Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-274733
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus Dated October 6, 2023)
2,666,667
Ordinary Shares
We are offering 2,666,667 ordinary shares directly to an investor in this offering at a price per ordinary share of $0.375. This offering is being made without an underwriter or placement agent and we are not paying underwriting discounts or commissions, so the proceeds to us, before expenses, will be approximately $1.0 million. We estimate the total expenses of this offering will be approximately $0.06 million. We have also granted the investor an option to purchase up to 7,811,696 additional ordinary shares at the offering price of $0.375 per share, exercisable until April 17, 2024.
Our ordinary shares are admitted to trading on AIM, a market operated by London Stock Exchange plc, under the symbol RENX. The last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on AIM on April 8, 2024 was £0.285 per ordinary share. Our American Depositary Shares, or ADSs, each representing two ordinary shares, are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol RNLX. The last reported sale price of our ADSs on Nasdaq on April 8, 2024 was $0.80 per ADS.
We are an emerging growth company as defined by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and, as such, are subject to certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus supplement and future filings. Please see Prospectus Supplement Summary Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. These risks are described under the section Risk Factors beginning on page S-5 of this prospectus supplement and page 5 of the accompanying prospectus and under similar headings in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any other state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the accuracy or adequacy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Delivery of the securities being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is expected to be made on or about April 11, 2024, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
The date of this prospectus supplement is April 5, 2024.
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This document consists of two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering of ordinary shares and also adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. The second part is the accompanying prospectus dated September 28, 2023, included in our registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-274733) that was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, on September 28, 2023 and declared effective by the SEC on October 6, 2023, along with the documents incorporated by reference, which provides more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. To the extent information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying prospectus or any of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. You should read and consider the information in both this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus together with the additional information described under the headings Where You Can Find More Information and Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but reference is made to the actual documents for complete information. All of the summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been filed, will be filed or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement is a part or other SEC filings, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described below under the heading Where You Can Find More Information.
You should assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any such related free writing prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, any such related free writing prospectus or of any sale of our ordinary shares. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free writing prospectus is accurate on any date subsequent to the date set forth on the front of the document or that any information we have incorporated by reference is correct on any date subsequent to the date of the document incorporated by reference, even though this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free writing prospectus is delivered, or ordinary shares are sold, on a later date. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you, in their entirety before making an investment decision.
We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties and covenants were accurate only as of the date when made; therefore, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurate representations of the current state of our affairs.
We obtained the industry and market data in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference herein, from our own research as well as from industry and general publications, surveys and studies conducted by third parties. These data involve a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industry in which we operate is necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those
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described in Risk Factors and elsewhere in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectuses. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent parties and by us.
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, include trademarks, service marks and trade names owned by us or others. All trademarks, service marks and trade names included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or any related free writing prospectuses are the property of their respective owners.
Unless otherwise indicated in this prospectus, Renalytix, the company, our company, we, us and our refer to Renalytix plc and its subsidiaries.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements are based on our managements current beliefs, expectations and assumptions about future events, conditions and results and on information currently available to us. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the words may, might, will, could, would, should, expect, intend, plan, objective, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, potential, continue and ongoing, or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
Any statements in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you about our expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or future events or performance are not historical facts and are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, without limitation, statements regarding:
| the timing and plans for commercialization of KidneyIntelX; |
| the timing and plans for regulatory filings and decisions; |
| our plans to maintain regulatory approval of kidneyintelX.dkd and obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for other products from our KidneyIntelX platform; |
| the potential benefits of KidneyIntelX; |
| the market opportunities for KidneyIntelX and our ability to maximize those opportunities; |
| our business strategies and goals; |
| our ability and plans to establish and maintain partnerships and projections related to future test volume as part of those partnerships; |
| our ability and plans to drive adoption of KidneyIntelX and integrate KidneyIntelX into clinical workflow; |
| estimates of our sales, revenue, expenses, cash runway and capital requirements and our need for and ability to obtain additional financing; |
| our ability to continue as a going concern; |
| third-party payor reimbursement and coverage decisions; |
| the performance of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers, |
| our expectations regarding our ability to obtain, maintain and enforce intellectual property protection for our diagnostic products and our ability to operate our business without infringing on the intellectual property rights of others; |
| our expectations regarding regulatory classification of KidneyIntelX, as well as the regulatory response to the marketing and promotion of KidneyIntelX; |
| the impact of guidelines and recommendations published by various organizations on the use of our products; |
| our expectations regarding developments relating to our competitors; |
| our ability to identify, recruit and retain key personnel; |
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| the potential for breaches of data privacy, or disruptions in our information technology systems; |
| the potential direct or indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine or Hamas-Israel armed conflict on the global economy and our business or operations; |
| our ability to satisfy the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Global Market; |
| the sufficiency of our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments to fund our operations and capital expenditure requirements; |
| our anticipated use of our existing resources and the use of proceeds from this offering; |
| any other factors which may impact our financial results or future trading prices of our ordinary shares and the impact of securities analysts reports on these prices; and |
| any other factors discussed under the headings Business, Risk Factors and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended subsequent to our filing of such Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as any amendments or updates to our risk factors reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, together with other information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, documents incorporated by reference, and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize. |
These forward-looking statements reflect our current views with respect to future events, are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these risks and uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. You should refer to the important factors in the cautionary statements included in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and the other documents incorporated herein for a discussion of important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law, applicable regulations or the rules of any stock exchange to which we are subject.
You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
In addition, statements that we believe and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus supplement, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
S-v
The following summary highlights information about us, this offering and other information contained elsewhere in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and does not contain all of the information that you need to consider in making your investment decision. For a more complete understanding of our company and this offering, you should read and consider carefully the more detailed information incorporated by reference. Investing in our securities involves risks. Therefore, carefully consider the risk factors set forth in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in our most recent filings with the SEC including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, as well as other information in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, before purchasing our securities. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities.
Company Overview
We are focused on providing doctors around the world with a safe, reliable and effective tool to identify which patients are or are not in danger of losing significant kidney function and falling into kidney failure and may require long-term dialysis or kidney transplant. Chronic kidney disease is one of the largest urgent medical needs, globally affecting an estimated 850 million people, and is responsible for an unsustainable and growing societal cost burden.
We believe an important part of the answer is preventative medicine and the ability to identify individuals with advancing chronic kidney disease early, where new drug therapies and clinical strategies have the optimal chance to stop uncontrolled disease progression.
At Renalytix, we developed KidneyIntelX.dkd, the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-authorized in vitro prognostic test that uses an artificial intelligence-enabled algorithm to aid in assessment of the risk of progressive decline in kidney function. The test is designed to predict early in the progression of kidney disease who is at risk for significant sustained decline in kidney function. Prognostic tests, such as KidneyIntelX.dkd, are not intended for diagnosing any disease or for monitoring disease progression or the effect of any therapeutic product. Rather, prognostic tests are intended to be used in conjunction with other clinical and diagnostic findings and consistent with professional standards of practice, including information obtained by alternative methods, and clinical evaluation, as appropriate. When used as intended, potential interventions can be considered early, ideally before major damage is done and when treatments can be most effective.
Recent Developments
On March 4, 2024, we announced that we had received an unsolicited approach from a large and well-capitalized publicly listed strategic diagnostics company, which is in the process of evaluating an acquisition of the entire issued, and to be issued, share capital of the Company.
Therefore, we have commenced a review of all available options, including a possible sale of the Company and/or our assets, and have commenced a formal sale process (as referred to in Note 2 on Rule 2.6 of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers) (the Formal Sale Process). The Formal Sale Process will enable the board of directors and its advisers to conduct an orderly process and engage more widely with all potentially interested parties, with a view to optimizing the outcome for our shareholders. It remains possible that, following completion of the Formal Sale Process, the board of directors will consider that the Company and its shareholders would be best served by alternative strategic options available to the Company, including by the Company continuing to trade on AIM and Nasdaq as an independent entity.
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Corporate Information
We were incorporated as a public limited company under the laws of England and Wales on March 15, 2018, with company number 11257655. Our principal executive offices in the United States are located at 1460 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, and our telephone number is +1 646 397 3970. Our registered office in the United Kingdom is located at 2 Leman Street, London, E1W9US, United Kingdom, and the telephone number of our registered office is +44 20 3139 2910. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Renalytix AI, Inc., located at 1460 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.
Our website address is www.renalytix.com. The information contained on our website or accessible through our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, and you should not consider any information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus supplement or in deciding whether to purchase our securities.
Risks Associated with Our Business
Our business is subject to a number of risks of which you should be aware before making an investment decision. These risks are discussed more fully in the Risk Factors section of this prospectus supplement immediately following this prospectus supplement summary and in the Risk Factors sections in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2023, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. These risks include the following:
| We have not generated material revenue, have incurred significant losses since our inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. |
| Our future capital needs are uncertain, and our independent registered public accounting firm has expressed in its report on our audited financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023 a substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on our ability to raise additional capital and our operations could be curtailed if we are unable to obtain the required additional funding when needed. We may not be able to do so when necessary, and/or the terms of any financings may not be advantageous to us. |
| Our limited operating history may make it difficult for you to evaluate the success of our business to date and to assess our future viability. |
| We will require substantial additional funding to commercialize and scale KidneyIntelX, which may not be available to us on acceptable terms, or at all, and, if not so available, may require us to delay, limit, curtail or discontinue our operations. |
| If we cannot continue to execute on our strategy to partner with healthcare systems to incorporate KidneyIntelX into their treatment regime and integrate their EHR systems with our technology, our revenue prospects could be significantly reduced. |
| Our ability to be profitable in the future will depend on our ability to successfully commercialize KidneyIntelX, and any other products we may develop in the future, to scale nationally in the United States. |
| KidneyIntelX is based on novel artificial intelligence technologies that are rapidly evolving. Our artificial intelligence-enabled algorithms and other technologies depend on our ability to continue to build a substantial repository of kidney disease-related data and validate additional product designs. |
| Our commercial success could be compromised if we do not obtain and maintain coverage and adequate reimbursement from third-party payorsMedicare, specificallyfor KidneyIntelX. |
| Payors from whom we may receive reimbursement are able to withdraw or decrease the amount of reimbursement provided for our products at any time in the future. |
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| If we are unable to compete successfully with respect to our current or future products, we may be unable to increase or sustain our revenues or achieve profitability. |
| Holders of our ADSs have fewer rights than our shareholders and must act through the depositary to exercise their rights. |
| The rights of our shareholders may differ from the rights typically offered to shareholders of a U.S. corporation. |
| If we fail to meet all applicable requirements of Nasdaq and Nasdaq determines to delist our ADSs, the delisting could adversely affect the market liquidity of our ADSs and the market price of our ADSs could decrease. |
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
We are an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, and will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier to occur of (a) June 30, 2026, (b) the last day of the fiscal year (1) in which we have total annual gross revenues of at least $1.235 billion or (2) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC, which means the market value of our ordinary shares and ADSs that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior December 31, or (c) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and reduced other burdens that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies.
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Ordinary shares offered by us |
2,666,667 ordinary shares. |
Ordinary shares to be outstanding immediately after this offering |
122,582,854 ordinary shares (or 130,394,550 ordinary shares if the investor exercises its option in full to purchase 7,811,696 additional shares) |
Use of proceeds |
We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the issuance and sale of our securities in this offering will be approximately $0.94 million (or $3.9 million if the investor exercises its option in full to purchase 7,811,696 additional shares), after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us. We plan to use the net proceeds from this offering primarily to support commercial sales activity as the Company continues its formal sale process. See Use of Proceeds for additional information. |
Risk factors |
Investing in our ordinary shares involves a high degree of risk. Please read the information contained in and incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement under the heading Risk Factors beginning on page S-5 of this prospectus supplement before deciding whether to invest in our ordinary shares. |
AIM Symbol for ordinary shares |
RENX |
Nasdaq Symbol for ADSs |
RNLX |
The number of ordinary shares that will be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 119,916,187 ordinary shares outstanding as of April 5, 2024, and excludes:
| 7,259,741 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of December 31, 2023, with a weighted average exercise price of £2.58 per share; |
| 12,179,489 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance pursuant to our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan with Non-Employee Sub-Plan, as well as any future increases, including annual automatic evergreen increases, in the number of ordinary shares reserved for future issuance thereunder; |
| 17,538,984 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance pursuant to our 2020 Employee Share Purchase Plan, as well as any future increases, including annual automatic evergreen increases, in the number of ordinary shares reserved for future issuance thereunder; and |
| an aggregate of 26,815,841 ordinary shares (including in the form of ADSs) as part of a private placement announced on March 12, 2024, anticipated to close in April 2024. |
Except as otherwise noted, the information in this prospectus supplement assumes no exercise of outstanding options described above.
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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should consider carefully the risks described below and under similar headings in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, as updated by our subsequent filings, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in its entirety, together with the other information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, and any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities, and the occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations.
Risks Related to this Offering and Ownership of our Ordinary Shares
If you purchase ordinary shares in this offering, you will suffer immediate dilution of your investment.
The offering price of our ordinary shares is substantially higher than the as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share. Therefore, if you purchase ordinary shares in this offering, you will pay a price per ordinary share that substantially exceeds our as adjusted net tangible book value per ordinary share after this offering. For a more detailed discussion of the foregoing, see the section entitled Dilution below. After this offering, we will also have outstanding options to purchase ordinary shares with exercise prices lower than the offering price. To the extent any outstanding options are exercised, there will be further dilution to the investor in this offering.
A significant portion of our total outstanding shares may be sold into the market in the near future. This could cause the market price of our ordinary shares to drop significantly, even if our business is doing well.
Sales of a substantial number of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market could occur at any time. If our shareholders sell, or the market perceives that our shareholders intend to sell, substantial amounts of our ordinary shares or ADSs in the public market following this offering, the market price of our ordinary shares or ADSs could decline significantly. Pursuant to the terms of recent placing agreement, we intend to file a registration statement on Form S-3 covering the resale of the ordinary shares (which may be represented by ADSs) issued pursuant to such agreement. Upon effectiveness of such registration statement, all such ordinary shares (which may be represented by ADSs) will be freely tradeable in the United States.
We will have broad discretion in the use of proceeds from this offering and may invest or spend the proceeds in ways with which you do not agree and in ways that may not increase the value of your investment.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of our cash and cash equivalents, including the net proceeds from this offering, and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of our ordinary shares. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a negative impact on our business, cause the price of our ordinary shares or ADSs to decline and delay the development of our product candidates and preclinical program. Pending their use, we may invest our cash and cash equivalents, including the net proceeds from this offering, in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value. See the section titled Use of Proceeds for additional information.
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We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the issuance and sale of our securities in this offering will be approximately $0.94 million (or $3.9 million if the investor exercises its option in full to purchase 7,811,696 additional shares), after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us.
We plan to use the net proceeds from this offering primarily to support commercial sales activity as the Company continues its formal sale process as previously announced.
We anticipate needing to raise additional capital to continue our planned operations, including conducting verification studies, commercialization efforts, expanded research and development activities and costs associated with operating a public company.
Our expected use of the net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we cannot predict with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to be received upon the completion of this offering or the amounts that we will actually spend on the uses set forth above. We believe that opportunities may exist from time to time to expand our current business through licenses with or acquisitions of, or investments in, complementary businesses, products or technologies, and we may use a portion of the net proceeds for these purposes.
Our management will have broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from this offering. The amounts and timing of our expenditures will depend upon numerous factors, including the results of our research and development efforts, the timing of regulatory submissions, our ability to obtain additional financing, the amount of cash obtained through our existing collaborations and future collaborations, if any, and any unforeseen cash needs.
Pending any use described above, we intend to invest the net proceeds of this offering in short- and intermediate-term investment-grade instruments, such as certificates of deposit or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. government.
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Since our inception, we have not declared or paid any dividends on our ADSs or ordinary shares. We intend to retain any earnings for use in our business and do not currently intend to pay dividends on our ADSs or ordinary shares.
The payment of dividends by us is governed by English law. We may by ordinary resolution of shareholders declare dividends out of profits available for distribution in accordance with the respective rights of shareholders, but no such dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the board of directors. The board of directors may from time to time pay shareholders such interim dividends as appears to the board of directors to be justified by the profits available for distribution (including any dividends at a fixed rate). Further, our existing placing agreement restricts our ability to pay any dividends. The declaration and payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon our results of operations, cash requirements, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by our indebtedness, any current or future debt agreements or applicable laws and other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant.
If we pay any dividends on our ordinary shares, we will pay those dividends, which are payable in respect of the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs to the depositary, as the registered holder of such ordinary shares, and the depositary then will pay such amounts to our ADS holders in proportion to the ordinary shares underlying the ADSs held by such ADS holders, subject to the terms of the deposit agreement, including the fees and expenses payable thereunder. See Description of American Depositary Shares of the accompanying prospectus. Cash dividends on our ordinary shares, if any, will be paid in U.S. dollars.
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If you invest in the ordinary shares, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the price per ordinary share you pay in this offering and our net tangible book value per ordinary share after this offering. Dilution results from the fact that the offering price per ordinary share in this offering is substantially in excess of the book value per ordinary share attributable to the existing shareholders for our presently outstanding ordinary shares.
Our historical net tangible book value (deficit) as of December 31, 2023 was $(8.0) million, or $(0.08) per ordinary share. Historical net tangible book value represents the amount of our total consolidated tangible assets, less the amount of our total consolidated liabilities. Dilution is determined by subtracting historical net tangible book value per ordinary share after giving effect to the additional proceeds we will receive from this offering, from the offering price of $0.375 per ordinary share, and after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us.
After giving effect to our sale of 2,666,667 ordinary shares offered in this offering at the offering price of $0.375 per ordinary share, after deducting the estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) as of December 31, 2023 would have been $(7.0) million, or $(0.07) per ordinary share. This represents an immediate further increase in net tangible book value of $0.01 per ordinary share to our existing shareholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $0.44 per ordinary share to the investor purchasing ordinary shares in this offering. The following table illustrates such dilution:
Offering price per share |
$ | 0.375 | ||||||
Net tangible book value (deficit) per share as of December 31, 2023 |
$ | (0.08 | ) | |||||
Increase per share as a result of this offering |
$ | 0.01 | ||||||
|
|
|||||||
Net tangible book value (deficit) per share after this offering |
$ | (0.07 | ) | |||||
Dilution per share to new investor |
$ | 0.44 | ||||||
|
|
The number of ordinary shares outstanding in the table above is based on 99,930,156 ordinary shares outstanding as of December 31, 2023 on an actual basis and excludes:
| 7,259,741 ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of options outstanding as of December 31, 2023, with a weighted average exercise price of £2.58 per share; |
| 12,179,489 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance pursuant to our 2020 Equity Incentive Plan with Non-Employee Sub-Plan, as well as any future increases, including annual automatic evergreen increases, in the number of ordinary shares reserved for future issuance thereunder; |
| 17,538,984 ordinary shares reserved for future issuance pursuant to our 2020 Employee Share Purchase Plan, as well as any future increases, including annual automatic evergreen increases, in the number of ordinary shares reserved for future issuance thereunder; and |
| an aggregate of 46,801,872 ordinary shares (including in the form of ADSs) as part of a private placement announced on March 12, 2024, of which 19,986,031 ordinary shares representing the first tranche closed in March 2024 and 26,815,841 ordinary shares representing the second tranche is anticipated to close in April 2024. |
If the investor exercises its option in full to purchase 7,811,696 additional shares, our as adjusted net tangible book value (deficit) as of December 31, 2023 would have been $(4.1) million, or $(0.04) per share, the dilution to new investors would be $0.41 per share and the increase in net tangible book value to existing investors would be $0.04 per share.
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To the extent that any outstanding options are exercised or new options are issued under the equity benefit plans, or we issue additional ordinary shares or other securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for ordinary shares in the future, there will be further dilution to the investor participating in this offering. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital because of market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe that we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. If we raise additional capital through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our shareholders.
