As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 18, 2023
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM F-3
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
LOCAFY LIMITED
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of registrant’s name into English)
Australia (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
Not Applicable (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
Locafy Limited
246A Churchill Avenue
Subiaco WA 6008, Australia
+61 409 999 339
(Address and telephone number of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Puglisi & Associates
850 Library Ave., Suite 204
Newark, DE 19711
(302) 738-6680
(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)
Copies to:
Rick A. Werner, Esq.
Jayun Koo, Esq.
Haynes and Boone, LLP
30 Rockefeller Plaza
26th Floor
New York, New York 10112
Tel: +1 212 659-7300
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after the effective date of this registration statement.
If only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box. ☐
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.C. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.C. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933.
Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company that prepares its financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards† provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
† The term “new or revised financial accounting standard” refers to any update issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board to its Accounting Standards Codification after April 5, 2012.
The Registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the Registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
This registration statement contains two prospectuses:
● | a base prospectus which covers the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to $100 million of our ordinary shares, preference shares, warrants units and/or subscription rights from time to time in one or more offerings; and | |
● | a sales agreement prospectus that covers the offering, issuance and sale by us of up to a maximum aggregate offering amount of $2,238,645.60 of our ordinary shares that may be issued or sold from time to time under the At The Market Offering Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”) with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, as sales agent. |
The base prospectus immediately follows this explanatory note. The specific terms of any securities to be offered pursuant to the base prospectus other than the ordinary shares offered under the sales agreement prospectus will be specified in a prospectus supplement to the base prospectus. The specific terms of the ordinary shares to be issued and sold under the Sales Agreement are specified in the sales agreement prospectus that immediately follows the base prospectus. The $2,238,645.60 of ordinary shares that may be offered, issued and sold under the sales agreement prospectus is included in the $100 million of securities that may be offered, issued and sold by us under the base prospectus.
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED MAY 18, 2023
PROSPECTUS
$100,000,000
Ordinary Shares
Preference Shares
Warrants
Subscription Rights
Units
We may offer, issue and sell from time to time, in one or more offerings, ordinary shares, preference shares, warrants, subscription rights and/or units, which we collectively refer to as the “securities.” The aggregate initial offering price of the securities that we may offer and sell under this prospectus will not exceed $100 million.
We may offer and sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in different series, at times, in amounts, at prices and on terms to be determined at or prior to the time of each offering. This prospectus describes the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which these securities will be offered. Each time we sell securities pursuant to this prospectus, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and the specific terms of the securities offered. The prospectus supplement will also describe the specific manner in which these securities will be offered and may also supplement, update or amend information contained in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.
The securities covered by this prospectus may be offered and sold through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. The names of any underwriters, dealers or agents, if any, will be included in a supplement to this prospectus. For general information about the distribution of securities offered, please see “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page 12.
Our ordinary shares are listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “LCFY” and our warrants to purchase our ordinary shares issued pursuant to our initial public offering (the “IPO Warrants”) are listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “LCFYW”. On May 17, 2023, the closing price of our ordinary shares and IPO Warrants as reported on Nasdaq was $9.00 and $3.86, respectively.
On May 18, 2023, the aggregate market value worldwide of our outstanding voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates was approximately $6.7 million, based on 750,384 ordinary shares outstanding held by non-affiliates and a per share price of $8.95 based on the closing sale price of the ordinary shares on Nasdaq on May 10, 2023. As of the date hereof, we have not sold any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.5 of Form F-3 during the prior 12 calendar month period that ends on and includes the date hereof. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.5 of Form F-3, in no event will we sell securities registered on this registration statement of which any prospectus supplement forms a part in a public primary offering with a value exceeding one-third of our outstanding voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates (the “public float”) in any 12-month period so long as our public float remains below $75.0 million.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “foreign private issuer” under applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules, and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings. See the section entitled “Prospectus Summary—Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer” for additional information.
You should rely only on the information contained herein or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 2, under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus as described on page 8 of this prospectus.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Unless otherwise indicated, references in this registration statement to “Locafy,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Locafy Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of Australia, and its directly owned subsidiary on a consolidated basis unless the context requires otherwise.
We express all amounts in this prospectus in U.S. dollars, except where otherwise indicated. References to “$” and “US$” are to U.S. dollars and references to “A$” are to Australian dollars.
We have made rounding adjustments to some of the figures included in this prospectus. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in some tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that preceded them.
PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION
We report under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”). None of the financial statements incorporated by reference in this prospectus were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. We present our financial statements in Australian dollars.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference to this prospectus, contains, and any prospectus supplement may contain, forward-looking statements that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by the use of terminology such as “subject to”, “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “can,” the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy. Forward-looking statements are any statements that look to future events and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our business strategy; trends, opportunities and risks affecting our business, industry and financial results; future expansion or growth plans and potential for future growth; our ability to attract new clients to purchase our solution; our strategy of expanding our business through strategic acquisitions and to integrate such acquisitions with our business and personnel; our ability to retain customer base and induce them to license additional products; our ability to accurately forecast future revenues and appropriately plan our expenses; market acceptance of our solutions; our expectations regarding implementation of remedial measures; our expectations regarding future revenues generated by our solutions; our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and key personnel; and the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and liquidity.
Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance, and are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:
● | our expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and our needs for financing; | |
● | our ability to successfully commercialize, develop, market or sell new products or adopt new technology platforms; | |
● | the possibility that our customers may not renew maintenance agreements or purchase additional professional services; | |
● | our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; | |
● | our ability to adequately manage our growth; | |
● | our ability to maintain good relations with our partners; | |
● | our reliance on relationships with third parties; | |
● | our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights; | |
● | our ability to regain and maintain compliance with continued listing requirements of Nasdaq; | |
● | our ability to compete effectively; | |
● | the availability of suitable acquisition targets; | |
● | our ability to maintain effective internal controls; and | |
● | the other factors set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” of this prospectus and in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the most recent year incorporated by reference to this prospectus (together with any material changes thereto contained in subsequent furnished Reports on Form 6-K). |
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or the information incorporated by reference herein are based on current expectations, assumptions, and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments will be those that have been assumed or anticipated. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, or any other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the most recent year (together with any material changes thereto contained in subsequent furnished Reports on Form 6-K). Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, or the information incorporated by reference herein relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in such document. Except as required by U.S. federal securities law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement, and the information incorporated by reference herein, along with any exhibits thereto, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. Other sections of this prospectus, prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference herein include additional factors which could adversely impact our business and financial performance.
ii |
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration statement, we may sell the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total aggregate offering price to the public of $100 million. Furthermore, so long as the aggregate market value worldwide of our public float is less than $75 million, the aggregate market value of securities sold by us pursuant to this shelf registration statement during the period of 12 calendar months immediately prior to, and including, the sale, shall be no more than one-third of the public float. The offer and sale of securities under this prospectus may be made from time to time, in one or more offerings, in any manner described under the section in this prospectus entitled “Plan of Distribution.”
This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus, and may also contain information about any material federal income tax considerations relating to the securities covered by the prospectus supplement. Before purchasing any of our securities, you should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Documents by Reference.”
This summary may not contain all of the information that may be important to you. You should read this entire prospectus, including the financial statements and related notes and other financial data incorporated by reference in this prospectus, before making an investment decision. This summary contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include those discussed in “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
On December 7, 2022, our shareholders approved at a general meeting of shareholders a 1-for-20 reverse share split of the Company’s outstanding ordinary shares and the IPO Warrants (the “Reverse Share Split”), effective as of 11:00 a.m. (Australia time). Except as otherwise indicated, all share and per share information in this prospectus gives effect to the Reverse Share Split. However, ordinary share and per share amounts in the documents incorporated by reference herein filed prior to December 7, 2022, do not give effect to the Reverse Share Split.
When acquiring any securities described in this prospectus, you should rely only on the information provided in this prospectus and in any applicable prospectus supplement, including the information incorporated by reference. Neither we nor any underwriter, dealer or agent have authorized anyone to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are not offering our securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is prohibited. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or any document incorporated by reference is truthful or complete at any date other than the date mentioned on the cover page of any such document.
We may sell our securities to underwriters who will sell the securities to the public at a fixed offering price or at varying prices determined at the time of sale. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain the names of the underwriters, dealers or agents, if any, together with the terms of offering, the compensation of those underwriters, dealers or agents and the net proceeds to us. Any underwriters, dealers or agents participating in the offering may be deemed “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
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This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated by reference herein and does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making your investment decision. Before deciding to invest in our securities, you should read this entire prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement carefully, including the sections of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors”, “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”, the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 20-F for the most recent year incorporated by reference herein (together with any material changes thereto contained in subsequent furnished Reports on Form 6-K), our consolidated financial statements and the related notes incorporated by reference in this prospectus and all other information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
Our Company
We are an Australian company currently focused on commercializing our Software as a Service (SaaS) online publishing technology platform. Key aspects of our platform are patented in the United States. Central to our platform is the ability to publish almost any type of content to almost any device that uses a web browser to display web content. Once data is integrated with our platform, the production of pages is largely automated which enables the publication of large volumes of web pages. Further to that, our platform programmatically applies our proprietary search engine optimization technology that greatly enhances the search engine results page rankings for targeted keywords.
We also operate a Publishing division, which includes ownership of the global Hotfrog directory, and three additional Australian directories, AussieWeb.com.au, PinkPages.com.au and SuperPages.com.au.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer
Emerging Growth Company
We are an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of: the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenues; the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates; the issuance, in any three-year period, by us of more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; and the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of our first sale of common equity securities pursuant to a U.S. registration.
As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other publicly traded entities that are not emerging growth companies. These exemptions include: (i) the option to present only two years of audited financial statements and related discussion in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our filings with the SEC; (ii) not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; (iii) not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (i.e., an auditor discussion and analysis); (iv) not being required to submit certain executive compensation matters to shareholder advisory votes, such as “say-on-pay,” “say-on-frequency,” and “say-on-golden parachutes”; and (v) not being required to disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the chief executive officer’s compensation to median employee compensation.
Foreign Private Issuer
We report under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, as long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including: (i) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and (iii) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specific information, and Current Reports on Form 8-K upon the occurrence of specified significant events.
Company Information
We were incorporated on April 23, 2009 in Australia under the name Gumiyo Australia Pty Ltd. On January 14, 2021 we changed our name to Locafy Limited. Our principal executive offices are located at 246A Churchill Avenue, Subiaco, Western Australia 6008, Australia and our telephone number is +61 409 999 339. Our website address is www.locafy.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.
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An investment in our securities involves certain risks. Before investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors in our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F, or any updates in our Reports on Form 6-K, together with all of the other information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. The risks so described are not the only risks facing our company. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business operations. Any of these risks could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows and could result in a loss of all or part of your investment. In any case, the value of the securities offered by means of this prospectus could decline due to any of these risks, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
The following table sets forth our consolidated unaudited capitalization as of December 31, 2022, in accordance IFRS.
The amounts shown below are unaudited. The information in the following table should be read in conjunction with and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the financial statements and notes thereto included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and the other financial information incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
As of December 31, 2022 | ||||
(Actual) | ||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 1,005,191 | |||
Liabilities: | ||||
ASX Convertible Notes | 301,600 | |||
Total current debt | 301,600 | |||
Equity: | ||||
Issued capital | 45,038,037 | |||
Reserves | 5,508,912 | |||
Accumulated losses | (49,271,715 | ) | ||
Total surplus | 1,275,234 | |||
Total Capitalization | 1,905,180 |
2 |
The use of proceeds from the sale of securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a specific offering and sale of securities. Among other potential uses, the Company may use the net proceeds from the sale of securities offered hereunder to accelerate the commercialization of our existing technology, continue to innovate by enhancing and developing alternative applications of the technology, reduce debt to strengthen our balance sheet, and execute potential strategic acquisitions, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes.
We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including short-term, investment-grade, interest- bearing instruments and U.S. government securities, or may hold such proceeds as cash, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of net proceeds.
The descriptions of the securities contained in this prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplements, summarize the material terms and provisions of the various types of securities that we may offer. We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the particular terms of any securities offered by such prospectus supplement. If we so indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, the terms of the securities may differ from the terms we have summarized below.
We may sell from time to time, in one or more offerings, ordinary shares, preference shares, subscription rights, warrants and/or units comprising any combination of these securities. The total dollar amount of all securities that we may issue under this prospectus will not exceed $100 million.
General
Australian law does not limit the authorized share capital that may be issued by a corporation and does not recognize the concept of par value. Subject to our Constitution, the Corporations Act, and the rules governing the listing of our securities on Nasdaq, our directors are entitled to issue shares in our capital, grant options over unissued shares, and settle the manner in which fractions of a share are to be dealt with. The directors may decide the persons to whom, and the terms on which, shares are issued or options are granted as well as the rights and restrictions that attach to those shares or options subject to our Constitution, the Corporations Act and the rules governing the listing of our securities on Nasdaq.
On December 7, 2022, the Company’s shareholders approved at a general meeting of the shareholders the Reverse Share Split, which was effective as of 11:00 a.m. (Australia time). Accordingly, the number of ordinary shares outstanding was consolidated to 1,031,238 shares, the number of listed IPO Warrants to purchase ordinary shares was consolidated to 72,800 listed IPO Warrants, the number of shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding unlisted warrants was consolidated to 4,365 shares and the number of shares underlying outstanding performance rights was consolidated to 119,250 shares as of the date of the Reverse Share Split.
Ordinary shares
Voting Rights
Each holder of our ordinary shares is entitled to receive notice of and to be present, to vote and to speak at general meetings. Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any shares, on a show of hands each holder of ordinary shares present has one vote and, on a poll, one vote for each fully paid share held, and for each partly paid share, a fraction of a vote equivalent to the proportion to which the share has been paid up. Voting may be in person or by proxy, attorney or representative.
No business, the election of a chairman and the adjournment of the meeting, shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present comprising two shareholders present in person, by proxy, attorney or representative.
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Dividend Rights
Holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to receive such dividends as may be declared by the directors, subject to and in accordance with the Corporations Act, the rights of any preference shareholders and to the rights of the holders of any shares created or raised under any special arrangement as to dividend. If the directors determine that a final or interim dividend is payable, it is (subject to the terms of issue on any shares or class of shares) paid on all shares proportionate to the amount for the time being paid on each share. Dividends may be paid by cash, electronic transfer, or any other method as the board determines.
The directors have the power to capitalize and distribute the whole or part of the amount from time to time standing to the credit of any reserve account or the profit and loss account or otherwise available for distribution to shareholders, subject to any rights or restrictions for the time being attached to any class or class of shares. The capitalization and distribution must be in the same proportions which the shareholders would be entitled to receive if distributed by way of a dividend.
Subject to the rules of Nasdaq, the directors may pay a dividend out of any fund or reserve or out of profits derived from any source.
Variation of Class Rights
The Corporations Act provides that if a company has a constitution that sets out the procedure for varying or cancelling rights attached to shares in a class of shares, those rights may be varied or cancelled only in accordance with the procedure.
The rights attached to our ordinary shares may only be varied with the consent in writing of members holding at least three-quarters of the issued shares of that class, or with the sanction of a special resolution passed at a separate meeting of the holders of shares of that class. Any variation of rights will be subject to the Corporations Act.
Rights of Non-Resident or Foreign Shareholders
There are no specific limitations in the Corporations Act which restrict the acquisition, ownership, or disposal of shares in an Australian company by non-resident or foreign shareholders. The Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 (Cth) regulates investment in Australian companies and may restrict the acquisition, ownership, and disposal of our ordinary shares by non-resident or foreign shareholders.
Rights and Restrictions on Classes of Shares
Subject to the Corporations Act, rights attaching to our ordinary shares are detailed in our Constitution. Our Constitution provides that any of our ordinary shares may be issued with preferred, deferred or other special rights or restrictions, whether in relation to dividends, voting, return of share capital, payment of calls or otherwise as the board may determine from time to time. Except as provided by contract or by our Constitution to the contrary, all unissued shares are under the control of the board which may grant options on the ordinary shares, allot or otherwise issue the ordinary shares on the terms and conditions and for the consideration it deems fit. Currently our outstanding share capital consists of only one class of ordinary shares.
Dividend Rights
The board may from time to time determine to pay dividends to shareholders. All unclaimed dividends may be invested or otherwise made use of by the board for our benefit until claimed or otherwise disposed of in accordance with our Constitution, except as otherwise provided by statute.
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Voting Rights
Under our Constitution, each holder of our ordinary shares is entitled to receive notice of and to be present, to vote and to speak at general meetings. Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any shares, on a show of hands each holder of ordinary shares present has one vote and, on a poll, one vote for each fully paid share held, and for each partly paid share, a fraction of a vote equivalent to the proportion to which the share has been paid up.
Under Australian law, shareholders of a public company with more than one member are not permitted to approve corporate matters by written consent. Our Constitution does not provide for cumulative voting.
Pursuant to the Corporations Act, our board of directors must convene a general meeting if requested to do so by shareholders with at least 5% of the votes that may be cast at the general meeting or members with at least 5% of the votes that may be cast at a general meeting may call, and arrange to hold, a general meeting.
Generally, only items of business included in the relevant notice of meeting (or any supplementary notice) would be considered and voted on at general meetings.
Right to Share in our Profits
Subject to the Corporations Act (which contains no overriding provisions as of the date of this prospectus) and pursuant to our Constitution, our shareholders are entitled to participate in our profits only by payment of dividends. The board may from time to time determine to pay dividends to the shareholders.
Rights to Share in the Surplus in the Event of Liquidation
Our Constitution provides for the right of shareholders to participate in a surplus in the event of our liquidation. In certain circumstances, any division may be otherwise than in accordance with the legal rights of the contributories, and in particular, our creditors and any other class of security holders may be given preferential or special rights or may be excluded altogether or in part from participation in a surplus in the event of liquidation.
If the Company is wound up, the liquidator may, with the authority of a special resolution, divide among the shareholders in kind the whole or any part of the property of the Company, and may for that purpose set such value as he considers fair upon any property to be so divided, and may determine how the division is to be carried out as between the shareholders or different classes of shareholders.
The liquidator may, with the authority of a special resolution, vest the whole or any part of any such property in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the contributories as the liquidator thinks fit, but so that no Shareholder is compelled to accept any shares or other securities in respect of which there is any liability.
Redemption Provisions
Under our Constitution and subject to the Corporations Act (which contains no overriding provisions as of the date of this prospectus) we are able to:
● | redeem and cancel ordinary shares, subject to obtaining the necessary and prior shareholder approval; and | |
● | issue preference shares on the terms that they are, or may at our option be, liable to be redeemed, with or without shareholder approval. |
Shareholders Meetings
We must hold an annual general meeting within five months of the end of each fiscal year. Our end of fiscal year is currently June 30th each year. At the annual general meeting, shareholders typically consider the annual financial report, directors’ report and auditor’s report and vote on matters, including the election of directors and the appointment of the auditor (if necessary). We may also hold other meetings of shareholders from time to time. The annual general meeting must be held in addition to any other meetings which we may hold.
Unless applicable law or our Constitution requires a special resolution, a resolution of shareholders is passed if more than 50% of the votes at the meeting are cast in favor of the resolution by shareholders in person or proxy entitled to vote upon the relevant resolution. A special resolution is passed if the notice of meeting sets out the intention to propose the special resolution and it is passed if at least 75% of the votes at the meeting are cast by shareholders in person or proxy entitled to vote upon the relevant resolution.
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A special resolution usually involves more important questions affecting us as a whole or the rights of some or all of our shareholders. Special resolutions are required in a variety of circumstances under our Constitution and the Corporations Act, including without limitation:
● | to change our name; | |
● | to amend or repeal and replace our Constitution; | |
● | to approve the terms of issue of preference shares; | |
● | to approve the variation of class rights of any class of shareholders; | |
● | to convert one class of shares into another class of shares; | |
● | to approve certain buy backs of shares; | |
● | to approve a selective capital reduction of our shares; | |
● | to approve financially assisting a person to acquire our shares; | |
● | to change our company type; | |
● | with the leave of an authorized Australian court, to approve our voluntary winding up | |
● | to confer on a liquidator, with either general or specific authority in respect of compensation arrangements of such liquidator; and | |
● | to approve an arrangement entered into between a company about to be, or in the course of being, wound up. |
Preference Shares
Subject to Nasdaq Listing Rules and the Corporations Act, the Company may issue preference shares that may be convertible into ordinary shares and/or other securities. The particular terms and provisions of the preference shares offered by any prospectus supplement and the extent to which the general terms and provisions described below may apply to them, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Before any preference shares of a particular series are issued, our board of directors shall, by resolution, fix the dividend date, dividend rate, and whether the preference share is or is not, or at our option is to be, liable to be redeemed, and, if the preference share is a Redeemable Preference Share (as defined in our Constitution), the redemption amount and the redemption date for that Redeemable Preference Share and any other terms and conditions to apply to that preference share.
Each preference share confers upon its holder:
a) | the right in a winding up to payment in cash of the capital (including any premium) then paid up on it, and any arrears of dividend in respect of that preference, in priority to any other class of shares; | |
b) | the right in priority to any payment of dividend to any other class of shares to a cumulative preferential dividend payable on each dividend date in relation to that preference share calculated in accordance with the dividend rate in relation to that preference share; and | |
c) | no right to participate beyond the extent elsewhere in our Constitution in our surplus assets or profits, whether in a winding up or otherwise. |
As of the date hereof, we have no preference shares issued and outstanding.
Listing
Our ordinary shares and IPO Warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “LCFY” and “LCFYW”, respectively.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our ordinary shares in the United States is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. at its principal office in Canton, Massachusetts.
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Takeovers – Change of Control
Takeovers of Australian public companies, such as Locafy, are regulated by the Corporations Act, which prohibits the acquisition of a “relevant interest” in issued voting shares in a company if the acquisition will lead to that person’s or someone else’s voting power in the company increasing from 20% or below to more than 20% or increasing from a starting point that is above 20% and below 90%, subject to a range of exceptions.
Generally, a person will have a relevant interest in securities if the person:
● is the holder of the securities;
● has power to exercise, or control the exercise of, a right to vote attached to the securities; or
● has the power to dispose of, or control the exercise of a power to dispose of, the securities, including any indirect or direct power or control.
If, at a particular time, a person has a relevant interest in issued securities and the person:
● has entered or enters into an agreement with another person with respect to the securities;
● has given or gives another person an enforceable right, or has been or is given an enforceable right by another person, in relation to the securities (whether the right is enforceable presently or in the future and whether or not on the fulfillment of a condition);
● has granted or grants an option to, or has been or is granted an option by, another person with respect to the securities;
● the other person would have a relevant interest in the securities if the agreement were performed, the right enforced or the option exercised; or
● the other person is taken to already have a relevant interest in the securities.
There are a number of exceptions to the above prohibition on acquiring a relevant interest in issued voting shares above 20%. In general terms, some of the more significant exceptions include:
● acquisition relating to takeover bids;
● when shareholders approve the takeover by resolution passed at general meeting;
● an acquisition by a person of no more than 3% in any 6 month period; or
● when the acquisition results from the issue of securities under a pro rata rights issue.
Breaches of the takeovers provisions of the Corporations Act are criminal offenses. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission and the Australian Takeovers Panel have a wide range of powers relating to breaches of takeover provisions, including the ability to make orders canceling contracts, freezing transfers of, and rights attached to, securities, and forcing a party to dispose of securities. There are certain defenses to breaches of the takeover provisions provided in the Corporations Act.
Foreign Ownership Regulation
There are no limitations on the rights to own securities imposed by our Constitution. However, the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 (Cth) and Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Regulation 2015 (Cth) (together, “Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime”), regulates certain types of acquisitions by ‘foreign persons’ of equity interests in Australian companies and unit trusts and of interests in Australian businesses and real property assets.
Under Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime, as currently in effect, foreign persons must make a mandatory notification to the Australian Treasurer through the Foreign Investment Review Board (“FIRB”) and obtain receipt of a no objections notification from the Australian Treasurer in the following circumstances (among others):
● all foreign persons acquiring a ‘direct interest’ (generally an interest of 10% or more) in an Australian company or business that is a ‘national security business’, regardless of value;
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● ‘foreign government investors’ acquiring a direct interest in an Australian company or business, regardless of value; and
● ‘foreign persons’ that are not ‘foreign government investors’ acquiring a substantial interest (generally 20% or more) in an Australian company or business which has a total asset value of A$310 million or more (or A$1,339 million or more in the case of investors incorporated in the US and ultimately owned by entities and persons within the US (and certain other countries who are subject to free trade agreements with Australia) where the Australian company or business is not a sensitive business (which includes media, telecommunications, transport, defense and military related industries among others)).
