NYSE: COPL-UN
Copley Acquisition CorpCIK 0002045473 · Blank Checks
We are a blank check company incorporated as an exempted company under the laws of the Cayman Islands on November 26, 2024, which will seek to effect a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities,… About this business →
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About Copley Acquisition Corp
Source: Item 1 (Business) from the 10-K filed March 31, 2026. Description as filed by the company with the SEC.
Item 1. Business.
Introduction
We are a blank check company incorporated as an exempted company under the laws of the Cayman Islands on November 26, 2024, which will seek to effect a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar business combination with one or more businesses or entities, which we refer to throughout this report as our initial business combination. While we may pursue an acquisition opportunity in any business, industry, sector or geographical location, we intend to focus on industries that complement our management team’s and board of director’s background and network, and to capitalize on the ability of our management team and board of directors to identify and acquire a business, focusing on technology and lifestyle sectors. To date, our efforts have been limited to organizational activities, activities related to our initial public offering, and, after the closing of our initial public offering, searching for a business combination target. We have generated no operating revenues to date and we do not expect that we will generate operating revenues until we consummate our initial business combination.
We believe our management team has the skills and experience to identify, evaluate and consummate a business combination and is positioned to assist businesses we acquire. However, our management team’s network and investing and operating experience do not guarantee a successful initial business combination. The members of our management team are not required to devote any significant amount of time to our business and are concurrently involved with other businesses. There is no guarantee that our current officers and directors will continue in their respective roles, or in any other role, after our initial business combination, and their expertise may only be of benefit to us until our initial business combination is completed. Past performance by our management team is not a guarantee of success with respect to any business combination we may consummate.
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While our global search for target businesses is not limited by geographic region, we may focus our search for a business combination partner in the Asia Pacific (excluding the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”)) and North American regions. Certain of our executive officers and directors are based in Hong Kong and have experience investing in and building businesses in Asia and have a deep understanding of the region’s business environment, regulations, regulatory bodies and culture. We will not, however, undertake our initial business combination with any company being based in or having the majority of the company’s operations in the PRC.
Business Strategy
We
are focused on identifying a business combination target that can benefit from the collective network, knowledge and experience of our
founder and management team. With global operating and investment experience from the Asia Pacific (excluding the PRC) to the North America
regions, we believe our extensive investment and institutional financial service experiences coupled with a deep understanding of the
technology sector will provide us with access to high quality companies and distinguish us from other SPACs that are founded and/or sponsored
by less experienced teams. We believe this not only creates unique deal sourcing channels but also positions us as an attractive partner
to potential target businesses, thereby enhancing our ability to complete a successful business combination.
We
expect to play a pivotal role as a business builder and platform facilitator by maximizing value for all shareholders. We aim to provide
capital and expertise to targets with solid business fundamentals and attractive valuations, which have the potential for growth and
to benefit from our global network, access and know-how.
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Our
potential targets may exhibit a broad range of business models and financial characteristics that range from very high growth innovative
companies to more mature businesses with established recurring revenues and strong cash flows. While we may pursue a business combination
in any industry, we believe that the technology, and lifestyle industries, particularly those that are major beneficiaries of next generation
technology, provide ample business combination opportunities. Within these industries, we expect to focus on the following two Target
Sectors:
●Enabling
Technology: The landscape in the technology industry is dynamic and rapidly evolving as new
means of innovation, consumption and delivery continue to generate opportunities for monetization.
According to Gartner, the global IT spending is expected to reach over $8 trillion before
the end of the decade. Electric vehicles, robotics and cybersecurity, are driving innovation
at rapid speed. We believe a growing appetite for technology from consumers, alongside continued
technological advancements, will continue to allow innovative technologies, contents and
business models to emerge and pioneer across industries, presenting excellent opportunities
for our management team.
