As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 2022
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
Chenghe Acquisition Co.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Cayman Islands (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | | | 6770 (Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) | | | N/A (I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) | |
38 Beach Road #29-11
South Beach Tower
Singapore 189767
Tel: (+65) 9851 8611
(Address, including telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
South Beach Tower
Singapore 189767
Tel: (+65) 9851 8611
(Address, including telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)
Cogency Global Inc.
122 E 42nd Street, 18th Floor
New York, New York 10168
Tel: (+1) 800 221 0102
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
122 E 42nd Street, 18th Floor
New York, New York 10168
Tel: (+1) 800 221 0102
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
| Joel L. Rubinstein White & Case LLP 1221 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020-1095 Tel: (+1) 212 819 7642 | | | Jessica Zhou White & Case 9th Floor Central Tower 28 Queen’s Road Central Hong Kong Tel: (+852) 2822 8725 | | | Raymond Li Neil A. Torpey Fang Pei Paul Hastings LLP 22/F, Bank of China Tower 1 Garden Road, Central Hong Kong Tel: (+852) 2867 9902 | | | Frank Lopez Jonathan Ko Paul Hastings LLP 515 South Flower Street, Twenty-Fifth Floor Los Angeles, California 90071 Tel: (+1) 213 683 6000 | |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933 check the following box. ☐
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer ☐ | | | Accelerated filer ☐ | | | Non-accelerated filer ☒ | | | Smaller reporting company ☒ | |
| | | | | | | | | | Emerging growth company ☒ | |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
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, as amended, or until the Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
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 it is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED APRIL 1, 2022
PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS
Chenghe Acquisition Co.
$100,000,000
10,000,000 Units
Chenghe Acquisition Co. is a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to as our initial business combination. We have not generated revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues at the earliest until we consummate our initial business combination. We have not selected any potential or specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. However, we will not undertake our initial business combination with any entity based in or with its principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.
This is an initial public offering of our securities. Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described herein. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination and will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or our liquidation, as described herein. The underwriters have a 45 -day option from the date of this prospectus to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account described below as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares that were sold as part of the units in this offering, which we refer to collectively as our public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within 15 months from the closing of this offering, or during one of the three three-month periods by which we may extend such deadline if our sponsor or any of its affiliates or designees pays an additional $0.10 per public share into the trust account in respect of each such extension period (for a total up to 24 months to complete a business combination) (each such three-month period, as governed by the terms further described herein, an “Extension Period”), or by such later period approved by our shareholders in accordance with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (as it may be amended from time to time) (collectively, the “Business Combination Period”), we will redeem 100% of the public shares at a per share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to applicable law and certain conditions as further described herein.
Our sponsor, Chenghe Investment Co., has committed to purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 warrants (or 7,750,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering.
Our initial shareholders, which include our sponsor, currently own an aggregate of 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares, up to 375,000 of which by our sponsor will be surrendered to us for no consideration after the closing of this offering depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised, which will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to the adjustments described herein. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on (i) the appointment of directors or (ii) continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). On any other matters submitted to a vote of our shareholders, holders of the Class B ordinary shares and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will vote together as a single class, except as required by law.
Currently, there is no public market for our units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants. We have applied to have our units listed on Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol “CHEA U” We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. We expect the Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the representative of the underwriters, inform us of their decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our satisfaction of certain conditions as described further herein. Once the securities comprising the units begin separate trading, we expect that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “CHEA” and “CHEA W,” respectively.
We are an “emerging growth company” under applicable federal securities laws and will be subject to reduced public company reporting requirements. Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk, including but not limited to the legal, regulatory and operational risks discussed below and elsewhere in this prospectus. For more details, see “Risk Factors” beginning on page 42 for a discussion of information that should be considered in connection with an investment in our securities. Investors will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings.
No offer or invitation to subscribe for securities may be made to the public in the Cayman Islands.
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.
| | | Per Unit | | | Total | | ||||||
Public offering price | | | | $ | 10.00 | | | | | $ | 100,000,000 | | |
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) | | | | $ | 0.55 | | | | | $ | 5,500,000 | | |
Proceeds, before expenses, to us | | | | $ | 9.45 | | | | | $ | 94,500,000 | | |
(1)
$0.20 per unit, or $2,000,000 in the aggregate (or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), is payable upon the closing of this offering. Includes $0.35 per unit, or $3,500,000 in the aggregate (or up to $4,025,000 in the aggregate if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions to be placed in a trust account located in the United States and released to the underwriters only upon the completion of an initial business combination. See also “Underwriting” for a description of underwriting compensation payable to the underwriters.
Of the proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $103,000,000, or $118,450,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.30 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, after deducting $2,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering (or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and an aggregate of $2,000,000 to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering.
The underwriters are offering the units for sale on a firm commitment basis. The underwriters expect to deliver the units to the purchasers on or about , 2022.
Book-running Managers
Morgan StanleyEarlyBirdCapital, Inc.
Co-Manager
Revere Securities
, 2022
Until , 2022 (25 days after the date of this prospectus), all dealers that buy, sell or trade our Class A ordinary shares, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This is in addition to the dealers’ obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as underwriters and with respect to their unsold allotments or subscriptions.
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Summary | | | | | 2 | | |
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Dilution | | | | | 92 | | |
Capitalization | | | | | 94 | | |
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We have not, and the underwriters have not, authorized anyone to provide you with information that is different from or inconsistent with that contained in this prospectus. We are not, and the underwriters are not, making an offer to sell securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus.
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SUMMARY
This summary only highlights the more detailed information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus. As this is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider in making an investment decision. You should read this entire prospectus carefully, including the information under “Risk Factors” and our financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this prospectus, before investing.
Unless otherwise stated in this prospectus or the context otherwise requires, references to:
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“we,” “us,” “company” or “our company” are to Chenghe Acquisition Co., a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability;
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“amended and restated memorandum and articles of association” are to the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which will take effect upon the consummation of this offering;
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“Companies Act” are to the Companies Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands;
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“Chenghe Group” are to Chenghe Group Limited, the sole shareholder of the sponsor;
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“founder shares” are to Class B ordinary shares initially purchased by our sponsor in a private placement prior to this offering and the Class A ordinary shares that will be issued upon the automatic conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination as described herein;
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“initial shareholders” are to holders of our founder shares prior to this offering;
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“Mainland China,” or “PRC” are to the People’s Republic of China, which for purposes of this prospectus, does not include the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China, the Macau Special Administrative Region of China or Taiwan;
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“management” or our “management team” are to our officers and directors;
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“ordinary shares” are to our Class A ordinary shares and our Class B ordinary shares;
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“private placement warrants” are to the warrants issued to our sponsor in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering;
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“public shares” are to Class A ordinary shares sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
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“public shareholders” are to the holders of our public shares, including our initial shareholders and management team to the extent our initial shareholders and/or members of our management team and advisory board to the extent any of them purchases public shares, provided that each initial shareholder’s and member of our management team or advisory board’s status as a “public shareholder” will only exist with respect to such public shares;
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“public warrants” are to the warrants sold as part of the units in this offering (whether they are purchased in this offering or thereafter in the open market);
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“sponsor” are to Chenghe Investment Co., a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability; and
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“warrants” are to our public warrants and private placement warrants and any warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans.
Any conversion of the Class B ordinary shares described in this prospectus will take effect as a redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any forfeiture of shares, and all references to forfeiture of shares, described in this prospectus shall take effect as a surrender of shares for no consideration as a matter of Cayman Islands law. Any share dividend described in this prospectus will take effect as a share capitalization as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
Unless we tell you otherwise, the information in this prospectus assumes that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option.
General
We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase,
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reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not generated revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues at the earliest until we consummate our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us.
While we may pursue a business combination target in any business, industry or location, we intend to focus on financial technology (“fintech”) or technology-enabled financial service companies, including artificial intelligence, big data, cloud and blockchain-related initiatives in Asian markets, which can benefit from the expertise and capabilities of our management team to create long-term shareholder value.
However, we will not undertake our initial business combination with any entity based in or with its principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.
Our Team
Our management team is led by Kenneth W. Hitchner, the chairman of our advisory board, Richard Qi Li, the chairman of our board, Dr. Zhiwei Liu, our senior advisor, Dr. Shibin Wang, our chief executive officer and a member of our board of directors, and Anna Zhou, our chief financial officer. Each member of our management team and advisory board members has significant experience in identifying and investing in attractive growth opportunities both in Asia and globally.
Kenneth W. Hitchner
Kenneth W. Hitchner will serve as the chairman of our advisory board immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Hitchner brings to the company a wealth of financial services experience gained through his 28-year career at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Hitchner began his career at Goldman Sachs in New York City in 1991, in the investment banking division, and became a partner of the firm in 2002. Throughout his career at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hitchner held various positions in which he took a leadership role in creating and growing several key business units spanning numerous industry verticals and multiple geographies. Prior to his retirement from Goldman Sachs in 2019, Mr. Hitchner served as the chairman and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs in Asia Pacific Ex-Japan and as a member of Goldman Sachs’ Global Management Committee.
Mr. Hitchner has significant experience in providing high quality deal sourcing and transactional advice to a broad range of clients. Over the course of his career at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hitchner led, managed or executed well over 100 transactions involving in excess of $300 billion in the aggregate, including M&A and equity-related transactions across multiple geographies and sectors. Selected recent transactions in the financial services sector that Mr. Hitchner led and on which he served his clients as a trusted advisor include:
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China Renaissance Holding Ltd.’s $345 million initial public offering and listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 2018; and
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Guotai Junan Securities Co. Ltd.’s $2.1 billion initial public offering and listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 2017, which was a landmark transaction in the financial services sector because Guotai Junan was China’s third-biggest brokerage in terms of sales and its flotation was the second-largest IPO in terms of market value globally in 2017.
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Shenwan Hongyuan Group Co., Ltd.’s US$1.16 billion initial public offering and listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 2019.
Following his relocation to Hong Kong in 2013, Mr. Hitchner, in his capacity as the chairman and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs in Asia Pacific Ex-Japan, provided oversight to a number of significant transactions leveraging his extensive knowledge and experience in technology and new economy related transactions. Selected transactions in which Mr. Hitchner was involved included Ping An Health Cloud’s approximately $500 million private placement in 2016, as well as Goldman Sachs’ underwriting of the initial public offerings of Xiaomi Corporation, Pinduoduo Inc., China Tower Corporation Limited, Meituan Dianping, WuXi AppTec and Tencent Music Entertainment Group.
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As part of his leadership role at Goldman Sachs Asia, Mr. Hitchner was responsible for driving business initiatives to capitalize on new economy trends and further developing and growing Goldman Sachs’ Asia business overall. Mr. Hitchner has maintained frequent dialogues and strong relationships with leading technology and fintech-related companies and business leaders both globally and across Asia. Mr. Hitchner was a trusted advisor to many clients whom he helped guide through their strategic decision-making processes, allowing him to build an extensive network of proprietary and deep relationships. Since his departure from Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hitchner has maintained frequent dialogues and strong relationships with leading technology and fintech-related companies and business leaders both globally and across Asia.
Mr. Hitchner is an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and a member of the Bio Frontiers Institute Advisory Board at the University of Colorado. He also serves on the advisory board of the Faculty of Business and Economics at The University of Hong Kong, and is also a member of the board of directors of Wuxi Biologics and a Senior Advisor of Wuxi Apptec.
Mr. Hitchner has served as the chairman of the board of HH&L Acquisition Co. since 2020 and as an independent non-executive director of Provident Acquisition Corp. since 2021. Each of HH&L Acquisition Co. and Provident Acquisition Corp is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Additionally, Mr. Hitchner has served as a senior advisor to Valliance Asset Management Limited, a multi-strategy fund, since 2020, and as a member of the advisory board of Antler, a global early-stage venture capital firm, since 2021.
We believe that Mr. Hitchner’s deep relationships, network and experience in the technology and fintech sectors across Asia and globally provide our company with distinctive and complementary capabilities and add significant value to what we can offer to potential target companies.
Richard Qi Li
Richard Qi Li, the chairman of our board, has more than two decades of experience in the financial service industry. Until February 2021, Mr. Li had been, from 2017, the chief investment officer and, from 2019, the chief operating officer of China Great Wall AMC (International) Holdings Company Limited and, from 2018, the chief executive officer of Great Wall Pan Asia Asset Management Ltd., both subsidiaries of China Great Wall Asset Management Co. Ltd., a leading asset management company based in China. Mr. Li was previously a managing director and the head of China securities at Goldman Sachs Asia, and a managing director and the head of north Asia capital markets and treasury solutions at Deutsche Bank Hong Kong. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Li worked at Merrill Lynch, the World Bank, and the Ministry of Finance of the PRC. Mr. Li also serves as the chief executive officer and director of HH&L Acquisition Co., an NYSE-listed blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.
Mr. Li has worked with or advised many financial institutions in Greater China on capital markets activities, sales and trading of fixed income products and structured equities, investment, risk management, and/or building up trading or asset management platforms. His clients or counterparts have included leading sovereign wealth funds (State Administration of Foreign Exchange and China Investment Corporation), large banks (Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank and China Merchants Bank), insurers (China Life, PICC, Ping An Insurance) and asset managers (National Social Security Fund, China Asset Management and Harvest Fund). Mr. Li also advised Shanghai Pudong Development Bank in connection with the formation of a business alliance and the establishment of a credit card joint venture with Citibank in 2002. In addition, Mr. Li’s experience includes investment in Meituan Dianping, one of China’s top-tier e-commerce companies, We Doctor Holdings Limited, one of China’s top-tier online healthcare companies, Biotest AG, a Germany-based blood plasma products marker, and Bio Products Laboratory Ltd., a UK-based plasma biotherapeutics company. He has also been involved, as either an investor or an advisor, in investments in the consumer, energy and real estate sectors in Asia and globally. Mr. Li also has experience leading several significant capital raising transactions.
Mr. Li obtained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in economics from Nankai University in China and a master of business administration from Columbia Business School. He was also a visiting scholar at Harvard University in 2019.
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Dr. Zhiwei Liu
Dr. Zhiwei Liu will serve as a senior advisor to our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Dr. Liu is the largest shareholder of Wealthking Investments Limited (or “Wealthking”, stock code: 1140.HK) as of May 8, 2020 and he has served as chairman of Wealthking Investments Limited since 2019. Prior to Wealthking, Dr. Liu held multiple senior positions in a number of China’s leading financial institutions, including China Great Wall Securities Co. Ltd. from 1992 to 1997, Guosen Securities Co. Ltd. from 1997 to 1998, Xinjiang Huitong Group Ltd. from 2005 to 2008, and Chang’an International Co. Ltd. from 2008 to 2011.
Wealthking is a cross-border and cross-sector investment platform listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 2003. Under Dr. Liu’s leadership, Wealthking collaborates with leading institutional and entrepreneur investors to invest primarily in growth-oriented industries in China. Wealthking’s extensive network roots in Asia, particularly in Greater China, provide it with access in the region that it believes gives Wealthking a competitive advantage relative to global funds domiciled outside of Asia. Taking advantage of its access to long-term capital as a listed companies, Wealthking focuses on investing in industry leaders, which Wealthking considers to be a long-term core holdings among its portfolio companies. Leveraging its strengths in investment and financing, Wealthking has established various PE/VC funds and executed add-on deals to invest in businesses surrounding its core portfolio companies in order to continually enhance and improve relationships between companies in its ecosystem of investee companies.
Under Dr. Liu’s leadership, some of Wealthking’s prior investments in the fintech space include:
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CSOP Asset Management (“CSOP”), a well-known asset management company managing private and public funds and providing investment advisory services to Asian and global investors with a dedicated focus on investing in China;
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Oriental Patron Investment Management, a leading hedge fund platform in Asia serving both global and Asia-based managers in developing funds across diversified strategies for institutional and professional investors;
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Jiedaibao, a fintech company providing comprehensive technology-enabled financial services to individuals and enterprises, such as contract signing, registration and post-loan management. With licenses to engage in businesses including online payment, commercial banking and internet microloan services, jiedaibao is focused on building a comprehensive fintech ecosystem; and
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Beijing International Trust Co., Ltd. (or “BITIC”), a China-based large scale non-banking financial institution, which primarily engages in trust, investment fund, financial services, brokerage and advisory business.
Dr. Liu also has extensive personal investment experiences in fintech and technology-related sectors. Some selected personal investments of Dr. Liu include:
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Asia Digital Currency Co., a company dedicated to exploring and executing digital currency initiatives, including issuance and operation of digital currency, experimenting with digital currency applications, research and development relating to blockchain-related technologies and development of talents in the field. The company was founded in Hong Kong with connections to a number of high profile political and business personnel;
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SpinQ, a company dedicated to exploring innovative quantum computing solutions for real-world problems. SpinQ was founded by top researchers from leading institutions worldwide, including the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, Tsinghua University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Southern University of Science and Technology;
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QuantumCTek, a pioneer and leader in commercialized quantum information technology (or “QIT”) in China. QuantumCTek is committed to providing a competitive QIT portfolio of quantum secure solutions in telecom infrastructure, enterprise networks, cloud computing, as well as big data technology and services; and
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Basis Set Ventures, an investment company that invests in early-stage technology companies that aim to fundamentally transform the way people work, with the belief that artificial intelligence delivers core value by improving productivity for all parts of the economy.
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Wacai Holdings Limited, one of the earliest fintech companies established in China, which has gradually evolved into an Internet finance platform with a wide array of personal financial management tools and services, wealth management services and credit solutions.
Dr. Liu received a bachelor’s degree in industrial management engineering from Zhejiang University, a master’s degree in international finance from the Graduate School of PBC (now known as the PBC School of Finance, Tsinghua University) and a Ph.D. in economics from Hunan University. Dr. Liu also completed a professional course for Financial CEOs at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, and participated in the China CEO Global Studies Program at Shanghai Jiaotong University.
Dr. Shibin Wang
Dr. Shibin Wang, is our chief executive officer and as a member of our board of directors, has over 15 years’ experience in sales and trading of structured financial products, cross-border financing and other capital market activities. Over such period, his clients or counterparts have included major banks (China Development Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agriculture Bank of China and China Construction Bank), leading organizations (China National Offshore Oil Corporation and GCL-Poly Energy) and leading private equity firms (Hillhouse Capital and Greenwoods Asset Management). Dr. Wang was an executive director and head of China structure solutions at Deutsche Bank Hong Kong from 2010 to 2015. Prior to that, he worked at FICC Goldman Sachs from 2008 to 2010 and at China Development Bank managing a fixed-income portfolio from 2003 to 2008.
Since April 2019, Dr. Wang has served as a co-founder and the chief executive officer of Hong Kong Digital Asset Ex Ltd. (or “HKbitEX”), a regulated digital asset exchange in Hong Kong dedicated to providing a regulatory-compliant and safe digital asset spot trading and over-the-counter trading services to professional investors in Asia. Under Dr. Wang’s leadership, the company was among the first organizations in Asia-Pacific to apply for a virtual asset trading platform licence from the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, and was recognized as one of China’s top 50 fintech companies in the “2020 KPMG China Fintech 50.”
In 2018, Dr. Wang advised the Intelligent Investment Chain Foundation on funding and ecosystem development. The Intelligent Investment Chain Foundation is a decentralized virtual asset management application developed based on Ethereum smart contracts with an ecology including quantitative funds, cross-chain wealth management wallets and media.
Dr. Wang’s served Oriental Patron Financial Group as chief marketing officer from 2016 to 2018, during which he led the company’s blockchain initiatives and fintech investments. Under Dr. Wang’s leadership, Oriental Patron made investments in DIDI Chuxing and CarbonX, organized a number of forums with leading institutions as well as established the Renminbi-denominated Fintech/Internet Plus fund, with Renminbi 3 billion of assets under management, in collaboration with Magnetic Capital in Shanghai.
Dr. Wang is also shareholder of SECUSOFT Tech, Jiedaibao and ZhongYou International Education.
Dr. Wang obtained a bachelor’s degree in international trading from Dongbei University of Finance & Economics, as well as a master of economics degree and a Ph.D, both from the Finance Institute of the People’s Bank of China.
Anna Zhou
Ms. Anna Zhou, our chief financial officer, has considerable experience in equity research and finance. Ms. Zhou focused on equity research since beginning her career in 2011 and specialized in the China and US Technology, Media, and Telecom (“TMT”) sector including smartphones, digital consumer products, internet services and emerging platform economies. She has been working on in-depth research and rigorous valuation studies in various sectors. She was a senior associate at Mighty Divine Investment Management Limited from 2019 to 2021, the research associate of the long-only portfolio of China Great Wall AMC (International) Holdings Company Limited from 2017 to 2019 and the QDII fund of Anbang Asset Management (Hong Kong) Co. Limited from 2016 to 2017. She also spent two years in BOCOM International Holdings Company Limited (“BOCOM International”) as a data analyst in its market strategy team from 2014 to 2016, publishing
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weekly notes on China’s commodity sector. Ms. Zhou has been involved in investments in Futu Holdings Ltd., Meituan Dianping, Bilibili Inc. and Pingduoduo Inc. when she worked as an equity analyst at Mighty Divine Investment Management Limited, and investments in Sunny Optical Technology (Group) Company Limited when she worked as an equity analyst at China Great Wall AMC (International) Holdings Company Limited.
Ms. Zhou received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, information and application from Université Paris 5 and a master’s degree in financial mathematics and statistics from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Kwan Sun
Kwan Sun will serve as an independent director of our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Sun founded Millburn Advisory LLC, a real estate fund manager, in 2018 and has served as its managing partner since then. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Sun served as the vice chairman of Nan Fung Group’s US businesses to help develop Nan Fung Group’s US real estate business.
Mr. Sun served as a director at Deutsche Bank in structured products department from 1997 to 2003, and as a director at Morgan Stanley in structured products department from 2003 to 2007. Thereafter, Mr. Sun served as a managing director at Deutsche Bank in structured products department from 2007 to 2009 and as a managing director at Morgan Stanley in the investment banking department from 2009 to 2014.
Prior to joining Deutsche Bank in 1997, he served as a vice president the capital markets department of Merrill Lynch, where he focused on trading fix income derivatives. He joined Merrill Lynch in 1992.
Mr. Sun graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University.
Robert Ewing
Robert Ewing will serve as an independent director of our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Ewing has served as a strategic consultant to the chief executive officer at Diametric Capital, an innovative start-up hedge fund in Boston, since 2017. Prior to such role at Diametric Capital, Mr. Ewing served as head of US equities and as a portfolio manager for Putnam Investments, an investment manager in Boston, from 2008 to 2016, where he was responsible for all aspects of the investment management operations. Mr. Ewing was also responsible for managing Putnam Investments’ flagship fund, The Putnam Fund For Growth and Income. At Putnam Investments, Mr. Ewing was responsible for personnel, compensation, product and performance and was a member of its operating committee. Mr. Ewing was also one of the members of Putnam Investments’ risk committees with responsibilities for risk across all asset classes and investments. Additionally, Mr. Ewing chaired the proxy and governance committee of Putnam Investments, where, among other things, he was responsible for proxy votes and trustee interaction.
Prior to joining Putnam Investments, Mr. Ewing was a founder and co-head of the Boston office of RiverSource Investments from 2002 to 2008. He was responsible for all aspects of operations from product and strategy to process and performance and also managed the equity portion of the RiverSource Balanced Fund. Mr. Ewing started his full-time career as an analyst at Fidelity Investments in 1990 and served as a portfolio manager from 1996 to 2002 at Fidelity Investments. In recognition of his performance, he was awarded a Best-In-Class designation by Mutual Funds Magazine in 2001 and 2002.
Mr. Ewing has served as a director of The Fenn School, a non-profit organization in Concord, Massachusetts. At The Fenn School, Mr. Ewing has served as Chair of the Committee on Trustees with responsibilities for board governance and nominations and as a member of the Executive Committee from 2011 to 2018.
Mr. Ewing received a bachelor’s degree from the Honors Program of Boston College Carroll School of Management.
Ning Ma
Ning Ma will serve as an independent director of our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. In 2015, Mr. Ma founded Lingfeng
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Capital Partners, Limited (“Lingfeng”), a private equity firm focusing on investing in fintech companies in Asia, in sub-sectors such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud, big data, lending technology, insurance technology, health care services, investment technology, payment and credit rating, and digital assets. Mr. Ma has served as a partner at Lingfeng since 2015.
Prior to founding Lingfeng, Mr. Ma worked at Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. (“Goldman Sachs”) for thirteen years from 2002 to 2015 where, among other roles, he served as co-head of the Asia Pacific Financial Institutions Equity Research. He was also a member of the Goldman Sachs China Operating Committee and a member of the Asia Pacific Client and Business Standards Committee. He held various positions with Beijing Gao Hua Securities Company Limited and served as the deputy general manager and managing director from 2010 to 2015. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Mr. Ma was a regulator at the headquarters of the People’s Bank of China from 1996 to 2000, where he was actively involved in the regulation, financial reform and policy-making relating to foreign banks and non-bank financial institutions including trust companies, asset management companies, finance companies and leasing companies in China.
Mr. Ma currently serves as an independent director for several financial institutions in Asia including Ant Consumer Finance Company, China Renaissance Securities and BOCOM International. He has been teaching at Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance since 2010.
Mr. Ma received a bachelor’s degree from Renmin University of China, a master’s degree in business administration from London Business School and a master’s degree in international finance from Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance.
We are passionate about fintech and helping build outstanding fintech businesses. We believe we have assembled a strong team with a proven track record in identifying, investing and value creation for leading fintech or technology-enabled financial service companies on the back of their global network and rich capital markets experience in Asia and around the world. We believe our team is well-positioned to take advantage of the growing set of acquisition opportunities relevant to our business strategy and that our contacts and relationships, ranging from owners of private and public companies, private equity funds, investment bankers, attorneys, accountants and business brokers should provide us with a number of business combination opportunities and will ultimately allow us to consummate our initial business combination.
With respect to the foregoing experience of our team, past performance is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our team’s performance as indicative of our future performance. For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see the section entitled “Management and Advisory Board.”
In addition, with respect to the foregoing information you should take into consideration that the entities which our officers, directors and advisors previously served or which they currently serve or with which they currently have business relationships have (i) no interest in or affiliation with our company and (ii) no obligation to provide services to us, to assist us in identifying or consummating an initial business combination or to otherwise assist us in any way. Except for Mr. Kenneth W. Hitchner, who is the chairman of the board of HH&L Acquisition Co. and an independent director of Provident Acquisition Corp., and Mr. Richard Qi Li, who is the chief executive officer and director of HH&L Acquisition Co., none of our other directors, management and advisory board members has any past experience with any blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies. Certain of our officers, directors and advisors have fiduciary and contractual duties to investment vehicles and business enterprises other than our company. As a result, certain of them may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to other entities and will have no duty to offer such opportunities to our company unless presented to them in their capacity as an officer or director of our company. In addition, our officers, directors and advisors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among their various business activities, including identifying any potential business combination, monitoring any related due diligence and transaction execution activities, and managing any entity that is involved in our initial business combination. Moreover, certain of our advisors, officers and directors may have time and attention obligations to investment vehicles and/or business enterprises other than our company; and, in addition, the compensation arrangements between such individuals and such other investment vehicles and/or business enterprises (e.g., the potential for such individuals to receive bonuses or payments of “carried interest” based
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on performance or investment results) may result in certain of such individuals prioritizing the interests of such other investment vehicles and/or business enterprises over our interests. In addition, our officers, directors and advisors may sponsor or form other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
Business Strategy
We intend to capitalize on the experience of our team to acquire one or more fintech or technology-enabled financial service businesses in Asian markets, which can benefit from the expertise and capabilities of our management team in order to create long-term shareholder value.
The total of fintech investment activities in Asia from 2014 to 2019 grew by more than three times and the growth of market value by deal size of 15.6% in the next ten years is expected to outpace North America and Europe. The year of 2020 was a game changer as the COVID-19 pandemic made digitization a critical priority for financial institutions and we believe the trend will likely continue and create new opportunities and potential business combination targets that were previously not as viable. According to a KPMG biannual report entitled “Pulse of Fintech H2’2020” in February 2021, these changes include, but were not limited to:
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accelerating digital adoption by financial institutions, including the demand for e-payment solutions and digital banking services;
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customer behaviors and attitudes towards use of e-commerce platforms, digital customer service channels and e-wallets;
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platform companies and large tech companies continue to branch into financial services areas to broaden service offerings and mature fintechs continue to expand into adjacencies to drive more customer value; and
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increasing attention from governments and regulators as to how fintech is evolving and what needs to be done to support the changes.
Our selection process will leverage our team’s broad and deep network of relationships, unique industry expertise and proven deal-sourcing capabilities to provide us with a strong and differentiated pipeline of potential targets.
Our team has experience in:
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sourcing, structuring, acquiring and selling businesses;
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investing in businesses globally and enabling them to build and/or grow their business in the Greater China or other Asian markets, applying our unique market, policy and government insights;
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helping target companies gain access to the Greater China or other Asian markets as well as secure funding from other reputable investors and lenders, managing and operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, mentoring and recruiting top-notch talent;
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developing and growing companies, both organically and inorganically;
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fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams; and
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accessing public and private capital markets to optimize capital structure, including financing businesses and helping companies transition ownership structures.
Immediately following the completion of this offering, we intend to begin the process of communicating with the network of relationships within our team to search for a potential target for our initial business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.
Competitive Strengths
We believe that the sourcing, valuation, diligence and execution capabilities of our team will provide us with a significant pipeline of differentiated opportunities from which to evaluate and select a business that will benefit from our expertise.
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Our competitive strengths include the following:
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Leading Industry Insights and Proprietary Sourcing Channels. We believe our team’s global insights and experience will allow us to identify suitable opportunities in fintech and tech-enabled financial service sectors that enjoy solid fundamentals yet may be under-invested and/or undervalued. Our team’s extensive experience in the financial services industry as well as their other corporate relationships have helped them develop a broad array of contacts in the fintech sector. Finally, we believe that with the advice and support of our sponsor, we will have unique access to a pipeline of acquisition opportunities in Asia that may not be easily replicable by other market participants. We believe that these factors will give us an edge in terms of sourcing targets for our initial business combination;
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Investing Experience. We believe that our team’s track record of identifying, sourcing and advising on transactions positions us well to appropriately evaluate potential business combinations that have a strong potential to be well received by the public markets;
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Execution and Structuring Capability. We believe that our team’s combined expertise and reputation will allow us to source and complete transactions possessing structural attributes that create an attractive investment thesis. These types of transactions are typically complex and require creativity, industry knowledge and expertise, rigorous due diligence, and extensive negotiations and documentation. We believe that by focusing our investment activities on these types of transactions, we will be able to generate investment opportunities that have attractive risk-reward profiles; and
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Long-term Value and Strategic Partnership. We believe that our team can create long-term value by collaborating with target management teams, forming strategic partnerships and enhancing performance.
Our Target Market Opportunities
We will not undertake our initial business combination with any entity based in or with its principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.
We intend to complete a business combination with fintech or technology-enabled financial service companies that are exposed to favorable macroeconomics, technology, digitization and policy trends in Asia such as the following:
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Macroeconomic: rising disposable income, personal savings and consumption expenditures thanks to rapid urbanization and increase of education levels;
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Technology: rapid development and sophistication of financial technology to accelerate trends and changes under way across the financial services industry;
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Digitalization: increasing mobile internet users and changing customer behavior; and
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Policy: support for inclusive finance and technology innovation.
We have not narrowed the business combination target in any particular fintech verticals, however, we do believe the following areas represent attractive opportunities:
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Insurtech
Increasing awareness of the need for protection and the aging population have contributed to rapid growth in the life and health insurance markets. Digital-savvy Gen Z are becoming more keen to access the market via online insurers. On-going digitalization of the economy drives substantial opportunities for innovative, scenario-based property and casualty insurance products. The overall premiums paid in the insurance market in Asia reached $1.7 trillion in 2019, and are expected to grow to $2.1 trillion in 2025, according to BMI research.
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Wealthtech and online broker
The growth of the wealthtech and online broker sector is mainly driven by the combination of fast growth of personal investable assets, generational change, increasing investor sophistication and the rise of attractive new digital investment offerings. Meanwhile, Asia investable assets are set to surpass $47 trillion in 2023, with an implied CAGR at 10.0% compared with $18 trillion in 2013, according to
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a report entitled “Reigniting Radical Growth” issued by Boston Consulting Group in June 2019. With approximately 15 million high-net-worth-individuals (or “HNWI”) and an expanding middle-income class, Asia has become the region with the second-highest concentration of HNWI globally. We believe that strong market performance coupled with reduced offline activities amid COVID-19 has boosted user appetite for online brokerage.
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Digital payment
The convenience, efficiency and high penetration of digital and mobile technology are expected to drive the growth of digital payments in Asia. The global pandemic has enhanced interest in the payments space given the rapid acceleration of digital trends and demand for alternative payments models. Digital payment transaction volume in Asia Pacific is expected to further expand at a CAGR of 11.1% between 2019 and 2025, far ahead of Middle East and Africa (7.5%), North America (4.1%), and Western Europe (2.9%) accordingly to Passport.
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Online consumer financial service segments
Online consumer financial service segments, such as consumer finance, are experiencing significant growth driven by rapidly growing consumption needs and consumer leverage. The outstanding balance of consumer finance in Asia reached $13.0 trillion in 2019 and is expected to reach $23.0 trillion in 2025, with an implied CAGR of 10.8% according to Euromonitor. We believe that further penetration of unbanked population and underserved demand would support consumption in the long run.
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Digital assets and blockchain
We observed increasing market trends toward greater interest in and acceptance of digital assets as a new investable asset class. The regulators in Asia have also developed regulatory frameworks and licensing regimes for digital asset providers, which are essential for bringing in good practices and market infrastructure to further operationalize the crypto and digital asset industry. The approximate size of the digital asset market in 2020 is $1.0 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap. Based on our estimate, assuming 1% of traditional asset classes are tokenized, the size of the digital asset market could reach $13 trillion.
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Financial information system
The financial services industry has seen drastic technology-led changes over the past few years. Financial institutions look to improve efficiency and facilitate game-changing innovation, while also lowering costs and continuing to support legacy system. The advancement of technology in AI, big data, cloud and blockchain are the driving forces to accelerate technology adoptions by financial institutions and help them enhance risk management and optimize customer experience. The total technology expenditure of financial services industry in Asia reached $161 billion in 2019. The growth momentum is expected to continue and such expenditure is expected to reach $241 billion in 2025 for Asia, growing at a CAGR of 7.0% from 2019, according to Gartner and other public sources.
Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with target business or businesses that do not meet any or all of these criteria and guidelines. However, we will not undertake our initial business combination with any entity based in or with its principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.
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Focus on targets with operations in the fintech or tech-enabled financial service sectors. With the extensive networks and insights our team has built in our target sectors, we are confident that we will have access to a broad range of investment opportunities and a competitive advantage in our ability to negotiate an initial business combination with potential targets in such sector. We expect our management team’s network of contacts to provide us with robust opportunities to source compelling targets, evaluate them and consummate a business combination with one or several of these targets;
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Targets with capabilities to leverage the compelling market trends in Asian markets. We intend to target one or more businesses that have gained sustainable competitive advantages, demonstrated potential for strong growth in the future, and have significant opportunities in and/or synergies with Asian markets. We believe this approach will enable us to effectively leverage our strong network to identify attractive opportunities and that the larger market capitalization and public float of the resulting company will be more attractive to our investors;
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Targets with large addressable market and high growth prospects. We intend to invest in companies with fundamentally sound business models that operate in a large underlying addressable market with strong tail winds that we believe will support significant growth and superior returns over time, including those with embedded or underexploited growth opportunities or those that may benefit from synergistic add-on acquisitions, increased production capacity, expense reductions, technology upgrades and increased operating leverage;
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Targets with the potential to further improve under our ownership. Our management team has a history of accelerating growth of companies with strong historical performance. We believe our team’s experience in our target sectors and network of industry contacts have the potential to generate opportunities to enhance the financial and operational efficiencies of the target businesses, through identifiable catalysts that could transform the value of these investments, and potentially offer an attractive return for our shareholders;
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Experienced and visionary management team. Our team has an extensive network in our target sectors including many well-recognized industry leaders. We intend to seek targets with an established management team that we can complement. To the extent we believe it will enhance shareholder value, we would seek to selectively supplement the existing management team of the business with members of our team and/or with proven leaders from our network; and
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Benefit from capital market access. We intend to seek targets that would benefit from being a public company with an increased public profile, enhanced governance and increased access to a more diversified pool of capital.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. We will also utilize our operational and capital allocation experience. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the SEC. In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspections of facilities, as well as reviewing financial and other information which will be made available to us. Our search for a business combination, ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by factors beyond our control. For example, see “Risk Factors — Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Ability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks — The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on business and debt and equity markets, as well as protectionist legislation in our target markets could have a material adverse effect on our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination.”
Acquisition Process
In evaluating a potential target business, we expect to conduct a comprehensive due diligence review to seek to determine a company’s quality and its intrinsic value. That due diligence review may include, among other things, financial statement analysis, detailed document reviews, multiple meetings with management and employees, consultations with relevant industry experts, competitors, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of additional information that we will seek to obtain as part of our analysis of a target company.
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We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or members of our advisory board, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers, directors or members of our advisory board. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or members of our advisory board, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors is included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We will not undertake an initial business combination with any entity based in or with principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau. We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Our officers and directors and advisory board members have neither individually selected nor considered a target business nor have they had any substantive discussions regarding possible target businesses among themselves or with our underwriters or other advisors. Our team is regularly made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to a business combination transaction with our company. Additionally, we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any substantive measure, directly or indirectly, to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any such acquisition candidate.
Further, certain of our directors and officers and members of our advisory board may have fiduciary and/or contractual obligations to other entities including but not limited to HH&L Acquisition Co., and other entities in which they have invested or may invest. As a result, such directors, officers or members of our advisory board may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to such other entities. In addition, although we expect Mr. Kenneth W. Hitchner and Dr. Zhiwei Liu to provide us with business insights, advice and support regarding deal sourcing and potential acquisition opportunities in their capacity as advisory board members, they do not serve as our directors or officers and have no fiduciary or contractual duty to provide us with acquisition opportunities. Moreover, certain of our advisory board members, officers and directors may have time and attention obligations to investment vehicles and/or business enterprises other than our company; and, in addition, the compensation arrangements between such individuals and such other investment vehicles and/or business enterprises may result in certain of such individuals prioritizing the interests of such other investment vehicles and/or business enterprises over our interests. In addition, our officers, directors and advisors may sponsor or form other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors and advisory board members may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. In addition, our directors and officers and advisory board members are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.