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Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders
The following is a description of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to the U.S. Holders (as defined below) of owning and disposing of our ordinary shares or ADSs. It is not a comprehensive description of all tax considerations that may be relevant to a particular persons decision to acquire securities. This discussion applies only to a U.S. Holder that holds our ordinary shares or ADSs as a capital asset for tax purposes (generally, property held for investment). In addition, it does not describe all of the tax consequences that may be relevant in light of a U.S. Holders particular circumstances, including state and local tax consequences, estate tax consequences, alternative minimum tax consequences, the potential application of the Medicare contribution tax, and tax consequences applicable to U.S. Holders subject to special rules, such as:
| banks, insurance companies, and certain other financial institutions; |
| U.S. expatriates and certain former citizens or long-term residents of the United States; |
| dealers or traders in securities who use a mark-to-market method of tax accounting; |
| persons holding ordinary shares or ADSs as part of a hedging transaction, straddle, wash sale, conversion transaction or integrated transaction or persons entering into a constructive sale with respect to ordinary shares or ADSs; |
| persons whose functional currency for U.S. federal income tax purposes is not the U.S. dollar; |
| brokers, dealers or traders in securities, commodities or currencies; |
| tax-exempt entities or government organizations; |
| S corporations, partnerships, or other entities or arrangements classified as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (and investors therein); |
| regulated investment companies or real estate investment trusts; |
| persons who acquired ordinary shares or ADSs pursuant to the exercise of any employee share option or otherwise as compensation; |
| persons that own or are deemed to own ten percent or more of our shares including shares represented by ADSs (by vote or value); and |
| persons holding our ordinary shares or ADSs in connection with a trade or business, permanent establishment, or fixed base outside the United States. |
If an entity that is classified as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds ordinary shares or ADSs, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a partner will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Partnerships holding ordinary shares or ADSs and partners in such partnerships are encouraged to consult their tax advisers as to the particular U.S. federal income tax consequences of holding and disposing of ordinary shares or ADSs.
U.S. Holders that own (directly, indirectly, or constructively through the application of attribution rules) 10% or more of our total combined voting power or value could be subject to adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences pursuant to the controlled foreign corporation rules due to our ownership of a U.S. subsidiary. Such prospective holders should consult with their tax advisors as to the tax consequences of acquiring, owning and disposing of our ADSs.
The discussion is based on the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, administrative pronouncements, judicial decisions, final, temporary and proposed Treasury Regulations, and the income tax treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States, or the Treaty, all as of the date hereof, changes to any of which may affect the tax consequences described herein possibly with retroactive effect.
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A U.S. Holder is a holder who, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is a beneficial owner of our ordinary shares or ADSs who is eligible for the benefits of the Treaty and is:
(i) | a citizen or individual resident of the United States; |
(ii) | a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state therein or the District of Columbia; |
(iii) | an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
(iv) | a trust if (1) a U.S. court is able to exercise primary supervision over the administration of the trust and one or more U.S. persons have authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust or (2) the trust has a valid election to be treated as a U.S. person under applicable U.S. Treasury Regulations. |
U.S. Holders are encouraged to consult their tax advisers concerning the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of owning and disposing of ADSs in their particular circumstances.
The discussion below assumes that the representations contained in the deposit agreement are true and that the obligations in the deposit agreement and any related agreement will be complied with in accordance with their terms. Generally, a U.S. Holder of ADSs should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as holding the ordinary shares represented by the ADSs. Accordingly, no gain or loss should be recognized upon an exchange of ADSs for ordinary shares.
Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules
If we are classified as a passive foreign investment company, or a PFIC in any taxable year, a U.S. Holder will be subject to special rules generally intended to reduce or eliminate any benefits from the deferral of U.S. federal income tax that a U.S. Holder could derive from investing in a non-U.S. company that does not distribute all of its earnings on a current basis.
A non-U.S. corporation will be classified as a PFIC for any taxable year in which, after applying certain look-through rules, either:
| at least 75% of its gross income is passive income (such as interest income); or |
| at least 50% of its gross assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) is attributable to assets that produce passive income or are held for the production of passive income (including cash). |
For purposes of this test, a non-U.S. corporation will be treated as owning its proportionate share of the assets and earning our proportionate share of the income of any other corporation, the equity of which such non-U.S. corporation owns, directly or indirectly, 25% or more (by value).
Based on our analysis of our income, assets, activities and market capitalization for our taxable year ended June 30, 2023, we believe that we were classified as a PFIC for the taxable year ended June 30, 2023. The
determination of whether we are a PFIC is a fact intensive determination made on an annual basis and the applicable law is subject to varying interpretation. U.S. Holders should consult with their tax advisors regarding the implications of owning stock in a PFIC. As a result, our PFIC status may change. In particular, the total value of our assets for purposes of the asset test generally will be calculated using the market price of the ordinary shares or ADSs, which may fluctuate considerably. Fluctuations in the market price of the ordinary shares or ADSs may result in our being a PFIC for any taxable year. Even if we determine that we are not a PFIC for a taxable year, there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with our conclusion and that the IRS would not successfully challenge our position. Because of the uncertainties involved in establishing our PFIC status, our U.S. tax counsel expresses no opinion regarding our PFIC status.
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If we are classified as a PFIC in any year with respect to which a U.S. Holder owns ordinary shares or ADSs, we will continue to be treated as a PFIC with respect to such U.S. Holder in all succeeding years during which the U.S. Holder owns the ordinary shares or ADSs, regardless of whether we continue to meet the tests described above unless (i) we cease to be a PFIC and the U.S. Holder has made a deemed sale election under the PFIC rules, (ii) we cease to be a PFIC and the U.S. Holder has a valid mark-to- market election in effect (as described below) or (iii) the U.S. Holder makes a qualified electing fund election, or QEF Election, with respect to all taxable years during such U.S. Holders holding period in which we are a PFIC.
If a deemed sale election is made, a U.S. Holder will be deemed to have sold the ordinary shares or ADSs the U.S. Holder holds at their fair market value and any gain from such deemed sale would be subject to the rules described below. After the deemed sale election, so long as we do not become a PFIC in a subsequent taxable year, the U.S. Holders ordinary shares or ADSs with respect to which such election was made will not be treated as shares in a PFIC and the U.S. Holder will not be subject to the rules described below with respect to any excess distribution the U.S. Holder receives from us or any gain from an actual sale or other disposition of the ordinary shares or ADSs. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors as to the possibility and consequences of making a deemed sale election if we cease to be a PFIC and such election becomes available.
For each taxable year we are treated as a PFIC with respect to U.S. Holders, U.S. Holders will be subject to special tax rules with respect to any excess distribution such U.S. Holder receives and any gain such U.S. Holder recognizes from a sale or other disposition (including a pledge) of ordinary shares or ADSs, unless (i) such U.S. Holder makes a QEF Election with respect to all taxable years during such U.S. Holders holding period in which we are a PFIC or makes a purging election to cause a deemed sale of the ADSs at their fair market value in conjunction with a QEF Election or (ii) our ordinary shares or ADSs constitute marketable stock, and such U.S. Holder makes a mark-to-market election as discussed below. Distributions a U.S. Holder receives in a taxable year that are greater than 125% of the average annual distributions a U.S. Holder received during the shorter of the three preceding taxable years or the U.S. Holders holding period for the ordinary shares or ADSs will be treated as an excess distribution. Under these special tax rules:
| the excess distribution or gain will be allocated ratably over a U.S. Holders holding period for the ordinary shares or ADSs; |
| the amount allocated to the current taxable year, and any taxable year prior to the first taxable year in which we became a PFIC, will be treated as ordinary income; and |
| the amount allocated to each other year will be subject to the highest tax rate in effect for that year and the interest charge generally applicable to underpayments of tax will be imposed on the resulting tax attributable to each such year. |
The tax liability for amounts allocated to years prior to the year of disposition or excess distribution cannot be offset by any net operating losses for such years, and gains (but not losses) realized on the sale of the ordinary shares or ADSs cannot be treated as capital, even if a U.S. Holder holds the ordinary shares or ADSs as capital assets.
If we are a PFIC, a U.S. Holder will generally be subject to similar rules with respect to distributions we receive from, and our dispositions of the stock of, any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries that also are PFICs, as if such distributions were indirectly received by, and/or dispositions were indirectly carried out by, such U.S. Holder. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application of the PFIC rules to our subsidiaries.
If a U.S. Holder makes an effective QEF Election, the U.S. Holder will be required to include in gross income each year, whether or not we make distributions, as capital gains, such U.S. Holders pro rata share of our net capital gains and, as ordinary income, such U.S. Holders pro rata share of our earnings in excess of our net capital gains. However, a U.S. Holder can only make a QEF Election with respect to ordinary shares or ADSs in
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a PFIC if such company agrees to furnish such U.S. Holder with certain tax information annually. An electing U.S. Holders basis in ordinary shares or ADSs will be increased to reflect the amount of any taxed but undistributed income. Distributions of income that had previously been taxed will result in a corresponding reduction of basis in the ordinary shares or ADSs and may not be taxed again as distributions to the U.S. Holder.
A QEF election made with respect to the company will not apply to any non-U.S. subsidiary that is a PFIC; a QEF election must be made separately for each such subsidiary (in which case the treatment described above would apply to such subsidiary). If a U.S. Holder makes a timely QEF election with respect to a subsidiary PFIC, it would be required in each taxable year to include in gross income its pro rata share of the ordinary earnings and net capital gain of such subsidiary PFIC.
The company has made available a PFIC Annual Information Statement on its website for the taxable year ended December 31, 2023, and intends to make available to U.S. Holders, upon request and in accordance with applicable procedures and confidentiality requirements, a PFIC Annual Information Statement with respect to the Company for each future tax year in which it determines it is a PFIC. The PFIC Annual Information Statement may be used by U.S. Holders for purposes of complying with the reporting requirements applicable to a QEF election with respect to the company and any subsidiary PFIC.
U.S. Holders should note that if they make QEF Elections with respect to us (and any subsidiary PFICs), they may be required to pay U.S. federal income tax with respect to their ordinary shares or ADSs for any taxable year significantly in excess of any cash distributions (which are expected to be zero) received on the ordinary shares or ADSs for such taxable year. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding PFIC investments and making QEF elections based on their particular circumstances.
U.S. Holders can avoid the interest charge on excess distributions or gain relating to the ordinary shares or ADSs by making a mark-to-market election with respect to the ordinary shares or the ADSs, provided that the ordinary shares or ADSs are marketable stock. Ordinary shares or ADSs will be marketable stock if they are regularly traded on certain U.S. stock exchanges or on a non-U.S. stock exchange that meets certain conditions. For these purposes, the ordinary shares or ADSs will be considered regularly traded during any calendar year during which they are traded, other than in de minimis quantities, on at least 15 days during each calendar quarter. Any trades that have as their principal purpose meeting this requirement will be disregarded. Our ADSs will be listed on the Nasdaq, which is a qualified exchange for these purposes. Consequently, if our ADSs remain listed on the Nasdaq and are regularly traded, and you are a holder of ADSs, we expect the mark-to-market election would be available to U.S. Holders if we are a PFIC. Each U.S. Holder should consult its tax advisor as to the whether a mark-to-market election is available or advisable with respect to the ordinary shares or ADSs.
A U.S. Holder that makes a mark-to-market election must include in ordinary income for each year an amount equal to the excess, if any, of the fair market value of the ordinary shares or ADSs at the close of the taxable year over the U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in the ordinary shares or ADSs. An electing holder may also claim an ordinary loss deduction for the excess, if any, of the U.S. Holders adjusted basis in the ordinary shares or ADSs over the fair market value of the ordinary shares or ADSs at the close of the taxable year, but this deduction is allowable only to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains for prior years. Gains from an actual sale or other disposition of the ordinary shares or ADSs will be treated as ordinary income, and any losses incurred on a sale or other disposition of the ordinary shares or ADSs will be treated as an ordinary loss to the extent of any net mark-to-market gains for prior years. Once made, the election cannot be revoked without the consent of the Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, unless the ordinary shares or ADSs cease to be marketable stock.
However, a mark-to-market election generally cannot be made for equity interests in any lower-tier PFICs that we own, unless shares of such lower-tier PFIC are themselves marketable stock. As a result, even if a U.S. Holder validly makes a mark-to-market election with respect to our ordinary shares or ADSs, the U.S. Holder
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may continue to be subject to the PFIC rules (described above) with respect to its indirect interest in any of our investments that are treated as an equity interest in a PFIC for U.S. federal income tax purposes. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors as to the availability and desirability of a mark-to-market election, as well as the impact of such election on interests in any lower-tier PFICs.
Unless otherwise provided by the U.S. Treasury, each U.S. shareholder of a PFIC is required to file an annual report containing such information as the U.S. Treasury may require. A U.S. Holders failure to file the annual report will cause the statute of limitations for such U.S. Holders U.S. federal income tax return to remain open with regard to the items required to be included in such report until three years after the U.S. Holder files the annual report, and, unless such failure is due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, the statute of limitations for the U.S. Holders entire U.S. federal income tax return will remain open during such period. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding the requirements of filing such information returns under these rules.
Taxation of Distributions
Subject to the discussion above under Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules, distributions paid on ordinary shares or ADSs, other than certain pro rata distributions of ordinary shares or ADSs, will generally be treated as dividends to the extent paid out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits (as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles). Because we may not calculate our earnings and profits under U.S. federal income tax principles, we expect that distributions generally will be reported to U.S. Holders as dividends. Subject to applicable limitations, dividends paid to certain non-corporate U.S. Holders may be taxable at preferential rates applicable to qualified dividend income. However, the qualified dividend income treatment will not apply if we are treated as a PFIC with respect to the U.S. Holder for the taxable year in which a dividend is paid or the preceding year. The amount of the dividend will be treated as foreign-source dividend income to U.S. Holders and will not be eligible for the dividends-received deduction generally available to U.S. corporations under the Code. Dividends will generally be included in a U.S. Holders income on the date of the U.S. Holders receipt of the dividend. The amount of any dividend income paid in foreign currency will be the U.S. dollar amount calculated by reference to the exchange rate in effect on the date of actual or constructive receipt, regardless of whether the payment is in fact converted into U.S. dollars. If the dividend is converted into U.S. dollars on the date of receipt, a U.S. Holder should not be required to recognize foreign currency gain or loss in respect of the dividend income. A U.S. Holder may have foreign currency gain or loss if the dividend is converted into U.S. dollars after the date of receipt. Such gain or loss would generally be treated as U.S.-source ordinary income or loss. The amount of any distribution of property other than cash (and other than certain pro rata distributions of ordinary shares or ADSs or rights to acquire ADSs) will be the fair market value of such property on the date of distribution.
For foreign tax credit purposes, our dividends will generally be treated as passive category income. Because no U.K. income taxes will be withheld from dividends on ordinary shares or ADSs, there will be no creditable foreign taxes associated with any dividends that a U.S. Holder will receive.
Sale or Other Taxable Disposition of ADSs
Subject to the discussion above under Passive Foreign Investment Company Rules, gain or loss realized on the sale or other taxable disposition of ordinary shares or ADSs will be capital gain or loss, and will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holder held the ordinary shares or ADSs for more than one year. The amount of the gain or loss will equal the difference between the U.S. Holders tax basis in the ordinary shares or ADSs disposed of and the amount realized on the disposition, in each case as determined in U.S. dollars. This gain or loss will generally be U.S.-source gain or loss for foreign tax credit purposes. The deductibility of capital losses is subject to limitations.
If the consideration received by a U.S. Holder is not paid in U.S. dollars, the amount realized will be the U.S. dollar value of the payment received determined by reference to the spot rate of exchange on the date of the sale or other disposition. However, if the ordinary shares or ADSs are treated as traded on an established
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securities market and a U.S. Holder is either a cash basis taxpayer or an accrual basis taxpayer that has made a special election (which must be applied consistently from year to year and cannot be changed without the consent of the IRS), such U.S. Holder will determine the U.S. dollar value of the amount realized in a non-U.S. dollar currency by translating the amount received at the spot rate of exchange on the settlement date of the sale. If a U.S. Holder is an accrual basis taxpayer that is not eligible to or does not elect to determine the amount realized using the spot rate on the settlement date, such U.S. Holder will recognize foreign currency gain or loss to the extent of any difference between the U.S. dollar amount realized on the date of sale or disposition and the U.S. dollar value of the currency received at the spot rate on the settlement date.
WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE IMPACT OF OUR PFIC STATUS ON YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE ORDINARY SHARES OR ADSs AS WELL AS THE APPLICATION OF THE PFIC RULES TO YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE ORDINARY SHARES OR ADSs.
Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Payments of dividends and sales proceeds that are made within the United States or through certain U.S.-related financial intermediaries generally are subject to information reporting, and may be subject to backup withholding, unless (i) the U.S. Holder is a corporation or other exempt recipient or (ii) in the case of backup withholding, the U.S. Holder provides a correct taxpayer identification number and certifies that it is not subject to backup withholding (generally, by providing an IRS Form W-9).
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. The amount of any backup withholding from a payment to a U.S. Holder will be allowed as a credit against the holders U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle it to a refund, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Information with Respect to Foreign Financial Assets
Certain U.S. Holders who are individuals (and, under regulations, certain entities) may be required to report information relating to the ordinary shares or ADSs, subject to certain exceptions (including an exception for ordinary shares or ADSs held in accounts maintained by certain U.S. financial institutions). Such U.S. Holders who fail to timely furnish the required information may be subject to a penalty. Additionally, if a U.S. Holder does not file the required information, the statute of limitations with respect to tax returns of the U.S. Holder to which the information relates may not close until three years after such information is filed. U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisers regarding their reporting obligations with respect to their ownership and disposition of the ordinary shares or ADSs.
U.K. Taxation
The following is intended as a general guide to current U.K. tax law and HM Revenue & Customs, or HMRC, published practice applying as at the date of this prospectus supplement (both of which are subject to change at any time, possibly with retrospective effect) relating to the holding of ordinary shares or ADSs. It does not constitute legal or tax advice and does not purport to be a complete analysis of all U.K. tax considerations relating to the holding of ordinary shares or ADSs, or all of the circumstances in which holders of ordinary shares or ADSs may benefit from an exemption or relief from U.K. taxation. It is written on the basis that we do not (and will not) directly or indirectly derive 75% or more of our qualifying asset value from U.K. land, and that we are and remain solely resident in the United Kingdom for tax purposes and will therefore be subject to the U.K. tax regime and not the U.S. tax regime save as set out above under Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations for U.S. Holders.
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Except to the extent that the position of non-U.K. resident persons is expressly referred to, this guide relates only to persons who are resident (and, in the case of individuals, domiciled or deemed domiciled and to whom split-year treatment does not apply) for tax purposes solely in the United Kingdom and do not have a permanent establishment, branch, agency (or equivalent) or fixed base in any other jurisdiction with which the holding of the ordinary shares or ADSs is connected, or U.K. Holders, who are absolute beneficial owners of the ordinary shares or ADSs (where the ordinary shares or ADSs are not held through an Individual Savings Account or a Self-Invested Personal Pension) and who hold the ordinary shares or ADSs as investments.
This guide may not relate to certain classes of U.K. Holders, such as (but not limited to):
| persons who are connected with the company; |
| financial institutions; |
| insurance companies; |
| charities or tax-exempt organizations; |
| collective investment schemes; |
| pension schemes; |
| market makers, intermediaries, brokers or dealers in securities; |
| persons who have (or are deemed to have) acquired their ordinary shares or ADSs by virtue of an office or employment or who are or have been officers or employees of the company or any of its affiliates; and |
| individuals who are subject to U.K. taxation on a remittance basis. |
The decision of the First-tier Tribunal (Tax Chamber) in HSBC Holdings PLC and The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation v HMRC (2012) cast some doubt on whether a holder of a depositary receipt is the beneficial owner of the underlying shares. However, based on published HMRC guidance we would expect that HMRC will regard a holder of ADSs as holding the beneficial interest in the underlying shares and therefore these paragraphs assume that a holder of ADSs is the beneficial owner of the underlying ordinary shares and any dividends paid in respect of the underlying ordinary shares (where the dividends are regarded for U.K. purposes as that persons own income) for U.K. direct tax purposes.
THESE PARAGRAPHS ARE A SUMMARY OF CERTAIN U.K. TAX CONSIDERATIONS AND ARE INTENDED AS A GENERAL GUIDE ONLY. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT ALL HOLDERS OF ORDINARY SHARES OR ADSs OBTAIN ADVICE AS TO THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACQUISITION, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSAL OF THE ORDINARY SHARES OR ADSs IN THEIR OWN SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES FROM THEIR OWN TAX ADVISORS. IN PARTICULAR, NON-U.K. RESIDENT OR DOMICILED PERSONS ARE ADVISED TO CONSIDER THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF ANY RELEVANT DOUBLE TAXATION AGREEMENTS.
Dividends
Withholding Tax
Dividends paid by us will not be subject to any withholding or deduction for or on account of U.K. tax.
Income Tax
An individual U.K. Holder may, depending on his or her particular circumstances, be subject to U.K. tax on dividends received from the company. An individual holder of ordinary shares or ADSs who is not resident for tax purposes in the United Kingdom should not be chargeable to U.K. income tax on dividends received from the
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company unless he or she carries on (whether solely or in partnership) a trade, profession or vocation in the United Kingdom through a branch or agency to which the ordinary shares or ADSs are attributable. There are certain exceptions for trading in the United Kingdom through independent agents, such as some brokers and investment managers.