●Lifestyle
Services: The lifestyle segment is composed of many verticals, including luxury apparel,
wellness and travel. Lifestyle brands engage customers with unique products, experiences
and aspirations, often with a singular image, strong philosophy and unique style. Consumers
are increasingly connecting to brands through e-commerce, digital content, online communities
and influencer-driven recommendations. The Millennial and Generation Z demographic groups,
in particular, often live in a highly connected and digital world, spending their time interacting
through different mediums, and respond to brands in which these interactions build an emotional
connection. Some traditional players are undergoing omni-channel transformation, while others
could benefit from innovative ways for consumers to connect and to experience their brand.
Post COVID has seen a surge of “revenge travel” which has benefitted the full
vertical of the supply chain of the travel industry, from traditional business such as the
hospitality space to next generation of travel experiences. All these related businesses
have provided businesses a propellant to drive next stage business growth.
Our
selection process will leverage our management’s and board of directors’ broad and deep network of relationships, industry
expertise and deal-sourcing capabilities, which we believe will provide us with a strong pipeline of potential targets. Our management
and board members have experience in:
●investing
and building businesses in technology and lifestyle related sectors with distinctive market,
policy and macroeconomic insights;
●managing
and operating companies, setting and changing strategies, and identifying, mentoring and
recruiting talent;
●developing
and growing companies, both organically and inorganically, and expanding the product ranges
and geographic footprints of portfolio businesses;
●facilitating
cross-border expansions and guiding companies from the North American region into the APAC
market (and vice versa);
●executing
merger and acquisition strategies to accelerate growth and create integrated value chains;
●sourcing,
structuring, acquiring and selling businesses in various markets;
●partnering
with other industry-leading companies to improve competitive position;
●fostering
relationships with customers, capital providers and target management teams; and
●accessing
the equity and debt capital markets, including capital sources in Asia, Europe and North
America, across various business cycles, including financing businesses and assisting companies
with the transition to public ownership.
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Our approach to target selection will be greatly enhanced by our management team’s and board of director’s vast network of industry experts, venture capital investors, private equity sponsors, and relationships with management teams of both public and private companies. These relationships are expected to yield a diverse array of business combination opportunities.
We are committed to adopting a proactive and thematic sourcing strategy, concentrating our efforts on companies where we believe our leadership experience, relationships, capital, and expertise in capital markets can serve as catalysts for transformation. Our aim is to accelerate the growth and performance of our target companies.
Our management team and board of directors will engage with their extensive network of relationships to articulate our initial business combination criteria. This will include defining the parameters of our search for a target business. Subsequently, we will initiate a disciplined and thorough process of pursuing and evaluating promising leads.
Competitive
Strengths
We
believe we have the following competitive strengths:
●Management
Operating and Investing Experience. Our directors and officers have significant experience
in the financial services and financial technology industries. We believe that this experience
provides us with a competitive advantage in evaluating businesses and acquisition opportunities
in our target industries.
●Established
Deal Sourcing Network. As a result of their extensive experience in financial services
and technology industries, our team has developed a broad array of contacts in these industries.
We believe that these contacts will be important in generating acquisition opportunities
for us.
●Strong
Financial Position and Flexibility. With a trust account in the amount of $179,300,677.06
as of March 19, 2026, and a public market for our ordinary shares, we offer a target business
a variety of options to facilitate a future business combination and fund the growth and
expansion of business operations. Because we are able to consummate an initial business combination
using our equity, debt, cash or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to
design an acquisition structure to address the needs of the parties. We have not, however,
taken any steps to secure third party financing and would expect to do so only in connection
with the consummation of our initial business combination. Accordingly, our flexibility in
structuring an initial business combination may be constrained by our ability to arrange
third-party financing, if required.
●Status
as a Public Company. We believe our structure will make us an attractive business
combination partner to prospective target businesses. As an existing public company, we offer
a target business an alternative to the traditional initial public offering through a merger
or other business combination with us. In this situation, the owners of the target business
would exchange their shares of stock, shares or other equity interests in the target business
for our shares. Once public, we believe the target business would have greater access to
capital and additional means of creating management incentives that are better aligned with
shareholders’ interests than it would as a private company. We believe that being a
public company can also augment a company’s profile among potential new customers and
vendors and aid it in attracting and retaining talented employees.