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Initial Business Combination
The rules of the Nasdaq and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that we must consummate an initial business combination with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount held in trust) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it likely that our board of directors will be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors until the 80% of net assets test described above is satisfied.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock or shares of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test described above. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
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Corporate Information
Our executive offices are located at 38 Beach Road #29-11, South Beach Tower Singapore 189767, and our telephone number is +65 98518611. We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”). As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non- convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” will have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250 million as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100 million during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700 million as of the prior June 30.
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THE OFFERING
In making your decision on whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the backgrounds of the members of our management team and advisory board, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company and the fact that this offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. You should carefully consider these and the other risks set forth in the section below entitled “Risk Factors.”
Securities offered:
10,000,000 units (or 11,500,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $10.00 per unit, each unit consisting of:
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one Class A ordinary share; and
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one-half of one redeemable warrant.
Nasdaq symbols:
Units: “CHEA U”
Class A Ordinary Shares: “CHEA”
Warrants: “CHEA W”
Trading commencement and
separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants:
separation of Class A ordinary shares and warrants:
The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
Separate trading of the Class A ordinary shares and warrants is prohibited until we have filed a Current Report on Form 8-K
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds at the closing of this offering. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which closing is anticipated to take place two business days from the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
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Units:
Number outstanding before this offering
0
Number outstanding after this offering
10,000,000(1)
Ordinary shares:
Number outstanding before this offering
2,875,000(2)
Number outstanding after this offering
12,875,000(1)(3)
Warrants:
Number of private placement
warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering
warrants to be sold in a private placement simultaneously with this offering
7,000,000(1)
Number of warrants to be
outstanding after this offering and the private placement
outstanding after this offering and the private placement
12,000,000(1)(4)
Exercisability
Each whole warrant offered in this offering is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share. Only whole warrants are exercisable. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade.
We structured each unit to contain one-half of one warrant, with each whole warrant exercisable for one Class A ordinary share, as compared to units issued by some other similar special purpose acquisition companies which contain whole warrants exercisable for one whole share, in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination as compared to units that each contain a warrant to purchase one whole share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive business combination partner for target businesses.
Exercise price
$11.50 per share, subject to adjustments as described herein.
In addition, if (x) we issue additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by our board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to our initial shareholders
(1)
Assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and 375,000 founder shares are surrendered to us for no consideration.
(2)
Includes up to 375,000 founder shares that will be surrendered to us for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
(3)
Comprised of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units to be sold in this offering and 2,500,000 Class B ordinary shares (or founder shares). Founder shares are currently classified as Class B ordinary shares, which shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described below adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.”
(4)
Comprised of 5,000,000 public warrants included in the units to be sold in this offering and 7,000,000 private placement warrants to be sold in the private placement.
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or their affiliates, without taking into account any founder shares held by our initial shareholders or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance) (the “Newly Issued Price”), (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination, and (z) the volume weighted average trading price of our Class A ordinary shares during the 10 trading day period starting on the trading day prior to the day on which we consummate our initial business combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described below under “Redemption of warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.
Exercise period
The warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination.
We are registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part because the warrants will become exercisable 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, which may be within one year of this offering. However, because the warrants will be exercisable until their expiration date of up to five years after the completion of our initial business combination, in order to comply with the requirements of Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act following the consummation of our initial business combination, we have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 20 business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part or a new registration statement with the SEC covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and to thereafter cause such amendment or registration statement to become effective and to maintain a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares until the warrants expire or are redeemed, as specified in the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the 60th business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, require holders of public warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event we so elect,
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we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
The warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, five years after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier upon redemption or liquidation. On the exercise of any warrant, the warrant exercise price will be paid directly to us and not placed in the trust account.
Redemption of warrants when the price per Class A ordinary share equals or exceeds $18.00
Once the warrants become exercisable, we may redeem the outstanding warrants (except as described herein with respect to the private placement warrants):
•
in whole and not in part;
•
at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
•
upon a minimum of 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption, which we refer to as the 30-day redemption period; and
•
if, and only if, the last reported sales price (the “closing price”) of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for adjustments to the number of shares issuable upon exercise or the exercise price of a warrant as described under the heading “Description of Securities—Warrants—Public Shareholders’ Warrants—Anti-Dilution Adjustments”) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.
We will not redeem the warrants unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.
Cashless exercise of warrants
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us.
If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, our cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on our shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares
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issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” will mean the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment). Please see “Description of Securities — Warrants — Public Shareholders’ Warrants” for additional information.
Ability to extend time to complete business combination
If we anticipate not being able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may, by resolution of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to three times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination). Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and the investment management trust agreement entered into between us and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company as of the date of this prospectus, in order to extend the time available for us to consummate our initial business combination in this manner, our sponsor or its affiliates or designees, upon five business days’ advance notice prior to the date of the applicable deadline for consummating our initial business combination, must pay into the trust account $1,000,000 (or up to $1,150,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) (in all cases, $0.10 per public share), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three-month extension, or an aggregate of $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (in all cases, $0.20 per public share) for six months of extensions, or an aggregate of $3,000,000 (or up to $3,450,000 depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised) (in all cases, $0.30 per public share) for full nine months of extensions. Any such payments are expected to be made in the form of non-interest bearing loans. The terms of the promissory note to be issued in connection with such loans have not yet been negotiated. If we complete our initial business combination, we would expect to repay such loans from funds that are released to us from the trust account or, at the option of our sponsor, convert all or a portion of the total loaned amount into warrants at a price of $1.00 per warrant, which warrants will be identical to the private placement warrants. If we do not complete a business combination, we will repay such loans only from funds held outside of the trust account. Our shareholders will not be entitled to vote or redeem their shares in connection with any such extension. In the event that we receive notice from
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our sponsor five business days prior to the applicable deadline of its intent to effect an extension in this manner, we intend to issue a press release announcing such intention at least three days prior to the deadline. In addition, we intend to issue a press release the day after the deadline announcing whether or not the funds have been timely deposited. Our sponsor and its affiliates or designees are not obliged to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination.
Throughout this prospectus, we refer to any extensions of the 15-months period to consummate an initial business combination that may be secured in the foregoing manner as an “Extension Period.”
The Extension Period feature represents a difference between our structure and the traditional special purpose acquisition company structure. In the traditional structure, any extension of the company’s period to complete a business combination would require a vote of the company’s shareholders, and such shareholders would have the right to redeem their public shares in connection with such vote. Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, this traditional manner of extending the period to complete a business combination, in which we would seek the approval of our shareholders through a shareholder vote and our shareholders would have the right to redeem their public shares in connection with such vote, will also be available to us, in addition to the Extension Period feature.
Founder shares
On April 8, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering expenses in exchange for 7,187,500 founder shares. On June 20, 2021 and on December 28, 2021, respectively, our sponsor surrendered and forfeited to us 1,437,500 founder shares for no consideration, following which, our sponsor holds 4,312,500 founder shares. On March 29, 2022, our sponsor further surrendered and forfeited to us 1,437,500 founder shares for no consideration, following which, our sponsor holds 2,875,000 founder shares. As a result of these surrender and forfeiture of founder shares, the per share purchase price increased to approximately $0.009 per share. On March 30, 2022, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 177,439 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees and advisory board member, for their board and advisory services, in each case for no cash consideration, including 20,000 shares to each of Kwan Sun, Robert Ewing and Ning Ma, 50,000 shares to Kenneth W. Hitchner and 67,439 shares to Dr. Zhiwei Liu, respectively. The founder shares transferred to Kwan Sun, Robert Ewing, Ning Ma and Kenneth W. Hitchner will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. Currently, our sponsor holds 2,697,561 of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The per share price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of
21
founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued and outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 115,000,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares after this offering. Up to 375,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effect a share capitalization or a share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders, on an as-converted basis, at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering (assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering). Any conversion of Class B ordinary shares described herein will take effect as a redemption of Class B ordinary shares and an issuance of Class A ordinary shares as a matter of Cayman Islands law.
The founder shares are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, except that:
•
only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on (i) the appointment of directors or (ii) continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands) prior to or in connection with the completion of our initial business combination;
•
the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below;
•
the founder shares are entitled to registration rights;
•
our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, or (B) with respect to any
22
other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame; and (iv) vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately- negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. If we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company where a quorum is present. In accordance with our amended memorandum and articles of association, shareholders representing at least one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, present in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 3,750,001, or 37.5%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have an initial business combination approved. However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of shareholders holding a majority of not less than two-thirds of the shares which, being so entitled, are voted thereon in person or by proxy at a quorate general meeting of the company or a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the company; and
•
the founder shares are automatically convertible into our Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment pursuant to certain anti-dilution rights, as described below
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adjacent to the caption “Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights.”
Transfer restrictions on founder
shares
shares
Our initial shareholders have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction after our initial business combination that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; except to certain permitted transferees and under certain circumstances as described herein under “Principal Shareholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants.” Any permitted transferees will be subject to the same restrictions and other agreements of our initial shareholders with respect to any founder shares. We refer to such transfer restrictions throughout this prospectus as the lock-up. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if (1) the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination or (2) if we consummate a transaction after our initial business combination which results in our shareholders having the right to exchange their shares for cash, securities or other property, the founder shares will be released from the lock- up.
Founder shares conversion and anti-dilution rights
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share splits, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders), including the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of
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working capital loans; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
Appointment of Directors; Voting
Except as described below, holders of record of our Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or as required by the Companies Act or stock exchange rules, an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company is generally required to approve any matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, meaning, following our initial business combination, the holders of more than 50% of our ordinary shares voted for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. Only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on (i) the appointment of directors or (ii) continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands) prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors during such time.
These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association relating to the rights of holders of Class B ordinary shares to appoint directors may be amended by a special resolution passed by the holders of at least 90% of our ordinary shares voting in a general meeting. With respect to any other matter submitted to a vote of our shareholders, including any vote in connection with our initial business combination, except as required by law, holders of the founder shares and holders of our public shares will vote together as a single class, with each share entitling the holder to one vote. If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. In such case, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our
25
initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 3,750,001, or 37.5%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of shareholders holding a majority of not less than two-thirds of the shares which, being so entitled, are voted thereon in person or by proxy at a quorate general meeting of the company or a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the company.
Private placement warrants
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 private placement warrants (or 7,750,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing of this offering $103,000,000 (or $118,450,000 if the underwriters exercise its over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants sold in this offering except that the private placement warrants will not be redeemable by us, (ii) may not (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) will be entitled to registration rights. If the private placement warrants are held by holders other than our sponsor or its permitted transferees, the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the warrants included in the units being sold in this offering. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, the private placement warrants will expire worthless.
Transfer restrictions on private placement warrants
The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, except as described herein under “Principal Shareholders—Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants.”
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Proceeds to be held in trust account
Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the net proceeds we will receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, $103,000,000, or $118,450,000 if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full ($10.30 per unit in either case), will be deposited into a segregated trust account located in the United States at JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, after deducting $2,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering (or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and an aggregate of $2,000,000 to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. The proceeds to be placed in the trust account include $3,500,000 (or up to $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) in deferred underwriting commissions.
Except with respect to interest earned on the funds held in the trust account that may be released to us to pay our taxes, if any, the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will not be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to (A) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could become subject to the claims of our creditors, if any, which could have priority over the claims of our public shareholders.
Anticipated expenses and funding sources
Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, no proceeds held in the trust account will be available for our use, except the withdrawal of interest to pay our taxes and/or to redeem our public shares in connection with an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, as described above. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $61,800 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.06% per year and the over-allotment option is not exercised; however we can provide no
27
assurances regarding this amount. Unless and until we complete our initial business combination, we may pay our expenses only from such interest withdrawn from the trust account and:
•
the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not held in the trust account, which initially will be approximately $1,300,000 in working capital after the payment of approximately$700,000 in expenses relating to this offering; and
•
any loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or their affiliates or other third parties, although they are under no obligation to advance funds or invest in us; provided that any such loans will not have any claim on the proceeds held in the trust account unless such proceeds are released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement warrants, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, at the option of the lender.
Conditions to completing our initial business combination
The rules of the Nasdaq and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that we must consummate an initial business combination with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount held in trust) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm. While we consider it likely that our board of directors will be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors until the 80% of net assets test described above is satisfied. We will complete our initial business combination only if the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or is otherwise not required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination transaction. For example, we could
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pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test described above, provided that in the event that the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses and we will treat the transactions together as our initial business combination for purposes of seeking shareholder approval or conducting a tender offer, as applicable.
Permitted purchases of public shares and public warrants by our affiliates
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. See “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination — Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.” for a description of how our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders
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to purchase securities from in any private transaction. Our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will not make any purchases if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the initial business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the initial business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per- share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.30 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of our initial business combination with respect to our warrants. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares they may acquire during or after this offering in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Manner of conducting redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the initial business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek
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shareholder approval of a proposed initial business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq’s shareholder approval rules.
The requirement that we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above will be contained in provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq. Such provisions may be amended if approved by a special resolution as a matter of Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company.
If we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with a general meeting, we will:
•
conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and
•
file proxy materials with the SEC.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company where a quorum is present. In accordance with our amended memorandum and articles of association, a quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of one-third of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are represented in person or by proxy. Our initial shareholders will count toward this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 3,750,001, or 37.5%, of the 10,000,000 public
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shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have an initial business combination approved. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction. However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of shareholders holding a majority of not less than two thirds of the shares which, being so entitled, are voted thereon in person or by proxy at a quorate general meeting of the company or by a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the company. These quorum and voting thresholds, and the voting agreements of our initial shareholders, may make it more likely that we will consummate our initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the shareholder meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will:
•
conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and
•
file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than the number of shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete such initial business combination.
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Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name, address and telephone number of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates or shares delivered by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop
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arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding 20% or more of the shares sold in this offering if we hold shareholder vote
Notwithstanding the foregoing redemption rights, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent. We believe the restriction described above will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to redeem their shares as a means to force us or our management to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights against a business combination if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem to no more than 20% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including all shares held by those shareholders that hold more than 20% of the shares sold in this offering) for or against our initial business combination.
Release of funds in trust account on closing of our initial business combination
On the completion of our initial business combination, the funds held in the trust account will be used to pay amounts due to any public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights as described above under “Redemption rights for public shareholders upon completion of our initial business combination,” to pay the underwriters their deferred underwriting commissions, to pay all or a portion of the consideration payable to the target or owners of the target of our initial business combination and to pay other expenses associated with our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used
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for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may use the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account following the closing for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
Redemption of public shares and
distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination
distribution and liquidation if no initial business combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we must complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject, in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period. However, if our initial shareholders or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period.
The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission held in the trust account in the event we do not complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the funds held in the trust account that will be available to fund the redemption of our public shares.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a letter agreement, that they will not propose any amendment to
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our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described above under “Limitations on redemptions.” For example, our board of directors may propose such an amendment if it determines that additional time is necessary to complete our initial business combination. In such event, we will conduct a proxy solicitation and distribute proxy materials pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act seeking shareholder approval of such proposal, and in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon shareholder approval of such amendment.
Limited payments to insiders
Except as described below, there will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). The following payments will be made to our sponsor, officers or directors, or our or their affiliates, and, if made prior to our initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account:
•
Repayment of up to an aggregate of $300,000 in loans made to us by our sponsor to cover offering-related and organizational expenses;
•
Payment to our sponsor of $15,000 per month for office space, utilities, and secretarial and administrative support services provided to us;
•
Reimbursement for any out-of-pocket expenses related to identifying, investigating, negotiating and completing an initial business combination;
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Reimbursement of reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the independent directors in connection with fulfilling their roles as directors; and
•
Repayment of loans which may be made by our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000
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of such loans may be convertible into private placement warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except for the foregoing, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans.
Audit Committee
We will establish and maintain an audit committee. Among its responsibilities, the audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors or advisory board member, or our or their affiliates and monitor compliance with the other terms relating to this offering. If any noncompliance is identified, then the audit committee will be charged with the responsibility to promptly take all action necessary to rectify such noncompliance or otherwise to cause compliance with the terms of this offering. For more information, see the section entitled “Management and Advisory Board—Committees of the Board of Directors—Audit Committee.”
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SUMMARY OF RISK FACTORS
We are a blank check company that has conducted no operations and has generated no revenues to date. Until we complete our initial business combination, we will have no operations and will generate no operating revenues. In making your decision whether to invest in our securities, you should take into account not only the background of our management team and advisory board, but also the special risks we face as a blank check company. This offering is not being conducted in compliance with Rule 419 promulgated under the Securities Act. Accordingly, you will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors in Rule 419 blank check offerings. For additional information concerning how Rule 419 blank check offerings differ from this offering, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
You should carefully consider all of the information in this prospectus before making an investment, including but not limited to the following risks set forth in the section entitled “Risk Factors.”
Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Ability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
•
We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
•
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern”.
•
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
•
Your only opportunity to effect your investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
•
The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on business and debt and equity markets, as well as protectionist legislation in our target markets could have a material adverse effect on our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination.
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We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate.
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Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
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Certain other entities affiliated with Chenghe Group have similar or overlapping investment objectives and guidelines, and we may not be presented with investment opportunities that may otherwise be suitable for us.
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Certain members of our management team and advisory board may be involved in and have a greater financial interest in the performance of other entities, and such activities may create conflicts of interest in making decisions on our behalf.
•
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
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We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
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•
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction prior to or in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders or warrant holders.
•
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences.
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We are dependent upon our officers and directors and advisory board members and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
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We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
•
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
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If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.
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Trading in our securities may be prohibited under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act if the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditors. In that case, Nasdaq would delist our securities. The delisting of our securities, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, if the PCAOB were unable to conduct full inspections of our auditors, it would deprive our investors of the benefits of such inspections.
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Corporate governance standards in foreign countries may not be as strict or developed as in the United States and such weakness may hide issues and operational practices that are detrimental to a target business.
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After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
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If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
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If the government of the country in which we effect our initial business combination finds that the agreements we entered into to acquire control of a target business through contractual arrangements with one or more operating businesses do not comply with local governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to significant penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.
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Many international economies are experiencing volatile economic conditions, exchange rates and inflation which may prompt the governments to take action to manage the economy, exchange rates and/or inflation that could lead to a significant decrease in our profitability following our initial business combination.
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Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
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We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
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•
We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
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We may be exposed to liabilities under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and any determination that we violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could have a material adverse effect on our business.
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We employ a mail forwarding service, which may delay or disrupt our ability to receive mail in a timely manner.
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SUMMARY FINANCIAL DATA
The following table summarizes the relevant financial data for our business and should be read with our financial statements, which are included in this prospectus. We have not had any significant operations to date, so only balance sheet data is presented.
| | | December 31, 2021 | | |||||||||
| | | Actual | | | As Adjusted | | ||||||
Balance Sheet Data: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Working capital (deficiency)(1) | | | | $ | (422,871) | | | | | $ | 1,312,525 | | |
Total assets(2) | | | | $ | 448,436 | | | | | $ | 104,312,525 | | |
Total liabilities(3) | | | | $ | 435,911 | | | | | $ | 3,620,000 | | |
Value of ordinary shares subject to possible redemption(4) | | | | $ | — | | | | | $ | 103,000,000 | | |
Shareholders’ equity(5) | | | | $ | 12,525 | | | | | $ | (2,307,475) | | |
(1)
The “as adjusted” calculation includes $1,300,000 of cash held outside the trust account, plus $12,525 of actual shareholders’ equity as of December 31, 2021.
(2)
The “as adjusted” calculation equals $103,000,000 of cash held in trust from the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private warrants, plus $1,300,000 in cash held outside the trust account, plus $12,525 of actual shareholders’ equity as of December 31, 2021.
(3)
The “as adjusted” calculation equals $3,500,000 of deferred underwriting commissions, assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised, plus $120,000 of over-allotment liability.
(4)
The “as adjusted” amount includes all public shares included in the units sold in this offering, assuming the over-allotment option is not exercised.
(5)
Excludes 10,000,000 ordinary shares purchased in the public market which are subject to conversion in connection with our initial business combination. The “as adjusted” calculation equals the “as adjusted” total assets, less the “as adjusted” total liabilities, less the value of ordinary shares that may be converted in connection with our initial business combination ($10.30 per share).
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RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus, before making a decision to invest in our units. If any of the following events occur, our business, financial condition and operating results may be materially adversely affected. In that event, the trading price of our securities could decline, and you could lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Ability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks
We are a blank check company with no operating history and no revenues, and you have no basis on which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective.
We are a blank check company incorporated as an exempted company under the laws of the Cayman Islands with no operating results, and we will not commence operations until obtaining funding through this offering. Because we lack an operating history, you have no basis upon which to evaluate our ability to achieve our business objective of completing our initial business combination. We have no plans, arrangements or understandings with any prospective target business concerning a business combination and may be unable to complete our initial business combination. If we fail to complete our initial business combination, we will never generate any operating revenues.
Our independent registered public accounting firm’s report contains an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a “going concern.”
As of December 31, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficit of $422,871. Further, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur significant costs in pursuit of our financing and acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to consummate an initial business combination will be successful. These factors, among others, raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements contained elsewhere in this prospectus do not include any adjustments that might result from our inability to consummate this offering or our inability to continue as a going concern.
Our public shareholders may not be afforded an opportunity to vote on our proposed initial business combination, and even if we hold a vote, holders of our founder shares will participate in such vote, which means we may complete our initial business combination even though a majority of our public shareholders do not support such a combination.
We may choose not to hold a shareholder vote to approve our initial business combination unless the business combination would require shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements. In such case, the decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or will allow shareholders to sell their shares to us in a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors, such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would otherwise require us to seek shareholder approval. Even if we seek shareholder approval, the holders of our founder shares will participate in the vote on such approval. Accordingly, we may complete our initial business combination even if holders of a majority of our ordinary shares do not approve of the business combination we complete. Please see the section entitled “Proposed Business—Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination” for additional information.
Your only opportunity to effect your investment decision regarding a potential business combination may be limited to the exercise of your right to redeem your shares from us for cash.
At the time of your investment in us, you will not be provided with an opportunity to evaluate the specific merits or risks of our initial business combination. Since our board of directors may complete a business combination without seeking shareholder approval, public shareholders may not have the right or opportunity to vote on the business combination, unless we seek such shareholder vote. Accordingly, your only opportunity to effect your investment decision regarding our initial business combination may be limited to exercising your
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redemption rights within the period of time (which will be at least 20 business days) set forth in our tender offer documents mailed to our public shareholders in which we describe our initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our initial shareholders and management team have agreed to vote in favor of such initial business combination, regardless of how our public shareholders vote.
Our initial shareholders will own 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares immediately following the completion of this offering (assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering). Our initial shareholders and management team also may from time to time purchase Class A ordinary shares prior to our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that, if we seek shareholder approval of an initial business combination, such initial business combination will be approved if we receive an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company where a quorum is present, including the founder shares. Shareholders representing at least one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, present in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 3,750,001, or 37.5%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of shareholders holding a majority of not less than two thirds of the shares which, being so entitled, are voted thereon in person or by proxy at a quorate general meeting of the company or a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the company. Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have an initial business combination approved. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our initial shareholders and management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive an ordinary resolution, being the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on business and debt and equity markets, as well as protectionist legislation in our target markets could have a material adverse effect on our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination.
Since late 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused substantial disruption to global economies and markets and the virus has continued to spread on a global scale. A significant outbreak of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases, including the resurgence or variants thereof, could resulted in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets worldwide, and the business of any potential target business with which we may consummate a business combination could be materially and adversely affected. Furthermore, we may be unable to complete a business combination if continued concerns relating to COVID-19 restrict travel, limit the ability to have meetings with potential investors or if the target company’s personnel, vendors and services providers are unavailable to negotiate and consummate a transaction in a timely manner. The extent to which COVID-19 pandemic impacts our search for and ability to consummate a business combination will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the actions to contain COVID-19 or mitigate its impact and the successful development and distribution and widespread acceptance of safe and effective vaccine, among others. If the disruptions posed by COVID-19 or other matters of global concern (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases) continue for an extensive period of time, it could have a material adverse impact on our ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected.
In addition, our ability to consummate a transaction may be dependent on the ability to raise equity and debt financing which may be impacted by COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters
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or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases), including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity in third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all.
Furthermore, countries or supranational organizations in our target markets may develop and implement legislation that makes it more difficult or impossible for entities outside such countries or target markets to acquire or otherwise invest in companies or businesses deemed essential or otherwise vital or strategically important in response to COVID-19 or for other reasons, which could limit our ability to acquire companies in certain markets.
Finally, the outbreak of COVID-19 may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those related to the market for our securities and cross- border transactions.
The ability of our public shareholders to redeem their shares for cash may make our financial condition unattractive to potential business combination targets, which may make it difficult for us to enter into a business combination with a target.
We may seek to enter into a business combination transaction agreement with a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. If too many public shareholders exercise their redemption rights, we would not be able to meet such closing condition and, as a result, would not be able to proceed with the business combination. Furthermore, in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. Consequently, if accepting all properly submitted redemption requests would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 or such greater amount necessary to satisfy a condition as described above, we would not proceed with such redemption and the related business combination and may instead search for an alternate business combination. Prospective targets will be aware of these risks and, thus, may be reluctant to enter into a business combination transaction with us.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares may not allow us to complete the most desirable business combination or optimize our capital structure.
At the time we enter into an agreement for our initial business combination, we will not know how many shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, and therefore will need to structure the transaction based on our expectations as to the number of shares that will be submitted for redemption. If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, we will need to reserve a portion of the cash in the trust account to meet such requirements, or arrange for third party financing. In addition, if a larger number of shares are submitted for redemption than we initially expected, we may need to restructure the transaction to reserve a greater portion of the cash in the trust account or arrange for third party financing. Raising additional third party financing may involve dilutive equity issuances or the incurrence of indebtedness at higher than desirable levels. Furthermore, this dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provision of the Class B ordinary shares results in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, the amount of the deferred underwriting commissions payable to the underwriters will not be adjusted for any shares that are redeemed in connection with an initial business combination. The per share amount we will distribute to shareholders who properly exercise their redemption rights will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commission and after such redemptions, the amount held in trust will continue to reflect our obligation to pay the entire deferred underwriting commissions. The above considerations may limit our ability to complete the most desirable business combination available to us or optimize our capital structure.
The ability of our public shareholders to exercise redemption rights with respect to a large number of our shares could increase the probability that our initial business combination would be unsuccessful and that you would have to wait for liquidation in order to redeem your shares.
If our initial business combination agreement requires us to use a portion of the cash in the trust account to pay the purchase price, or requires us to have a minimum amount of cash at closing, the probability that our
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initial business combination would be unsuccessful is increased. If our initial business combination is unsuccessful, you would not receive your pro rata portion of the trust account until we liquidate the trust account. If you are in need of immediate liquidity, you could attempt to sell your shares in the open market; however, at such time our shares may trade at a discount to the pro rata amount per share in the trust account. In either situation, you may suffer a material loss on your investment or lose the benefit of funds expected in connection with your exercise of redemption rights until we liquidate or you are able to sell your shares in the open market.
Unlike some other similar blank check companies, we must consummate an initial business combination within the Business Combination Period. The requirement that we complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period may give potential target businesses leverage over us in negotiating a business combination and may limit the time we have in which to conduct due diligence on potential business combination targets, in particular as we approach our dissolution deadline, which could undermine our ability to complete our initial business combination on terms that would produce value for our shareholders.
Any potential target business with which we enter into negotiations concerning a business combination will be aware that we must complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period. Consequently, such target business may obtain leverage over us in negotiating a business combination, knowing that if we do not complete our initial business combination with that particular target business, we may be unable to complete our initial business combination with any target business. This risk will increase as we get closer to the timeframe described above. In addition, we may have limited time to conduct due diligence and may enter into our initial business combination on terms that we would have rejected upon a more comprehensive investigation.
As the number of special purpose acquisition companies evaluating targets increases, attractive targets may become scarcer and there may be more competition for attractive targets. This could increase the cost of our initial business combination and could even result in our inability to find a target or to consummate an initial business combination.
In recent years, the number of special purpose acquisition companies that have been formed has increased substantially. Many potential targets for special purpose acquisition companies have already entered into an initial business combination, and there are still many special purpose acquisition companies preparing for an initial public offering, as well as many such companies currently in registration. As a result, at times, fewer attractive targets may be available, and it may require more time, more effort and more resources to identify suitable target and to consummate an initial business combination.
In addition, because there are more special purpose acquisition companies seeking to enter into an initial business combination with available targets, the competition for available targets with attractive fundamentals or business models may increase, which could cause targets companies to demand improved financial terms. Attractive deals could also become scarcer for other reasons, such as economic or industry sector downturns, geopolitical tensions, or increases in the cost of additional capital needed to close business combinations or operate targets post-business combination. This could increase the cost of, delay or otherwise complicate or frustrate our ability to find and consummate an initial business combination, and may result in our inability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors altogether.
We may not be able to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.30 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may not be able to find a suitable target business and complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period. Our ability to complete our initial business combination may be negatively impacted by general market conditions, volatility in the capital and debt markets and the other risks described herein. For example, the COVID-19 pandemic could limit our ability to complete our initial business combination, including as a result of increased market volatility, decreased market liquidity and third-party financing being unavailable on terms acceptable to us or at all. Additionally, the outbreak of COVID-19 and other events (such as terrorist attacks, natural disasters or a significant outbreak of other infectious diseases,
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including the resurgence or variants thereof) may negatively impact businesses we may seek to acquire. If we have not completed our initial business combination within such time period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii), to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law, in which case our public shareholders may only receive $10.30 per share, or less than such amount in certain circumstances, and our warrants will expire worthless.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may elect to purchase shares or public warrants from public shareholders, which may influence a vote on a proposed business combination and reduce the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination, although they are under no obligation to do so. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. Such purchases may include a contractual acknowledgment that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. See “Proposed Business — Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases of Our Securities” for a description of how our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase securities from in any private transaction.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to obtain or maintain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
If a shareholder fails to receive notice of our offer to redeem our public shares in connection with our initial business combination, or fails to comply with the procedures for submitting or tendering its shares, such shares may not be redeemed.
We will comply with the proxy rules or tender offer rules, as applicable, when conducting redemptions in connection with our initial business combination. Despite our compliance with these rules, if a shareholder
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fails to receive our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, such shareholder may not become aware of the opportunity to redeem its shares. In addition, proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will describe the various procedures that must be complied with in order to validly tender or submit public shares for redemption. For example, we intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent, or to deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name, address and telephone number of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Proposed Business—Delivering Share Certificates in Connection with the Exercise of Redemption Rights.”
You will not have any rights or interests in funds from the trust account, except under certain limited circumstances. Therefore, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earliest to occur of: (i) our completion of an initial business combination, and then only in connection with those Class A ordinary shares that such shareholder properly elected to redeem, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, and (iii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, subject to applicable law and as further described herein. In no other circumstances will a public shareholder have any right or interest of any kind in the trust account. Holders of warrants will not have any right to the proceeds held in the trust account with respect to the warrants. Accordingly, to liquidate your investment, you may be forced to sell your public shares or warrants, potentially at a loss.
Nasdaq may delist our securities from trading on its exchange, which could limit investors’ ability to make transactions in our securities and subject us to additional trading restrictions.
We have applied to have our units listed on Nasdaq. We expect that our units will be listed on Nasdaq on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. Following the date that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants are eligible to trade separately, we anticipate that the Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be separately listed on Nasdaq. We cannot guarantee that our securities will be approved for listing on Nasdaq. Although after giving effect to this offering we expect to meet, on a pro forma basis, the minimum initial listing standards set forth in the Nasdaq listing standards, we cannot assure you that our securities will be, or will continue to be, listed on Nasdaq in the future or prior to our initial business combination. In order to continue listing our securities on Nasdaq prior to our initial business combination, we must maintain certain financial, distribution and share price levels. Generally, following our initial public offering, we must maintain a minimum amount in shareholders’ equity (generally $2,500,000) and a minimum number of holders of our securities (generally 300 public holders). Additionally, in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to demonstrate compliance with Nasdaq’s initial listing requirements, which are more rigorous than Nasdaq’s continued listing requirements, in order to continue to maintain the listing of our securities on Nasdaq. For instance, our share price would generally be required to be at least $4.00 per share and our global market capitalization would be required to be at least $5,000,000. We cannot assure you that we will be able to meet those initial listing requirements at that time.
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If Nasdaq delists our securities from trading on its exchange and we are not able to list our securities on another national securities exchange, we expect our securities could be quoted on an over-the- counter market. If this were to occur, we could face significant material adverse consequences, including:
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a limited availability of market quotations for our securities;
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reduced liquidity for our securities;
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a determination that our Class A ordinary shares are a “penny stock” which will require brokers trading in our Class A ordinary shares to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities;
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a limited amount of news and analyst coverage; and
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a decreased ability to issue additional securities or obtain additional financing in the future.
The National Securities Markets Improvement Act of 1996, which is a federal statute, prevents or preempts the states from regulating the sale of certain securities, which are referred to as “covered securities.” Because we expect that our units and eventually our Class A ordinary shares and warrants will be listed on Nasdaq, our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants will qualify as covered securities under the statute. Although the states are preempted from regulating the sale of our securities, the federal statute does allow the states to investigate companies if there is a suspicion of fraud, and, if there is a finding of fraudulent activity, then the states can regulate or bar the sale of covered securities in a particular case. While we are not aware of a state having used these powers to prohibit or restrict the sale of securities issued by blank check companies, other than the State of Idaho, certain state securities regulators view blank check companies unfavorably and might use these powers, or threaten to use these powers, to hinder the sale of securities of blank check companies in their states. Further, if we were no longer listed on Nasdaq, our securities would not qualify as covered securities under the statute and we would be subject to regulation in each state in which we offer our securities.
You will not be entitled to protections normally afforded to investors of many other blank check companies.
Since the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants are intended to be used to complete an initial business combination with a target business that has not been selected, we may be deemed to be a “blank check” company under the United States securities laws. However, because we will have net tangible assets in excess of $5,000,000 upon the completion of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and will file a Current Report on Form 8-K, including an audited balance sheet demonstrating this fact, we are exempt from rules promulgated by the SEC to protect investors in blank check companies, such as Rule 419. Accordingly, investors will not be afforded the benefits or protections of those rules. Among other things, this means our units will be immediately tradable and we will have a longer period of time to complete our initial business combination than do companies subject to Rule 419. Moreover, if this offering were subject to Rule 419, that rule would prohibit the release of any interest earned on funds held in the trust account to us unless and until the funds in the trust account were released to us in connection with our completion of an initial business combination. For a more detailed comparison of our offering to offerings that comply with Rule 419, please see “Proposed Business — Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419.”
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, and if you or a “group” of shareholders are deemed to hold in excess of 20% of our Class A ordinary shares, you will lose the ability to redeem all such shares in excess of 20% of our Class A ordinary shares.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering without our prior consent, which we refer to as the “Excess Shares.” However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Your inability to redeem the
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Excess Shares will reduce your influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination and you could suffer a material loss on your investment in us if you sell Excess Shares in open market transactions. Additionally, you will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And as a result, you will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 20% and, in order to dispose of such shares, would be required to sell your shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
Because of our limited resources and the significant competition for business combination opportunities, it may be more difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We expect to encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including private investors (which may be individuals or investment partnerships), other blank check companies and other entities, domestic and international, competing for the types of businesses we intend to acquire. Many of these individuals and entities are well-established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Many of these competitors possess similar or greater technical, human and other resources to ours or more local industry knowledge than we do and our financial resources will be relatively limited when contrasted with those of many of these competitors. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, our ability to compete with respect to the acquisition of certain target businesses that are sizable will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent competitive limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of certain target businesses. Furthermore, we are obligated to offer holders of our public shares the right to redeem their shares for cash at the time of our initial business combination in conjunction with a shareholder vote or via a tender offer. Target companies will be aware that this may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination. Any of these obligations may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may receive only their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Certain other entities affiliated with Chenghe Group have similar or overlapping investment objectives and guidelines, and we may not be presented with investment opportunities that may otherwise be suitable for us.
Chenghe Group, which owns our sponsor and is our affiliate, currently invests and plans to continue to invest third-party capital in a wide variety of investment opportunities globally. Chenghe Group, led by Mr. Richard Qi Li and his capable team, is an investment holding company committed to creating value for clients and society by identifying and investing in people or business with disruptive forces, right value proposition, strong execution and vision. In addition, Chenghe Group owns and may own in the future other special purpose acquisition companies. There may be overlap of investment opportunities with certain existing and future entities owned or managed by or affiliated with Chenghe Group. This overlap could create conflicts of interest. In particular, investment opportunities that may otherwise be suitable for us may not be presented to us by Chenghe Group or our sponsor. This overlap could also create conflicts in determining to which entity a particular investment opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
This overlap could also create conflicts in determining to which entity a particular investment opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us.
Certain members of our management team and advisory board may be involved in and have a greater financial interest in the performance of other entities affiliated with our sponsor, and such activities may create conflicts of interest in making decisions on our behalf.
Certain members of our management team and advisory board may be subject to a variety of conflicts of interest relating to their responsibilities to other ventures with which they may be affiliated, invest in or be otherwise affiliated with in the future, and entities for which any of our management team members serves as
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a member of management or their respective affiliates. Such individuals may serve as members of management or a board of directors (or in similar such capacity) to various other entities. Such positions may create a conflict between the advice and investment opportunities provided to such entities and the responsibilities owed to us. The other entities in which such individuals may become involved may have investment objectives that overlap with ours. Furthermore, certain of our principals and employees may have a greater financial interest in the performance of such other entities than our performance. Such involvement may create conflicts of interest in sourcing investment opportunities on our behalf and on behalf of such other entities.