At present, we do not have total assets of A$310 million and we are not a ‘national security business’.
An entity is a ‘foreign government investor’ if it is:
● a foreign government or separate government entity;
● a corporation or trust in which a foreign government / separate government entity holds (directly or indirectly) an interest of 20% or more (including through actual or potential voting power) or in which foreign governments / separate government entities of more than one foreign country (or parts of more than one foreign country) hold (directly or indirectly) an aggregate interest of 40% or more (including through actual or potential voting power); or
● a limited partnership in which a foreign government / separate government entity holds (directly or indirectly) an interest of 20% or more (including through actual or potential voting power) or in which foreign governments / separate government entities of more than one foreign country (or parts of more than one foreign country) hold (directly or indirectly) an aggregate interest of 40% or more (including through actual or potential voting power),
unless, in respect of corporations, trusts or limited partnerships, the entity meets certain passive investor requirements (which include, amongst other requirements, that the entity operates a scheme and that an individual member of the entity is not able to influence any individual investment decisions, or the management of any individual investments, of the entity under the scheme).
Acquisitions thresholds take account of interests held by “associates” and there are tracing rules that can apply. “Associates” is a broadly defined term under Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime as being, in relation to a person:
● any relative of the person;
● any person with whom the person is acting, or proposes to act, in concert in relation to an action to which Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime may apply;
● any person with whom the person carries on a business in partnership
● any entity of which the person is a senior officer;
● any corporation in which the person holds an interest of 20% or more;
● if the person is a corporation, a person who holds and interest 20% or more in the corporation;
● the trustee of a trust in which the person holds an interest of 20% or more
● for foreign government investors, a separate government entity or a foreign government investor in relation to the same foreign country, amongst others.
The Australian Treasurer may prevent a proposed acquisition in the above categories or impose conditions on such acquisition if the Australian Treasurer is satisfied that the acquisition would be contrary to the national interest or national security. If a foreign person acquires shares or an interest in shares in an Australian company in contravention of Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime, the Australian Treasurer may order the divestiture of such person’s shares or interest in shares in such company. The Australian Treasurer may order divestiture pursuant to Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime if it is determined that the acquisition has resulted in that foreign person, either alone or together with other non-associated or associated foreign persons, controlling the company and that such control is contrary to the national interest. Criminal offences and civil penalties for breaches of Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime can apply to failing to give notification of certain acquisitions, undertaking certain acquisitions without a no objection notification or contravening a condition in a no objection notification.
Each foreign person seeking to acquire holdings in excess of the above caps (including their Associates, as the case may be) would need to complete an application form setting out the proposal and relevant particulars of the proposed acquisition/shareholding. The Australian Treasurer then has 30 days to consider the application and a further 10 days to notify the applicant of that decision. The decision period commences upon receipt of payment of the correct application fee. However, FIRB can request an extension of time. If the applicant does not consent to the extension, FIRB can issue an interim order preventing the foreign person from carrying out the proposed transactions and allowing FIRB a further 90 days to consider the application.
If we become a ‘foreign person’ under Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime due to levels of foreign ownership of our shares, we would be required to obtain the approval of the Australian Treasurer for us, together with our associates, to undertake certain acquisitions of Australian entities, businesses and land if the relevant thresholds are met.
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DESCRIPTION OF SUBSCRIPTION RIGHTS
We may issue subscription rights that are exchangeable for our equity securities and/or other securities. The particular terms and provisions of subscription rights offered by any prospectus supplement, and the extent to which the general terms and provisions described below may apply to them, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. This description will include, without limitation, where applicable:
● | the title and number of subscription rights; | |
● | the price at which the subscription rights will be offered; | |
● | the currency in which the subscription rights will be offered and whether the price is payable in installments; | |
the period during which and the price at which the subscription rights will be offered; | ||
● | the terms, conditions and procedures for the exchange of the subscription rights into or for our equity securities and/or other securities; | |
● | the circumstances, if any, which will cause the subscription rights to be deemed to be automatically converted or exchanged; | |
● | the designation, number and terms of our equity securities and/or other securities that may be issued or delivered upon exchange of each subscription rights; | |
● | the provisions applicable to any escrow of the gross or net proceeds from the sale of the subscription rights plus any interest or income earned thereon, and for the release of such proceeds from such escrow; | |
● | the identity of the subscription rights agent; | |
● | whether the subscription rights will be listed on any securities exchange; | |
● | any minimum or maximum subscription amount; | |
● | whether the subscription rights will be issued in fully registered or global form; | |
● | the terms applicable to the gross or net proceeds from the sale of the subscription rights plus any interest earned thereon; | |
● | certain material Australian and United States tax consequences of owning or converting or exchanging the subscription rights; and | |
● | any other material terms and conditions of the subscription rights. |
Subscription rights may be offered separately or together with other securities, as the case may be. The applicable prospectus supplement will include details of the subscription rights agreement, if any, governing the subscription rights being offered. In the United States, we will file as exhibits to the Registration Statement, or will incorporate by reference from Report of Foreign Private Issuer on Form 6-K that we furnish with the SEC, any subscription right describing the terms and conditions of subscription rights we are offering before the issuance of such subscription rights.
Our equity securities and/or other securities issued or delivered upon the exchange of subscription rights will be issued for no additional consideration.
Prior to the exchange of their subscription rights, holders of subscription rights will not have any of the rights of holders of the securities subject to the subscription rights.
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We may issue warrants for the purchase of preference shares or ordinary shares. Warrants may be issued independently or together with preference shares or ordinary shares and may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Any issue of warrants may be substantially similar to our existing IPO Warrants. Any issue of warrants will be governed by the terms of the applicable form of warrant and any related warrant agreement which we will file with the SEC and they will be incorporated by reference to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part on or before the time we issue any warrants.
The particular terms of any issue of warrants will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issue. Those terms may include:
● | the title of such warrants; | |
● | the aggregate number of such warrants; | |
● | the price or prices at which such warrants will be issued; | |
● | the currency or currencies (including composite currencies) in which the price of such warrants may be payable; | |
● | the terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise of such warrants and the procedures and conditions relating to the exercise of such warrants; | |
● | the price at which the securities purchasable upon exercise of such warrants may be purchased; | |
● | the date on which the right to exercise such warrants will commence and the date on which such right shall expire; | |
● | any provisions for adjustment of the number or amount of securities receivable upon exercise of the warrants or the exercise price of the warrants; | |
● | if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of such warrants that may be exercised at any one time; | |
● | if applicable, the designation and terms of the securities with which such warrants are issued and the number of such warrants issued with each such security; | |
● | if applicable, the date on and after which such warrants and the related securities will be separately transferable; | |
● | information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; and | |
● | any other terms of such warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange or exercise of such warrants. |
The prospectus supplement relating to any warrants to purchase equity securities may also include, if applicable, a discussion of certain U.S. and Australian federal income tax considerations.
Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase the number of preference or ordinary shares at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth in, the applicable prospectus supplement.
After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void. We will specify the place or places where, and the manner in which, warrants may be exercised in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Prior to the exercise of any warrants to purchase preference shares or ordinary shares, holders of the warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of the preference shares or ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise, except as otherwise provided in the terms of such warrants.
Our existing IPO Warrants are listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol “LCFYW”.
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The following description sets forth certain general terms and provisions of units to which any prospectus supplement may relate.
We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued, if any, may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.
The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:
● | the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately; | |
● | any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; | |
● | whether the securities comprising the units will be listed on any securities exchange; and | |
● | whether the units will be issued in fully registered or global form. |
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any units. The preceding description and any description of units in the applicable prospectus supplement does not purport to be complete and is subject to and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the unit agreement and, if applicable, collateral arrangements and depositary arrangements relating to such units.
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Our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F provides a discussion of certain tax considerations that may be relevant to prospective investors in our securities. The applicable prospectus supplement may also contain information about certain material tax considerations relating to the securities covered by such prospectus supplement. Prospective investors should read the tax discussion in any prospectus supplement with respect to a particular offering and consult their own tax advisors with respect to their own particular circumstances.
We may sell the securities offered by this prospectus to one or more underwriters or dealers for public offering, through agents, directly to one or more purchasers or through a combination of any such methods of sale, including in “at-the-market” offerings, within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise. The name of any such underwriters, dealers or agents involved in the offer and sale of the securities, the amounts underwritten and the nature of its obligation to take the securities will be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. We have reserved the right to sell the securities directly to investors on our own behalf in those jurisdictions where we are authorized to do so. The sale of the securities may be effected in one or more transactions (a) on any national or international securities exchange or quotation service on which the securities may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, (b) in the over-the-counter market, (c) in transactions otherwise than on such exchanges or in the over-the-counter market or (d) through the writing of options. Each time that we sell securities covered by this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement or supplements that will describe the method of distribution and set forth the terms and conditions of the offering of such securities, including the offering price of the securities and the proceeds to us, if applicable.
We and our agents and underwriters may offer and sell the securities at a fixed price or prices that may be changed, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to such prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices. The securities may be offered on an exchange, which will be disclosed in the applicable prospectus supplement. We may, from time to time, authorize dealers, acting as our agents, to offer and sell the securities upon such terms and conditions as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We may also sell the securities offered by any applicable prospectus supplement in “at-the-market offerings” within the meaning of Rule 415 of the Securities Act made through the facilities of Nasdaq or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise.
If we use underwriters to sell securities, we will enter into an underwriting agreement with them at the time of the sale to them. In connection with the sale of the securities, underwriters or agents may receive compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and may also receive commissions from purchasers of the securities for whom they may act as agent. The names of any underwriters, any underwriting compensation paid by us to underwriters or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers, will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement to the extent required by applicable law. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions (which may be changed from time to time) from the purchasers for whom they may act as agents. If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, the securities will be sold to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.
Dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis.
If so indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters, dealers or agents to solicit offers by certain specified institutions to purchase offered securities from us at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on a specified date in the future. Such contracts will be subject to any conditions set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement and the prospectus supplement will set forth the commission payable for solicitation of such contracts. The underwriters and other persons soliciting such contracts will have no responsibility for the validity or performance of any such contracts. Offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus may also be solicited directly.
Underwriters, dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us, to indemnification against and contribution towards certain civil liabilities, including any liabilities under the Securities Act.
To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain, or otherwise affect the price of the securities. These may include over-allotment, stabilization, syndicate short covering transactions and penalty bids. Over-allotment involves sales in excess of the offering size, which creates a short position. Stabilizing transactions involve bids to purchase the underlying security so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum. Syndicate short covering transactions involve purchases of securities in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. Penalty bids permit the underwriters to reclaim selling concessions from dealers when the securities originally sold by the dealers are purchased in covering transactions to cover syndicate short positions. These transactions may cause the price of the securities sold in an offering to be higher than it would otherwise be. These transactions, if commenced, may be discontinued by the underwriters at any time.
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Any securities other than our ordinary shares and warrants issued hereunder may be new issues of securities with no established trading market. Any underwriters or agents to or through whom such securities are sold for public offering and sale may make a market in such securities, but such underwriters or agents will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of the trading market for any such securities. The amount of expenses expected to be incurred by us in connection with any issuance of securities will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Certain of the underwriters, dealers or agents and their associates may engage in transactions with, and perform services for, us and certain of our affiliates in the ordinary course of business.
During such time as we may be engaged in a distribution of the securities covered by this prospectus we are required to comply with Regulation M promulgated under the Exchange Act. With certain exceptions, Regulation M precludes us, any affiliated purchasers, and any broker-dealer or other person who participates in such distribution from bidding for or purchasing, or attempting to induce any person to bid for or purchase, any security which is the subject of the distribution until the entire distribution is complete. Regulation M also restricts bids or purchases made in order to stabilize the price of a security in connection with the distribution of that security. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of our shares of ordinary shares.
The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.
The validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus and other legal matters concerning this offering relating to Australian law will be passed upon for us by Lander & Rogers, Melbourne, Australia. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering relating to U.S. law will be passed upon for us by Haynes and Boone, LLP, New York, New York.
The audited consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the years ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021 incorporated by reference in this prospectus have been audited by Grant Thornton Audit Pty Ltd, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference, which report includes an explanatory paragraph about the existence of substantial doubt concerning the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as an expert in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form F-3 that we have filed with the SEC. To see more detail, you should read the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with, or incorporated by reference into, our registration statement.
The SEC maintains a website that contains reports and other information regarding issuers, such as us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address is www.sec.gov.
We are subject to the information reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to foreign private issuers and under those requirements file reports with the SEC. Accordingly, we are required to file or furnish reports and other information with the SEC, including Annual Reports on Form 20-F and Reports on Form 6-K. As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act related to the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and from short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act, among other things. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as United States companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act.
We maintain a corporate website at www.locafy.com. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
We file annual and special reports and other information with the SEC. These filings contain important information which does not appear in this prospectus. The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to other documents which we have filed or will file with the SEC. We are incorporating by reference in this prospectus the documents listed below and all amendments or supplements we may file to such documents, as well as any future filings we may make with the SEC on Form 20-F under the Exchange Act before the time that all of the securities offered by this prospectus have been sold or de-registered:
● | the description of our ordinary shares contained under the “Item 1. Description of Registrant’s Securities to be Registered” in our registration statement on Form 8-A, as filed with the SEC on March 24, 2022, and amended on March 29, 2022, as amended and supplemented by the description of our ordinary sharers contained in Exhibit 2.1 to our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended June 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on November 15, 2022, including any subsequent amendment or any report filed for the purpose of updating such description; | |
● | our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on November 15, 2022; and | |
● | our Reports on Form 6-K furnished with the SEC on July 5, 2022, December 7, 2022, December 23, 2022, March 17, 2023, and March 24, 2023. |
We may also incorporate any other Form 6-K that we submit to the SEC on or after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of this offering if the Form 6-K filing specifically states that it is incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Any statement in this prospectus contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement in this prospectus or in any later filed document modifies or supersedes that statement. Any statement that is modified or superseded in this manner will no longer be a part of this prospectus, except as modified or superseded.
We will provide you without charge, upon your written or oral request, a copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents which are not specifically incorporated by reference into such documents. Please direct your written or telephone requests to Locafy Limited, 246A Churchill Avenue, Subiaco WA 6008, Australia and our telephone number is +61 409 999 339. Our website address is www.locafy.com. Information contained in our website is not part of this prospectus.
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ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are incorporated under the laws of Australia. Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. In addition, several of our directors and officers are nationals and/or residents of countries other than the United States, and all or a substantial portion of such persons’ assets may be located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or such persons or to enforce against them or against us, judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof. In addition, investors should not assume that the courts of Australia (i) would enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us, our officers or directors, or other said persons, predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws or other laws of the United States; or (ii) would enforce, in original actions, liabilities against us or such directors, officers or experts predicated upon the United States federal securities laws or any securities or other laws of any state or jurisdiction of the United States.
In addition, there is doubt as to the applicability of the civil liability provisions of U.S. federal securities law to original actions instituted in Australia. It may be difficult for an investor, or any other person or entity, to assert U.S. securities laws claims in original actions instituted in Australia.
In addition, as a company incorporated in Australia, the provisions of the Corporations Act regulate the circumstances in which shareholder derivative actions may be commenced which may be different, and in many ways less permissive, than for companies incorporated in the United States.
The following is an estimate, subject to future contingencies, of the expenses we may incur in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered. All amounts listed in the table below are estimates except the SEC registration fee.
Expense | Estimated Amount | |||
SEC registration fee | $ | 11,020 | ||
FINRA filing fees | $ | 15,500 | ||
Printing expenses | * | |||
Legal fees and expenses | * | |||
Accounting fees and expenses | * | |||
Miscellaneous costs | * | |||
Total | * |
* | To be provided in a prospectus supplement describing an offering of securities or a Report on Form 6-K that is incorporated by reference herein. |
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$100,000,000
Ordinary Shares
Preference Shares
Warrants
Subscription Rights
Units
The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED MAY 18, 2023
PROSPECTUS
Up to $2,238,645.60
Ordinary Shares
We have entered into an At The Market Offering Agreement (the “Sales Agreement”), with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (“Wainwright” or the “sales agent”), dated May 18, 2023, relating to the sale of our ordinary shares, no par value per share, having an aggregate offering price of up to $2,238,645.60 from time to time through Wainwright, acting as sales agent.
Sales of our ordinary shares, if any, under this prospectus will be made by any method permitted that is deemed an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), including sales made directly on or through the Nasdaq Capital Market (“Nasdaq”) or any other existing trading market in the United States for our ordinary shares, sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange or otherwise, directly to Wainwright as principal, in negotiated transactions at market prices prevailing at the time of sale or at prices related to such prevailing market prices and/or in any other method permitted by law. If we and Wainwright agree on any method of distribution other than sales of our ordinary shares on or through the Nasdaq or another existing trading market in the United States at market prices, we will file a further prospectus supplement providing all information about such offering as required by Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act. Wainwright is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of securities, but Wainwright will act as our sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.
Wainwright will be entitled to compensation at a commission rate of 3.0% of the gross sales price per share sold under the Sales Agreement. See “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page 12 for additional information regarding the compensation to be paid to Wainwright. In connection with the sale of the ordinary shares on our behalf, Wainwright will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation of Wainwright will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Wainwright with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
Our ordinary shares are listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “LCFY” and our warrants to purchase our ordinary shares issued pursuant to our initial public offering (the “IPO Warrants”) are listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “LCFYW”. On May 17, 2023, the closing price of our ordinary shares and IPO Warrants as reported on Nasdaq was $9.00 and $3.86, respectively.
On May 18, 2023, the aggregate market value worldwide of our outstanding voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates was approximately $6.7 million, based on 750,384 ordinary shares outstanding held by non-affiliates and a per share price of $8.95 based on the closing sale price of the ordinary shares on Nasdaq on May 10, 2023. As of the date hereof, we have not sold any securities pursuant to General Instruction I.B.5 of Form F-3 during the prior 12 calendar month period that ends on and includes the date hereof. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.5 of Form F-3, in no event will we sell securities pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part in a public primary offering with a value exceeding one-third of our outstanding voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates (the “public float”) in any 12-month period so long as our public float remains below $75.0 million.
After giving effect to these limitations and the current public float, we currently may offer and sell ordinary shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $2,238,645.60 under this prospectus. If our public float increases such that we may sell additional amounts under the Sales Agreement and the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, we will file a prospectus supplement prior to making additional sales.
We are an “emerging growth company” and a “foreign private issuer” under applicable Securities and Exchange Commission rules, and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings. See the section entitled “Prospectus Summary—Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer” for additional information.
You should rely only on the information contained herein or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described in this prospectus under “Risk Factors” beginning on page 2 of this prospectus, on page 3 of the base prospectus and under the heading “Risk Factors” contained under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus as described on page 8 of this prospectus.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
H.C. Wainwright & Co.
The date of this prospectus is , 2023
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Unless otherwise indicated, references in this prospectus to “Locafy,” “the Company,” “we,” “us” and “our” refer to Locafy Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of Australia, and its directly owned subsidiary on a consolidated basis unless the context requires otherwise.
We express all amounts in this prospectus in U.S. dollars, except where otherwise indicated. References to “$” and “US$” are to U.S. dollars and references to “A$” are to Australian dollars.
We have made rounding adjustments to some of the figures included in this prospectus. Accordingly, numerical figures shown as totals in some tables may not be an arithmetic aggregation of the figures that preceded them.
PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL INFORMATION
We report under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”) as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”). None of the financial statements incorporated by reference in this prospectus were prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States. We present our financial statements in Australian dollars.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference to this prospectus, contains forward-looking statements that relate to our current expectations and views of future events. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by the use of terminology such as “subject to”, “believe,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “project,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “can,” the negatives thereof, variations thereon and similar expressions, or by discussions of strategy. Forward-looking statements are any statements that look to future events and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our business strategy; trends, opportunities and risks affecting our business, industry and financial results; future expansion or growth plans and potential for future growth; our ability to attract new clients to purchase our solution; our strategy of expanding our business through strategic acquisitions and to integrate such acquisitions with our business and personnel; our ability to retain customer base and induce them to license additional products; our ability to accurately forecast future revenues and appropriately plan our expenses; market acceptance of our solutions; our expectations regarding implementation of remedial measures; our expectations regarding future revenues generated by our solutions; our ability to attract and retain qualified employees and key personnel; and the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on our business, results of operations, cash flows, financial condition and liquidity.
Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance, and are based only on our current beliefs, expectations and assumptions regarding the future of our business, future plans and strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements include, among others, the following:
● | our expenses, future revenues, capital requirements and our needs for financing; | |
● | our ability to successfully commercialize, develop, market or sell new products or adopt new technology platforms; | |
● | the possibility that our customers may not renew maintenance agreements or purchase additional professional services; | |
● | our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; | |
● | our ability to adequately manage our growth; | |
● | our ability to maintain good relations with our partners; | |
● | our reliance on relationships with third parties; | |
● | our ability to adequately protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights; | |
● | our ability to regain and maintain compliance with continued listing requirements of Nasdaq; | |
● | our ability to compete effectively; | |
● | the availability of suitable acquisition targets; | |
● | our ability to maintain effective internal controls; and | |
● | the other factors set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” of this prospectus and in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the most recent year incorporated by reference to this prospectus (together with any material changes thereto contained in subsequent furnished Reports on Form 6-K). |
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus or the information incorporated by reference herein are based on current expectations, assumptions, and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments will be those that have been assumed or anticipated. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” in this prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus and prospectus supplement related to this offering or any other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, including in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 20-F for the most recent year (together with any material changes thereto contained in subsequent furnished reports on Form 6-K). Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements, and you should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements made in this prospectus, or the information incorporated by reference herein relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in such document. Except as required by U.S. federal securities law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this prospectus and the information incorporated by reference herein, along with any exhibits thereto, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. Other sections of this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein include additional factors which could adversely impact our business and financial performance.
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This prospectus is part of the registration statement on Form F-3 that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a “shelf” registration process. This prospectus relates to the offering of our ordinary shares. Before buying any of the ordinary shares that we are offering, we urge you to carefully read this prospectus, together with the information incorporated by reference as described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.” These documents contain important information that you should consider when making your investment decision.
This prospectus describes the specific terms of the ordinary shares we are offering and also adds to and updates information contained in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus, on the one hand, and the information contained in any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference into this prospectus—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.
You should only rely on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any issuer free writing prospectus or prospectus supplement that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering. No person has been authorized to give any information or make any representations in connection with this offering other than those contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any related issuer free writing prospectus or prospectus supplement in connection with the offering described herein and therein, and, if given or made, such information or representations must not be relied upon as having been authorized by us. Neither this prospectus nor any related issuer free writing prospectus nor prospectus supplement shall constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy offered securities in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offering or solicitation. This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For a more complete understanding of the offering of the securities, you should refer to the registration statement, including its exhibits.
You should read the entire prospectus, including the financial statements and related notes and other financial data incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and any related issuer free writing prospectus and prospectus supplement, as well as the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before making an investment decision. Neither the delivery of this prospectus or any issuer free writing prospectus or prospectus supplement nor any sale made hereunder shall under any circumstances imply that the information contained or incorporated by reference herein or in any issuer free writing prospectus or prospectus supplement is correct as of any date subsequent to the date hereof or of such issuer free writing prospectus or prospectus supplement. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any issuer free writing prospectus, prospectus supplement, or any document incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the applicable documents, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of securities. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date. This summary contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include those discussed in “Risk Factors” and “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
On December 7, 2022, our shareholders approved at a general meeting of shareholders a 1-for-20 reverse share split of the Company’s outstanding ordinary shares and the IPO Warrants (the “Reverse Share Split”), effective as of 11:00 a.m. (Australia time). Except as otherwise indicated, all share and per share information in this prospectus gives effect to the Reverse Share Split. However, ordinary share and per share amounts in the documents incorporated by reference herein filed prior to December 7, 2022, do not give effect to the Reverse Share Split.
