 each and 10,000,000 Preference Shares of US$0.01 each”; |
2. | “That the Company be authorised to enter into a second 2021 omnibus equity incentive plan pursuant to which the Company may offer up to 5,000,000 Ordinary Shares to selected employees of and consultants to the Company and its subsidiaries the opportunity to acquire or increase equity ownership in the Company”; |
AND
3. | “To transact any other business that is properly brought before the General Meeting or any adjournment or postponement thereof.” |
The close of business on August 9, 2021 has been fixed as the record date for the purpose of determining the shareholders entitled to notice of, and to vote at, the General Meeting. The register of members of the Company will not be closed. The date on which this Proxy Statement and the accompanying form of proxy card will first be mailed or given to the Company’s shareholders is on or about on August 16, 2021.
Dated August 16, 2021
By order of the board,
/s/ Erke Huang | |
Mr. Erke Huang | |
(Secretary) |
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Proxies
Your vote is important. Accordingly, you are urged to sign and return the accompanying proxy card whether or not you plan to attend the General Meeting. If you do attend the General Meeting and are a record holder of Ordinary Shares of our Company, you may vote by ballot at the General Meeting, and your proxy will be deemed to be revoked. If you hold your shares in street name and wish to vote your shares at the General Meeting, you should contact your broker about getting a proxy appointing you to vote your shares.
A blank proxy form is attached. Please consider carefully the conditions attaching to appointment of a proxy. You may otherwise vote by any of the following options:
VOTE BY INTERNET
Use the Internet to transmit your voting instructions at www.transhare.com/alkaline. Click Vote My Proxy and then click on the Company’s name and follow the on-screen instructions.
VOTE BY EMAIL
Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it via email to akotlova@bizsolaconsulting.com. Include your control ID in your email.
VOTE BY FAX
Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it via fax to 1-727-269-5616.
VOTE BY MAIL
Mark, sign and date your proxy card and return it in the postage-paid envelope we have provided or return it to Transhare Corporation, Bayside Center 1, 17755 North US Highway 19, Suite 140, Clearwater, Florida 33764.
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Bit Digital, Inc.
Registered Company No 319983
(Company)
Proxy form
I/We1 | ||
of |
being a member/members of the Company and the holder/holders of
______________________________ (number and class of shares)
appoint as my/our proxy 2
of |
or in his/her absence 3 |
of |
at the general meeting of the Company to be held at 33 Irving Place, New York, New York 10003 on September 8, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. (local time) and by telephone conferencing and at any adjournment of that meeting.
1 | Full name(s) and address(es) (as appearing in the Company's register of members) to be typed or inserted in block letters. In the case of joint holdings, the names of all holders (as appearing in the Company's register of members) must be inserted. |
2 | Insert name and address of the desired proxy in the spaces provided. If you wish to appoint the chairperson, write "The chairperson" without inserting an address. |
3 | If desired, insert name and address of an alternate proxy, should the initial appointee be unable to attend the meeting. |
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If the Secretary is appointed as proxy, the following is a statement of the Secretary's voting intentions in relation to undirected proxies:
The Secretary intends to vote in favour of both resolutions.
Please indicate with a tick mark in the spaces opposite to each resolution how you wish the proxy to vote on your behalf. In the absence of any such indication, the proxy may vote for or against the resolutions or may abstain at his/her discretion. Your proxy will also be entitled to vote at his/her discretion on any resolution properly put to the meeting pursuant to the other items of business referred to in the notice convening the meeting.
Resolution | For | Against | Abstain | |||||
1 | That the authorised share capital of the Company be increased from US$1,500,000 consisting of 140,000,000 Ordinary Shares of US$0.01 each and 10,000,000 Preference Shares of US$0.01 each to US$3,500,000 consisting of 340,000,000 Ordinary Shares of US$0.01 each and 10,000,000 Preference Shares of US$0.01 each | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ | ||||
2 | That the Company be authorised to enter into a second 2021 omnibus equity incentive plan pursuant to which the Company may offer up to 5,000,000 Ordinary Shares to selected employees of and consultants to the Company and its subsidiaries the opportunity to acquire or increase equity ownership in the Company | ☐ | ☐ | ☐ |
Dated ____________________ 2021
[If the member or each member is an individual, sign immediately below.]