Involvement of members of our management, our directors, and companies with which they are affiliated in civil disputes, litigation, government or other investigations or other actual or alleged misconduct unrelated to our business affairs could materially impact our ability to consummate an initial business combination.
Members of our management team, our directors, and companies with which they are affiliated have been, and in the future will continue to be, involved in a wide variety of business and other activities. As a result of such involvement, members of our management, our directors, and companies with which they are affiliated may be involved in civil disputes, litigation, governmental or other investigations or other actual or alleged misconduct relating to their affairs unrelated to our company. Any such development, including any negative publicity related thereto, may be detrimental to our reputation, negatively affect our ability to identify and complete an initial business combination in a material manner and may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities.
If the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants not being held in the trust account are insufficient to allow us to operate during the Business Combination Period, it could limit the amount available to fund our search for a target business or businesses and complete our initial business combination, and we will depend on loans from our sponsor or management team to fund our search and to complete our initial business combination.
The funds available to us outside of the trust account may not be sufficient to allow us to operate during the Business Combination Period, assuming that our initial business combination is not completed during that time. We expect to incur significant costs in pursuit of our acquisition plans. Management’s plans to address this need for capital through this offering and potential loans from certain of our affiliates are discussed in the section of this prospectus titled “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” However, our affiliates are not obligated to make loans to us in the future, and we may not be able to raise additional financing from unaffiliated parties necessary to fund our expenses. Any such event in the future may negatively impact the analysis regarding our ability to continue as a going concern at such time.
Of the net proceeds of this offering, only $1,300,000 will be available to us initially outside the trust account to fund our working capital requirements. We believe that, upon closing of this offering, the funds available to us outside of the trust account will be sufficient to allow us to operate during the Business Combination Period; however, we cannot assure you that our estimate is accurate. Of the funds available to us, we could use a portion of the funds available to us to pay fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business. We could also use a portion of the funds as a down payment or to fund a “no- shop” provision (a provision in letters of intent or merger agreements designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into a letter of intent or merger agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business and were subsequently required to forfeit such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise), we might not have sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conduct due diligence with respect to, a target business.
In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $700,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. The amount held in the trust account will not be impacted as a result of such increase or decrease. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $700,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount. If we are required to seek additional capital, we would need to borrow funds from our sponsor, management team or other third parties to operate or may be forced to liquidate.
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Neither our sponsor, members of our management team nor any of their affiliates is under any obligation to advance funds to us in such circumstances. Any such advances would be repaid only from funds held outside the trust account or from funds released to us upon completion of our initial business combination. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement warrants of the post-business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. Consequently, our public shareholders may only receive an estimated $10.30 per share, or possibly less, on our redemption of our public shares, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination, we may be required to take write-downs or write-offs, restructuring and impairment or other charges that could have a significant negative effect on our financial condition, results of operations and our share price, which could cause you to lose some or all of your investment.
Even if we conduct due diligence on a target business with which we combine, we cannot assure you that this diligence will identify all material issues that may be present within a particular target business, that it would be possible to uncover all material issues through a customary amount of due diligence, or that factors outside of the target business and outside of our control will not later arise. As a result of these factors, we may be forced to later write-down or write-off assets, restructure our operations, or incur impairment or other charges that could result in our reporting losses. Even if our due diligence successfully identifies certain risks, unexpected risks may arise and previously known risks may materialize in a manner not consistent with our preliminary risk analysis. Even though these charges may be non-cash items and not have an immediate impact on our liquidity, the fact that we report charges of this nature could contribute to negative market perceptions about us or our securities. In addition, charges of this nature may cause us to violate net worth or other covenants to which we may be subject as a result of assuming pre-existing debt held by a target business or by virtue of our obtaining debt financing to partially finance the initial business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
The securities in which we invest the funds held in the trust account could bear a negative rate of interest, which could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.30 per share.
The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act, which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. While short-term U.S. government treasury obligations currently yield a positive rate of interest, they have briefly yielded negative interest rates in recent years. Central banks in Europe and Japan pursued interest rates below zero in recent years, and the Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve has not ruled out the possibility that it may in the future adopt similar policies in the United States. In the event that we are unable to complete our initial business combination or make certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, our public shareholders are entitled to receive their pro-rata share of the proceeds held in the trust account, plus any interest income, net of taxes paid or payable (less, in the case we are unable to complete our initial business combination, $100,000 of interest). Negative interest rates could reduce the value of the assets held in trust such that the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders may be less than $10.30 per share.
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If third parties bring claims against us, the proceeds held in the trust account could be reduced and the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders may be less than $10.30 per share.
Our placing of funds in the trust account may not protect those funds from third party claims against us. Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, such parties may not execute such agreements, or even if they execute such agreements they may not be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account, including, but not limited to, fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the company under the circumstances. Albeck Financial Services, Inc. , our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of this offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account.
Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed timeframe, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our initial business combination, we will be required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years following redemption. Accordingly, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders could be less than the $10.30 per public share initially held in the trust account, due to claims of such creditors. Pursuant to the letter agreement the form of which is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.30 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.30 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.30 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
Our directors may decide not to enforce the indemnification obligations of our sponsor, resulting in a reduction in the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.30 per share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.30 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its obligations or that it has no indemnification
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obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations.
While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. If our independent directors choose not to enforce these indemnification obligations, the amount of funds in the trust account available for distribution to our public shareholders may be reduced below $10.30 per share.
We may not have sufficient funds to satisfy indemnification claims of our directors, officers and advisory board members.
We have agreed to indemnify our officers, directors and members of our advisory board to the fullest extent permitted by law. However, our officers, directors and advisory board members have agreed, and any future member of our advisory board will agree to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account and to not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will be able to be satisfied by us only if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination. Our obligation to indemnify our officers, directors and members of our advisory board may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors or members of our advisory board for breach of their fiduciary or other duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers, directors and members of our advisory board, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders. Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers, directors and members of our advisory board pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, a bankruptcy or insolvency court may seek to recover such proceeds, and the members of our board of directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to our creditors, thereby exposing the members of our board of directors and us to claims of punitive damages.
If, after we distribute the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. In addition, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or having acted in bad faith, thereby exposing itself and us to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the claims of creditors in such proceeding may have priority over the claims of our shareholders and the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
If, before distributing the proceeds in the trust account to our public shareholders, we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, the per-share amount that would otherwise be received by our shareholders in connection with our liquidation may be reduced.
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If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to institute burdensome compliance requirements and our activities may be restricted, which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination.
If we are deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our activities may be restricted, including:
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restrictions on the nature of our investments; and
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restrictions on the issuance of securities,
each of which may make it difficult for us to complete our initial business combination. In addition, we may have imposed upon us burdensome requirements, including:
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registration as an investment company;
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adoption of a specific form of corporate structure; and
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reporting, record keeping, voting, proxy and disclosure requirements and other rules and regulations.
In order not to be regulated as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, unless we can qualify for an exclusion, we must ensure that we are engaged primarily in a business other than investing, reinvesting or trading of securities and that our activities do not include investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading “investment securities” constituting more than 40% of our assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. Our business will be to identify and complete a business combination and thereafter to operate the post-transaction business or assets for the long term. We do not plan to buy businesses or assets with a view to resale or profit from their resale. We do not plan to buy unrelated businesses or assets or to be a passive investor.
We do not believe that our anticipated principal activities will subject us to the Investment Company Act. To this end, the proceeds held in the trust account may only be invested in United States “government securities” within the meaning of Section 2(a)(16) of the Investment Company Act having a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 promulgated under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Pursuant to the trust agreement, the trustee is not permitted to invest in other securities or assets. By restricting the investment of the proceeds to these instruments, and by having a business plan targeted at acquiring and growing businesses for the long term (rather than on buying and selling businesses in the manner of a merchant bank or private equity fund), we intend to avoid being deemed an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. This offering is not intended for persons who are seeking a return on investments in government securities or investment securities. The trust account is intended as a holding place for funds pending the earliest to occur of either: (i) the completion of our initial business combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity; or (iii) absent an initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, our return of the funds held in the trust account to our public shareholders as part of our redemption of the public shares. If we do not invest the proceeds as discussed above, we may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If we were deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which we have not allotted funds and may hinder our ability to complete a business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
Changes in laws or regulations, or a failure to comply with any laws and regulations, may adversely affect our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We are subject to laws and regulations enacted by national, regional and local governments. In particular, we will be required to comply with certain SEC and other legal requirements. Compliance with, and monitoring
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of, applicable laws and regulations may be difficult, time consuming and costly. Those laws and regulations and their interpretation and application may also change from time to time and those changes could have a material adverse effect on our business, investments and results of operations. In addition, a failure to comply with applicable laws or regulations, as interpreted and applied, could have a material adverse effect on our business, including our ability to negotiate and complete our initial business combination, and results of operations.
We may be exposed to liabilities under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and any determination that we violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act, or FCPA, and other laws that prohibit improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments and their officials and political parties by U.S. persons and issuers as defined by the statute for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We will have operations, agreements with third parties and make sales in Asia, which may experience corruption. Our proposed activities in Asia create the risk of unauthorized payments or offers of payments by one of the employees, consultants, or sales agents of our Company, because these parties are not always subject to our control. It will be our policy to implement safeguards to discourage these practices by our employees. Also, our existing safeguards and any future improvements may prove to be less than effective, and the employees, consultants, or sales agents of our Company may engage in conduct for which we might be held responsible. Violations of the FCPA may result in severe criminal or civil sanctions, and we may be subject to other liabilities, which could negatively affect our business, operating results and financial condition. In addition, the government may seek to hold our Company liable for successor liability FCPA violations committed by companies in which we invest or that we acquire.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, our public shareholders may be forced to wait beyond such time before redemption from our trust account.
If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, the proceeds then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), will be used to fund the redemption of our public shares, as further described herein. Any redemption of public shareholders from the trust account will be effected automatically by function of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prior to any voluntary winding up. If we are required to wind-up, liquidate the trust account and distribute such amount therein, pro rata, to our public shareholders, as part of any liquidation process, such winding up, liquidation and distribution must comply with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act. In that case, investors may be forced to wait beyond the end of the Business Combination Period before the redemption proceeds of our trust account become available to them, and they receive the return of their pro rata portion of the proceeds from our trust account. We have no obligation to return funds to investors prior to the date of our redemption or liquidation unless we consummate our initial business combination prior thereto and only then in cases where investors have sought to redeem their Class A ordinary shares. Only upon our redemption or any liquidation will public shareholders be entitled to distributions if we are unable to complete our initial business combination.
Our shareholders may be held liable for claims by third parties against us to the extent of distributions received by them upon redemption of their shares.
If we are forced to enter into an insolvent liquidation, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed as an unlawful payment if it was proved that immediately following the date on which the distribution was made, we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business. As a result, a liquidator could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our directors may be viewed as having breached their fiduciary duties to us or our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, thereby exposing themselves and our company to claims, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons. We and our directors and officers who knowingly and willfully authorized or permitted any distribution to be paid out of our share premium account while we were unable to pay our debts as they fall due in the ordinary course of business would be guilty of an offence and may be liable to a fine and imprisonment in the Cayman Islands.
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Changes in the market for directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate and complete an initial business combination.
In recent months, the market for directors and officers liability insurance for special purpose acquisition companies has changed. Fewer insurance companies are offering quotes for directors and officers liability coverage, the premiums charged for such policies have generally increased and the terms of such policies have generally become less favorable. There can be no assurance that these trends will not continue.
The increased cost and decreased availability of directors and officers liability insurance could make it more difficult and more expensive for us to negotiate an initial business combination. In order to obtain directors and officers liability insurance or modify its coverage as a result of becoming a public company, the post-business combination entity might need to incur greater expense, accept less favorable terms or both. However, any failure to obtain adequate directors and officers liability insurance could have an adverse impact on the post-business combination’s ability to attract and retain qualified officers and directors.
In addition, even after we were to complete an initial business combination, our directors and officers could still be subject to potential liability from claims arising from conduct alleged to have occurred prior to the initial business combination. As a result, in order to protect our directors and officers, the post-business combination entity may need to purchase additional insurance with respect to any such claims (“run-off insurance”). The need for run-off insurance would be an added expense for the post-business combination entity, and could interfere with or frustrate our ability to consummate an initial business combination on terms favorable to our investors.
Our sponsor may decide not to extend the term we have to consummate our initial business combination, in which case we would cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up and we would redeem our public shares and liquidate, and the warrants will be worthless.
If we anticipate that we may not be able to consummate our initial business combination within 15 months, we may, by resolutions of our board if requested by our sponsor, extend the period of time to consummate a business combination up to three times, each by an additional three months (for a total of up to 24 months to complete a business combination), so long as our sponsor or its affiliates or designees pays into the trust account $1,000,000 or $1,150,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (in all cases, $0.10 per public share), on or prior to the date of the applicable deadline, for each three-months extension, or an aggregate of $2,000,000, or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (in all cases, $0.20 per public share) for six months of extensions, or an aggregate of $3,000,000, or $3,450,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full (in all cases, $0.30 per public share) for full nine months of extensions. None of our sponsors or its affiliates or designees are obligated to fund the trust account to extend the time for us to complete our initial business combination. If we are unable to consummate our initial business combination within the applicable time period, we will redeem the public shares for a pro rata portion of the funds held in the trust account and, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under applicable law to provide for claims of creditors. In such event, the warrants will be worthless.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust only on a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this
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prospectus, unless such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering. The underwriters are also entitled to receive deferred commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may not hold an annual general meeting until after the consummation of our initial business combination, which could delay the opportunity for our shareholders to appoint directors.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until no later than one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq.
There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings to appoint directors. Until we hold an annual general meeting, public shareholders may not be afforded the opportunity to appoint directors and to discuss company affairs with management. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In addition, as holders of our Class A ordinary shares, our public shareholders will not have the right to vote on the appointment of directors until after the consummation of our initial business combination.
You will not be permitted to exercise your warrants unless we register and qualify the underlying Class A ordinary shares or certain exemptions are available.
If the issuance of the Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of the warrants is not registered, qualified or exempt from registration or qualification under the Securities Act and applicable state securities laws, holders of warrants will not be entitled to exercise such warrants and such warrants may have no value and expire worthless. In such event, holders who acquired their warrants as part of a purchase of units will have paid the full unit purchase price solely for the Class A ordinary shares included in the units.
We are not registering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants under the Securities Act or any state securities laws at this time. However, under the terms of the warrant agreement, we have agreed that, as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 business days, after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement covering the registration under the Securities Act of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and thereafter will use our commercially reasonable efforts to cause the same to become effective within 60 business days following our initial business combination and to maintain a current prospectus relating to the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. We cannot assure you that we will be able to do so if, for example, any facts or events arise which represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the registration statement or prospectus, the financial statements contained or incorporated by reference therein are not current or correct or the SEC issues a stop order.
If the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act, under the terms of the warrant agreement, holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do so for cash and, instead, will be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption.
In no event will warrants be exercisable for cash or on a cashless basis, and we will not be obligated to issue any shares to holders seeking to exercise their warrants, unless the issuance of the shares upon such exercise is registered or qualified under the securities laws of the state of the exercising holder, or an exemption from registration or qualification is available.
If our Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, we may, at our option, not permit holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants to do so for cash and, instead, require them to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act; in the event we so elect, we will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement or
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register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws, and in the event we do not so elect, we will use our commercially reasonable efforts to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under applicable state securities laws to the extent an exemption is not available.
In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant, or issue securities (other than upon a cashless exercise as described above) or other compensation in exchange for the warrants in the event that we are unable to register or qualify the shares underlying the warrants under the Securities Act or applicable state securities laws.
You may only be able to exercise your public warrants on a “cashless basis” under certain circumstances, and if you do so, you will receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
The warrant agreement provides that in the following circumstances holders of warrants who seek to exercise their warrants will not be permitted to do for cash and will, instead, be required to do so on a cashless basis in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act: (i) if the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants are not registered under the Securities Act in accordance with the terms of the warrant agreement; (ii) if we have so elected and the Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of “covered securities” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act; and (iii) if we have so elected and we call the public warrants for redemption. If you exercise your public warrants on a cashless basis, you would pay the warrant exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of our Class A ordinary shares (as defined in the next sentence) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” is the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the trading day prior to, or ending on the third trading day prior to, as the case may be, the date on which the notice of exercise is received by the warrant agent or on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants, as applicable. In no event will the warrants be exercisable in connection with this redemption feature for more than 0.361 Class A ordinary shares per warrant (subject to adjustment). As a result, you would receive fewer Class A ordinary shares from such exercise than if you were to exercise such warrants for cash.
The grant of registration rights to our initial shareholders and holders of our private placement warrants may make it more difficult to complete our initial business combination, and the future exercise of such rights may adversely affect the market price of our Class A ordinary shares.
Pursuant to an agreement to be entered into concurrently with the issuance and sale of the securities in this offering, our initial shareholders and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the Class A ordinary shares into which founder shares are convertible, holders of our private placement warrants and their permitted transferees can demand that we register the private placement warrants and the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants, and holders of securities that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans may demand that we register such units, shares, warrants or the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of such warrants. We will bear the cost of registering these securities. The registration and availability of such a significant number of securities for trading in the public market may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares. In addition, the existence of the registration rights may make our initial business combination more costly or difficult to conclude. This is because the shareholders of the target business may increase the equity stake they seek in the combined entity or ask for more cash consideration to offset the negative impact on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares that is expected when the ordinary shares owned by our initial shareholders, holders of our private placement warrants or holders of our working capital loans or their respective permitted transferees are registered.
Because we are neither limited to evaluating a target business in a particular industry sector nor have we selected any target businesses with which to pursue our initial business combination, you will be unable to ascertain the merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations.
Our efforts to identify a prospective initial business combination target will not be limited to a particular industry, sector or geographic region, except that, we will not undertake an initial business combination with
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any entity based in or with principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau. While we may pursue an initial business combination opportunity in any industry or sector, we intend to capitalize on the ability of our management team to identify and acquire a business or businesses that can benefit from our management team’s established global relationships and operating experience. Our management team has extensive experience in identifying and executing strategic investments both in Asia and globally and has done so successfully in a number of sectors, including technology, fintech, healthcare and financial service sectors. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association prohibits us from effectuating a business combination solely with another blank check company or similar company with nominal operations. Because we have not yet selected or approached any specific target business with respect to a business combination, there is no basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular target business’s operations, results of operations, cash flows, liquidity, financial condition or prospects. To the extent we complete our initial business combination, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in the business operations with which we combine. For example, if we combine with a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of sales or earnings, we may be affected by the risks inherent in the business and operations of a financially unstable or a development stage entity. Although our officers and directors will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors or that we will have adequate time to complete due diligence. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will ultimately prove to be more favorable to investors than a direct investment, if such opportunity were available, in a business combination target.
While we may pursue an initial business combination opportunity in any industry or sector, we intend to focus on fintech or technology-enabled financial service companies, including artificial intelligence, big data, cloud and blockchain-related initiatives. Therefore, we may face additional and distinctive risks specifically relating to such industry or sector if we acquire fintech or technology-enabled financial service business or businesses.
Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their securities. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
Past performance by our management team, Chenghe Group, advisory board members and their respective affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, may not be indicative of future performance of an investment in the Company.
Information regarding our management team, Chenghe Group, advisory board members and their respective affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, is presented for informational purposes only. Any past experience and performance by our management team, Chenghe Group, advisory board members and their respective affiliates and the businesses with which they have been associated, is not a guarantee that we will be able to successfully identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination, that we will be able to provide positive returns to our shareholders, or of any results with respect to any initial business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical experiences of our management team, Chenghe Group, advisory board members and their respective affiliates, including investments and transactions in which they have participated and businesses with which they have been associated, as indicative of the future performance of an investment in us or as indicative of every prior investment by each of the members of our management team, Chenghe Group, advisory board members or their respective affiliates. The market price of our securities may be influenced by numerous factors, many of which are beyond our control, and our shareholders may experience losses on their investment in our securities.
The prior investment track records of our management team, Chenghe Group, advisory board members and their respective affiliates may not be available on publicly available sources or may be subject to confidential agreements.
As the prior investment track records of our management team, Chenghe Group, advisory board members and their respective affiliates, including the investments and transactions in which they have participated in
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and businesses with which they have been associated with, are private transactions, information regarding their involvement with such transactions may not be publically available or is subject to confidential terms. This may limit the availability of information to our investors and potential target businesses pertaining to ours team’s past track record which in turn may adversely affect our marketing efforts and ability to generate attractive business combination opportunities for our company.
We may seek business combination opportunities in industries or sectors that may be outside of our management’s areas of expertise.
We will consider a business combination outside of our management’s areas of expertise if a business combination candidate is presented to us and we determine that such candidate offers an attractive business combination opportunity for our company. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in any particular business combination candidate, we cannot assure you that we will adequately ascertain or assess all of the significant risk factors. We also cannot assure you that an investment in our units will not ultimately prove to be less favorable to investors in this offering than a direct investment, if an opportunity were available, in a business combination candidate. In the event we elect to pursue a business combination outside of the areas of our management’s expertise, our management’s expertise may not be directly applicable to its evaluation or operation, and the information contained in this prospectus regarding the areas of our management’s expertise would not be relevant to an understanding of the business that we elect to acquire. As a result, our management may not be able to ascertain or assess adequately all of the relevant risk factors. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following our initial business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares. Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses, we may enter into our initial business combination with a target that does not meet such criteria and guidelines, and as a result, the target business with which we enter into our initial business combination may not have attributes entirely consistent with our general criteria and guidelines.
Although we have identified general criteria and guidelines for evaluating prospective target businesses, it is possible that a target business with which we enter into our initial business combination will not have all of these positive attributes. If we complete our initial business combination with a target that does not meet some or all of these guidelines, such combination may not be as successful as a combination with a business that does meet all of our general criteria and guidelines. In addition, if we announce a prospective business combination with a target that does not meet our general criteria and guidelines, a greater number of shareholders may exercise their redemption rights, which may make it difficult for us to meet any closing condition with a target business that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. In addition, if shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, it may be more difficult for us to attain shareholder approval of our initial business combination if the target business does not meet our general criteria and guidelines. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may seek acquisition opportunities with an early stage company, a financially unstable business or an entity lacking an established record of revenue or earnings.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. These risks include investing in a business without a proven business model and with limited historical financial data, volatile revenues or earnings, intense competition and difficulties in obtaining and retaining key personnel. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors. Furthermore, some of these risks may be outside of our control and leave us with no ability to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely impact a target business.
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We are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or from a valuation or appraisal firm, and consequently, you may have no assurance from an independent source that the price we are paying for the business is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view.
Unless we complete our initial business combination with an affiliated entity or our board of directors cannot independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we are not required to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or from a valuation or appraisal firm that the price we are paying is fair to our shareholders from a financial point of view. If no opinion is obtained, our shareholders will be relying on the judgment of our board of directors, who will determine fair market value based on standards generally accepted by the financial community. Such standards used will be disclosed in our proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, related to our initial business combination.
We may issue additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon the conversion of the founder shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions contained therein. Any such issuances would dilute the interest of our shareholders and likely present other risks.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorizes the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 preference shares, par value $0.0001 per share. Immediately after this offering, there will be 490,000,000 and 47,500,000 (assuming in each case that the underwriters have not exercised their over-allotment option and the forfeiture of 375,000 Class B ordinary shares) authorized but unissued Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares, respectively, available for issuance which amount does not take into account shares reserved for issuance upon exercise of outstanding warrants or shares issuable upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares. The Class B ordinary shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination, initially at a one-for-one ratio but subject to adjustment as set forth herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, including in certain circumstances in which we issue Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities related to our initial business combination. Immediately after this offering, there will be no preference shares issued and outstanding.
We may issue a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares or preference shares to complete our initial business combination or under an employee incentive plan after completion of our initial business combination. We may also issue Class A ordinary shares upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares at a ratio greater than one-to-one at the time of our initial business combination as a result of the anti-dilution provisions as set forth therein. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide, among other things, that prior to our initial business combination, we may not issue additional shares that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote. The issuance of additional ordinary or preference shares:
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may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering;
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may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares;
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could cause a change in control if a substantial number of Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors; and
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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants.
Unlike some other similarly structured special purpose acquisition companies, our initial shareholders will receive additional Class A ordinary shares if we issue certain shares to consummate an initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment
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for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders), including the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
Resources could be wasted in researching business combinations that are not completed, which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We anticipate that the investigation of each specific target business and the negotiation, drafting and execution of relevant agreements, disclosure documents and other instruments will require substantial management time and attention and substantial costs for accountants, attorneys, consultants and others. If we decide not to complete a specific initial business combination, the costs incurred up to that point for the proposed transaction likely would not be recoverable. Furthermore, if we reach an agreement relating to a specific target business, we may fail to complete our initial business combination for any number of reasons including those beyond our control. Any such event will result in a loss to us of the related costs incurred which could materially adversely affect subsequent attempts to locate and acquire or merge with another business. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless.
We may be a passive foreign investment company, or “PFIC,” which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. investors.
If we are a PFIC for any taxable year (or portion thereof) that is included in the holding period of a U.S. Holder (as defined in the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders”) of our Class A ordinary shares or warrants, the U.S. Holder may be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences and may be subject to additional reporting requirements. Our PFIC status for our current and subsequent taxable years may depend on whether we qualify for the PFIC start-up exception (see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules”). Depending on the particular circumstances the application of the start-up exception may be subject to uncertainty, and there cannot be any assurance that we will qualify for the start-up exception. Accordingly, there can be no assurances with respect to our status as a PFIC for our current taxable year or any subsequent taxable year. Our actual PFIC status for any taxable year, however, will not be determinable until after the end of such taxable year.
Moreover, if we determine we are a PFIC for any taxable year, upon written request, we will endeavor to provide to a U.S. Holder such information as the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) may require, including a PFIC annual information statement, in order to enable the U.S. Holder to make and maintain a “qualified electing fund” election, but there can be no assurance that we will timely provide such required information, and such election would be unavailable with respect to our warrants in all cases. We urge U.S. investors to consult their own tax advisors regarding the possible application of the PFIC rules. For a more detailed explanation of the tax consequences of PFIC classification to U.S. Holders, see the section of this prospectus captioned “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders—Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules.”
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We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction prior to or in connection with our initial business combination and such reincorporation may result in taxes imposed on shareholders or warrant holders.
We may, prior to or in connection with our initial business combination and subject to requisite shareholder approval by special resolution under the Companies Act, merge with another company, or reincorporate in the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located or in another jurisdiction. The transaction may require a shareholder or warrant holder to recognize taxable income in the jurisdiction in which the shareholder or warrant holder is a tax resident or in which its members are resident if it is a tax transparent entity. We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay such taxes. Shareholders or warrant holders may be subject to withholding taxes or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after the reincorporation.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences.
An investment in this offering may result in uncertain U.S. federal income tax consequences. For instance, because there are no authorities that directly address instruments similar to the units we are issuing in this offering, the allocation an investor makes with respect to the purchase price of a unit between the Class A ordinary share and the one-half of one warrant to purchase one Class A ordinary share included in each unit could be challenged by the IRS or courts. In addition, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of a cashless exercise of warrants included in the units we are issuing in this offering is unclear under current law. Finally, it is unclear whether the redemption rights with respect to our Class A ordinary shares suspend the running of a U.S. Holder’s (as defined in section titled “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—U.S. Holders”) holding period for purposes of determining whether any gain or loss realized by such holder on the sale or exchange of Class A ordinary shares is long-term capital gain or loss and for determining whether any dividend we pay would be considered “qualified dividend income” for U.S. federal income tax purposes. See the section titled “Taxation—United States Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations of an investment in our securities. Prospective investors are urged to consult their tax advisors with respect to these and other tax consequences when acquiring, owning or disposing of our securities.
Our initial business combination and our structure thereafter may not be tax-efficient to our shareholders and warrant holders. As a result of our business combination, our tax obligations may be more complex, burdensome and uncertain.
Although we will attempt to structure our initial business combination in a tax-efficient manner, tax structuring considerations are complex, the relevant facts and law are uncertain and may change, and we may prioritize commercial and other considerations over tax considerations. For example, in connection with our initial business combination and subject to any requisite shareholder approval, we may structure our business combination in a manner that requires shareholders and/or warrant holders to recognize gain or income for tax purposes, effect a business combination with a target company in another jurisdiction, or reincorporate in a different jurisdiction (including, but not limited to, the jurisdiction in which the target company or business is located). We do not intend to make any cash distributions to shareholders or warrant holders to pay taxes in connection with our business combination or thereafter. Accordingly, a shareholder or a warrant holder may need to satisfy any liability resulting from our initial business combination with cash from its own funds or by selling all or a portion of the shares or warrants received. In addition, shareholders and warrant holders may also be subject to additional income, withholding or other taxes with respect to their ownership of us after our initial business combination.
In addition, we may effect a business combination with a target company that has business operations outside of the United States, and possibly, business operations in multiple jurisdictions. If we effect such a business combination, we could be subject to significant income, withholding and other tax obligations in a number of jurisdictions with respect to income, operations and subsidiaries related to those jurisdictions. Due to the complexity of tax obligations and filings in other jurisdictions, we may have a heightened risk related to audits or examinations by U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. taxing authorities. This additional complexity and risk could have an adverse effect on our after-tax profitability and financial condition.
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All of our directors and officers currently reside outside of the United States, and after our initial business combination, it is possible that all or a majority of our directors and officers will live outside the United States and all of our assets will be located outside the United States; therefore, investors may not be able to enforce federal securities laws or their other legal rights.
All of our directors and officers currently reside outside of the United States and it is possible that after our initial business combination, all or a majority of our directors and officers will reside outside of the United States and all of our assets will be located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult, or in some cases not possible, for investors in the United States to enforce their legal rights, to effect service of process upon all of our directors or officers or to enforce judgments of United States courts predicated upon civil liabilities and criminal penalties on our directors and officers under United States laws.
We are dependent upon our officers, directors and advisory board members and their loss could adversely affect our ability to operate.
Our operations are dependent upon a relatively small group of individuals and, in particular, our officers and directors and members of our advisory board. We believe that our success depends on the continued service of our officers and directors and the advisory services from our advisory board members, at least until we have completed our initial business combination. In addition, our officers, directors and advisory board members are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating their time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations, monitoring the related due diligence and completing our business combination. We do not have an employment agreement with, or key-man insurance on the life of, any of our directors, officers or advisory board members. The unexpected loss of the services of one or more of our directors, officers or advisory board members could have a detrimental effect on us.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination and to be successful thereafter will be dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, including members of our management team, some of whom may join us following our initial business combination, as well as the efforts and support of members of the advisory board. The loss of key personnel and key members of the advisory board could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
Our ability to successfully effect our initial business combination is dependent upon the efforts of our key personnel, including members of our management team, as well as the efforts and support of members of the advisory board. Members of our management team and advisory board have been and continue to be involved in a wide variety of businesses and enterprises. Any negative developments affecting such businesses or enterprises associated with our management team or advisory board members, or individually affecting any individual management team or advisory board members, could negatively impact our reputation and affect our ability to identify and complete an initial business combination, and may have an adverse effect on the price of our securities. Moreover, the role of our key personnel and members of the advisory board in the target business cannot presently be ascertained. Although some of our key personnel or members of the advisory board may remain with the target business in senior management or advisory positions following our initial business combination, it is likely that some or all of the management of the target business will remain in place. While we intend to closely scrutinize any individuals we engage after our initial business combination, we cannot assure you that our assessment of these individuals will prove to be correct. These individuals may be unfamiliar with the requirements of operating a company regulated by the SEC, which could cause us to have to expend time and resources helping them become familiar with such requirements.
In addition, the officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The departure of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business. The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place. The loss of key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
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Our key personnel, including members of our management team, and/or members of the advisory board may negotiate employment or consulting agreements with a target business in connection with a particular business combination, and a particular business combination may be conditioned on the retention or resignation of such key personnel and/or members of the advisory board. These agreements may provide for them to receive compensation following our initial business combination and as a result, may cause them to have conflicts of interest in determining whether a particular business combination is the most advantageous.
Our key personnel, including members of our management team, and/or members of the advisory board may be able to remain with our company after the completion of our initial business combination only if they are able to negotiate employment or consulting agreements in connection with the business combination. Such negotiations would take place simultaneously with the negotiation of the business combination and could provide for such individuals to receive compensation in the form of cash payments and/or our securities for services they would render to us after the completion of the business combination. Such negotiations also could make such key personnel’s and/or advisory board members’ retention or resignation a condition to any such agreement. The personal and financial interests of such individuals may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
We may have a limited ability to assess the management of a prospective target business and, as a result, may effect our initial business combination with a target business whose management may not have the skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company.
When evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with a prospective target business, our ability to assess the target business’s management may be limited due to a lack of time, resources or information. Our assessment of the capabilities of the target business’s management, therefore, may prove to be incorrect and such management may lack the skills, qualifications or abilities we suspected. Should the target business’s management not possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to manage a public company, the operations and profitability of the post-combination business may be negatively impacted. Accordingly, any shareholders who choose to remain shareholders following the business combination could suffer a reduction in the value of their shares.
Such shareholders are unlikely to have a remedy for such reduction in value unless they are able to successfully claim that the reduction was due to the breach by our officers or directors of a duty of care or other fiduciary duty owed to them, or if they are able to successfully bring a private claim under securities laws that the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, relating to the business combination contained an actionable material misstatement or material omission.
The officers and directors of an acquisition candidate may resign upon completion of our initial business combination. The loss of a business combination target’s key personnel could negatively impact the operations and profitability of our post-combination business.
The role of an acquisition candidate’s key personnel upon the completion of our initial business combination cannot be ascertained at this time. Although we contemplate that certain members of an acquisition candidate’s management team will remain associated with the acquisition candidate following our initial business combination, it is possible that members of the management of an acquisition candidate will not wish to remain in place.
Our officers and directors and advisory board members, will allocate their time and other resources to other businesses unrelated to us thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time and resources to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
None of our officers and directors and advisory board members is required to, and none will, commit his or her full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating his or her time between our operations and our search for a business combination and his or her other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in other business endeavors for which he or she may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our directors, including our independent directors, also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our officers’
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and directors’ and advisory board members’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such other affairs (whether or not in excess of their current commitment levels), it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. In particular, as each of our advisory board members serves solely in an advisory capacity, none of them has duty to allocate time to our business and will have conflicts of interest in allocating his time to other business activities where he has duties to serve in a management or other official capacity. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ and advisory board members’ other business affairs, please see “Management and Advisory Board — Management” and “Management and Advisory Board—Advisory Board.”
Our officers and directors and advisory board members presently have, and any of them or future members of the advisory board in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Each of our officers, directors and advisory board members presently has, and any of them or future members of the advisory board in the future may have, additional fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities pursuant to which such officer, director or advisory board member is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. In particular, each of our advisory board members acts solely in an advisory capacity and does not owe us any fiduciary or contractual duty to provide us with investment opportunities while he at the same time is subject to certain fiduciary or contractual duties to other entities for which he serves as a director, officer or other position. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to another entity prior to its presentation to us, subject to the fiduciary duties of our directors and officers under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other.
In addition, our sponsor and our officers and directors, and advisory board members may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
For a complete discussion of our officers’, directors’ and advisory board members’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Management and Advisory Board — Management” and “Management and Advisory Board — Advisory Board,” “Management and Advisory Board — Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers, directors, advisory board members, security holders and their respective affiliates may have competitive pecuniary interests that conflict with our interests.
We have not adopted a policy that expressly prohibits our directors, officers, advisory board members, security holders or affiliates from having a direct or indirect pecuniary or financial interest in any investment to be acquired or disposed of by us or in any transaction to which we are a party or have an interest. In fact, we may enter into a business combination with a target business that is affiliated with our sponsor, our directors or officers or advisory board members, although we do not intend to do so. Nor do we have a policy that expressly prohibits any such persons from engaging for their own account in business activities of the types conducted by us. Accordingly, such persons or entities may have a conflict between their interests and ours.
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The personal and financial interests of our directors and officers and advisory board members may influence their motivation in timely identifying and selecting a target business and completing a business combination. Consequently, our directors’ and officers’ and advisory board members’ discretion in identifying and selecting a suitable target business may result in a conflict of interest when determining whether the terms, conditions and timing of a particular business combination are appropriate and in our shareholders’ best interest. If this were the case, in the case of any of our directors and officers, it would be a breach of his/her fiduciary duties to us as a matter of Cayman Islands law and we or our shareholders might have a claim against such individual for infringing on our shareholders’ rights. See the section titled “Description of Securities—Certain Differences in Corporate Law—Shareholder Suits” for further information on the ability to bring such claims. However, we might not ultimately be successful in any claim we may make against them for such reason.
Certain of our directors and officers are now, and all of them may in the future become, affiliated with entities engaged in business activities similar to those intended to be conducted by us and, accordingly, may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented.
Following the completion of this offering and until we consummate our initial business combination, we intend to engage in the business of identifying and combining with one or more businesses. Our sponsor and directors and officers are, or may in the future become, affiliated with entities that are engaged in a similar business. Our sponsor and directors and officers are also not prohibited from sponsoring, investing or otherwise becoming involved with, any other special purpose acquisition companies, including in connection with their initial business combinations, prior to us completing our initial business combination. Moreover, certain of our directors and officers have time and attention requirements for investment funds of which affiliates of our sponsor are the investment managers.
Our sponsor, officers and directors are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business—Effecting our initial business combination—Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Our directors and officers also may become aware of business opportunities which may be appropriate for presentation to us and the other entities to which they owe certain fiduciary or contractual duties. Accordingly, they may have conflicts of interest in determining to which entity a particular business opportunity should be presented. These conflicts may not be resolved in our favor and a potential target business may be presented to other entities prior to its presentation to us, subject to our directors’ and officers’ fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we renounce our interest in any corporate opportunity offered to any director or officer unless such opportunity is expressly offered to such person solely in his or her capacity as a director or officer of the company and it is an opportunity that we are able to complete on a reasonable basis.