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This summary highlights information contained elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated by reference herein and does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making your investment decision. Before deciding to invest in our ordinary shares, you should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the sections of this prospectus entitled “Risk Factors”, “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements”, the section entitled “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the most recent year incorporated by reference herein (together with any material changes thereto contained in subsequent furnished Reports on Form 6-K), our consolidated financial statements and the related notes incorporated by reference in this prospectus and all other information included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
Our Company
We are an Australian company currently focused on commercializing our Software as a Service (SaaS) online publishing technology platform. Key aspects of our platform are patented in the United States. Central to our platform is the ability to publish almost any type of content to almost any device that uses a web browser to display web content. Once data is integrated with our platform, the production of pages is largely automated which enables the publication of large volumes of web pages. Further to that, our platform programmatically applies our proprietary search engine optimization technology that greatly enhances the search engine results page rankings for targeted keywords.
We also operate a Publishing division, which includes ownership of the global Hotfrog directory, and three additional Australian directories, AussieWeb.com.au, PinkPages.com.au and SuperPages.com.au.
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Foreign Private Issuer
Emerging Growth Company
We are an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of: the last day of the fiscal year in which we have more than $1.235 billion in annual revenues; the date we qualify as a “large accelerated filer,” with at least $700 million of equity securities held by non-affiliates; the issuance, in any three-year period, by us of more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities; and the last day of the fiscal year ending after the fifth anniversary of our first sale of common equity securities pursuant to a U.S. registration.
As an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other publicly traded entities that are not emerging growth companies. These exemptions include: (i) the option to present only two years of audited financial statements and related discussion in the section titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our filings with the SEC; (ii) not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; (iii) not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (i.e., an auditor discussion and analysis); (iv) not being required to submit certain executive compensation matters to shareholder advisory votes, such as “say-on-pay,” “say-on-frequency,” and “say-on-golden parachutes”; and (v) not being required to disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the chief executive officer’s compensation to median employee compensation.
Foreign Private Issuer
We report under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) as a non-U.S. company with foreign private issuer status. Even after we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, as long as we qualify as a foreign private issuer under the Exchange Act, we will be exempt from certain provisions of the Exchange Act that are applicable to U.S. domestic public companies, including: (i) the sections of the Exchange Act regulating the solicitation of proxies, consents or authorizations in respect of a security registered under the Exchange Act; (ii) the sections of the Exchange Act requiring insiders to file public reports of their stock ownership and trading activities and liability for insiders who profit from trades made in a short period of time; and (iii) the rules under the Exchange Act requiring the filing with the SEC of Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q containing unaudited financial and other specific information, and Current Reports on Form 8-K upon the occurrence of specified significant events.
Company Information
We were incorporated on April 23, 2009 in Australia under the name Gumiyo Australia Pty Ltd. On January 14, 2021 we changed our name to Locafy Limited. Our principal executive offices are located at 246A Churchill Avenue, Subiaco, Western Australia 6008, Australia and our telephone number is +61 409 999 339. Our website address is www.locafy.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.
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THE OFFERING | ||
Ordinary shares offered by us | Ordinary shares having an aggregate offering price of up to $2,238,645.60.
| |
Ordinary shares to be outstanding after the offering(1) | Up to 1,281,366 ordinary shares, assuming a sales price of $8.95 per share, which was the closing price of our ordinary shares as reported on Nasdaq on May 10, 2023. The actual number of ordinary shares issued will vary depending on the sales price at which shares may be sold from time to time during this offering. | |
Manner of offering | “At the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act, that may be made from time to time on Nasdaq, the existing trading market for our ordinary shares, through Wainwright, as sales agent. See section titled “Plan of Distribution” on page 9 of this prospectus. | |
Use of proceeds | We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering hereunder to reduce a portion of debts outstanding under our ASX Convertible Notes which have a fixed repayment amount, are not incurring further interest and have already matured, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. Please see “Use of Proceeds” on page 6. | |
Risk factors | Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should read the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 3 of this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus for a discussion of factors to consider before deciding to invest in our ordinary shares. | |
Nasdaq Capital Market symbol | LCFY |
(1) Based on 1,031,238 ordinary shares outstanding as of May 10, 2023, and excludes the following securities as of that date:
● |
125,987 ordinary shares issuable upon the settlement of certain unvested and contingent performance rights; | |
● | 72,800 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the IPO Warrants at an exercise price of $82.50 per share; and | |
● | 4,365 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the warrants issued to Wainwright in connection with our initial public offering at an exercise price of $103.12 per share. |
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An investment in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our ordinary shares, you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below, together with the information under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F or any updates in our Reports on Form 6-K, all of which are incorporated herein by reference, as updated or superseded by the risks and uncertainties described under similar headings in the other documents that are filed after the date hereof and incorporated by reference into this prospectus, together with all of the other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations. Past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, business prospects, financial condition or results of operations could be seriously harmed. This could cause the trading price of our ordinary shares to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment. Please also read carefully the section entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”
Additional Risks Related to our Ordinary Shares and this Offering
The ordinary shares offered hereby will be sold in “at-the-market” offerings, and investors who buy shares at different times will likely pay different prices.
Investors who purchase ordinary shares in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices, and so may experience different outcomes in their investment results. We will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices, and numbers of shares sold, and there is no minimum or maximum sales price. Investors may experience a decline in the value of their shares as a result of share sales made at prices lower than the prices they paid.
The actual number of ordinary shares we will issue under the Sales Agreement, at any one time or in total, is uncertain.
Subject to certain limitations in the Sales Agreement and compliance with applicable law, we have the discretion to deliver placement notices to Wainwright at any time throughout the term of the Sales Agreement. The number of shares that are sold by Wainwright after delivering a placement notice will fluctuate based on the market price of the ordinary shares during the sales period and limits we set with Wainwright. Because the price per share of each share sold will fluctuate based on the market price of our ordinary shares during the sales period, it is not possible at this stage to predict the number of shares that will be ultimately issued.
The market price of our securities may be volatile, which could result in substantial losses.
Securities markets worldwide have experienced, and are likely to continue to experience, significant price and volume fluctuations. This market volatility, as well as general economic, market or political conditions, could subject the market price of our securities to wide price fluctuations regardless of our operating performance. Some of the factors that may cause the market price of our securities to fluctuate include:
● | price and volume fluctuations in the global stock markets from time to time; | |
● | changes in operating performance and stock market valuations of other companies in our industry; | |
● | sales of our ordinary shares by us or any significant shareholder; | |
● | failure of securities analysts and credit rating agencies to initiate or maintain coverage of us, changes in financial estimates by securities analysts and credit rating agencies who follow us, or our failure to meet these estimates or the expectations of investors; | |
● | the financial projections we may provide to the public (in the event we decide to provide any such projections), any changes in those projections or our failure to meet those projections; | |
● | rumors and market speculation involving us or other companies in our industry; | |
● | actual or anticipated changes in our results of operations or fluctuations in our results of operations; |
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● | litigation involving us, our industry or both, or investigations by regulators into our operations or those of our competitors; | |
● | announced or completed acquisitions of businesses or technologies by us or our competitors; | |
● | new laws or regulations or new interpretations of existing laws or regulations applicable to our business; | |
● | changes in tax laws and regulations as well as accounting standards, policies, guidelines, interpretations or principles; | |
● | any significant change in our management team; | |
● | general economic conditions and slow or negative growth of our markets; and | |
● | other risk factors described in this section of this prospectus. |
In addition, stock markets have historically experienced substantial price and volume fluctuations. Broad market and industry factors may harm the market price of our securities. Hence, the market price of our securities could fluctuate based upon factors that have little or nothing to do with us, and these fluctuations could materially reduce the market price of our securities regardless of our operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has been instituted against that company. If we were involved in any similar litigation, we could incur substantial costs, our management’s attention and resources could be diverted and it could harm our business, operating results and financial condition.
Ordinary Shares representing a substantial percentage of our outstanding ordinary shares may be sold in this offering, which could cause the price of our ordinary shares to decline.
Pursuant to this offering, and subject to limits we set with Wainwright, as well as any limits under applicable law or exchange listing rules, we may sell up to 250,128 ordinary shares, assuming an offering price of $8.95 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on Nasdaq on May 10, 2023, representing approximately 24.2% of our outstanding ordinary shares as of May 10, 2023, if we sell all of the approximately $2.2 million of ordinary shares that could be offered pursuant to this prospectus. These sales and any future sales of a substantial number of ordinary shares in the public market, or the perception that such sales may occur, could materially adversely affect the price of our ordinary shares. We cannot predict the effect, if any, that market sales of such ordinary shares or the availability of such ordinary shares for sale will have on the market price of our ordinary shares.
Our management team may invest or spend the proceeds of this offering in ways with which you may not agree or in ways which may not yield a significant return.
Our management will have broad discretion over the use of proceeds from this offering. We currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering to reduce a portion of debts outstanding under our ASX Convertible Notes which have a fixed repayment amount, are not incurring further interest and have already matured, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. For more information, see “Use of Proceeds” on page 6. However, our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our ordinary shares. You will not have the opportunity, as part of your investment decision, to assess whether these proceeds are being used appropriately.
The amount and timing of our actual expenditures will depend upon numerous factors, including the amount of cash generated by our operations, the amount of competition, a change in business plan or strategy, our ability to select and negotiate definitive agreements with acquisition candidates, the need or desire on our part to accelerate, increase or eliminate existing initiatives due to, among other things, changing market conditions and competitive developments, the availability of other sources of cash including cash flow from operations and new bank debt financing arrangements, if any, and other operational factors, all of which are highly uncertain, subject to substantial risks and can often change. Depending on these factors and other unforeseen events, our plans and priorities may change, and we may apply the net proceeds of this offering in different proportions than we currently anticipate.
The failure by management to apply these funds effectively could have a material adverse effect on our business and cause the price of our ordinary shares to decline.
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We may not sell the maximum amount of ordinary shares offered by this prospectus, and even if we sell the maximum amount of ordinary shares offered by this prospectus, we will need additional capital in the future. If additional capital is not available, we may not be able to continue to operate our business pursuant to our business plan or we may have to discontinue our operations entirely.
Wainwright is not required to sell any specific number of securities but will offer the securities using commercially reasonable efforts upon our delivery of sales notices, meaning that we may raise substantially less than the total maximum offering amount. We have incurred losses in each year since our inception. More recently, we have implemented changes to our operations to reduce costs, however, if we continue to use cash at our historical rates of use and proceed with possible acquisitions or in-licensing transactions, we will need significant additional financing, which we may seek to raise through, among other things, public and private equity offerings and debt financing. Any equity financings will likely be dilutive to existing shareholders, and any debt financings will likely involve covenants restricting our business activities. Additional financing may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all.
Purchasers in this offering will likely experience immediate and substantial dilution in the book value of their investment.
The ordinary shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices. However, the expected offering price per ordinary shares may be substantially higher than the net tangible book value per ordinary share. If you purchase ordinary shares in this offering, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the price per share you pay and the net tangible book value per ordinary share. Assuming that the sale of an aggregate amount of $2,238,645.60 ordinary shares in this offering at an assumed offering price of $8.95 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on Nasdaq on May 10, 2023, and based on our net tangible book value as of December, 31, 2022, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses, if you purchase ordinary shares in this offering you will suffer substantial and immediate dilution of $8.27 per share in the net tangible book value of the ordinary shares. The future exercise of outstanding options or warrants and other instruments that are convertible or exercisable into ordinary shares, if any, will result in further dilution of your investment. See the section entitled “Dilution” on page 8 for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you will incur if you purchase our ordinary shares in this offering.
Sales of a substantial number of our ordinary shares, or the perception that such sales may occur, may adversely impact the price of our ordinary shares.
Sales of a substantial number of our ordinary shares in the public markets could depress the market price of our ordinary shares and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities. We cannot predict the effect that future sales of our ordinary shares would have on the market price of our ordinary shares.
You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.
To raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional ordinary shares or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our ordinary shares at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell ordinary shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional ordinary shares, or securities convertible or exchangeable into ordinary shares, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering.
Our failure to meet the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq could result in a delisting of our securities.
On March 21, 2023, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq indicating that we did not meet the minimum of $2,500,000 in stockholders’ equity required for continued listing on Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b)(1) or the alternative compliance standards relating to the market value of listed securities or net income from continuing operations. The letter also indicated that we will be provided with a period of 45 calendar days to submit a plan to regain compliance, and if such plan is accepted by Nasdaq, we may be granted up to 180 calendar days from March 21, 2023 in which to regain compliance.
We have in the past, and may in the future, be unable to comply with certain of the listing standards that we are required to meet to maintain the listing of our ordinary shares on Nasdaq. For instance, on June 30, 2022, we received a letter from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq indicating that, based upon the closing bid price of our ordinary shares for the 30 consecutive business day period, we did not meet the minimum bid price of $1.00 per share required for continued listing on Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). Effective as of December 7, 2022, we effected the Reverse Share Split. On December 22, 2022 we received notice from Nasdaq indicating that the Company had regained compliance with the minimum bid price requirement under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), and the matter was closed.
If we fail to satisfy the continued listing requirements of Nasdaq, such as minimum stockholders’ equity requirements or minimum bid price requirements, Nasdaq may take steps to delist our ordinary shares. Such a delisting would have a negative effect on the price of our ordinary shares, impair the ability to sell or purchase our ordinary shares when persons wish to do so, and any delisting materially adversely affect our ability to raise capital or pursue strategic restructuring, refinancing or other transactions on acceptable terms, or at all. Delisting from Nasdaq could also have other negative results, including the potential loss of institutional investor interest and fewer business development opportunities, as well as a limited amount of news and analyst coverage of us. Delisting could also result in a determination that our ordinary shares are a “penny stock,” which would require brokers trading in our ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules, possibly resulting in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary market for our ordinary shares. In the event of a delisting, we would attempt to take actions to restore our compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our securities to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our securities, prevent our ordinary shares from dropping below the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements.
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We may issue and sell ordinary shares having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $2,238,645.60 from time to time, before deducting sales agent commissions and expenses. The amount of proceeds from this offering will depend upon the number of our ordinary shares sold and the market price at which they are sold. There can be no assurance that we will be able to sell any ordinary shares under or fully utilize the Sales Agreement with Wainwright.
We currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of our ordinary shares offered hereunder to reduce a portion of debts outstanding under our ASX Convertible Notes which have a fixed repayment amount, are not incurring further interest and have already matured, as well as for working capital and other general corporate purposes. As of December 31, 2022, $301,600 remained outstanding under our ASX Convertible Notes.
Investors are cautioned that expenditures may vary substantially from these uses. Investors will be relying on the judgment of our management, who will have broad discretion regarding the application of the proceeds of this offering. The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend upon numerous factors, including the amount of cash generated by our operations, the amount of competition and other operational factors. We may find it necessary or advisable to use portions of the proceeds from this offering for other purposes.
From time to time, we evaluate these and other factors and we anticipate continuing to make such evaluations to determine if the existing allocation of resources, including the proceeds of this offering, is being optimized. Circumstances that may give rise to a change in the use of proceeds include:
● a change in business plan or strategy;
● our ability to select and negotiate definitive agreements with acquisition candidates;
● the need or desire on our part to accelerate, increase or eliminate existing initiatives due to, among other things, changing market conditions and competitive developments; and
● the availability of other sources of cash including cash flow from operations and new bank debt financing arrangements, if any.
We may temporarily invest the net proceeds in a variety of capital preservation instruments, including short-term, investment-grade, interest- bearing instruments and U.S. government securities, or may hold such proceeds as cash, until they are used for their stated purpose. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes.
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The following table sets forth our consolidated unaudited capitalization as of December 31, 2022, in accordance IFRS
● | on an actual basis; and | |
● | on an as adjusted basis to give effect to the sale of 250,128 ordinary shares in this offering at an assumed offering price of $8.95, which was the closing price of our ordinary shares as reported on Nasdaq on May 10, 2023, after deducting the estimated sales commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us. |
The amounts shown below are unaudited. There have been no material changes in our capitalization, on a consolidated basis, since December 31, 2022, the date of our most recently filed interim financial statements. The information in the following table should be read in conjunction with and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the audited financial statements and notes thereto included in our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F and the other financial information incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Conversions from Australian Dollars to U.S. Dollars were made at the rate of A$1.0000 to US$0.6747, which was the daily exchange rate published by Federal Reserve System on May 5, 2023.
As of December 31, 2022 | ||||||||
Actual | As Adjusted | |||||||
Cash and cash equivalents | 1,005,191 | 3,953,079 | ||||||
Liabilities: | ||||||||
ASX Convertible Notes | 301,600 | 236,600 | ||||||
Total current debt | 301,600 | 236,600 | ||||||
Equity: | ||||||||
Issued capital | 45,038,037 | 48,253,267 | ||||||
Reserves | 5,508,912 | 5,508,912 | ||||||
Accumulated losses | (49,271,715 | ) | (49,474,057 | ) | ||||
Total surplus | 1,275,234 | 4,288,122 | ||||||
Total Capitalization | 1,905,180 | 4,918,068 |
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If you invest in our ordinary shares, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the price per share you pay in this offering and the net tangible book value (deficit) per ordinary shares immediately after this offering. The net tangible book value of our ordinary shares as of December 31, 2022, was approximately $(1,162,218), or approximately $(1.13) per share based on 1,031,238 ordinary shares outstanding at that time. “Net tangible book value” is total assets minus the sum of liabilities and intangible assets. “Net tangible book value per share” is net tangible book value divided by the total number of ordinary shares outstanding.
After giving effect to the sale of our ordinary shares in the aggregate amount of $2,238,645.60 in this offering at an assumed offering price of $8.95 per share, the last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on Nasdaq on May 10, 2023, and after deducting the commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2022, would have been approximately $872,748, or approximately $0.68 per share. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $1.81 per share to our existing shareholders and an immediate dilution of approximately $8.27 per share to new investors participating in this offering, as illustrated by the following table:
Assumed offering price per ordinary share | $ | 8.95 | ||||||
Net tangible book value per ordinary share as of December 31, 2022 | $ | (1.13 | ) | |||||
Increase in net tangible book value per ordinary share attributable to this offering | $ | 1.81 | ||||||
As adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share as of December 31, 2022 after giving effect to this offering | $ | 0.68 | ||||||
Dilution in net tangible book value per ordinary share to new investors in the offering | $ | 8.27 |
The as adjusted information is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual price sold, the actual number of shares sold and other terms of the offering determined at the time our ordinary shares are sold pursuant to this prospectus. The as adjusted information assumes that all of our ordinary shares in the aggregate amount of $2,238,645.60 are sold at the assumed offering price of $8.95 per share, the last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on Nasdaq on May 10, 2023. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices.
The discussion and table above are based on 1,031,238 ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2022, and excludes the following securities as of that date:
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107,687 ordinary shares issuable upon the settlement of certain unvested and contingent performance rights; | |
● | 72,800 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the IPO Warrants at an exercise price of $82.50 per share; and | |
● | 4,365 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the warrants issued to Wainwright in connection with our initial public offering at an exercise price of $103.12 per share. |
To the extent that any of these options or warrants are exercised, new options and awards are issued under our equity incentive plans and subsequently exercised or we issue additional ordinary shares or securities convertible or exercisable into ordinary shares in the future, there may be further dilution to new investors participating in this offering.
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We have entered into the Sales Agreement with Wainwright under which we may issue and sell our securities having an aggregate offering price of up to $2,238,645.60 from time to time through or to Wainwright as our sales agent. Sales of our securities, if any, under this prospectus supplement will be by any method that is deemed to be an “at the market offering,” as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act. If authorized by us in writing, Wainwright may purchase our securities as principal.
Wainwright will offer our securities subject to the terms and conditions of the Sales Agreement on a daily basis or as otherwise agreed upon by us and Wainwright. We will designate the maximum amount of securities to be sold through Wainwright on a daily basis or otherwise determine such maximum amount together with Wainwright. Subject to the terms and conditions of the Sales Agreement, Wainwright will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell on our behalf all of our securities requested to be sold by us. We may instruct Wainwright not to sell our securities if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any such instruction. Wainwright or we may suspend the offering of our securities being made through Wainwright under the Sales Agreement upon proper notice to the other party. Wainwright and we each have the right, by giving written notice as specified in the Sales Agreement, to terminate the Sales Agreement in each party’s sole discretion at any time. The offering of our securities pursuant to the Sales Agreement will otherwise terminate upon the termination of the Sales Agreement as provided therein.
The aggregate compensation payable to Wainwright as sales agent will be an amount equal to 3.0% of the gross proceeds of any shares sold through it pursuant to the Sales Agreement. We have also agreed to reimburse Wainwright up to $50,000 of Wainwright’s actual outside legal expenses incurred by Wainwright in connection with this offering. We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, excluding commissions payable and expenses being reimbursed to Wainwright under the Sales Agreement, will be approximately $110,582.50.
The remaining sales proceeds, after deducting any expenses payable by us and any transaction fees imposed by any governmental, regulatory, or self-regulatory organization in connection with the sales, will equal our net proceeds for the sale of such securities.
Wainwright will provide written confirmation to us following the close of trading on the Nasdaq Capital Market on each day in which the securities are sold through it as sales agent under the Sales Agreement. Each confirmation will include the type and number of securities sold through it as sales agent on that day, the volume weighted average price of the securities sold, the percentage of the daily trading volume and the net proceeds to us.
Settlement for sales of our securities will occur, unless the parties agree otherwise, on the second business day that is also a trading day following the date on which any sales were made in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement. We will report at least quarterly the number of securities sold through Wainwright under the Sales Agreement, the net proceeds to us and the compensation paid by us to Wainwright in connection with the sales of securities during the relevant period.
In connection with the sales of securities on our behalf, Wainwright will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation paid to Wainwright will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed in the Sales Agreement to provide indemnification and contribution to Wainwright against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As sales agent, Wainwright will not engage in any transactions that stabilize our securities.
No sales of our securities under this prospectus supplement will be made in Australia, to anyone known by the sales agent to be a resident of Australia or over or through the facilities of any exchange or market in Australia.
Our securities are listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol “LCFY”.
The transfer agent and registrar for our ordinary shares in the United States is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
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AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN OWNERSHIP REGULATION AND OTHER LIMITATIONS
Takeovers – Change of Control
Takeovers of Australian public companies, such as Locafy, are regulated by the Corporations Act, which prohibits the acquisition of a “relevant interest” in issued voting shares in a company if the acquisition will lead to that person’s or someone else’s voting power in the company increasing from 20% or below to more than 20% or increasing from a starting point that is above 20% and below 90%, subject to a range of exceptions.
Generally, a person will have a relevant interest in securities if the person:
● is the holder of the securities;
● has power to exercise, or control the exercise of, a right to vote attached to the securities; or
● has the power to dispose of, or control the exercise of a power to dispose of, the securities, including any indirect or direct power or control.
If, at a particular time, a person has a relevant interest in issued securities and the person:
● has entered or enters into an agreement with another person with respect to the securities;
● has given or gives another person an enforceable right, or has been or is given an enforceable right by another person, in relation to the securities (whether the right is enforceable presently or in the future and whether or not on the fulfillment of a condition);
● has granted or grants an option to, or has been or is granted an option by, another person with respect to the securities;
● the other person would have a relevant interest in the securities if the agreement were performed, the right enforced or the option exercised; or
● the other person is taken to already have a relevant interest in the securities.
There are a number of exceptions to the above prohibition on acquiring a relevant interest in issued voting shares above 20%. In general terms, some of the more significant exceptions include:
● acquisition relating to takeover bids;
● when shareholders approve the takeover by resolution passed at general meeting;
● an acquisition by a person of no more than 3% in any 6 month period; or
● when the acquisition results from the issue of securities under a pro rata rights issue.
Breaches of the takeovers provisions of the Corporations Act are criminal offenses. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission and the Australian Takeovers Panel have a wide range of powers relating to breaches of takeover provisions, including the ability to make orders canceling contracts, freezing transfers of, and rights attached to, securities, and forcing a party to dispose of securities. There are certain defenses to breaches of the takeover provisions provided in the Corporations Act.