Business
Combination Criteria
We
expect to seek to identify companies globally that have compelling growth potential and a combination of the following characteristics.
We will use these criteria and guidelines in evaluating acquisition opportunities, but we may decide to enter into our initial business
combination with a target business that does not meet these criteria and guidelines. We expect that no individual criteria will entirely
determine a decision to pursue a particular economy. We intend to seek to acquire companies that we believe:
●can
utilize the extensive network, relationships and experience of our founder and management
team to propel growth;
●possess
disruptive technology and/or business models with strong and sustainable growth potential;
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●have
defensible market positions with sustainable competitive advantages;
●have
dislocated valuations with fundamentally sound business model and sector, and a need for
capital;
●own
durable or established IP (e.g., contents, brands) with scalable monetization potential;
●are
managed by experienced management team with the ability to oversee a larger organization;
●established
entrepreneurial culture of disruption, and adaptability to changing sector dynamics;
●have
ability to scale and enhance growth with further M&A roll-up; and
●can
benefit from being a publicly traded company with access to broader capital markets.
It
is essential to note that while these criteria provide a foundational framework, our evaluation process extends beyond these general
guidelines. We remain open to considering other factors, considerations, and criteria that our management deems relevant to the merits
of a particular initial business combination. Our flexibility and adaptability in evaluating opportunities are indicative of our commitment
to securing investments that offer substantial growth potential and value for our investors. We are dedicated to upholding these principles
and maintaining the highest standards of diligence and strategic acumen.
These
criteria are not intended to be exhaustive. Any evaluation relating to the merits of a particular initial business combination may be
based, to the extent relevant, on these general guidelines as well as on other considerations, factors and criteria that our management
may deem relevant.
Our Acquisition Process
In evaluating a prospective target business, we expect to conduct a thorough due diligence review that will encompass, among other things, meetings with incumbent management and employees, document reviews, inspection of facilities, as well as a review of financial, operational, legal and other information which will be made available to us.
Initial Business Combination
We intend to effectuate our initial business combination using cash from the proceeds of our initial public offering and the private placement, our equity, debt or a combination of these as the consideration to be paid in our initial business combination.
If we pay for our initial business combination using shares or debt securities, or we do not use all of the funds released from the trust account for payment of the purchase price in connection with our business combination or for redemptions or purchases of our ordinary shares, we may apply the balance of the cash released to us from the trust account for general corporate purposes, including for maintenance or expansion of operations of acquired businesses, the payment of principal or interest due on indebtedness incurred in consummating our initial business combination, to fund the purchase of other companies or for working capital.
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We have not entered into a definitive agreement with any specific business combination target. From time to time, we engage in preliminary, exploratory and non-binding contacts and may enter into non-binding indications of interest or letters of intent; any such arrangements, if any, are preliminary and may be modified or terminated at any time as we continue our evaluation process. As of the date of this Annual Report, we have not engaged or retained any agent or other representative to identify or locate acquisition candidates.
Because we have not entered into a definitive agreement with any target business, investors do not have a current basis to evaluate the possible merits or risks of any particular business combination. Although our management will assess the risks inherent in any potential target, we cannot assure you that this assessment will identify all material risks, and certain risks may be outside our control.
NYSE rules require that our initial business combination be with one or more target businesses that together have a fair market value equal to at least 80% of the balance in the trust account (less any deferred underwriting commissions and taxes payable on interest earned) at the time of our signing a definitive agreement in connection with our initial business combination. We refer to this as the 80% fair market value test. If our board of directors is not able to independently determine the fair market value of the target business or businesses, we will obtain an opinion from an independent investment banking firm or another independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions with respect to the satisfaction of such criteria. We do not currently intend to purchase multiple businesses in unrelated industries in conjunction with our initial business combination, although there is no assurance that will be the case. In addition, pursuant to NYSE listing rules, our initial business combination must be approved by a majority of our independent directors.