For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ business affiliations and the potential conflicts of interest that you should be aware of, please see “Management — Officers, Directors and Director Nominees,” “Management—Conflicts of Interest” and “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”
Our officers and directors will allocate their time to other businesses thereby causing conflicts of interest in their determination as to how much time to devote to our affairs. This conflict of interest could have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Our officers and directors are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business
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combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs. Our independent directors also serve as officers and board members for other entities. If our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs require them to devote substantial amounts of time to such affairs in excess of their current commitment levels, it could limit their ability to devote time to our affairs which may have a negative impact on our ability to complete our initial business combination. For a complete discussion of our officers’ and directors’ other business affairs, please see “Management — Officers, Directors and Director Nominees.”
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, which may include acting as financial advisor in connection with an initial business combination or as placement agent in connection with a related financing transaction. Our underwriters are entitled to receive deferred commissions that will be released from the trust account only upon a completion of an initial business combination. These financial incentives may cause them to have potential conflicts of interest in rendering any such additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage one or more of our underwriters or one of their respective affiliates to provide additional services to us after this offering, including, for example, identifying potential targets, providing financial advisory services, acting as a placement agent in a private offering or arranging debt financing. We may pay such underwriter or its affiliate fair and reasonable fees or other compensation that would be determined at that time in an arm’s length negotiation; provided that no agreement will be entered into with any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates and no fees or other compensation for such services will be paid to any of the underwriters or their respective affiliates prior to the date that is 60 days from the date of this prospectus, unless FINRA determines that such payment would not be deemed underwriters’ compensation in connection with this offering. The underwriters are also entitled to receive underwriting commissions that are conditioned on the completion of an initial business combination. The fact that the underwriters’ or their respective affiliates’ financial interests are tied to the consummation of a business combination transaction may give rise to potential conflicts of interest in providing any such additional services to us, including potential conflicts of interest in connection with the sourcing and consummation of an initial business combination.
We may engage our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as an advisor or otherwise with respect to our business combinations and certain other transactions. Any salary or fee in connection with such engagement may be conditioned upon the completion of such transactions. This financial interest in the completion of such transactions may influence the advice such entity provides.
We may engage our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as an advisor or otherwise in connection with our initial business combination and certain other transactions and pay such person or entity a salary or fee in an amount that constitutes a market standard for comparable transactions. Pursuant to any such engagement, such person or entity may earn its salary or fee upon closing of the initial business combination. The payment of such salary or fee would likely be conditioned upon the completion of the initial business combination. Therefore, such persons or entities may have additional financial interests in the completion of the initial business combination. These financial interests may influence the advice such entity provides us, which advice would contribute to our decision on whether to pursue a business combination with any particular target.
We may engage in a business combination with one or more target businesses that have relationships with entities that may be affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors, advisory board members or our existing holders which may raise potential conflicts of interest.
In light of the involvement of our sponsor, officers and directors and advisory board members with other entities, we may decide to acquire one or more businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers and directors, advisory board members or our existing holders. Our directors, officers and advisory board member also serve as officers and board members for other entities, including, without limitation, those described under “Management and Advisory Board—Conflicts of Interest.” Such entities may compete with us for business combination opportunities. Our sponsor, officers and directors and current advisory board members are not currently aware of any specific opportunities for us to complete our initial business combination with any
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entities with which they are affiliated, and there have been no substantive discussions concerning a business combination with any such entity or entities. Although we will not be specifically focusing on, or targeting, any transaction with any affiliated entities, we would pursue such a transaction if we determined that such affiliated entity met our criteria for a business combination as set forth in “Proposed Business—Effecting our initial business combination—Selection of a target business and structuring of our initial business combination” and such transaction was approved by a majority of our independent and disinterested directors. Despite our agreement to obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm regarding the fairness to our company from a financial point of view of a business combination with one or more domestic or international businesses affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors, advisory board members or our existing holders, potential conflicts of interest still may exist and, as a result, the terms of the business combination may not be as advantageous to our public shareholders as they would be absent any conflicts of interest.
Since our sponsor, officers and directors will lose their entire investment in us if our initial business combination is not completed (other than with respect to public shares they may acquire during or after this offering), a conflict of interest may arise in determining whether a particular business combination target is appropriate for our initial business combination.
On April 8, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering expenses in exchange for 7,187,500 founder shares. On June 20, 2021 and on December 28, 2021, respectively, our sponsor surrendered and forfeited to us 1,437,500 founder shares for no consideration, following which, our sponsor holds 4,312,500 founder shares. On March 29, 2022, our sponsor further surrendered and forfeited to us 1,437,500 founder shares for no consideration, following which, our sponsor holds 2,875,000 founder shares. As a result of these surrender and forfeiture of founder shares, the per share purchase price increased to approximately $0.009 per share. On March 30, 2022, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 177,439 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees and advisory board member, for their board and advisory services, in each case for no cash consideration, including 20,000 shares to each of Kwan Sun, Robert Ewing and Ning Ma, 50,000 shares to Kenneth W. Hitchner and 67,439 shares to Dr. Zhiwei Liu, respectively. The founder shares transferred to Kwan Sun, Robert Ewing, Ning Ma and Kenneth W. Hitchner will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. Currently, our sponsor holds 2,697,561 of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued and outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 11,500,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares after this offering. Up to 375,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised. The founder shares will be worthless if we do not complete an initial business combination. In addition, our sponsor has committed to purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 private placement warrants (or 7,750,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000 (or $7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), or $1.00 per warrant. The private placement warrants will also be worthless if we do not complete our initial business combination. The personal and financial interests of our officers and directors may influence their motivation in identifying and selecting a target business combination, completing an initial business combination and influencing the operation of the business following the initial business combination. This risk may become more acute as the end of the Business Combination Period nears, which is the deadline for our completion of an initial business combination.
We may issue notes or other debt securities, or otherwise incur substantial debt, to complete a business combination, which may adversely affect our leverage and financial condition and thus negatively impact the value of our shareholders’ investment in us.
Although we have no commitments as of the date of this prospectus to issue any notes or other debt securities, or to otherwise incur outstanding debt following this offering, we may choose to incur substantial debt to complete our initial business combination. We and our officers have agreed that we will not incur any indebtedness unless we have obtained from the lender a waiver of any right, title, interest or claim of any kind
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in or to the monies held in the trust account. As such, no issuance of debt will affect the per share amount available for redemption from the trust account. Nevertheless, the incurrence of debt could have a variety of negative effects, including:
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default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
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acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
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our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
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our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding; our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares;
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using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
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limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
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increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
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limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
We may only be able to complete one business combination with the proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, which will cause us to be solely dependent on a single business which may have a limited number of products or services. This lack of diversification may negatively impact our operations and profitability.
The net proceeds from this offering and the private placement of warrants will provide us with $99,500,000 (or $114,425,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) that we may use to complete our initial business combination (after taking into account the $3,500,000, or up to $4,025,000 if the over-allotment option is exercised in full, of deferred underwriting commissions being held in the trust account).
We may effectuate our initial business combination with a single target business or multiple target businesses simultaneously or within a short period of time. However, we may not be able to effectuate our initial business combination with more than one target business because of various factors, including the existence of complex accounting issues and the requirement that we prepare and file pro forma financial statements with the SEC that present operating results and the financial condition of several target businesses as if they had been operated on a combined basis. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory developments. Further, we would not be able to diversify our operations or benefit from the possible spreading of risks or offsetting of losses, unlike other entities which may have the resources to complete several business combinations in different industries or different areas of a single industry. Accordingly, the prospects for our success may be:
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solely dependent upon the performance of a single business, property or asset, or
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dependent upon the development or market acceptance of a single or limited number of products, processes or services.
This lack of diversification may subject us to numerous economic, competitive and regulatory risks, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact upon the particular industry in which we may operate subsequent to our initial business combination.
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We may attempt to simultaneously complete business combinations with multiple prospective targets, which may hinder our ability to complete our initial business combination and give rise to increased costs and risks that could negatively impact our operations and profitability.
If we determine to simultaneously acquire several businesses that are owned by different sellers, we will need for each of such sellers to agree that our purchase of its business is contingent on the simultaneous closings of the other business combinations, which may make it more difficult for us, and delay our ability, to complete our initial business combination. With multiple business combinations, we could also face additional risks, including additional burdens and costs with respect to possible multiple negotiations and due diligence investigations (if there are multiple sellers) and the additional risks associated with the subsequent assimilation of the operations and services or products of the acquired companies in a single operating business. If we are unable to adequately address these risks, it could negatively impact our profitability and results of operations.
We may attempt to complete our initial business combination with a private company about which little information is available, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
In pursuing our business combination strategy, we may seek to effectuate our initial business combination with a privately held company. Very little public information generally exists about private companies, and we could be required to make our decision on whether to pursue a potential initial business combination on the basis of limited information, which may result in a business combination with a company that is not as profitable as we suspected, if at all.
Our management may not be able to maintain control of a target business after our initial business combination. We cannot provide assurance that, upon loss of control of a target business, new management will possess the skills, qualifications or abilities necessary to profitably operate such business.
We may structure our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for us not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We will not consider any transaction that does not meet such criteria. Even if the post-transaction company owns 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post business combination company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity interests of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new Class A ordinary shares, our shareholders immediately prior to such transaction could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares subsequent to such transaction. In addition, other minority shareholders may subsequently combine their holdings resulting in a single person or group obtaining a larger portion of the company’s shares than we initially acquired. Accordingly, this may make it more likely that our management will not be able to maintain control of the target business.
Since only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors prior to our initial business combination, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s rules and, as a result, we may qualify for exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that would otherwise provide protection to shareholders of other companies.
After completion of this offering, only holders of our founder shares will have the right to vote on the election of directors. As a result, Nasdaq may consider us to be a “controlled company” within the meaning of Nasdaq’s corporate governance standards. Under Nasdaq corporate governance standards, a company of which more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors is held by an individual, a group or another company is a “controlled company” and may elect not to comply with certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that:
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we have a board that includes a majority of “independent directors,” as defined under Nasdaq rules;
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we have a compensation committee of our board that is comprised entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and
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we have independent director oversight of our director nominations.
We do not intend to utilize these exemptions and intend to comply with the corporate governance requirements of Nasdaq, subject to applicable phase—in rules. However, if we determine in the future to utilize some or all of these exemptions, you will not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of Nasdaq’s corporate governance requirements.
We do not have a specified maximum redemption threshold. The absence of such a redemption threshold may make it possible for us to complete our initial business combination with which a substantial majority of our shareholders do not agree.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. As a result, we may be able to complete our initial business combination even though a substantial majority of our public shareholders do not agree with the transaction and have redeemed their shares or, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, have entered into privately negotiated agreements to sell their shares to our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any shares, all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof, and we instead may search for an alternate business combination.
In order to effectuate an initial business combination, special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and other governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or governing instruments in a manner that will make it easier for us to complete our initial business combination that our shareholders may not support.
In order to effectuate a business combination, special purpose acquisition companies have, in the recent past, amended various provisions of their charters and governing instruments, including their warrant agreements. For example, special purpose acquisition companies have amended the definition of business combination, increased redemption thresholds and extended the time to consummate an initial business combination and, with respect to their warrants, amended their warrant agreements to require the warrants to be exchanged for cash and/or other securities. Amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants (which may include public warrants acquired by our sponsor or its affiliates in this offering or thereafter in the open market).All other modifications or amendments shall require the vote or written consent of the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants; provided that any amendment that solely affects the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement solely with respect to the private placement warrants requires the vote or written consent of at least 50% of the then-outstanding private placement warrants. In addition, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association requires us to provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash if we propose an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of
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association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete an initial business combination within the Business Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. To the extent any of such amendments would be deemed to fundamentally change the nature of the securities offered through this registration statement, we would register, or seek an exemption from registration for, the affected securities. We cannot assure you that we will not seek to amend our charter or governing instruments or extend the time to consummate an initial business combination in order to effectuate our initial business combination.
The provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that relate to our pre-business combination activity (and corresponding provisions of the agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account) may be amended with the approval by special resolution of holders of not less than two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company (or 65% of our ordinary shares with respect to amendments to the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account), which is a lower amendment threshold than that of some other special purpose acquisition companies. It may be easier for us, therefore, to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to facilitate the completion of an initial business combination that some of our shareholders may not support.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that any of its provisions related to pre-business combination activity (including the requirement to deposit proceeds of this offering and the private placement of warrants into the trust account and not release such amounts except in specified circumstances, and to provide redemption rights to public shareholders as described herein) may be amended if approved by special resolution, under Cayman Islands law which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and corresponding provisions of the trust agreement governing the release of funds from our trust account may be amended if approved by holders of 65% of our ordinary shares. Our initial shareholders, who will collectively beneficially own 20% of our ordinary shares upon the closing of this offering (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering), will participate in any vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and/or trust agreement and will have the discretion to vote in any manner they choose. As a result, we may be able to amend the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which govern our pre-business combination behavior more easily than some other special purpose acquisition companies, and this may increase our ability to complete a business combination with which you do not agree. Our shareholders may pursue remedies against us for any breach of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. Our shareholders are not parties to, or third-party beneficiaries of, these agreements and, as a result, will not have the ability to pursue remedies against our sponsor, officers, directors or director nominees for any breach of these agreements. As a result, in the event of a breach, our shareholders would need to pursue a shareholder derivative action, subject to applicable law.
Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors may be amended without shareholder approval.
Our letter agreement with our sponsor, officers and directors contain provisions relating to transfer restrictions of our founder shares and private placement warrants, indemnification of the trust account, waiver of redemption rights and participation in liquidating distributions from the trust account. The letter agreement may be amended without shareholder approval (although releasing the parties from the restriction not to
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transfer the founder shares for 185 days following the date of this prospectus will require the prior written consent of the underwriters). While we do not expect our board to approve any amendment to the letter agreement prior to our initial business combination, it may be possible that our board, in exercising its business judgment and subject to its fiduciary duties, chooses to approve one or more amendments to the letter agreement. Any such amendments to the letter agreement would not require approval from our shareholders and may have an adverse effect on the value of an investment in our securities.
We may be unable to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination or to fund the operations and growth of a target business, which could compel us to restructure or abandon a particular business combination.
We have not selected any specific business combination target but intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants. As a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemption by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We cannot assure you that such financing will be available on acceptable terms, if at all. To the extent that additional financing proves to be unavailable when needed to complete our initial business combination, we would be compelled to either restructure the transaction or abandon that particular business combination and seek an alternative target business candidate. Further, we may be required to obtain additional financing in connection with the closing of our initial business combination for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, or to fund the purchase of other companies. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination, our public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and our warrants will expire worthless. In addition, even if we do not need additional financing to complete our initial business combination, we may require such financing to fund the operations or growth of the target business. The failure to secure additional financing could have a material adverse effect on the continued development or growth of the target business. None of our officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
Our initial shareholders control a substantial interest in us and thus may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support.
Upon closing of this offering, our initial shareholders will own 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Accordingly, they may exert a substantial influence on actions requiring a shareholder vote, potentially in a manner that you do not support, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. If our initial shareholders purchase any units in this offering or if our initial shareholders purchase any additional Class A ordinary shares in the aftermarket or in privately negotiated transactions, this would increase their control. Neither our initial shareholders nor, to our knowledge, any of our officers or directors, have any current intention to purchase additional securities, other than as disclosed in this prospectus. Factors that would be considered in making such additional purchases would include consideration of the current trading price of our Class A ordinary shares. Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have an initial business combination approved. In addition, our board of directors, whose members were appointed by our sponsor, is and will be divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a terms for three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, in which case all of the current directors will continue in office until at least the completion of the business combination. If there is an annual general meeting, as a consequence of our “staggered” board of directors, only a minority of the board of directors will be considered for appointment and our initial shareholders, because of their ownership position, will have considerable influence regarding the outcome. Accordingly, our initial shareholders will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, in a vote to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt
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new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands), only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote. As a result, you will not have any influence over our continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands prior to our initial business combination. Accordingly, our sponsor will continue to exert control at least until the completion of our initial business combination.
Our initial shareholders paid an aggregate of $25,000, or approximately $0.004 per founder share and, accordingly, you will experience immediate and substantial dilution from the purchase of our Class A ordinary shares.
The difference between the public offering price per share (allocating all of the unit purchase price to the Class A ordinary share and none to the warrant included in the unit) and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to you and the other investors in this offering. Our initial shareholders acquired the founder shares at a nominal price, significantly contributing to this dilution. Upon closing of this offering, and assuming no value is ascribed to the warrants included in the units, you and the other public shareholders will incur an immediate and substantial dilution of approximately 109.2% (or $10.92 per share, assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option), the difference between the pro forma net tangible book value per share after this offering of $(0.92) and the initial offering price of $10.00 per unit. This dilution would increase to the extent that the anti-dilution provisions of the founder shares result in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the founder shares at the time of our initial business combination. In addition, because of the anti-dilution protection in the founder shares, any equity or equity-linked securities issued in connection with our initial business combination would be disproportionately dilutive to our Class A ordinary shares.
We may amend the terms of the warrants in a manner that may be adverse to holders of public warrants with the approval by the holders of at least 50% of the then-outstanding public warrants. As a result, the exercise price of your warrants could be increased, the exercise period could be shortened and the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant could be decreased, all without your approval.
Our warrants will be issued in registered form under a warrant agreement between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company, as warrant agent, and us. The warrant agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any mistake, including to conform the provisions of the warrant agreement to the description of the terms of the warrants and the warrant agreement set forth in this prospectus, or defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least a majority of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants (which may include public warrants acquired by our sponsor or its affiliates in this offering or thereafter in the open market). All other modifications or amendments shall require the vote or written consent of the holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants; provided that any amendment that solely affects the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement solely with respect to the private placement warrants requires the vote or written consent of at least 50% of the then-outstanding private placement warrants. Accordingly, we may amend the terms of the public warrants in a manner adverse to a holder if holders of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants approve of such amendment and, solely with respect to any amendment to the terms of the private placement warrants or any provision of the warrant agreement with respect to the private placement warrants, 50% of the number of the then-outstanding private placement warrants. Although our ability to amend the terms of the public warrants with the consent of at least 50% of the then outstanding public warrants is unlimited, examples of such amendments could be amendments to, among other things, increase the exercise price of the warrants, convert the warrants into cash, shorten the exercise period or decrease the number of Class A ordinary shares purchasable upon exercise of a warrant.
A provision of our warrant agreement may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination.
If (i) we issue additional ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of our initial business combination at a Newly Issued Price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share, (ii) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total
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equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of our initial business combination, and (iii) the Market Value of our Class A ordinary shares is below $9.20 per share, then the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business.
We may redeem your unexpired warrants prior to their exercise at a time that is disadvantageous to you, thereby making your warrants worthless.
We have the ability to redeem outstanding warrants at any time after they become exercisable and prior to their expiration, at a price of $0.01 per warrant, provided that the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30 trading- day period ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which we give proper notice of such redemption to the warrants holders and provided certain other conditions are met. We will not redeem the warrants unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may exercise our redemption right even if we are unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws. Redemption of the outstanding warrants could force you to (i) exercise your warrants and pay the exercise price therefor at a time when it may be disadvantageous for you to do so, (ii) sell your warrants at the then-current market price when you might otherwise wish to hold your warrants or (iii) accept the nominal redemption price which, at the time the outstanding warrants are called for redemption, is likely to be substantially less than the market value of your warrants.
None of the private placement warrants will be redeemable by us.
Our warrants may have an adverse effect on the market price of our Class A ordinary shares and make it more difficult to effectuate our initial business combination.
We will be issuing warrants to purchase 5,000,000 of our Class A ordinary shares (or up to 5,750,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) as part of the units offered by this prospectus and, simultaneously with the closing of this offering, we will be issuing in a private placement an aggregate of 7,000,000 private placement warrants (or 7,750,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), at $1.00 per warrant. In addition, if the sponsor makes any working capital loans, it may convert those loans into up to an additional 1,500,000 private placement warrants, at the price of $1.00 per warrant. To the extent we issue ordinary shares to effectuate a business transaction, the potential for the issuance of a substantial number of additional Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of these warrants could make us a less attractive acquisition vehicle to a target business. Such warrants, when exercised, will increase the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares and reduce the value of the Class A ordinary shares issued to complete the business transaction. Therefore, our warrants may make it more difficult to effectuate a business transaction or increase the cost of acquiring the target business.
Because each unit contains one-half of one warrant and only a whole warrant may be exercised, the units may be worth less than units of other special purpose acquisition companies.
Each unit contains one-half of one warrant. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, no fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units, and only whole units will trade. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number the number of Class A ordinary shares to be issued to the warrant holder. This is different from other offerings similar to ours whose units include one ordinary share and one warrant to purchase one whole share. We have established the components of the units in this way in order to reduce the dilutive effect of the warrants upon completion of a business combination since the warrants will be exercisable in the aggregate for one-half of the number of shares compared to units that each contain a whole warrant to
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purchase one share, thus making us, we believe, a more attractive merger partner for target businesses. Nevertheless, this unit structure may cause our units to be worth less than if it included a warrant to purchase one whole share.
Our warrant agreement will designate the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by holders of our warrants, which could limit the ability of holders of our warrants to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.
Our warrant agreement will provide that, subject to applicable law, (i) any action, proceeding or claim against us arising out of or relating in any way to our warrant agreement, including under the Securities Act, will be brought and enforced in the courts of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and (ii) that we irrevocably submit to such jurisdiction, which jurisdiction shall be the exclusive forum for any such action, proceeding or claim. We will waive any objection to such exclusive jurisdiction and that such courts represent an inconvenient forum.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, these provisions of our warrant agreement will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are the sole and exclusive forum. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in any of our warrants shall be deemed to have notice of, and to have consented to, the forum provisions in our warrant agreement.
If any action, the subject matter of which is within the scope of the forum provisions of our warrant agreement, is filed in a court other than a court of the State of New York or the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (a “foreign action”) in the name of any holder of our warrants, such holder of our warrants shall be deemed to have consented to (x) the personal jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in the State of New York in connection with any action brought in any such court to enforce the forum provisions (an “enforcement action”), and (y) having service of process made upon such holder of our warrants in any such enforcement action by service upon such holder’s counsel in the foreign action as agent for such holder of our warrants.
This choice-of-forum provision may limit the ability of a holder of our warrants to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court were to find this provision of our warrant agreement inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
The determination of the offering price of our units and the size of this offering is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities and size of an offering of an operating company in a particular industry. You may have less assurance, therefore, that the offering price of our units properly reflects the value of such units than you would have in a typical offering of an operating company.
Prior to this offering there has been no public market for any of our securities. The public offering price of the units and the terms of the warrants were negotiated between us and the underwriters. In determining the size of this offering, management held customary organizational meetings with the representative of the underwriters, both prior to our inception and thereafter, with respect to the state of capital markets, generally, and the amount the underwriters believed they reasonably could raise on our behalf. Factors considered in determining the size of this offering, prices and terms of the units, including the Class A ordinary shares and warrants underlying the units, include:
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the history and prospects of companies whose principal business is the acquisition of other companies;
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prior offerings of those companies;
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our prospects for acquiring an operating business at attractive values;
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a review of debt to equity ratios in leveraged transactions;
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our capital structure;
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an assessment of our management and their experience in identifying operating companies;
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general conditions of the securities markets at the time of this offering; and
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other factors as were deemed relevant.
Although these factors were considered, the determination of our offering size, price and terms of the Units is more arbitrary than the pricing of securities of an operating company in a particular industry since we have no historical operations or financial results.
There is currently no market for our securities and a market for our securities may not develop, which would adversely affect the liquidity and price of our securities.
There is currently no market for our securities. Shareholders therefore have no access to information about prior market history on which to base their investment decision. Following this offering, the price of our securities may vary significantly due to one or more potential business combinations and general market or economic conditions. Furthermore, an active trading market for our securities may never develop or, if developed, it may not be sustained. You may be unable to sell your securities unless a market can be established and sustained.
Because we must furnish our shareholders with target business financial statements, we may lose the ability to complete an otherwise advantageous initial business combination with some prospective target businesses.
The federal proxy rules require that the proxy statement with respect to the vote on an initial business combination include historical and pro forma financial statement disclosure. We will include the same financial statement disclosure in connection with our tender offer documents, whether or not they are required under the tender offer rules. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) or international financial reporting standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IFRS”) depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”). These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such financial statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame.
We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company within the meaning of the Securities Act, and if we take advantage of certain exemptions from disclosure requirements available to emerging growth companies or smaller reporting companies, this could make our securities less attractive to investors and may make it more difficult to compare our performance with other public companies.
We are an “emerging growth company” within the meaning of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act, and we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor internal controls attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. As a result, our shareholders may not have access to certain information they may deem important. We could be an emerging growth company for up to five years, although circumstances could cause us to lose that status earlier, including if the market value of our Class A ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700,000,000 as of any June 30 before that time, in which case we would no longer be an emerging growth company as of the following December 31. We cannot predict whether investors will find our securities less attractive because we will rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result of our reliance on these exemptions, the trading prices of our securities may be lower than they otherwise would be, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the trading prices of our securities may be more volatile.
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Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such an election to opt out is irrevocable. We have elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, we, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of our financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250,000,000 as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100,000,000 during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30. To the extent we take advantage of such reduced disclosure obligations, it may also make comparison of our financial statements with other public companies difficult or impossible.
Compliance obligations under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may make it more difficult for us to effectuate our initial business combination, require substantial financial and management resources, and increase the time and costs of completing an initial business combination.
Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires that we evaluate and report on our system of internal controls beginning with our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ending December 31, 2023. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company, we will not be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. The fact that we are a blank check company makes compliance with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act particularly burdensome on us as compared to other public companies because a target business with which we seek to complete our initial business combination may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of its internal controls. The development of the internal control of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.
Because we are incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands, you may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. Federal courts may be limited.
We are an exempted company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands with limited liability. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process within the United States upon our directors or officers, or enforce judgments obtained in the United States courts against our directors or officers.
Our corporate affairs will be governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. We will also be subject to the federal securities laws of the United States. The rights of shareholders to take action against the directors, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, the decisions of whose courts are of persuasive authority, but are not binding on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are different from what they would be under statutes or judicial precedent in some
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jurisdictions in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a different body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and certain states, such as Delaware, may have more fully developed and judicially interpreted bodies of corporate law. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholders derivative action in a Federal court of the United States.
We have been advised by Maples and Calder (Hong Kong) LLP, our Cayman Islands legal counsel that the courts of the Cayman Islands are unlikely (i) to recognize or enforce against us judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state; and (ii) in original actions brought in the Cayman Islands, to impose liabilities against us predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the federal securities laws of the United States or any state, so far as the liabilities imposed by those provisions are penal in nature. In those circumstances, although there is no statutory enforcement in the Cayman Islands of judgments obtained in the United States, a judgment obtained in such jurisdiction will be recognised and enforced in the courts of the Cayman Islands at common law, without any re-examination of the merits of the underlying dispute, by an action commenced on the foreign judgment debt in the Grand Court of the Cayman Islands, provided such judgment: (i) is given by a foreign court of competent jurisdiction, (ii) imposes on the judgment debtor a liability to pay a liquidated sum for which the judgment has been given , (iii) is final, (iv) is not in the nature of taxes, a fine, or a penalty; and (v) was not obtained in a manner and is not of a kind the enforcement of which is contrary to natural justice or the public policy of the Cayman Islands. However, there is uncertainty with regard to Cayman Islands law on whether judgments of courts of the United States predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any State will be determined by the courts of the Cayman Islands penal or punitive in nature. If such a determination is made, the courts of the Cayman Islands will not recognize or enforce the judgment against a Cayman Islands company, such as our company. Because such a determination in relation to judgments obtained from U.S. courts under civil liability provisions of U.S. securities laws has not yet been made by a court of the Cayman Islands, it is uncertain whether such judgments would be enforceable in the Cayman Islands. A Cayman Islands Court may stay enforcement proceedings if concurrent proceedings are being brought elsewhere.
As a result of all of the above, public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests in the face of actions taken by management, members of the board of directors or controlling shareholders than they would as public shareholders of a United States company.
Provisions in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association may inhibit a takeover of us, which could limit the price investors might be willing to pay in the future for our Class A ordinary shares and could entrench management.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association contain provisions that may discourage unsolicited takeover proposals that shareholders may consider to be in their best interests. These provisions include a staggered board of directors and the ability of the board of directors to designate the terms of and issue new series of preference shares, which may make the removal of management more difficult and may discourage transactions that otherwise could involve payment of a premium over prevailing market prices for our securities.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that the courts of the Cayman Islands will be the exclusive forums for certain disputes between us and our shareholders, which could limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for complaints against us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the courts of the Cayman Islands shall have exclusive jurisdiction over any claim or dispute arising out of or in connection with our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association or otherwise related in any way to each shareholder’s shareholding in us, including but not limited to (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of any fiduciary or other duty owed by any of our current or former director, officer or other employee to us or our shareholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Companies Act or our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine (as such concept is recognized under the laws of the United
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States of America) and that each shareholder irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Cayman Islands over all such claims or disputes. The forum selection provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will not apply to actions or suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act or any claim for which the federal district courts of the United States of America are, as a matter of the laws of the United States of America, the sole and exclusive forum for determination of such a claim.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association also provide that, without prejudice to any other rights or remedies that we may have, each of our shareholders acknowledges that damages alone would not be an adequate remedy for any breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum and that accordingly we shall be entitled, without proof of special damages, to the remedies of injunction, specific performance or other equitable relief for any threatened or actual breach of the selection of the courts of the Cayman Islands as exclusive forum.
This choice of forum provision may increase a shareholder’s cost and limit the shareholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any of our shares or other securities, whether by transfer, sale, operation of law or otherwise, shall be deemed to have notice of and have irrevocably agreed and consented to these provisions. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such provisions, and the enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ charter documents has been challenged in legal proceedings. It is possible that a court could find this type of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable, and if a court were to find this provision in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving the dispute in other jurisdictions, which could have adverse effect on our business and financial performance.
Cyber incidents or attacks directed at us could result in information theft, data corruption, operational disruption and/or financial loss.
We depend on digital technologies, including information systems, infrastructure and cloud applications and services, including those of third parties with which we may deal. Sophisticated and deliberate attacks on, or security breaches in, our systems or infrastructure, or the systems or infrastructure of third parties or the cloud, could lead to corruption or misappropriation of our assets, proprietary information and sensitive or confidential data. As an early stage company without significant investments in data security protection, we may not be sufficiently protected against such occurrences. We may not have sufficient resources to adequately protect against, or to investigate and remediate any vulnerability to, cyber incidents. It is possible that any of these occurrences, or a combination of them, could have adverse consequences on our business and lead to financial loss.
Risks Associated with Acquiring and Operating a Business in Foreign Countries
If we effect our initial business combination with a company located outside of the United States, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may adversely affect us.
If we pursue a target company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we may face additional burdens in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing such initial business combination, and if we effect such initial business combination, we would be subject to a variety of additional risks that may negatively impact our operations.
If we pursue a target a company with operations or opportunities outside of the United States for our initial business combination, we would be subject to risks associated with cross-border business combinations, including in connection with investigating, agreeing to and completing our initial business combination, conducting due diligence in a foreign jurisdiction, having such transaction approved by any local governments, regulators or agencies and changes in the purchase price based on fluctuations in foreign exchange rates.
If we effect our initial business combination with such a company, we would be subject to any special considerations or risks associated with companies operating in an international setting, including any of the following:
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costs and difficulties inherent in managing cross-border business operations;
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rules and regulations regarding currency redemption;
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complex corporate withholding taxes on individuals;
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laws governing the manner in which future business combinations may be effected;
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exchange listing and/or delisting requirements;
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tariffs and trade barriers;
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regulations related to customs and import/export matters;
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local or regional economic policies and market conditions;
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unexpected changes in regulatory requirements;
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challenges in managing and staffing international operations;
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longer payment cycles;
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tax issues, such as tax law changes and variations in tax laws as compared to the United States;
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currency fluctuations and exchange controls;
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rates of inflation;
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challenges in collecting accounts receivable;
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cultural and language differences;
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employment regulations;
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underdeveloped or unpredictable legal or regulatory systems;
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corruption;
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protection of intellectual property;
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social unrest, crime, strikes, riots and civil disturbances;
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regime changes and political upheaval;
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terrorist attacks, natural disasters and wars; and
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deterioration of political relations with the United States.
We may not be able to adequately address these additional risks. If we were unable to do so, we may be unable to complete such initial business combination, or, if we complete such initial business combination, our operations might suffer, either of which may adversely impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Trading in our securities may be prohibited under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act if the PCAOB determines that it cannot inspect or fully investigate our auditors. In that case, Nasdaq would delist our securities. The delisting of our securities, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment. Additionally, if the PCAOB were unable to conduct full inspections of our auditors, it would deprive our investors of the benefits of such inspections.
Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (“HFCAA”) which was signed into law on December 18, 2020, if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely the auditors of a foreign issuer with securities publicly listed on a U.S. securities exchange for three consecutive years, trading of such securities on such exchange or over-the-counter markets may be prohibited, which may result in the delisting of such securities from the relevant exchange and prohibition of trading of such securities in the over-the-counter trading market in the U.S. On March 24, 2021, the SEC adopted interim final rules relating to the implementation of certain disclosure and documentation requirements of the HFCAA. On June 22, 2021, the U.S. Senate passed a bill which, if passed by the U.S. House of Representatives and signed into law, would reduce the number of consecutive non-inspection years required for triggering the prohibitions under the
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HFCAA from three years to two, thus reducing the time period before such securities may be prohibited from trading or be delisted. On November 5, 2021, the SEC approved the PCAOB’s Rule 6100, Board Determinations Under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act. Rule 6100 provides a framework for the PCAOB to use when determining, as contemplated under the HFCAA, whether it is unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms located in a foreign jurisdiction because of a position taken by one or more authorities in that jurisdiction. On December 2, 2021, the SEC adopted amendments to finalize rules implementing the submission and disclosure requirements in the HFCAA. These amendments finalize the interim final rules adopted in March. The amendments apply to registrants the SEC identifies as having filed an annual report issued by a registered public accounting firm that is located in a foreign jurisdiction and that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate (“Commission-Identified Issuer”). The amendments require that Commission-Identified Issuer to submit documentation to the SEC establishing that, if true, it is not owned or controlled by a governmental entity in the public accounting firm's foreign jurisdiction. The amendments also require that a Commission-Identified Issuer that is a “foreign issuer,” provide certain additional disclosures in its annual report for itself and any of its consolidated foreign operating entities. On December 16, 2021, pursuant to the HFCAA, the PCAOB issued a determination report designating the PRC and Hong Kong as the jurisdictions where the PCAOB is not allowed to conduct full and complete audit inspections and identified 35 and 28 registered public accounting firms headquartered in the PRC and Hong Kong, respectively, as firms that the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely. Pursuant to these determinations, the SEC will identify issuers that have used non-inspected auditors by reviewing issuers’ annual reports for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and thus such issuers are at risk of suspension in the future as discussed above. On March 8, the SEC published a provisional list of Commission-Identified Issuer.
Our auditors, Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit report included elsewhere in this prospectus, as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the PCAOB, are subject to laws in the United States pursuant to which the PCAOB conducts regular inspections to assess its compliance with the applicable professional standards. They are headquartered in New York, and have been inspected by the PCAOB on a regular basis with the last inspection in 2018 and an ongoing inspection that started in November 2020. They are not among the auditor firms identified by the PCAOB as firms they are not able to inspect.
If for whatever reason the PCAOB is unable to conduct full inspection or investigation of our auditors, such uncertainty could cause the market price of our shares to be materially and adversely affected, and our securities could be delisted or prohibited from being traded “over-the-counter.” If our securities were unable to be listed on another securities exchange by then, such a delisting and prohibition would substantially impair your ability to sell or purchase our securities when you wish to do so, and the risk and uncertainty associated with a potential delisting and prohibition would have a negative impact on the price of our securities. Also, such delisting and prohibition could significantly affect the Company’s ability to raise capital on acceptable terms, or at all, which would have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and prospects.
Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. If the PCAOB were unable to conduct full inspections of our auditors, we and our investors would be deprived of the benefits of such PCAOB inspections. In addition, the inability of the PCAOB to conduct full inspections of auditors would make it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our independent registered public accounting firm’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors that are subject to the PCAOB inspections, which could cause investors and potential investors in our securities to lose confidence in our audit procedures and reported financial information and the quality of our financial statements.
Corporate governance standards in foreign countries may not be as strict or developed as in the United States and such weakness may hide issues and operational practices that are detrimental to a target business.
General corporate governance standards in some countries are weaker than those in the United States. This could result in unfavorable related party transactions, over-leveraging, improper accounting, family company interconnectivity and poor management. Local laws often do not go far enough to prevent improper business
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practices. Therefore, shareholders may not be treated impartially and equally as a result of poor management practices, asset shifting, conglomerate structures that result in preferential treatment to some parts of the overall company, and cronyism. The lack of transparency and ambiguity in the regulatory process also may result in inadequate credit evaluation and weakness that may precipitate or encourage financial crisis. In our evaluation of a business combination we will have to evaluate the corporate governance of a target and the business environment, and in accordance with United States laws for reporting companies take steps to implement practices that will cause compliance with all applicable rules and accounting practices. Notwithstanding these intended efforts, there may be endemic practices and local laws that could add risk to an investment we ultimately make and that result in an adverse effect on our operations and financial results.
After our initial business combination, substantially all of our assets may be located in a foreign country and substantially all of our revenue will be derived from our operations in such country. Accordingly, our results of operations and prospects will be subject, to a significant extent, to the economic, political and legal policies, developments and conditions in the country in which we operate.
The economic, political and social conditions, as well as government policies, of the country in which our operations are located could affect our business. Economic growth could be uneven, both geographically and among various sectors of the economy and such growth may not be sustained in the future. If in the future such country’s economy experiences a downturn or grows at a slower rate than expected, there may be less demand for spending in certain industries. A decrease in demand for spending in certain industries could materially and adversely affect our ability to find an attractive target business with which to consummate our initial business combination and if we effect our initial business combination, the ability of that target business to become profitable.
If our management following our initial business combination is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws, which could lead to various regulatory issues.
Following our initial business combination, our management may resign from their positions as officers or directors of the company and the management of the target business at the time of the business combination will remain in place. Management of the target business may not be familiar with United States securities laws. If new management is unfamiliar with United States securities laws, they may have to expend time and resources becoming familiar with such laws. This could be expensive and time-consuming and could lead to various regulatory issues which may adversely affect our operations.