All dividends received by an individual U.K. Holder from us or from other sources will form part of that U.K. Holders total income for income tax purposes and will constitute the top slice of that income. A nil rate of income tax will apply to the first £500 of taxable dividend income received by the individual U.K. Holder in the 2024/2025 tax year. Income within the nil rate band will be taken into account in determining whether income in excess of the £500 tax-free allowance falls within the basic rate, higher rate or additional rate tax bands. Dividend income in excess of the tax-free allowance will (subject to the availability of any income tax personal allowance) be taxed at 8.75% to the extent that the excess amount falls within the basic rate tax band, 33.75% to the extent that the excess amount falls within the higher rate tax band and 39.35% to the extent that the excess amount falls within the additional rate tax band.
Corporation Tax
A corporate holder of ordinary shares or ADSs who is not resident for tax purposes in the United Kingdom should not be chargeable to U.K. corporation tax on dividends received from us unless it carries on (whether solely or in partnership) a trade in the United Kingdom through a permanent establishment to which the ordinary shares or ADSs are attributable.
Corporate U.K. Holders should not be subject to U.K. corporation tax on any dividend received from us so long as the dividends qualify for exemption, which should be the case, although certain conditions must be met. If the conditions for the exemption are not satisfied, or such U.K. Holder elects for an otherwise exempt dividend to be taxable, U.K. corporation tax will be chargeable on the amount of any dividends (at the main rate of 25% for companies with profits in excess of £250,000, or the small profits rate of 19% for companies with profits of £50,000 or less (with marginal relief from the main rate available to companies with profits between £50,000 and £250,000)).
Chargeable Gains
A disposal or deemed disposal of ordinary shares or ADSs by a U.K. Holder may, depending on the U.K. Holders circumstances and subject to any available exemptions or reliefs (such as the annual exemption), give rise to a chargeable gain or an allowable loss for the purposes of U.K. capital gains tax and corporation tax on chargeable gains.
If an individual U.K. Holder who is subject to U.K. income tax at either the higher or the additional rate is liable to U.K. capital gains tax on the disposal of ordinary shares or ADSs, the current applicable rate will be 20%. For an individual U.K. Holder who is subject to U.K. income tax at the basic rate and liable to U.K. capital gains tax on such disposal, the current applicable rate would be 10%, save to the extent that any capital gains, when aggregated with the U.K. Holders other taxable income and gains in the relevant tax year, exceed the unused basic rate tax band. In that case, the rate currently applicable to the excess would be 20%.
If a corporate U.K. Holder becomes liable to U.K. corporation tax on the disposal (or deemed disposal) of ordinary shares or ADSs, U.K. corporation tax would apply (at the main rate of 25% for companies with profits in excess of £250,000, or the small profits rate of 19% for companies with profits of £50,000 or less (with marginal relief from the main rate available to companies with profits between £50,000 and £250,000)).
A holder of ordinary shares or ADSs which is not resident for tax purposes in the United Kingdom should not normally be liable to U.K. capital gains tax or corporation tax on chargeable gains on a disposal (or deemed disposal) of ordinary shares or ADSs unless the person is carrying on (whether solely or in partnership) a trade, profession or vocation in the United Kingdom through a branch or agency (or, in the case of a corporate holder of
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ordinary shares or ADSs, through a permanent establishment) to which the ordinary shares or ADSs are attributable. However, an individual holder of ordinary shares or ADSs who has ceased to be resident for tax purposes in the United Kingdom for a period of less than five years and who disposes of ordinary shares or ADSs during that period may be liable on his or her return to the United Kingdom to U.K. tax on any capital gain realized (subject to any available exemption or relief).
Stamp Duty and Stamp Duty Reserve Tax
The discussion below relates to the holders of our ordinary shares or ADSs wherever resident, however it should be noted that special rules may apply to certain persons such as market makers, brokers, dealers or intermediaries.
Issue of Ordinary Shares
No U.K. stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax, or SDRT, is generally payable on the issue of our ordinary shares, including the ordinary shares underlying our ADSs.
Transfers of Ordinary Shares
Neither U.K. stamp duty nor SDRT should arise on transfers of our ordinary shares, including the ordinary shares underlying our ADSs (including instruments transferring such ordinary shares and agreements to transfer such ordinary shares) on the basis that such ordinary shares are admitted to trading on AIM, provided the following requirements are (and continue to be) met:
| our ordinary shares (including the ordinary shares underlying our ADSs) are admitted to trading on AIM, but are not listed on any recognized stock exchange (with the term listed being construed in accordance with section 99A of the Finance Act 1986), and this has been certified to Euroclear; and |
| AIM continues to be accepted as a recognised growth market (as construed in accordance with section 99A of the Finance Act 1986). |
In the event that either of the above requirements is not met, stamp duty or SDRT will generally apply to transfers of, or agreements to transfer, our ordinary shares including the ordinary shares underlying our ADSs. Where applicable, the purchaser normally pays the stamp duty or SDRT, other than where the transfer is to a clearance service or depositary receipt issuer (where in practice it will generally be paid by the transferors or participants).
Issue of ADSs
No U.K. stamp duty or SDRT is payable on the issue of ADSs in the company.
Transfers of ADSs
No SDRT should be required to be paid on a paperless transfer of ADSs through the clearance service facilities of DTC, provided that no election under section 97A of the U.K. Finance Act 1986 has been made by DTC, and such ADSs are held through DTC at the time of any agreement for their transfer.
No U.K. stamp duty will in practice be payable on a written instrument transferring an ADS provided that the instrument of transfer is executed and remains at all times outside the United Kingdom. Where these conditions are not met, the transfer of, or agreement to transfer, an ADS could, depending on the circumstances, attract a charge to U.K. stamp duty at the rate of 0.5% of the amount or value of the consideration. If it is necessary to pay stamp duty, it may also be necessary to pay interest and penalties.
F. Dividends and paying agents.
Not applicable.
S-18
We are selling 2,666,667 ordinary shares offered under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus directly to an investor, or the Investor, in this offering at a price of $0.375 per share. We have also granted the investor an option to purchase up to 7,811,696 additional ordinary shares at the offering price of $0.375 per share, exercisable until April 17, 2024. We have entered into a securities purchase agreement, dated as of April 5, 2024, or Securities Purchase Agreement, with the Investor relating to the sale of these ordinary shares.
We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the issuance and sale of our securities in this offering will be approximately $0.94 million (or $3.9 million if the investor exercises its option in full to purchase 7,811,696 additional shares), after deducting the estimated offering expenses of $0.06 million payable by us.
The shares were offered directly to the Investor without a placement agent, underwriter, broker or dealer.
The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Securities Purchase Agreement were made solely for the benefit of us and the Investor. In addition, such representations, warranties and covenants (i) are intended as a way of allocating the risk between us and the Investor and not as statements of fact, and (ii) may apply standards of materiality in a way that is different from what may be viewed as material by shareholders of, or other investors in, our company. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations and warranties may change after the date of the Securities Purchase Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in public disclosures.
A copy of the Securities Purchase Agreement will be filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference into the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus form a part.
We currently anticipate that the closing of the sale of the ordinary shares will take place on or about April 11, 2024, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
Our ordinary shares are admitted to trading on AIM, a market operated by London Stock Exchange plc under the trading symbol RENX. Our ADSs are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol RNLX.
S-19
We are being represented by Cooley LLP with respect to certain legal matters as to United States federal securities and New York State law. The validity of the ordinary shares offered in this offering and certain other matters of English law will be passed upon for us by Cooley (UK) LLP.
The consolidated financial statements of Renalytix plc appearing in Renalytix plcs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2023, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph describing conditions that raise substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements), included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The registered business address of Ernst & Young LLP is 99 Wood Avenue South, Iselin, New Jersey 08830.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
This prospectus supplement is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus supplement does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. For further information with respect to us and the securities we are offering under this prospectus supplement, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part of the registration statement. Neither we nor any agent, underwriter or dealer has authorized any person to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front page of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement or any sale of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement.
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public at the SECs website at www.sec.gov. You also may access these filings on our website at www.renalytix.com. We do not incorporate the information on our website into this prospectus supplement and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus supplement (other than those filings with the SEC that we specifically incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement).
S-20
INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference information into this prospectus supplement the information we have filed with the SEC. Incorporation by reference allows us to disclose important information to you by referring you to those other documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus supplement, and information that we file later with the SEC will also be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents and will automatically update and supersede previously filed information, including information contained in this document.
This prospectus supplement incorporates by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:
| Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2023; |
| Our Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on October 6, 2023; |
| our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on November 14, 2023, and for the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2023, filed with the SEC on February 14, 2024; |
| Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 3, 2023 (except for the information furnished under Item 7.01 and the exhibit thereto) and September 8, 2023 (except for the information furnished under Item 7.01 and the exhibit thereto), October 24, 2023, December 8, 2023, December 18, 2023 (except for the information furnished under Item 7.01 and the exhibit thereto), December 29, 2023, March 13, 2024 and April 8, 2024; and |
| The description of our ordinary shares and ADSs contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, as filed with the SEC under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act on July 13, 2020, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description (File No. 001-39387). |
We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement all documents (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) that are filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (i) after the date of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement forms a part and prior to effectiveness of the registration statement, or (ii) after the date of this prospectus supplement but prior to the termination of the offering.
Unless expressly incorporated by reference, nothing in this prospectus supplement shall be deemed to incorporate by reference information furnished to, but not filed with, the SEC. Copies of all documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, other than exhibits to those documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, will be provided at no cost to each person, including any beneficial owner, who receives a copy of this prospectus supplement on the written or oral request of that person made to:
Renalytix plc
2 Leman Street
London E1W 9US
United Kingdom
+44 20 3139 2910
You may also access these documents on our website, www.renalytix.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus supplement. We have included our website address in this prospectus supplement solely as an inactive textual reference.
S-21
You should rely only on information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus supplement or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. We are not making offers to sell the securities in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.
S-22
PROSPECTUS
$200,000,000
Ordinary Shares
American Depositary Shares representing Ordinary Shares
Debt Securities
Warrants
From time to time, we may offer and sell up to an aggregate amount of $200,000,000 of any combination of the securities described in this prospectus, either individually or in combination with other securities. We may also offer American Depositary Shares (ADSs), representing ordinary shares upon conversion of or exchange for the debt securities or upon the exercise of the warrants.
We will provide the specific terms of these offerings and securities in one or more supplements to this prospectus. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you in connection with these offerings. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectuses may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectuses, as well as any documents incorporated by reference, before buying any of the securities being offered.
Our ADSs are traded on the Nasdaq Global Market, or Nasdaq, under the symbol RNLX. Our ordinary shares trade on AIM, a market operated by London Stock Exchange plc, under the symbol RENX. On September 27, 2023, the closing sale price of our ADSs was $1.96 per ADS on Nasdaq. The last reported sale price of our ordinary shares on AIM on September 27, 2023 was £0.78 per ordinary share. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to other listings, if any, on the Nasdaq Global Market or other securities exchange of the securities covered by the applicable prospectus supplement.
We are an emerging growth company as defined by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 and, as such, are subject to certain reduced public company reporting requirements for this prospectus and future filings. Please see Prospectus Summary Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our securities, you should consider carefully the risks that we have described on page 5 of this prospectus under the caption Risk Factors and under the caption Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We may also include specific risk factors in supplements to this prospectus under the caption Risk Factors.
This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
Our securities may be sold directly by us to you, through agents designated from time to time or to or through underwriters or dealers. For additional information on the methods of sale, you should refer to the section titled Plan of Distribution in this prospectus and in the applicable prospectus supplement. If any underwriters or agents are involved in the sale of our securities with respect to which this prospectus is being delivered, the names of such underwriters or agents and any applicable fees, commissions or discounts and over-allotment options will be set forth in a prospectus supplement. The price to the public of such securities and the net proceeds that we expect to receive from such sale will also be set forth in a prospectus supplement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2023.
TABLE OF PROSPECTUS CONTENTS
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i
This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, using a shelf registration process. Under this shelf registration statement, we may, from time to time, offer and sell, either individually or in combination, in one or more offerings, up to a total dollar amount of $200,000,000 of any combination of the securities described in this prospectus.
This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain more specific information about the terms of that offering. We may also authorize one or more free writing prospectuses to be provided to you that may contain material information relating to these offerings. The prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectuses that we may authorize to be provided to you may also add, update or change any of the information contained in this prospectus or in the documents that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We urge you to read carefully this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectuses we have authorized for use in connection with a specific offering, together with the information incorporated herein by reference as described under the heading Incorporation of Documents by Reference, before buying any of the securities being offered.
We have not authorized any other person to provide you with any information or to make any representations other than those contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus, any related prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectuses prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any related prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, any related prospectus supplement and in any free writing prospectuses that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus, any related prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and any free writing prospectuses that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, in their entirety before making an investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in the sections of this prospectus captioned Where You Can Find Additional Information and Incorporation of Documents by Reference.
We are not making an offer to sell or soliciting an offer to buy our securities in any jurisdiction in which an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making that offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, our securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement or free writing prospectuses and the offering of our securities in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement or free writing prospectuses must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of our securities and the distribution of this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement outside the United States. This prospectus and any related prospectus supplement or free writing prospectuses does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.
We obtained the industry and market data in this prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference herein, from our own research as well as from industry and general publications, surveys and studies conducted by third parties. These data involve a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industry in which we operate is necessarily subject to a high
i
degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in Risk Factors and elsewhere in this prospectus, any related prospectus supplement, documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any related or free writing prospectuses. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent parties and by us.
This prospectus and any related prospectus supplement, including the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any related prospectus supplement, include trademarks, service marks and trade names owned by us or others. All trademarks, service marks and trade names included or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any related prospectus supplement or any related free writing prospectuses are the property of their respective owners.
Unless otherwise indicated in this prospectus, Renalytix, the company, our company, we, us and our refer to Renalytix plc and its subsidiaries.
ii
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the words may, might, will, could, would, should, expect, intend, plan, objective, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, potential, continue and ongoing, or the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology intended to identify statements about the future. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from the information expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements.
The forward-looking statements and opinions contained in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus are based upon information available to us as of the date of this prospectus and, while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:
| the timing and plans for commercialization of KidneyIntelX; |
| the timing and plans for regulatory filings and decisions; |
| our plans to maintain regulatory approval of kidneyintelX.dkd and obtain and maintain regulatory approvals for other products from our KidneyIntelX platform; |
| the potential benefits of KidneyIntelX; |
| the market opportunities for KidneyIntelX and our ability to maximize those opportunities; |
| our business strategies and goals; |
| our ability and plans to establish and maintain partnerships and projections related to future test volume as part of those partnerships; |
| our ability and plans to drive adoption of KidneyIntelX and integrate KidneyIntelX into clinical workflow; |
| estimates of our sales, revenue, expenses and capital requirements and our need for and ability to obtain additional financing; |
| our ability to continue as a going concern; |
| third-party payor reimbursement and coverage decisions; |
| the performance of our third-party suppliers and manufacturers, |
| our expectations regarding our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property protection for our diagnostic products and our ability to operate our business without infringing on the intellectual property rights of others; |
| our expectations regarding regulatory classification of KidneyIntelX, as well as the regulatory response to the marketing and promotion of KidneyIntelX; |
| our expectations regarding the inclusion of KidneyIntelX in the final version of the KDIGO 2023 Clinical Practice Guideline for Evaluation and Management of Chronic Kidney Disease; |
| the impact of guidelines and recommendations published by various organizations on the use of our products; |
| our expectations regarding developments relating to our competitors; |
| our ability to identify, recruit and retain key personnel; |
iii
| the potential for breaches of data privacy, or disruptions in our information technology systems; |
| the potential direct or indirect impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine on the global economy and our business or operations; |
| our ability to continue to satisfy the listing requirements of the NASDAQ Global Market; |
| the sufficiency of our existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments to fund our operations and capital expenditure requirements; |
| any other factors which may impact our financial results or future trading prices of our ADSs and the impact of securities analysts reports on these prices; and |
| any other factors discussed under the headings Business, Risk Factors and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarterly periods ended subsequent to our filing of such Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as any amendments or updates to our risk factors reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, together with other information in this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference, any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize. |
You should refer to the important factors in the cautionary statements included in this prospectus and in the other documents incorporated herein for a discussion of important factors that may cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. As a result of these factors, we cannot assure you that the forward-looking statements in this prospectus will prove to be accurate. Furthermore, if our forward-looking statements prove to be inaccurate, the inaccuracy may be material. In light of the significant uncertainties in these forward-looking statements, you should not regard these statements as a representation or warranty by us or any other person that we will achieve our objectives and plans in any specified time frame, or at all. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law, applicable regulations or the rules of any stock exchange to which we are subject.
You should read this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, any free writing prospectuses that we may authorize for use in connection with an offering and the documents that we reference in this prospectus and have filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.
iv
The following summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus and does not contain all of the information that you need to consider in making your investment decision. We urge you to read this entire prospectus, including the more detailed consolidated financial statements, notes to the consolidated financial statements and other information incorporated by reference from our other filings with the SEC or included in any applicable prospectus supplement. Investing in our securities involves risks. Therefore, carefully consider the risk factors set forth in any prospectus supplements and in our most recent filings with the SEC including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, as well as other information in this prospectus and any prospectus supplements and the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, before purchasing our securities. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities.
Company Overview
We are focused on providing doctors around the world with a safe, reliable and effective tool to identify which patients are or are not in danger of losing significant kidney function and falling into kidney failure and may require long-term dialysis or kidney transplant. Chronic kidney disease is one of the largest urgent medical needs, globally affecting an estimated 850 million people, and is responsible for an unsustainable and growing societal cost burden. We believe an important part of the answer is preventative medicine and the ability to identify individuals with advancing chronic kidney disease early, where new drug therapies and clinical strategies have the optimal chance to stop uncontrolled disease progression.
At Renalytix, we developed KidneyIntelX.dkd, the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-authorized in vitro prognostic test that uses an artificial intelligence-enabled algorithm to aid in assessment of the risk of progressive decline in kidney function. The test is designed to predict early in the progression of kidney disease who is at risk for significant sustained decline in kidney function. Prognostic tests, such as KidneyIntelX.dkd, are not intended for diagnosing any disease or for monitoring disease progression or the effect of any therapeutic product. Rather, prognostic tests are intended to be used in conjunction with other clinical and diagnostic findings and consistent with professional standards of practice, including information obtained by alternative methods, and clinical evaluation, as appropriate. When used as intended, potential interventions can be considered early, ideally before major damage is done and when treatments can be most effective.
KidneyIntelX.dkd is part of a family of clinical tests being developed from the KidneyIntelX technology platform developed using technology licensed from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston and under development through U.S. and international collaborations.
Corporate Information
We were incorporated as a public limited company under the laws of England and Wales on March 15, 2018, with company number 11257655. Our principal executive offices in the United States are located at 1460 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, and our telephone number is +1 646 397 3970. Our registered office in the United Kingdom is located at Finsgate, 5-7 Cranwood Street, London, EC1V 9EE, United Kingdom, and the telephone number of our registered office is +44 20 3139 2910. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Renalytix AI, Inc., located at 1460 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.
Our website address is www.renalytix.com. The information contained on our website or accessible through our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and you should not consider any information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus or in deciding whether to purchase our securities.
1
Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company
We are an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, and will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier to occur of (a) June 30, 2026, (b) the last day of the fiscal year (1) in which we have total annual gross revenues of at least $1.235 billion or (2) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC, which means the market value of our ordinary shares and ADSs that are held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the prior December 31, or (c) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period. An emerging growth company may take advantage of specified reduced reporting and reduced other burdens that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies.
The Securities We May Offer
Under this prospectus, we may offer ordinary shares, ADSs representing our ordinary shares, various series of debt securities or warrants to purchase any of such securities, either individually or in units, with a total aggregate offering price of up to $200,000,000, from time to time at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of the offering. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer a type or series of securities under this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will describe the specific amounts, prices and other important terms of the securities, including, to the extent applicable:
| designation or classification; |
| aggregate principal amount or aggregate offering price; |
| maturity, if applicable; |
| rates and times of payment of interest or dividends, if any; |
| redemption, conversion or sinking fund terms, if any; |
| voting or other rights, if any; and |
| conversion or exercise prices, if any. |
The prospectus supplement, and any related free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you, also may add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in documents we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus. However, no prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus will fundamentally change the terms that are set forth in this prospectus or offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of the effectiveness of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
We may sell the securities directly to investors or to or through agents, underwriters or dealers. We, and our agents or underwriters, reserve the right to accept or reject all or part of any proposed purchase of securities. If we offer securities through agents or underwriters, we will include in the applicable prospectus supplement:
| the names of those agents or underwriters; |
| applicable fees, discounts and commissions to be paid to them; |
| details regarding over-allotment options, if any; and |
| the net proceeds to us. |
2
This prospectus may not be used to consummate a sale of any securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
Ordinary Shares and ADSs. At our general meeting held on June 8, 2023, our shareholders granted our directors authority to allot shares and grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into, shares in the company up to an aggregate nominal amount of £77,369.72 for the period to the conclusion of our next annual general meeting or, if earlier, the close of business on September 8, 2024. In addition, our shareholders approved the disapplication of statutory preemption rights under section 561(1) of the U.K. Companies Act 2006, or Companies Act, for the allotment of equity securities for cash up to a maximum aggregate nominal amount of £46,890.74, for the period up to the earlier of the conclusion of our next annual general meeting or, if earlier, the close of business on September 8, 2024.