Foreign Ownership Regulation
There are no limitations on the rights to own securities imposed by our Constitution. However, the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 (Cth) and Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Regulation 2015 (Cth) (together, “Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime”), regulates certain types of acquisitions by ‘foreign persons’ of equity interests in Australian companies and unit trusts and of interests in Australian businesses and real property assets.
Under Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime, as currently in effect, foreign persons must make a mandatory notification to the Australian Treasurer through the Foreign Investment Review Board (“FIRB”) and obtain receipt of a no objections notification from the Australian Treasurer in the following circumstances (among others):
● all foreign persons acquiring a ‘direct interest’ (generally an interest of 10% or more) in an Australian company or business that is a ‘national security business’, regardless of value;
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● ‘foreign government investors’ acquiring a direct interest in an Australian company or business, regardless of value; and
● ‘foreign persons’ that are not ‘foreign government investors’ acquiring a substantial interest (generally 20% or more) in an Australian company or business which has a total asset value of A$310 million or more (or A$1,339 million or more in the case of investors incorporated in the US and ultimately owned by entities and persons within the US (and certain other countries who are subject to free trade agreements with Australia) where the Australian company or business is not a sensitive business (which includes media, telecommunications, transport, defense and military related industries among others)).
At present, we do not have total assets of A$310 million and we are not a ‘national security business’.
An entity is a ‘foreign government investor’ if it is:
● a foreign government or separate government entity;
● a corporation or trust in which a foreign government / separate government entity holds (directly or indirectly) an interest of 20% or more (including through actual or potential voting power) or in which foreign governments / separate government entities of more than one foreign country (or parts of more than one foreign country) hold (directly or indirectly) an aggregate interest of 40% or more (including through actual or potential voting power); or
● a limited partnership in which a foreign government / separate government entity holds (directly or indirectly) an interest of 20% or more (including through actual or potential voting power) or in which foreign governments / separate government entities of more than one foreign country (or parts of more than one foreign country) hold (directly or indirectly) an aggregate interest of 40% or more (including through actual or potential voting power),
unless, in respect of corporations, trusts or limited partnerships, the entity meets certain passive investor requirements (which include, amongst other requirements, that the entity operates a scheme and that an individual member of the entity is not able to influence any individual investment decisions, or the management of any individual investments, of the entity under the scheme).
Acquisitions thresholds take account of interests held by “associates” and there are tracing rules that can apply. “Associates” is a broadly defined term under Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime as being, in relation to a person:
● any relative of the person;
● any person with whom the person is acting, or proposes to act, in concert in relation to an action to which Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime may apply;
● any person with whom the person carries on a business in partnership;
● any entity of which the person is a senior officer;
● any corporation in which the person holds an interest of 20% or more;
● if the person is a corporation, a person who holds and interest 20% or more in the corporation;
● the trustee of a trust in which the person holds an interest of 20% or more;
● for foreign government investors, a separate government entity or a foreign government investor in relation to the same foreign country, amongst others.
The Australian Treasurer may prevent a proposed acquisition in the above categories or impose conditions on such acquisition if the Australian Treasurer is satisfied that the acquisition would be contrary to the national interest or national security. If a foreign person acquires shares or an interest in shares in an Australian company in contravention of Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime, the Australian Treasurer may order the divestiture of such person’s shares or interest in shares in such company. The Australian Treasurer may order divestiture pursuant to Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime if it is determined that the acquisition has resulted in that foreign person, either alone or together with other non-associated or associated foreign persons, controlling the company and that such control is contrary to the national interest. Criminal offences and civil penalties for breaches of Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime can apply to failing to give notification of certain acquisitions, undertaking certain acquisitions without a no objection notification or contravening a condition in a no objection notification.
Each foreign person seeking to acquire holdings in excess of the above caps (including their Associates, as the case may be) would need to complete an application form setting out the proposal and relevant particulars of the proposed acquisition/shareholding. The Australian Treasurer then has 30 days to consider the application and a further 10 days to notify the applicant of that decision. The decision period commences upon receipt of payment of the correct application fee. However, FIRB can request an extension of time. If the applicant does not consent to the extension, FIRB can issue an interim order preventing the foreign person from carrying out the proposed transactions and allowing FIRB a further 90 days to consider the application.
If we become a ‘foreign person’ under Australia’s Foreign Investment Regime due to levels of foreign ownership of our shares, we would be required to obtain the approval of the Australian Treasurer for us, together with our associates, to undertake certain acquisitions of Australian entities, businesses and land if the relevant thresholds are met.
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MATERIAL
U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
The following discussion describes the material U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to the ownership and disposition of ordinary shares by U.S. Holders (as defined below). This discussion applies to U.S. Holders that purchase our ordinary shares pursuant to this prospectus and hold such ordinary shares as capital assets. This discussion is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, U.S. Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder and administrative and judicial interpretations thereof, all as in effect on the date hereof and all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect. This discussion does not address all of the U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to specific U.S. Holders in light of their particular circumstances or to U.S. Holders subject to special treatment under U.S. federal income tax law (such as certain financial institutions, insurance companies, broker-dealers and traders in securities or other persons that generally mark their securities to market for U.S. federal income tax purposes, tax-exempt entities, retirement plans, regulated investment companies, real estate investment trusts, certain former citizens or residents of the United States, persons who hold our ordinary shares as part of a “straddle”, “hedge”, “conversion transaction”, “synthetic security” or integrated investment, persons that have a “functional currency” other than the U.S. dollar, persons that own directly, indirectly or through attribution 10% or more of the voting power of our ordinary shares, corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax, persons subject to special tax accounting rules under Section 451(b) of the Code, partnerships and other pass-through entities, and investors in such pass-through entities). This discussion does not address any U.S. state or local or non-U.S. tax consequences or any U.S. federal estate, gift or alternative minimum tax consequences.
As used in this discussion, the term “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of our ordinary shares that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (1) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, (2) a corporation (or entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes) created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia, (3) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source or (4) a trust (i) with respect to which a court within the United States is able to exercise primary supervision over its administration and one or more United States persons have the authority to control all of its substantial decisions or (ii) that has elected under applicable U.S. Treasury regulations to be treated as a domestic trust for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
If an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our ordinary shares, the U.S. federal income tax consequences relating to an investment in our ordinary shares will depend in part upon the status and activities of such entity and the particular partner. Any such entity should consult its own tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences applicable to it and its partners of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our ordinary shares. Persons considering an investment in our ordinary shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the particular tax consequences applicable to them relating to the purchase, ownership and disposition of our ordinary shares, including the applicability of U.S. federal, state and local tax laws and non-U.S. tax laws.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Consequences
In general, a corporation organized outside the United States will be treated as a passive foreign investment company, or PFIC, for any taxable year in which either (1) at least 75% of its gross income is “passive income”, or the “PFIC income test”, or (2) on average at least 50% of its assets, determined on a quarterly basis, are assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income, the “PFIC asset test”. Passive income for this purpose generally includes, among other things, dividends, interest, royalties, rents, and gains from the sale or exchange of property that gives rise to passive income. Assets that produce or are held for the production of passive income generally include cash, even if held as working capital or raised in a public offering, marketable securities, and other assets that may produce passive income. Generally, in determining whether a non-U.S. corporation is a PFIC, a proportionate share of the income and assets of each corporation in which it owns, directly or indirectly, at least a 25% interest (by value) is taken into account.
Although we do not believe that we will be a PFIC for the tax year ending June 30, 2023, our determination is based on an interpretation of complex provisions of the law, which are not addressed in a significant number of administrative pronouncements or rulings by the Internal Revenue Service, or IRS. Accordingly, because PFIC status is determined on an annual basis and generally cannot be determined until the end of the taxable year, there can be no assurance that we will not be a PFIC for the current taxable year. Because we may continue to hold a substantial amount of cash and cash equivalents, and because the calculation of the value of our assets may be based in part on the value of our ordinary shares, which may fluctuate considerably, we may be a PFIC in future taxable years. Even if we determine that we are not a PFIC for a taxable year, there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with our conclusion and that the IRS would not successfully challenge our position. Our status as a PFIC is a fact-intensive determination made on an annual basis. Accordingly, our U.S. counsel expresses no opinion with respect to our PFIC status and also expresses no opinion with regard to our expectations regarding our PFIC status.
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If we are a PFIC in any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder owns our ordinary shares, the U.S. Holder could be liable for additional taxes and interest charges under the “PFIC excess distribution regime” upon (1) a distribution paid during a taxable year that is greater than 125% of the average annual distributions paid in the three preceding taxable years, or, if shorter, the U.S. Holder’s holding period for our ordinary shares, and (2) any gain recognized on a sale, exchange or other disposition, including a pledge, of our ordinary shares, whether or not we continue to be a PFIC. Under the PFIC excess distribution regime, the tax on such distribution or gain would be determined by allocating the distribution or gain ratably over the U.S. Holder’s holding period for our ordinary shares. The amount allocated to the current taxable year (i.e., the year in which the distribution occurs or the gain is recognized) and any year prior to the first taxable year in which we are a PFIC will be taxed as ordinary income earned in the current taxable year. The amount allocated to other taxable years will be taxed at the highest marginal rates in effect for individuals or corporations, as applicable, to ordinary income for each such taxable year, and an interest charge, generally applicable to underpayments of tax, will be added to the tax.
If we are a PFIC for any year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ordinary shares, we must generally continue to be treated as a PFIC by that holder for all succeeding years during which the U.S. Holder holds our ordinary shares, unless we cease to meet the requirements for PFIC status and the U.S. Holder makes a “deemed sale” election with respect to our ordinary shares. If the election is made, the U.S. Holder will be deemed to sell our ordinary shares it holds at their fair market value on the last day of the last taxable year in which we qualified as a PFIC, and any gain recognized from such deemed sale would be taxed under the PFIC excess distribution regime. After the deemed sale election, the U.S. Holder’s ordinary shares would not be treated as shares of a PFIC unless we subsequently become a PFIC.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year during which a U.S. Holder holds our ordinary shares and one of our non-U.S. corporate subsidiaries is also a PFIC (i.e., a lower-tier PFIC), such U.S. Holder would be treated as owning a proportionate amount (by value) of the ordinary shares of the lower-tier PFIC and would be taxed under the PFIC excess distribution regime on distributions by the lower-tier PFIC and on gain from the disposition of shares of the lower-tier PFIC even though such U.S. Holder would not receive the proceeds of those distributions or dispositions. Each U.S. Holder is advised to consult its tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to our non-U.S. subsidiaries.
If we are a PFIC, a U.S. Holder will not be subject to tax under the PFIC excess distribution regime on distributions or gain recognized on our ordinary shares if such U.S. Holder makes a valid “mark-to-market” election for our ordinary shares. A mark-to-market election is available to a U.S. Holder only for “marketable stock”.
Our ordinary shares will be marketable stock as long as they remain listed on the Nasdaq and are regularly traded, other than in de minimis quantities, on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter. If a mark-to-market election is in effect, a U.S. Holder generally would take into account, as ordinary income each year, the excess of the fair market value of our ordinary shares held at the end of such taxable year over the adjusted tax basis of such ordinary shares. The U.S. Holder would also take into account, as an ordinary loss each year, the excess of the adjusted tax basis of such our ordinary shares over their fair market value at the end of the taxable year, but only to the extent of the excess of amounts previously included in income over ordinary losses deducted as a result of the mark-to-market election. The U.S. Holder’s tax basis in our ordinary shares would be adjusted to reflect any income or loss recognized as a result of the mark-to-market election. Any gain from a sale, exchange or other disposition of our ordinary shares in any taxable year in which we are a PFIC would be treated as ordinary income and any loss from such sale, exchange or other disposition would be treated first as ordinary loss (to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains previously included in income) and thereafter as capital loss.
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A mark-to-market election will not apply to our ordinary shares for any taxable year during which we are not a PFIC, but will remain in effect with respect to any subsequent taxable year in which we become a PFIC. Such election will not apply to any non-U.S. subsidiaries that we may organize or acquire in the future. Accordingly, a U.S. Holder may continue to be subject to tax under the PFIC excess distribution regime with respect to any lower-tier PFICs that we may organize or acquire in the future notwithstanding the U.S. Holder’s mark-to-market election for our ordinary shares.
The tax consequences that would apply if we are a PFIC would also be different from those described above if a U.S. Holder were able to make a valid qualified electing fund, or QEF, election. Because at this time we do not expect to provide U.S. Holders with the information necessary for a U.S. Holder to make a valid QEF election, prospective investors should assume that a QEF election will not be available.
Each U.S. person that is an investor of a PFIC is generally required to file an annual information return on IRS Form 8621 containing such information as the U.S. Treasury Department may require. The failure to file IRS Form 8621 could result in the imposition of penalties and the extension of the statute of limitations with respect to U.S. federal income tax.
The U.S. federal income tax rules relating to PFICs are very complex. Prospective U.S. investors are strongly urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the impact of PFIC status on the purchase, ownership and disposition of our ordinary shares, the consequences to them of an investment in a PFIC, any elections available with respect to our ordinary shares and the IRS information reporting obligations with respect to the purchase, ownership and disposition of the ordinary shares of a PFIC.
Distributions
Subject to the discussion above under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Consequences”, a U.S. Holder that receives a distribution with respect to our ordinary shares generally will be required to include the gross amount of such distribution in gross income as a dividend when actually or constructively received to the extent of the U.S. Holder’s pro rata share of our current and/or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). To the extent a distribution received by a U.S. Holder is not a dividend because it exceeds the U.S. Holder’s pro rata share of our current and accumulated earnings and profits, it will be treated first as a tax-free return of capital and reduce (but not below zero) the adjusted tax basis of the U.S. Holder’s ordinary shares. To the extent the distribution exceeds the adjusted tax basis of the U.S. Holder’s ordinary shares, the remainder will be taxed as capital gain. Because we may not account for our earnings and profits in accordance with U.S. federal income tax principles, U.S. Holders should expect all distributions to be reported to them as dividends. Distributions on our ordinary shares that are treated as dividends generally will constitute income from sources outside the United States for foreign tax credit purposes and generally will constitute passive category income. Such dividends will not be eligible for the “dividends received” deduction generally allowed to corporate shareholders with respect to dividends received from U.S. corporations.
Dividends paid by a “qualified foreign corporation” are eligible for taxation for certain non-corporate U.S. Holders at a reduced capital gains rate rather than the marginal tax rates generally applicable to ordinary income provided certain requirements are met. However, if we are a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year (see discussion above under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Consequences”), we will not be treated as a qualified foreign corporation, and therefore the reduced capital gains tax rate described above will not apply. Each U.S. Holder is advised to consult its tax advisors regarding the availability of the reduced tax rate on dividends with regard to its particular circumstances.
A non-United States corporation (other than a corporation that is classified as a PFIC for the taxable year in which the dividend is paid or the preceding taxable year) generally will be considered to be a qualified foreign corporation (a) if it is eligible for the benefits of a comprehensive tax treaty with the United States which the Secretary of Treasury of the United States determines is satisfactory for purposes of this provision and which includes an exchange of information program, or (b) with respect to any dividend it pays on our ordinary shares that are readily tradable on an established securities market in the United States. We believe that we qualify as a resident of Australia for purposes of, and are eligible for the benefits of, the U.S.-Australia Treaty, although there can be no assurance in this regard. Further, the IRS has determined that the U.S.-Australia Treaty is satisfactory for purposes of the qualified dividend rules and that it includes an exchange of information provision. Therefore, subject to the discussion above under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Consequences”, if the U.S.-Australia Treaty is applicable, such dividends will generally be “qualified dividend income” in the hands of individual U.S. Holders, provided that certain conditions are met, including holding period and the absence of certain risk reduction transactions. In addition, it is anticipated that our ordinary shares will qualify for the exception applicable to dividends from stock that is readily tradeable on an established securities market.
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Sale, Exchange or Other Disposition of our Ordinary Shares
Subject to the discussion above under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Consequences”, a U.S. Holder generally will recognize capital gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes upon the sale, exchange or other disposition of our ordinary shares in an amount equal to the difference, if any, between the amount realized (i.e., the amount of cash plus the fair market value of any property received) on the sale, exchange or other disposition and such U.S. Holder’s adjusted tax basis in our ordinary shares. Such capital gain or loss generally will be long-term capital gain taxable at a reduced rate for noncorporate U.S. Holders or long-term capital loss if, on the date of sale, exchange or other disposition, our ordinary shares were held by the U.S. Holder for more than one year. Any capital gain of a non-corporate U.S. Holder that is not long-term capital gain is taxed at ordinary income rates. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations. Any gain or loss recognized by a U.S. Holder from the sale or other disposition of our ordinary shares generally will be gain or loss from sources within the United States for U.S. foreign tax credit purposes.
Medicare Tax on Net Investment Income
Certain U.S. Holders who are individuals, estates or trusts are subject to an additional 3.8% U.S. federal income tax on all or a portion of their “net investment income,” which generally includes dividends (and constructive dividends) on the securities and net gains from the disposition of ordinary shares. U.S. Holders that are individuals, estates or trusts should consult their tax advisors regarding the applicability of the Medicare tax to them.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
U.S. Holders may be required to file certain U.S. information reporting returns with the IRS with respect to an investment in our ordinary shares, including, among others, IRS Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets). As described above under “Passive Foreign Investment Company Consequences”, each U.S. Holder who is a shareholder of a PFIC must file an annual report containing certain information. U.S. Holders paying more than US$100,000 for our ordinary shares may be required to file IRS Form 926 (Return by a U.S. Transferor of Property to a Foreign Corporation) reporting this payment. Substantial penalties may be imposed upon a U.S. Holder that fails to comply with the required information reporting.
Dividends on and proceeds from the sale or other disposition of our ordinary shares may be reported to the IRS unless the U.S. Holder establishes a basis for exemption. Backup withholding may apply to amounts subject to reporting if the holder (1) fails to provide an accurate United States taxpayer identification number or otherwise establish a basis for exemption, or (2) is described in certain other categories of persons. However, U.S. Holders that are corporations generally are excluded from these information reporting and backup withholding tax rules. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules generally will be allowed as a refund or a credit against a U.S. Holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability if the required information is furnished by the U.S. Holder on a timely basis to the IRS.
U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the backup withholding tax and information reporting rules.
EACH PROSPECTIVE INVESTOR IS URGED TO CONSULT ITS OWN TAX ADVISOR ABOUT THE TAX CONSEQUENCES TO IT OF AN INVESTMENT IN OUR UNITS IN LIGHT OF THE INVESTOR’S OWN CIRCUMSTANCES.
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CERTAIN AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS
In this section, we discuss the material Australian income tax, stamp (or transfer) duty and goods and services tax considerations related to the acquisition, ownership and disposal by the absolute beneficial owners of the ordinary shares. It is based upon existing Australian tax law as of the date of this registration statement, which is subject to change, possibly retrospectively. This discussion does not address all aspects of Australian tax law which may be important to particular investors in light of their individual investment circumstances, such as shares held by investors subject to special tax rules (for example, financial institutions, insurance companies or tax-exempt organizations). In addition, this summary does not discuss any non-Australian or state tax considerations, other than transfer duty.
Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the Australian and non-Australian income and other tax considerations of the acquisition, ownership and disposition of the ordinary shares. This summary is based upon the premise that the holder is not an Australian tax resident and is holding the shares on capital account and not revenue account (referred to as a “Non-Australian Holder” in this summary). For example, shares will be held on revenue account where the prospective investor is carrying on a share trading business in Australia.
This summary is of a general nature only and is not, and is not intended to be, legal or tax advice to any particular shareholder, and no representations with respect to the income tax consequences to any particular shareholder are made. This summary is not exhaustive of all Australian federal income tax considerations. Accordingly, you should consult your own tax advisor with respect to your particular circumstances.
Non-Australian residents may be liable to pay Australian tax on income derived from Australian sources. One mechanism by which that tax is paid (for non-residents who have no permanent establishment or fixed base in Australia or where the income is not connected with a permanent establishment or fixed base) is known as withholding tax. Dividends paid by a resident Australian company to a resident of the United States of America who is entitled to the benefits of the Australia/US double tax treaty and is beneficially entitled to the dividends are subject to withholding tax at the rate of 15% to the extent the dividends are ‘unfranked’. The rate of withholding tax on dividends is normally 30%, but since the United States has concluded a double tax treaty agreement with Australia, the rate is reduced to 15% where the benefits of the treaty apply. It should be noted, however, that under Section 128B(3) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (Cth), to the extent that dividends paid to non-residents have been franked (generally where a company pays tax itself), such dividends are exempt from withholding tax. “Franked dividends” is the expression given to dividends when the profits out of which those dividends are paid have been taxed at company level and such tax is allocated to the dividend. Accordingly, an Australian company paying fully franked dividends to a non-resident is not required to deduct any withholding tax. Dividends on which withholding tax has been paid are generally not subject to any further Australian tax. In other words, the withholding tax should represent the final Australian tax liability in relation to those dividends.
The pertinent provisions of the double tax treaty between Australia and the United States provide that dividends are primarily liable for tax in the country of residence of the beneficial owner of the dividends. However, the source country, in this case Australia, may also tax them, but in such case the tax will be limited to 15% if the benefits of the treaty apply. Where the beneficial owner is a United States resident corporation that directly holds at least 10% of the voting power in us, the tax will be limited to 5%. The 15% limit does not apply to dividends derived by a resident of the United States of America who has a permanent establishment or fixed base in Australia, if the holding giving rise to the dividends is effectively connected with that establishment or base. Such dividends are taxed on a net assessment basis as business income or independent personal services income as the case may be.
We have not paid any cash dividends since our inception and we do not anticipate the payment of cash dividends in the foreseeable future.
A Non-Australian Holder will not generally be subject to capital gains tax in Australia as the Non-Australian Holder is unlikely to have an indirect interest in Australian real property. An indirect interest in Australian real property will only occur where more than 50% of the market value of our assets are attributable to Australian real property.
Dual Residency
If an investor were a resident of both Australia and the United States under those countries’ domestic taxation laws, that investor may be subject to tax as an Australian resident. If, however, the shareholder is determined to be a United States resident for the purposes of Australia/US double tax treaty, the Australian tax applicable would be limited by the Australia/US double tax treaty. Shareholders should obtain specialist taxation advice in these circumstances.
Transfer Duty
Any transfer of shares through trading on the Nasdaq should not be subject to transfer duty.
Inheritance and Estate Taxes in Australia
Australia does not have estate or death duties. Generally, no capital gains tax liability is realized upon the inheritance of a deceased person’s shares, unless the deceased is an Australian tax resident at the date of their death and the shares are transferred to a non-resident of Australia. In such circumstances the estate of the deceased may be liable for capital gains tax on the transfer.
Further, the disposal of inherited shares by beneficiaries, may, however, give rise to a capital gains tax liability.
Goods and Services Tax
The issue or transfer of shares will not incur Australian goods and services tax and does not require a stockholder to register for Australian goods and services tax purposes.
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The validity of the securities being offered by this prospectus and other legal matters concerning this offering relating to Australian law will be passed upon for us by Lander & Rogers, Melbourne, Australia. Certain legal matters in connection with this offering relating to U.S. law will be passed upon for us by Haynes and Boone, LLP, New York, New York.
The audited consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the years ended June 30, 2022 and June 30, 2021 incorporated by reference in this prospectus have been audited by Grant Thornton Audit Pty Ltd, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report, which is incorporated herein by reference, report includes an explanatory paragraph about the existence of substantial doubt concerning the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern, and are included in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as an expert in accounting and auditing.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form F-3 that we have filed with the SEC. This prospectus does not contain all of the information contained in the registration statement. The rules and regulations of the SEC allow us to omit certain information from this prospectus that is included in the registration statement. To see more detail, you should read the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed with, or documents incorporated by reference into, our registration statement.
The SEC maintains a website that contains reports and other information regarding issuers, such as us, that file electronically with the SEC. The address is www.sec.gov.
We are subject to the information reporting requirements of the Exchange Act applicable to foreign private issuers and under those requirements file reports with the SEC. Accordingly, we are required to file or furnish reports and other information with the SEC, including Annual Reports on Form 20-F and Reports on Form 6-K. As a foreign private issuer, we are exempt from the rules under the Exchange Act related to the furnishing and content of proxy statements, and from short-swing profit recovery provisions contained in Section 16 of the Exchange Act, among other things. In addition, we are not required under the Exchange Act to file periodic reports and financial statements with the SEC as frequently or as promptly as United States companies whose securities are registered under the Exchange Act.