If the government of the country in which we effect our initial business combination, for example, the PRC, finds that the agreements we entered into to acquire control of a target business through contractual arrangements with one or more operating businesses do not comply with local governmental restrictions on foreign investment, or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to significant penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.
Some foreign countries currently prohibit and/or restrict foreign ownership in certain “important industries,” including telecommunications, food production and heavy equipment. There are uncertainties under certain regulations whether obtaining a majority interest through contractual arrangements will comply with regulations prohibiting or restricting foreign ownership in certain industries. In addition, there can be restrictions on the foreign ownership of businesses that are determined from time to time to be in “important industries” that may affect the national economic security or those having “famous brand names” or “well-established brand names.”
If we or any of our potential future target businesses are found to be in violation of any existing or future local laws or regulations (for example, if we are deemed to be holding equity interests in certain of our affiliated entities in which direct foreign ownership is prohibited), the relevant regulatory authorities might have the discretion to:
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revoke the business and operating licenses of the potential future target business;
•
confiscate relevant income and impose fines and other penalties;
•
discontinue or restrict the operations of the potential future target business;
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•
require us or the potential future target business to restructure the relevant ownership structure or operations;
•
restrict or prohibit our use of the proceeds of this offering to finance our businesses and operations in the relevant jurisdiction; or
•
impose conditions or requirements with which we or the potential future target business may not be able to comply.
Many international economies are experiencing volatile economic conditions, exchange rates and inflation which may prompt the governments to take action to manage the economy, exchange rates and/or inflation that could lead to a significant decrease in our profitability following our initial business combination.
While many of the foreign economies, particularly in Asia have experienced rapid growth over the last two decades, they have also experienced inflationary pressures. Economic and exchange rate volatility has also been impacted by COVD-19. As governments take steps to address inflationary pressures, there may be significant changes in the availability of bank credits, interest rates, limitations on loans, restrictions on currency conversions and foreign investment. There also may be imposition of price controls. If prices for the products of our ultimate target business rise at a rate that is insufficient to compensate for the rise in the costs of supplies, it may have an adverse effect on our profitability. If these or other similar restrictions are imposed by a government to influence the economy, it may lead to a slowing of economic growth. Because we are not limited to any specific industry, the ultimate industry that we operate in may be affected more severely by such a slowing of economic growth.
Exchange rate fluctuations and currency policies may cause a target business’ ability to succeed in the international markets to be diminished.
In the event we acquire a non-U.S. target, all revenues and income would likely be received in a foreign currency, and the dollar equivalent of our net assets and distributions, if any, could be adversely affected by reductions in the value of the local currency. The value of the currencies in our target regions fluctuate and are affected by, among other things, changes in political and economic conditions. Any change in the relative value of such currency against our reporting currency may affect the attractiveness of any target business or, following consummation of our initial business combination, our financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, if a currency appreciates in value against the dollar prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, the cost of a target business as measured in dollars will increase, which may make it less likely that we are able to consummate such transaction.
We may reincorporate in another jurisdiction in connection with our initial business combination, and the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements and we may not be able to enforce our legal rights.
In connection with our initial business combination, we may relocate the home jurisdiction of our business from the Cayman Islands to another jurisdiction. If we determine to do this, the laws of such jurisdiction may govern some or all of our future material agreements. The system of laws and the enforcement of existing laws in such jurisdiction may not be as certain in implementation and interpretation as in the United States. The inability to enforce or obtain a remedy under any of our future agreements could result in a significant loss of business, business opportunities or capital.
We are subject to changing law and regulations regarding regulatory matters, corporate governance and public disclosure that have increased both our costs and the risk of non-compliance.
We are subject to rules and regulations by various governing bodies, including, for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission, which are charged with the protection of investors and the oversight of companies whose securities are publicly traded, and to new and evolving regulatory measures under applicable law. Our efforts to comply with new and changing laws and regulations have resulted in and are likely to continue to result in, increased general and administrative expenses and a diversion of management time and attention from revenue-generating activities to compliance activities.
Moreover, because these laws, regulations and standards are subject to varying interpretations, their application in practice may evolve over time as new guidance becomes available. This evolution may result in continuing uncertainty regarding compliance matters and additional costs necessitated by ongoing revisions
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to our disclosure and governance practices. If we fail to address and comply with these regulations and any subsequent changes, we may be subject to penalty and our business may be harmed.
We employ a mail forwarding service, which may delay or disrupt our ability to receive mail in a timely manner.
Mail addressed to the Company and received at its registered office will be forwarded unopened to the forwarding address supplied by Company to be dealt with. None of the Company, its directors, officers, advisors or service providers (including the organization which provides registered office services in the Cayman Islands) will bear any responsibility for any delay howsoever caused in mail reaching the forwarding address, which may impair your ability to communicate with us.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Some of the statements contained in this prospectus may constitute “forward-looking statements” for purposes of the federal securities laws. Our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding our or our management team’s expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. In addition, any statements that refer to projections, forecasts or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward- looking statements. The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “would” and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements in this prospectus may include, for example, statements about:
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our ability to select an appropriate target business or businesses;
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our ability to complete our initial business combination;
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our expectations around the performance of the prospective target business or businesses;
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our success in retaining or recruiting, or changes required in, our officers, key employees or directors following our initial business combination;
•
our officers and directors allocating their time to other businesses and potentially having conflicts of interest with our business or in approving our initial business combination;
•
our potential ability to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination;
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our pool of prospective target businesses;
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our ability to consummate an initial business combination due to uncertainty resulting from the COVID-19 global pandemic;
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the ability of our officers and directors to generate a number of potential business combination opportunities;
•
our public securities’ potential liquidity and trading;
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the lack of a market for our securities;
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the use of proceeds not held in the trust account or available to us from interest income on the trust account balance;
•
the trust account not being subject to claims of third parties; or
•
our financial performance following this offering.
The forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effects on us. There can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we have anticipated. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties (some of which are beyond our control) or other assumptions that may cause actual results or performance to be materially different from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those factors described under the heading “Risk Factors.” Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities laws.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
We are offering 10,000,000 units at an offering price of $10.00 per unit. We estimate that the net proceeds of this offering together with the funds we will receive from the sale of the private placement warrants will be used as set forth in the following table.
| | | Without Over-allotment Option | | | Over-allotment Option Exercised | | ||||||
Gross proceeds | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Gross proceeds from units offered to public(1) | | | | $ | 100,000,000 | | | | | $ | 115,000,000 | | |
Gross proceeds from private placement warrants offered in the private placement | | | | $ | 7,000,000 | | | | | $ | 7,750,000 | | |
Total gross proceeds | | | | $ | 107,000,000 | | | | | $ | 122,750,000 | | |
Offering expenses(2) | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Underwriting commissions (2.0% of gross proceeds from units offered to public, excluding deferred portion)(3) | | | | $ | 2,000,000 | | | | | $ | 2,300,000 | | |
Legal fees and expenses | | | | $ | 335,000 | | | | | $ | 335,000 | | |
Printing and engraving expenses | | | | $ | 25,000 | | | | | $ | 25,000 | | |
Accounting fees and expenses | | | | $ | 40,000 | | | | | $ | 40,000 | | |
SEC/FINRA Expenses | | | | $ | 44,460 | | | | | $ | 44,460 | | |
Nasdaq listing and filing fees | | | | $ | 75,000 | | | | | $ | 75,000 | | |
Miscellaneous | | | | $ | 180,540 | | | | | $ | 180,540 | | |
Total offering expenses (other than underwriting commissions) | | | | $ | 700,000 | | | | | $ | 700,000 | | |
Proceeds after offering expenses | | | | $ | 104,300,000 | | | | | $ | 119,750,000 | | |
Held in trust account(3) | | | | $ | 103,000,000 | | | | | $ | 118,450,000 | | |
% of public offering size | | | | | 103% | | | | | | 103% | | |
Not held in trust account | | | | $ | 1,300,000 | | | | | $ | 1,300,000 | | |
The following table shows the use of the approximately $1,300,000 of net proceeds not held in the trust account:(5)
| | | Amount | | | % of Total | | ||||||
Legal, accounting, due diligence, travel, and other expenses in connection with any business combination(6) | | | | $ | 300,000 | | | | | | 23.1% | | |
Legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting obligations | | | | $ | 75,000 | | | | | | 5.8% | | |
Nasdaq and other regulatory fees | | | | $ | 119,000 | | | | | | 9.2% | | |
Payment for office space, utilities, and secretarial and administrative services | | | | $ | 270,000 | | | | | | 20.8% | | |
Directors and officers insurance(4) | | | | $ | 400,000 | | | | | | 30.8% | | |
Consulting, travel and miscellaneous expenses incurred during search for initial business combination target | | | | $ | 50,000 | | | | | | 3.8% | | |
Working capital to cover miscellaneous expenses | | | | $ | 86,000 | | | | | | 6.5% | | |
Total | | | | $ | 1,300,000 | | | | | | 100.0% | | |
(1)
Includes amounts payable to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares in connection with our successful completion of our initial business combination.
(2)
A portion of the offering expenses have been paid from the proceeds of loans from our sponsor of up to $300,000 as described in this prospectus. As of December 31, 2021, we had borrowed $192,479 under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans will be repaid upon completion of this offering out of the $700,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated for the payment of offering expenses other than underwriting commissions. In the event that offering expenses are less than set forth in this table, any such amounts will be used for post-closing working capital expenses.
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(3)
The underwriters have agreed to defer underwriting commissions of 3.5% of the gross proceeds of this offering. Upon and concurrently with the completion of our initial business combination, up to $3,500,000, which constitutes the underwriters’ deferred commissions (or up to $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be paid to the underwriters from the funds held in the trust account. See “Underwriting.” The remaining funds, less amounts released to the trustee to pay redeeming shareholders, will be released to us and can be used to pay all or a portion of the purchase price of the business or businesses with which our initial business combination occurs or for general corporate purposes, including payment of principal or interest on indebtedness incurred in connection with our initial business combination, to fund the purchases of other companies or for working capital. The underwriters will not be entitled to any interest accrued on the deferred underwriting discounts and commissions.
(4)
This amount represents the approximate amount of annualized director and officer liability insurance premiums we anticipate paying following the completion of this offering and until we complete a business combination.
(5)
These expenses are estimates only. Our actual expenditures for some or all of these items may differ from the estimates set forth herein. For example, we may incur greater legal and accounting expenses than our current estimates in connection with negotiating and structuring our initial business combination based upon the level of complexity of such business combination. In the event we identify a business combination target in a specific industry subject to specific regulations, we may incur additional expenses associated with legal due diligence and the engagement of special legal counsel. In addition, our staffing needs may vary and as a result, we may engage a number of consultants to assist with legal and financial due diligence. We do not anticipate any change in our intended use of proceeds, other than fluctuations among the current categories of allocated expenses, which fluctuations, to the extent they exceed current estimates for any specific category of expenses, would not be available for our expenses. The amount in the table above does not include interest available to us from the trust account.
(6)
Includes estimated amounts that may also be used in connection with our initial business combination to fund a “no shop” provision and commitment fees for financing.
Nasdaq rules provide that at least 90% of the gross proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants be deposited in a trust account. Of the $107,000,000 in gross proceeds we receive from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants described in this prospectus, or $122,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, $103,000,000 ($10.30 per unit), or $118,450,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full ($10.30 per unit), will be deposited into a trust account with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee, after deducting $2,000,000 in underwriting discounts and commissions payable upon the closing of this offering (or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) and an aggregate of $2,000,000 to pay fees and expenses in connection with the closing of this offering and for working capital following the closing of this offering. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury bills with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. We estimate the interest earned on the trust account will be approximately $61,800 per year, assuming an interest rate of 0.06% per year; however, we can provide no assurances’ regarding this amount. We expect that the interest earned on the trust account will be sufficient to pay income taxes. We will not be permitted to withdraw any of the principal or interest held in the trust account, except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our taxes and up to $100,000 to pay dissolution expenses, as applicable, if any, until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. The net proceeds released to us from the trust account upon the closing of our initial business combination may be used as consideration to pay the sellers of a target business with which we complete our initial business combination. If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination, we may use the balance of the cash released from the trust account following the closing for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. However, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provides that, following this offering and prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, we
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will be prohibited from issuing additional securities that would entitle the holders thereof to (i) receive funds from the trust account or (ii) vote on any initial business combination.
We believe that amounts not held in trust will be sufficient to pay the costs and expenses to which such proceeds are allocated. This belief is based on the fact that while we may begin preliminary due diligence of a target business in connection with an indication of interest, we intend to undertake in- depth due diligence, depending on the circumstances of the relevant prospective business combination, only after we have negotiated and signed a letter of intent or other preliminary agreement that addresses the terms of a business combination. However, if our estimate of the costs of undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating a business combination is less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may be required to raise additional capital, the amount, availability and cost of which is currently unascertainable. If we are required to seek additional capital, we could seek such additional capital through loans or additional investments from our sponsor, members of our management team or any of their affiliates, but such persons are not under any obligation to advance funds to, or invest in, us.
We will pay our sponsor $15,000 per month for office space, utilities, and secretarial and administrative services provided to us. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor has agreed to loan us up to $300,000 to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. To date, there have been no borrowings under the promissory note with our sponsor. These loans are non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of June 30, 2022 or the closing of this offering. The loan will be repaid upon the closing of this offering out of the $700,000 of offering proceeds that has been allocated to the payment of offering expenses.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used to repay such loaned amounts. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
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DIVIDEND POLICY
We have not paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares to date and do not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of our initial business combination. The payment of cash dividends in the future will be dependent upon our revenues and earnings, if any, capital requirements and general financial condition subsequent to completion of our initial business combination. The payment of any cash dividends subsequent to our initial business combination will be within the discretion of our board of directors at such time. If we increase or decrease the size of this offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, we will effect a share capitalization or other appropriate mechanism immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering. Further, if we incur any indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, our ability to declare dividends may be limited by restrictive covenants we may agree to in connection therewith.
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DILUTION
The difference between the public offering price per Class A ordinary share, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units we are offering pursuant to this prospectus or the private placement warrants, and the pro forma net tangible book value per Class A ordinary share after this offering constitutes the dilution to investors in this offering. Such calculation does not reflect any dilution associated with the sale and exercise of warrants, including the private placement warrants, which would cause the actual dilution to the public shareholders to be higher, particularly where a cashless exercise is utilized. Net tangible book value per share is determined by dividing our net tangible book value, which is our total tangible assets less total liabilities (including the value of Class A ordinary shares which may be redeemed for cash), by the number of issued and outstanding Class A ordinary shares.
As of December 31, 2021, our net tangible book deficit was $422,871, or approximately $(0.15) per ordinary share. After giving effect to the sale of 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares included in the units we are offering by this prospectus (or 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full), the sale of the private placement warrants and the deduction of underwriting commissions and estimated expenses of this offering, our pro forma net tangible book value as of December 31, 2021 would have been $(2,307,475) or $(0.92) per share (or $(2,712,475) or $(0.94) per share if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), representing an immediate increase in net tangible book value (as decreased by the value of the 10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares that may be redeemed for cash, or 11,500,000 Class A ordinary shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) of $(0.77) per share (or $(0.79) if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) to our initial shareholders as of the date of this prospectus. Total dilution to public shareholders from this offering will be $10.92 per share (or $10.94 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
The following table illustrates the dilution to the public shareholders on a per-share basis, assuming no value is attributed to the warrants included in the units or the private placement warrants:
| | | No exercise of over-allotment option | | | Exercise of over-allotment option in full | | |||
Public offering price | | | | $ | 10.00 | | | | $10.00 | |
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | | | | | (0.15) | | | | (0.15) | |
Increase attributable to public shareholders | | | | | (0.77) | | | | (0.79) | |
Pro forma net tangible book value after this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants | | | | | (0.92) | | | | (0.94) | |
Dilution to public shareholders | | | | $ | 10.92 | | | | $10.94 | |
Percentage of dilution to public shareholders | | | | | 109.2% | | | | 109.4% | |
For purposes of presentation, we have reduced our pro forma net tangible book value after this offering (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option) by $103,000,000 because holders of our public shares may redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account at a per share redemption price equal to the amount in the trust account as set forth in our tender offer or proxy materials (initially anticipated to be the aggregate amount held in trust two business days prior to the commencement of our tender offer or general meeting, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes), divided by the number of Class A ordinary shares sold in this offering.
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The following table sets forth information with respect to our initial shareholders and the public shareholders:
| | | Purchased | | | Total Consideration | | | Average Price Per Share | | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Number | | | Percentage | | | Amount | | | Percentage | | ||||||||||||||||||||
Initial Shareholders(1) | | | | | 2,500,000 | | | | | | 20.0% | | | | | $ | 25,000 | | | | | | 0.02% | | | | | $ | 0.01 | | |
Public Shareholders | | | | | 10,000,000 | | | | | | 80.0% | | | | | $ | 100,000,000 | | | | | | 99.98% | | | | | $ | 10.00 | | |
| | | | | 12,500,000 | | | | | | 100.0% | | | | | $ | 100,025,000 | | | | | | 100.00% | | | | | | | | |
(1)
Assumes that 375,000 founder shares are surrendered to us for no consideration after the closing of this offering in the event the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option.
The pro forma net tangible book value per share after the offering (assuming that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option) is calculated as follows:
| | | Without Over-allotment | | | With Over-allotment | | ||||||
Numerator: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Net tangible book deficit before this offering | | | | $ | (422,871) | | | | | $ | (422,871) | | |
Net proceeds from this offering and sale of the private placement warrants(1) | | | | | 104,300,000 | | | | | | 119,750,000 | | |
Plus: Offering costs paid in advance, excluded from tangible book value before this offering | | | | | 435,396 | | | | | | 435,396 | | |
Less: Over-allotment liability | | | | | (120,000) | | | | | | — | | |
Less: Deferred underwriting commissions | | | | | (3,500,000) | | | | | | (4,025,000) | | |
Less: Proceeds held in trust subject to redemption(2) | | | | | (103,000,000) | | | | | | (118,450,000) | | |
| | | | $ | (2,307,475) | | | | | $ | (2,712,475) | | |
Denominator: | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Ordinary shares issued and outstanding prior to this offering | | | | | 2,875,000 | | | | | | 2,875,000 | | |
Ordinary shares forfeited if over-allotment is not exercised(3) | | | | | (375,000) | | | | | | — | | |
Ordinary shares included in the units offered | | | | | 10,000,000 | | | | | | 11,500,000 | | |
Less: Ordinary shares subject to redemption | | | | | (10,000,000) | | | | | | (11,500,000) | | |
| | | | | 2,500,000 | | | | | | 2,875,000 | | |
(1)
Expenses applied against gross proceeds include offering expenses of $700,000 and underwriting commissions of $2,000,000 (excluding deferred underwriting fees). See “Use of Proceeds.”
(2)
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. In the event of any such purchases of our shares prior to the completion of our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares subject to redemption will be reduced by the amount of any such purchases, increasing the pro forma net tangible book value per share. See “Proposed Business—Effecting Our Initial Business Combination—Permitted Purchases of Our Securities.”
(3)
Assumes that 375,000 founder shares are surrendered to us for no consideration.
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CAPITALIZATION
The following table sets forth our capitalization as of December 31, 2021, and as adjusted to give effect to the filing of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the sale of our units in this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants and the application of the estimated net proceeds derived from the sale of such securities, assuming no exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option:
| | | December 31, 2021 | | |||||||||
| Actual | | | As Adjusted | | ||||||||
Note payable − related party(1) | | | | $ | 192,479 | | | | | $ | — | | |
Deferred underwriting commissions | | | | | — | | | | | | 3,500,000 | | |
Over-allotment liability(2) | | | | | | | | | | | 120,000 | | |
Class A ordinary shares; -0- and 10,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption, actual and as adjusted, respectively(3) | | | | | — | | | | | | 103,000,000 | | |
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 5,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 500,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value, 50,000,000 shares authorized; 2,875,000 and 2,500,000 shares issued and outstanding, actual and as adjusted, respectively(4) | | | | | 288 | | | | | | 250 | | |
Additional paid-in capital | | | | | 24,712 | | | | | | — | | |
Accumulated deficit | | | | | (12,475) | | | | | | (2,307,725) | | |
Total shareholders’ equity | | | | $ | 12,525 | | | | | $ | (2,307,475) | | |
Total capitalization | | | | $ | 205,004 | | | | | $ | 104,312,525 | | |
(1)
Our sponsor may loan us up to $300,000 under an unsecured promissory note to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. The “as adjusted” information gives effect to the repayment of any loans received from our sponsor out of the proceeds from this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants.
(2)
Represents the fair value of the underwriters 45 day option to purchase up to an additional 1,500,000 units to cover over-allotments, if any.
(3)
Upon the completion of our initial business combination, we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein whereby redemptions cannot cause our Class A Ordinary shares to become a “penny share” either prior to or upon consummation of an initial business combination and any limitations (including, but not limited to, cash requirements) created by the terms of the proposed business combination.
(4)
Actual share amount is prior to any forfeiture of founder shares and as adjusted amount assumes no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and forfeiture of an aggregate of 375,000 founder shares.
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MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Overview
We are a blank check company incorporated on April 8, 2021 as a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We will not undertake our initial business combination with any entity based in or with its principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau. While we may pursue a business combination target in any business, industry or location, we intend to focus on fintech or technology-enabled financial service companies, including artificial intelligence, big data, cloud and blockchain-related initiatives, in Asian markets, which can benefit from the expertise and capabilities of our management team to create long-term shareholder value.
We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing.
The issuance of additional shares in connection with a business combination to the owners of the target or other investors:
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may significantly dilute the equity interest of investors in this offering, which dilution would increase if the anti-dilution provisions in the Class B ordinary shares resulted in the issuance of Class A ordinary shares on a greater than one-to-one basis upon conversion of the Class B ordinary shares;
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may subordinate the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares if preference shares are issued with rights senior to those afforded our Class A ordinary shares;
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could cause a change in control if a substantial number of our Class A ordinary shares are issued, which may affect, among other things, our ability to use our net operating loss carry forwards, if any, and could result in the resignation or removal of our present officers and directors;
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may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us by diluting the share ownership or voting rights of a person seeking to obtain control of us; and
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may adversely affect prevailing market prices for our units, Class A ordinary shares and/or warrants. Similarly, if we issue debt securities or otherwise incur significant debt to bank or other lenders or the owners of a target, it could result in:
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default and foreclosure on our assets if our operating revenues after an initial business combination are insufficient to repay our debt obligations;
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acceleration of our obligations to repay the indebtedness even if we make all principal and interest payments when due if we breach certain covenants that require the maintenance of certain financial ratios or reserves without a waiver or renegotiation of that covenant;
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our immediate payment of all principal and accrued interest, if any, if the debt security is payable on demand;
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our inability to obtain necessary additional financing if the debt security contains covenants restricting our ability to obtain such financing while the debt security is outstanding;
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our inability to pay dividends on our Class A ordinary shares;
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using a substantial portion of our cash flow to pay principal and interest on our debt, which will reduce the funds available for dividends on our Class A ordinary shares if declared, expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions and other general corporate purposes;
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•
limitations on our flexibility in planning for and reacting to changes in our business and in the industry in which we operate;
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increased vulnerability to adverse changes in general economic, industry and competitive conditions and adverse changes in government regulation; and
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limitations on our ability to borrow additional amounts for expenses, capital expenditures, acquisitions, debt service requirements, execution of our strategy and other purposes and other disadvantages compared to our competitors who have less debt.
As indicated in the accompanying financial statements, as of December 31, 2021, we had no cash and a working capital deficit of $422,871. Further, we expect to incur significant costs in the pursuit of our initial business combination. We cannot assure you that our plans to raise capital or to complete our initial business combination will be successful.
Results of Operations and Known Trends or Future Events
We have neither engaged in any operations nor generated any revenues to date. Our only activities since inception have been organizational activities and those necessary to prepare for this offering. Following this offering, we will not generate any operating revenues until after completion of our initial business combination. We will generate non-operating income in the form of interest income on cash and cash equivalents after this offering. There has been no significant change in our financial or trading position and no material adverse change has occurred since the date of our audited financial statements. After this offering, we expect to incur increased expenses as a result of being a public company (for legal, financial reporting, accounting and auditing compliance), as well as for due diligence expenses. We expect our expenses to increase substantially after the closing of this offering.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Our liquidity needs have been satisfied prior to the completion of this offering through a payment of $25,000 from our sponsor to cover certain expenses on our behalf in exchange for the issuance of the founder shares and up to $300,000 in loans from our sponsor under a promissory note. As of December 31, 2021, we had borrowed $192,479 under the promissory note with our sponsor.
We estimate that the net proceeds from the sale of the units in this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants for an aggregate purchase price of $7,000,000 (or $7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), after deducting of approximately $700,000 for payment of offering expenses and for working capital and underwriting commissions of $2,000,000 (or $2,300,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) (excluding deferred underwriting commissions of $3,500,000, or $4,025,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), will be $104,300,000 (or $119,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full). $103,000,000 (or $118,450,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full) will be held in the trust account, which includes the deferred underwriting commissions described above. The proceeds held in the trust account will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. The remaining approximately $1,300,000, if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, will not be held in the trust account. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $700,000, we may fund such excess with funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $700,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
We intend to use substantially all of the funds held in the trust account, including any amounts representing interest earned on the trust account (excluding deferred underwriting commissions) to complete our initial business combination. We may withdraw interest to pay our taxes, if any. Our annual income tax obligations will depend on the amount of interest and other income earned on the amounts held in the trust account. We expect the interest earned on the amount in the trust account will be sufficient to pay our income taxes. To the
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extent that our equity or debt is used, in whole or in part, as consideration to complete our initial business combination, the remaining proceeds held in the trust account will be used as working capital to finance the operations of the target business or businesses, make other acquisitions and pursue our growth strategies.
Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we will have available to us the approximately $1,300,000 of proceeds, held outside the trust account. We will use these funds to primarily identify and evaluate target businesses, perform business due diligence on prospective target businesses, travel to and from the offices, plants or similar locations of prospective target businesses or their representatives or owners, review corporate documents and material agreements of prospective target businesses, and structure, negotiate and complete a business combination.
We do not believe we will need to raise additional funds following this offering in order to meet the expenditures required for operating our business prior to our initial business combination. However, if our estimates of the costs of identifying a target business, undertaking in-depth due diligence and negotiating an initial business combination are less than the actual amount necessary to do so, we may have insufficient funds available to operate our business prior to our initial business combination. In order to fund working capital deficiencies or finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required. If we complete our initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that our initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. The terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
We expect our primary liquidity requirements during that period to include approximately $300,000 for legal, accounting, due diligence, travel and other expenses associated with structuring, negotiating and documenting successful business combinations; $75,000 for legal and accounting fees related to regulatory reporting requirements; $119,000 for Nasdaq and other regulatory fees; $400,000 for annualized director and officer liability insurance premiums; and approximately $86,000 for general working capital that will be used for miscellaneous expenses and reserves. We will also pay our sponsor $15,000 per month for office space, utilities, and secretarial and administrative services provided to us. Upon completion of our initial business combination or our liquidation, we will cease paying these monthly fees.
These amounts are estimates and may differ materially from our actual expenses. In addition, we could use a portion of the funds not being placed in trust to pay commitment fees for financing, fees to consultants to assist us with our search for a target business or as a down payment or to fund a “no- shop” provision (a provision designed to keep target businesses from “shopping” around for transactions with other companies or investors on terms more favorable to such target businesses) with respect to a particular proposed business combination, although we do not have any current intention to do so. If we entered into an agreement where we paid for the right to receive exclusivity from a target business, the amount that would be used as a down payment or to fund a “no-shop” provision would be determined based on the terms of the specific business combination and the amount of our available funds at the time. Our forfeiture of such funds (whether as a result of our breach or otherwise) could result in our not having sufficient funds to continue searching for, or conducting due diligence with respect to, prospective target businesses.
Moreover, we may need to obtain additional financing to complete our initial business combination, either because the transaction requires more cash than is available from the proceeds held in our trust account or because we become obligated to redeem a significant number of our public shares upon completion of the business combination, in which case we may issue additional securities or incur debt in connection with such business combination. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement units, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional
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financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. We may also obtain financing prior to the closing of our initial business combination to fund our working capital needs and transaction costs in connection with our search for and completion of our initial business combination. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this offering. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would only complete such financing simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination because we do not have sufficient funds available to us, we will be forced to cease operations and liquidate the trust account. In addition, following our initial business combination, if cash on hand is insufficient, we may need to obtain additional financing in order to meet our obligations.
Controls and Procedures
We are not currently required to maintain an effective system of internal controls as defined by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We will be required to comply with the internal control requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023. Only in the event that we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer and are no longer an emerging growth company would we be required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement on our internal control over financial reporting. Further, for as long as we remain an emerging growth company as defined in the JOBS Act, we intend to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the independent registered public accounting firm attestation requirement.
Prior to the closing of this offering, we have not completed an assessment, nor has our independent registered public accounting firm tested our systems, of internal controls. We expect to assess the internal controls of our target business or businesses prior to the completion of our initial business combination and, if necessary, to implement and test additional controls as we may determine are necessary in order to state that we maintain an effective system of internal controls. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding the adequacy of internal controls. Many small and mid-sized target businesses we may consider for our initial business combination may have internal controls that need improvement in areas such as:
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staffing for financial, accounting and external reporting areas, including segregation of duties;
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reconciliation of accounts;
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proper recording of expenses and liabilities in the period to which they relate;
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evidence of internal review and approval of accounting transactions;
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documentation of processes, assumptions and conclusions underlying significant estimates; and
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documentation of accounting policies and procedures.
Because it will take time, management involvement and perhaps outside resources to determine what internal control improvements are necessary for us to meet regulatory requirements and market expectations for our operation of a target business, we may incur significant expenses in meeting our public reporting responsibilities, particularly in the areas of designing, enhancing, or remediating internal and disclosure controls. Doing so effectively may also take longer than we expect, thus increasing our exposure to financial fraud or erroneous financing reporting.
Once our management’s report on internal controls is complete, we will retain our independent registered public accounting firm to audit and render an opinion on such report when required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The independent registered public accounting firm may identify additional issues concerning a target business’s internal controls while performing their audit of internal control over financial reporting.
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Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
The net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in the trust account will be invested in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. Due to the short-term nature of these investments, we believe there will be no associated material exposure to interest rate risk.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements; Commitments and Contractual Obligations; Quarterly Results
As of December 31, 2021, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of Regulation S-K and did not have any commitments or contractual obligations. No unaudited quarterly operating data is included in this prospectus as we have not conducted any operations to date.
JOBS Act
The JOBS Act contains provisions that, among other things, relax certain reporting requirements for qualifying public companies. We will qualify as an “emerging growth company” and under the JOBS Act will be allowed to comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements based on the effective date for private (not publicly traded) companies. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
Additionally, we are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on the other reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if, as an “emerging growth company,” we choose to rely on such exemptions we may not be required to, among other things, (i) provide an independent registered public accounting firm’s attestation report on our system of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act, (ii) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, (iii) comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the PCAOB regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the report of the independent registered public accounting firm providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements (auditor discussion and analysis), and (iv) disclose certain executive compensation related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the CEO’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply for a period of five years following the completion of this offering or until we are no longer an “emerging growth company,” whichever is earlier.
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PROPOSED BUSINESS
Introduction
General
We are a newly incorporated blank check company incorporated as a Cayman Islands exempted company and incorporated for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses, which we refer to throughout this prospectus as our initial business combination. We have not generated revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues at the earliest until we consummate our initial business combination. We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any potential business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. We will not undertake our initial business combination with any entity based in or with its principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.
While we may pursue a business combination target in any business, industry or location (excluding Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau), we intend to focus on financial technology (“fintech”) or technology-enabled financial service companies, including artificial intelligence, big data, cloud and blockchain-related initiatives in Asian markets, which can benefit from the expertise and capabilities of our management team to create long-term shareholder value.
Our Team
Our management team is led by Kenneth W. Hitchner, the chairman of our advisory board, Richard Qi Li, the chairman of our board, Dr. Zhiwei Liu, our senior advisor, Dr. Shibin Wang, our chief executive officer and a member of our board of directors, and Anna Zhou, our chief financial officer. Each member of our management team and advisory board members has significant experience in identifying and investing in attractive growth opportunities both in Asia and globally.
Kenneth W. Hitchner
Kenneth W. Hitchner will serve as the chairman of our advisory board immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Hitchner brings to the company a wealth of financial services experience gained through his 28-year career at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Hitchner began his career at Goldman Sachs in New York City in 1991, in the investment banking division, and became a partner of the firm in 2002. Throughout his career at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hitchner held various positions in which he took a leadership role in creating and growing several key business units spanning numerous industry verticals and multiple geographies. Prior to his retirement from Goldman Sachs in 2019, Mr. Hitchner served as the chairman and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs in Asia Pacific Ex-Japan and as a member of Goldman Sachs’ Global Management Committee.
Mr. Hitchner has significant experience in providing high quality deal sourcing and transactional advice to a broad range of clients. Over the course of his career at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hitchner led, managed or executed well over 100 transactions involving in excess of $300 billion in the aggregate, including M&A and equity-related transactions across multiple geographies and sectors. Selected recent transactions in the financial services sector that Mr. Hitchner led and on which he served his clients as a trusted advisor include:
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China Renaissance Holding Ltd.’s $345 million initial public offering and listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 2018; and
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Guotai Junan Securities Co. Ltd.’s $2.1 billion initial public offering and listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 2017, which was a landmark transaction in the financial services sector because Guotai Junan was China’s third-biggest brokerage in terms of sales and its flotation was the second-largest IPO in terms of market value globally in 2017.
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Shenwan Hongyuan Group Co., Ltd.’s US$1.16 billion initial public offering and listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 2019.
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Following his relocation to Hong Kong in 2013, Mr. Hitchner, in his capacity as the chairman and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs in Asia Pacific Ex-Japan, provided oversight to a number of significant transactions leveraging his extensive knowledge and experience in technology and new economy related transactions. Selected transactions in which Mr. Hitchner was involved included Ping An Health Cloud’s approximately $500 million private placement in 2016, as well as Goldman Sachs’ underwriting of the initial public offerings of Xiaomi Corporation, Pinduoduo Inc., China Tower Corporation Limited, Meituan Dianping, WuXi AppTec and Tencent Music Entertainment Group.
As part of his leadership role at Goldman Sachs Asia, Mr. Hitchner was responsible for driving business initiatives to capitalize on new economy trends and further developing and growing Goldman Sachs’ Asia business overall. Mr. Hitchner has maintained frequent dialogues and strong relationships with leading technology and fintech-related companies and business leaders both globally and across Asia. Mr. Hitchner was a trusted advisor to many clients whom he helped guide through their strategic decision-making processes, allowing him to build an extensive network of proprietary and deep relationships. Since his departure from Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hitchner has maintained frequent dialogues and strong relationships with leading technology and fintech-related companies and business leaders both globally and across Asia.
Mr. Hitchner is an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and a member of the Bio Frontiers Institute Advisory Board at the University of Colorado. He also serves on the advisory board of the Faculty of Business and Economics at The University of Hong Kong, and is also a member of the board of directors of Wuxi Biologics and a Senior Advisor of Wuxi Apptec.
Mr. Hitchner has served as the chairman of the board of HH&L Acquisition Co. since 2020 and as an independent non-executive director of Provident Acquisition Corp. since 2021. Each of HH&L Acquisition Co. and Provident Acquisition Corp is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Additionally, Mr. Hitchner has served as a senior advisor to Valliance Asset Management Limited, a multi-strategy fund, since 2020, and as a member of the advisory board of Antler, a global early-stage venture capital firm, since 2021.
We believe that Mr. Hitchner’s deep relationships, network and experience in the technology and fintech sectors across Asia and globally provide our company with distinctive and complementary capabilities and add significant value to what we can offer to potential target companies.
Richard Qi Li
Richard Qi Li, the chairman of our board, has more than two decades of experience in the financial service industry. Until February 2021, Mr. Li had been, from 2017, the chief investment officer and, from 2019, the chief operating officer of China Great Wall AMC (International) Holdings Company Limited and, from 2018, the chief executive officer of Great Wall Pan Asia Asset Management Ltd., both subsidiaries of China Great Wall Asset Management Co. Ltd., a leading asset management company based in China. Mr. Li was previously a managing director and the head of China securities at Goldman Sachs Asia, and a managing director and the head of north Asia capital markets and treasury solutions at Deutsche Bank Hong Kong. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Li worked at Merrill Lynch, the World Bank, and the Ministry of Finance of the PRC. Mr. Li also serves as the chief executive officer and director of HH&L Acquisition Co., an NYSE-listed blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.
Mr. Li has worked with or advised many financial institutions in Greater China on capital markets activities, sales and trading of fixed income products and structured equities, investment, risk management, and/or building up trading or asset management platforms. His clients or counterparts have included leading sovereign wealth funds (State Administration of Foreign Exchange and China Investment Corporation), large banks (Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank and China Merchants Bank), insurers (China Life, PICC, Ping An Insurance) and asset managers (National Social Security Fund, China Asset Management and Harvest Fund). Mr. Li also advised Shanghai Pudong Development Bank in connection with the formation of a business alliance and the establishment of a credit card joint venture with Citibank in 2002. In addition, Mr. Li’s experience includes investment in Meituan Dianping, one of China’s top-tier e-commerce companies, We Doctor Holdings
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Limited, one of China’s top-tier online healthcare companies, Biotest AG, a Germany-based blood plasma products marker, and Bio Products Laboratory Ltd., a UK-based plasma biotherapeutics company. He has also been involved, as either an investor or an advisor, in investments in the consumer, energy and real estate sectors in Asia and globally. Mr. Li also has experience leading several significant capital raising transactions.
Mr. Li obtained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in economics from Nankai University in China and a master of business administration from Columbia Business School. He was also a visiting scholar at Harvard University in 2019.