Our ordinary shares have the rights and restrictions described under the section entitled Description of Share Capital and Articles of AssociationIssued Share Capital. The following summarizes the rights of holders of our ordinary shares:
| each holder of our ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per ordinary share on all matters to be voted on by shareholders generally; |
| the holders of our ordinary shares shall be entitled to receive notice of, attend, speak and vote at our general meetings; and |
| the holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to receive such dividends as are recommended by our directors and declared by our shareholders. |
We are required by the Companies Act to keep a register of our shareholders. Under English law, our ordinary shares are deemed to be issued when the name of the shareholder is entered in our share register. The share register therefore is prima facie evidence of the identity of our shareholders, and the shares that they hold. The share register generally provides limited, or no, information regarding the ultimate beneficial owners of our ordinary shares. Our share register is maintained by our registrar, Link Group.
Holders of our ADSs are not treated as our shareholders and their names are therefore not entered in our share register. The depositary, the custodian or their nominees will be the holder of the shares underlying our ADSs. Holders of our ADSs have the right to receive the ordinary shares underlying their ADSs. For additional discussion of our ADSs and ADS holder rights, see the section entitled Description of American Depositary Shares.
Debt Securities. We may issue debt securities from time to time, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. The senior debt securities will rank equally with any other unsecured and unsubordinated debt. The subordinated debt securities will be subordinate and junior in right of payment, to the extent and in the manner described in the instrument governing the debt, to all of our senior indebtedness. Convertible debt securities will be convertible into or exchangeable for our ordinary shares. Conversion may be mandatory or at the holders option and would be at prescribed conversion rates.
The debt securities will be issued under one or more documents called indentures, which are contracts between us and a national banking association or other eligible party, as trustee. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the debt securities. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the series of debt securities being offered, as well as the complete indentures that contain the terms of the debt securities. A form of indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.
3
Warrants. We may issue warrants for the purchase of ordinary shares, ordinary shares represented by ADSs, and/or debt securities from time to time in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with ordinary shares, ordinary shares represented by ADSs and debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from these securities. In this prospectus, we have summarized certain general features of the warrants. We urge you, however, to read the applicable prospectus supplement (and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you) related to the particular series of warrants being offered, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants. Forms of the warrant agreements and forms of warrant certificates containing the terms of the warrants being offered have been filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental warrant agreements and forms of warrant certificates will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.
We will evidence each series of warrants by warrant certificates that we will issue. Warrants may be issued under an applicable warrant agreement that we enter into with a warrant agent. We will indicate the name and address of the warrant agent, if applicable, in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of warrants being offered.
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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described under the heading Risk Factors contained in any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, as updated by our subsequent filings, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before deciding whether to purchase any of the securities being registered pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities, and the occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations.
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Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus that we may authorized to be provided to you in connection with a specific offering, we intend to use any net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus for working capital and other general corporate purposes. We have not determined the amounts we plan to spend on any of the areas listed above or the timing of these expenditures. As a result, our management will have broad discretion to allocate the net proceeds, if any, we receive in connection with securities offered pursuant to this prospectus for any purpose. Pending application of the net proceeds as described above, we may initially invest the net proceeds in interest-bearing cash accounts, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities and/or direct or guaranteed obligations of the U.S. or U.K. government.
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We may offer securities under this prospectus from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods. We may sell the securities (1) through underwriters or dealers, (2) through agents or (3) directly to one or more purchasers, or through a combination of such methods. We may distribute the securities from time to time in one or more transactions at:
| a fixed price or prices, which may be changed from time to time; |
| market prices prevailing at the time of sale; |
| prices related to the prevailing market prices; or |
| negotiated prices. |
We may directly solicit offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus. We may also designate agents to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time, and may enter into arrangements for at-the-market, equity line or similar transactions. We will name in a prospectus supplement any underwriter or agent involved in the offer or sale of the securities.
If we utilize a dealer in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, we will sell the securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.
If we utilize an underwriter in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, we will execute an underwriting agreement with the underwriter at the time of sale, and we will provide the name of any underwriter in the prospectus supplement which the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we, or the purchasers of the securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and the underwriter may compensate those dealers in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions.
With respect to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions and block trades, we will provide in the applicable prospectus supplement information regarding any compensation we pay to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act, and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof.
If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters, dealers or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by certain institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated in each applicable prospectus supplement. Each contract will be for an amount not less than, and the aggregate amount of securities sold pursuant to such contracts shall not be less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in each applicable prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom the contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and other institutions, but shall in all cases be subject to our approval. Delayed delivery contracts will not be subject to any conditions except that:
| the purchase by an institution of the securities covered under that contract shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which that institution is subject; and |
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| if the securities are also being sold to underwriters acting as principals for their own account, the underwriters shall have purchased such securities not sold for delayed delivery. The underwriters and other persons acting as our agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of delayed delivery contracts. |
One or more firms, referred to as remarketing firms, may also offer or sell the securities, if a prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with a remarketing arrangement upon their purchase. Remarketing firms will act as principals for their own accounts or as our agents. These remarketing firms will offer or sell the securities in accordance with the terms of the securities. Each prospectus supplement will identify and describe any remarketing firm and the terms of its agreement, if any, with us and will describe the remarketing firms compensation. Remarketing firms may be deemed to be underwriters in connection with the securities they remarket. Remarketing firms may be entitled under agreements that may be entered into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.
Certain underwriters may use this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement for offers and sales related to market-making transactions in the securities. These underwriters may act as principal or agent in these transactions, and the sales will be made at prices related to prevailing market prices at the time of sale. Any underwriters involved in the sale of the securities may qualify as underwriters within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act. In addition, the underwriters commissions, discounts or concessions may qualify as underwriters compensation under the Securities Act and the rules of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA.
ADSs representing our ordinary shares sold pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part will be authorized for listing and trading on The Nasdaq Global Market. The applicable prospectus supplement will contain information, where applicable, as to any other listing, if any, on The Nasdaq Global Market or any securities market or other securities exchange of the securities covered by the prospectus supplement. Underwriters may make a market in our ADSs, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence, development or maintenance of trading markets for any of the securities.
In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than we sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities by bidding for or purchasing the applicable security in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if the securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.
The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in other transactions with us, or perform other services for us, in the ordinary course of their business.
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DESCRIPTION OF SHARE CAPITAL AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION
The following describes our issued share capital, summarizes the material provisions of our articles of association and highlights certain differences in corporate law in England and Wales, and Delaware, in the United States. The following summary is not exhaustive, does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, the applicable provisions of English law and our articles of association, a copy of which is incorporated by reference herein into the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. We encourage you to read our articles of association and the applicable provisions of English law for additional information.
General
We were incorporated as a public limited company under the laws of England and Wales on March 15, 2018, with the name, RenalytixAI plc, and the company number, 11257655. On June 23, 2021, we changed our name to Renalytix plc. Renalytix AI, Inc., a Delaware corporation, is our wholly owned subsidiary.
Our securities include (a) our ordinary shares, nominal value £0.0025 per share, and (b) our American Depositary Shares (ADSs), each representing two ordinary shares, nominal value £0.0025 per share. Our ordinary shares are registered under the Exchange Act not for trading, but only in connection with the listing of the ADSs on The Nasdaq Global Market.
Our ADSs are listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the trading symbol RNLX, and our ordinary shares are traded on AIM under the symbol RENX.
The following is a description of the rights of (i) the holders of ordinary shares and (ii) ADS holders. Ordinary shares underlying the outstanding ADSs are held by Citibank N.A., as depositary.
Our principal executive offices in the United States are located at 1460 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, and our telephone number is +1 646 397 3970. Our registered office in the United Kingdom is located at Finsgate, 5-7 Cranwood Street, London, United Kingdom, EC1V 9EE, and the telephone number of our registered office is +44 20 3139 2910. Our agent for service of process in the United States is Renalytix AI, Inc., located at 1460 Broadway, New York, New York 10036.
Issued Share Capital
Our issued share capital as of August 31, 2023 was comprised of 95,019,440 ordinary shares with a nominal value of £0.0025 each. Each issued ordinary share is fully paid.
Ordinary Shares
In accordance with our articles of association, the following summarizes the rights of holders of our ordinary shares:
| each holder of our ordinary shares is entitled to one vote per ordinary share on all matters to be voted on by shareholders generally; |
| the holders of the ordinary shares shall be entitled to receive notice of, attend, speak and vote at our general meetings; and |
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| holders of our ordinary shares are entitled to receive such dividends as are recommended by our directors and declared by our shareholders. |
See also Articles of associationShares and rights attaching to them below.
Preemptive Rights
The laws of England and Wales generally provide shareholders with preemptive rights when new shares are issued for cash; however, it is possible for the articles of association, or shareholders in a general meeting, to disapply preemptive rights. Such a disapplication of preemptive rights may be for a maximum period of up to five years from the date of adoption of the articles of association, if the disapplication is contained in the articles of association, or from the date of the shareholder resolution, if the disapplication is by shareholder resolution. In either case, this disapplication would need to be renewed by our shareholders upon its expiration (i.e., at least every five years).
At our general meeting held on June 8, 2023, our shareholders approved the disapplication of preemptive rights for the period up to the earlier of the conclusion of our next annual general meeting or the close of business on September 8, 2024, which disapplication allows for the issue of ordinary shares in an offering made on a preemptive basis or otherwise up to a maximum aggregate nominal amount of £46,890.74, and that will need to be renewed upon expiration to remain effective.
Registration Rights
Mount Sinai
In June 2020, we and Mount Sinai entered into a registration rights agreement pursuant to which we have granted Mount Sinai the following registration rights:
| Demand Registration on Form S-3Mount Sinai is entitled to demand registrations on Form S-3, if we are then eligible to register shares on Form S-3, including up to two underwritten offerings in any 12-month period. |
| Piggyback RegistrationMount Sinai is entitled to certain piggyback registration rights, subject to certain marketing and other limitations in the context of an underwritten offering. |
| ExpensesWe will pay all registration expenses incident to the performance of our obligations under the registration rights agreement. |
Mount Sinais registration rights will terminate at such time as Rule 144, or another similar exception under the Securities Act, is available for the unlimited public sale of all of Mount Sinais registrable securities without any volume or manner of sale limitations, subject to specified exceptions.
The Hamilton E. James 2003 Childrens Trust
In February 2023, we entered into a registration rights agreement with The Hamilton E. James 2003 Childrens Trust (the James Trust) and Jefferson River Capital LLC, pursuant to which we have granted to Jefferson River Capital LLC the right to appoint a director on the board of the Company and to the James Trust the following registration rights:
| Underwritten OfferingThe James Trust is entitled to request one fully marketed underwritten offering on any date prior to February 7, 2025. |
| Piggyback Registration The James Trust is entitled to certain piggyback registration rights, subject to certain marketing and other limitations in the context of an underwritten offering. |
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| ExpensesThe James Trust will pay all costs and expenses incurred in connection with any fully marketed underwritten offering requested pursuant to the registration rights agreement. |
The James Trusts registration rights will terminate at such time as (i) Rule 144, or another similar exception under the Securities Act, is available for the unlimited public sale of all of the James Trusts registrable securities without any volume or manner of sale limitations, subject to specified exceptions or (ii) the James Trust and its affiliates ceases to hold at least (a) 2% of the ordinary shares then outstanding or (b) 4,146,466 ordinary shares.
Articles of association
Shares and rights attaching to them
Objects
The objects of the company are unrestricted.
Share Rights
Subject to the Companies Act and any rights attaching to shares already in issue, our shares may be issued with or have attached to them any rights and restrictions as we may by ordinary resolution of the shareholders determine or, in the absence of any such determination, as our board of directors may determine.
Voting Rights
Subject to any rights or restrictions attached to any shares from time to time, the general voting rights attaching to shares are as follows:
| any resolution put to the vote of a general meeting must be decided exclusively on a poll; |
| on a poll, every shareholder who is present in person or by proxy or corporate representative shall have one vote for each share of which they are the holder. A shareholder, proxy or corporate representative entitled to more than one vote need not, if they vote, use all their votes or cast all the votes in the same way; and |
| if two or more persons are joint holders of a share, then, in voting on any question, the vote of the senior who tenders a vote, whether in person or by proxy, shall be accepted to the exclusion of the votes of the other joint holders. For this purpose, seniority shall be determined by the order in which the names of the holders stand in the share register. |
Restrictions on voting
No shareholder shall be entitled to vote at any general meeting or at any separate class meeting in respect of any share held by him unless all calls or other sums payable by him in respect of that share have been paid.
The board may from time to time make calls upon the shareholders in respect of any money unpaid on their shares and each shareholder shall (subject to at least 14 days notice specifying the time or times and place of payment) pay at the time or times so specified the amount called on their shares.
Dividends
We may by ordinary resolution of shareholders declare dividends out of profits available for distribution in accordance with the respective rights of shareholders, but no such dividend shall exceed the amount recommended by the board of directors.
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The board of directors may from time to time pay shareholders such interim dividends as appears to the board to be justified by the profits available for distribution (including any dividends at a fixed rate). If the share capital is divided into different classes, the board of directors may pay interim dividends on shares which confer deferred or non-preferred rights with regard to dividend as well as on shares which confer preferential rights with regard to dividend, but no interim dividend shall be paid on shares carrying deferred or non-preferred rights if, at the time of payment, any preferential dividend is in arrears.
The board of directors may deduct from any dividend or other money payable to any person on or in respect of a share all such sums as may be due from such shareholder to the company on account of calls or otherwise in relation to the shares of the company. Sums so deducted can be used to pay amounts owing to the company in respect of the shares.
Subject to any special rights attaching to or the terms of issue of any share, no dividend or other moneys payable by us on or in respect of any share shall bear interest against us. Any dividend unclaimed after a period of 12 years from the date such dividend was first declared or became due for payment (if the board so resolves) shall be forfeited and shall revert to us.
Dividends may be declared or paid in any currency, and the board may decide the rate of exchange for any currency conversions that may be required, and how any costs involved are to be met.
The board of directors may, by ordinary resolution of the company, direct (or in the case of an interim dividend may without the authority of an ordinary resolution direct) that payment of any dividend declared may be satisfied wholly or partly by the distribution of assets, and in particular of paid-up shares or debentures of any other company, or in any one or more of such ways.
Change of control
There is no specific provision in our articles of association that would have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change of control.
Distributions on winding up
On a winding up, the liquidator may, with the sanction of a special resolution of shareholders and any other sanction required by law, divide amongst the shareholders in specie the whole or any part of the assets of the company and may, for that purpose, value any assets and determine how the division shall be carried out as between the shareholders or different classes of shareholders. The liquidator may, with the like sanction, vest the whole or any part of the assets in trustees upon such trusts for the benefit of the shareholders as he may with the like sanction determine, but no shareholder shall be compelled to accept any assets upon which there is a liability.
Variation of rights
All or any of the rights and restrictions attached to any class of shares issued may be varied or abrogated with the consent in writing of the holders of not less than three-fourths in nominal value of the issued shares of that class (excluding any shares held as treasury shares) or by special resolution passed at a separate general meeting of the holders of such shares, subject to the Companies Act and the terms of their issue. The Companies Act provides a right to object to the variation of the share capital by the shareholders who did not vote in favor of the variation. Should an aggregate of 15% of the shareholders of the issued shares in question apply to the court to have the variation cancelled, the variation shall have no effect unless and until it is confirmed by the court.
Alteration to share capital
We may, by ordinary resolution of shareholders, consolidate all or any of our share capital into shares of larger amount than our existing shares, or sub-divide our shares or any of them into shares of a smaller amount.
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We may, by special resolution of shareholders, confirmed by the court, reduce our share capital or any capital redemption reserve or any share premium account in any manner authorized by the Companies Act. We may redeem or purchase all or any of our shares as described in Purchase of own shares.
Allotment of shares and preemption rights
In accordance with the Companies Act, the board of directors may be generally and unconditionally authorized to exercise all the powers of the company to allot shares up to an aggregate nominal amount equal to the amount stated in the relevant ordinary resolution authorizing such allotment.
At our general meeting held on June 8, 2023, our shareholders granted our directors authority to allot shares and grant rights to subscribe for, or convert any security into, shares in the company up to an aggregate nominal amount of £77,369.72. This authority applies for period to the conclusion of our next annual general meeting or, if earlier, the close of business on September 8, 2024.
In certain circumstances, our shareholders may have statutory preemptive rights under the Companies Act in respect of the allotment of new shares as described in Preemptive Rights and Differences in Corporate LawPreemptive Rights in this prospectus.
Transfer of shares
Any shareholder holding shares in certificated form may transfer all or any of his shares by an instrument of transfer in any usual or common form or in any other manner which is permitted by the Companies Act and approved by the board. Any written instrument of transfer shall be signed by or on behalf of the transferor and (in the case of a share which is not fully paid up) the transferee.
All transfers of uncertificated shares shall be made in accordance with and subject to the provisions of the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 and the facilities and requirements of its relevant system. The Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 permit shares to be issued and held in uncertificated form and transferred by means of a computer-based system.
The board of directors may decline to register any transfer of any share in certificated form:
| which is not a fully paid share, provided that such discretion may not be exercised in a way in which the London Stock Exchange regards as preventing dealing in shares from taking place on an open and proper basis; |
| where the company has a lien over such share; |
| unless any written instrument of transfer, duly stamped or duly certificated or otherwise shown to the satisfaction of the board of directors to be exempt from stamp duty (if this is required), is lodged with us at our registered office or such other place as the board may from time to time determine, accompanied by the certificate for the shares to which it relates; |
| unless there is provided such evidence as the board may reasonably require to show the right of the transferor to make the transfer and if the instrument of transfer is executed by some other person on his behalf, the authority of that person to do so; |
| where the transfer is in respect of more than one class of share; and |
| in the case of a transfer to joint holders, the number of joint holders to whom the share is to be transferred exceeds four. |
The board of directors may decline to register a transfer of uncertificated shares in any circumstances that are allowed or required by the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001 and the requirements of its relevant system.
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If the board of directors declines to register a transfer it shall, as soon as practicable and in any event within two months after the date on which the transfer is lodged or the instructions to the relevant system received, send to the transferee notice of the refusal, together with reasons for the refusal or, in the case of uncertified shares, notify such persons as may be required by the Uncertified Securities Regulations 2001 and the requirements of the relevant system concerned.
CREST
To be traded on AIM, securities must be able to be transferred and settled through the CREST system. CREST is a computerized paperless share transfer and settlement system which allows securities to be transferred by electronic means, without the need for a written instrument of transfer. Our articles of association are consistent with CREST membership and, amongst other things, allow for the holding and transfer of shares in uncertificated form.
Annual general meetings
In accordance with the Companies Act, we are required in each year to hold an annual general meeting in addition to any other general meetings in that year and to specify the meeting as such in the notice convening it. The annual general meeting shall be convened whenever and wherever the board sees fit, subject to the requirements of the Companies Act.
Notice of general meetings
The arrangements for the calling of general meetings are described in Differences in Corporate LawNotice of General Meetings in this prospectus.
Quorum of general meetings
No business shall be transacted at any general meeting unless a quorum is present. At least two shareholders present in person or by proxy and entitled to vote shall be a quorum for all purposes.
Class Meetings
The provisions in our articles of association relating to general meetings apply to every separate general meeting of the holders of a class of shares except that:
| the quorum for such class meeting shall be two holders in person or by proxy representing not less than one-third in nominal value of the issued shares of the class (excluding any shares held in treasury); and |
| if at any adjourned meeting of such holders a quorum is not present at the meeting, one holder of shares of the class present in person or by proxy at an adjourned meeting constitutes a quorum. |
Number of directors
We may not have less than two directors nor more than fifteen directors on the board of directors. We may, by ordinary resolution of the shareholders, vary the minimum and/or maximum number of directors from time to time.
Appointment of directors
Subject to the provisions of our articles of association, we may, by ordinary resolution of the shareholders, appoint any person to be a director, either to fill a casual vacancy or as an addition to the existing board. However, any person that is not a director retiring from the existing board must be recommended by the board of directors, or be proposed by a shareholder not less than seven and not more than 42 days before the date appointed for the meeting, in order to be eligible for appointment.
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Without prejudice to the power to appoint any person to be a director by shareholder resolution, the board has power to appoint any person to be a director, either to fill a casual vacancy or as an addition to the existing board but the total number of directors shall not exceed the maximum number fixed by or in accordance with our articles of association.