Signature of shareholder | Signature of joint-shareholder, if any |
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[or]
[If the member is a company, complete the following]
Executed by ________________________________ [Name of member] acting through an authorised
Signatory
Signature of authorised signatory | |
Print name | |
Title |
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Proxy instructions
What happens if you do not follow these instructions?
1 | If you do not follow these instructions, any instrument you make appointing a proxy will be invalid. |
Eligible members
2 | If you are a member entitled to attend and vote at this meeting of the Company, you may appoint a proxy to vote on your behalf. |
3 | A proxy need not be a member of the Company. |
If you complete a proxy form, can you still attend and vote at the meeting?
4 | Completion of the proxy form does not preclude a member from subsequently attending and voting at the meeting in person if he or she so wishes. |
Joint shareholders
5 | In the case of jointly held shares, if more than one joint holder purports to appoint a proxy, only the appointment submitted by the most senior holder will be accepted. For this purpose, seniority will be determined by the order in which the names of the joint holders appear in the register of members (the first-named being the most senior). |
How to appoint a proxy
6 | If you are an eligible member and a natural person, the appointment of your proxy must be in writing and signed by you or your authorised attorney. |
7 | If you are an eligible member and a corporation, the appointment of your proxy must be in writing and executed in any of the following ways: (i) under the corporation's common seal; (ii) not under the corporation's common seal but otherwise in accordance with its articles of association; or (iii) under the hand of the corporation's authorised attorney. |
8 | Despite paragraphs 6 and 7, the Company will accept an electronic record of your proxy if: |
(a) | the original is in writing and signed one of the ways referred to those paragraphs; and |
(b) | the Company permits receipt of electronic records by giving an electronic address for that purpose. |
Delivery of proxy form to Company
9 | For an appointment of a proxy to be effective, the proxy form must be received by the Company at any time before the time for the holding of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the proxy proposes to vote: |
10 | The proxy form may be delivered in either of the following ways: |
(a) | In the case of hard-copy documents - they must leave at or send by post to the Company's registered office or the other place, if any, specified by the Company for the purpose of the meeting. |
(b) | In the case of documents comprised in an electronic record - they must be sent to an address specified by the Company for the purpose of receiving electronic records. |
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EXHIBIT 99.2
BIT DIGITAL, INC.
33 Irving Place,
New York, N.Y. 10003
(347) 328-3680
PROXY STATEMENT
This Proxy Statement is furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Bit Digital, Inc. (the “Company,” “BTBT” “we,” “us,” or “our”) for an Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders (the “General Meeting”) to be held at the Company’s principal executive offices, at 33 Irving Place, New York, New York 10003 on September 8, 2021 at 9:00 a.m. (local time) and for any adjournment or adjournments thereof, for the purposes set forth in the accompanying Notice of General Meeting of Shareholders. The Company will bear the costs of this solicitation.
If the enclosed proxy is properly executed and returned, the Ordinary Shares of our Company (the “Ordinary Shares”) represented thereby will be voted in accordance with the directions thereon and otherwise in accordance with the judgment of the persons designated as proxies. Any proxy card on which no instruction is specified will be voted in favor of the actions described in this Proxy Statement. Any shareholder appointing such a proxy has the power to revoke it at any time before it is voted. If you are a holder of record, written notice of such revocation should be forwarded to TranShare Securities Transfer with Registrar, Attn: Proxy Services. If you hold your Ordinary Shares in street name, you should contact your broker about revoking your proxy.
The Company will bear the cost of preparing, printing, assembling and mailing the proxy card, Proxy Statement and other material which may be sent to shareholders in connection with this solicitation. It is contemplated that brokerage houses will forward the proxy materials to beneficial owners at our request. In addition to the solicitation of proxies by use of the mails, officers and regular employees of the Company may solicit proxies without additional compensation, by telephone or telegraph. We may reimburse brokers or other persons holding Shares in their names or the names of their nominees for the expenses of forwarding soliciting material to their principals and obtaining their proxies.