We may seek to raise additional funds through a private offering of debt or equity securities to finance our initial business combination, and we may effectuate an initial business combination using the proceeds of such offering rather than using the amounts held in the trust account. Subject to compliance with applicable securities laws, we would consummate such financing only simultaneously with the consummation of our business combination. In the case of an initial business combination funded with assets other than the trust account assets, our tender offer documents or proxy materials disclosing the business combination would disclose the terms of the financing and, only if required by law or NYSE, we would seek shareholder approval of such financing. There are no prohibitions on our ability to raise funds privately or through loans in connection with our initial business combination. At this time, we are not a party to any arrangement or understanding with any third party with respect to raising any additional funds through the sale of securities or otherwise.
We anticipate structuring our initial business combination so that the post-transaction company in which our public shareholders own shares will own or acquire 100% of the issued and outstanding equity interests or assets of the target business or businesses. We may, however, structure our initial business combination such that the post-transaction company owns or acquires less than 100% of such interests or assets of the target business in order to meet certain objectives of the target management team or shareholders or for other reasons, but we will only complete such business combination if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the issued and outstanding voting securities of the target or otherwise acquires a controlling interest in the target business sufficient for it not to be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. Even if the post-transaction company owns or acquires 50% or more of the voting securities of the target, our shareholders prior to our initial business combination may collectively own a minority interest in the post-transaction company, depending on valuations ascribed to the target and us in our initial business combination transaction. For example, we could pursue a transaction in which we issue a substantial number of new shares in exchange for all of the issued and outstanding capital stock, shares or other equity securities of a target business or issue a substantial number of new shares to third-parties in connection with financing our initial business combination. In this case, we would acquire a 100% controlling interest in the target. However, as a result of the issuance of a substantial number of new shares, our shareholders immediately prior to our initial business combination could own less than a majority of our issued and outstanding shares subsequent to our initial business combination. If less than 100% of the equity interests or assets of a target business or businesses are owned or acquired by the post-transaction company, the portion of such business or businesses that is owned or acquired is what will be valued for purposes of the 80% fair market value test. If our initial business combination involves more than one target business, the 80% fair market value test will be based on the aggregate value of all of the target businesses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we are not then listed on NYSE for whatever reason, we would no longer be required to meet the foregoing 80% fair market value test.
We filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
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Sourcing of Potential Initial Business Combination Targets
We anticipate that target business candidates will be brought to our attention from various unaffiliated sources, including investment bankers, attorneys, accountants, venture capital funds, private equity funds, leveraged buyout funds, management buyout funds, brokers and other members of the financial community and corporate executives. These target candidates may present solicited or unsolicited proposals. We expect such sources to become aware that we are seeking a business combination candidate by a variety of means, including publicly available information relating to our initial public offering, public relations and marketing efforts, or direct contact by management.
Our officers and directors, as well as their affiliates, may also bring to our attention target business candidates of which they become aware through their contacts. While we do not presently anticipate engaging the services of professional firms or other individuals that specialize in business acquisitions on any formal basis, we may engage these firms or other individuals in the future, in which event we may pay a finder’s fee, consulting fee or other compensation to be determined in an arm’s length negotiation based on the terms of the transaction. We will engage a finder only if our management determines that the use of a finder may bring opportunities to us that may not otherwise be available to us or if finders approach us on an unsolicited basis with a potential transaction that our management determines is in our best interest to pursue. In connection with the completion of our initial business combination, at the option of our management team, we may pay a customary advisory fee, finder’s fee and/or success fee, to a person or entity associated with certain of our officers and directors, in an amount that constitutes a market standard fee for comparable transactions and services provided. Although some of our officers and directors may enter into employment or consulting agreements with the acquired business following our initial business combination, the presence or absence of any such arrangements will not be used as a criterion in our selection process of an acquisition candidate.