Any director appointed by the board will hold office only until the following annual general meeting. Such a director is eligible for re-appointment at that meeting.
Rotation of directors
At every annual general meeting, any director who has been appointed by the board of directors since the last annual general meeting, or who shall have been a director at each of the preceding two annual general meetings and who did not retire at either such meeting, or any director who has held office (other than in an executive position) for a continuous period of nine years or more shall retire and may offer himself for re-appointment by the shareholders. A retiring director shall be eligible for re-appointment. A director retiring at a meeting shall, if he is not re-appointed at such meeting, retain office until the meeting appoints someone in his place, or if it does not do so, until the conclusion of such meeting.
Directors interests
The directors may authorize, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any matter or situation proposed to them which would otherwise result in a director infringing his duty to avoid a situation in which he has, or can have, a direct or indirect interest that conflicts, or possibly may conflict, with our interests. A director shall not, save as otherwise agreed by him, be accountable to us for any remuneration, profit or other benefit which he derives from any matter authorized by the directors and any contract, transaction or arrangement relating thereto shall not be liable to be avoided on the grounds of any such remuneration, profit or other benefit.
Subject to the requirements under sections 175, 177 and 182 of the Companies Act, a director who is any way, whether directly or indirectly, interested in a proposed or existing transaction or arrangement with us shall declare the nature of his interest at a meeting of the directors.
A director shall not vote in respect of any transaction or arrangement with the company in which he has an interest and which may reasonably be regarded as likely to give rise to a conflict of interest. A director shall not be counted in the quorum at a meeting in relation to any resolution on which he is debarred from voting.
A director shall be entitled to vote (and be counted in the quorum) in respect of any resolution concerning any of the following matters:
| the giving of any guarantee, security or indemnity in respect of money lent or obligations incurred by him or by any other person at the request of or for the benefit of our company or any of our subsidiary undertakings; |
| the giving of any guarantee, security or indemnity in respect of a debt or obligation of our company or any of our subsidiary undertakings for which he himself has assumed responsibility in whole or in part under a guarantee or indemnity or by the giving of security; |
| any proposal or contract concerning an offer of securities of or by our company or any of our subsidiary undertakings in which offer he is or may be entitled to participate as a holder of securities or in the underwriting or sub-underwriting of which he is to participate; |
| any contract, arrangement or transaction concerning any other body corporate in which he or any person connected with him (within the meaning of sections 252-5 of the Companies Act) is interested, directly or indirectly and whether as an officer or shareholder or otherwise howsoever, provided that he and any persons so connected with him do not to his knowledge hold an interest (within the meaning of |
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sections 820 to 825 of the Companies Act) in one per cent. or more of any class of the equity share capital of such body corporate or of the voting rights available to members of the relevant body corporate; |
| any contract, arrangement or transaction for the benefit of employees of our company or any of our subsidiary undertakings which does not accord to him any privilege or advantage not generally accorded to the employees to whom the scheme relates; |
| any contract, arrangement or transaction concerning any insurance which our company is to purchase and/or maintain for, or for the benefit of, any directors or persons including directors; and |
| any contract relating to a pension, superannuation or similar scheme or a retirement, death, disability benefits scheme or employees share scheme which gives the director benefits which are also generally given to the employees to whom the scheme relates. |
If a question arises at a meeting of the board or of a committee of the board as to the right of a director to vote or be counted in the quorum, and such question is not resolved by his voluntarily agreeing to abstain from voting or not to be counted in the quorum, the question shall be determined by the chairman and his ruling in relation to any director other than himself shall be final and conclusive except in a case where the nature or extent of the interest of the director concerned has not been fairly disclosed.
Directors fees and remuneration
Each of the directors shall be paid a fee at such rate as may from time to time be determined by the board (or for the avoidance of doubt any duly authorized committee of the board) provided that the aggregate of all such fees so paid to directors shall not exceed £2,000,000 per annum, or such higher amount as may from time to time be determined by ordinary resolution of shareholders.
Each director may be paid his reasonable traveling, hotel and other expenses of attending and returning from meetings of the board or committees of the board or general meetings or separate meetings of the holders of any class of shares or of debentures and shall be paid all expenses properly incurred by him in the conduct of the companys business.
Any director who is appointed to any executive office or who serves on any committee or who devotes special attention to the business of our company, or who otherwise performs services which in the opinion of the directors are outside the scope of the ordinary duties of a director, may be paid such extra remuneration by way of salary, commission, participation in profits or otherwise as the directors may determine.
Borrowing powers
The board of directors may exercise all the powers to borrow money, which shall not, without the previous sanction of an ordinary resolution of the shareholders, exceed an amount equal to £100,000,000, provide an indemnity or guarantee, and to mortgage or charge our undertaking, property and assets (present or future) and uncalled capital or any part thereof and to issue debentures and other securities and give security, whether outright or as collateral security for any debt, liability or obligation of us or of any third party.
Indemnity
Every director or other officer of our group may be indemnified against all costs, charges, expenses, losses and liabilities incurred by them in connection with that directors or officers duties or powers in relation to the company or other members of our group. See also Indemnification of Directors and Officers in Part II below.
Exclusive jurisdiction
Our articles of association provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum in the United States of America, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive
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forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Save in respect of any cause of action arising under the Securities Act, by subscribing for or acquiring shares, a shareholder submits all disputes between him or herself and us or our directors to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts.
Purchase of Own Shares
Under the laws of England and Wales, a limited company may only purchase its own shares out of the distributable profits of the company or the proceeds of a fresh issue of shares made for the purpose of financing the purchase, provided that they are not restricted from doing so by their articles of association. A limited company may not purchase its own shares if, as a result of the purchase, there would no longer be any issued shares of the company other than redeemable shares or shares held as treasury shares. Shares must be fully paid in order to be repurchased.
Subject to the above, we may purchase our own shares in the manner prescribed below. We may make an on-market purchase of our own fully paid shares pursuant to an ordinary resolution of shareholders. The resolution authorizing the purchase must:
| specify the maximum number of shares authorized to be acquired; |
| determine the maximum and minimum prices that may be paid for the shares; and |
| specify a date, not being later than five years after the passing of the resolution, on which the authority to purchase is to expire. |
We may purchase our own fully paid shares in an off-market purchase otherwise than on a recognized investment exchange pursuant to a purchase contract authorized by resolution of shareholders before the purchase takes place. Any authority will not be effective if any shareholder from whom we propose to purchase shares votes on the resolution and the resolution would not have been passed if he had not done so. The resolution authorizing the purchase must specify a date, not being later than five years after the passing of the resolution, on which the authority to purchase is to expire.
For these purposes, on-market purchases can only be made on AIM. Any purchase of our ADSs through the Nasdaq Global Market would be an off-market purchase.
At our annual general meeting held on December 19, 2022, our shareholders granted our directors authority to make market purchases of our ordinary shares on the London Stock Exchange on such terms and in such manner as our directors may from time to time decide, provided that the maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares authorized to be purchased is 7,489,184 and subject to customary limitations on the maximum and minimum price per share. This authority expires at the conclusion of our 2023 annual general meeting or December 31, 2023, if earlier.
Disclosure of Interest in Shares
Pursuant to Part 22 of the Companies Act and our articles of association, we are empowered by notice in writing to any person whom we know or have reasonable cause to believe to be interested in our shares, or at any time during the three years immediately preceding the date on which the notice is issued has been so interested, within a reasonable time to disclose to us particulars of that persons interest and (so far as is within his knowledge) particulars of any other interest that subsists or subsisted in those shares.
Under our articles of association, if a person defaults in supplying us with the required particulars in relation to:
| the shares in question, or default shares, within the prescribed period, the directors may by notice direct that: in respect of the default shares, the relevant shareholder shall not be entitled to vote (either in |
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person or by representative or proxy) at any general meeting or to exercise any other right conferred by a shareholding in relation to general meetings; and |
| where the default shares represent at least 0.25% in nominal value of the issued shares of their class, (a) any dividend or other money payable in respect of the default shares shall be retained by us without liability to pay interest and/or (b) no transfers by the relevant shareholder of any default shares may be registered (unless the shareholder himself is not in default and the shareholder provides a certificate, in a form satisfactory to the directors, to the effect that after due and careful enquiry the shareholder is satisfied that none of the shares to be transferred are default shares). |
Notification of Voting Rights
A shareholder in a public company incorporated in the United Kingdom whose shares are admitted to trading on AIM is required pursuant to Rule 5 of the Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules of the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority to notify us of the percentage of his or her voting rights if the percentage of voting rights which he or she holds as a shareholder or through his or her direct or indirect holding of financial instruments (or a combination of such holdings) reaches, exceeds or falls below 3%, 4%, 5%, and each 1% threshold thereafter up to 100% as a result of an acquisition or disposal of shares or financial instruments.
Other Relevant U.K. Laws and Regulations
Distributions and dividends
Under the Companies Act, before a company can lawfully make a distribution or dividend, it must ensure that it has sufficient distributable reserves (on a non-consolidated basis). The basic rule is that a companys profits available for the purpose of making a distribution are its accumulated, realized profits, so far as not previously utilized by distribution or capitalization, less its accumulated, realized losses, so far as not previously written off in a reduction or reorganization of capital duly made. The requirement to have sufficient distributable reserves before a distribution or dividend can be paid applies to us and to each of our subsidiaries that has been incorporated under the laws of England and Wales.
It is not sufficient that we, as a public company, have made a distributable profit for the purpose of making a distribution. An additional capital maintenance requirement is imposed on us to ensure that the net worth of the company is at least equal to the amount of its capital. A public company can only make a distribution:
| if, at the time that the distribution is made, the amount of its net assets (that is, the total excess of assets over liabilities) is not less than the total of its called up share capital and undistributable reserves; and |
| if, and to the extent that, the distribution itself, at the time that it is made, does not reduce the amount of the net assets to less than that total. |
City Code on Takeovers and Mergers
As a public company incorporated in England and Wales with our registered office in England and Wales which has shares admitted to AIM, we are subject to the U.K. City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the City Code), which is issued and administered by the U.K. Panel on Takeovers and Mergers (the Panel). The City Code provides a framework within which takeovers of companies subject to it are conducted. In particular, the City Code contains certain rules in respect of mandatory offers. Under Rule 9 of the City Code, if a person:
| acquires an interest in our shares which, when taken together with shares in which he or persons acting in concert with him are interested, carries 30% or more of the voting rights of our shares; or |
| who, together with persons acting in concert with him, is interested in shares that in the aggregate carry not less than 30% and not more than 50% of the voting rights of our shares, and such persons, or any |
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person acting in concert with him, acquires additional interests in shares that increase the percentage of shares carrying voting rights in which that person is interested, |
the acquirer and depending on the circumstances, its concert parties, would be required (except with the consent of the Panel) to make a cash offer for our outstanding shares at a price not less than the highest price paid for any interests in the shares by the acquirer or its concert parties during the previous twelve months.
Under the City Code, a concert party arises where persons acting together pursuant to an agreement or understanding (whether formal or informal and whether or not in writing) cooperate, through the acquisition by them of an interest in shares in a company, to obtain or consolidate control of the company. Control means holding, or aggregate holdings, of an interest in shares carrying 30% or more of the voting rights of the company, irrespective of whether the holding or holdings give de facto control.
When our ordinary shares were admitted to trading on AIM in November 2018, the Panel confirmed that three distinct concert parties existed and that the three distinct concert parties were not considered to be acting in concert as between each other. As at August 31, 2023, each concert party had an aggregate shareholding representing less than 29.99% in the share capital of the Company.
Mandatory purchases and acquisitions
Pursuant to Sections 979 to 991 of the Companies Act, where a takeover offer has been made for us and the offeror has acquired or unconditionally contracted to acquire not less than 90% in value of the shares to which the offer relates and not less than 90% of the voting rights carried by those shares, the offeror may give notice to the holder of any shares to which the offer relates which the offeror has not acquired or unconditionally contracted to acquire that he wishes to acquire, and is entitled to so acquire, those shares on the same terms as the general offer. The offeror would do so by sending a notice to the outstanding minority shareholders telling them that it will compulsorily acquire their shares.
Such notice must be sent within three months of the last day on which the offer can be accepted in the prescribed manner. The squeeze-out of the minority shareholders can be completed at the end of six weeks from the date the notice has been given, subject to the minority shareholders failing to successfully lodge an application to the court to prevent such squeeze-out any time prior to the end of those six weeks following which the offeror can execute a transfer of the outstanding shares in its favor and pay the consideration to us, which would hold the consideration on trust for the outstanding minority shareholders. The consideration offered to the outstanding minority shareholders whose shares are compulsorily acquired under the Companies Act must, in general, be the same as the consideration that was available under the takeover offer.
Sell-out
The Companies Act also gives our minority shareholders a right to be bought out in certain circumstances by an offeror who has made a takeover offer for all of our shares. The holder of shares to which the offer relates, and who has not otherwise accepted the offer, may require the offeror to acquire his shares if, prior to the expiry of the acceptance period for such offer, (1) the offeror has acquired or unconditionally agreed to acquire not less than 90% in value of the voting shares, and (2) not less than 90% of the voting rights carried by those shares. The offeror may impose a time limit on the rights of minority shareholders to be bought out that is not less than three months after the end of the acceptance period. If a shareholder exercises his rights to be bought out, the offeror is required to acquire those shares on the terms of this offer or on such other terms as may be agreed.
Exchange controls
There are no governmental laws, decrees, regulations or other legislation in the United Kingdom that may affect the import or export of capital, including the availability of cash, cash equivalents and short-term
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investments for use by us, or that may affect the remittance of dividends, interest, or other payments by us to non-resident holders of our ordinary shares or ADSs representing our ordinary shares, other than withholding tax requirements. There is no limitation imposed by the laws of England and Wales or in the articles of association on the right of non-residents to hold or vote shares.
Corporate governance code
The AIM Rules for Companies published by the London Stock Exchange require us to include on our website details of a recognized corporate governance code that our board of directors has decided to apply, how we comply with that code and, where we depart from our chosen corporate governance code, an explanation of the reasons for doing so.
The company recognizes the value of good corporate governance in every part of its business. Our board of directors has adopted the principles of the Quoted Companies Alliances Corporate Governance Code (2018 edition), (the QCA Code). Our board of directors views this as an appropriate corporate governance framework for our company and consideration has been given to each of the ten principles set out in the code. We provide a statement of compliance with the QCA Code on our website which we update annually on the website and in our annual report.
Differences in Corporate Law
The applicable provisions of the Companies Act differ from laws applicable to U.S. corporations and their shareholders. Set forth below is a summary of certain differences between the provisions of the Companies Act applicable to us and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware relating to shareholders rights and protections. This summary is not intended to be a complete discussion of the respective rights and it is qualified in its entirety by reference to Delaware law and English law.
ENGLAND |
DELAWARE | |||
Number of Directors | Under the Companies Act, a public limited company must have at least two directors and the number of directors may be fixed by or in the manner provided in a companys articles of association. | Under Delaware law, a corporation must have at least one director and the number of directors shall be fixed by or in the manner provided in the bylaws. | ||
Removal of Directors | Under the Companies Act, shareholders may remove a director without cause by an ordinary resolution (which is passed by a simple majority of those voting in person or by proxy at a general meeting) irrespective of any provisions of any service contract the director has with the company, provided 28 clear days notice of the resolution has been given to the company and its shareholders. On receipt of notice of an intended resolution to remove a director, the company must forthwith send a copy of the | Under Delaware law, any director or the entire board of directors may be removed, with or without cause, by the holders of a majority of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors, except (i) unless the certificate of incorporation provides otherwise, in the case of a corporation whose board of directors is classified, stockholders may effect such removal only for cause, or (ii) in the case of a corporation having cumulative voting, if less than the entire board of directors is to be removed, no director may be |
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ENGLAND |
DELAWARE | |||
notice to the director concerned. Certain other procedural requirements under the Companies Act must also be followed, such as allowing the director to make representations against his or her removal either at the meeting or in writing. | removed without cause if the votes cast against his removal would be sufficient to elect him if then cumulatively voted at an election of the entire board of directors, or, if there are classes of directors, at an election of the class of directors of which he is a part. | |||
Vacancies on the Board of Directors | Under English law, the procedure by which directors, other than a companys initial directors, are appointed is generally set out in a companys articles of association, provided that where two or more persons are appointed as directors of a public limited company by resolution of the shareholders, resolutions appointing each director must be voted on individually. | Under Delaware law, vacancies and newly created directorships may be filled by a majority of the directors then in office (even though less than a quorum) or by a sole remaining director unless (i) otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws of the corporation or (ii) the certificate of incorporation directs that a particular class of stock is to elect such director, in which case a majority of the other directors elected by such class, or a sole remaining director elected by such class, will fill such vacancy. | ||
Annual General Meeting | Under the Companies Act, a public limited company must hold an annual general meeting in each six-month period following the companys annual accounting reference date. | Under Delaware law, the annual meeting of stockholders shall be held at such place, on such date and at such time as may be designated from time to time by the board of directors or as provided in the certificate of incorporation or by the bylaws. | ||
General Meeting | Under the Companies Act, a general meeting of the shareholders of a public limited company may be called by the directors.
Shareholders holding at least 5% of the paid-up capital of the company carrying voting rights at general meetings (excluding any paid up capital held as treasury shares) can require the directors to call a general meeting and, if the directors fail to do so within a certain period, may themselves convene a general meeting. |
Under Delaware law, special meetings of the stockholders may be called by the board of directors or by such person or persons as may be authorized by the certificate of incorporation or by the bylaws. |
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ENGLAND |
DELAWARE | |||
Notice of General Meetings | Subject to a companys articles of association providing for a longer period, under the Companies Act, at least 21 clear days notice must be given for an annual general meeting and any resolutions to be proposed at the meeting. Subject to a companys articles of association providing for a longer period, at least 14 clear days notice is required for any other general meeting of a public limited company. In addition, certain matters, such as the removal of directors or auditors, require special notice, which is 28 clear days notice. The shareholders of a company may in all cases consent to a shorter notice period, the proportion of shareholders consent required being 100% of those entitled to attend and vote in the case of an annual general meeting and, in the case of any other general meeting, a majority in number of the members having a right to attend and vote at the meeting, being a majority who together hold not less than 95% in nominal value of the shares giving a right to attend and vote at the meeting. | Under Delaware law, unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws, written notice of any meeting of the stockholders must be given to each stockholder entitled to vote at the meeting not less than ten nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting and shall specify the place, date, hour and purpose or purposes of the meeting. | ||
Quorum | Subject to the provisions of a companys articles of association, the Companies Act provides that two shareholders present at a meeting (in person, by proxy or authorized representative under the Companies Act) shall constitute a quorum for companies with more than one member. | The certificate of incorporation or bylaws may specify the number of shares, the holders of which shall be present or represented by proxy at any meeting in order to constitute a quorum, but in no event shall a quorum consist of less than one third of the shares entitled to vote at the meeting. In the absence of such specification in the certificate of incorporation or bylaws, a majority of the shares entitled to vote, present in person or represented by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of stockholders. |
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ENGLAND |
DELAWARE | |||
Proxy | Under the Companies Act, at any meeting of shareholders, a shareholder may designate another person to attend, speak and vote at the meeting on their behalf by proxy. | Under Delaware law, at any meeting of stockholders, a stockholder may designate another person to act for such stockholder by proxy, but no such proxy shall be voted or acted upon after three years from its date, unless the proxy provides for a longer period. A director of a Delaware corporation may not issue a proxy representing the directors voting rights as a director. | ||
Preemptive Rights | Under the Companies Act, equity securities, being (i) shares in the company other than shares that, with respect to dividends and capital, carry a right to participate only up to a specified amount in a distribution, referred to as ordinary shares, or (ii) rights to subscribe for, or to convert securities into, ordinary shares, proposed to be allotted for cash must be offered first to the existing equity shareholders in the company in proportion to the respective nominal value of their holdings, unless an exception applies or a special resolution to the contrary has been passed by shareholders in a general meeting or the articles of association provide otherwise in each case in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act. | Under Delaware law, shareholders have no preemptive rights to subscribe to additional issues of stock or to any security convertible into such stock unless, and except to the extent that, such rights are expressly provided for in the certificate of incorporation. | ||
Authority to Allot | Under the Companies Act, the directors of a company must not allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any security into shares unless an exception applies or an ordinary resolution to the contrary has been passed by shareholders in a general meeting or the articles of association provide otherwise, in each case in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act. |
Under Delaware law, if the corporations charter or certificate of incorporation so provides, the board of directors has the power to authorize the issuance of stock. The board may authorize capital stock to be issued for consideration consisting of cash, any tangible or intangible property or any benefit to the corporation or any combination thereof. It may determine the amount of such consideration by approving a formula. In the absence of actual fraud in the transaction, the judgment of the directors as to the value of such consideration is conclusive. |
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ENGLAND |
DELAWARE | |||
Liability of Directors and Officers | Under the Companies Act, any provision, whether contained in a companys articles of association or any contract or otherwise, that purports to exempt a director of a company, to any extent, from any liability that would otherwise attach to him in connection with any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust in relation to the company, is void.