VOTING SECURITIES
Only holders of our Ordinary Shares and Preferred Shares of record at the close of business on August 9, 2021 (the “Record Date”) are entitled to vote at the General Meeting. On the Record Date, the Company had 54,990,764 Ordinary Shares and 1,000,000 Preferred Shares outstanding and entitled to vote at the General Meeting. For purposes of voting at the General Meeting, each Ordinary Share is entitled to one vote upon all matters to be acted upon at the General Meeting. Each of the 1,000,000 Preferred Shares held by Management is entitled to fifty (50) votes on all matters to be decided upon at the General Meeting. No business may be transacted at any meeting of shareholders unless a quorum is present at the commencement of business. The presence of one or more shareholders entitled to vote and present in person or by proxy representing not less than one third of the total issued voting Ordinary Shares of the Company throughout the General Meeting shall constitute a quorum.
The affirmative vote of a simple majority of the votes cast in person or by proxy at the General Meeting and entitled to vote is required to approve an Amendment to the Company’s authorized share capital; and for authorization of the Company’s Second Incentive Plan.
An ordinary resolution to be passed at a General Meeting by the shareholders requires the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the combined votes attaching to the Ordinary Shares and Preferred Shares (on a 50 to 1 basis) cast by, or on behalf of, the shareholders entitled to vote at a General Meeting (the "Ordinary Resolution").
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The General Meeting will be postponed if a quorum is not present at the General Meeting. For purposes of determining the presence of a quorum, abstentions and broker non-votes will be counted as present. If a quorum is not present, the General Meeting shall stand adjourned to the same time and place seven days hence, or to such other time or place as is determined by the directors (unless the General Meeting was requisitioned by the shareholders, in which case such meeting shall be cancelled if a quorum is not present). If a quorum is present, the meeting may be adjourned by the chairman of the meeting by the consent of shareholders who are represented constituting a quorum. The meeting may be rescheduled at the time of the adjournment with no further notice of the rescheduled time (except such notice provided at the meeting at which the adjournment decision was made) if the meeting is adjourned for seven clear days or less. Should a meeting be adjourned for more than seven days, whether because of a lack of quorum or otherwise, shareholders shall be given at least seven days’ notice of the date, time and place of the adjourned meeting and the general nature of the business to be transacted. An adjournment will have no effect on the business to be conducted.
The Company is soliciting your vote through the use of the mail and will bear the cost of this solicitation. The Company does not intend to employ third party solicitors, but our directors, officers, employees, and consultants may solicit proxies by mail, telephone, personal contact, or through online methods; to the extent they do so, the Company will reimburse their expenses for doing this. The Company will also reimburse brokers, fiduciaries, and custodians for their costs in forwarding proxy materials to beneficial owners of the Company’s stock. Other proxy solicitation expenses include those for preparation, mailing, returning, and tabulating the proxies.
The Board is not proposing any action for which the applicable rules and laws provide a right of a shareholder to obtain appraisal of or payment for such shareholder’s Ordinary Shares.
Copies of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission will be furnished without charge to shareholders upon written request. Exhibits to the Annual Report will also be provided upon written request. All written requests should be directed to the Company at its main office at 33 Irving Place, New York, N.Y. 10003. The Company is subject to certain disclosure requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The SEC maintains a website that contains various filings and reports regarding companies that file electronically with the SEC. The SEC’s website address is www.sec.gov.
VOTING PROCEDURES
If you are a shareholder of record, you may vote in person at the General Meeting.
We will give you a ballot sheet when you arrive. If you do not wish to vote in person or you will not be attending the General Meeting, you may vote by proxy. If you have received a printed copy of these proxy materials by mail, you may vote by proxy using the enclosed proxy card. To vote by proxy using the enclosed proxy card (only if you have received a printed copy of these proxy materials by mail), complete, sign and date your proxy card and return it promptly in the envelope provided or you may vote by Internet, Email or fax, as set forth in the accompanying Notice of Meeting. If you intend to vote by proxy, your vote must be received at any time before the time for the holding of the meeting or adjourned meeting at which the proxy intends to vote.