We maintain a corporate website at www.locafy.com. Information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website does not constitute a part of this prospectus.
INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
We file annual and special reports and other information with the SEC. These filings contain important information which does not appear in this prospectus. The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to other documents which we have filed or will file with the SEC. We are incorporating by reference in this prospectus the documents listed below and all amendments or supplements we may file to such documents, as well as any future filings we may make with the SEC on Form 20-F under the Exchange Act before the time that all of the securities offered by this prospectus have been sold or de-registered:
● | the description of our ordinary shares contained under the “Item 1. Description of Registrant’s Securities to be Registered” in our registration statement on Form 8-A, as filed with the SEC on March 24, 2022, and amended on March 29, 2022, as amended and supplemented by the description of our ordinary sharers contained in Exhibit 2.1 to our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended June 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on November 15, 2022, including any subsequent amendment or any report filed for the purpose of updating such description; | |
● | our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, filed with the SEC on November 15, 2022; and | |
● | our Reports on Form 6-K furnished with the SEC on July 5, 2022, December 7, 2022, December 23, 2022, March 17, 2023, and March 24, 2023. |
We may also incorporate any other Form 6-K that we submit to the SEC on or after the date of this prospectus and prior to the termination of this offering if the Form 6-K filing specifically states that it is incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
Any statement in this prospectus contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement in this prospectus or in any later filed document modifies or supersedes that statement. Any statement that is modified or superseded in this manner will no longer be a part of this prospectus, except as modified or superseded.
We will provide you without charge, upon your written or oral request, a copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents which are not specifically incorporated by reference into such documents. Please direct your written or telephone requests to Locafy Limited, 246A Churchill Avenue, Subiaco WA 6008, Australia and our telephone number is +61 409 999 339. Our website address is www.locafy.com. Information contained in our website is not part of this prospectus.
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ENFORCEMENT OF CIVIL LIABILITIES
We are incorporated under the laws of Australia. Substantially all of our assets are located outside the United States. In addition, several of our directors and officers are nationals and/or residents of countries other than the United States, and all or a substantial portion of such persons’ assets may be located outside the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon us or such persons or to enforce against them or against us, judgments obtained in United States courts, including judgments predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state thereof. In addition, investors should not assume that the courts of Australia (i) would enforce judgments of U.S. courts obtained in actions against us, our officers or directors, or other said persons, predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the U.S. federal securities laws or other laws of the United States; or (ii) would enforce, in original actions, liabilities against us or such directors, officers or experts predicated upon the United States federal securities laws or any securities or other laws of any state or jurisdiction of the United States.
In addition, there is doubt as to the applicability of the civil liability provisions of U.S. federal securities law to original actions instituted in Australia. It may be difficult for an investor, or any other person or entity, to assert U.S. securities laws claims in original actions instituted in Australia.
In addition, as a company incorporated in Australia, the provisions of the Corporations Act regulate the circumstances in which shareholder derivative actions may be commenced which may be different, and in many ways less permissive, than for companies incorporated in the United States
The following is an estimate, subject to future contingencies, of the expenses we may incur in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered. All amounts listed in the table below are estimates except the SEC registration fee.
Expense | Estimated Amount | |||
SEC registration fee | $ | 246.70 | ||
FINRA filing fees | $ | 335.80 | ||
Printing expenses | $ | - | ||
Legal fees and expenses | $ | 100,000 | ||
Accounting fees and expenses | $ | 10,000 | ||
Miscellaneous costs | $ | |||
Total | $ | 110,582.50 |
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Up to $2,238,645.60
Ordinary Shares
H.C. Wainwright & Co.
The date of this prospectus is , 2023
PART II
INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS
ITEM 8. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.
Australian law provides that a company or a related body corporate of the company may provide for indemnification of officers and directors for liabilities and costs incurred while acting as a director or officer of the company, subject to restrictions imposed under the Corporations Act which provides that a company or a related body corporate of the company must not indemnify an officer or director against any of the following liabilities incurred as an officer or director of the company:
● | a liability owed to the company or a related body corporate of the Company; | |
● | a liability for certain pecuniary penalty orders or compensation orders; | |
● | a liability that is owed to someone other than the company or a related body corporate of the company and did not arise out of conduct in good faith; or | |
● | as to legal costs, legal costs incurred in defending an action for a liability incurred as an officer or director of the company if the costs are incurred: |
○ | in defending or resisting proceedings in which the officer or director is found to have a liability for which they could not be indemnified by reason of the limitations on indemnification set out above; | |
○ | in defending or resisting criminal proceedings in which the officer or director is found guilty; | |
○ | in defending or resisting proceedings brought by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission or a liquidator for a court order if the grounds for making the order are found by the court to have been established (except costs incurred in responding to actions taken by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission or a liquidator as part of an investigation before commencing proceedings for a court order); or | |
○ | in connection with proceedings for relief to the officer or director under the Corporations Act, in which the court denies the relief. |
Constitution
Our Constitution provides, except to the extent prohibited by law including under the Corporations Act, for the indemnification of every person who is or has been an officer or a director of the Company against any liability (other than conduct involving a lack of good faith on the part of the officer) incurred by that person as an officer or director. This includes any liability incurred by that person in their capacity as an officer or director of a subsidiary of the Company where the Company requested that person to accept that appointment.
Indemnification Agreements
Pursuant to Deeds of Indemnity, Insurance and Access, the form of which is filed as Exhibit 10.3 to this registration statement, we have agreed to indemnify (to the maximum extent permitted by law and our Constitution, subject to certain specified exceptions) our directors against certain liabilities and expenses incurred by such persons in connection with claims made by reason of their being such a director.
SEC Position
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling us pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that in the opinion of the SEC such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
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ITEM 9. Exhibits.
Exhibit
No. |
Exhibit Index | |
1.1* | Form of Underwriting Agreement | |
1.2 | At The Market Offering Agreement, dated May 18, 2023, by and between Locafy Limited and H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC | |
4.1* | Form of Subscription Right | |
4.2* | Form of Warrant | |
4.3* | Form of Unit | |
4.4 | Specimen ordinary share certificate (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.5 to the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form F-1/A, filed with the Commission on March 7, 2022 (File No. 333-262442) | |
5.1 | Opinion of Lander & Rogers | |
5.2* | Opinion of Haynes and Boone, LLP | |
23.1 | Consent of Grant Thornton Australia LLP, an Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. | |
23.2 | Consent of Lander & Rogers (included in Exhibit 5.1) | |
23.3* | Consent of Haynes and Boone, LLP (to be included in Exhibit 5.2) | |
24.1 | Powers of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Registration Statement) | |
107 | Filing Fee Table |
* | To be filed by post-effective amendment or as an exhibit to a report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act and incorporated herein by reference. |
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Item 10. Undertakings
(1) The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes:
(a) to file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:
(i) | to include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933, or the Securities Act; | |
(ii) | to reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective registration statement; and | |
(iii) | to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement; |
provided, however, that paragraphs (i), (ii) and (iii) above do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of the Registration Statement.
(b) that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.
(c) to remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.
(d) to file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement to include any financial statements required by Item 8.A. of Form 20-F at the start of any delayed offering or throughout a continuous offering. Financial statements and information otherwise required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Act need not be furnished, provided that the registrant includes in the prospectus, by means of a post-effective amendment, financial statements required pursuant to this paragraph (a)(4) and other information necessary to ensure that all other information in the prospectus is at least as current as the date of those financial statements. Notwithstanding the foregoing, with respect to registration statements on Form F-3, a post-effective amendment need not be filed to include financial statements and information required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Act or Rule 3-19 of this chapter if such financial statements and information are contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Form F-3.
(e) that, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:
(i) | each prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be a part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and | |
(ii) | each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5) or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which the prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date. |
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(f) that, for the purpose of determining liability of a registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the undersigned registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) | any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424; | |
(ii) | any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by an undersigned registrant; | |
(iii) | the portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and | |
(iv) | any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser. |
(2) | The undersigned registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered herein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof. | |
(3) | Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form F-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Perth, Australia on May 18, 2023.
LOCAFY LIMITED | ||
By: | /s/ Gavin Burnett | |
Name: | Gavin Burnett | |
Title: | Chief Executive Officer |
Each person whose signature appears below hereby constitutes and appoints Gavin Burnett and Melvin Tan, or each of them individually, his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full powers of substitution and resubstitution, for and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to file and sign any and all amendments, including post-effective amendments and any registration statement for the same offering that is to be effective under Rule 462(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, to this registration statement, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith as fully to all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their substitute or substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signatures | Title | Date | ||
/s/ Gavin Burnett | Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director (Principal Executive Officer) |
May 18, 2023 | ||
Gavin Burnett | ||||
/s/ Melvin Tan | Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director (Principal Financial |
May 18, 2023 | ||
Melvin Tan | Officer and Principal Accounting Officer) | |||
/s/ Colin Visaggio | Chairman and Non-Executive Director | May 18, 2023 | ||
Collin Visaggio | ||||
/s/ Ranko Matic | Non-Executive Director | May 18, 2023 | ||
Ranko Matic | ||||
/s/ Andrea Betti | Non-Executive Director | May 18, 2023 | ||
Andrea Betti | ||||
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AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the undersigned certifies that it is the duly authorized United States representative of the registrant and has duly caused this Registration Statement on Form F-3 to be signed by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on May 18, 2023.
Puglisi & Associates (Authorized Representative in the United States) |
||
By: | /s/ Donald J. Puglisi | |
Name: | Donald J. Puglisi | |
Title: | Managing Director |
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Exhibit 1.2
AT THE MARKET OFFERING AGREEMENT
May 18, 2023
H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC
430 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10022
USA
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Locafy Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia (the “Company”), confirms its agreement (this “Agreement”) with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (the “Manager”) as follows:
1. Definitions. The terms that follow, when used in this Agreement and any Terms Agreement, shall have the meanings indicated.
“Accountants” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4(m).
“Act” shall mean the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
“Action” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(p).
“Affiliate” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(o).
“Applicable Time” shall mean, with respect to any Shares, the time of sale of such Shares pursuant to this Agreement or any relevant Terms Agreement.
“Base Prospectus” shall mean the base prospectus contained in the Registration Statement at the Effective Time.
“Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.
“Broker Fee” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(v).
“Business Day” shall mean any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed; provided, however, that, for purposes of clarity, commercial banks shall not be deemed to be authorized or required by law to remain closed due to “stay at home”, “shelter-in-place”, “non-essential employee” or any other similar orders or restrictions or the closure of any physical branch locations at the direction of any governmental authority so long as the electronic funds transfer systems (including for wire transfers) of commercial banks in The City of New York generally are open for use by customers on such day.
“Commission” shall mean the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Company Australian Counsel” means Lander & Rogers, with offices at Level 15, 477 Collins Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
“Company U.S. Counsel” means Haynes and Boone, LLP, with offices at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, 26th Floor, New York, New York 10112.
“DTC” means the Depository Trust Company.
“Effective Date” shall mean each date and time that the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto became or becomes effective.
“Effective Time” shall mean the first date and time that the Registration Statement becomes effective.
“Exchange Act” shall mean the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
“Execution Time” shall mean the date and time that this Agreement is executed and delivered by the parties hereto.
“Free Writing Prospectus” shall mean a free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405.
“IFRS” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(m).
“Incorporated Documents” shall mean the documents or portions thereof filed with the Commission on or prior to the Effective Date that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus and any documents or portions thereof filed with the Commission after the Effective Date that are deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus.
“Intellectual Property Rights” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(v).
“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” shall mean an issuer free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 433.
“Losses” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 7(d).
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“Material Adverse Effect” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(b).
“Material Permits” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(t).
“Maximum Amount” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2.
“Net Proceeds” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(v).
“Ordinary Shares” means ordinary shares of the Company, no par value per share.
“Ordinary Share Equivalents” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(g).
“Permitted Free Writing Prospectus” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4(g).
“Placement” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(c).
“Proceeding” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(b).
“Prospectus” shall mean the Base Prospectus, as supplemented by the Prospectus Supplement included in the Registration Statement at the Effective Time and as supplemented by the most recently filed Prospectus Supplement (if any).
“Prospectus Supplement” shall mean the prospectus supplement relating to the Shares contained in the Registration Statement at the Effective Time and any other prospectus supplement relating to the Shares prepared and filed from time to time pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act.
“Registration Statement” shall mean the shelf registration statement on Form F-3 registering $100,000,000 of securities of the Company to be filed on or after the Execution Time, including exhibits and financial statements and any prospectus supplement relating to the Shares that is filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) and deemed part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B, as amended on each Effective Date and, in the event any post-effective amendment thereto becomes effective, shall also mean such registration statement as so amended.
“Representation Date” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 4(k).
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“Required Approvals” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(e).
“Rule 158”, “Rule 164”, “Rule 172”, “Rule 173”, “Rule 405”, “Rule 415”, “Rule 424”, “Rule 430B” and “Rule 433” refer to such rules under the Act.
“Sales Notice” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(i).
“SEC Reports” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(m).
“Settlement Date” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(b)(vii).
“Shares” has the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2.
“Subsidiary” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 3(a).
“Terms Agreement” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(a).
“Time of Delivery” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 2(c).
“Trading Day” means a day on which the Trading Market is open for trading.
“Trading Market” means any of the following markets or exchanges on which the Ordinary Shares are listed or quoted for trading on the date in question: the NYSE American, the Nasdaq Capital Market, the Nasdaq Global Market, the Nasdaq Global Select Market or the New York Stock Exchange (or any successors to any of the foregoing).
2. Sale and Delivery of Shares. The Company proposes to issue and sell through or to the Manager, as sales agent and/or principal, from time to time during the term of this Agreement and on the terms set forth herein, up to the lesser of such number of Ordinary Shares (the “Shares”), that does not exceed (a) the number or dollar amount of Ordinary Shares registered on the Registration Statement, pursuant to which the offering is being made, or (b) the number or dollar amount of Ordinary Shares that would cause the Company or the offering of the Shares to not satisfy the eligibility and transaction requirements for use of Form F-3, including, if applicable, General Instruction I.B.5 to Form F-3 (the lesser of (a) and (b) , the “Maximum Amount”). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the parties hereto agree that compliance with the limitations set forth in this Section 2 on the number and aggregate sales price of Shares issued and sold under this Agreement shall be the sole responsibility of the Company and that the Manager shall have no obligation in connection with such compliance.
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(a) Appointment of Manager as Selling Agent; Terms Agreement. For purposes of selling the Shares through the Manager, the Company hereby appoints the Manager as exclusive agent of the Company for the purpose of selling the Shares of the Company pursuant to this Agreement and the Manager agrees to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell the Shares on the terms and subject to the conditions stated herein. The Company agrees that, whenever it determines to sell the Shares directly to the Manager as principal, it will enter into a separate agreement (each, a “Terms Agreement”) in substantially the form of Annex I hereto, relating to such sale in accordance with Section 2 of this Agreement.
(b) Agent Sales. Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company will issue and agrees to sell Shares from time to time through the Manager, acting as sales agent, and the Manager agrees to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell, as sales agent for the Company, on the following terms:
(i) The Shares are to be sold on a daily basis or otherwise as shall be agreed to by the Company and the Manager on any day that (A) is a Trading Day, (B) the Company has instructed the Manager by telephone (confirmed promptly by electronic mail) to make such sales (“Sales Notice”) and (C) the Company has satisfied its obligations under Section 6 of this Agreement. The Company will designate the maximum amount of the Shares to be sold by the Manager daily (subject to the limitations set forth in Section 2(d)) and the minimum price per Share at which such Shares may be sold. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Manager shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell on a particular day all of the Shares designated for the sale by the Company on such day. The gross sales price of the Shares sold under this Section 2(b) shall be the market price for the Shares sold by the Manager under this Section 2(b) on the Trading Market at the time of sale of such Shares.
(ii) The Company acknowledges and agrees that (A) there can be no assurance that the Manager will be successful in selling the Shares, (B) the Manager will incur no liability or obligation to the Company or any other person or entity if it does not sell the Shares for any reason other than a failure by the Manager to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable law and regulations to sell such Shares as required under this Agreement, and (C) the Manager shall be under no obligation to purchase Shares on a principal basis pursuant to this Agreement, except as otherwise specifically agreed by the Manager and the Company pursuant to a Terms Agreement.
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(iii) The Company shall not authorize the issuance and sale of, and the Manager shall not be obligated to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell, any Share at a price lower than the minimum price therefor designated from time to time by the Board, or a duly authorized committee thereof, or such duly authorized officers of the Company, and notified to the Manager in writing. The Company or the Manager may, upon notice to the other party hereto by telephone (confirmed promptly by electronic mail), suspend the offering of the Shares for any reason and at any time; provided, however, that such suspension or termination shall not affect or impair the parties’ respective obligations with respect to the Shares sold hereunder prior to the giving of such notice.
(iv) The Manager may sell Shares by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 under the Act, including without limitation sales made directly on the Trading Market, on any other existing trading market for the Ordinary Shares or to or through a market maker. The Manager may also sell Shares in privately negotiated transactions, provided that the Manager receives the Company’s prior written approval for any sales in privately negotiated transactions and if so provided in the “Plan of Distribution” section of the Prospectus Supplement or a supplement to the Prospectus Supplement or a new Prospectus Supplement disclosing the terms of such privately negotiated transaction.
(v) The compensation to the Manager for sales of the Shares under this Section 2(b) shall be a placement fee of 3.0% of the gross sales price of the Shares sold pursuant to this Section 2(b) (“Broker Fee”). The foregoing rate of compensation shall not apply when the Manager acts as principal, in which case the Company may sell Shares to the Manager as principal at a price agreed upon at the relevant Applicable Time pursuant to a Terms Agreement. The remaining proceeds, after deduction of the Broker Fee and deduction of any transaction fees imposed by any clearing firm, execution broker, or governmental or self-regulatory organization in respect of such sales, shall constitute the net proceeds to the Company for such Shares (the “Net Proceeds”).
(vi) The Manager shall provide written confirmation (which may be by electronic mail) to the Company following the close of trading on the Trading Market each day in which the Shares are sold under this Section 2(b) setting forth the number of the Shares sold on such day, the aggregate gross sales proceeds and the Net Proceeds to the Company, and the compensation payable by the Company to the Manager with respect to such sales.
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(vii) Unless otherwise agreed between the Company and the Manager, settlement for sales of the Shares will occur at 10:00 a.m. (New York City time) on the second (2nd) Trading Day (or such earlier day as is industry practice for regular-way trading) following the date on which such sales are made (each, a “Settlement Date”). On or before the Trading Day prior to each Settlement Date, the Company will, or will cause its transfer agent to, electronically transfer the Shares being sold by crediting the Manager’s or its designee’s account (provided that the Manager shall have given the Company written notice of such designee at least one Trading Day prior to the Settlement Date) at DTC through its Deposit and Withdrawal at Custodian System (DWAC) or by such other means of delivery as may be mutually agreed upon by the parties hereto which Shares in all cases shall be freely tradable, transferable, registered shares in good deliverable form. On each Settlement Date, the Manager will deliver the related Net Proceeds in same day funds to an account designated by the Company. The Company agrees that, if the Company, or its transfer agent (if applicable), defaults in its obligation to deliver duly authorized Shares on a Settlement Date, in addition to and in no way limiting the rights and obligations set forth in Section 7 hereto, the Company will (i) hold the Manager harmless against any loss, claim, damage, or reasonable, documented expense (including reasonable and documented legal fees and expenses), as incurred, arising out of or in connection with such default by the Company, and (ii) pay to the Manager any commission, discount or other compensation to which the Manager would otherwise have been entitled absent such default.
(viii) At each Applicable Time, Settlement Date, and Representation Date, the Company shall be deemed to have affirmed each representation and warranty contained in this Agreement as if such representation and warranty were made as of such date, modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended as of such date. Any obligation of the Manager to use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell the Shares on behalf of the Company shall be subject to the continuing accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company herein, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the continuing satisfaction of the additional conditions specified in Section 6 of this Agreement.
(ix) If the Company shall declare or make any dividend or other distribution of its assets (or rights to acquire its assets) to holders of Ordinary Shares, by way of return of capital or otherwise (including, without limitation, any distribution of cash, stock or other securities, property or options by way of a dividend, spin off, reclassification, corporate rearrangement, scheme of arrangement or other similar transaction) (a “Distribution” and the record date for the determination of stockholders entitled to receive the Distribution, the “Record Date”), the Company hereby covenants that, in connection with any sales of Shares pursuant to a Sales Notice on the Record Date, the Company shall issue and deliver such Shares to the Manager on the Record Date and the Record Date shall be the Settlement Date and the Company shall cover any additional costs of the Manager in connection with the delivery of Shares on the Record Date.
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(c) Term Sales. If the Company wishes to sell the Shares pursuant to this Agreement in a manner other than as set forth in Section 2(b) of this Agreement (each, a “Placement”), the Company will notify the Manager of the proposed terms of such Placement. If the Manager, acting as principal, wishes to accept such proposed terms (which it may decline to do for any reason in its sole discretion) or, following discussions with the Company wishes to accept amended terms, the Manager and the Company will enter into a Terms Agreement setting forth the terms of such Placement. The terms set forth in a Terms Agreement will not be binding on the Company or the Manager unless and until the Company and the Manager have each executed such Terms Agreement accepting all of the terms of such Terms Agreement. In the event of a conflict between the terms of this Agreement and the terms of a Terms Agreement, the terms of such Terms Agreement will control. A Terms Agreement may also specify certain provisions relating to the reoffering of such Shares by the Manager. The commitment of the Manager to purchase the Shares pursuant to any Terms Agreement shall be deemed to have been made on the basis of the representations and warranties of the Company herein contained and shall be subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth. Each Terms Agreement shall specify the number of Shares to be purchased by the Manager pursuant thereto, the price to be paid to the Company for such Shares, any provisions relating to rights of, and default by, underwriters acting together with the Manager in the reoffering of the Shares, and the time and date (each such time and date being referred to herein as a “Time of Delivery”) and place of delivery of and payment for such Shares. Such Terms Agreement shall also specify any requirements for opinions of counsel, accountants’ “comfort” letters and officers’ certificates pursuant to Section 6 of this Agreement and any other information or documents required by the Manager.
(d) Maximum Number of Shares. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Shares if, after giving effect to the sale of such Shares, the aggregate amount of Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement would exceed the lesser of (A) together with all sales of Shares under this Agreement, the Maximum Amount, (B) the amount available for offer and sale under the currently effective Registration Statement and (C) the amount authorized from time to time to be issued and sold under this Agreement by the Board, a duly authorized committee thereof or a duly authorized executive officer, and notified to the Manager in writing. Under no circumstances shall the Company cause or request the offer or sale of any Shares pursuant to this Agreement at a price lower than the minimum price authorized from time to time by the Board, a duly authorized committee thereof or a duly authorized executive officer, and notified to the Manager in writing. Further, under no circumstances shall the Company cause or permit the aggregate offering amount of Shares sold pursuant to this Agreement to exceed the Maximum Amount.
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(e) Regulation M Notice. Unless the exceptive provisions set forth in Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M under the Exchange Act are satisfied with respect to the Shares, the Company shall give the Manager at least one (1) Business Day’s prior notice of its intent to sell any Shares in order to allow the Manager time to comply with Regulation M.
3. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, the Manager at the Execution Time and on each such time that the following representations and warranties are repeated or deemed to be made pursuant to this Agreement, as set forth below, except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the Incorporated Documents.
(a) Subsidiaries. All of the direct and indirect subsidiaries (individually, a “Subsidiary”) of the Company are set forth on Exhibit 8.1 to the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the Commission, incorporating by reference Exhibit 21.1 to the Company’s registration statement on Form F-1 filed with the SEC on March 7, 2022. The Company owns, directly or indirectly, all of the capital stock or other equity interests of each Subsidiary free and clear of any “Liens” (which for purposes of this Agreement shall mean a lien, charge, security interest, encumbrance, right of first refusal, preemptive right or other restriction), and all of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock of each Subsidiary are validly issued and are fully paid, non-assessable and free of preemptive and similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities.