Any provision by which a company directly or indirectly provides an indemnity, to any extent, for a director of the company or of an associated company against any liability attaching to him in connection with any negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust in relation to the company of which he is a director is also void except as permitted by the Companies Act, which provides exceptions for the company to (i) purchase and maintain insurance against such liability; (ii) provide a qualifying third party indemnity, or an indemnity against liability incurred by the director to a person other than the company or an associated company or criminal proceedings in which he is convicted; and (iii) provide a qualifying pension scheme indemnity, or an indemnity against liability incurred in connection with the companys activities as trustee of an occupational pension plan. |
Under Delaware law, a corporations certificate of incorporation may include a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation and its stockholders for damages arising from a breach of fiduciary duty as a director. However, no provision can limit the liability of a director for:
any breach of the directors duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders;
acts or omissions not in good faith or that involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;
intentional or negligent payment of unlawful dividends or stock purchases or redemptions; or
any transaction from which the director derives an improper personal benefit. | ||
Voting Rights | Under English law, unless a poll is demanded by the shareholders of a company or is required by the chairman of the meeting or the companys articles of association, shareholders shall vote on all resolutions on a show of hands. Under the Companies Act, a poll may be demanded by (i) not fewer than five shareholders having the | Delaware law provides that, unless otherwise provided in the certificate of incorporation, each stockholder is entitled to one vote for each share of capital stock held by such stockholder. |
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ENGLAND |
DELAWARE | |||
right to vote on the resolution; (ii) any shareholder(s) representing not less than 10% of the total voting rights of all the shareholders having the right to vote on the resolution (excluding any voting rights attaching to treasury shares); or (iii) any shareholder(s) holding shares in the company conferring a right to vote on the resolution (excluding any voting rights attaching to treasury shares) being shares on which an aggregate sum has been paid up equal to not less than 10% of the total sum paid up on all the shares conferring that right. A companys articles of association may provide more extensive rights for shareholders to call a poll.
Under English law, an ordinary resolution is passed on a show of hands if it is approved by a simple majority (more than 50%) of the votes cast by shareholders present (in person or by proxy) and entitled to vote. If a poll is demanded, an ordinary resolution is passed if it is approved by holders representing a simple majority of the total voting rights of shareholders present, in person or by proxy, who, being entitled to vote, vote on the resolution. Special resolutions require the affirmative vote of not less than 75% of the votes cast by shareholders present, in person or by proxy, at the meeting. If a poll is demanded, a special resolution is passed if it is approved by holders representing not less than 75% of the total voting rights of shareholders in person or by proxy who, being entitled to vote, vote on the resolution. |
||||
Shareholder Vote on Certain Transactions | The Companies Act provides for schemes of arrangement, which are arrangements or compromises between a company and any class | Generally, under Delaware law, unless the certificate of incorporation provides for the vote of a larger portion of the stock, |
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ENGLAND |
DELAWARE | |||
of shareholders or creditors and used in certain types of reconstructions, amalgamations, capital reorganizations or takeovers. These arrangements require:
the approval at a shareholders or creditors meeting convened by order of the court, of a majority in number of shareholders or creditors representing 75% in value of the capital held by, or debt owed to, the class of shareholders or creditors, or class thereof present and voting, either in person or by proxy; and
the approval of the court. |
completion of a merger, consolidation, sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of a corporations assets or dissolution requires:
the approval of the board of directors; and
the approval by the vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding stock or, if the certificate of incorporation provides for more or less than one vote per share, a majority of the votes of the outstanding stock of the corporation entitled to vote on the matter. | |||
Standard of Conduct for Directors | Under English law, a director owes various statutory and fiduciary duties to the company, including:
to act in the way he considers, in good faith, would be most likely to promote the success of the company for the benefit of its members as a whole;
to avoid a situation in which he has, or can have, a direct or indirect interest that conflicts, or possibly conflicts, with the interests of the company;
to act in accordance with the companys constitution and only exercise his powers for the purposes for which they are conferred; |
Delaware law does not contain specific provisions setting forth the standard of conduct of a director. The scope of the fiduciary duties of directors is generally determined by the courts of the State of Delaware. In general, directors have a duty to act without self-interest, on a well- informed basis and in a manner they reasonably believe to be in the best interest of the stockholders.
Directors of a Delaware corporation owe fiduciary duties of care and loyalty to the corporation and to its shareholders. The duty of care generally requires that a director acts in good faith, with the care that an ordinarily prudent person would exercise under similar circumstances. Under this duty, a director must inform himself of all material information reasonably available regarding a significant transaction. The duty of loyalty |
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ENGLAND |
DELAWARE | |||
to exercise independent judgment;
to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence;
not to accept benefits from a third party conferred by reason of his being a director or doing, or not doing, anything as a director; and
to declare any interest that he has, whether directly or indirectly, in a proposed or existing transaction or arrangement with the company. |
requires that a director act in a manner he reasonably believes to be in the best interests of the corporation. He must not use his corporate position for personal gain or advantage. In general, but subject to certain exceptions, actions of a director are presumed to have been made on an informed basis, in good faith and in the honest belief that the action taken was in the best interests of the corporation. However, this presumption may be rebutted by evidence of a breach of one of the fiduciary duties. Delaware courts have also imposed a heightened standard of conduct upon directors of a Delaware corporation who take any action designed to defeat a threatened change in control of the corporation.
In addition, under Delaware law, when the board of directors of a Delaware corporation approves the sale or break-up of a corporation, the board of directors may, in certain circumstances, have a duty to obtain the highest value reasonably available to the shareholders. | |||
Shareholder Litigation | Under English law, generally, the company, rather than its shareholders, is the proper claimant in an action in respect of a wrong done to the company or where there is an irregularity in the companys internal management. Notwithstanding this general position, the Companies Act provides that (i) a court may allow a shareholder to bring a derivative claim (that is, an action in respect of and on behalf of the company) in respect of a cause of action arising from a directors negligence, default, breach of duty or breach of trust and (ii) a shareholder may bring a claim for a court order where the companys | Under Delaware law, a stockholder may initiate a derivative action to enforce a right of a corporation if the corporation fails to enforce the right itself. The complaint must:
state that the plaintiff was a stockholder at the time of the transaction of which the plaintiff complains or that the plaintiffs shares thereafter devolved on the plaintiff by operation of law; and
allege with particularity the efforts made by the plaintiff to obtain the |
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ENGLAND |
DELAWARE | |||
affairs have been or are being conducted in a manner that is unfairly prejudicial to some of its shareholders. | action the plaintiff desires from the directors and the reasons for the plaintiffs failure to obtain the action; or
state the reasons for not making the effort.
Additionally, the plaintiff must remain a stockholder through the duration of the derivative suit. The action will not be dismissed or compromised without the approval of the Delaware Court of Chancery. |
Transfer Agent and Registrar of Shares
Our share register is maintained by Link Asset Services Limited. The share register reflects only record owners of our ordinary shares. Holders of our ADSs are not treated as our shareholders and their names are therefore not entered in our share register. Citibank, N.A., or Citibank, acts as the depositary for the ADSs representing our ordinary shares and the custodian for ordinary shares represented by ADSs is Citibank, N.A., London Branch.
Exchange Listing
Our ADSs are listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol RNLX. Our ordinary shares are traded on AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange, under the ticker symbol RENX.
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DESCRIPTION OF AMERICAN DEPOSITARY SHARES
Citibank N.A., or Citibank, is the depositary for the ADSs representing our ordinary shares. Citibanks depositary offices are located at 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013. ADSs represent ownership interests in securities that are on deposit with the depositary. ADSs may be represented by certificates that are commonly known as American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). The depositary typically appoints a custodian to safekeep the securities on deposit. In this case, the custodian is Citibank, N.A. (London), located at Citigroup Centre, Canary Wharf, London, E14 5LB, United Kingdom.
We have appointed Citibank as depositary pursuant to a deposit agreement. The form of the deposit agreement is on file with the SEC under cover of a registration statement on Form F-6. You may obtain a copy of the deposit agreement from the SECs website (www.sec.gov). Please refer to registration number 333-239729 when retrieving such copy. The portions of this summary description that are italicized describes matters that may be relevant to the ownership of ADSs but that may not be contained in the deposit agreement.
We are providing you with a summary description of the material terms of the ADSs and of your material rights as an owner of ADSs. Please remember that summaries by their nature lack the precision of the information summarized and that the rights and obligations of an owner of ADSs has been determined by reference to the terms of the deposit agreement and not by this summary. We urge you to review the deposit agreement in its entirety.
Each ADS represents the right to receive, and to exercise the beneficial ownership interests in, two ordinary shares that are on deposit with the depositary or custodian. An ADS also represents the right to receive, and to exercise the beneficial interests in, any other property received by the depositary or the custodian on behalf of the owner of the ADS but that has not been distributed to the owners of ADSs because of legal restrictions or practical considerations. We and the depositary may agree to change the ADS-to-share ratio by amending the deposit agreement. This amendment may give rise to, or change, the depositary fees payable by ADS owners.
The custodian, the depositary and their respective nominees will hold all deposited property for the benefit of the holders and beneficial owners of ADSs. The deposited property does not constitute the proprietary assets of the depositary, the custodian or their nominees. Beneficial ownership in the deposited property will under the terms of the deposit agreement be vested in the beneficial owners of the ADSs. The depositary, the custodian and their respective nominees will be the record holders of the deposited property represented by the ADSs for the benefit of the holders and beneficial owners of the corresponding ADSs. A beneficial owner of ADSs may or may not be the holder of ADSs. Beneficial owners of ADSs will be able to receive, and to exercise beneficial ownership interests in, the deposited property only through the registered holders of the ADSs, the registered holders of the ADSs (on behalf of the applicable ADS owners) only through the depositary, and the depositary (on behalf of the owners of the corresponding ADSs) directly, or indirectly, through the custodian or their respective nominees, in each case upon the terms of the deposit agreement.
If you become an owner of ADSs, you will become a party to the deposit agreement and therefore will be bound to its terms and to the terms of any ADR that represents your ADSs. The deposit agreement and the ADR specify our rights and obligations as well as your rights and obligations as an owner of ADSs and those of the depositary. As an ADS holder you appoint the depositary to act on your behalf in certain circumstances. The deposit agreement and the ADRs are governed by New York law. However, our obligations to the holders of ordinary shares will continue to be governed by the laws of England and Wales, which may be different from the laws in the United States.
In addition, applicable laws and regulations may require you to satisfy reporting requirements and obtain regulatory approvals in certain circumstances. You are solely responsible for complying with such reporting requirements and obtaining such approvals. None of the depositary, the custodian, us or any of their or our respective agents or affiliates shall be required to take any actions whatsoever on your behalf to satisfy such reporting requirements or obtain such regulatory approvals under applicable laws and regulations.
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The manner in which you own the ADSs (e.g., in a brokerage account versus as a registered holder, or as a holder of certificated versus uncertificated ADSs) may affect your rights and obligations, and the manner in which, and extent to which, the depositarys services are made available to you.
As an owner of ADSs, we will not treat you as one of our shareholders and you will not have direct shareholder rights. The depositary will hold on your behalf the shareholder rights attached to the ordinary shares underlying your ADSs. As an owner of ADSs, you will be able to exercise the shareholders rights for the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs through the depositary only to the extent contemplated in the deposit agreement. To exercise any shareholder rights not contemplated in the deposit agreement you will, as an ADS owner, need to arrange for the cancellation of your ADSs and become a direct shareholder.
As an owner of ADSs, you may hold your ADSs either by means of an ADR registered in your name, through a brokerage or safekeeping account, or through an account established by the depositary in your name reflecting the registration of uncertificated ADSs directly on the books of the depositary (commonly referred to as the direct registration system or DRS). The direct registration system reflects the uncertificated (book-entry) registration of ownership of ADSs by the depositary. Under the direct registration system, ownership of ADSs is evidenced by periodic statements issued by the depositary to the holders of the ADSs. The direct registration system includes automated transfers between the depositary and The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, the central book-entry clearing and settlement system for equity securities in the United States. If you decide to hold your ADSs through your brokerage or safekeeping account, you must rely on the procedures of your broker or bank to assert your rights as ADS owner. Banks and brokers typically hold securities such as the ADSs through clearing and settlement systems such as DTC. The procedures of such clearing and settlement systems may limit your ability to exercise your rights as an owner of ADSs. Please consult with your broker or bank if you have any questions concerning these limitations and procedures. All ADSs held through DTC will be registered in the name of a nominee of DTC, which nominee will be the only holder of such ADSs for purposes of the deposit agreement and any applicable ADR. This summary description assumes you have opted to own the ADSs directly by means of an ADS registered in your name and, as such, we will refer to you as the holder. When we refer to you, we assume the reader owns ADSs and will own ADSs at the relevant time.
The registration of the ordinary shares in the name of the depositary or the custodian shall, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, vest in the depositary or the custodian the record ownership in the applicable ordinary shares with the beneficial ownership rights and interests in such ordinary shares being at all times vested with the beneficial owners of the ADSs representing the ordinary shares. The depositary or the custodian shall at all times be entitled to exercise the beneficial ownership rights in all deposited property, in each case only on behalf of the holders and beneficial owners of the ADSs representing the deposited property.
Dividends and Other Distributions
As a holder of ADSs, you generally have the right to receive the distributions we make on the securities deposited with the custodian. Your receipt of these distributions may be limited, however, by practical considerations and legal limitations. Holders of ADSs will receive such distributions under the terms of the deposit agreement in proportion to the number of ADSs held as of the specified record date, after deduction the applicable fees, taxes and expenses.
Distributions of Cash
Whenever we make a cash distribution for the securities on deposit with the custodian, we will deposit the funds with the custodian. Upon receipt of confirmation of the deposit of the requisite funds, the depositary will arrange for the funds received in a currency other than U.S. dollars to be converted into U.S. dollars and for the distribution of the U.S. dollars to the holders, subject to the laws and regulations of England and Wales. The conversion into U.S. dollars will take place only if practicable and if the U.S. dollars are transferable to the United States. The depositary will apply the same method for distributing the proceeds of the sale of any property (such as undistributed rights) held by the custodian in respect of securities on deposit.
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The distribution of cash will be made net of the fees, expenses, taxes and governmental charges payable by holders under the terms of the deposit agreement. The depositary will hold any cash amounts it is unable to distribute in a non-interest bearing account for the benefit of the applicable holders and beneficial owners of ADSs until the distribution can be effected or the funds that the depositary holds must be escheated as unclaimed property in accordance with the laws of the relevant states of the United States.
Distributions of Shares
Whenever we make a free distribution of ordinary shares for the securities on deposit with the custodian, we will deposit the applicable number of ordinary shares with the custodian. Upon receipt of confirmation of such deposit, the depositary will either distribute to holders new ADSs representing the ordinary shares deposited or modify the ADS-to-ordinary shares ratio, in which case each ADS you hold will represent rights and interests in the additional ordinary shares so deposited. Only whole new ADSs will be distributed. Fractional entitlements will be sold, and the proceeds of such sale will be distributed as in the case of a cash distribution.
The distribution of new ADSs or the modification of the ADS-to-ordinary shares ratio upon a distribution of ordinary shares will be made net of the fees, expenses, taxes and governmental charges payable by holders under the terms of the deposit agreement. In order to pay such taxes or governmental charges, the depositary may sell all or a portion of the new ordinary shares so distributed.
No such distribution of new ADSs will be made if it would violate a law (e.g., the U.S. securities laws) or if it is not operationally practicable. If the depositary does not distribute new ADSs as described above, it may sell the ordinary shares received upon the terms described in the deposit agreement and will distribute the proceeds of the sale as in the case of a distribution of cash.
Distributions of Rights
Whenever we intend to distribute rights to subscribe for additional ordinary shares, we will give prior notice to the depositary and we will assist the depositary in determining whether it is lawful and reasonably practicable to distribute rights to subscribe for additional ADSs to holders.
The depositary will establish procedures to distribute rights to subscribe for additional ADSs to holders and to enable such holders to exercise such rights we shall have timely requested such rights by made available to shareholders of ADSs, if it is lawful and reasonably practicable to make the rights available to holders of ADSs, and if we provide all of the documentation contemplated in the deposit agreement (such as opinions to address the lawfulness of the transaction). You may have to pay fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges to subscribe for the new ADSs upon the exercise of your rights. The depositary is not obligated to establish procedures to facilitate the distribution and exercise by holders of rights to subscribe for new ordinary shares than in the form of ADSs.
The depositary will not distribute the rights to you if:
| we do not timely request that the rights be distributed to you or we request that the rights not be distributed to you; |
| we fail to deliver satisfactory documents to the depositary; or |
| it is not reasonably practicable to distribute the rights. |
The depositary will sell the rights that are not exercised or not distributed if such sale is lawful and reasonably practicable. The proceeds of such sale will be distributed to holders as in the case of a cash distribution. If the depositary is unable to sell the rights, it will allow the rights to lapse.
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Elective Distributions
Whenever we intend to distribute a dividend payable at the election of shareholders either in cash or in additional shares, we will give prior notice thereof to the depositary and will indicate whether we wish the elective distribution to be made available to you. In such case, we will assist the depositary in determining whether such distribution is lawful and reasonably practicable.
The depositary will make the election available to you only if it is reasonably practicable and if we have provided all of the documentation contemplated in the deposit agreement. In such case, the depositary will establish procedures to enable you to elect to receive either cash or additional ADSs, in each case as described in the deposit agreement.
If the election is not made available to you, you will receive either cash or additional ADSs, depending on what a shareholder in England and Wales would receive upon failing to make an election, as more fully described in the deposit agreement.
Other Distributions
Whenever we intend to distribute property other than cash, ordinary shares or rights to purchase additional ordinary shares, we will notify the depositary in advance and will indicate whether we wish such distribution to be made to you. If so, we will assist the depositary in determining whether such distribution to holders is lawful and reasonably practicable.
If it is reasonably practicable to distribute such property to you and if we provide all of the documentation contemplated in the deposit agreement, the depositary will distribute the property to the holders in a manner it deems practicable.
The distribution will be made net of fees, expenses, taxes and governmental charges payable by holders under the terms of the deposit agreement. In order to pay such taxes and governmental charges, the depositary may sell all or a portion of the property received.
The depositary will not distribute the property to you and will sell the property if:
| we do not request that the property be distributed to you or if we ask that the property not be distributed to you; |
| we do not deliver satisfactory documents to the depositary; or |
| the depositary determines that all or a portion of the distribution to you is not reasonably practicable. |
The proceeds of such a sale will be distributed to holders as in the case of a cash distribution.
Redemption
Whenever we decide to redeem any of the securities on deposit with the custodian, we will notify the depositary in advance. If it is practicable and if we provide all of the documentation contemplated in the deposit agreement, the depositary will provide notice of the redemption to the holders.
The custodian will be instructed to surrender the shares being redeemed against payment of the applicable redemption price. The depositary will convert the redemption funds received into U.S. dollars upon the terms of the deposit agreement and will establish procedures to enable holders to receive the net proceeds from the redemption upon surrender of their ADSs to the depositary. You may have to pay fees, expenses, taxes and other governmental charges upon the redemption of your ADSs. If less than all ADSs are being redeemed, the ADSs to be retired will be selected by lot or on a pro rata basis, as the depositary may determine.
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Changes Affecting Ordinary Shares
The ordinary shares held on deposit for your ADSs may change from time to time. For example, there may be a change in nominal value, sub-division, cancellation, consolidation or any other reclassification of such ordinary shares or a recapitalization, reorganization, merger, consolidation or sale of assets of our company.
If any such change were to occur, your ADSs would, to the extent permitted by law and the deposit agreement, represent the right to receive the property received or exchanged in respect of the ordinary shares held on deposit. The depositary may in such circumstances deliver new ADSs to you, amend the deposit agreement, the ADRs and the applicable registration statement(s) on Form F-6, call for the exchange of your existing ADSs for new ADSs and take any other actions that are appropriate to reflect as to the ADSs the change affecting the ordinary shares. If the depositary may not lawfully distribute such property to you, the depositary may sell such property and distribute the net proceeds to you as in the case of a cash distribution.
Issuance of ADSs Upon Deposit of Ordinary Shares
Any ordinary shares being offered pursuant to this prospectus will be deposited by us with the custodian. Upon receipt of confirmation of such deposit, the depositary will issue ADSs pursuant to our instruction.