Dr. Zhiwei Liu
Dr. Zhiwei Liu will serve as a senior advisor to our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Dr. Liu is the largest shareholder of Wealthking Investments Limited (or “Wealthking”, stock code: 1140.HK) as of May 8, 2020 and he has served as chairman of Wealthking Investments Limited since 2019. Prior to Wealthking, Dr. Liu held multiple senior positions in a number of China’s leading financial institutions, including China Great Wall Securities Co. Ltd. from 1992 to 1997, Guosen Securities Co. Ltd. from 1997 to 1998, Xinjiang Huitong Group Ltd. from 2005 to 2008, and Chang’an International Co. Ltd. from 2008 to 2011.
Wealthking is a cross-border and cross-sector investment platform listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 2003. Under Dr. Liu’s leadership, Wealthking collaborates with leading institutional and entrepreneur investors to invest primarily in growth-oriented industries in China. Wealthking’s extensive network roots in Asia, particularly in Greater China, provide it with access in the region that it believes gives Wealthking a competitive advantage relative to global funds domiciled outside of Asia. Taking advantage of its access to long-term capital as a listed companies, Wealthking focuses on investing in industry leaders, which Wealthking considers to be a long-term core holdings among its portfolio companies. Leveraging its strengths in investment and financing, Wealthking has established various PE/VC funds and executed add-on deals to invest in businesses surrounding its core portfolio companies in order to continually enhance and improve relationships between companies in its ecosystem of investee companies.
Under Dr. Liu’s leadership, some of Wealthking’s prior investments in the fintech space include:
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CSOP Asset Management (“CSOP”), a well-known asset management company managing private and public funds and providing investment advisory services to Asian and global investors with a dedicated focus on investing in China;
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Oriental Patron Investment Management, a leading hedge fund platform in Asia serving both global and Asia-based managers in developing funds across diversified strategies for institutional and professional investors;
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Jiedaibao, a fintech company providing comprehensive technology-enabled financial services to individuals and enterprises, such as contract signing, registration and post-loan management. With licenses to engage in businesses including online payment, commercial banking and internet microloan services, jiedaibao is focused on building a comprehensive fintech ecosystem; and
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Beijing International Trust Co., Ltd. (or “BITIC”), a China-based large scale non-banking financial institution, which primarily engages in trust, investment fund, financial services, brokerage and advisory business.
Dr. Liu also has extensive personal investment experiences in fintech and technology-related sectors. Some selected personal investments of Dr. Liu include:
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Asia Digital Currency Co., a company dedicated to exploring and executing digital currency initiatives, including issuance and operation of digital currency, experimenting with digital currency applications, research and development relating to blockchain-related technologies and development of talents in the field. The company was founded in Hong Kong with connections to a number of high profile political and business personnel;
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SpinQ, a company dedicated to exploring innovative quantum computing solutions for real-world problems. SpinQ was founded by top researchers from leading institutions worldwide, including the
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Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, Tsinghua University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Southern University of Science and Technology;
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QuantumCTek, a pioneer and leader in commercialized quantum information technology (or “QIT”) in China. QuantumCTek is committed to providing a competitive QIT portfolio of quantum secure solutions in telecom infrastructure, enterprise networks, cloud computing, as well as big data technology and services; and
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Basis Set Ventures, an investment company that invests in early-stage technology companies that aim to fundamentally transform the way people work, with the belief that artificial intelligence delivers core value by improving productivity for all parts of the economy.
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Wacai Holdings Limited, one of the earliest fintech companies established in China, which has gradually evolved into an Internet finance platform with a wide array of personal financial management tools and services, wealth management services and credit solutions.
Dr. Liu received a bachelor’s degree in industrial management engineering from Zhejiang University, a master’s degree in international finance from the Graduate School of PBC (now known as the PBC School of Finance, Tsinghua University) and a Ph.D. in economics from Hunan University. Dr. Liu also completed a professional course for Financial CEOs at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, and participated in the China CEO Global Studies Program at Shanghai Jiaotong University.
Dr. Shibin Wang
Dr. Shibin Wang, is our chief executive officer and as a member of our board of directors, has over 15 years’ experience in sales and trading of structured financial products, cross-border financing and other capital market activities. Over such period, his clients or counterparts have included major banks (China Development Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agriculture Bank of China and China Construction Bank), leading organizations (China National Offshore Oil Corporation and GCL-Poly Energy) and leading private equity firms (Hillhouse Capital and Greenwoods Asset Management). Dr. Wang was an executive director and head of China structure solutions at Deutsche Bank Hong Kong from 2010 to 2015. Prior to that, he worked at FICC Goldman Sachs from 2008 to 2010 and at China Development Bank managing a fixed-income portfolio from 2003 to 2008.
Since April 2019, Dr. Wang has served as a co-founder and the chief executive officer of Hong Kong Digital Asset Ex Ltd. (or “HKbitEX”), a regulated digital asset exchange in Hong Kong dedicated to providing a regulatory-compliant and safe digital asset spot trading and over-the-counter trading services to professional investors in Asia. Under Dr. Wang’s leadership, the company was among the first organizations in Asia-Pacific to apply for a virtual asset trading platform licence from the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, and was recognized as one of China’s top 50 fintech companies in the “2020 KPMG China Fintech 50.”
In 2018, Dr. Wang advised the Intelligent Investment Chain Foundation on funding and ecosystem development. The Intelligent Investment Chain Foundation is a decentralized virtual asset management application developed based on Ethereum smart contracts with an ecology including quantitative funds, cross-chain wealth management wallets and media.
Dr. Wang’s served Oriental Patron Financial Group as chief marketing officer from 2016 to 2018, during which he led the company’s blockchain initiatives and fintech investments. Under Dr. Wang’s leadership, Oriental Patron made investments in DIDI Chuxing and CarbonX, organized a number of forums with leading institutions as well as established the Renminbi-denominated Fintech/Internet Plus fund, with Renminbi 3 billion of assets under management, in collaboration with Magnetic Capital in Shanghai.
Dr. Wang is also shareholder of SECUSOFT Tech, Jiedaibao and ZhongYou International Education.
Dr. Wang obtained a bachelor’s degree in international trading from Dongbei University of Finance & Economics, as well as a master of economics degree and a Ph.D, both from the Finance Institute of the People’s Bank of China.
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Anna Zhou
Ms. Anna Zhou, our chief financial officer, has considerable experience in equity research and finance. Ms. Zhou focused on equity research since beginning her career in 2011 and specialized in the China and US Technology, Media, and Telecom (“TMT”) sector including smartphones, digital consumer products, internet services and emerging platform economies. She has been working on in-depth research and rigorous valuation studies in various sectors. She was a senior associate at Mighty Divine Investment Management Limited from 2019 to 2021, the research associate of the long-only portfolio of China Great Wall AMC (International) Holdings Company Limited from 2017 to 2019 and the QDII fund of Anbang Asset Management (Hong Kong) Co. Limited from 2016 to 2017. She also spent two years in BOCOM International as a data analyst in its market strategy team from 2014 to 2016, publishing weekly notes on China’s commodity sector. Ms. Zhou has been involved in investments in Futu Holdings Ltd., Meituan Dianping, Bilibili Inc. and Pingduoduo Inc. when she worked as an equity analyst at Mighty Divine Investment Management Limited, and investments in Sunny Optical Technology (Group) Company Limited when she worked as an equity analyst at China Great Wall AMC (International) Holdings Company Limited.
Ms. Zhou received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, information and application from Université Paris 5 and a master’s degree in financial mathematics and statistics from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Kwan Sun
Kwan Sun will serve as an independent director of our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Sun founded Millburn Advisory LLC, a real estate fund manager, in 2018 and has served as its managing partner since then. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Sun served as the vice chairman of Nan Fung Group’s US businesses to help develop Nan Fung Group’s US real estate business.
Mr. Sun served as a director at Deutsche Bank in structured products department from 1997 to 2003, and as a director at Morgan Stanley in structured products department from 2003 to 2007. Thereafter, Mr. Sun served as a managing director at Deutsche Bank in structured products department from 2007 to 2009 and as a managing director at Morgan Stanley in the investment banking department from 2009 to 2014.
Prior to joining Deutsche Bank in 1997, he served as a vice president the capital markets department of Merrill Lynch, where he focused on trading fix income derivatives. He joined Merrill Lynch in 1992.
Mr. Sun graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University.
Robert Ewing
Robert Ewing will serve as an independent director of our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Ewing has served as a strategic consultant to the chief executive officer at Diametric Capital, an innovative start-up hedge fund in Boston, since 2017. Prior to such role at Diametric Capital, Mr. Ewing served as head of US equities and as a portfolio manager for Putnam Investments, an investment manager in Boston, from 2008 to 2016, where he was responsible for all aspects of the investment management operations. Mr. Ewing was also responsible for managing Putnam Investments’ flagship fund, The Putnam Fund For Growth and Income. At Putnam Investments, Mr. Ewing was responsible for personnel, compensation, product and performance and was a member of its operating committee. Mr. Ewing was also one of the members of Putnam Investments’ risk committees with responsibilities for risk across all asset classes and investments. Additionally, Mr. Ewing chaired the proxy and governance committee of Putnam Investments, where, among other things, he was responsible for proxy votes and trustee interaction.
Prior to joining Putnam Investments, Mr. Ewing was a founder and co-head of the Boston office of RiverSource Investments from 2002 to 2008. He was responsible for all aspects of operations from product and strategy to process and performance and also managed the equity portion of the RiverSource Balanced Fund. Mr. Ewing started his full-time career as an analyst at Fidelity Investments in 1990 and served as a portfolio manager from 1996 to 2002 at Fidelity Investments. In recognition of his performance, he was awarded a Best-In-Class designation by Mutual Funds Magazine in 2001 and 2002.
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Mr. Ewing has served as a director of The Fenn School, a non-profit organization in Concord, Massachusetts. At The Fenn School, Mr. Ewing has served as Chair of the Committee on Trustees with responsibilities for board governance and nominations and as a member of the Executive Committee from 2011 to 2018.
Mr. Ewing received a bachelor’s degree from the Honors Program of Boston College Carroll School of Management.
Ning Ma
Ning Ma will serve as an independent director of our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. In 2015, Mr. Ma founded Lingfeng Capital Partners, Limited (“Lingfeng”), a private equity firm focusing on investing in fintech companies in Asia, in sub-sectors such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud, big data, lending technology, insurance technology, health care services, investment technology, payment and credit rating, and digital assets. Mr. Ma has served as a partner at Lingfeng since 2015.
Prior to founding Lingfeng, Mr. Ma worked at Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. (“Goldman Sachs”) for thirteen years from 2002 to 2015 where, among other roles, he served as co-head of the Asia Pacific Financial Institutions Equity Research. He was also a member of the Goldman Sachs China Operating Committee and a member of the Asia Pacific Client and Business Standards Committee. He held various positions with Beijing Gao Hua Securities Company Limited and served as the deputy general manager and managing director from 2010 to 2015. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Mr. Ma was a regulator at the headquarters of the People’s Bank of China from 1996 to 2000, where he was actively involved in the regulation, financial reform and policy-making relating to foreign banks and non-bank financial institutions including trust companies, asset management companies, finance companies and leasing companies in China.
Mr. Ma currently serves as an independent director for several financial institutions in Asia including Ant Consumer Finance Company, China Renaissance Securities and BOCOM International. He has been teaching at Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance since 2010.
Mr. Ma received a bachelor’s degree from Renmin University of China, a master’s degree in business administration from London Business School and a master’s degree in international finance from Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance.
We are passionate about fintech and helping build outstanding fintech businesses. We believe we have assembled a strong team with a proven track record in identifying, investing and value creation for leading fintech or technology-enabled financial service companies on the back of their global network and rich capital markets experience in Asia and around the world. We believe our team is well-positioned to take advantage of the growing set of acquisition opportunities relevant to our business strategy and that our contacts and relationships, ranging from owners of private and public companies, private equity funds, investment bankers, attorneys, accountants and business brokers should provide us with a number of business combination opportunities and will ultimately allow us to consummate our initial business combination.
With respect to the foregoing experience of our team, past performance is not a guarantee (i) that we will be able to identify a suitable candidate for our initial business combination or (ii) of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate. You should not rely on the historical record of our team’s performance as indicative of our future performance. For more information on the experience and background of our management team, see the section entitled “Management and Advisory Board.”
In addition, with respect to the foregoing information you should take into consideration that the entities which our officers, directors and advisors previously served or which they currently serve or with which they currently have business relationships have (i) no interest in or affiliation with our company and (ii) no obligation to provide services to us, to assist us in identifying or consummating an initial business combination or to otherwise assist us in any way. Except for Mr. Kenneth W. Hitchner, who is the chairman of the board of HH&L Acquisition Co. and an independent director of Provident Acquisition Corp., and Mr. Richard Qi Li, who is the chief executive officer and director of HH&L Acquisition Co., none of our other directors, management and advisory board members has any past experience with any blank check companies or special purpose acquisition companies. Certain of our officers, directors and advisors have fiduciary and contractual duties to investment vehicles and business enterprises other than our company. As a result, certain of them
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may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to other entities and will have no duty to offer such opportunities to our company unless presented to them in their capacity as an officer or director of our company. In addition, our officers, directors and advisors are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs, and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among their various business activities, including identifying any potential business combination, monitoring any related due diligence and transaction execution activities, and managing any entity that is involved in our initial business combination. Moreover, certain of our advisors, officers and directors may have time and attention obligations to investment vehicles and/or business enterprises other than our company; and, in addition, the compensation arrangements between such individuals and such other investment vehicles and/or business enterprises (e.g., the potential for such individuals to receive bonuses or payments of “carried interest” based on performance or investment results) may result in certain of such individuals prioritizing the interests of such other investment vehicles and/or business enterprises over our interests. In addition, our officers, directors and advisors may sponsor or form other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
Business Strategy
We intend to capitalize on the experience of our team to acquire one or more fintech or technology-enabled financial service businesses in Asian markets, which can benefit from the expertise and capabilities of our management team in order to create long-term shareholder value.
The total of fintech investment activities in Asia from 2014 to 2019 grew by more than three times and the growth of market value by deal size of 15.6% in the next ten years is expected to outpace North America and Europe. The year of 2020 was a game changer as the COVID-19 pandemic made digitization a critical priority for financial institutions and we believe the trend will likely continue and create new opportunities and potential business combination targets that were previously not as viable. According to a KPMG biannual report entitled “Pulse of Fintech H2’2020” in February 2021, these changes include, but were not limited to:
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accelerating digital adoption by financial institutions, including the demand for e-payment solutions and digital banking services;
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customer behaviors and attitudes towards use of e-commerce platforms, digital customer service channels and e-wallets;
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platform companies and large tech companies continue to branch into financial services areas to broaden service offerings and mature fintechs continue to expand into adjacencies to drive more customer value; and
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increasing attention from governments and regulators as to how fintech is evolving and what needs to be done to support the changes.
Our selection process will leverage our team’s broad and deep network of relationships, unique industry expertise and proven deal-sourcing capabilities to provide us with a strong and differentiated pipeline of potential targets.
Our team has experience in:
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sourcing, structuring, acquiring and selling businesses;
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investing in businesses globally and enabling them to build and/or grow their business in the Greater China or other Asian markets, applying our unique market, policy and government insights;
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helping target companies gain access to the Greater China or other Asian markets as well as secure funding from other reputable investors and lenders, managing and operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, mentoring and recruiting top-notch talent;
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developing and growing companies, both organically and inorganically;
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fostering relationships with sellers, capital providers and target management teams; and
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accessing public and private capital markets to optimize capital structure, including financing businesses and helping companies transition ownership structures.
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Immediately following the completion of this offering, we intend to begin the process of communicating with the network of relationships within our team to search for a potential target for our initial business combination and begin the process of pursuing and reviewing potential opportunities.
Competitive Strengths
We believe that the sourcing, valuation, diligence and execution capabilities of our team will provide us with a significant pipeline of differentiated opportunities from which to evaluate and select a business that will benefit from our expertise.
Our competitive strengths include the following:
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Leading Industry Insights and Proprietary Sourcing Channels. We believe our team’s global insights and experience will allow us to identify suitable opportunities in fintech and tech-enabled financial service sectors that enjoy solid fundamentals yet may be under-invested and/or undervalued. Our team’s extensive experience in the financial services industry as well as their other corporate relationships have helped them develop a broad array of contacts in the fintech sector. Finally, we believe that with the advice and support of our sponsor, we will have unique access to a pipeline of acquisition opportunities in Asia that may not be easily replicable by other market participants. We believe that these factors will give us an edge in terms of sourcing targets for our initial business combination;
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Investing Experience. We believe that our team’s track record of identifying, sourcing and advising on transactions positions us well to appropriately evaluate potential business combinations that have a strong potential to be well received by the public markets;
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Execution and Structuring Capability. We believe that our team’s combined expertise and reputation will allow us to source and complete transactions possessing structural attributes that create an attractive investment thesis. These types of transactions are typically complex and require creativity, industry knowledge and expertise, rigorous due diligence, and extensive negotiations and documentation. We believe that by focusing our investment activities on these types of transactions, we will be able to generate investment opportunities that have attractive risk-reward profiles; and
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Long-term Value and Strategic Partnership. We believe that our team can create long-term value by collaborating with target management teams, forming strategic partnerships and enhancing performance.
Our Target Market Opportunities
We will not undertake our initial business combination with any entity based in or with its principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.
We intend to complete a business combination with fintech or technology-enabled financial service companies that are exposed to favorable macroeconomics, technology, digitization and policy trends in Asia such as the following:
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Macroeconomic: rising disposable income, personal savings and consumption expenditures thanks to rapid urbanization and increase of education levels;
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Technology: rapid development and sophistication of financial technology to accelerate trends and changes under way across the financial services industry;
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Digitalization: increasing mobile internet users and changing customer behavior; and
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Policy: support for inclusive finance and technology innovation.
We have not narrowed the business combination target in any particular fintech verticals, however, we do believe the following areas represent attractive opportunities:
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Insurtech
Increasing awareness of the need for protection and the aging population have contributed to rapid growth in the life and health insurance markets. Digital-savvy Gen Z are becoming more keen to access
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the market via online insurers. On-going digitalization of the economy drives substantial opportunities for innovative, scenario-based property and casualty insurance products. The overall premiums paid in the insurance market in Asia reached $1.7 trillion in 2019, and are expected to grow to $2.1 trillion in 2025, according to BMI research.
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Wealthtech and online broker
The growth of the wealthtech and online broker sector is mainly driven by the combination of fast growth of personal investable assets, generational change, increasing investor sophistication and the rise of attractive new digital investment offerings. Meanwhile, Asia investable assets are set to surpass $47 trillion in 2023, with an implied CAGR at 10.0% compared with $18 trillion in 2013, according to a report entitled “Reigniting Radical Growth” issued by Boston Consulting Group in June 2019. With approximately 15 million high-net-worth-individuals (or “HNWI”) and an expanding middle-income class, Asia has become the region with the second-highest concentration of HNWI globally. We believe that strong market performance coupled with reduced offline activities amid COVID-19 has boosted user appetite for online brokerage.
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Digital payment
The convenience, efficiency and high penetration of digital and mobile technology are expected to drive the growth of digital payments in Asia. The global pandemic has enhanced interest in the payments space given the rapid acceleration of digital trends and demand for alternative payments models. Digital payment transaction volume in Asia Pacific is expected to further expand at a CAGR of 11.1% between 2019 and 2025, far ahead of Middle East and Africa (7.5%), North America (4.1%), and Western Europe (2.9%) accordingly to Passport.
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Online consumer financial service segments
Online consumer financial service segments, such as consumer finance, are experiencing significant growth driven by rapidly growing consumption needs and consumer leverage. The outstanding balance of consumer finance in Asia reached $13.0 trillion in 2019, and is expected to reach $23.0 trillion in 2025, with an implied CAGR of 10.8%, according to Euromonitor. We believe that further penetration of unbanked population and underserved demand would support consumption in the long run.
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Digital assets and blockchain
We observed increasing market trends toward greater interest in and acceptance of digital assets as a new investable asset class. The regulators in Asia have also developed regulatory frameworks and licensing regimes for digital asset providers, which are essential for bringing in good practices and market infrastructure to further operationalize the crypto and digital asset industry. The approximate size of the digital asset market in 2020 is $1.0 trillion, according to CoinMarketCap. Based on our estimate, assuming 1% of traditional asset classes are tokenized, the size of the digital asset market could reach $13 trillion.
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Financial information system
The financial services industry has seen drastic technology-led changes over the past few years. Financial institutions look improve efficiency and facilitate game-changing innovation, while also lowering costs and continuing to support legacy system. The advancement of technology in AI, big data, cloud and blockchain are the driving forces to accelerate technology adoptions by financial institutions and help them enhance risk management and optimize customer experience. The total technology expenditure of financial services industry in Asia reached $161 billion in 2019. The growth momentum is expected to continue and such expenditure is expected to reach $241 billion in 2025 for Asia, growing at a CAGR of 7.0% from 2019, according to Gartner and other public sources.
Business Combination Criteria
Consistent with our business strategy, we have identified the following general criteria and guidelines that we believe are important in evaluating prospective target businesses. We intend to use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating initial business combination opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business combination with target business or businesses that do not meet any or all of these criteria and guidelines.
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However, we will not undertake our initial business combination with any entity based in or with its principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau.
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Focus on targets with operations in the fintech or tech-enabled financial service sectors. With the extensive networks and insights our team has built in our target sectors, we are confident that we will have access to a broad range of investment opportunities and a competitive advantage in our ability to negotiate an initial business combination with potential targets in such sector. We expect our management team’s network of contacts to provide us with robust opportunities to source compelling targets, evaluate them and consummate a business combination with one or several of these targets;
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Targets with capabilities to leverage the compelling market trends in Asian markets. We intend to target one or more businesses that have gained sustainable competitive advantages, demonstrated potential for strong growth in the future, and have significant opportunities in and/or synergies with Asian markets. We believe this approach will enable us to effectively leverage our strong network to identify attractive opportunities and that the larger market capitalization and public float of the resulting company will be more attractive to our investors;
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Targets with large addressable market and high growth prospects. We intend to invest in companies with fundamentally sound business models that operate in a large underlying addressable market with strong tail winds that we believe will support significant growth and superior returns over time, including those with embedded or underexploited growth opportunities or those that may benefit from synergistic add-on acquisitions, increased production capacity, expense reductions, technology upgrades and increased operating leverage;
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Targets with the potential to further improve under our ownership. Our management team has a history of accelerating growth of companies with strong historical performance. We believe our team’s experience in our target sectors and network of industry contacts have the potential to generate opportunities to enhance the financial and operational efficiencies of the target businesses, through identifiable catalysts that could transform the value of these investments, and potentially offer an attractive return for our shareholders;
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Experienced and visionary management team. Our team has an extensive network in our target sectors including many well-recognized industry leaders. We intend to seek targets with an established management team that we can complement. To the extent we believe it will enhance shareholder value, we would seek to selectively supplement the existing management team of the business with members of our team and/or with proven leaders from our network; and
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Benefit from capital market access. We intend to seek targets that would benefit from being a public company with an increased public profile, enhanced governance and increased access to a more diversified pool of capital.
These criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. We will also utilize our operational and capital allocation experience. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be based on these general guidelines as well as other considerations, factors and criteria that our management may deem relevant. In the event that we decide to enter into a business combination with a target business that does not meet the above criteria and guidelines, we will disclose that the target business does not meet the above criteria in our shareholder communications related to our initial business combination, which, as discussed in this prospectus, would be in the form of proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, that we would file with the SEC. In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspections of facilities, as well as reviewing financial and other information which will be made available to us. Our search for a business combination, ability to consummate a business combination, or the operations of a target business with which we ultimately consummate a business combination, may be materially adversely affected by factors beyond our control. For example, see “Risk Factors—Risks Relating to our Search for, Consummation of, or Ability to Consummate, a Business Combination and Post-Business Combination Risks—The COVID-19 pandemic and the impact on business and debt and equity markets, as well as protectionist legislation in our target markets could have a material adverse effect on our search for a business combination, and any target business with which we ultimately complete a business combination.”
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Acquisition Process
In evaluating a potential target business, we expect to conduct a comprehensive due diligence review to seek to determine a company’s quality and its intrinsic value. That due diligence review may include, among other things, financial statement analysis, detailed document reviews, multiple meetings with management and employees, consultations with relevant industry experts, competitors, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of additional information that we will seek to obtain as part of our analysis of a target company.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or members of our advisory board, or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers, directors or members of our advisory board. In the event we seek to complete an initial business combination with a target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers, directors or members of our advisory board, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm that is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our team and our independent directors will directly or indirectly own founder shares and/or private placement warrants following this offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors is included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, initiated any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target. We currently do not have any specific business combination under consideration. Our officers and directors and advisory board members have neither individually selected nor considered a target business nor have they had any substantive discussions regarding possible target businesses among themselves or with our underwriters or other advisors. Our team is regularly made aware of potential business opportunities, one or more of which we may desire to pursue for a business combination, but we have not (nor has anyone on our behalf) contacted any prospective target business or had any substantive discussions, formal or otherwise, with respect to a business combination transaction with our company. Additionally, we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, taken any substantive measure, directly or indirectly, to identify or locate any suitable acquisition candidate for us, nor have we engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate any such acquisition candidate.
Further, certain of our directors and officers and members of our advisory board may have fiduciary and/or contractual obligations to other entities including but not limited to HH&L Acquisition Co., and other entities in which they have invested or may invest. As a result, such directors, officers or members of our advisory board may have a duty to offer acquisition opportunities to such other entities. In addition, although we expect Mr. Kenneth W. Hitchner and Dr. Zhiwei Liu to provide us with business insights, advice and support regarding deal sourcing and potential acquisition opportunities in their capacity as advisory board members, they do not serve as our directors or officers and have no fiduciary or contractual duty to provide us with acquisition opportunities. Moreover, certain of our advisory board members, officers and directors may have time and attention obligations to investment vehicles and/or business enterprises other than our company; and, in addition, the compensation arrangements between such individuals and such other investment vehicles and/or business enterprises may result in certain of such individuals prioritizing the interests of such other investment vehicles and/or business enterprises over our interests. In addition, our officers, directors and advisors may sponsor or form other blank check companies similar to ours during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an acquisition target.
In addition, our sponsor, officers and directors and advisory board members may sponsor or form other special purpose acquisition companies similar to ours or may pursue other business or investment ventures during the period in which we are seeking an initial business combination. Any such companies, businesses or
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investments may present additional conflicts of interest in pursuing an initial business combination. However, we do not believe that any such potential conflicts would materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination. In addition, our directors and officers and advisory board members are not required to commit any specified amount of time to our affairs and, accordingly, will have conflicts of interest in allocating management time among various business activities, including identifying potential business combinations and monitoring the related due diligence.
Initial Business Combination
The rules of the Nasdaq and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that we must consummate an initial business combination with one or more operating businesses or assets with a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the net assets held in the trust account (excluding the amount of any deferred underwriting discount held in trust) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors will make the determination as to the fair market value of our initial business combination. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of our initial business combination (including with the assistance of financial advisors), we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. While we consider it likely that our board of directors will be able to make an independent determination of the fair market value of our initial business combination, it may be unable to do so if it is less familiar or experienced with the business of a particular target or if there is a significant amount of uncertainty as to the value of the target’s assets or prospects. Additionally, pursuant to Nasdaq rules, any business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors until the 80% of net assets test described above is satisfied.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Even if the post transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to the business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in the business combination. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the outstanding capital stock or shares of a target. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be taken into account for purposes of the 80% of net assets test described above. If the business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% of net assets test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses.
To the extent we effect our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, we may be affected by numerous risks inherent in such company or business. Although our management will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in a particular target business, we cannot assure you that we will properly ascertain or assess all significant risk factors.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination.
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Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
Status as a Public Company
We believe our structure will make us an attractive business combination partner to target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger or other business combination with us. In a business combination transaction with us, the owners of the target business may, for example, exchange their shares of stock, shares or other equity interests in the target business for our Class A ordinary shares (or shares of a new holding company) or for a combination of our Class A ordinary shares and cash, allowing us to tailor the consideration to the specific needs of the sellers. We believe target businesses will find this method a more expeditious and cost effective method to becoming a public company than the typical initial public offering. The typical initial public offering process takes a significantly longer period of time than the typical business combination transaction process, and there are significant expenses, market and other uncertainties in the initial public offering process, including underwriting discounts and commissions, marketing and road show efforts that may not be present to the same extent in connection with a business combination with us.
Furthermore, once a proposed business combination is completed, the target business will have effectively become public, whereas an initial public offering is always subject to the underwriters’ ability to complete the offering, as well as general market conditions, which could delay or prevent the offering from occurring or could have negative valuation consequences. Following an initial business combination, we believe the target business would then have greater access to capital, an additional means of providing management incentives consistent with shareholders’ interests and the ability to use its shares as currency for acquisitions. Being a public company can offer further benefits by augmenting a company’s profile among potential new customers and vendors and aid in attracting talented employees.
While we believe that our structure and our management team’s backgrounds will make us an attractive business partner, some potential target businesses may view our status as a blank check company, such as our lack of an operating history and our ability to seek shareholder approval of any proposed initial business combination, negatively.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Additionally, we are a “smaller reporting company” as defined in Rule 10(f)(1) of Regulation S-K. Smaller reporting companies may take advantage of certain reduced disclosure obligations, including, among other things, providing only two years of audited financial statements. We will remain a smaller reporting company until the last day of the fiscal year in which (1) the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $250,000,000 as of the prior June 30, or (2) our annual revenues exceeded $100,000,000 during such completed fiscal year and the market value of our ordinary shares held by non-affiliates exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30.
Financial Position
With funds available for a business combination initially in the amount of $99,500,000 (assuming no redemptions), after payment of $3,500,000 of deferred underwriting fees (or $114,425,000 (assuming no redemptions) after payment of $4,025,000 of deferred underwriting fees if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full), we offer a target business a variety of options such as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination
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using our cash, debt or equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Effecting Our Initial Business Combination
General
We are not presently engaged in, and we will not engage in, any operations for an indefinite period of time following this offering. We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of this offering and the private placement of the private placement warrants, the proceeds of the sale of our shares in connection with our initial business combination (pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following the consummation of this offering or otherwise), shares issued to the owners of the target, debt issued to bank or other lenders or the owners of the target, or a combination of the foregoing. We may seek to complete our initial business combination with a company or business that may be financially unstable or in its early stages of development or growth, which would subject us to the numerous risks inherent in such companies and businesses.
If our initial business combination is paid for using equity or debt securities, or not all of the funds released from the trust account are used for payment of the consideration in connection with our initial business combination or used for redemptions of our Class A ordinary shares, we may use the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account following the closing for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of the post-transaction company, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in completing our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
We have not selected any specific business combination target and we have not, nor has anyone on our behalf, engaged in any substantive discussions, directly or indirectly, with any business combination target with respect to an initial business combination with us. However, we will not undertake our initial business combination with any entity based in or with its principal business operations in Mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau. While we may pursue a business combination target in any business, industry or location, we intend to focus on fintech or technology-enabled financial service companies, including artificial intelligence, big data, cloud and blockchain-related initiatives, in Asian markets, which can benefit from the expertise and capabilities of our management team to create long-term shareholder value. Accordingly, there is no current basis for investors in this offering to evaluate the possible merits or risks of the target business with which we may ultimately complete our initial business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in a particular target business with which we may combine, we cannot assure you that this assessment will result in our identifying all risks that a target business may encounter. Furthermore, some of those risks may be outside of our control, meaning that we can do nothing to control or reduce the chances that those risks will adversely affect a target business.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and we may effectuate our initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. In addition, we intend to target businesses with enterprise values that are greater than we could acquire with the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, and, as a result, if the cash portion of the purchase price exceeds the amount available from the trust account, net of amounts needed to satisfy any redemptions by public shareholders, we may be required to seek additional financing to complete such proposed initial business combination. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would expect to complete such financing only simultaneously with the completion of our initial business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our proxy materials or tender offer documents disclosing the initial business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There is no limitation on our ability to raise funds through the issuance of equity or equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop agreements we may enter into following consummation of this
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offering. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise. None of our sponsors, officers, directors or shareholders is required to provide any financing to us in connection with or after our initial business combination.
Sources of Target Businesses
We plan to utilize the network and industry experience of our management team, advisory board, our sponsor and their affiliates, in seeking an initial business combination and employing our acquisition strategy. We believe we have assembled a unique team with a proven track record in deal sourcing, investing and value creation on the back of their global network and rich capital market experience in Asia and around the world. We believe our team is well positioned to take advantage of the growing set of acquisition opportunities relevant to our business strategy, and that our contacts and relationships, ranging from owners of private and public companies, private equity funds, investment bankers, attorneys, accountants and business brokers should provide us with a number of business combination opportunities. We will leverage our team’s broad and deep network of relationships, unique industry expertise and proven deal-sourcing capabilities to provide us with a strong and differentiated pipeline of potential targets. We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers and private investment funds. Target businesses may be brought to our attention by such unaffiliated sources as a result of being solicited by us through calls or mailings. These sources may also introduce us to target businesses in which they think we may be interested on an unsolicited basis, since many of these sources will have read this prospectus and know what types of businesses we are targeting. Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates of which they become aware through their business contacts as a result of formal or informal inquiries or discussions they may have, as well as attending trade shows or conventions. In addition, we expect to receive a number of proprietary deal flow opportunities that would not otherwise necessarily be available to us as a result of the track record and business relationships of our officers and directors. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only to the extent our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. Payment of a finder’s fee is customarily tied to completion of a transaction, in which case any such fee will be paid out of the funds held in the trust account. In no event, however, will our sponsor or any of our existing officers or directors, or any entity with which they are affiliated, be paid any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation by the company prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is). In addition, commencing on the date of this prospectus, we will pay our sponsor $15,000 per month for office space, utilities, and secretarial and administrative services provided to us. Any such payments prior to our initial business combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account. Other than the foregoing, there will be no finder’s fees, reimbursement, consulting fee, monies in respect of any payment of a loan or other compensation paid by us to our sponsor, officers or directors, or any affiliate of our sponsor or officers prior to, or in connection with any services rendered in order to effectuate, the consummation of our initial business combination (regardless of the type of transaction that it is).
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or from completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm, that such an initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context.
Each of our officers and directors presently has, and any of them in the future may have, additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to other entities, including entities that are affiliates of our sponsor, pursuant to
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which such officer or director is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers or directors becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law.
Evaluation of a Target Business and Structuring of Our Initial Business Combination
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a due diligence review which may encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, interviews of customers and suppliers, inspection of facilities, as applicable, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us. If we determine to move forward with a particular target, we will proceed to structure and negotiate the terms of the business combination transaction.
The time required to select and evaluate a target business and to structure and complete our initial business combination, and the costs associated with this process, are not currently ascertainable with any degree of certainty. Any costs incurred with respect to the identification and evaluation of, and negotiation with, a prospective target business with which our initial business combination is not ultimately completed will result in our incurring losses and will reduce the funds we can use to complete another business combination. The company will not pay any consulting fees to members of our management team, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered to or in connection with our initial business combination.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
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subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination, and
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cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. The determination as to whether any of the members of our management team will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel or members of the advisory board will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel or members of the advisory board will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional
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managers, or that additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other reasons.
Under Nasdaq’s listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
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We issue ordinary shares that will be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our ordinary shares then issued and outstanding (other than in a public offering);
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Any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by Nasdaq rules) has a 5% or greater interest (or such persons collectively have a 10% or greater interest), directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired or otherwise and the present or potential issuance of ordinary shares could result in an increase in issued and outstanding ordinary shares or voting power of 5% or more; or
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The issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control.
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares or public warrants in privately negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and Nasdaq rules. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. None of the funds in the trust account will be used to purchase shares or public warrants in such transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going- private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules.
The purpose of any such purchases of shares could be to (i) vote such shares in favor of the business combination and thereby increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of the business combination or (ii) to satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. The purpose of any such purchases of public warrants could be to reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or to vote such warrants on any matters submitted to the warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination. Any such purchases of our securities may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our Class A ordinary shares or public warrants may be reduced and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, which may make it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
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Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our initial shareholders, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests submitted by shareholders (in the case of Class A ordinary shares) following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination but only if such shares have not already been voted at the general meeting related to our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or any of their affiliates will select which shareholders to purchase shares from based on a negotiated price and number of shares and any other factors that they may deem relevant, and will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their affiliates will not make purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements.
Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.30 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination.
Limitations on Redemptions
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination or (ii) without a shareholder vote by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirement or whether we were deemed to be a foreign private issuer (which would require a tender offer rather than seeking shareholder approval
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under SEC rules). Asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company where we do not survive and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. So long as we obtain and maintain a listing for our securities on Nasdaq, we will be required to comply with Nasdaq’s shareholder approval rules.
The requirement that we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares by one of the two methods listed above will be contained in provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and will apply whether or not we maintain our registration under the Exchange Act or our listing on Nasdaq. Such provisions may be amended if approved by a special resolution as a matter of Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company.
If we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares in connection with a general meeting, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
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conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules, and
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file proxy materials with the SEC.
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company where a quorum is present. In accordance with our amended memorandum and articles of association, a quorum for such meeting will be present if the holders of one-third of issued and outstanding shares entitled to vote at the meeting are represented in person or by proxy. Our sponsor, officers and directors will count toward this quorum and, pursuant to the letter agreement, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, private placement shares and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 3,750,001, or 37.5%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have an initial business combination approved. Accordingly, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, the agreement by our sponsor and each member of our management team to vote in favor of our initial business combination will increase the likelihood that we will receive the requisite shareholder approval for such initial business combination. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will:
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conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers, and
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file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination
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and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, if we elect to conduct redemption pursuant to the tender offer rules, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market, in order to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name, address and telephone number of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. We believe that this will allow our transfer agent to efficiently process any redemptions without the need for further communication or action from the redeeming public shareholders, which could delay redemptions and result in additional administrative cost. If the proposed initial business combination is not approved and we continue to search for a target company, we will promptly return any certificates or shares delivered by public shareholders who elected to redeem their shares.
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that in no event will we redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. In addition, our proposed initial business combination may impose a minimum cash requirement for (i) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners, (ii) cash for working capital or other general corporate purposes or (iii) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all Class A ordinary shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed initial business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the initial business combination or redeem any shares, and all Class A ordinary shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Shareholder Approval
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares without our prior consent. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our management to
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purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 20% of the shares sold in this offering could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us, our sponsor or our management at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 20% of the shares sold in this offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash.