We are not prohibited from pursuing an initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, any of the non-managing sponsor investors, or any of their respective affiliates. In the event we seek to complete our initial business combination with a company that is affiliated with our sponsor, officers or directors, or the non-managing sponsor investors, we, or a committee of independent directors, will obtain an opinion from an independent entity that commonly renders valuation opinions that our initial business combination is fair to our company from a financial point of view.
Members of our management team and our independent directors directly or indirectly own our ordinary shares and warrants to purchase our ordinary shares following our initial public offering and, accordingly, may have a conflict of interest in determining whether a particular target business is an appropriate business with which to effectuate our initial business combination. In particular, because the founder shares were purchased at a purchase price of approximately $0.005 per share, the holders of our founder shares (including certain of our directors and officers that directly or indirectly own founder shares) could make a substantial profit after our initial business combination even if our public shareholders lose money on their investment as a result of a decrease in the post-combination value of their Class A ordinary shares (after accounting for any adjustments in connection with an exchange or other transaction contemplated by the business combination). Further, each of our officers and directors may have a conflict of interest with respect to evaluating a particular business combination if the retention or resignation of any such officers and directors was included by a target business as a condition to any agreement with respect to our initial business combination.
As more fully discussed in “Conflicts of Interest,” if any of our directors or officers becomes aware of a business combination opportunity that falls within the line of business of any entity to which he or she has pre-existing fiduciary or contractual obligations, he or she may be required to present such business combination opportunity to such entity prior to presenting such business combination opportunity to us. Our directors and officers currently have fiduciary duties or contractual obligations that may take priority over their duties to us.
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Financial Position
With funds available for a
business combination initially in the amount of $173,362,500 assuming no redemptions and after payment of $5,175,000 of deferred underwriting
fees, but before fees and expenses associated with our initial business combination, we offer a target business a variety of options such
as creating a liquidity event for its owners, providing capital for the potential growth and expansion of its operations or strengthening
its balance sheet by reducing its debt ratio. Because we are able to complete our initial business combination using our cash, debt or
equity securities, or a combination of the foregoing, we have the flexibility to use the most efficient combination that will allow us
to tailor the consideration to be paid to the target business to fit its needs and desires. However, we have not taken any steps to secure
third party financing and there can be no assurance it will be available to us.
Lack of Business Diversification
For an indefinite period of time after the completion of our initial business combination, the prospects for our success may depend entirely on the future performance of a single business. Unlike other entities that have the resources to complete business combinations with multiple entities in one or several industries, it is probable that we will not have the resources to diversify our operations and mitigate the risks of being in a single line of business. By completing our initial business combination with only a single entity, our lack of diversification may:
●
subject us to negative economic, competitive and regulatory developments, any or all of which may have a substantial adverse impact on the particular industry in which we operate after our initial business combination; and
●
cause us to depend on the marketing and sale of a single product or limited number of products or services.
Limited Ability to Evaluate the Target’s Management Team
Although we intend to closely scrutinize the management of a prospective target business when evaluating the desirability of effecting our initial business combination with that business, our assessment of the target business’s management may not prove to be correct. In addition, the future management may not have the necessary skills, qualifications or abilities to manage a public company. Furthermore, the future role of members of our management team, if any, in the target business cannot presently be stated with any certainty. While it is possible that one or more of our directors will remain associated in some capacity with us following our initial business combination, it is unlikely that any of them will devote their full efforts to our affairs subsequent to our initial business combination. Moreover, we cannot assure you that members of our management team will have significant experience or knowledge relating to the operations of the particular target business.
We cannot assure you that any of our key personnel will remain in senior management or advisory positions with the combined company. The determination as to whether any of our key personnel will remain with the combined company will be made at the time of our initial business combination.
Following a business combination, we may seek to recruit additional managers to supplement the incumbent management of the target business. We cannot assure you that we will have the ability to recruit additional managers, or that such additional managers will have the requisite skills, knowledge or experience necessary to enhance the incumbent management.