If your Ordinary Shares are registered in your name, you are a shareholder of record with respect to those Ordinary Shares. On the other hand, if your Ordinary Shares are registered in the name of your broker or bank, your Ordinary Shares are held in street name and you are considered the “beneficial owner” of the Ordinary Shares. As the beneficial owner of those Ordinary Shares, you have the right to direct your broker or bank how to vote your Ordinary Shares, and you will receive separate instructions from your broker or bank describing how to vote your Ordinary Shares.
If you give a proxy, you may revoke it at any time before it is exercised. You may revoke your proxy in three ways:
1. | You may send in another proxy with a later date. |
2. | You may notify us in writing (or if the stockholder is a corporation, under its corporate seal, by an officer or attorney of the corporation) at our principal executive offices before the General Meeting that you are revoking your proxy. |
3. | You may vote in person at the General Meeting. |
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MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth certain information regarding beneficial ownership of our Ordinary Shares and Preferred Shares by each person who is known by us to beneficially own more than 5% of our Ordinary Shares. The table also identifies the share ownership of each of our directors, each of our named executive officers, and all directors and officers as a group. Except as otherwise indicated, the shareholders listed in the table have sole voting and investment powers with respect to the Ordinary Shares indicated.
We have determined beneficial ownership in accordance with the rules of the SEC. Under such rules, beneficial ownership includes any Ordinary Shares over which the individual has sole or shared voting power or investment power as well as any Ordinary Shares that the individual has the right to subscribe for within sixty (60) days of August 9, 2021 through the exercise of any warrants or other rights. Except as indicated by the footnotes below, we believe, based on the information furnished to us, that the persons and entities named in the table below have sole voting and investment power or the power to receive the economic benefit with respect to all Ordinary Shares that they beneficially own, subject to applicable community property laws. None of the stockholders listed in the table are a broker-dealer or an affiliate of a broker-dealer. Percentage ownership of our Ordinary Shares in the following table is based on 54,990,764 Ordinary Shares issued and outstanding on August 9, 2021. Unless otherwise indicated, the address of each of the individuals and entities named below is c/o Bit Digital, Inc., 33 Irving Place, New York, New York 10003.
Name of Beneficial Owners(1) |
Voting Securities
Beneficially Owned(2) |
|||||||
Number | % | |||||||
Directors and Executive Officers: | ||||||||
Erke Huang | 15,000,000 | (3) | 47.8 | % | ||||
Bryan Bullett | 175,765 | (4) | ||||||
Sam Tabar | 175,645 | (4) | ||||||
Min Hu | -0- | -0- | ||||||
Zhaohui Deng | 35,000,000 | (3) | 47.8 | % | ||||
Yan Xiong | -0- | -0- | ||||||
Ichi Shih | -0- | -0- | ||||||
All directors and officers as a group (seven individuals) | 50,000,000 | 47.8 | % | |||||
5% shareholders: | ||||||||
Wise Gain Investment Industries Limited(5) Coastal Building, Wickham’s Cay II P.O. Box 2221, Road Town, Tortola B.V.I. |
6,276,700 | 11.6 | % |
* | Less than 1% of issued and outstanding shares. |
(1) | Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following entities or individuals is c/o Bit Digital, Inc., 33 Irving Place, New York, New York 10003. |
(2) | Applicable percentage of Voting Securities owned prior to the offering is based on 54,990,764 Ordinary Shares outstanding as of August 9, 2021, together with securities exercisable or convertible into Ordinary Shares within sixty (60) days as of such date for each shareholder, and 50,000,000 votes held by the holders of Preferred Shares or an aggregate of 104,990,764 Voting Shares. |
(3) | Erke Huang and Zhaohui Deng are the beneficial owners of 300,000 and 700,000 shares, respectively, of the 1,000,000 Preferred Shares owned by Geney Development Limited, a BVI entity, with an address at 4th Floor Waters Edge Building, Meridian Plaza, Road Town, Tortola VG1110, British Virgin Islands. Each Preferred Share is entitled to the equivalent number of fifty (50) Ordinary Shares, or an aggregate of 50,000,000 votes for the 1,000,000 Preferred Shares, or 47.8% of the Voting Securities. |