However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination.
Delivering Share Certificates in Connection with the Exercise of Redemption Rights
As described above, we intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name, address and telephone number of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. In the event that a shareholder fails to comply with these or any other procedures disclosed in the proxy or tender offer materials, as applicable, its shares may not be redeemed. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC system. The transfer agent will typically charge the broker submitting or tendering shares a fee of approximately $80.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to submit or tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until the end of the Business Combination Period.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we must complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period. If we are unable to complete our initial
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business combination within such period, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have waived their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any founder shares held by them if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period. However, if our sponsor or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time period.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and director nominees have agreed, pursuant to a written agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. However, we may not redeem our public shares in an amount that would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001. If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy the net tangible asset requirement, we would not proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares at such time.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the approximately $1,300,000 of proceeds held outside the trust account, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay income taxes on interest income earned on the trust account balance, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.30. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.30. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses and other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to fraudulent inducement, breach of
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fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account, our management will consider whether competitive alternatives are reasonably available to us and will only enter into an agreement with such third party if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be in the best interests of the company under the circumstances. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. Marcum Bernstein & Pinchuk LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm, and the underwriters of this offering will not execute agreements with us waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. In order to protect the amounts held in the trust account, our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have entered into a written letter of intent, confidentiality or other similar agreement or business combination agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below the lesser of (i) $10.30 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, if less than $10.30 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, less taxes payable, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third party or prospective target business who executed a waiver of any and all rights to the monies held in the trust account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
However, we have not asked our sponsor to reserve for such indemnification obligations, nor have we independently verified whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and we believe that our sponsor’s only assets are securities of our company. Therefore, we cannot assure you that our sponsor would be able to satisfy those obligations. As a result, if any such claims were successfully made against the trust account, the funds available for our initial business combination and redemptions could be reduced to less than $10.30 per public share. In such event, we may not be able to complete our initial business combination, and you would receive such lesser amount per share in connection with any redemption of your public shares. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below the lesser of (i) $10.30 per public share and (ii) the actual amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account if less than $10.30 per share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case less taxes payable, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment may choose not to do so in any particular instance if, for example, the cost of such legal action is deemed by the independent directors to be too high relative to the amount recoverable or if the independent directors determine that a favorable outcome is not likely. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be less than $10.30 per share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers, prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of this offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to approximately $1,300,000 from the proceeds of this offering with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our
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trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $700,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $700,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
If we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any bankruptcy claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.30 per share to our public shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result, a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover some or all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board of directors may be viewed as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only (i) in the event of the redemption of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, (ii) in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity or (iii) if they redeem their respective shares for cash upon the completion of our initial business combination. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination, a shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a shareholder’s redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption rights described above. These provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, like all provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, may be amended with a shareholder vote.
Comparison of Redemption or Purchase Prices in Connection with Our Initial Business
Combination and if We Fail to Complete Our Initial Business Combination.
Combination and if We Fail to Complete Our Initial Business Combination.
The following table compares the redemptions and other permitted purchases of public shares that may take place in connection with the completion of our initial business combination and if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period.
| | | Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | | | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates | | | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | |
Calculation of redemption price | | | Redemptions at the time of our initial business combination may be made pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. The redemption price will be | | | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase shares in privately negotiated transactions | | | If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period , we will redeem all public shares at a share price, payable in cash, equal to | |
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| | | Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | | | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates | | | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | |
| | | the same whether we conduct redemptions pursuant to a tender offer or in connection with a shareholder vote. In either case, our public shareholders may redeem their public shares for cash equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination (which is initially anticipated to be $10.30 per share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitation that no redemptions will take place if all of the redemptions would cause our net tangible assets to be less than $5,000,001 and any limitations (including but not limited to cash requirements) agreed to in connection with the negotiation of terms of a proposed business combination. | | | or in the open market either prior to or following completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit to the prices that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may pay in these transactions. If they engage in such transactions, they will not make any such purchases when they are in possession of any material nonpublic information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will comply with such rules | | | the aggregate amount, then on deposit in the trust account (which is initially anticipated to be $10.30 per share), including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares. | |
Impact to remaining shareholders | | | The redemptions in connection with our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for our remaining shareholders, who will bear the burden of the deferred underwriting commissions and interest withdrawn in order to | | | If the permitted purchases described above are made, there would be no impact to our remaining shareholders because the purchase price would not be paid by us. | | | The redemption of our public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination will reduce the book value per share for the shares held by our initial shareholders, who will be our only remaining shareholders after such redemptions. | |
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| | | Redemptions in Connection with our Initial Business Combination | | | Other Permitted Purchases of Public Shares by our Affiliates | | | Redemptions if we fail to Complete an Initial Business Combination | |
| | | pay our taxes (to the extent not paid from amounts accrued as interest on the funds held in the trust account). | | | | | | | |
Comparison of This Offering to Those of Blank Check Companies Subject to Rule 419
The following table compares the terms of this offering to the terms of an offering by a blank check company subject to the provisions of Rule 419. This comparison assumes that the gross proceeds, underwriting commissions and underwriting expenses of our offering would be identical to those of an offering undertaken by a company subject to Rule 419, and that the underwriters will not exercise their over-allotment option. None of the provisions of Rule 419 apply to our offering.
| | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
Escrow of offering proceeds | | | $103,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants will be deposited into a trust account located in the United States with Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company acting as trustee. | | | Approximately $85,050,000 of the offering proceeds, would be required to be deposited into either an escrow account with an insured depositary institution or in a separate bank account established by a broker-dealer in which the broker-dealer acts as trustee for persons having the beneficial interests in the account. | |
Investment of net proceeds | | | $103,000,000 of the net proceeds of this offering and the sale of the private placement warrants held in trust will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with a maturity of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations. | | | Proceeds could be invested only in specified securities such as a money market fund meeting conditions of the Investment Company Act or in securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed as to principal or interest by, the United States. | |
Receipt of interest on escrowed funds | | | Interest on proceeds from the trust account to be paid to shareholders is reduced by (i) any taxes paid or payable and (ii) in the event of our liquidation for failure to complete our initial business combination within the allotted time, up to $100,000 of net interest that may be released to us should we have no or insufficient working capital to fund the costs and expenses of our liquidation and dissolution. | | | Interest on funds in escrow account would be held for the sole benefit of investors, unless and only after the funds held in escrow were released to us in connection with our completion of a business combination. | |
Limitation on fair value or net assets of target business | | | We must complete one or more business combinations having an | | | The fair value or net assets of a target business must represent at least 80% | |
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| | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
| | | aggregate fair market value of at least 80% of our assets held in the trust account (excluding the deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on the income earned on the trust account) at the time of the agreement to enter into the initial business combination. | | | of the maximum offering proceeds. | |
Trading of securities issued | | | The units are expected to begin trading on or promptly after the date of this prospectus. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units will begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. We will file the Current Report on Form 8-K promptly after the closing of this offering, which closing is anticipated to take place two business days from the date of this prospectus. If the over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the over- allotment option. | | | No trading of the units or the underlying Class A ordinary shares and warrants would be permitted until the completion of a business combination. During this period, the securities would be held in the escrow or trust account. | |
Exercise of the warrants | | | The warrants cannot be exercised until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination. | | | The warrants could be exercised prior to the completion of a business combination, but securities received and cash paid in connection with the exercise would be deposited in the escrow or trust account. | |
Election to remain an investor | | | We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust | | | A prospectus containing information pertaining to the business combination required by the SEC would be sent to each investor. Each investor would be given the opportunity to notify the company in writing, within a period of no less than 20 business days and no more than 45 business days from the effective date of a post-effective | |
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| | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
| | | account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein. We may not be required by law to hold a shareholder vote. If we are not required by law and do not otherwise decide to hold a shareholder vote, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC and file tender offer documents with the SEC which will contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, we hold a shareholder vote, we will, like many blank check companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction. | | | amendment to the company’s registration statement, to decide if he, she or it elects to remain a shareholder of the company or require the return of his, her or its investment. If the company has not received the notification by the end of the 45th business day, funds and interest or dividends, if any, held in the trust or escrow account are automatically returned to the shareholder. Unless a sufficient number of investors elect to remain investors, all funds on deposit in the escrow account must be returned to all of the investors and none of the securities are issued. | |
Business combination deadline | | | If we are unable to complete an initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, we will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as | | | If an acquisition has not been completed within 18 months after the effective date of the company’s registration statement, funds held in the trust or escrow account are | |
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| | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
| | | promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem 100% of the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any) and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law. | | | returned to investors. | |
Release of funds | | | Except for the withdrawal of interest to pay our taxes, if any, none of the funds held in trust will be released from the trust account until the earliest of (i) the completion of our initial business combination, (ii) the redemption of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, subject to applicable law, or (iii) the redemption of our public shares properly submitted in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination | | | The proceeds held in the escrow account are not released until the earlier of the completion of a business combination or the failure to effect a business combination within the allotted time. | |
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| | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
| | | within the Business Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial business combination activity. | | | | |
Delivering share certificates in connection with the exercise of redemption rights | | | We intend to require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to, at the holder’s option, either deliver their share certificates to our transfer agent or deliver their shares to our transfer agent electronically using the Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/ Withdrawal At Custodian) system, prior to the date set forth in the proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable. In the case of proxy materials, this date may be up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the proposal to approve the initial business combination. In addition, if we conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote, we intend to require a public shareholder seeking redemption of its public shares to also submit a written request for redemption to our transfer agent two business days prior to the scheduled vote in which the name, address and telephone number of the beneficial owner of such shares is included. The proxy materials or tender offer documents, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have up to two business days prior to the scheduled vote on the initial business combination if we distribute proxy materials, or from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, as applicable, to submit or tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. | | | Many blank check companies provide that a shareholder can vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating that such shareholder is seeking to exercise its redemption rights. After the business combination is approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for delivery of its share certificates to verify ownership. | |
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| | | Terms of Our Offering | | | Terms Under a Rule 419 Offering | |
Limitation on redemption rights of shareholders holding more than 20% of the shares sold in this offering if we hold a shareholder vote | | | If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares without our prior consent. However, we would not restrict our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. | | | Many blank check companies provide no restrictions on the ability of shareholders to redeem shares based on the number of shares held by such shareholders in connection with an initial business combination. | |
Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we may encounter competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other special purpose acquisition companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, public companies and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these entities are well established and have extensive experience identifying and effecting business combinations directly or through affiliates. Moreover, many of these competitors possess similar or greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. Our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination and our issued and outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. Either of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at 38 Beach Road #29-11, South Beach Tower Singapore 189767. We consider such office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We currently have two officers: Shibin Wang, our chief executive officer and Anna Zhou, our chief financial officer. Each of Mr. Wang and Ms. Zhou is not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but he intends to devote as much of his or her time as he or she deems necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time he or she will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the stage of the business combination process we are in. We do not intend to have any full time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
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Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
We will register our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public accountants.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer documents sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. In all likelihood, these financial statements will need to be prepared in accordance with, or reconciled to, GAAP or IFRS, depending on the circumstances, and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may conduct an initial business combination with because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. We cannot assure you that any particular target business identified by us as a potential business combination candidate will have financial statements prepared in accordance with the requirements outlined above, or that the potential target business will be able to prepare its financial statements in accordance with the requirements outlined above. To the extent that these requirements cannot be met, we may not be able to acquire the proposed target business. While this may limit the pool of potential business combination candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer, and no longer qualify as an emerging growth company, will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target business may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes- Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such business combination.
Prior to the date of this prospectus, we will file a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we will be subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability. Exempted companies are Cayman Islands companies conducting business mainly outside the Cayman Islands and, as such, are exempted from complying with certain provisions of the Companies Act. As an exempted company, we have applied for and received a tax exemption undertaking from the Cayman Islands government that, in accordance with Section 6 of the Tax Concessions Act (As Revised) of the Cayman Islands, for a period of 20 years from the date of the undertaking, no law which is enacted in the Cayman Islands imposing any tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations will apply to us or our operations and, in addition, that no tax to be levied on profits, income, gains or appreciations or which is in the nature of estate duty or inheritance tax will be payable (i) on or in respect of our shares, debentures or other obligations or (ii) by way of the withholding in whole or in part of a payment of dividend or other distribution of income or capital by us to our shareholders or a payment of principal or interest or other sums due under a debenture or other obligation of us.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
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In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of this offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our Class A ordinary shares that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700,000,000 as of the prior June 30, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Legal Proceedings
There is no material litigation, arbitration or governmental proceeding currently pending against us or any members of our management team in their capacity as such.
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MANAGEMENT AND ADVISORY BOARD
Management
Our officers and directors are as follows:
Name | | | Age | | | Position | | |||
Richard Qi Li | | | | | 52 | | | | chairman of the board and director | |
Shibin Wang | | | | | 45 | | | | chief executive officer and director | |
Anna Zhou | | | | | 35 | | | | chief financial officer | |
Kwan Sun | | | | | 58 | | | | independent director nominee | |
Robert Ewing | | | | | 53 | | | | independent director nominee | |
Ning Ma | | | | | 49 | | | | independent director nominee | |
Richard Qi Li, aged 52, the chairman of our board, has more than two decades of experience in the financial service industry. Until February 2021, Mr. Li had been, from 2017, the chief investment officer and, from 2019, the chief operating officer of China Great Wall AMC (International) Holdings Company Limited and, from 2018, the chief executive officer of Great Wall Pan Asia Asset Management Ltd., both subsidiaries of China Great Wall Asset Management Co. Ltd., a leading asset management company based in China. Mr. Li was previously a managing director and the head of China securities at Goldman Sachs Asia, and a managing director and the head of north Asia capital markets and treasury solutions at Deutsche Bank Hong Kong. Prior to joining Deutsche Bank, Mr. Li worked at Merrill Lynch, the World Bank, and the Ministry of Finance of the PRC. Mr. Li also serves as the chief executive officer and director of HH&L Acquisition Co., an NYSE-listed blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses.
Mr. Li has worked with or advised many financial institutions in Greater China on capital markets activities, sales and trading of fixed income products and structured equities, investment, risk management, and/or building up trading or asset management platforms. His clients or counterparts have included leading sovereign wealth funds (State Administration of Foreign Exchange and China Investment Corporation), large banks (Bank of China, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, China Construction Bank and China Merchants Bank), insurers (China Life, PICC, Ping An Insurance) and asset managers (National Social Security Fund, China Asset Management and Harvest Fund). Mr. Li also advised Shanghai Pudong Development Bank in connection with the formation of a business alliance and the establishment of a credit card joint venture with Citibank in 2002. In addition, Mr. Li’s experience includes investment in Meituan Dianping, one of China’s top-tier e-commerce companies, We Doctor Holdings Limited, one of China’s top-tier online healthcare companies, Biotest AG, a Germany-based blood plasma products marker, and Bio Products Laboratory Ltd., a UK-based plasma biotherapeutics company. He has also been involved, as either an investor or an advisor, in investments in the consumer, energy and real estate sectors in Asia and globally. Mr. Li also has experience leading several significant capital raising transactions.
Mr. Li obtained a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and a master’s degree in economics from Nankai University in China and a master of business administration from Columbia Business School. He was also a visiting scholar at Harvard University in 2019.
Dr. Shibin Wang, aged 45, is our chief executive officer and as a member of our board of directors, has over 15 years’ experience in sales and trading of structured financial products, cross-border financing and other capital market activities. Over such period, his clients or counterparts have included major banks (China Development Bank, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Agriculture Bank of China and China Construction Bank), leading organizations (China National Offshore Oil Corporation and GCL-Poly Energy) and leading private equity firms (Hillhouse Capital and Greenwoods Asset Management). Dr. Wang was an executive director and head of China structure solutions at Deutsche Bank Hong Kong from 2010 to 2015. Prior to that, he worked at FICC Goldman Sachs from 2008 to 2010 and at China Development Bank managing a fixed-income portfolio from 2003 to 2008.
Since April 2019, Dr. Wang has served as a co-founder and the chief executive officer of Hong Kong Digital Asset Ex Ltd. (or “HKbitEX”), a regulated digital asset exchange in Hong Kong dedicated to providing a
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regulatory-compliant and safe digital asset spot trading and over-the-counter trading services to professional investors in Asia. Under Dr. Wang’s leadership, the company was among the first organizations in Asia-Pacific to apply for a virtual asset trading platform licence from the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong, and was recognized as one of China’s top 50 fintech companies in the “2020 KPMG China Fintech 50.”
In 2018, Dr. Wang advised the Intelligent Investment Chain Foundation on funding and ecosystem development. The Intelligent Investment Chain Foundation is a decentralized virtual asset management application developed based on Ethereum smart contracts with an ecology including quantitative funds, cross-chain wealth management wallets and media.
Dr. Wang’s served Oriental Patron Financial Group as chief marketing officer from 2016 to 2018, during which he led the company’s blockchain initiatives and fintech investments. Under Dr. Wang’s leadership, Oriental Patron made investments in DIDI Chuxing and CarbonX, organized a number of forums with leading institutions as well as established the Renminbi-denominated Fintech/Internet Plus fund, with Renminbi 3 billion of assets under management, in collaboration with Magnetic Capital in Shanghai.
Dr. Wang is also shareholder of SECUSOFT Tech, Jiedaibao and ZhongYou International Education.
Dr. Wang obtained a bachelor’s degree in international trading from Dongbei University of Finance & Economics, as well as a master of economics degree and a Ph.D, both from the Finance Institute of the People’s Bank of China.
Anna Zhou, aged 35, our chief financial officer, has considerable experience in equity research and finance. Ms. Zhou focused on equity research since beginning her career in 2011 and specialized in the China and US Technology, Media, and Telecom (“TMT”) sector including smartphones, digital consumer products, internet services and emerging platform economies. She has been working on in-depth research and rigorous valuation studies in various sectors. She was a senior associate at Mighty Divine Investment Management Limited from 2019 to 2021, the research associate of the long-only portfolio of China Great Wall AMC (International) Holdings Company Limited from 2017 to 2019 and the QDII fund of Anbang Asset Management (Hong Kong) Co. Limited from 2016 to 2017. She also spent two years in BOCOM International as a data analyst in its market strategy team from 2014 to 2016, publishing weekly notes on China’s commodity sector. Ms. Zhou has been involved in investments in Futu Holdings Ltd., Meituan Dianping, Bilibili Inc. and Pingduoduo Inc. when she worked as an equity analyst at Mighty Divine Investment Management Limited, and investments in Sunny Optical Technology (Group) Company Limited when she worked as an equity analyst at China Great Wall AMC (International) Holdings Company Limited.
Ms. Zhou received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, information and application from Université Paris 5 and a master’s degree in financial mathematics and statistics from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Kwan Sun, aged 58, will serve as an independent director of our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Sun founded Millburn Advisory LLC, a real estate fund manager, in 2018 and has served as its managing partner since then. From 2015 to 2018, Mr. Sun served as the vice chairman of Nan Fung Group’s US businesses to help develop Nan Fung Group’s US real estate business.
Mr. Sun served as a director at Deutsche Bank in structured products department from 1997 to 2003, and as a director at Morgan Stanley in structured products department from 2003 to 2007. Thereafter, Mr. Sun served as a managing director at Deutsche Bank in structured products department from 2007 to 2009 and as a managing director at Morgan Stanley in the investment banking department from 2009 to 2014.
Prior to joining Deutsche Bank in 1997, he served as a vice president the capital markets department of Merrill Lynch, where he focused on trading fix income derivatives. He joined Merrill Lynch in 1992.
Mr. Sun graduated with a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University.
Robert Ewing, aged 53, will serve as an independent director of our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Ewing has served as a strategic consultant to the chief executive officer at Diametric Capital, an innovative start-up
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hedge fund in Boston, since 2017. Prior to such role at Diametric Capital, Mr. Ewing served as head of US equities and as a portfolio manager for Putnam Investments, an investment manager in Boston, from 2008 to 2016, where he was responsible for all aspects of the investment management operations. Mr. Ewing was also responsible for managing Putnam Investments’ flagship fund, The Putnam Fund For Growth and Income. At Putnam Investments, Mr. Ewing was responsible for personnel, compensation, product and performance and was a member of its operating committee. Mr. Ewing was also one of the members of Putnam Investments’ risk committees with responsibilities for risk across all asset classes and investments. Additionally, Mr. Ewing chaired the proxy and governance committee of Putnam Investments, where, among other things, he was responsible for proxy votes and trustee interaction.
Prior to joining Putnam Investments, Mr. Ewing was a founder and co-head of the Boston office of RiverSource Investments from 2002 to 2008. He was responsible for all aspects of operations from product and strategy to process and performance and also managed the equity portion of the RiverSource Balanced Fund. Mr. Ewing started his full-time career as an analyst at Fidelity Investments in 1990 and served as a portfolio manager from 1996 to 2002 at Fidelity Investments. In recognition of his performance, he was awarded a Best-In-Class designation by Mutual Funds Magazine in 2001 and 2002.
Mr. Ewing has served as a director of The Fenn School, a non-profit organization in Concord, Massachusetts. At The Fenn School, Mr. Ewing has served as Chair of the Committee on Trustees with responsibilities for board governance and nominations and as a member of the Executive Committee from 2011 to 2018.
Mr. Ewing received a bachelor’s degree from the Honors Program of Boston College Carroll School of Management.
Ning Ma, aged 49, will serve as an independent director of our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. In 2015, Mr. Ma founded Lingfeng Capital Partners, Limited (“Lingfeng”), a private equity firm focusing on investing in fintech companies in Asia, in sub-sectors such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud, big data, lending technology, insurance technology, health care services, investment technology, payment and credit rating, and digital assets. Mr. Ma has served as a partner at Lingfeng since 2015.
Prior to founding Lingfeng, Mr. Ma worked at Goldman Sachs (Asia) L.L.C. (“Goldman Sachs”) for thirteen years from 2002 to 2015 where, among other roles, he served as co-head of the Asia Pacific Financial Institutions Equity Research. He was also a member of the Goldman Sachs China Operating Committee and a member of the Asia Pacific Client and Business Standards Committee. He held various positions with Beijing Gao Hua Securities Company Limited and served as the deputy general manager and managing director from 2010 to 2015. Prior to Goldman Sachs, Mr. Ma was a regulator at the headquarters of the People’s Bank of China from 1996 to 2000, where he was actively involved in the regulation, financial reform and policy-making relating to foreign banks and non-bank financial institutions including trust companies, asset management companies, finance companies and leasing companies in China.
Mr. Ma currently serves as an independent director for several financial institutions in Asia including Ant Consumer Finance Company, China Renaissance Securities and BOCOM International. He has been teaching at Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance since 2010.
Mr. Ma received a bachelor’s degree from Renmin University of China, a master’s degree in business administration from London Business School and a master’s degree in international finance from Tsinghua University PBC School of Finance.
Advisory Board
We have established an advisory board, the role and functions of which will be determined by the board of directors from time to time. We currently expect our advisory board to, upon the request of the directors, provide its business insights (i) in sourcing potential business combination targets, (ii) when we assess potential business combination targets and (iii) as we work to create additional value in the business or businesses that we acquire. The role of the advisory board is consultative in nature to support our directors and officers in operating our business, and it will not perform managerial board or committee functions. Members of the advisory board will not be subject to the fiduciary requirements to which our board of directors are subject, nor will advisory board members have any internal voting or decision making role, or any authority to act on
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our behalf. The board of directors is not required to follow any advice, comments or recommendations of the advisory board in relation to the matters described herein. We have not entered into any agreements governing our relationship with any members of our advisory board, and we may modify or expand our roster of advisory board members as we source potential business combination targets or work to create value in the business or businesses that we acquire.
Mr. Kenneth W. Hitchner and Dr. Zhiwei Liu are currently the members of the advisory board and Mr. Kenneth W. Hitchner is the chairman of the advisory board.
Kenneth W. Hitchner, aged 61, will serve as the chairman of our advisory board immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Mr. Hitchner brings to the company a wealth of financial services experience gained through his 28-year career at Goldman Sachs. Mr. Hitchner began his career at Goldman Sachs in New York City in 1991, in the investment banking division, and became a partner of the firm in 2002. Throughout his career at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hitchner held various positions in which he took a leadership role in creating and growing several key business units spanning numerous industry verticals and multiple geographies. Prior to his retirement from Goldman Sachs in 2019, Mr. Hitchner served as the chairman and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs in Asia Pacific Ex-Japan and as a member of Goldman Sachs’ Global Management Committee.
Mr. Hitchner has significant experience in providing high quality deal sourcing and transactional advice to a broad range of clients. Over the course of his career at Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hitchner led, managed or executed well over 100 transactions involving in excess of $300 billion in the aggregate, including M&A and equity-related transactions across multiple geographies and sectors. Selected recent transactions in the financial services sector that Mr. Hitchner led and on which he served his clients as a trusted advisor include:
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China Renaissance Holding Ltd.’s $345 million initial public offering and listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 2018; and
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Guotai Junan Securities Co. Ltd.’s $2.1 billion initial public offering and listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 2017, which was a landmark transaction in the financial services sector because Guotai Junan was China’s third-biggest brokerage in terms of sales and its flotation was the second-largest IPO in terms of market value globally in 2017.
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Shenwan Hongyuan Group Co., Ltd.’s US$1.16 billion initial public offering and listing on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong in 2019.
Following his relocation to Hong Kong in 2013, Mr. Hitchner, in his capacity as the chairman and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs in Asia Pacific Ex-Japan, provided oversight to a number of significant transactions leveraging his extensive knowledge and experience in technology and new economy related transactions. Selected transactions in which Mr. Hitchner was involved included Ping An Health Cloud’s approximately $500 million private placement in 2016, as well as Goldman Sachs’ underwriting of the initial public offerings of Xiaomi Corporation, Pinduoduo Inc., China Tower Corporation Limited, Meituan Dianping, WuXi AppTec and Tencent Music Entertainment Group.
As part of his leadership role at Goldman Sachs Asia, Mr. Hitchner was responsible for driving business initiatives to capitalize on new economy trends and further developing and growing Goldman Sachs’ Asia business overall. Mr. Hitchner has maintained frequent dialogues and strong relationships with leading technology and fintech-related companies and business leaders both globally and across Asia. Mr. Hitchner was a trusted advisor to many clients whom he helped guide through their strategic decision-making processes, allowing him to build an extensive network of proprietary and deep relationships. Since his departure from Goldman Sachs, Mr. Hitchner has maintained frequent dialogues and strong relationships with leading technology and fintech-related companies and business leaders both globally and across Asia.
Mr. Hitchner is an adjunct professor at Columbia Business School and a member of the Bio Frontiers Institute Advisory Board at the University of Colorado. He also serves on the advisory board of the Faculty of Business and Economics at The University of Hong Kong, and is also a member of the board of directors of Wuxi Biologics and a Senior Advisor of Wuxi Apptec.
Mr. Hitchner has served as the chairman of the board of HH&L Acquisition Co. since 2020 and as an independent non-executive director of Provident Acquisition Corp. since 2021. Each of HH&L Acquisition
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Co. and Provident Acquisition Corp is a blank check company formed for the purpose of effecting a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses. Additionally, Mr. Hitchner has served as a senior advisor to Valliance Asset Management Limited, a multi-strategy fund, since 2020, and as a member of the advisory board of Antler, a global early-stage venture capital firm, since 2021.
We believe that Mr. Hitchner’s deep relationships, network and experience in the technology and fintech sectors across Asia and globally provide our company with distinctive and complementary capabilities and add significant value to what we can offer to potential target companies.
Dr. Zhiwei Liu, aged 54, will serve as a senior advisor to our company immediately upon the effectiveness of our registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus is a part. Dr. Liu is the largest shareholder of Wealthking Investments Limited (or “Wealthking”, stock code: 1140.HK) as of May 8, 2020 and he has served as chairman of Wealthking Investments Limited since 2019. Prior to Wealthking, Dr. Liu held multiple senior positions in a number of China’s leading financial institutions, including China Great Wall Securities Co. Ltd. from 1992 to 1997, Guosen Securities Co. Ltd. from 1997 to 1998, Xinjiang Huitong Group Ltd. from 2005 to 2008, and Chang’an International Co. Ltd. from 2008 to 2011.
Wealthking is a cross-border and cross-sector investment platform listed on the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited in 2003. Under Dr. Liu’s leadership, Wealthking collaborates with leading institutional and entrepreneur investors to invest primarily in growth-oriented industries in China. Wealthking’s extensive network roots in Asia, particularly in Greater China, provide it with access in the region that it believes gives Wealthking a competitive advantage relative to global funds domiciled outside of Asia. Taking advantage of its access to long-term capital as a listed companies, Wealthking focuses on investing in industry leaders, which Wealthking considers to be a long-term core holdings among its portfolio companies. Leveraging its strengths in investment and financing, Wealthking has established various PE/VC funds and executed add-on deals to invest in businesses surrounding its core portfolio companies in order to continually enhance and improve relationships between companies in its ecosystem of investee companies.
Under Dr. Liu’s leadership, some of Wealthking’s prior investments in the fintech space include:
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CSOP Asset Management (“CSOP”), a well-known asset management company managing private and public funds and providing investment advisory services to Asian and global investors with a dedicated focus on investing in China;
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Oriental Patron Investment Management, a leading hedge fund platform in Asia serving both global and Asia-based managers in developing funds across diversified strategies for institutional and professional investors;
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Jiedaibao, a fintech company providing comprehensive technology-enabled financial services to individuals and enterprises, such as contract signing, registration and post-loan management. With licenses to engage in businesses including online payment, commercial banking and internet microloan services, jiedaibao is focused on building a comprehensive fintech ecosystem; and
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Beijing International Trust Co., Ltd. (or “BITIC”), a China-based large scale non-banking financial institution, which primarily engages in trust, investment fund, financial services, brokerage and advisory business.
Dr. Liu also has extensive personal investment experiences in fintech and technology-related sectors. Some selected personal investments of Dr. Liu include:
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Asia Digital Currency Co., a company dedicated to exploring and executing digital currency initiatives, including issuance and operation of digital currency, experimenting with digital currency applications, research and development relating to blockchain-related technologies and development of talents in the field. The company was founded in Hong Kong with connections to a number of high profile political and business personnel;
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SpinQ, a company dedicated to exploring innovative quantum computing solutions for real-world problems. SpinQ was founded by top researchers from leading institutions worldwide, including the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, Tsinghua University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Southern University of Science and Technology;
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QuantumCTek, a pioneer and leader in commercialized quantum information technology (or “QIT”) in China. QuantumCTek is committed to providing a competitive QIT portfolio of quantum secure solutions in telecom infrastructure, enterprise networks, cloud computing, as well as big data technology and services; and
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Basis Set Ventures, an investment company that invests in early-stage technology companies that aim to fundamentally transform the way people work, with the belief that artificial intelligence delivers core value by improving productivity for all parts of the economy.
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Wacai Holdings Limited, one of the earliest fintech companies established in China, which has gradually evolved into an Internet finance platform with a wide array of personal financial management tools and services, wealth management services and credit solutions.
Dr. Liu received a bachelor’s degree in industrial management engineering from Zhejiang University, a master’s degree in international finance from the Graduate School of PBC (now known as the PBC School of Finance, Tsinghua University) and a Ph.D. in economics from Hunan University. Dr. Liu also completed a professional course for Financial CEOs at Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, and participated in the China CEO Global Studies Program at Shanghai Jiaotong University.
Number and Terms of Office of Officers and Directors
Our board of directors consists of five members and is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year, and with each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term. In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. The term of office of the first class of directors, consisting of Kwan Sun, will expire at our first annual general meeting. The term of office of the second class of directors, consisting of Robert Ewing and Ning Ma, will expire at the second annual meeting of shareholders. The term of office of the third class of directors, consisting of Richard Qi Li and Shibin Wang, will expire at the third annual general meeting.
Our officers are appointed by the board of directors and serve at the discretion of the board of directors, rather than for specific terms of office. Our board of directors is authorized to appoint officers as it deems appropriate pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association.
Director Independence
The rules of the Nasdaq require that a majority of our board of directors be independent within one year of our initial public offering. An “independent director” is defined generally as a person who, in the opinion of the company’s board of directors, has no material relationship with the listed company (either directly or as a partner, shareholder or officer of an organization that has a relationship with the company). Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we expect to have three “independent directors” as defined in the Nasdaq rules and applicable SEC rules prior to completion of this offering. Our board of directors has determined that each of Kwan Sun, Ning Ma and Robert Ewing is an “independent director” as defined in the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules. Our independent directors will have regularly scheduled meetings at which only independent directors are present.
Officer, Director and Advisory Board Member Compensation
None of our officers, directors or advisory board members have received any cash compensation for services rendered to us. Commencing on the date that our securities are first listed on Nasdaq through the earlier of consummation of our initial business combination and our liquidation, we will pay our sponsor $15,000 per month for office space, utilities, and secretarial and administrative services provided to us. In addition, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members or any of their respective affiliates will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers or directors or members of our advisory board, or our or their affiliates. Any such payments prior to an initial business
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combination will be made from funds held outside the trust account. Other than quarterly audit committee review of such reimbursements, we do not expect to have any additional controls in place governing our reimbursement payments to our directors and officers for their out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with our activities on our behalf in connection with identifying and consummating an initial business combination. Other than these payments and reimbursements, no compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, prior to completion of our initial business combination.
After the completion of our initial business combination, directors or members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting or management fees from the combined company. All of these fees will be fully disclosed to shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation materials or tender offer materials furnished to our shareholders in connection with a proposed initial business combination. We have not established any limit on the amount of such fees that may be paid by the combined company to our directors or members of management. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of the proposed initial business combination, because the directors of the post-combination business will be responsible for determining officer and director compensation. Any compensation to be paid to our officers will be determined, or recommended to the board of directors for determination, either by a compensation committee constituted solely by independent directors or by a majority of the independent directors on our board of directors.
We do not intend to take any action to ensure that members of our management team maintain their positions with us after the consummation of our initial business combination, although it is possible that some or all of our officers and directors may negotiate employment or consulting arrangements to remain with us after our initial business combination. The existence or terms of any such employment or consulting arrangements to retain their positions with us may influence our management’s motivation in identifying or selecting a target business but we do not believe that the ability of our management to remain with us after the consummation of our initial business combination will be a determining factor in our decision to proceed with any potential business combination. We are not party to any agreements with our officers and directors that provide for benefits upon termination of employment.
Committees of the Board of Directors
Upon the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, our board of directors will have three standing committees: an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and corporate governance committee. Both our audit committee and our compensation committee will be composed solely of independent directors. Subject to phase-in rules, the rules of Nasdaq and Rule 10A-3 of the Exchange Act require that the audit committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors, and the rules of Nasdaq require that the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee of a listed company be comprised solely of independent directors. Each committee will operate under a charter that will be approved by our board and will have the composition and responsibilities described below. The charter of each committee will be available on our website following the closing of this offering.
Audit Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish an audit committee of the board of directors. Kwan Sun, Ning Ma and Robert Ewing will serve as members, and Ning Ma will serve as the chairman, of the audit committee. Each of Kwan Sun, Ning Ma and Robert Ewing is independent of and unaffiliated with our sponsor and our underwriters. Under the Nasdaq listing standards and applicable SEC rules, all the directors on the audit committee must be independent.
Each member of the audit committee is financially literate and our board of directors has determined that Robert Ewing qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” as defined in applicable SEC rules and has accounting or related financial management expertise.
We will adopt an audit committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the audit committee, including:
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assisting board oversight of (1) the integrity of our financial statements, (2) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (3) our independent registered public accounting firm’s qualifications and independence, and (4) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditors; the appointment, compensation, retention, replacement, and oversight of the work of the independent auditors and any other independent registered public accounting firm engaged by us;
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pre-approving all audit and non-audit services to be provided by the independent auditors or any other registered public accounting firm engaged by us, and establishing pre-approval policies and procedures; reviewing and discussing with the independent auditors all relationships the auditors have with us in order to evaluate their continued independence;
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setting clear policies for audit partner rotation in compliance with applicable laws and regulations; obtaining and reviewing a report, at least annually, from the independent registered public accounting firm describing (1) the independent auditors’ internal quality-control procedures and (2) any material issues raised by the most recent internal quality-control review, or peer review, of the audit firm, or by any inquiry or investigation by governmental or professional authorities, within the preceding five years respecting one or more independent audits carried out by the firm and any steps taken to deal with such issues;
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meeting to review and discuss our annual audited financial statements and quarterly financial statements with management and the independent auditors, including reviewing our specific disclosures under “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”; reviewing and approving any related party transaction required to be disclosed pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K promulgated by the SEC prior to us entering into such transaction; and
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reviewing with management, the independent auditors, and our legal advisors, as appropriate, any legal, regulatory or compliance matters, including any correspondence with regulators or government agencies and any employee complaints or published reports that raise material issues regarding our financial statements or accounting policies and any significant changes in accounting standards or rules promulgated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the SEC or other regulatory authorities.
Compensation Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a compensation committee of the board of directors. Kwan Sun, Ning Ma and Robert Ewing will serve as members, and Ning Ma will serve as the chairman, of the compensation committee. Each of Kwan Sun, Ning Ma and Robert Ewing is independent of and unaffiliated with our sponsor and our underwriters.
We will adopt a compensation committee charter, which will detail the principal functions of the compensation committee, including:
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reviewing and approving on an annual basis the corporate goals and objectives relevant to our chief executive officer’s compensation, evaluating our chief executive officer’s performance in light of such goals and objectives and determining and approving the remuneration (if any) of our chief executive officer’s based on such evaluation;
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reviewing and making recommendations to our board of directors with respect to the compensation, and any incentive compensation and equity based plans that are subject to board approval of all of our other officers;
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reviewing our executive compensation policies and plans;
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implementing and administering our incentive compensation equity-based remuneration plans;
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assisting management in complying with our proxy statement and annual report disclosure requirements;
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approving all special perquisites, special cash payments and other special compensation and benefit arrangements for our officers and employees;
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producing a report on executive compensation to be included in our annual proxy statement; and
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reviewing, evaluating and recommending changes, if appropriate, to the remuneration for directors.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, as indicated above, other than the payment to our sponsor, of $15,000 per month, for up to 24 months, for office space, utilities, and secretarial and administrative services and reimbursement of expenses, no compensation of any kind, including finders, consulting or other similar fees, will be paid to any of our existing shareholders, officers, directors or any of their respective affiliates, prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate the consummation of an initial business combination. Accordingly, it is likely that prior to the consummation of an initial business combination, the compensation committee will only be responsible for the review and recommendation of any compensation arrangements to be entered into in connection with such initial business combination.