(b) Organization and Qualification. The Company and each of the Subsidiaries is an entity duly incorporated or otherwise organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, with the requisite power and authority to own and use its properties and assets and to carry on its business as currently conducted. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in violation or in default of any of the provisions of its respective certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents. Each of the Company and the Subsidiaries is duly qualified to conduct business and is in good standing as a foreign corporation or other entity in each jurisdiction in which the nature of the business conducted or property owned by it makes such qualification necessary, except where the failure to be so qualified or in good standing, as the case may be, could not have or reasonably be expected to result in: (i) a material adverse effect on the legality, validity or enforceability of this Agreement, (ii) a material adverse effect on the results of operations, assets, business, prospects or condition (financial or otherwise) of the Company and the Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus or the Incorporated Documents, or (iii) a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to perform in any material respect on a timely basis its obligations under this Agreement (any of (i), (ii) or (iii), a “Material Adverse Effect”) and no “Proceeding” (which for purposes of this Agreement shall mean any action, claim, suit, investigation or proceeding (including, without limitation, an informal investigation or partial proceeding, such as a deposition), whether commenced or threatened) has been instituted in any such jurisdiction revoking, limiting or curtailing or seeking to revoke, limit or curtail such power and authority or qualification.
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(c) Authorization and Enforcement. The Company has the requisite corporate power and authority to enter into and to consummate the transactions contemplated by this Agreement and otherwise to carry out its obligations hereunder. The execution and delivery of this Agreement by the Company and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby have been duly authorized by all necessary action on the part of the Company and no further action is required by the Company, the Board or the Company’s stockholders in connection herewith other than in connection with the Required Approvals. This Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by the Company and, when delivered in accordance with the terms hereof, will constitute the valid and binding obligation of the Company enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except (i) as limited by general equitable principles and applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general application affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally, (ii) as limited by laws relating to the availability of specific performance, injunctive relief or other equitable remedies and (iii) insofar as indemnification and contribution provisions may be limited by applicable law.
(d) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, the issuance and sale of the Shares and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby do not and will not (i) conflict with or violate any provision of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s certificate or articles of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational or charter documents, or (ii) conflict with, or constitute a default (or an event that with notice or lapse of time or both would become a default) under, result in the creation of any Lien upon any of the properties or assets of the Company or any Subsidiary, or give to others any rights of termination, amendment, anti-dilution or similar adjustments, acceleration or cancellation (with or without notice, lapse of time or both) of, any agreement, credit facility, debt or other instrument (evidencing a Company or Subsidiary debt or otherwise) or other understanding to which the Company or any Subsidiary is a party or by which any property or asset of the Company or any Subsidiary is bound or affected, or (iii) subject to the Required Approvals, conflict with or result in a violation of any law, rule, regulation, order, judgment, injunction, decree or other restriction of any court or governmental authority to which the Company or a Subsidiary is subject (including federal and state securities laws and regulations), or by which any property or asset of the Company or a Subsidiary is bound or affected; except in the case of each of clauses (ii) and (iii), such as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
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(e) Filings, Consents and Approvals. The Company is not required to obtain any consent, waiver, authorization or order of, give any notice to, or make any filing or registration with, any court or other federal, state, local or other governmental authority or other “Person” (defined as an individual or corporation, partnership, trust, incorporated or unincorporated association, joint venture, limited liability company, joint stock company, government (or an agency or subdivision thereof) or other entity of any kind, including the Trading Market) in connection with the execution, delivery and performance by the Company of this Agreement, other than (i) the filings required by this Agreement, (ii) the filing with the Commission of the Prospectus Supplement, (iii) the filing of application(s) to and approval by the Trading Market for the listing of the Shares for trading thereon in the time and manner required thereby, and (iv) such filings as are required to be made under applicable state securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) (collectively, the “Required Approvals”).
(f) Issuance of Shares. The Shares are duly authorized and, when issued and paid for in accordance with this Agreement, will be duly and validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, free and clear of all Liens imposed by the Company. The Company has all necessary authorizations to issue the maximum number of Shares issuable pursuant to this Agreement. The issuance by the Company of the Shares has been registered under the Act and all of the Shares are freely transferable and tradable by the purchasers thereof without restriction (other than any restrictions arising solely from an act or omission of such a purchaser). The Shares are being issued pursuant to the Registration Statement and the issuance of the Shares has been registered by the Company under the Act. The “Plan of Distribution” section within the Registration Statement permits the issuance and sale of the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement. Upon receipt of the Shares, the purchasers of such Shares will have good and marketable title to such Shares and the Shares will be freely tradable on the Trading Market.
(g) Capitalization. The capitalization of the Company is as set forth in the SEC Reports. The Company has not issued any shares of capital stock since its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act, other than pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options under the Company’s stock option plans, the issuance of Ordinary Shares to employees pursuant to the Company’s incentive performance rights plan and pursuant to the conversion and/or exercise of securities exercisable, exchangeable or convertible into Ordinary Shares (“Ordinary Share Equivalents”) outstanding as of the date of the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act. No Person has any right of first refusal, preemptive right, right of participation, or any similar right to participate in the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, there are no outstanding options, warrants, scrip rights to subscribe to, calls or commitments of any character whatsoever relating to, or securities, rights or obligations convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for, or giving any Person any right to subscribe for or acquire, any Ordinary Shares or shares of the capital stock of any Subsidiary, or contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to issue additional Ordinary Shares or Ordinary Share Equivalents or shares of capital stock of any Subsidiary. The issuance and sale of the Shares will not obligate the Company or any Subsidiary to issue Ordinary Shares or other securities to any Person. There are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary with any provision that adjusts the exercise, conversion, exchange or reset price of such security or instrument upon an issuance of securities by the Company or any Subsidiary. There are no outstanding securities or instruments of the Company or any Subsidiary that contain any redemption or similar provisions, and there are no contracts, commitments, understandings or arrangements by which the Company or any Subsidiary is or may become bound to redeem a security of the Company or such Subsidiary. The Company does not have any stock appreciation rights or “phantom stock” plans or agreements or any similar plan or agreement. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable, have been issued in compliance with all federal, state and provincial securities laws, and none of such outstanding shares was issued in violation of any preemptive rights or similar rights to subscribe for or purchase securities. No further approval or authorization of any stockholder, the Board or others is required for the issuance and sale of the Shares. There are no shareholders’ agreements, voting agreements or other similar agreements with respect to the Company’s capital stock to which the Company is a party or, to the knowledge of the Company, between or among any of the Company’s shareholders.
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(h) Registration Statement. The Company meets the requirements for use of Form F-3 under the Act and has prepared and filed with the Commission the Registration Statement, including a related Base Prospectus, for registration under the Act of the offering and sale of the Shares. As filed, the Base Prospectus contains all information required by the Act and the rules thereunder, and, except to the extent the Manager shall agree in writing to a modification, shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to the Manager prior to the Execution Time or prior to any such time this representation is repeated or deemed to be made. The Registration Statement, at the Execution Time, each such time this representation is repeated or deemed to be made, and at all times during which a prospectus is required by the Act to be delivered (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule) in connection with any offer or sale of the Shares, meets the requirements set forth in Rule 415(a)(1)(x). The Company meets the transaction requirements as set forth in General Instruction I.B.1 of Form F-3 or, if applicable, as set forth in General Instruction I.B.5 of Form F-3 with respect to the aggregate market value of securities being sold pursuant to this offering and during the twelve (12) calendar months prior to this offering.
(i) Accuracy of Incorporated Documents. The Incorporated Documents, when they were filed with the Commission, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules thereunder, and none of the Incorporated Documents, when they were filed with the Commission, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading; and any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, the Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus, when such documents are filed with the Commission, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act and the rules thereunder, as applicable, and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
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(j) Ineligible Issuer. (i) At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2)) of the Shares and (ii) as of the Execution Time and on each such time this representation is repeated or deemed to be made (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer” (as defined in Rule 405), without taking account of any determination by the Commission pursuant to Rule 405 that it is not necessary that the Company be considered an ineligible issuer.
(k) Free Writing Prospectus. The Company is eligible to use Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not include any information the substance of which conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, including any Incorporated Documents and any prospectus supplement deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Manager specifically for use therein. Any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Act and the rules thereunder. Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) or that was prepared by or behalf of or used by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the rules thereunder. The Company will not, without the prior consent of the Manager, prepare, use or refer to, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses.
(l) Proceedings Related to Registration Statement. The Registration Statement is not the subject of a pending proceeding or examination under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the Act, and the Company is not the subject of a pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Act in connection with the offering of the Shares. The Company has not received any notice that the Commission has issued or intends to issue a stop-order with respect to the Registration Statement or that the Commission otherwise has suspended or withdrawn the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, either temporarily or permanently, or intends or has threatened in writing to do so.
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(m) SEC Reports. The Company has filed or furnished to the Commission all reports, schedules, forms, statements and other documents required to be filed or furnished to the Commission by the Company under the Act and the Exchange Act, including pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) thereof, for the two years preceding the date hereof (or such shorter period as the Company was required by law or regulation to file such material) (the foregoing materials, including the exhibits thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein, together with the Prospectus and the Prospectus Supplement, being collectively referred to herein as the “SEC Reports”) on a timely basis or has received a valid extension of such time of filing and has filed any such SEC Reports prior to the expiration of any such extension. As of their respective dates, the SEC Reports complied in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and none of the SEC Reports, when filed, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The financial statements of the Company included in the SEC Reports comply in all material respects with applicable accounting requirements and the rules and regulations of the Commission with respect thereto as in effect at the time of filing. Such financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards, as adopted by the International Accounting Standards Board, applied on a consistent basis during the periods involved (“IFRS”), except as may be otherwise specified in such financial statements or the notes thereto and except that unaudited financial statements may not contain all footnotes required by IFRS, and fairly present in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of and for the dates thereof and the results of operations and cash flows for the periods then ended, subject, in the case of unaudited statements, to normal, immaterial, year-end audit adjustments.
(n) [RESERVED]
(o) Material Changes; Undisclosed Events, Liabilities or Developments. Since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, except as specifically disclosed in a subsequent SEC Report filed prior to the date on which this representation is being made, (i) there has been no event, occurrence or development that has had or that could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the Company has not incurred any liabilities (contingent or otherwise) other than (A) trade payables and accrued expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and (B) liabilities not required to be reflected in the Company’s financial statements pursuant to IFRS or disclosed in filings made with the Commission, (iii) the Company has not altered its method of accounting, (iv) the Company has not declared or made any dividend or distribution of cash or other property to its stockholders or purchased, redeemed or made any agreements to purchase or redeem any shares of its capital stock, and (v) the Company has not issued any equity securities to any officer, director or “Affiliate” (defined as any Person that, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with a Person, as such terms are used in and construed under Rule 144 under the Act), except pursuant to existing Company stock option plans, and (vi) no executive officer of the Company or member of the Board has resigned from any position with the Company. The Company does not have pending before the Commission any request for confidential treatment of information. Except for the issuance of the Shares contemplated by this Agreement or as set forth in the SEC Reports, no event, liability, fact, circumstance, occurrence or development has occurred or exists or is reasonably expected to occur or exist with respect to the Company or its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses, prospects, properties, operations, assets or financial condition that would be required to be disclosed by the Company under applicable securities laws at the time this representation is made or deemed made that has not been publicly disclosed at least one (1) Trading Day prior to the date that this representation is made.
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(p) Litigation. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, there is no material action, suit, inquiry, notice of violation, proceeding or investigation pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened against or affecting the Company, any Subsidiary or any of their respective properties before or by any court, arbitrator, governmental or administrative agency or regulatory authority (federal, state, county, local or foreign) (collectively, an “Action”). None of the Actions set forth in the SEC Reports, (i) adversely affects or challenges the legality, validity or enforceability of this Agreement or the Shares or (ii) could, if there were an unfavorable decision, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary, nor any director or officer thereof, is or has been the subject of any Action involving a claim of violation of or liability under federal or state securities laws or a claim of breach of fiduciary duty. There has not been, and to the knowledge of the Company, there is not pending or contemplated, any investigation by the Commission involving the Company or any current or former director or officer of the Company. The Commission has not issued any stop order or other order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement filed by the Company or any Subsidiary under the Act or the Exchange Act.
(q) Labor Relations. No labor dispute exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent with respect to any of the employees of the Company, which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. None of the employees of the Company or of any Subsidiary is a member of a union that relates to such employee’s relationship with the Company or such Subsidiary, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is a party to a collective bargaining agreement, and the Company and its Subsidiaries believe that their relationships with their employees are good. To the knowledge of the Company, no executive officer of the Company or any Subsidiary, is, or is now expected to be, in violation of any material term of any employment contract, confidentiality, disclosure or proprietary information agreement or non-competition agreement, or any other contract or agreement or any restrictive covenant in favor of any third party, and the continued employment of each such executive officer does not subject the Company or any of its Subsidiaries to any liability with respect to any of the foregoing matters. The Company and its Subsidiaries are in compliance with all applicable U.S. federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to employment and employment practices, terms and conditions of employment and wages and hours, except where the failure to be in compliance could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
(r) Compliance. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary: (i) is in default under or in violation of (and no event has occurred that has not been waived that, with notice or lapse of time or both, would result in a default by the Company or any Subsidiary under), nor has the Company or any Subsidiary received notice of a claim that it is in default under or that it is in violation of, any indenture, loan or credit agreement or any other agreement or instrument to which it is a party or by which it or any of its properties is bound (whether or not such default or violation has been waived), (ii) is in violation of any judgment, decree or order of any court, arbitrator or other governmental authority or (iii) is or has been in violation of any statute, rule, ordinance or regulation of any governmental authority, including without limitation all foreign, federal, state and local laws relating to taxes, environmental protection, occupational health and safety, product quality and safety and employment and labor matters, except in each case as could not have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
(s) Environmental Laws. The Company and its Subsidiaries (i) are in compliance with all federal, state, local and foreign laws relating to pollution or protection of human health or the environment (including ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata), including laws relating to emissions, discharges, releases or threatened releases of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, or toxic or hazardous substances or wastes (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) into the environment, or otherwise relating to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials, as well as all authorizations, codes, decrees, demands, or demand letters, injunctions, judgments, licenses, notices or notice letters, orders, permits, plans or regulations, issued, entered, promulgated or approved thereunder (“Environmental Laws”); (ii) have received all permits licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses; and (iii) are in compliance with all terms and conditions of any such permit, license or approval where in each clause (i), (ii) and (iii), the failure to so comply could be reasonably expected to have, individually or in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.
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(t) Regulatory Permits. The Company and the Subsidiaries possess all certificates, authorizations and permits issued by the appropriate federal, state, local or foreign regulatory authorities necessary to conduct their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports, except where the failure to possess such permits could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect (“Material Permits”), and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any Material Permit.
(u) Title to Assets. The Company and the Subsidiaries have good and marketable title in fee simple to all real property owned by them and good and marketable title in all personal property owned by them that is material to the business of the Company and the Subsidiaries, in each case free and clear of all Liens, except for (i) Liens as do not materially affect the value of such property and do not materially interfere with the use made and proposed to be made of such property by the Company and the Subsidiaries and (ii) Liens for the payment of federal, state or other taxes, for which appropriate reserves have been made therefor in accordance with IFRS and, the payment of which is neither delinquent nor subject to penalties. Any real property and facilities held under lease by the Company and the Subsidiaries are held by them under valid, subsisting and enforceable leases with which the Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance.
(v) Intellectual Property. The Company and the Subsidiaries have, or have rights to use, all patents, patent applications, trademarks, trademark applications, service marks, trade names, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights, licenses and other intellectual property rights and similar rights necessary or required for use in connection with their respective businesses as described in the SEC Reports and which the failure to so have could have a Material Adverse Effect (collectively, the “Intellectual Property Rights”). None of, and neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received a notice (written or otherwise) that any of, the Intellectual Property Rights has expired, terminated or been abandoned, or is expected to expire or terminate or be abandoned, within two (2) years from the date of this Agreement. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has received, since the date of the latest audited financial statements included within the SEC Reports, a written notice of a claim or otherwise has any knowledge that the Intellectual Property Rights violate or infringe upon the rights of any Person, except as could not have or reasonably be expected to not have a Material Adverse Effect. To the knowledge of the Company, all such Intellectual Property Rights are enforceable and there is no existing infringement by another Person of any of the Intellectual Property Rights. The Company and its Subsidiaries have taken reasonable security measures to protect the secrecy, confidentiality and value of all of their intellectual properties, except where failure to do so could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
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(w) Insurance. The Company and the Subsidiaries are insured by insurers of recognized financial responsibility against such losses and risks and in such amounts as are prudent and customary in the businesses in which the Company and the Subsidiaries are engaged, including, but not limited to, directors and officers insurance coverage. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary has any reason to believe that it will not be able to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such coverage expires or to obtain similar coverage from similar insurers as may be necessary to continue its business without a significant increase in cost.
(x) Affiliate Transactions. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, none of the officers or directors of the Company or any Subsidiary and, to the knowledge of the Company, none of the employees of the Company or any Subsidiary is presently a party to any transaction with the Company or any Subsidiary (other than for services as employees, officers and directors), including any contract, agreement or other arrangement providing for the furnishing of services to or by, providing for rental of real or personal property to or from, providing for the borrowing of money from or lending of money to or otherwise requiring payments to or from any officer, director or such employee or, to the knowledge of the Company, any entity in which any officer, director, or any such employee has a substantial interest or is an officer, director, trustee, stockholder, member or partner, in each case in excess of $120,000 other than for (i) payment of salary or consulting fees for services rendered, (ii) reimbursement for expenses incurred on behalf of the Company and (iii) other employee benefits, including stock option agreements under any stock option plan of the Company.
(y) Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance. The Company and the Subsidiaries are in compliance with any and all applicable requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that are effective as of the date hereof, and any and all applicable rules and regulations promulgated by the Commission thereunder that are effective as of the date hereof. The Company and the Subsidiaries maintain a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that: (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations, (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with IFRS and to maintain asset accountability, (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization, and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. The Company and the Subsidiaries have established disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the Company and the Subsidiaries and designed such disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms. The Company’s certifying officers have evaluated the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures of the Company and the Subsidiaries as of the end of the period covered by the most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act (such date, the “Evaluation Date”). The Company presented in its most recently filed periodic report under the Exchange Act the conclusions of the certifying officers about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures based on their evaluations as of the Evaluation Date. Since the Evaluation Date, there have been no changes in the internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in the Exchange Act) of the Company and its Subsidiaries that have materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the internal control over financial reporting of the Company and its Subsidiaries.
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(z) Certain Fees. Other than payments to be made to the Manager, no brokerage or finder’s fees or commissions are or will be payable by the Company or any Subsidiary to any broker, financial advisor or consultant, finder, placement agent, investment banker, bank or other Person with respect to the transactions contemplated by this Agreement. The Manager shall have no obligation with respect to any fees or with respect to any claims made by or on behalf of other Persons for fees of a type contemplated in this Section that may be due in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement.
(aa) No Other Sales Agency Agreement. The Company has not entered into any other sales agency agreements or other similar arrangements with any agent or any other representative in respect of at the market offerings of the Shares.
(bb) [RESERVED]
(cc) Listing and Maintenance Requirements. The Ordinary Shares are listed on the Trading Market and the issuance of the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement does not contravene the rules and regulations of the Trading Market. The Ordinary Shares are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act, and the Company has taken no action designed to, or which to its knowledge is likely to have the effect of, terminating the registration of the Ordinary Shares under the Exchange Act nor has the Company received any notification that the Commission is contemplating terminating such registration. Except as set forth in the SEC Reports, the Company has not, in the 12 months preceding the date hereof, received notice from any Trading Market on which the Ordinary Shares are or have been listed or quoted to the effect that the Company is not in compliance with the listing or maintenance requirements of such Trading Market. The Company is, except as set forth in SEC Reports, and has no reason to believe that it will not in the foreseeable future continue to be, in compliance with all such listing and maintenance requirements. The Ordinary Shares are currently eligible for electronic transfer through DTC or another established clearing corporation and the Company is current in payment of the fees to DTC (or such other established clearing corporation) in connection with such electronic transfer.
(dd) Application of Takeover Protections. The Company and the Board have taken all necessary action, if any, in order to render inapplicable any control share acquisition, business combination, poison pill (including any distribution under a rights agreement) or other similar anti-takeover provision under the Company’s constitution or the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation that is or could become applicable to the Shares.
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(ee) Solvency. Based on the consolidated financial condition of the Company as of the date hereof, (i) the fair saleable value of the Company’s assets exceeds the amount that will be required to be paid on or in respect of the Company’s existing debts and other liabilities (including known contingent liabilities) as they mature, (ii) the Company’s assets do not constitute unreasonably small capital to carry on its business as now conducted and as proposed to be conducted including its capital needs taking into account the particular capital requirements of the business conducted by the Company, consolidated and projected capital requirements and capital availability thereof, and (iii) the current cash flow of the Company, together with the proceeds the Company would receive, were it to liquidate all of its assets, after taking into account all anticipated uses of the cash, would be sufficient to pay all amounts on or in respect of its liabilities when such amounts are required to be paid. The Company does not intend to incur debts beyond its ability to pay such debts as they mature (taking into account the timing and amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its debt). The Company has no knowledge of any facts or circumstances which lead it to believe that it will file for reorganization or liquidation under the bankruptcy or reorganization laws of any jurisdiction within one year from the date hereof. The SEC Reports sets forth as of the date hereof all outstanding secured and unsecured Indebtedness of the Company or any Subsidiary, or for which the Company or any Subsidiary has commitments. For the purposes of this Agreement, “Indebtedness” means (x) any liabilities for borrowed money or amounts owed in excess of $50,000 (other than trade accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business), (y) all guaranties, endorsements and other contingent obligations in respect of indebtedness of others, whether or not the same are or should be reflected in the Company’s consolidated balance sheet (or the notes thereto), except guaranties by endorsement of negotiable instruments for deposit or collection or similar transactions in the ordinary course of business; and (z) the present value of any lease payments in excess of $50,000 due under leases required to be capitalized in accordance with IFRS. Neither the Company nor any Subsidiary is in default with respect to any Indebtedness.
(ff) Tax Status. Except for matters that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have or reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its Subsidiaries each (i) has made or filed all United States federal, state and local income and all foreign income and franchise tax returns, reports and declarations required by any jurisdiction to which it is subject, (ii) has paid all taxes and other governmental assessments and charges that are material in amount, shown or determined to be due on such returns, reports and declarations and (iii) has set aside on its books provision reasonably adequate for the payment of all material taxes for periods subsequent to the periods to which such returns, reports or declarations apply. There are no unpaid taxes in any material amount claimed to be due by the taxing authority of any jurisdiction, and the officers of the Company or of any Subsidiary know of no basis for any such claim.
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(gg) Foreign Corrupt Practices. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor any director or officer of the Company or its subsidiaries, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, employee or representative of the Company or its subsidiaries, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or its subsidiaries, has (i) used any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made or taken an act in furtherance of an offer, promise or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment of corporate funds or benefit to any foreign or domestic government or regulatory official or employee, including, without limitation, of any government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office; (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the FCPA, the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, or committed an offense under any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws; or (iv) made, offered, agreed, requested or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe or other unlawful benefit, including, without limitation, any rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful or improper payment or benefit. The Company has instituted, maintained and enforced, and will continue to maintain and enforce, policies and procedures designed to promote and ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws.
(hh) Accountants. The Company’s accounting firm is set forth in the SEC Reports and (i) are independent accountants as required by the Act and by the rules of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (the “PCAOB”), (ii) are in compliance with the applicable requirements relating to the qualification of accountants under Rule 2-01 of Regulation S-X of the Commission, and (iii) a registered public accounting firm as defined by the PCAOB whose registration has not been suspended or revoked and who has not requested such registration to be withdrawn.
(ii) Regulation M Compliance. The Company has not, and to its knowledge no one acting on its behalf has, (i) taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to cause or to result in the stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of any of the Shares, (ii) sold, bid for, purchased, or, paid any compensation for soliciting purchases of, any of the Shares, or (iii) paid or agreed to pay to any Person any compensation for soliciting another to purchase any other securities of the Company, other than, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), compensation paid to the Manager in connection with the Shares.