The depositary may create ADSs on your behalf if you or your broker deposit ordinary shares with the custodian. The depositary will deliver these ADSs to the person you indicate only after you pay any applicable issuance fees and any charges and taxes payable for the transfer of the ordinary shares to the custodian and provide such documentation as may be required pursuant to the deposit agreement. Your ability to deposit ordinary shares and receive ADSs may be limited by the legal considerations under the laws of the United States and England and Wales applicable at the time of deposit.
The issuance of ADSs may be delayed until the depositary or the custodian receives confirmation that all required approvals have been given and that the ordinary shares have been duly transferred to the custodian. The depositary will only issue ADSs in whole numbers.
When you make a deposit of ordinary shares, you will be responsible for transferring good and valid title to the depositary. As such, you will be deemed to represent and warrant that:
| the ordinary shares are duly authorized, validly allotted and issued, fully paid, not subject to any call for the payment of further capital and legally obtained; |
| all preemptive (and similar) rights, if any, with respect to such ordinary shares have been validly waived, disapplied or exercised; |
| you are duly authorized to deposit the ordinary shares; |
| the ordinary shares presented for deposit are free and clear of any lien, encumbrance, security interest, charge, mortgage or adverse claim, and are not, and the ADSs issuable upon such deposit will not be, restricted securities (as defined in the deposit agreement); |
| the ordinary shares presented for deposit have not been stripped of any rights or entitlements; and |
| the deposit of the ordinary shares does not violate any applicable provision of English law. |
| If any of the representations or warranties are incorrect in any way, we and the depositary may, at your cost and expense, take any and all actions necessary to correct the consequences of the misrepresentations. |
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Transfer, Combination and Split Up of ADRs
As an ADR holder, you will be entitled to transfer, combine or split up your ADRs and the ADSs evidenced thereby. For transfers of ADRs, you will have to surrender the ADRs to be transferred to the depositary and also must:
| ensure that the surrendered ADR is properly endorsed or otherwise in proper form for transfer; |
| provide such proof of identity and genuineness of signatures, and of such other matters contemplated in the deposit agreement, as the depositary deems appropriate; |
| comply with applicable laws and regulations, including regulations imposed by us and the depositary consistent with the deposit agreement, the ADR and applicable law; |
| provide any transfer stamps required by the State of New York or the United States; and |
| pay all applicable fees, charges, expenses, taxes and other government charges payable by ADR holders pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement, upon the transfer of ADRs. |
To have your ADRs either combined or split up, you must surrender the ADRs in question to the depositary with your request to have them combined or split up, and you must pay all applicable fees, charges and expenses payable by ADR holders, pursuant to the terms of the deposit agreement, upon a combination or split up of ADRs.
Withdrawal of Ordinary Shares Upon Cancellation of ADSs
As a holder of ADSs, you will be entitled to present your ADSs to the depositary for cancellation and then receive the corresponding number of underlying ordinary shares at the custodians offices. Your ability to withdraw the ordinary shares held in respect of the ADSs may be limited by legal considerations under the laws of the United States and England and Wales applicable at the time of withdrawal. In order to withdraw the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs, you will be required to pay to the depositary the fees for cancellation of ADSs and any charges and taxes payable upon the transfer of the ordinary shares. You assume the risk for delivery of all funds and securities upon withdrawal. Once canceled, the ADSs will not have any rights under the deposit agreement.
If you hold ADSs registered in your name, the depositary may ask you to provide proof of identity and genuineness of any signature and such other documents as the depositary may deem appropriate before it will cancel your ADSs. The withdrawal of the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs may be delayed until the depositary receives satisfactory evidence of compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Please keep in mind that the depositary will only accept ADSs for cancellation that represent a whole number of securities on deposit.
You will have the right to withdraw the securities represented by your ADSs at any time except as a result of:
| temporary delays that may arise because (i) the transfer books for the ordinary shares or ADSs are closed, or (ii) ordinary shares are immobilized on account of a shareholders meeting or a payment of dividends; |
| obligations to pay fees, taxes and similar charges; or |
| restrictions imposed because of laws or regulations applicable to ADSs or the withdrawal of securities on deposit. |
The deposit agreement may not be modified to impair your right to withdraw the securities represented by your ADSs except to comply with mandatory provisions of law.
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Voting Rights
As a holder, you generally have the right under the deposit agreement to instruct the depositary to exercise the voting rights for the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs. The voting rights of holders of ordinary shares are described in the section titled Description of Share CapitalArticles of Association in this prospectus.
At our request, the depositary will distribute to you any notice of shareholders meeting received from us together with information explaining how to instruct the depositary to exercise the voting rights of the securities represented by ADSs. In lieu of distributing such materials, the depositary bank may distribute to holders of ADSs instructions on how to retrieve such materials upon request.
If the depositary timely receives voting instructions from a holder of ADSs, it will endeavor to vote the securities (in person or by proxy) represented by the holders ADSs.
Securities for which no voting instructions have been received will not be voted (except as otherwise contemplated herein). If voting is by poll and the depositary does not receive timely voting instructions from a holder of ADSs, such holder shall be deemed to have instructed the depositary to give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us to vote the deposited securities represented by such ADSs in any manner such person wishes, which may not be in your best interests; provided, however, that no such discretionary proxy shall be given with respect to any matter to be voted upon as to which we inform the depositary that (a) we do not wish such proxy to be given, (b) substantial opposition exists, or (c) the rights of holders of deposited securities may be adversely affected. Please note that the ability of the depositary to carry out voting instructions may be limited by practical and legal limitations and the terms of the securities on deposit. We cannot assure you that you will receive voting materials in time to enable you to return voting instructions to the depositary in a timely manner.
Fees and Charges
As an ADS holder, you will be required to pay the following fees under the terms of the deposit agreement:
SERVICE |
FEE | |
Issuance of ADSs (e.g., an issuance of ADS(s) upon a deposit of ordinary shares or upon a change in the ADS(s)-to-ordinary shares ratio, or for any other reason), excluding ADS issuances as a result of distributions of ordinary shares | Up to $0.05 per ADS issued | |
Cancellation of ADSs (e.g., a cancellation of ADSs for delivery of deposited property or upon a change in the ADS(s)-to-ordinary shares ratio, or for any other reason) | Up to $0.05 per ADS cancelled | |
Distribution of cash dividends or other cash distributions (e.g., upon a sale of rights and other entitlements) | Up to $0.05 per ADS held | |
Distribution of ADSs pursuant to (i) share dividends or other distributions, or (ii) exercise of rights to purchase additional ADSs | Up to $0.05 per ADS held | |
Distribution of securities other than ADSs or rights to purchase additional ADSs (e.g., upon a spin-off) | Up to $0.05 per ADS held | |
ADS Services | Up to $0.05 per ADS held on the applicable record date(s) established by the depositary |
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SERVICE |
FEE | |
Registration of ADS transfers (e.g., upon a registration of the transfer of registered ownership of ADSs, upon a transfer of ADSs into DTC and vice versa, or for any other reason) | Up to $0.05 per ADS transferred | |
Conversion of ADSs of one series for ADSs of another series (e.g., upon conversion of partial entitlement ADSs for full entitlement ADSs, or upon conversion of Restricted ADSs (as defined in the Deposit Agreement) into freely transferable ADSs, and vice versa) | Up to $0.05 per ADS converted |
As an ADS holder, you will also be responsible to pay certain charges such as:
| taxes (including applicable interest and penalties) and other governmental charges; |
| the registration fees as may from time to time be in effect for the registration of ordinary shares on the share register and applicable to transfers of ordinary shares to or from the name of the custodian, the depositary or any nominees upon the making of deposits and withdrawals, respectively; |
| certain cable, telex and facsimile transmission and delivery expenses; |
| the fees, expenses, spreads, taxes and other charges of the depositary bank and/or service providers (which may be a division, branch or affiliate of the depositary bank) in the conversion of foreign currency; |
| the reasonable and customary out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the depositary bank in connection with compliance with exchange control regulations and other regulatory requirements applicable to ordinary shares, ADSs and ADRs; and |
| the fees, charges, costs and expenses incurred by the depositary bank, the custodian or any nominee in connection with the ADR program. |
ADS fees and charges payable upon (i) the issuance of ADSs, and (ii) the cancellation of ADSs are charged to the person to whom the ADSs are issued (in the case of ADS issuances) and to the person whose ADSs are cancelled (in the case of ADS cancellations). In the case of ADSs issued by the depositary into DTC, the ADS issuance and cancellation fees and charges may be deducted from distributions made through DTC, and may be charged to the DTC participant(s) receiving the ADSs being issued or the DTC participant(s) holding the ADSs being cancelled, as the case may be, on behalf of the beneficial owner(s) and will be charged by the DTC participant(s) to the account of the applicable beneficial owner(s) in accordance with the procedures and practices of the DTC participants as in effect at the time. ADS fees and charges in respect of distributions and the ADS service fee are charged to the holders as of the applicable ADS record date. In the case of distributions of cash, the amount of the applicable ADS fees and charges is deducted from the funds being distributed. In the case of (i) distributions other than cash and (ii) the ADS service fee, holders as of the ADS record date will be invoiced for the amount of the ADS fees and charges and such ADS fees and charges may be deducted from distributions made to holders of ADSs. For ADSs held through DTC, the ADS fees and charges for distributions other than cash and the ADS service fee may be deducted from distributions made through DTC, and may be charged to the DTC participants in accordance with the procedures and practices prescribed by DTC and the DTC participants in turn charge the amount of such ADS fees and charges to the beneficial owners for whom they hold ADSs. In the case of (i) registration of ADS transfers, the ADS transfer fee will be payable by the ADS holder whose ADSs are being transferred or by the person to whom the ADSs are transferred, and (ii) conversion of ADSs of one series for ADSs of another series, the ADS conversion fee will be payable by the holder whose ADSs are converted or by the person to whom the converted ADSs are delivered.
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In the event of refusal to pay the depositary fees or charges, the depositary may, under the terms of the deposit agreement, refuse the requested service until payment is received or may set off the amount of the depositary fees and charges from any distribution to be made to the ADS holder. Certain depositary fees and charges (such as the ADS services fee) may become payable shortly after the closing of the global offering. Note that the fees and charges you may be required to pay may vary over time and may be changed by us and by the depositary. You will receive prior notice of such changes. The depositary may reimburse us for certain expenses incurred by us in respect of the ADSs, by making available a portion of the ADS fees charged in respect of the ADSs or otherwise, upon such terms and conditions as we and the depositary agree from time to time.
Amendments and Termination
We may agree with the depositary to modify the deposit agreement at any time without your consent. We undertake to give holders of ADSs 30 days prior notice of any modifications that would materially prejudice any of their substantial rights under the deposit agreement. We will not consider to be materially prejudicial to your substantial rights any modifications or supplements that are reasonably necessary for the ADSs to be registered under the Securities Act or to be eligible for book-entry settlement, in each case without imposing or increasing the fees and charges you are required to pay. In addition, we may not be able to provide you with prior notice of any modifications or supplements that are required to accommodate compliance with applicable provisions of law.
You will be bound by the modifications to the deposit agreement if you continue to hold your ADSs after the modifications to the deposit agreement become effective. The deposit agreement cannot be amended to prevent you from withdrawing the ordinary shares represented by your ADSs (except as permitted by law).
We have the right to direct the depositary to terminate the deposit agreement subject to certain conditions. Similarly, the depositary may in certain circumstances on its own initiative terminate the deposit agreement. In either case, the depositary must give notice to the holders at least 30 days before termination. Until termination, your rights under the deposit agreement will be unaffected.
After termination, the depositary will continue to collect distributions received (but will not distribute any such property until you request the cancellation of your ADSs) and may sell the securities held on deposit. After the sale, the depositary will hold the proceeds from such sale and any other funds then held for the holders of ADSs in a non-interest bearing account. At that point, the depositary will have no further obligations to ADS holders other than to account for the funds then held for the holders of ADSs still outstanding (after deduction of applicable fees, taxes and expenses).
In connection with the termination of the deposit agreement, the depositary may, but shall not be obligated to, independently and without the need for any action by us, make available to holders of ADSs a means to withdraw the ordinary shares and other deposited securities represented by their ADSs and to direct the deposit of such ordinary shares and other deposited securities into an unsponsored American Depositary Shares program established by the depositary, upon such terms and conditions as the depositary may deem reasonably appropriate, subject however, in each case, to satisfaction of the applicable registration and other regulatory requirements applicable to the unsponsored American Depositary Shares program under the Securities Act, and to receipt by the depositary of payment of the applicable fees and charges of, and reimbursement of the applicable expenses incurred by, the depositary.
Books of Depositary
The depositary maintains ADS holder records at its depositary office. You may inspect such records at such office during regular business hours but solely for the purpose of communicating with other holders in the interest of business matters relating to the ADSs and the deposit agreement. The depositary maintains in New York facilities to record and process the issuance, cancellation, combination, split-up and transfer of ADSs. These facilities may be closed from time to time, to the extent not prohibited by law.
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Limitations on Obligations and Liabilities
The deposit agreement limits our obligations and the depositarys obligations to you. Please note the following:
| We and the depositary are obligated only to take the actions specifically stated in the deposit agreement without negligence or bad faith. |
| The depositary disclaims any liability for any failure to carry out voting instructions, for any manner in which a vote is cast or for the effect of any vote, provided it acts in good faith and without negligence and in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement. |
| The depositary disclaims any liability for any failure to accurately determine the lawfulness or practicality of any action, for the content of any document forwarded to you on our behalf or for the accuracy of any translation of such a document, for the investment risks associated with investing in ordinary shares, for the validity or worth of the ordinary shares, for any tax consequences that result from the ownership of ADSs or other deposited property, for the credit-worthiness of any third party, for allowing any rights to lapse under the terms of the deposit agreement, for the timeliness of any of our notices or for our failure to give notice or for any act or omission of or information provided by DTC or any DTC participant. |
| The depositary shall not be liable for acts or omissions of any successor depositary in connection with any matter arising wholly after the resignation or removal of the depositary. |
| We and the depositary will not be obligated to perform any act that is inconsistent with the terms of the deposit agreement. |
| We and the depositary disclaim any liability if we or the depositary are prevented or forbidden from or subject to any civil or criminal penalty or restraint on account of, or delayed in, doing or performing any act or thing required by the terms of the deposit agreement, by reason of any provision, present or future of any law or regulation, including regulations of any stock exchange or by reason of present or future provisions of our articles of association, or any provision of or governing the securities on deposit, or by reason of any act of God or war or other circumstances beyond our or the depositarys control. |
| We and the depositary disclaim any liability by reason of any exercise of, or failure to exercise, any discretion provided for in the deposit agreement or in our articles of association or in any provisions of or governing the securities on deposit. |
| We and the depositary further disclaim any liability for any action or inaction in reliance on the advice or information received from legal counsel, accountants, any person presenting ordinary shares for deposit, any holder of ADSs or authorized representatives thereof, or any other person believed by either of us in good faith to be competent to give such advice or information. |
| We and the depositary also disclaim liability for the inability by any ADS holder or beneficiary owner to benefit from any distribution, offering, right or other benefit that is made available to holders of ordinary shares but is not, under the terms of the deposit agreement, made available to you. |
| We and the depositary may rely without any liability upon any written notice, request or other document believed to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper parties. |
| We and the depositary also disclaim liability for any consequential or punitive damages for any breach of the terms of the deposit agreement. |
| We and the depositary disclaim liability arising out of losses, liabilities, taxes, charges or expenses resulting from the manner in which a holder or beneficial owner of ADSs holds ADSs, including resulting from holding ADSs through a brokerage account. |
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| No disclaimer of any Securities Act liability is intended by any provision of the deposit agreement. |
Nothing in the deposit agreement gives rise to a partnership or joint venture, or establishes a fiduciary relationship, among us, the depositary bank and you as ADS holder.
Nothing in the deposit agreement precludes Citibank (or its affiliates) from engaging in transactions in which parties adverse to us or the ADS owners have interests, and nothing in the deposit agreement obligates Citibank to disclose those transactions, or any information obtained in the course of those transactions, to us or to the ADS owners, or to account for any payment received as part of those transactions.
As the above limitations relate to our obligations and the depositarys obligations to you under the deposit agreement, we believe that, as a matter of construction of the clause, such limitations would likely to continue to apply to ADS holders who withdraw the ordinary shares from the ADS facility with respect to obligations or liabilities incurred under the deposit agreement before the cancellation of the ADSs and the withdrawal of the ordinary shares, and such limitations would most likely not apply to ADS holders who withdraw the ordinary shares from the ADS facility with respect to obligations or liabilities incurred after the cancellation of the ADSs and the withdrawal of the ordinary shares and not under the deposit agreement.
In any event, you will not be deemed, by agreeing to the terms of the deposit agreement, to have waived our or the depositarys compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. In fact, you cannot waive our or the depositarys compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
Taxes
As a Holder or Beneficial Owner (as defined in the deposit agreement) of ADSs, you will be responsible for the taxes and other governmental charges payable on the ADSs and the securities represented by the ADSs as provided for in the deposit agreement. We, the depositary and the custodian may deduct from any distribution the taxes and governmental charges payable by Holders and Beneficial Owners of ADSs and may sell any and all property on deposit to pay the taxes and governmental charges payable by ADS holders. As a Holder or Beneficial Owner of ADSs, you will be liable for any deficiency if the sale proceeds do not cover the taxes that are due.
The depositary may refuse to issue ADSs, to deliver, transfer, split and combine ADRs or to release securities on deposit until all taxes and charges are paid by the applicable Holder or Beneficial Owner of ADSs. The depositary and the custodian may take reasonable administrative actions to obtain tax refunds and reduced tax withholding for any distributions on your behalf. However, you may be required to provide to the depositary and to the custodian proof of taxpayer status and residence and such other information as the depositary and the custodian may require to fulfill legal obligations. You are required to indemnify us, the depositary and the custodian for any claims with respect to taxes based on any tax benefit obtained for you.
Foreign Currency Conversion
The depositary will arrange for the conversion of all foreign currency received into U.S. dollars if such conversion is practical, and it will distribute the U.S. dollars in accordance with the terms of the deposit agreement. You may have to pay fees and expenses incurred in converting foreign currency, such as fees and expenses incurred in complying with currency exchange controls and other governmental requirements.
If the conversion of foreign currency is not practical or lawful, or if any required approvals are denied or not obtainable at a reasonable cost or within a reasonable period, the depositary may take any of the following actions in its discretion:
| Convert the foreign currency to the extent practical and lawful and distribute the U.S. dollars to the ADS holders for whom the conversion and distribution is lawful and practical. |
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| Distribute the foreign currency to ADS holders for whom the distribution is lawful and practical. |
| Hold the foreign currency (without liability for interest) for the applicable ADS holders. |
Governing Law/Waiver of Jury Trial
The deposit agreement and the ADRs and ADSs will be interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New York. The rights of holders of ordinary shares (including ordinary shares represented by ADSs) are governed by the laws of England and Wales.
AS A PARTY TO THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT, YOU WAIVE IRREVOCABLY, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOUR RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF THE DEPOSIT AGREEMENT OR THE ADSs AGAINST US AND/OR THE DEPOSITARY.
The deposit agreement provides that, to the extent permitted by law, ADS holders waive the right to a jury trial of any claim they may have against us or the depositary arising out of or relating to our ordinary shares, the ADSs or the deposit agreement, including any claim under U.S. federal securities laws. If we or the depositary opposed a jury trial demand based on the waiver, the court would determine whether the waiver was enforceable based on the facts and circumstances of that case in accordance with applicable case law. However, you will not be deemed, by agreeing to the terms of the deposit agreement, to have waived our or the depositarys compliance with U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplements, summarizes the material terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any future debt securities we may offer pursuant to this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we so indicate in a prospectus supplement, the terms of any debt securities offered under such prospectus supplement may differ from the terms we describe below, and to the extent the terms set forth in a prospectus supplement differ from the terms described below, the terms set forth in the prospectus supplement shall control.
We may issue debt securities from time to time, in one or more series, as either senior or subordinated debt or as senior or subordinated convertible debt. While the terms we have summarized below will apply generally to any debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, we will describe the particular terms of any debt securities that we may offer in more detail in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms of any debt securities offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. Unless the context requires otherwise, whenever we refer to the indenture, we also are referring to any supplemental indentures that specify the terms of a particular series of debt securities.
We will issue the debt securities under the indenture that we will enter into with the trustee named in the indenture. The indenture will be qualified under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, or the Trust Indenture Act. We have filed the form of indenture as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and supplemental indentures and forms of debt securities containing the terms of the debt securities being offered will be filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part or will be incorporated by reference from reports that we file with the SEC.
The following summary of material provisions of the debt securities and the indenture is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by reference to, all of the provisions of the indenture applicable to a particular series of debt securities. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplements and any related free writing prospectuses related to the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus, as well as the complete indenture that contains the terms of the debt securities.