(4) | Represents 130,765 Restricted Stock Units that vest in twenty-four (24) equal monthly installments commencing on February 1, 2021 and are exchangeable for Ordinary Shares on a one-for-one basis. The remaining 40,000 Restricted Stock Units are fully vested. |
(5) | The Schedule 13G filed on June 22, 2021 for Wise Gain Investment Industries Limited stated that Kenneth Vin Zorro has sole voting and dispositive power over the shares held by such entity. |
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PROPOSAL 1
APPROVAL OF PROPOSED AMENDMENT TO
COMPANY'S AUTHORIZED SHARE CAPITAL
The current authorized share capital of the Company is US$1,500,000 divided into 150,000,000 shares of US$0.01 each. The authorized share capital consists of 140,000,000 Ordinary Shares, par value $0.01 per share, and 10,000,000 Preferred Shares, par value $0.01 per share. If this proposal is approved, the authorized share capital of the Company will be amended to US$3,500,000 divided into 340,000,000 Ordinary Shares of US$0.01 each and 10,000,000 Preference Shares of US$0.01 each.
Vote Required and Board Recommendation
The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Ordinary Shares and Preferred Shares combined, either present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the General Meeting is required for approval of this Proposal. The Board recommends a vote FOR this Proposal.
PROPOSAL 2
APPROVAL OF PROPOSED OMNIBUS EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
The Compensation Committee of the Board has recommended that the Company should establish and maintain a second omnibus equity incentive plan (hereinafter, Second Incentive Plan) pursuant to which the Company may offer up to 5,000,000 Ordinary Shares to selected officers, directors, employees of and consultants to the Company and its subsidiaries the opportunity to acquire or increase equity ownership in the Company. At the April 20, 2021 Annual General Meeting, the Company’s shareholders approved the 2021 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan. A total of 2,415,293 Ordinary Shares are authorized for issuance under the prior 2021 Omnibus Plan. As of this date, a total of 2,225,930 Ordinary Shares have been awarded as Restricted Stock Units under the 2021 Omnibus Plan.
A copy of the proposed Second Incentive Plan has been enclosed with this proxy statement (which is subject to such reasonable amendments as determined by the Board).
Vote Required and Board Recommendation
The affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the Ordinary Shares and Preferred Shares combined, either present in person or represented by proxy and entitled to vote at the General Meeting is required for approval of this Proposal. The Board recommends a vote FOR this Proposal.
OTHER MATTERS
GENERAL
We are not aware of any matters other than those stated in this Proxy Statement that are to be presented for action at the General Meeting. If any other matters should properly come before the General Meeting, it is intended that proxies in the accompanying form will be voted on any such other matters in accordance with the judgment of the persons voting such proxies. Discretionary authority to vote on such matters is conferred by such proxies upon the persons voting them.
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COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Shareholders wishing to communicate with the Board or any individual director may write to the Board or the individual director to the Board, Bit Digital, Inc., 33 Irving Place, New York, N.Y., 10003; (347) 328-3680. Any such communication must state the number of Shares beneficially owned by the shareholder making the communication. All such communications will be forwarded to the full Board or to any individual director or directors to whom the communication is directed unless the communication is clearly of a marketing nature or is unduly hostile, threatening, illegal, or similarly inappropriate, in which case the Company has the authority to discard the communication or take appropriate legal action regarding the communication.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
The Company files annual and current reports and other documents with the SEC under the Exchange Act as a foreign private issuer. The Company’s SEC filings made electronically through the SEC’s EDGAR system are available to the public at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. You may read and copy any document the Company files at the website of the SEC referred to above. The Company’s file number with the SEC is 001-38421.
August 16, 2021 | By Order of the Board of Directors |
/s/ Zhaohui Deng | |
Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
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