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(jj) [RESERVED]
(kk) Stock Option Plans. Each stock option granted by the Company under the Company’s stock option plan was granted (i) in accordance with the terms of the Company’s stock option plan and (ii) with an exercise price at least equal to the fair market value of the Ordinary Shares on the date such stock option would be considered granted under IFRS and applicable law. No stock option granted under the Company’s stock option plan has been backdated. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no Company policy or practice to knowingly grant, stock options prior to, or otherwise knowingly coordinate the grant of stock options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its Subsidiaries or their financial results or prospects.
(ll) Cybersecurity. (i)(x) There has been no security breach or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s or any Subsidiary’s information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of its respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of it), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”) and (y) the Company and the Subsidiaries have not been notified of, and has no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any security breach or other compromise to its IT Systems and Data; (ii) the Company and the Subsidiaries are presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable safeguards to maintain and protect its material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and Data; and (iv) the Company and the Subsidiaries have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices.
(mm) No Conflicts with Sanctions Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor any director or officer of the Company or its subsidiaries, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any agent, employee or representative of the Company or its subsidiaries, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or its subsidiaries is currently the subject or target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. government (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person”), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or the target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, the Crimean region, Sudan, Syria and Venezuela (each, a “Sanctioned Country”); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Shares hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or the target of Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business in any Sanctioned Country or (iii) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions. For the past five years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or the target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.
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(nn) Privacy laws.
(i) The Company and its subsidiaries have at all times implemented and maintained reasonable controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards to maintain and protect their confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and Data (including all Personal Data (as defined below), sensitive, confidential, or regulated data (“Confidential Data”)) used in connection with their businesses. There have been no actual or reasonably suspected breaches of, violations of, outages of, or unlawful or unauthorized uses of, destruction of, losses of, alterations of, or accesses to IT Assets and no unlawful or unauthorized uses of, destruction of, losses of, alterations of, or accesses to Confidential Data, nor any such actual or reasonably suspected incidents under internal review or investigation.
(ii) The Company and its subsidiaries comply, and have at all times complied in all material respects with all (i) applicable laws, statutes, regulations, directives, and industry standards concerning the protection, collection, use, disclosure, transfer, storage, disposal, privacy, confidentiality, integrity and security of Confidential Data (including, without limitation, the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) (EU 2016/679); the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (“VCDPA”) (collectively, “Privacy Laws”)) and (ii) all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, policies, procedures, and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and Confidential Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data and Confidential Data from unlawful or unauthorized use, destruction, loss, alteration, access, misappropriation or modification and have imposed equivalent contractual obligations on any third parties having direct or indirect access to IT Systems and Data or responsible for any processing Confidential Data. The Company and its subsidiaries have at all times made all required disclosures to and obtained all necessary consents from individuals (including, without limitation, customers, users, and personnel) for the Company’s and its subsidiaries’ collection, use, and disclosure of Confidential Data, and complied with all such disclosures and consents. None of such disclosures made or contained in any policies or notices have been materially inaccurate, misleading or incomplete.
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(iii) For purposes of this section, “Personal Data” means (i) a natural person’s name, street address, telephone number, e-mail address, photograph, social security number or tax identification number, driver’s license number, passport number, credit card number, bank information, customer or account number, biometric identifier, medical, health or insurance information, gender, date of birth, educational or employment information, any religious or political view or affiliation, marital or other status, photograph, face geometry and any information that can identify, relate to, describe, be associated with, or be reasonably capable of being associated with an individual; (ii) any information which would qualify as “personally identifying information” under the Federal Trade Commission Act, as amended; (iii) “personal data” as defined by GDPR; (iv) “personal information” as defined by CCPA; (v) “consumer personal information” as defined in the VCDPA and (vi) any other information that constitutes “personal data”, “personal information”, “personally identifiable information”, “nonpublic personal information”, “customer proprietary network information”, “individually identifiable health information”, “protected health information”, or similar information under any Privacy Law.
(oo) U.S. Real Property Holding Corporation. The Company is not and has never been a U.S. real property holding corporation within the meaning of Section 897 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the Company shall so certify upon the Manager’s request.
(pp) Bank Holding Company Act. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates is subject to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956, as amended (the “BHCA”) and to regulation by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (the “Federal Reserve”). Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates owns or controls, directly or indirectly, five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding shares of any class of voting securities or twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the total equity of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve. Neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries or Affiliates exercises a controlling influence over the management or policies of a bank or any entity that is subject to the BHCA and to regulation by the Federal Reserve.
(qq) Money Laundering. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with all applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, those of the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by Title III of the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (USA PATRIOT Act), and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions in which the Company and its subsidiaries conduct business, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental or regulatory agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”), and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti- Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
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(rr) FINRA Member Shareholders. No officer, director or any beneficial owner of 5% or more of the Company’s unregistered securities has any direct or indirect affiliation or association with any FINRA member (as determined in accordance with the rules and regulations of FINRA) except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement or the Prospectus.
4. Agreements. The Company agrees with the Manager that:
(a) Right to Review Amendments and Supplements to Registration Statement and Prospectus. During any period when the delivery of a prospectus relating to the Shares is required (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule) to be delivered under the Act in connection with the offering or the sale of Shares, the Company will not file any amendment to the Registration Statement or supplement (including any Prospectus Supplement) to the Base Prospectus unless the Company has furnished to the Manager a copy for its review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Manager reasonably objects (provided, however, that the Company will have no obligation to provide the Manager any advance copy of any filing or to provide the Manager an opportunity to object to any filing if the filing does not name the Manager and does not relate to the transaction herein provided). The Company will cause any supplement to the Prospectus filed after the Effective Time to be properly completed, in a form approved by the Manager, and will file such supplement with the Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed thereby and will provide evidence reasonably satisfactory to the Manager of such timely filing. The Company will promptly advise the Manager (i) when the Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, shall have been filed (if required) with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), (ii) when, during any period when the delivery of a prospectus (whether physically or through compliance with Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule) is required under the Act in connection with the offering or sale of the Shares, any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have been filed or become effective (other than any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act), (iii) of any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment of the Registration Statement, or for any supplement to the Prospectus or for any additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any notice objecting to its use or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and (v) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Shares for sale in any jurisdiction or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order or the occurrence of any such suspension or objection to the use of the Registration Statement and, upon such issuance, occurrence or notice of objection, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal of such stop order or relief from such occurrence or objection, including, if necessary, by filing an amendment to the Registration Statement or a new registration statement and using its commercially reasonable efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable.
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(b) Subsequent Events. If, at any time on or after an Applicable Time but prior to the related Settlement Date, any event occurs as a result of which the Registration Statement or Prospectus would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made or the circumstances then prevailing not misleading, the Company will (i) notify promptly the Manager so that any use of the Registration Statement or Prospectus may cease until such are amended or supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement the Registration Statement or Prospectus to correct such statement or omission; and (iii) supply any such amendment or supplement to the Manager in such quantities as the Manager may reasonably request.
(c) Notification of Subsequent Filings. During any period when the delivery of a prospectus relating to the Shares is required (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule) to be delivered under the Act, any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend the Registration Statement, file a new registration statement or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Act or the Exchange Act or the respective rules thereunder, including in connection with use or delivery of the Prospectus, the Company promptly will (i) notify the Manager of any such event, (ii) subject to Section 4(a), prepare and file with the Commission an amendment or supplement or new registration statement which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance, (iii) use its best efforts to have any amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable in order to avoid any disruption in use of the Prospectus and (iv) supply any supplemented Prospectus to the Manager in such quantities as the Manager may reasonably request.
(d) Earnings Statements. As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Manager an earnings statement or statements of the Company and its Subsidiaries which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Act and Rule 158. For the avoidance of doubt, the Company’s compliance with the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act shall be deemed to satisfy the requirements of this Section 4(d).
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(e) Delivery of Registration Statement. Upon the request of the Manager, the Company will furnish to the Manager and counsel for the Manager, without charge, signed copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by the Manager or dealer may be required by the Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule), as many copies of the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any supplement thereto as the Manager may reasonably request. The Company will pay the expenses of printing or other production of all documents relating to the offering.
(f) Qualification of Shares. The Company will arrange, if necessary, for the qualification of the Shares for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Manager may designate and will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Shares; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Shares, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.
(g) Free Writing Prospectus. The Company agrees that, unless it has or shall have obtained the prior written consent of the Manager, and the Manager agrees with the Company that, unless it has or shall have obtained, as the case may be, the prior written consent of the Company, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Shares that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405) required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Manager or the Company is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus.” The Company agrees that (i) it has treated and will treat, as the case may be, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and (ii) it has complied and will comply, as the case may be, with the requirements of Rules 164 and 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping.
(h) Subsequent Equity Issuances. The Company shall not deliver any Sales Notice hereunder (and any Sales Notice previously delivered shall not apply during such three Business Days) for at least three (3) Business Days prior to any date on which the Company or any Subsidiary offers, sells, issues, contracts to sell, contracts to issue or otherwise disposes of, directly or indirectly, any other Ordinary Shares or any Ordinary Share Equivalents (other than the Shares), subject to Manager’s right to waive this obligation, provided that, without compliance with the foregoing obligation, the Company may issue and sell Ordinary Shares or Ordinary Share Equivalents pursuant to any employee equity plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan of the Company in effect from time to time and the Company may issue Ordinary Shares issuable upon the conversion or exercise of Ordinary Share Equivalents outstanding from time to time.
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(i) Market Manipulation. Until the termination of this Agreement, the Company will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation in violation of the Act, Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Shares or otherwise violate any provision of Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
(j) Notification of Incorrect Certificate. The Company will, at any time during the term of this Agreement, as supplemented from time to time, advise the Manager immediately after it shall have received notice or obtained knowledge thereof, of any information or fact that would alter or affect any opinion, certificate, letter and other document provided to the Manager pursuant to Section 6 herein.
(k) Certification of Accuracy of Disclosure. Upon commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the termination of a suspension of sales hereunder lasting more than 30 Trading Days), and each time that (i) the Registration Statement or Prospectus shall be amended or supplemented, other than by means of Incorporated Documents, (ii) the Company files with the Commission its Annual Report on Form 20-F under the Exchange Act, (iii) the Company furnishes to the Commission a Report of Foreign Issuer on Form 6-K containing amended financial information, if the Manager reasonably determines that the information in such Form 6-K is material, or (v) the Shares are delivered to the Manager as principal at the Time of Delivery pursuant to a Terms Agreement (such commencement or recommencement date and each such date referred to in (i), (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) above, a “Representation Date”), unless waived by the Manager, the Company shall furnish or cause to be furnished to the Manager forthwith a certificate dated and delivered on the Representation Date, in form reasonably satisfactory to the Manager to the effect that the statements contained in the certificate referred to in Section 6 of this Agreement which were last furnished to the Manager are true and correct at the Representation Date, as though made at and as of such date (except that such statements shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to such date) or, in lieu of such certificate, a certificate of the same tenor as the certificate referred to in said Section 6, modified as necessary to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to the date of delivery of such certificate.
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(l) Bring Down Opinions; Negative Assurance. Within five (5) Trading Days of each Representation Date, unless waived by the Manager, the Company shall furnish or cause to be furnished forthwith to the Manager and to counsel to the Manager a written opinion of the Company Australian Counsel and the Company U.S. Counsel (collectively, the “Company Counsel”) addressed to the Manager and dated and delivered on within five (5) Trading Days of such Representation Date, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Manager, including a negative assurance representation of the Company U.S. Counsel. The requirement to furnish or cause to be furnished an opinion (but not with respect to a negative assurance representation of the Company U.S. Counsel) under this Section 4(l) shall be waived for any Representation Date other than a Representation Date on which a material amendment to the Registration Statement or Prospectus is made or the Company files its Annual Report on Form 20-F or a material amendment thereto under the Exchange Act, unless the Manager reasonably requests such deliverable required this Section 4(l) in connection with a Representation Date, upon which request such deliverable shall be deliverable hereunder.
(m) Auditor Bring Down “Comfort” Letter. Within five (5) Trading Days of each Representation Date, unless waived by the Manager, the Company shall cause (1) the Company’s auditors (the “Accountants”), or other independent accountants satisfactory to the Manager forthwith to furnish the Manager a letter, and (2) the Chief Financial Officer of the Company forthwith to furnish the Manager a certificate, in each case dated within five (5) Trading Days of such Representation Date, in form satisfactory to the Manager, of the same tenor as the letters and certificate referred to in Section 6 of this Agreement but modified to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus, as amended and supplemented to the date of such letters and certificate. The requirement to furnish or cause to be furnished a “comfort” letter under this Section 4(m) shall be waived for any Representation Date other than a Representation Date on which a material amendment to the Registration Statement or Prospectus is made or the Company files its Annual Report on Form 20-F or a material amendment thereto under the Exchange Act, unless the Manager reasonably requests the deliverables required by this Section 4(m) in connection with a Representation Date, upon which request such deliverable shall be deliverable hereunder.
(n) Due Diligence Session. Upon commencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement (and upon the recommencement of the offering of the Shares under this Agreement following the termination of a suspension of sales hereunder lasting more than 30 Trading Days), and at each Representation Date, the Company will conduct a due diligence session, in form and substance, reasonably satisfactory to the Manager, which shall include representatives of management and Accountants. The Company shall cooperate timely with any reasonable due diligence request from or review conducted by the Manager or its agents from time to time in connection with the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, including, without limitation, providing information and available documents and access to appropriate corporate officers and the Company’s agents during regular business hours, and timely furnishing or causing to be furnished such certificates, letters and opinions from the Company, its officers and its agents, as the Manager may reasonably request. The Company shall reimburse the Manager for Manager’s counsel’s fees in each such due diligence update session, up to a maximum of $2,500 per update, plus any incidental expense incurred by the Manager in connection therewith.
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(o) Acknowledgment of Trading. The Company consents to the Manager trading in the Ordinary Shares for the Manager’s own account and for the account of its clients at the same time as sales of the Shares occur pursuant to this Agreement or pursuant to a Terms Agreement.
(p) Disclosure of Shares Sold. The Company will disclose in its Annual Reports on Form 20-F the number of Shares sold through the Manager under this Agreement, the Net Proceeds to the Company and the compensation paid by the Company with respect to sales of Shares pursuant to this Agreement during the period covered by the report; and, if required by any subsequent change in Commission policy or request, more frequently by means of a Report of Foreign Issuer on Form 6-K or a further Prospectus Supplement.
(q) Rescission Right. If to the knowledge of the Company, the conditions set forth in Section 6 shall not have been satisfied as of the applicable Settlement Date, the Company will offer to any person who has agreed to purchase Shares from the Company as the result of an offer to purchase solicited by the Manager the right to refuse to purchase and pay for such Shares.
(r) Bring Down of Representations and Warranties. Each acceptance by the Company of an offer to purchase the Shares hereunder, and each execution and delivery by the Company of a Terms Agreement, shall be deemed to be an affirmation to the Manager that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in or made pursuant to this Agreement are true and correct as of the date of such acceptance or of such Terms Agreement as though made at and as of such date, and an undertaking that such representations and warranties will be true and correct as of the Settlement Date for the Shares relating to such acceptance or as of the Time of Delivery relating to such sale, as the case may be, as though made at and as of such date (except that such representations and warranties shall be deemed to relate to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus as amended and supplemented relating to such Shares).
(s) Reservation of Shares. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts to cause the Shares to be listed for trading on the Trading Market and to maintain such listing.
(t) Obligation Under Exchange Act. During any period when the delivery of a prospectus relating to the Shares is required (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172, 173 or any similar rule) to be delivered under the Act, the Company will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the Exchange Act within the time periods required by the Exchange Act and the regulations thereunder.
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(u) DTC Facility. The Company shall cooperate with the Manager and use its reasonable efforts to permit the Shares to be eligible for clearance and settlement through the facilities of DTC.
(v) Use of Proceeds. The Company will apply the Net Proceeds from the sale of the Shares in the manner set forth in the Prospectus.
(w) Filing of Prospectus Supplement. If any sales are made pursuant to this Agreement which are not made in “at the market” offerings as defined in Rule 415, including, without limitation, any Placement pursuant to a Terms Agreement, the Company shall file a Prospectus Supplement describing the terms of such transaction, the amount of Shares sold, the price thereof, the Manager’s compensation, and such other information as may be required pursuant to Rule 424 and Rule 430B, as applicable, within the time required by Rule 424.
(x) Additional Registration Statement. To the extent that the Registration Statement is not available for the sales of the Shares as contemplated by this Agreement, the Company shall file a new registration statement with respect to any additional Ordinary Shares necessary to complete such sales of the Shares and shall cause such registration statement to become effective as promptly as practicable. After the effectiveness of any such registration statement, all references to “Registration Statement” included in this Agreement shall be deemed to include such new registration statement, including all documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 6 of Form F-3, and all references to “Base Prospectus” included in this Agreement shall be deemed to include the final form of prospectus, including all documents incorporated therein by reference, included in any such registration statement at the time such registration statement became effective.
5. Payment of Expenses. The Company agrees to pay the costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated, including without limitation: (i) the preparation, printing or reproduction and filing with the Commission of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits thereto), the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and each amendment or supplement to any of them; (ii) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery (including postage, air freight charges and charges for counting and packaging) of such copies of the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and all amendments or supplements to any of them, as may, in each case, be reasonably requested for use in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares; (iii) the preparation, printing, authentication, issuance and delivery of certificates for the Shares, including any stamp or transfer taxes in connection with the original issuance and sale of the Shares; (iv) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery of this Agreement, any blue sky memorandum and all other agreements or documents printed (or reproduced) and delivered in connection with the offering of the Shares; (v) the registration of the Shares under the Exchange Act, if applicable, and the listing of the Shares on the Trading Market; (vi) any registration or qualification of the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of the several states (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Manager relating to such registration and qualification); (vii) the transportation and other expenses incurred by or on behalf of Company representatives in connection with presentations to prospective purchasers of the Shares; (viii) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and the fees and expenses of counsel (including local and special counsel) for the Company; (ix) the filing fee under FINRA Rule 5110; (x) the reasonable fees and expenses of the Manager’s counsel, not to exceed $50,000 (excluding any periodic due diligence fees provided for under Section 4(n)), which shall be paid at the time of filing; and (xi) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder.
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6. Conditions to the Obligations of the Manager. The obligations of the Manager under this Agreement and any Terms Agreement shall be subject to (i) the accuracy of the representations and warranties on the part of the Company contained herein as of the Execution Time, each Representation Date, and as of each Applicable Time, Settlement Date and Time of Delivery, (ii) the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and (iii) the following additional conditions:
(a) Effectiveness of Registration Statement; Filing of Prospectus Supplement. The Registration Statement shall have been declared effective by the Commission and the Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, required by Rule 424 to be filed with the Commission have been filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) with respect to any sale of Shares; each Prospectus Supplement filed after the Effective Time shall have been filed in the manner required by Rule 424(b) within the time period required hereunder and under the Act; any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened.
(b) Delivery of Opinions. The Company shall have (i) caused the Company U.S. Counsel to furnish to the Manager its opinion and negative assurance statement, dated as of such date and addressed to the Manager in form and substance acceptable to the Manager and (ii) caused Australian counsel to the Company to furnish to the Manager its opinion dated as of such date and addressed to the Manager in form and substance acceptable to the Manager.
(c) Delivery of Officer’s Certificate. The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Manager a certificate of the Company signed by the Chief Executive Officer or the President and the principal financial or accounting officer of the Company, dated as of such date, to the effect that the signers of such certificate have carefully examined the Registration Statement, the Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement and any documents incorporated by reference therein and any supplements or amendments thereto and this Agreement and that:
(i) the representations and warranties of the Company in this Agreement are true and correct on and as of such date with the same effect as if made on such date and the Company has complied with all the agreements and satisfied all the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to such date;
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(ii) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened; and
(iii) since the date of the most recent financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Incorporated Documents, there has been no Material Adverse Effect on the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries, taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(d) The Company shall have furnished or caused to be furnished to the Manager a certificate of the Company signed by the Secretary of the Company, dated as of such date, certifying on behalf of the Company and not in an individual capacity: (a) that the Constitution of the Company filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement is true and complete, has not been modified and is in full force and effect; (b) that the resolutions of the Board of Directors relating to the this Agreement and the issuance and sale of Shares as contemplated hereby have been duly adopted, are in full force and effect and have not been modified; (c) as to the accuracy and completeness of all correspondence between the Company or its counsel and the Commission; and (d) as to the incumbency of the officers of the Company. The documents referred to in such certificate shall be attached to such certificate.
(e) Delivery of Accountants’ “Comfort” Letter. The Company shall have requested and caused the Accountants to have furnished to the Manager letters (which may refer to letters previously delivered to the Manager), dated as of such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager, confirming that they are independent accountants within the meaning of the Act and the Exchange Act and that they have performed a review of any unaudited interim financial information of the Company included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and provide customary “comfort” as to such review in form and substance satisfactory to the Manager.
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(f) No Material Adverse Event. Since the respective dates as of which information is disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Incorporated Documents, except as otherwise stated therein, there shall not have been (i) any change or decrease in previously reported results specified in the letter or letters referred to in paragraph (d) of this Section 6 or (ii) any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in or affecting the condition (financial or otherwise), earnings, business or properties of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Incorporated Documents (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto) the effect of which, in any case referred to in clause (i) or (ii) above, is, in the sole judgment of the Manager, so material and adverse as to make it impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Shares as contemplated by the Registration Statement (exclusive of any amendment thereof), the Incorporated Documents and the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto).
(g) Payment of All Fees. The Company shall have paid the required Commission filing fees relating to the Shares within the time period required by Rule 456(b)(1)(i) of the Act without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the Act and, if applicable, shall have updated the “Calculation of Filing Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b).
(h) No FINRA Objections. FINRA shall not have raised any objection with respect to the fairness and reasonableness of the terms and arrangements under this Agreement.
(i) Shares Listed on Trading Market. The Shares shall have been listed and admitted and authorized for trading on the Trading Market, and satisfactory evidence of such actions shall have been provided to the Manager.
(j) Other Assurances. Prior to each Settlement Date and Time of Delivery, as applicable, the Company shall have furnished to the Manager such further information, certificates and documents as the Manager may reasonably request.
If any of the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when and as provided in this Agreement, or if any of the opinions and certificates mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall not be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Manager and counsel for the Manager, this Agreement and all obligations of the Manager hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, any Settlement Date or Time of Delivery, as applicable, by the Manager. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone and confirmed in writing by electronic mail.
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The documents required to be delivered by this Section 6 shall be delivered to Lucosky Brookman LLP, counsel for the Manager, on each such date as provided in this Agreement.
7. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) Indemnification by Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Manager, the directors, officers, employees and agents of the Manager and each person who controls the Manager within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act against any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which they or any of them may become subject under the Act, the Exchange Act or other Federal or state statutory law or regulation, at common law or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement for the registration of the Shares as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or in the Base Prospectus, any Prospectus Supplement, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, or in any amendment thereof or supplement thereto, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or result from or relate to any breach of any of the representations, warranties, covenants or agreements made by the Company in this Agreement, and agrees to reimburse each such indemnified party for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such loss, claim, damage, liability or action; provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by the Manager specifically for inclusion therein. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability that the Company may otherwise have.
(b) Indemnification by Manager. The Manager agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity from the Company to the Manager, but only with reference to written information relating to the Manager furnished to the Company by the Manager specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity; provided, however, that in no case shall the Manager be responsible for any amount in excess of the Broker Fee applicable to the Shares and paid hereunder. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Manager may otherwise have.
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(c) Indemnification Procedures. Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 7 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 7, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party’s choice at the indemnifying party’s expense to represent the indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. Notwithstanding the indemnifying party’s election to appoint counsel to represent the indemnified party in an action, the indemnified party shall have the right to employ separate counsel (including local counsel), and the indemnifying party shall bear the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of such separate counsel if (i) the use of counsel chosen by the indemnifying party to represent the indemnified party would present such counsel with a conflict of interest, (ii) the actual or potential defendants in, or targets of, any such action include both the indemnified party and the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it and/or other indemnified parties which are different from or additional to those available to the indemnifying party, (iii) the indemnifying party shall not have employed counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party to represent the indemnified party within a reasonable time after notice of the institution of such action or (iv) the indemnifying party shall authorize the indemnified party to employ separate counsel at the expense of the indemnifying party. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding.