General
The indenture does not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue. It provides that we may issue debt securities up to the principal amount that we may authorize and may be in any currency or currency unit that we may designate. Except for the limitations on consolidation, merger and sale of all or substantially all of our assets contained in the indenture, the terms of the indenture do not contain any covenants or other provisions designed to give holders of any debt securities protection against changes in our operations, financial condition or transactions involving us.
We may issue the debt securities issued under the indenture as discount securities, which means they may be sold at a discount below their stated principal amount. These debt securities, as well as other debt securities that are not issued at a discount, may be issued with original issue discount, or OID, for U.S. federal income tax purposes because of interest payment and other characteristics or terms of the debt securities. Material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to debt securities issued with OID will be described in more detail in any applicable prospectus supplement.
We will describe in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms of the series of debt securities being offered, including:
| the title of the series of debt securities; |
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| any limit upon the aggregate principal amount that may be issued; |
| the maturity date or dates; |
| the form of the debt securities of the series; |
| the applicability of any guarantees; |
| whether or not the debt securities will be secured or unsecured, and the terms of any secured debt; |
| whether the debt securities rank as senior debt, senior subordinated debt, subordinated debt or any combination thereof, and the terms of any subordination; |
| if the price (expressed as a percentage of the aggregate principal amount thereof) at which such debt securities will be issued is a price other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount thereof payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof, or if applicable, the portion of the principal amount of such debt securities that is convertible into another security or the method by which any such portion shall be determined; |
| the interest rate or rates, which may be fixed or variable, or the method for determining the rate and the date interest will begin to accrue, the dates interest will be payable and the regular record dates for interest payment dates or the method for determining such dates; |
| our right, if any, to defer payment of interest and the maximum length of any such deferral period; |
| if applicable, the date or dates after which, or the period or periods during which, and the price or prices at which, we may, at our option, redeem the series of debt securities pursuant to any optional or provisional redemption provisions and the terms of those redemption provisions; |
| the date or dates, if any, on which, and the price or prices at which we are obligated, pursuant to any mandatory sinking fund or analogous fund provisions or otherwise, to redeem, or at the holders option to purchase, the series of debt securities and the currency or currency unit in which the debt securities are payable; |
| the denominations in which we will issue the series of debt securities, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof; |
| any and all terms, if applicable, relating to any auction or remarketing of the debt securities of that series and any security for our obligations with respect to such debt securities and any other terms which may be advisable in connection with the marketing of debt securities of that series; |
| whether the debt securities of the series shall be issued in whole or in part in the form of a global security or securities; the terms and conditions, if any, upon which such global security or securities may be exchanged in whole or in part for other individual securities; and the depositary for such global security or securities; |
| if applicable, the provisions relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of the series and the terms and conditions upon which such debt securities will be so convertible or exchangeable, including the conversion or exchange price, as applicable, or how it will be calculated and may be adjusted, any mandatory or optional (at our option or the holders option) conversion or exchange features, the applicable conversion or exchange period and the manner of settlement for any conversion or exchange; |
| if other than the full principal amount thereof, the portion of the principal amount of debt securities of the series which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof; |
| additions to or changes in the covenants applicable to the particular debt securities being issued, including, among others, the consolidation, merger or sale covenant; |
| additions to or changes in the events of default with respect to the securities and any change in the right of the trustee or the holders to declare the principal, premium, if any, and interest, if any, with respect to such securities to be due and payable; |
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| additions to or changes in or deletions of the provisions relating to covenant defeasance and legal defeasance; |
| additions to or changes in the provisions relating to satisfaction and discharge of the indenture; |
| additions to or changes in the provisions relating to the modification of the indenture both with and without the consent of holders of debt securities issued under the indenture; |
| the currency of payment of debt securities if other than U.S. dollars and the manner of determining the equivalent amount in U.S. dollars; |
| whether interest will be payable in cash or additional debt securities at our or the holders option and the terms and conditions upon which the election may be made; |
| the terms and conditions, if any, upon which we will pay amounts in addition to the stated interest, premium, if any and principal amounts of the debt securities of the series to any holder that is not a United States person for federal tax purposes; |
| any restrictions on transfer, sale or assignment of the debt securities of the series; and |
| any other specific terms, preferences, rights or limitations of, or restrictions on, the debt securities, any other additions or changes in the provisions of the indenture, and any terms that may be required by us or advisable under applicable laws or regulations. |
Conversion or Exchange Rights
We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement the terms on which a series of debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for our ordinary shares, ADSs or our other securities. We will include provisions as to settlement upon conversion or exchange and whether conversion or exchange is mandatory, at the option of the holder or at our option. We may include provisions pursuant to which the number of shares of our ordinary shares, ADSs or our other securities that the holders of the series of debt securities receive would be subject to adjustment.
Consolidation, Merger or Sale
Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the indenture will not contain any covenant that restricts our ability to merge or consolidate, or sell, convey, transfer or otherwise dispose of our assets as an entirety or substantially as an entirety. However, any successor to or acquirer of such assets (other than a subsidiary of ours) must assume all of our obligations under the indenture or the debt securities, as appropriate.
Events of Default under the Indenture
Unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, the following are events of default under the indenture with respect to any series of debt securities that we may issue:
| if we fail to pay any installment of interest on any series of debt securities, as and when the same shall become due and payable, and such default continues for a period of 90 days; provided, however, that a valid extension of an interest payment period by us in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental thereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of interest for this purpose; |
| if we fail to pay the principal of, or premium, if any, on any series of debt securities as and when the same shall become due and payable whether at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration or otherwise, or in any payment required by any sinking or analogous fund established with respect to such series; provided, however, that a valid extension of the maturity of such debt securities in accordance with the terms of any indenture supplemental thereto shall not constitute a default in the payment of principal or premium, if any; |
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| if we fail to observe or perform any other covenant or agreement contained in the debt securities or the indenture, other than a covenant specifically relating to another series of debt securities, and our failure continues for 90 days after we receive written notice of such failure, requiring the same to be remedied and stating that such is a notice of default thereunder, from the trustee or holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the applicable series; and |
| if specified events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization occur. |
If an event of default with respect to debt securities of any series occurs and is continuing, other than an event of default specified in the last bullet point above, the trustee or the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, by notice to us in writing, and to the trustee if notice is given by such holders, may declare the unpaid principal of, premium, if any, and accrued interest, if any, due and payable immediately. If an event of default specified in the last bullet point above occurs with respect to us, the principal amount of and accrued interest, if any, of each issue of debt securities then outstanding shall be due and payable without any notice or other action on the part of the trustee or any holder.
The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of an affected series may waive any default or event of default with respect to the series and its consequences, except defaults or events of default regarding payment of principal, premium, if any, or interest, unless we have cured the default or event of default in accordance with the indenture. Any waiver shall cure the default or event of default.
Subject to the terms of the indenture, if an event of default under an indenture shall occur and be continuing, the trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under such indenture at the request or direction of any of the holders of the applicable series of debt securities, unless such holders have offered the trustee reasonable indemnity. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee, with respect to the debt securities of that series, provided that:
| the direction so given by the holder is not in conflict with any law or the applicable indenture; and |
| subject to its duties under the Trust Indenture Act, the trustee need not take any action that might involve it in personal liability or might be unduly prejudicial to the holders not involved in the proceeding. |
A holder of the debt securities of any series will have the right to institute a proceeding under the indenture or to appoint a receiver or trustee, or to seek other remedies only if:
| the holder has given written notice to the trustee of a continuing event of default with respect to that series; |
| the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, |
| such holders have offered to the trustee indemnity satisfactory to it against the costs, expenses and liabilities to be incurred by the trustee in compliance with the request; and |
| the trustee does not institute the proceeding, and does not receive from the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series other conflicting directions within 90 days after the notice, request and offer. |
These limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a holder of debt securities if we default in the payment of the principal, premium, if any, or interest on, the debt securities.
We will periodically file statements with the trustee regarding our compliance with specified covenants in the indenture.
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Modification of Indenture; Waiver
We and the trustee may change an indenture without the consent of any holders with respect to specific matters:
| to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the indenture or in the debt securities of any series; |
| to comply with the provisions described above under Description of Debt SecuritiesConsolidation, Merger or Sale; |
| to provide for uncertificated debt securities in addition to or in place of certificated debt securities; |
| to add to our covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the benefit of the holders of all or any series of debt securities, to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and the continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default or to surrender any right or power conferred upon us in the indenture; |
| to add to, delete from or revise the conditions, limitations, and restrictions on the authorized amount, terms, or purposes of issue, authentication and delivery of debt securities, as set forth in the indenture; |
| to make any change that does not adversely affect the interests of any holder of debt securities of any series in any material respect; |
| to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of the debt securities of any series as provided above under Description of Debt SecuritiesGeneral to establish the form of any certifications required to be furnished pursuant to the terms of the indenture or any series of debt securities, or to add to the rights of the holders of any series of debt securities; |
| to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment under any indenture by a successor trustee; or |
| to comply with any requirements of the SEC in connection with the qualification of any indenture under the Trust Indenture Act. |
In addition, under the indenture, the rights of holders of a series of debt securities may be changed by us and the trustee with the written consent of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series that is affected. However, unless we provide otherwise in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series of debt securities, we and the trustee may make the following changes only with the consent of each holder of any outstanding debt securities affected:
| extending the fixed maturity of any debt securities of any series; |
| reducing the principal amount, reducing the rate of or extending the time of payment of interest, or reducing any premium payable upon the redemption of any series of any debt securities; or |
| reducing the percentage of debt securities, the holders of which are required to consent to any amendment, supplement, modification or waiver. |
Discharge
Each indenture provides that we can elect to be discharged from our obligations with respect to one or more series of debt securities, except for specified obligations, including obligations to:
| provide for payment; |
| register the transfer or exchange of debt securities of the series; |
| replace stolen, lost or mutilated debt securities of the series; |
| pay principal of and premium and interest on any debt securities of the series; |
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| maintain paying agencies; |
| hold monies for payment in trust; |
| recover excess money held by the trustee; |
| compensate and indemnify the trustee; and |
| appoint any successor trustee. |
In order to exercise our rights to be discharged, we must deposit with the trustee money or government obligations sufficient to pay all the principal of, any premium, if any, and interest on, the debt securities of the series on the dates payments are due.
Form, Exchange and Transfer
We will issue the debt securities of each series only in fully registered form without coupons and, unless we provide otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, in denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof. The indenture provides that we may issue debt securities of a series in temporary or permanent global form and as book-entry securities that will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, or DTC, or another depositary named by us and identified in the applicable prospectus supplement with respect to that series. To the extent the debt securities of a series are issued in global form and as book-entry, a description of terms relating to any book-entry securities will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
At the option of the holder, subject to the terms of the indenture and the limitations applicable to global securities described in the applicable prospectus supplement, the holder of the debt securities of any series can exchange the debt securities for other debt securities of the same series, in any authorized denomination and of like tenor and aggregate principal amount.
Subject to the terms of the indenture and the limitations applicable to global securities set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the debt securities may present the debt securities for exchange or for registration of transfer, duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed if so required by us or the security registrar, at the office of the security registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for this purpose. Unless otherwise provided in the debt securities that the holder presents for transfer or exchange, we will impose no service charge for any registration of transfer or exchange, but we may require payment of any taxes or other governmental charges.
We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement the security registrar, and any transfer agent in addition to the security registrar, that we initially designate for any debt securities. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of each series.
If we elect to redeem the debt securities of any series, we will not be required to:
| issue, register the transfer of, or exchange any debt securities of that series during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any debt securities that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of the mailing; or |
| register the transfer of or exchange any debt securities so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any debt securities we are redeeming in part. |
Information Concerning the Trustee
The trustee, other than during the occurrence and continuance of an event of default under an indenture, undertakes to perform only those duties as are specifically set forth in the applicable indenture. Upon an event of
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default under an indenture, the trustee must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would exercise or use in the conduct of his or her own affairs. Subject to this provision, the trustee is under no obligation to exercise any of the powers given it by the indenture at the request of any holder of debt securities unless it is offered reasonable security and indemnity against the costs, expenses and liabilities that it might incur.
Payment and Paying Agents
Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make payment of the interest on any debt securities on any interest payment date to the person in whose name the debt securities, or one or more predecessor securities, are registered at the close of business on the regular record date for the interest.
We will pay principal of and any premium and interest on the debt securities of a particular series at the office of the paying agents designated by us, except that unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will make interest payments by check that we will mail to the holder or by wire transfer to certain holders. Unless we otherwise indicate in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will designate the corporate trust office of the trustee as our sole paying agent for payments with respect to debt securities of each series. We will name in the applicable prospectus supplement any other paying agents that we initially designate for the debt securities of a particular series. We will maintain a paying agent in each place of payment for the debt securities of a particular series.
All money we pay to a paying agent or the trustee for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any debt securities that remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the holder of the debt security thereafter may look only to us for payment thereof.
Governing Law
The indenture and the debt securities will be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of New York, except to the extent that the Trust Indenture Act of 1939 is applicable.
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General
We may issue warrants to purchase our ordinary shares represented by ADSs and/or debt securities in one or more series together with other securities or separately, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Below is a description of certain general terms and provisions of the warrants that we may offer. Particular terms of the warrants will be described in the warrant agreements and the prospectus supplement relating to the warrants.
The applicable prospectus supplement will contain, where applicable, the following terms of and other information relating to the warrants:
| the specific designation and aggregate number of, and the price at which we will issue, the warrants; |
| the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable; |
| the designation, amount and terms of the securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants; |
| if applicable, the exercise price for our ADSs and the number of ADSs to be received upon exercise; |
| if applicable, the exercise price for our debt securities, the amount of debt securities to be received upon exercise, and a description of that series of debt securities; |
| the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will begin and the date on which that right will expire or, if you may not continuously exercise the warrants throughout that period, the specific date or dates on which you may exercise the warrants; |
| whether the warrants will be issued in fully registered form or bearer form, in definitive or global form or in any combination of these forms; |
| any applicable material U.S. federal income tax consequences and any applicable material U.K. tax consequences; |
| the identity of the warrant agent for the warrants and of any other depositaries, execution or paying agents, transfer agents, registrars or other agents; |
| the proposed listing, if any, of the warrants or any securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants on any securities exchange; |
| if applicable, the date from and after which the warrants and the ADSs and/or debt securities will be separately transferable; |
| if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time; |
| information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any; |
| the anti-dilution provisions of the warrants, if any; |
| any redemption or call provisions; and |
| any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange and exercise of the warrants. |
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for any warrants will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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Certain material U.S. federal income tax and, to the extent applicable, material U.K. tax consequences relating to the purchase, ownership and disposition of any of the securities offered by this prospectus will be set forth in the prospectus supplement pertaining to those securities.
Unless the applicable prospectus supplement indicates otherwise, the validity of our ordinary shares, including ordinary shares represented by ADSs being offered by this prospectus and certain other matters of English law, will be passed upon for us by Cooley (UK) LLP. Unless the applicable prospectus supplement indicates otherwise, the validity of the warrants and certain other matters of U.S. federal law will be passed upon for us by Cooley LLP. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for any underwriters, dealers or agents by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The consolidated financial statements of Renalytix plc appearing in Renalytix plcs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2023, have been audited by Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, as set forth in their report thereon (which contains an explanatory paragraph describing conditions that raise substantial doubt about the Companys ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements), included therein, and incorporated herein by reference. Such consolidated financial statements are incorporated herein by reference in reliance upon such report given on the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.
The registered business address of Ernst & Young LLP is 99 Wood Avenue South, Iselin, New Jersey 08830.
None.
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SERVICE OF PROCESS AND ENFORCEMENT OF LIABILITIES
We are incorporated and currently existing under the laws of England and Wales. In addition, certain of our directors and officers reside outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for investors to effect service of process on us or those persons in the United States or to enforce in the United States judgments obtained in United States courts against us or those persons based on the civil liability or other provisions of the United States securities laws or other laws.
In addition, uncertainty exists as to whether the courts of England and Wales would:
| recognize or enforce judgments of United States courts obtained against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the civil liabilities provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States; or |
| entertain original actions brought in England and Wales against us or our directors or officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state in the United States. |
We have been advised by Cooley LLP and Cooley (UK) LLP that there is currently no treaty between (i) the United States and (ii) England and Wales providing for reciprocal recognition and enforcement of judgments of United States courts in civil and commercial matters (although the United States and the United Kingdom are both parties to the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards) and that a final judgment for the payment of money rendered by any general or state court in the United States based on civil liability, whether predicated solely upon the United States securities laws, would not be automatically enforceable in England and Wales. We have also been advised by Cooley LLP and Cooley (UK) LLP that any final and conclusive monetary judgment for a definite sum obtained against us in United States courts would be treated by the courts of England and Wales as a cause of action in itself and sued upon as a debt at common law so that no retrial of the issues would be necessary, provided that:
| the relevant U.S. court had jurisdiction over the original proceedings according to English conflicts of laws principles at the time when proceedings were initiated; |
| the claimant commenced proceedings in the courts of England and Wales and we were duly served with process; |
| the U.S. judgment was final and conclusive on the merits in the sense of being final and unalterable in the court that pronounced it and being for a definite sum of money; |
| the judgment given by the courts was not in respect of penalties, taxes, fines or similar fiscal or revenue obligations (or otherwise based on a U.S. law that an English court considers to relate to a penal, revenue or other public law), or for a declaration or injunction; |
| the judgment was not procured by fraud; |
| recognition or enforcement of the judgment in England and Wales would not be contrary to public policy or the Human Rights Act 1998; |
| the proceedings pursuant to which judgment was obtained were not contrary to natural justice; |
| the U.S. judgment was not arrived at by doubling, trebling or otherwise multiplying a sum assessed as compensation for the loss or damages sustained and not being otherwise in breach of Section 5 of the U.K. Protection of Trading Interests Act 1980, or is a judgment based on measures designated by the Secretary of State under Section 1 of that Act; |
| there is not a prior decision of an English court or the court of another jurisdiction on the issues in question between the same parties; and |
| the English enforcement proceedings were commenced within the limitation period. |
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Whether these requirements are met in respect of a judgment based upon the civil liability provisions of the United States securities laws, including whether the award of monetary damages under such laws would constitute a penalty, is an issue for the court making such decision.
Subject to the foregoing, investors may be able to enforce in England and Wales judgments in civil and commercial matters that have been obtained from U.S. federal or state courts. Nevertheless, we cannot assure you that those judgments will be recognized or enforceable in England and Wales.
If an English court gives judgment for the sum payable under a U.S. judgment, the English judgment will be enforceable by methods generally available for this purpose. These methods generally permit the English court discretion to prescribe the manner of enforcement.
In addition, it may not be possible to obtain an English judgment or to enforce that judgment if we are or become subject to any insolvency or similar proceedings, or if we have any set-off or counterclaim against the judgment creditor. Also note that, in any enforcement proceedings, we may raise any counterclaim that could have been brought if the action had been originally brought in England unless the subject of the counterclaim was in issue and denied in the U.S. proceedings.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. For further information with respect to us and the securities we are offering under this prospectus, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits and schedules filed as a part of the registration statement. Neither we nor any agent, underwriter or dealer has authorized any person to provide you with different information. We are not making an offer of these securities in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front page of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of the securities offered by this prospectus.
We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public at the SECs website at www.sec.gov. You also may access these filings on our website at www.renalytix.com. We do not incorporate the information on our website into this prospectus or any supplement to this prospectus and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed through, our website as part of this prospectus or any supplement to this prospectus (other than those filings with the SEC that we specifically incorporate by reference into this prospectus or any supplement to this prospectus).
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INCORPORATION OF DOCUMENTS BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference information into this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement the information we have filed with the SEC. Incorporation by reference allows us to disclose important information to you by referring you to those other documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will also be deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents and will automatically update and supersede previously filed information, including information contained in this document.
This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:
| Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, filed with the SEC on September 28, 2023; |
| Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on July 3, 2023 (except for the information furnished under Item 7.01 and the exhibit thereto) and September 8, 2023 (except for the information furnished under Item 7.01 and the exhibit thereto); and |
| The description of our ordinary shares and ADSs contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A, as filed with the SEC under Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act on July 13, 2020, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description (File No. 001-39387). |
We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus all documents (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items) that are filed by us with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (i) after the date of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and prior to effectiveness of the registration statement, or (ii) after the date of this prospectus but prior to the termination of the offering.
Unless expressly incorporated by reference, nothing in this prospectus shall be deemed to incorporate by reference information furnished to, but not filed with, the SEC. Copies of all documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits to those documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference in this prospectus, will be provided at no cost to each person, including any beneficial owner, who receives a copy of this prospectus on the written or oral request of that person made to:
Renalytix plc
Finsgate
5-7 Cranwood Street
London EC1V 9EE
United Kingdom
+44 20 3139 2910
You may also access these documents on our website, www.renalytix.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not a part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.
You should rely only on information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. We are not making offers to sell the securities in any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.
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2,666,667
Ordinary Shares
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
April 5, 2024