The charter will also provide that the compensation committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of a compensation consultant, independent legal counsel or other adviser and will be directly responsible for the appointment, compensation and oversight of the work of any such adviser. However, before engaging or receiving advice from a compensation consultant, external legal counsel or any other adviser, the compensation committee will consider the independence of each such adviser, including the factors required by Nasdaq and the SEC.
Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee
Upon the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, we will establish a nominating and corporate governance committee of the board of directors. Kwan Sun, Ning Ma and Robert Ewing will serve as members, and Ning Ma will serve as the chairman, of the nominating and corporate governance committee. Each of Kwan Sun, Ning Ma and Robert Ewing is independent of and unaffiliated with our sponsor and our underwriters.
We will adopt a nominating and corporate governance committee charter, which will detail the purpose and responsibilities of the nominating and corporate governance committee, including:
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identifying, screening and reviewing individuals qualified to serve as directors, consistent with criteria approved by the board, and recommending to the board of directors candidates for nomination for appointment at the annual general meeting or to fill vacancies on the board of directors;
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developing and recommending to the board of directors and overseeing implementation of our corporate governance guidelines;
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coordinating and overseeing the annual self-evaluation of the board of directors, its committees, individual directors and management in the governance of the company; and
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reviewing on a regular basis our overall corporate governance and recommending improvements as and when necessary.
The charter will also provide that the nominating and corporate governance committee may, in its sole discretion, retain or obtain the advice of, and terminate, any search firm to be used to identify director candidates, and will be directly responsible for approving the search firm’s fees and other retention terms.
We have not formally established any specific, minimum qualifications that must be met or skills that are necessary for directors to possess. In general, in identifying and evaluating nominees for director, the board of directors considers educational background, diversity of professional experience, knowledge of our business, integrity, professional reputation, independence, wisdom, and the ability to represent the best interests of our shareholders. Prior to our initial business combination, holders of our public shares will not have the right to recommend director candidates for nomination to our board of directors.
Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
None of our officers currently serves, or in the past year has served, as a member of the compensation committee of any entity that has one or more officers serving on our board of directors.
Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
Prior to the consummation of this offering, we will have adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to our directors, officers and employees. We will file a copy of our Code of Business Conduct and
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Ethics as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. You will be able to review this document by accessing our public filings at the SEC’s web site at www.sec.gov. In addition, a copy of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics and the charters of the committees of our board of directors will be provided without charge upon request from us. See the section of this prospectus entitled “Where You Can Find Additional Information.” If we make any amendments to our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics other than technical, administrative or other non-substantive amendments, or grant any waiver, including any implicit waiver, from a provision of the Code of Business Conduct and Ethics applicable to our principal executive officer, principal financial officer principal accounting officer or controller or persons performing similar functions requiring disclosure under applicable SEC or Nasdaq rules, we will disclose the nature of such amendment or waiver on our website. The information included on our website is not incorporated by reference into this Form S-1 or in any other report or document we file with the SEC, and any references to our website are intended to be inactive textual references only.
Conflicts of Interest
Under Cayman Islands law, directors and officers owe the following fiduciary duties:
(i)
duty to act in good faith in what the director or officer believes to be in the best interests of the company as a whole;
(ii)
duty to exercise powers for the purposes for which those powers were conferred and not for a collateral purpose;
(iii)
directors should not improperly fetter the exercise of future discretion;
(iv)
duty to exercise powers fairly as between different sections of shareholders;
(v)
duty not to put themselves in a position in which there is a conflict between their duty to the company and their personal interests; and
(vi)
duty to exercise independent judgment.
In addition to the above, directors also owe a duty of care which is not fiduciary in nature. This duty has been defined as a requirement to act as a reasonably diligent person having both the general knowledge, skill and experience that may reasonably be expected of a person carrying out the same functions as are carried out by that director in relation to the company and the general knowledge skill and experience of that director.
As set out above, directors have a duty not to put themselves in a position of conflict and this includes a duty not to engage in self-dealing, or to otherwise benefit as a result of their position. However, in some instances what would otherwise be a breach of this duty can be forgiven and/or authorized in advance by the shareholders provided that there is full disclosure by the directors. This can be done by way of permission granted in the memorandum and articles of association or alternatively by shareholder approval at general meetings.
Mr. Hitchner and Dr. Liu, currently the members of the advisory board, and any future members of the advisory board, if any, are not subject to any of the fiduciary duties described above. Neither of Mr. Hitchner and Dr. Liu has contractual or other obligations to perform specific duties or avoid conflicts of interest in his capacity as a member of the advisory board.
Each of our officers and directors and advisory board members presently has, and any of them in the future may have additional, fiduciary or contractual obligations to another entity pursuant to which such officer, director or advisory board member is or will be required to present a business combination opportunity to such entity. Accordingly, if any of our officers, directors or advisory board members becomes aware of a business combination opportunity which is suitable for an entity to which he or she has then-current fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she will honor his or her fiduciary or contractual obligations to present such business combination opportunity to such entity, subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law: (i) no individual serving as a director or an officer shall have any duty, except and to the extent expressly assumed by contract, to refrain from engaging directly or indirectly in the same or similar business activities or lines of business as us; and (ii) we renounce any interest or expectancy in, or in
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being offered an opportunity to participate in, any potential transaction or matter which may be a corporate opportunity for any director or officer, on the one hand, and us, on the other. We do not believe, however, that the fiduciary duties or contractual obligations of our officers, directors or advisory board members will materially affect our ability to complete our initial business combination.
Below is a table summarizing the entities to which our officers and directors currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations:
Individual | | | Position | | | Entity | | | Entity’s Business | | | Affiliation | |
Richard Qi Li | | | Chairman of the board and director | | | HH&L Investment Co. | | | Capital investment | | | Director | |
| | | | | | HH&L Acquisition Co. | | | Capital investment | | | Director | |
| | | | | | Chenghe Group Limited | | | Capital investment | | | Director | |
| | | | | | Chenghe Capital Management Limited | | | Capital investment | | | Director | |
| | | | | | Chenghe Investment Private Ltd. | | | Capital investment | | | Director | |
| | | | | | Chenghe Capital Limited Partnership | | | Capital investment | | | Director | |
Shibin Wang | | | Chief executive officer and director | | | Hong Kong Digital Asset Ex Ltd. | | | Digital asset exchange platform | | | Co-founder, Director, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Business Officer | |
| | | | | | Tykhe Capital Limited | | | Capital investment | | | Director | |
Kwan Sun | | | Independent director nominee | | | Millburn Advisory LLC | | | Capital investment | | | Managing partner | |
Anna Zhou | | | Chief financial officer | | | Chenghe Investment Private Ltd. | | | Capital investment | | | Director | |
Ning Ma | | | Independent director nominee | | | Lingfeng Capital Partners, Limited | | | Capital investment | | | Founding partner | |
| | | | | | Bank of Communication International Limited | | | Banking services | | | Independent director | |
| | | | | | Ant Consumer Finance Company | | | Financial services | | | Independent director | |
| | | | | | China Renaissance Securities (Hong Kong) Limited | | | Financial services | | | Independent director | |
Potential investors should also be aware of the following other potential conflicts of interest:
•
Our officers and directors and advisory board members are not required to, and will not, commit their full time to our affairs, which may result in a conflict of interest in allocating their time between our operations and our search for a business combination and their other businesses. We do not intend to have any full-time employees prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Each of our officers is engaged in several other business endeavors for which he may be entitled to substantial compensation, and our officers are not obligated to contribute any specific number of hours per week to our affairs.
•
Our initial shareholders purchased founder shares prior to the date of this prospectus and will purchase private placement warrants in a transaction that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. Our sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to
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their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Additionally, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. Furthermore, our sponsor, officers, directors and advisory board members have agreed not to transfer, assign or sell any of their founder shares and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion thereof until the earlier to occur of: (i) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or (ii) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the closing price of our Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub- divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, the founder shares will be released from the lockup. The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the private placement warrants) will not be transferable until 30 days following the completion of our initial business combination. Because each of our officers, director nominees and advisory board members will own ordinary shares or warrants directly or indirectly, they may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination.
•
Our officers and directors and advisory board members may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors or advisory board members, as the case may be, was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or advisory board members or completing the business combination through a joint venture or other form of shared ownership with our sponsor, officers or directors or advisory board members. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a business combination target that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors or advisory board members, we, or a committee of independent directors, would obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking which is a member of FINRA or a valuation or appraisal firm, that such initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view. We are not required to obtain such an opinion in any other context. Furthermore, in no event will our sponsor, any of our existing officers or directors, or advisory board members or any of their respective affiliates, be paid by the company any finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation prior to, or for any services they render in order to effectuate, the completion of our initial business combination. Further, commencing on the date on which our securities are first listed on Nasdaq, we will also pay our sponsor $15,000 per month for office space, utilities, and secretarial and administrative services provided to us pursuant to a services agreement.
We cannot assure you that any of the above mentioned conflicts will be resolved in our favor.
In the event that we submit our initial business combination to our public shareholders for a vote, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to vote their founder shares, and they and the other members of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and any shares purchased during or after the offering in favor of our initial business combination.
Limitation on Liability and Indemnification of Officers, Directors and Advisory Board Members
Cayman Islands law does not limit the extent to which a company’s memorandum and articles of association may provide for indemnification of officers, directors and advisory board members, except to the extent any such provision may be held by the Cayman Islands courts to be contrary to public policy, such as to provide indemnification against willful default, fraud or the consequences of committing a crime. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association will provide for indemnification of our officers, directors and advisory board members to the maximum extent permitted by law, including for any liability incurred in their capacities as such, except through their own actual fraud, willful default or willful neglect. We will enter
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into agreements with our directors and officers to provide contractual indemnification in addition to the indemnification provided for in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. We expect to purchase a policy of directors’, officers’ and advisory board members’ liability insurance that insures our officers, directors and advisory board members against the cost of defense, settlement or payment of a judgment in some circumstances and insures us against our obligations to indemnify our officers, directors and advisory board members.
Our officers and directors and advisory board members have agreed, and we will require any future member of our advisory board to agree, to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies in the trust account, and have agreed to waive any right, title, interest or claim of any kind they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any services provided to us and will not seek recourse against the trust account for any reason whatsoever. Accordingly, any indemnification provided will only be able to be satisfied by us if (i) we have sufficient funds outside of the trust account or (ii) we consummate an initial business combination.
Our indemnification obligations may discourage shareholders from bringing a lawsuit against our officers or directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against our officers, directors and advisory board members, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our shareholders.
Furthermore, a shareholder’s investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against our officers, directors and advisory board members pursuant to these indemnification provisions.
We believe that these provisions, the insurance and the indemnity agreements are necessary to attract and retain talented and experienced officers, directors and advisory board members.
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PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDERS
The following table sets forth information regarding the beneficial ownership of our ordinary shares as of the date of this prospectus, and as adjusted to reflect the sale of our Class A ordinary shares included in the units offered by this prospectus, and assuming no purchase of units in this offering, by:
•
each person known by us to be the beneficial owner of more than 5% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares;
•
each of our officers, directors and director nominees; and
•
all our officers and directors as a group.
Unless otherwise indicated, we believe that all persons named in the table have sole voting and investment power with respect to all of our ordinary shares beneficially owned by them. The following table does not reflect record or beneficial ownership of the private placement warrants as these warrants are not exercisable within 60 days of the date of this prospectus.
On April 8, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering expenses in exchange for 7,187,500 founder shares. On June 20, 2021 and on December 28, 2021, respectively, our sponsor surrendered and forfeited to us 1,437,500 founder shares for no consideration, following which, our sponsor holds 4,312,500 founder shares. We therefore have a total number of 4,312,500 founder shares issued and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. On March 29, 2022, our sponsor further surrendered and forfeited to us 1,437,500 founder shares for no consideration, following which, our sponsor holds 2,875,000 founder shares. As a result of these surrender and forfeiture of founder shares, the per share purchase price increased to approximately $0.009 per share. On March 30, 2022, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 177,439 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees and advisory board member, for their board and advisory services, in each case for no cash consideration, including 20,000 shares to each of Kwan Sun, Robert Ewing and Ning Ma, 50,000 shares to Kenneth W. Hitchner and 67,439 shares to Dr. Zhiwei Liu, respectively. The founder shares transferred to Kwan Sun, Robert Ewing, Ning Ma and Kenneth W. Hitchner will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. Currently, our sponsor holds 2,697,561 of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares. Prior to the initial investment in the company of $25,000 by the sponsor, the company had no assets, tangible or intangible. The purchase price of the founder shares was determined by dividing the amount of cash contributed to the company by the number of founder shares issued. The number of founder shares issued and outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 11,500,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares after this offering. Up to 375,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised. The post-offering percentages in the following table assume that the underwriters do not exercise their over-allotment option, that 375,000 founder shares have been surrendered to us for no consideration, and that there are 12,500,000 ordinary shares issued and outstanding after this offering.
| | | Number of Shares Beneficially Owned(2) | | | Approximate Percentage of Issued and Outstanding Ordinary Shares | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | | Before Offering | | | After Offering | | | Before Offering | | | After Offering | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| | | Class A | | | Class B | | | Class A | | | Class B | | | Class A | | | Class B | | | Class A | | | Class B | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Name and Address of Beneficial Owner(1) | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Chenghe Investment Co.(3)(4) . . . . . . . . | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,697,561 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,331,707 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 93.8% | | | | | | — | | | | | | 18.7% | | |
Richard Qi Li(3)(4) . | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,697,561 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,331,707 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 93.8% | | | | | | — | | | | | | 18.7% | | |
Shibin Wang . . . . . | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Anna Zhou . . . . . . | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | | | | | — | | |
Kwan Sun. . . . . . . . | | | | | — | | | | | | 20,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 20,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | * | | | | | | — | | | | | | * | | |
Ning Ma. . . . . . . . . | | | | | — | | | | | | 20,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 20,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | * | | | | | | — | | | | | | * | | |
Robert Ewing. . . . . | | | | | — | | | | | | 20,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 20,000 | | | | | | — | | | | | | * | | | | | | — | | | | | | * | | |
All officers, directors and director nominees as a group (six individuals)(3) . . . | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,757,561 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 2,391,707 | | | | | | — | | | | | | 95.9% | | | | | | — | | | | | | 19.1% | | |
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*
Less than one percent.
(1)
Unless otherwise noted, the business address of each of the following is 38 Beach Road #29-11, South Beach Tower Singapore 189767.
(2)
Interests shown consist solely of founder shares, classified as Class B ordinary shares. Such shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment, as described in the section entitled “Description of Securities.”
(3)
Chenghe Investment Co., our sponsor, is the record holder of such shares. Chenghe Group Limited, a British Virgin Islands incorporated company, is the sole member and the manager of our sponsor. Mr. Richard Qi Li, who holds 100% of the voting securities of Chenghe Group Limited, may be entitled distributions of the founder shares and has voting and investment discretion with respect to the ordinary shares held by Chenghe Group Limited through held of record by Chenghe Investment Co. Mr. Richard Qi Li disclaims beneficial ownership over any securities owned by our sponsor other than to the extent of any pecuniary interest he may have therein, directly or indirectly.
(4)
Before closing amount includes up to 375,000 founder shares that will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised.
Immediately after this offering, our initial shareholders will beneficially own 20% of the then issued and outstanding ordinary shares (assuming they do not purchase any units in this offering). Only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on (i) the appointment of directors or (ii) continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands) prior to the completion of our initial business combination. Holders of our public shares will not have the right to elect any directors to our board of directors prior to our initial business combination. Because of this ownership block, our initial shareholders may be able to effectively influence the outcome of all other matters requiring approval by our shareholders, including amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approval of significant corporate transactions including our initial business combination.
Our sponsor has committed, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 private placement warrants (or 7,750,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will occur simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants sold in this offering except that the private placement warrants, (i) will not be redeemable by us, (ii) may not (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) will be entitled to registration rights. The private placement warrants may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder. A portion of the purchase price of the private placement warrants will be added to the proceeds from this offering to be held in the trust account such that at the time of closing of this offering $103,000,000 (or $118,450,000 if the underwriters exercise their over-allotment option in full) will be held in the trust account. If we do not complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, the private placement warrants will expire worthless. The private placement warrants are subject to the transfer restrictions described below.
Our sponsor and our officers and directors are deemed to be our “promoters” as such term is defined under the federal securities laws.
Transfers of Founder Shares and Private Placement Warrants
The founder shares, private placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issued upon conversion or exercise thereof are each subject to transfer restrictions pursuant to lock-up provisions in the agreement entered into by our sponsor and management team. Those lock-up provisions provide that such securities are not transferable or salable (i) in the case of the founder shares, until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination and
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(B) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property and (ii) in the case of the private placement warrants and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion or exercise thereof, until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination except in each case (a) to our officers or directors, any affiliate or family member of any of our officers or directors, any affiliate of our sponsor or to any member of the sponsor or any of their affiliates, (b) in the case of an individual, as a gift to such person’s immediate family or to a trust, the beneficiary of which is a member of such person’s immediate family, an affiliate of such person or to a charitable organization; (c) in the case of an individual, by virtue of laws of descent and distribution upon death of such person; (d) in the case of an individual, pursuant to a qualified domestic relations order; (e) by private sales or transfers made in connection with any forward purchase agreement or similar arrangement or in connection with the consummation of a business combination at prices no greater than the price at which the shares or warrants were originally purchased; (f) by virtue of the laws of the Cayman Islands or our Sponsor’s memorandum and articles of association upon winding-up and liquidation of our Sponsor, (g) in the event of our liquidation prior to our consummation of our initial business combination; or (h) in the event that, subsequent to our consummation of an initial business combination, we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction which results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property; provided, however, that in the case of clauses (a) through (f) these permitted transferees must enter into a written agreement agreeing to be bound by these transfer restrictions and the other restrictions contained in the letter agreements.
Registration Rights
The holders of the (i) founder shares, which were issued in a private placement prior to the closing of this offering, (ii) private placement warrants, which will be issued in a private placement simultaneously with the closing of this offering and the Class A ordinary shares underlying such private placement warrants and (iii) private placement warrants that may be issued upon conversion of working capital loans will have registration rights to require us to register a sale of any of our securities held by them pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of this offering. Pursuant to the registration rights agreement and assuming the underwriters exercise their over- allotment option in full and $1,500,000 of working capital loans are converted into private placement warrants, we will be obligated to register up to 12,125,000 Class A ordinary shares and 9,250,000 warrants. The number of Class A ordinary shares includes (i) 2,875,000 Class A ordinary shares to be issued upon conversion of the founder shares, (ii) 7,750,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants and (iii) 1,500,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying the private placement warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans. The number of warrants includes (i) 7,750,000 private placement warrants and (ii) 1,500,000 private placement warrants issued upon conversion of working capital loans. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that we register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to our completion of our initial business combination. We will bear the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.
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CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS
On April 8, 2021, our sponsor paid $25,000, or approximately $0.003 per share, to cover certain of our offering expenses in exchange for 7,187,500 founder shares. On June 20, 2021 and on December 28, 2021, respectively, our sponsor surrendered and forfeited to us 1,437,500 founder shares for no consideration, following which, our sponsor holds 4,312,500 founder shares. On March 29, 2022, our sponsor further surrendered and forfeited to us 1,437,500 founder shares for no consideration, following which, our sponsor holds 2,875,000 founder shares. As a result of these surrender and forfeiture of founder shares, the per share purchase price increased to approximately $0.009 per share. On March 30, 2022, our sponsor transferred an aggregate of 177,439 of its founder shares to our independent director nominees and advisory board member, for their board and advisory services, in each case for no cash consideration, including 20,000 shares to each of Kwan Sun, Robert Ewing and Ning Ma, 50,000 shares to Kenneth W. Hitchner and 67,439 shares to Dr. Zhiwei Liu, respectively. The founder shares transferred to Kwan Sun, Robert Ewing, Ning Ma and Kenneth W. Hitchner will not be subject to forfeiture in the event the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised. Currently, our sponsor holds 2,697,561 of our outstanding Class B ordinary shares. We therefore have a total number of 2,875,000 founder shares issued and outstanding as of the date of this prospectus. The number of founder shares issued and outstanding was determined based on the expectation that the total size of this offering would be a maximum of 11,500,000 units if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full, and therefore that such founder shares would represent 20% of the issued and outstanding shares after this offering. Up to 375,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised. If we increase or decrease the size of the offering, we will effect a share capitalization or a share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares immediately prior to the consummation of this offering in such amount as to maintain the number of founder shares at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
Our sponsor has committed to, pursuant to a written agreement, to purchase an aggregate of 7,000,000 private placement warrants (or 7,750,000 warrants if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full), each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or $7,000,000 in the aggregate (or $7,750,000 if the underwriters’ over- allotment option is exercised in full), in a private placement that will close simultaneously with the closing of this offering. The private placement warrants will be identical to the warrants sold in this offering except that the private placement warrants, (i) will not be redeemable by us, (ii) may not (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of these warrants), subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holders until 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, (iii) may be exercised by the holders on a cashless basis and (iv) will be entitled to registration rights. The private placement warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise thereof) may not, subject to certain limited exceptions, be transferred, assigned or sold by the holder.
No compensation of any kind, including finder’s and consulting fees, will be paid by the company to our sponsor, officers and directors, or any of their respective affiliates, for services rendered prior to or in connection with the completion of an initial business combination. However, these individuals will be reimbursed for any out-of-pocket expenses incurred in connection with activities on our behalf such as identifying potential target businesses and performing due diligence on suitable business combinations. Our audit committee will review on a quarterly basis all payments that were made to our sponsor, officers, directors or advisory board members, or our or their affiliates.
Prior to the closing of this offering, our sponsor may loan us funds to be used for a portion of the expenses of this offering. These loans would be non-interest bearing, unsecured and are due at the earlier of June 30, 2022 or the closing of this offering.
In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial business combination, our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor or certain of our officers and directors may, but are not obligated to, loan us funds as may be required on a non-interest basis. If we complete an initial business combination, we would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial business combination does not close, we may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from our trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans may be convertible into private placement warrants of the post business combination entity at a price of $1.00 per
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warrant at the option of the lender. Such warrants would be identical to the private placement warrants. Except as set forth above, the terms of such loans, if any, have not been determined and no written agreements exist with respect to such loans. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, we do not expect to seek loans from parties other than our sponsor or an affiliate of our sponsor as we do not believe third parties will be willing to loan such funds and provide a waiver against any and all rights to seek access to funds in our trust account.
Any of the foregoing payments to our sponsor, repayments of loans from our sponsor or repayments of working capital loans prior to our initial business combination will be made using funds held outside the trust account.
After our initial business combination, members of our management team who remain with us may be paid consulting, management or other fees from the combined company with any and all amounts being fully disclosed to our shareholders, to the extent then known, in the proxy solicitation or tender offer materials, as applicable, furnished to our shareholders. It is unlikely the amount of such compensation will be known at the time of distribution of such tender offer materials or at the time of a general meeting held to consider our initial business combination, as applicable, as it will be up to the directors of the post- combination business to determine executive and director compensation.
We have entered into a registration rights agreement with respect to the founder shares and private placement warrants, which is described under the heading “Principal Shareholders—Registration Rights.”
Policy for Approval of Related Party Transactions
The audit committee of our board of directors will adopt a policy setting forth the policies and procedures for its review and approval or ratification of “related party transactions.” A “related party transaction” is any consummated or proposed transaction or series of transactions: (i) in which the company was or is to be a participant; (ii) the amount of which exceeds (or is reasonably expected to exceed) the lesser of $120,000 or 1% of the average of the company’s total assets at year end for the prior two completed fiscal years in the aggregate over the duration of the transaction (without regard to profit or loss); and (iii) in which a “related party” had, has or will have a direct or indirect material interest. “Related parties” under this policy will include: (i) our directors, nominees for director or officers; (ii) any record or beneficial owner of more than 5% of any class of our voting securities; (iii) any immediate family member of any of the foregoing if the foregoing person is a natural person; and (iv) any other person who maybe a “related person” pursuant to Item 404 of Regulation S-K under the Exchange Act. Pursuant to the policy, the audit committee will consider (i) the relevant facts and circumstances of each related party transaction, including if the transaction is on terms comparable to those that could be obtained in arm’s-length dealings with an unrelated third party, (ii) the extent of the related party’s interest in the transaction, (iii) whether the transaction contravenes our code of ethics or other policies, (iv) whether the audit committee believes the relationship underlying the transaction to be in the best interests of the company and its shareholders and (v) the effect that the transaction may have on a director’s status as an independent member of the board and on his or her eligibility to serve on the board’s committees. Management will present to the audit committee each proposed related party transaction, including all relevant facts and circumstances relating thereto. Under the policy, we may consummate related party transactions only if our audit committee approves or ratifies the transaction in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the policy. The policy will not permit any director or officer to participate in the discussion of, or decision concerning, a related person transaction in which he or she is the related party.
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DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES
We are a Cayman Islands exempted company with limited liability (company number 373991) and our affairs are governed by our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, the Companies Act and the common law of the Cayman Islands. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association which will take effect upon the consummation of this offering, we will be authorized to issue 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value each and 50,000,000 Class B ordinary shares $0.0001 par value each, as well as 5,000,000 preference shares, $0.0001 par value each. The following description summarizes certain terms of our shares as set out more particularly in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. Because it is only a summary, it may not contain all the information that is important to you.
Units
Public Units
Each unit has an offering price of $10.00 and consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one warrant. Each whole warrant entitles the holder thereof to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as described in this prospectus. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of the Company’s Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. For example, if a warrant holder holds one-half of one warrant to purchase a Class A ordinary share, such warrant will not be exercisable. If a warrant holder holds two halves of one warrant, such whole warrant will be exercisable for one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. The Class A ordinary shares and warrants comprising the units are expected to begin separate trading on the 52nd day following the date of this prospectus unless Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, the representative of the underwriters of this offering, informs us of its decision to allow earlier separate trading, subject to our having filed the Current Report on Form 8-K described below and having issued a press release announcing when such separate trading will begin. Once the Class A ordinary shares and warrants commence separate trading, holders will have the option to continue to hold units or separate their units into the component securities. Holders will need to have their brokers contact our transfer agent in order to separate the units into Class A ordinary shares and warrants. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant.
In no event will the Class A ordinary shares and warrants be traded separately until we have filed with the SEC a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes an audited balance sheet reflecting our receipt of the gross proceeds of this offering. We will file a Current Report on Form 8-K which includes this audited balance sheet upon the completion of this offering, which is anticipated to take place two business days after the date of this prospectus. If the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised following the initial filing of such Current Report on Form 8-K, a second or amended Current Report on Form 8-K will be filed to provide updated financial information to reflect the exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option.
Ordinary Shares
Prior to the date of this prospectus, there were 2,875,000 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding, all of which were held of record by our initial shareholders, so that our initial shareholders will own 20% of our issued and outstanding shares after this offering (assuming our initial shareholders do not purchase any units in this offering). Up to 375,000 of the founder shares will be surrendered for no consideration depending on the extent to which the underwriters’ over-allotment is exercised. Upon the closing of this offering, 12,500,000 of our ordinary shares will be issued and outstanding (assuming no exercise of the underwriters’ over-allotment option and the corresponding surrender for no consideration of 375,000 founder shares) including:
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10,000,000 Class A ordinary shares underlying units issued as part of this offering; and
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2,500,000 Class B ordinary shares held by our initial shareholders.
If we increase or decrease the size of this offering, we will effect a share capitalization or share repurchase or redemption or other appropriate mechanism, as applicable, with respect to our Class B ordinary shares
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immediately prior to the consummation of the offering in such amount as to maintain the ownership of our initial shareholders at 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares upon the consummation of this offering.
Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Prior to the completion of our initial business combination, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on (x) the appointment of directors or (y) continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands). Holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all other matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholders except as required by law. Unless specified in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of our ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by our shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of our ordinary shares who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company, and pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association; such actions include amending our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. Our board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. However, only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of our directors prior to the completion of our initial business combination, meaning that holders of Class A ordinary shares will not have the right to appoint any directors until after the completion of our initial business combination. In addition, in a vote to continue the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands), only holders of our Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote. Our shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor.
Because our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize the issuance of up to 500,000,000 Class A ordinary shares, if we were to enter into a business combination, we may (depending on the terms of such a business combination) be required to increase the number of Class A ordinary shares which we are authorized to issue at the same time as our shareholders vote on the business combination to the extent we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with only one class of directors being appointed in each year and each class (except for those directors appointed prior to our first annual general meeting) serving a three-year term.
In accordance with Nasdaq corporate governance requirements, we are not required to hold an annual general meeting until one year after our first fiscal year end following our listing on Nasdaq. There is no requirement under the Companies Act for us to hold annual or general meetings or appoint directors. We may not hold an annual general meeting to appoint new directors prior to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account calculated as of two business days prior to the consummation of our initial business combination, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein.
The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be $10.30 per public share. The per share amount we will distribute to investors who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their
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founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. Unlike many special purpose acquisition companies that hold shareholder votes and conduct proxy solicitations in conjunction with their initial business combinations and provide for related redemptions of public shares for cash upon completion of such initial business combinations even when a vote is not required by law, if a shareholder vote is not required by law and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC, and file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require these tender offer documents to contain substantially the same financial and other information about our initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under the SEC’s proxy rules. If, however, a shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other reasons, we will, like many special purpose acquisition companies, offer to redeem shares in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to the proxy rules and not pursuant to the tender offer rules. If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company. However, the participation of our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates in privately-negotiated transactions (as described in this prospectus), if any, could result in the approval of our initial business combination even if a majority of our public shareholders vote, or indicate their intention to vote, against such initial business combination. For purposes of seeking approval of an ordinary resolution, non-votes will have no effect on the approval of our initial business combination once a quorum is obtained. Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association require that at least five days’ notice will be given of any general meeting.
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to Excess Shares without our prior consent. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination. Our shareholders’ inability to redeem the Excess Shares will reduce their influence over our ability to complete our initial business combination, and such shareholders could suffer a material loss in their investment if they sell such Excess Shares on the open market.
Additionally, such shareholders will not receive redemption distributions with respect to the Excess Shares if we complete our initial business combination. And, as a result, such shareholders will continue to hold that number of shares exceeding 20% and, in order to dispose such shares would be required to sell their shares in open market transactions, potentially at a loss.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law, which requires the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders who attend and vote at a general meeting of the company where a quorum is present. In accordance with our amended memorandum and articles of association, shareholders representing at least one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, present in person or by proxy, will constitute a quorum. In such case, our sponsor and each member of our management team have agreed to vote their founder shares and public shares in favor of our initial business combination. As a result, in addition to our initial shareholders’ founder shares, we would need 3,750,001, or 37.5%, of the 10,000,000 public shares sold in this offering to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have our initial business combination approved (assuming all issued and outstanding shares are voted and the over-allotment option is not exercised). . Assuming that only one-third of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares, representing a quorum under our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, are voted, we will not need any public shares in addition to our founder shares to be voted in favor of an initial business combination in order to have an initial business combination approved. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the shareholder general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction. However, if our initial business combination is structured as a statutory merger or
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consolidation with another company under Cayman Islands law, the approval of our initial business combination will require a special resolution passed by the affirmative vote of shareholders holding a majority of not less than two thirds of the shares which, being so entitled, are voted thereon in person or by proxy at a quorate general meeting of the company or a unanimous written resolution of all of our shareholders entitled to vote at a general meeting of the company. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, if we are unable to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, we will(i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but no more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), subject to applicable law and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in the case of clauses (ii) and (iii) to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and in all cases subject to the other requirements of applicable law. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period. However, if our sponsor or management team acquire public shares in or after this offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time period.
In the event of a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the company after a business combination, our shareholders are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining available for distribution to them after payment of liabilities and after provision is made for each class of shares, if any, having preference over the ordinary shares. Our shareholders have no preemptive or other subscription rights. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the ordinary shares, except that we will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their public shares for cash at a per share price equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest earned on the funds held in the trust account and not previously released to us to pay our taxes, divided by the number of then issued and outstanding public shares, upon the completion of our initial business combination, subject to the limitations and on the conditions described herein.
Founder Shares
The founder shares are designated as Class B ordinary shares and, except as described below, are identical to the Class A ordinary shares included in the units being sold in this offering, and holders of founder shares have the same shareholder rights as public shareholders, except that (i) prior to our initial business combination, only holders of the founder shares have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and holders of a majority of our founder shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason; (ii) the founder shares are subject to certain transfer restrictions, as described in more detail below, (iii) the founder shares are entitled to registration rights; (iv) our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to (A) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with the completion of our initial business combination, (B) waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares and public shares in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we have not consummated an initial business combination within the Business Combination Period or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre- initial business combination activity, (C) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the Business Combination Period, although they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to any public shares they hold if we fail to complete our initial business combination within such time period and (D) vote any founder shares held by them and any public shares purchased during or after this offering (including in open market
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and privately-negotiated transactions) in favor of our initial business combination, (iv) the founder shares are automatically convertible into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment as described herein and in our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, and (v) only holders of Class B ordinary shares will have the right to vote on (A) the appointment of directors or (B) continuing the company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (including any special resolution required to amend the constitutional documents of the company or to adopt new constitutional documents of the company, in each case, as a result of the company approving a transfer by way of continuation in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands) prior to the completion of our initial business combination.
The founder shares will automatically convert into Class A ordinary shares concurrently with or immediately following the consummation of our initial business combination on a one-for-one basis, subject to adjustment for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like, and subject to further adjustment as provided herein. In the case that additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities are issued or deemed issued in connection with our initial business combination, the number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon conversion of all founder shares will equal, in the aggregate, 20% of the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding after such conversion (after giving effect to any redemptions of Class A ordinary shares by public shareholders), including the total number of Class A ordinary shares issued, or deemed issued or issuable upon conversion or exercise of any equity-linked securities or rights issued or deemed issued, by the Company in connection with or in relation to the consummation of the initial business combination, excluding any Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities exercisable for or convertible into Class A ordinary shares issued, or to be issued, to any seller in the initial business combination and any private placement warrants issued to our sponsor, officers or directors upon conversion of working capital loans; provided that such conversion of founder shares will never occur on a less than one-for-one basis.
With certain limited exceptions, the founder shares are not transferable, assignable or salable (except to our officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with our sponsor, each of whom will be subject to the same transfer restrictions) until the earlier of (A) one year after the completion of our initial business combination or earlier if, subsequent to our initial business combination, the closing price of the Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share sub-divisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after our initial business combination, and (B) the date following the completion of our initial business combination on which we complete a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of our shareholders having the right to exchange their Class A ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property. Up to 375,000 founder shares will be surrendered to us for no consideration depending on the exercise of the over-allotment option.
Register of Members
Under Cayman Islands law, we must keep a register of members and there will be entered therein:
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the names and addresses of the members, together with a statement of the shares held by each member and such statement shall confirm (i) the amount paid or agreed to be considered as paid, on the shares of each member, (ii) the number and category of shares held by each member, and (iii) whether each relevant category of shares held by a member carries voting rights under the articles of association of the company, and if so, whether such voting rights are conditional;
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whether voting rights are attached to the share in issue:
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the date on which the name of any person was entered on the register as a member; and
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the date on which any person ceased to be a member.
Under Cayman Islands law, the register of members of our company is prima facie evidence of the matters set out therein (i.e. the register of members will raise a presumption of fact on the matters referred to above unless rebutted) and a member registered in the register of members will be deemed as a matter of Cayman Islands law to have legal title to the shares as set against its name in the register of members. Upon the closing of this public offering, the register of members will be immediately updated to reflect the issue of shares by us. Once
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our register of members has been updated, the shareholders recorded in the register of members will be deemed to have legal title to the shares set against their name. However, there are certain limited circumstances where an application may be made to a Cayman Islands court for a determination on whether the register of members reflects the correct legal position. Further, the Cayman Islands court has the power to order that the register of members maintained by a company should be rectified where it considers that the register of members does not reflect the correct legal position. If an application for an order for rectification of the register of members were made in respect of our ordinary shares, then the validity of such shares may be subject to re-examination by a Cayman Islands court.
Preference Shares
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association authorize 5,000,000 preference shares and provide that preference shares may be issued from time to time in one or more series. Our board of directors will be authorized to fix the voting rights, if any, designations, powers, preferences, the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, applicable to the shares of each series. Our board of directors will be able to, without shareholder approval, issue preference shares with voting and other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of the ordinary shares and could have anti-takeover effects. The ability of our board of directors to issue preference shares without shareholder approval could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control of us or the removal of existing management. We have no preference shares issued and outstanding at the date hereof. Although we do not currently intend to issue any preference shares, we cannot assure you that we will not do so in the future. No preference shares are being issued or registered in this offering.
Warrants
Public Shareholders’ Warrants
Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time commencing on 30 days after the completion of our initial business combination, provided in each case that we have an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants and a current prospectus relating to them is available (or we permit holders to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis under the circumstances specified in the warrant agreement) and such shares are registered, qualified or exempt from registration under the securities, or blue sky, laws of the state of residence of the holder. Pursuant to the warrant agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of Class A ordinary shares. This means only a whole warrant may be exercised at a given time by a warrant holder. No fractional warrants will be issued upon separation of the units and only whole warrants will trade. Accordingly, unless you purchase at least two units, you will not be able to receive or trade a whole warrant. The warrants will expire five years after the completion of our initial business combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.
We will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to our satisfying our obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue a Class A ordinary share upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A ordinary share issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant. In the event that a registration statement is not effective for the exercised warrants, the purchaser of a unit containing such warrant will have paid the full purchase price for the unit solely for the Class A ordinary share underlying such unit.
We have agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen business days after the closing of our initial business combination, we will use our best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for
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the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. We will use our best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the sixtieth business day after the closing of our initial business combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when we will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if our Class A ordinary shares are a