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(d) Contribution. In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 7 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party for any reason, the Company and the Manager agree to contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending the same) (collectively “Losses”) to which the Company and the Manager may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and by the Manager on the other from the offering of the Shares; provided, however, that in no case shall the Manager be responsible for any amount in excess of the Broker Fee applicable to the Shares and paid hereunder. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Manager severally shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Manager on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received by the Company shall be deemed to be equal to the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by it, and benefits received by the Manager shall be deemed to be equal to the Broker Fee applicable to the Shares and paid hereunder as determined by this Agreement. Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information provided by the Company on the one hand or the Manager on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. The Company and the Manager agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution were determined by pro rata allocation or any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 7, each person who controls the Manager within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee and agent of the Manager shall have the same rights to contribution as the Manager, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement and each director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).
8. Termination.
(a) The Company shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate the provisions of this Agreement relating to the solicitation of offers to purchase the Shares in its sole discretion at any time upon five (5) Business Days’ prior written notice. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that (i) with respect to any pending sale, through the Manager for the Company, the obligations of the Company, including in respect of compensation of the Manager, shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the termination and (ii) the provisions of Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, the second sentence of 13, 14 and 15 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
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(b) The Manager shall have the right, by giving written notice as hereinafter specified, to terminate the provisions of this Agreement relating to the solicitation of offers to purchase the Shares in its sole discretion at any time. Any such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except that the provisions of Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, the second sentence of 13, 14 and 15 of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding such termination.
(c) This Agreement shall remain in full force and effect until such date that this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Sections 8(a) or (b) above or otherwise by mutual agreement of the parties, provided that any such termination by mutual agreement shall in all cases be deemed to provide that Sections 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, the second sentence of 13, 14 and 15 shall remain in full force and effect.
(d) Any termination of this Agreement shall be effective on the date specified in such notice of termination, provided that such termination shall not be effective until the close of business on the date of receipt of such notice by the Manager or the Company, as the case may be. If such termination shall occur prior to the Settlement Date or Time of Delivery for any sale of the Shares, such sale of the Shares shall settle in accordance with the provisions of Section 2(b) of this Agreement.
(e) In the case of any purchase of Shares by the Manager pursuant to a Terms Agreement, the obligations of the Manager pursuant to such Terms Agreement shall be subject to termination, in the absolute discretion of the Manager, by prompt oral notice given to the Company prior to the Time of Delivery relating to such Shares, if any, and confirmed promptly by electronic mail, if since the time of execution of the Terms Agreement and prior to such delivery and payment, (i) trading in the Ordinary Shares shall have been suspended by the Commission or the Trading Market or trading in securities generally on the Trading Market shall have been suspended or limited or minimum prices shall have been established on such exchange, (ii) a banking moratorium shall have been declared by either the federal authorities of the United States of America or by the authorities of the State of New York or (iii) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities, declaration by the United States of America of a national emergency or war, or other calamity or crisis the effect of which on financial markets is such as to make it, in the sole judgment of the Manager, impractical or inadvisable to proceed with the offering or delivery of the Shares as contemplated by the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto).
9. Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company or its officers and of the Manager set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by the Manager or the Company or any of the officers, directors, employees, agents or controlling persons referred to in Section 7, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Shares.
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10. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and will be mailed, delivered, or e-mailed to the addresses of the Company and the Manager, respectively, set forth on the signature page hereto.
11. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers, directors, employees, agents and controlling persons referred to in Section 7, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.
12. No Fiduciary Duty. The Company hereby acknowledges that (a) the purchase and sale of the Shares pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the Manager and any affiliate through which it may be acting, on the other, (b) the Manager is acting solely as sales agent and/or principal in connection with the purchase and sale of the Company’s securities and not as a fiduciary of the Company and (c) the Company’s engagement of the Manager in connection with the offering and the process leading up to the offering is as independent contractors and not in any other capacity. Furthermore, the Company agrees that it is solely responsible for making its own judgments in connection with the offering (irrespective of whether the Manager has advised or is currently advising the Company on related or other matters). The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Manager has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owe an agency, fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto.
13. Integration. This Agreement and any Terms Agreement supersede all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Manager with respect to the subject matter hereof. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the letter agreements, dated March 22, 2021 and April 28, 2023, by and between the Company and the Manager shall continue to be effective and the terms therein shall continue to survive and be enforceable by the Manager in accordance with their respective terms, provided that, in the event of a conflict between the terms of the respective letter agreement and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall prevail.
14. Amendments; Waivers. No provision of this Agreement may be waived, modified, supplemented or amended except in a written instrument signed, in the case of an amendment, by the Company and the Manager. No waiver of any default with respect to any provision, condition or requirement of this Agreement shall be deemed to be a continuing waiver in the future or a waiver of any subsequent default or a waiver of any other provision, condition or requirement hereof, nor shall any delay or omission of any party to exercise any right hereunder in any manner impair the exercise of any such right.
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15. Applicable Law. This Agreement and any Terms Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York. Each of the Company and the Manager: (i) agrees that any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be instituted exclusively in the Supreme Court of the State of New York, sitting in the County of New York, or in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, (ii) waives any objection which it may have or hereafter to the venue of any such suit, action or proceeding, and (iii) irrevocably consents to the exclusive jurisdiction of the such courts in any such suit, action or proceeding. Each of the Company and the Manager further agrees to accept and acknowledge service of any and all process which may be served in any such suit, action or proceeding in such courts for and agrees that service of process upon the Company mailed by certified mail to the Company’s address shall be deemed in every respect effective service of process upon the Company, in any such suit, action or proceeding, and service of process upon the Manager mailed by certified mail to the Manager’s address shall be deemed in every respect effective service process upon the Manager, in any such suit, action or proceeding. If either party shall commence an action or proceeding to enforce any provision of this Agreement, then the prevailing party in such action or proceeding shall be reimbursed by the other party for its reasonable attorney’s fees and other costs and expenses incurred with the investigation, preparation and prosecution of such action or proceeding.
16. Waiver of Jury Trial. The Company hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, any Terms Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby.
17. Counterparts. This Agreement and any Terms Agreement may be signed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement, which may be delivered in .pdf file via e-mail.
***************************
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18. Headings. The section headings used in this Agreement and any Terms Agreement are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the Company and the Manager.
Very truly yours,
LOCAFY LIMITED
By: | /s/ Gavin Burnett | |
Name: | Gavin Burnett | |
Title: | CEO |
Address for Notice:
246A Churchill Avenue
Subiaco, Western Australia 6008
Australia
Attention: Gavin Burnett, Chief Executive Officer
Email: gavin.burnett@locafy.com
The foregoing Agreement is hereby confirmed and accepted as of the date first written above.
H.C. WAINWRIGHT & CO., LLC
By: |
/s/ Edward D. Silvera | |
Name: | Edward D. Silvera | |
Title: | Chief Operating Officer |
Address for Notice:
430 Park Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Attention: Chief Executive Officer
E-mail: notices@hcwco.com
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ANNEX I
Form of Terms Agreement
LOCAFY LIMITED
TERMS AGREEMENT
_________, 202_
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Locafy Limited (the “Company”) proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated herein and in the At The Market Offering Agreement, dated May 18, 2023 (the “At The Market Offering Agreement”), between the Company and H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC (“Manager”), to issue and sell to Manager the securities specified in the Schedule I hereto (the “Purchased Shares”).
Each of the provisions of the At The Market Offering Agreement not specifically related to the solicitation by the Manager, as agent of the Company, of offers to purchase securities is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and shall be deemed to be part of this Terms Agreement to the same extent as if such provisions had been set forth in full herein. Each of the representations and warranties set forth therein shall be deemed to have been made at and as of the date of this Terms Agreement and the Time of Delivery, except that each representation and warranty in Section 3 of the At The Market Offering Agreement which makes reference to the Prospectus (as therein defined) shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty as of the date of the At The Market Offering Agreement in relation to the Prospectus, and also a representation and warranty as of the date of this Terms Agreement and the Time of Delivery in relation to the Prospectus as amended and supplemented to relate to the Purchased Shares.
An amendment to the Registration Statement (as defined in the At The Market Offering Agreement), or a supplement to the Prospectus, as the case may be, relating to the Purchased Shares, in the form heretofore delivered to the Manager is now proposed to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein and in the At The Market Offering Agreement which are incorporated herein by reference, the Company agrees to issue and sell to the Manager and the latter agrees to purchase from the Company the number of shares of the Purchased Shares at the time and place and at the purchase price set forth in the Schedule I hereto.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us a counterpart hereof, whereupon this Terms Agreement, including those provisions of the At The Market Offering Agreement incorporated herein by reference, shall constitute a binding agreement between the Manager and the Company.
LOCAFY LIMITED | ||
By: |
||
Name: | ||
Title: |
ACCEPTED as of the date first written above.
H.C. WAINWRIGHT & CO., LLC | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
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Exhibit 5.1
18 May 2023
Locafy Limited 246A Churchill Avenue Subiaco WA 6008, Australia |
Ref:SID:BTR:2110567
|
Dear Sirs
Locafy Limited – Shelf Registration Statement on Form F-3 Opinion
We have acted as Australian legal adviser to the Company, an Australian incorporated company, in connection its proposed securities offering under the Shelf Registration Statement, which will comprise:
● | the proposed offer and sale by the Company from time to time, as provided in the Shelf Registration Statement and in any supplements to the Shelf Registration Statement, of up to $100,000,000 (in aggregate) of Shares, Preference Shares, Warrants, Subscription Rights and/or Units in the Company (each as defined below); and |
● | the issue and sale of Shares in the Company, through or to the Manager (as sales agent), from time to time in accordance with the terms of the ATM Agreement, up to the “Maximum Amount” (as that term is defined in the ATM Agreement), |
(the Transaction).
1. | Definitions |
In this letter:
ASIC means the Australian Securities and Investments Commission.
ATM Agreement means the at-the-market agreement between the Company and the Manager dated 18 May 2023.
ATM Prospectus means the prospectus filed by the Company with the SEC under Rule 430B and rule 424(b) of the Securities Act, and any supplement to that document filed to the date of this letter.
Board means the board of directors of the Company.
Company means Locafy Limited (ACN 136 737 767).
Corporations Act means the Corporations Act 2001 (Commonwealth of Australia).
Level
15 Olderfleet 477 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000 |
GPO
Box 1842 Melbourne VIC 3001 |
DX
370 Melbourne VIC |
T
+61 3 9269 9000 F +61 3 9269 9001 landers.com.au |
Examined Materials has the meaning set out in clause 2 of this letter.
Manager means H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC.
Preference Share means a fully paid preference share of no par value in the Company.
Preference Share Sale Agreement means any agreement between the Company and a qualified sales agent or broker in relation to the proposed sale of Preference Shares.
SEC means the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America.
Securities Act means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, of the United States of America.
Share means a fully paid ordinary share of no par value in the Company.
Share Sale Agreement means any agreement between the Company and a qualified sales agent or broker in relation to the proposed sale of Shares.
Shelf Registration Statement means the shelf registration statement on Form F-3 relating to the registration of $100,000,000 (in aggregate) of Shares, Preference Shares, Warrants, Subscription Rights and/or Units , prepared by the Company and filed with the SEC, as amended to the date of this letter, including any ATM Prospectus.
Subscription Right means a subscription right that is exchangeable for equity securities and/or other securities in the Company.
Subscription Right Agreement means any agreement between the Company and a Subscription Right agent in relation to the proposed sale of Subscription Rights.
Unit means a unit in the Company comprised of one or more Shares, Preference Shares, Warrants and/or Subscription Rights in any combination.
Unit Agreement means any agreement between the Company and a Unit agent in relation to the proposed sale of Units.
Warrant means a warrant to purchase a Preference Share or a Share.
Warrant Agreement means any agreement between the Company and a Warrant agent in relation to the proposed sale of Warrants.
2. | Documents examined and searches made |
For the purposes of issuing this letter, we have undertaken the following searches and examined and relied on electronic copies of the following documents (Examined Materials) only and have not examined any other documents or records and undertaken no other enquiries for the purpose of this letter:
(a) | Certificate of Incorporation of the Company dated 23 April 2009, Certificates of Change of Name dated 5 July 2010 and 13 January 2012, Certificate of Registration on Conversion to a Public Company dated 24 February 2012 and Certificate of Change of Name dated 14 January 2021; |
(b) | Certified copy of the Company’s constitution as adopted on 20 August 2021; |
(c) | Certificate of the company secretary of the Company certifying certain matters of the Board dated 17 May 2023 as required under clause 6(d) of the ATM Agreement; |
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(d) | Copy of the Shelf Registration Statement, including the exhibits being filed therewith and incorporated by reference therein from previous filings made by the Company with the SEC; and |
(e) | a search of the ASIC records of the Company undertaken on the date of this letter. |
3. | Opinions |
Subject to the assumptions and qualifications set out in this letter, we are of the opinion that:
(a) | with respect to the Preference Shares, assuming the taking of all necessary corporate action to authorise and approve the issue of any Preference Shares, the terms of the offering of the Preference Shares, the related Preference Share Sale Agreement and any related matters, in each case in compliance with the Company’s constitution and applicable law, when issued and paid for as contemplated by the Shelf Registration Statement, any applicable supplementary prospectus and the Preference Share Sale Agreement, the Preference Shares will be validly issued and fully paid, and holders of such Preference Shares, having fully paid all amounts due on such Preference Shares, will be under no personal liability to contribute to the assets and liabilities of the Company in their capacities purely as holders of such Preference Shares; |
(b) | with respect to the Subscription Rights, assuming the taking of all necessary corporate action to authorise and approve the issue of the underlying equity securities and/or other securities in the Company and the issue of any Subscription Rights, the terms of the offering of the Subscription Rights, the related Subscription Rights Agreement and any related matters, in each case in compliance with the Company’s constitution and applicable law, when issued and paid for as contemplated by the Shelf Registration Statement, any applicable supplementary prospectus and the Subscription Rights Agreement, the Subscription Rights will be validly issued and fully paid, and holders of such Subscription Rights, having fully paid all amounts due on such Subscription Rights, will be under no personal liability to contribute to the assets and liabilities of the Company in their capacities purely as holders of such Subscription Rights; |
(c) | with respect to the Units, assuming the taking of all necessary corporate action to authorise and approve the issue of the Shares, Preference Shares, Warrants and/or Subscription Rights underlying the Units and the issue of any Units, the terms of the offering of the Units, the related Unit Agreement and any related matters, in each case in compliance with the Company’s constitution and applicable law, when issued and paid for as contemplated by the Shelf Registration Statement, any applicable supplementary prospectus and the Unit Agreement, the Units will be validly issued and fully paid, and holders of such Units, having fully paid all amounts due on such Units, will be under no personal liability to contribute to the assets and liabilities of the Company in their capacities purely as holders of such Units; |
(d) | with respect to the Warrants, assuming the taking of all necessary corporate action to authorise and approve the issue of the underlying Shares or Preference Shares and the issue of any Warrants, the terms of the offering of the Warrants, the related Warrant Agreement and any related matters, in each case in compliance with the Company’s constitution and applicable law, when issued and paid for as contemplated by the Shelf Registration Statement, any applicable supplementary prospectus and the Warrant Agreement, the Warrants will be validly issued and fully paid, and holders of such Warrants, having fully paid all amounts due on such Warrants, will be under no personal liability to contribute to the assets and liabilities of the Company in their capacities purely as holders of such Warrants; |
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(e) | with respect to the Shares proposed to be issued under the ATM Agreement, the Shares have been duly authorised by all necessary corporate action by the Company and, when issued and paid for as contemplated by the Shelf Registration Statement and the ATM Agreement, the Shares will be validly issued and fully paid, and holders of such Shares, having fully paid all amounts due on such Shares, will be under no personal liability to contribute to the assets and liabilities of the Company in their capacities purely as holders of such Shares; and |
(f) | with respect to the Shares (other than those Shares in respect of which we have expressed an opinion on under clause 3(e)), assuming the taking of all necessary corporate action to authorise and approve the issue of any Shares, the terms of the offering of the Shares, the related Share Sale Agreement and any related matters, in each case in compliance with the Company’s constitution and applicable law, when issued and paid for as contemplated by the Shelf Registration Statement, any applicable supplementary prospectus and the Share Sale Agreement, the Shares will be validly issued and fully paid, and holders of such Shares, having paid all amounts due on such Shares, will be under no personal liability to contribute to the assets and liabilities of the Company in their capacities purely as holders of such Shares. |
4. | Consent |
We hereby consent to the filing of this letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the Shelf Registration Statement and to the use of our name under the caption ‘Legal Matters’ in the Shelf Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we come within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder.
5. | Assumptions |
In providing the opinion in clause 3 we have assumed the following matters and have not made any independent investigations or enquiries in respect of such matters:
(a) | at the time of issue of any Shares, the related Share Sale Agreement will have been duly authorised, executed and delivered by the Company and the qualified sales agent or broker, as applicable; |
(b) | at the time of issue of any Preference Shares, the related Preference Share Sale Agreement will have been duly authorised, executed and delivered by the Company and the qualified sales agent or broker, as applicable; |
(c) | at the time of issue of any Warrants, the related Warrant Agreement will have been duly authorised, executed and delivered by the Company and the Warrant agent and/or Warrant holder, as applicable; |
(d) | at the time of issue and delivery of any Subscription Rights, the related Subscription Rights Agreement will have been duly authorised, executed and delivered by the Company and the Subscription Rights agent; |
(e) | at the time of issue and delivery of the Units, the Unit Agreement will have been duly authorised, executed and delivered by the Company and the Unit agent; |
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(f) | all seals and signatures and any duty stamps or markings on documents examined by us are authentic and that all copies of documents examined by us are complete and conform to the originals; |
(g) | the documents, information and reports reviewed by us have not been modified, amended or terminated by subsequent actions or agreements of which we are not aware; |
(h) | any facts which may give reason to question the validity, continuing effectiveness or lawfulness of any document or instrument examined by us have been drawn to our attention and otherwise all factual matters are correct; |
(i) | all certificates, letters and opinions given by external advisers of the Company in relation to the documents examined by us are genuine, complete, up-to-date and accurate; |
(j) | all certificates, letters and opinions given by the Company’s management in relation to the documents examined by us are genuine, complete, up-to-date and accurate; |
(k) | all resolutions of the Board that we have relied upon for the purposes of our opinion have not been and will not be varied or revoked and that the meetings of the Board at which the resolutions were considered were properly convened, all directors who attended and voted were entitled to do so, the resolutions were properly passed, and the directors have performed their duties properly and all provisions relating to the declaration of directors’ interests or the power of interested directors were duly observed; |
(l) | the Company’s registrar promptly follows all instructions regarding the issue of securities given by the Board to make the appropriate entries in the Company’s registers of securities as instructed; |
(m) | no director of the Company was interested in a matter the subject of a Board resolution, except as permitted by the Constitution or the Corporations Act; |
(n) | at the time of execution of a document, no signatory of the document on behalf of the Company had received notice of revocation of their authority to execute that document; |
(o) | no laws other than the relevant laws of the Commonwealth of Australia affect our opinion; |
(p) | no person is entitled to rely on our opinion if it is aware that any assumption made by us is incorrect (but this assumption is not to affect any person who is entitled to rely on our opinion who is not so aware); |
(q) | where we have searched or inspected public records, we have assumed the accuracy of those records; and |
(r) | there were no documents other than those which were disclosed to us which related to the Examined Materials. |
At the time of giving our opinion, we have no actual knowledge and we are not aware of any fact which would render any of the above assumptions incorrect.
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6. | Qualifications |
Our opinion in clause 3 is subject to the following qualifications:
(a) | our opinion is based on our review of the Examined Materials only; |
(b) | we express no opinion as to the enforceability of any provision in any ATM Agreement (except as set out in clause 3), Share Sale Agreement, Preference Share Sale Agreement, Warrant Agreement, Subscription Rights Agreement or Unit Agreement; |
(c) | we are entitled to make all of the assumptions specified in section 129 of the Corporations Act; |
(d) | we have not verified work performed by any other advisers or experts retained by the Company and accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of their work; |
(e) | our opinion must be construed and interpreted in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia, and our opinion is given in respect of the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia as applied by the courts of the Commonwealth of Australia as at the date of this letter. We have made no investigation of the laws of any jurisdiction other than those of the Commonwealth of Australia and we do not express or imply any opinion as to the laws of any jurisdiction other than those of the Commonwealth of Australia. We are under, and assume, no obligation to inform any person of, or of the effect of, any future changes to those or any other laws. We have not considered, and have not expressed any opinion with regard to, or as to the effect of, any other law, rule or regulation, whether state or federal, applicable to the Company. In particular, we express no opinion as to United States federal securities laws; |
(f) | our opinion is furnished in accordance with the requirements of Item 9.a. of Form F-3 and Item 601(b)(5)(i) of Regulation S-K in connection with the filing of the Shelf Registration Statement and the related ATM Prospectus, and is not to be used, circulated, quoted or otherwise relied upon for any other purpose; |
(g) | the matters the subject of our opinion are based on the knowledge of those partners and employees of Lander & Rogers directly engaged in advising the Company on the Transaction; |
(h) | we are not, in our opinion, giving an opinion on, and do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy, fairness or completeness of, any statement contained in, or any matter pertaining to the contents of, the Shelf Registration Statement, other than as to the validity of the Shares to be issued under the ATM Agreement as provided in clause 3(e) above; |
(i) | the statements made in our opinion are made by us as lawyers admitted to practice in certain states of the Commonwealth of Australia and without reference to any laws or judicial decisions or statements of the United States of America; and |
(j) | we provide no opinion on any non-legal matters, including but not limited to operational, financial, statistical or accounting matters. |
The opinion set out in clause 3 of this letter is given in respect of and is limited to the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia on the date of this letter. This opinion is limited to the matters stated and no opinion may be inferred beyond the matters expressly stated.
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Yours faithfully
/s/ Lander & Rogers
Lander & Rogers
Simon Davidson | Partner D +61 3 9269 9331 sdavidson@landers.com.au |
David Morris | Partner D +61 2 8020 7772 dmorris@landers.com.au |
We support the environment and ask that all correspondence be sent in digital form.
Lander & Rogers | Page 7 |
Exhibit 23.1
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We have issued our report dated November 15, 2022 with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Locafy Limited on Form 20-F as of June 30, 2022, which is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.
We consent to the incorporation by reference of the aforementioned report in this Registration Statement, and to the use of our name as it appears under the caption “Experts”.
/s/ GRANT THORNTON AUDIT PTY LTD
Perth, Western Australia, Australia
May 18, 2023
Exhibit 107
Calculation of Filing Fee Tables
FORM F-3
(Form Type)
Locafy Limited
……………………………………………………..
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Not Applicable
(Translation of registrant’s name into English)
Table 1: Newly Registered and Carry Forward Securities
Security Type | Security Class Title | Fee Calculation or Carry Forward Rule | Amount Registered(1) | Proposed Maximum Offering Price Per Unit(1) | Maximum Aggregate Offering Price(2)(3) | Fee Rate | Amount of Registration Fee(3) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Newly Registered Securities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fees to Be Paid | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Equity | Ordinary shares, no par value | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Equity | Preference shares, no par value | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other | Subscription Rights | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other | Warrants | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other | Units | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unallocated (Universal) Shelf | - | Rule 457(o) | $ | 100,000,000.00 | $ | 0.00011020 | $ | 11,020.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Fees Previously Paid | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||
Carry Forward Securities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Carry Forward Securities | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total Offering Amounts | $ | 100,000,000.00 | $ | 11,020.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total Fees Previously Paid | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total Fee Offsets | $ | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net Fee Due | $ | 11,020.00 |
(1) | Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the securities being registered also include such indeterminate number of securities as may be issued upon exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities. Separate consideration may or may not be received for securities that are issuable on exercise, conversion or exchange of other securities. |
(2) | The proposed maximum aggregate offering price of each class of securities will be determined from time to time by the registrant in connection with the issuance by the registrant of the securities registered hereunder and is not specified as to each class of securities pursuant to the General Instruction II.C. of Form F-3 under the Securities Act. |
(3) | The proposed maximum aggregate offering price has been estimated solely for purposes of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(o) under the Securities Act and reflects the maximum offering price of securities registered hereunder. |