Shareholders May Not Have the Ability to Approve Our Initial Business Combination
We may conduct redemptions without a shareholder vote pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC subject to the provisions of our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. However, we will seek shareholder approval if it is required by law or applicable stock exchange rule, or we may decide to seek shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons.
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Under the NYSE’s listing rules, shareholder approval would be required for our initial business combination if, for example:
●
we issue (other than in a public offering for cash) ordinary shares that will be either (a) be equal to or in excess of 20% of the number of our ordinary shares then outstanding or (b) have voting power equal to or in excess of 20% of the voting power then outstanding;
●
any of our directors, officers or substantial security holders (as defined by the NYSE rules) has a 5% or greater interest, directly or indirectly, in the target business or assets to be acquired and if the number of ordinary shares to be issued, or if the number of ordinary shares into which the securities may be convertible or exercisable, exceeds either (a) 1% of the number of ordinary shares or 1% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any of our directors and officers or (b) 5% of the number of ordinary shares or 5% of the voting power outstanding before the issuance in the case of any substantial security holders; or
●
the issuance or potential issuance of ordinary shares will result in our undergoing a change of control.
The Companies Act and Cayman Islands law do not currently require, and we are not aware of any other applicable law that will require, shareholder approval of our initial business combination, save if the business combination is structured as a statutory merger or consolidation with another company under the laws of the Cayman Islands which would require the approval of a special resolution.
The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination in those instances in which shareholder approval is not required by law will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on business and reasons, which include a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:
●
the timing of the transaction, including in the event we determine shareholder approval would require additional time and there is either not enough time to seek shareholder approval or doing so would place the company at a disadvantage in the transaction or result in other additional burdens on the company;
●
the expected cost of holding a shareholder vote;
●
the risk that the shareholders would fail to approve the proposed business combination;
●
other time and budget constraints of the company; and
●
additional legal complexities of a proposed business combination that would be time consuming and burdensome to present to shareholders.
Permitted Purchases of Our Securities
If we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase public shares or public warrants in privately-negotiated transactions or in the open market either prior to or following the completion of our initial business combination. There is no limit on the number of shares or warrants our initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors or their affiliates may purchase in such transactions, subject to compliance with applicable law and NYSE rules. Additionally, at any time at or prior to our initial business combination, subject to applicable securities laws (including with respect to material nonpublic information), our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates may enter into transactions with investors and others to provide them with incentives to acquire public shares, vote their public shares in favor of our initial business combination or not redeem their public shares. However, they have no current commitments, plans or intentions to engage in such transactions and have not formulated any terms or conditions for any such transactions. In the event our sponsor, directors, officers,
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advisors or any of their affiliates determine to undertake any such transactions, such transactions could have the effect of influencing the vote necessary to approve such transaction. None of the funds held in the trust account will be used to purchase public shares or public warrants in such transactions. They will be restricted from making any such purchases when they are in possession of any material non-public information not disclosed to the seller or if such purchases are prohibited by Regulation M under the Exchange Act. Such a purchase may include a contractual acknowledgement that such shareholder, although still the record holder of our shares, is no longer the beneficial owner thereof and therefore agrees not to exercise its redemption rights. We have adopted an insider trading policy which requires insiders to (1) refrain from purchasing securities during certain blackout periods and when they are in possession of any material non-public information and (2) clear certain trades prior to execution. We cannot currently determine whether our insiders will make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan, as it will be dependent upon several factors, including but not limited to, the timing and size of such purchases. Depending on such circumstances, our insiders may either make such purchases pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 plan or determine that such a plan is not necessary.
In the event that our sponsor, directors, officers, advisors or any of their affiliates purchase public shares in privately negotiated transactions from public shareholders who have already elected to exercise their redemption rights or submitted a proxy to vote against our initial business combination, such selling shareholders would be required to revoke their prior elections to redeem their shares and any proxy to vote against our initial business combination. We do not currently anticipate that such purchases, if any, would constitute a tender offer subject to the tender offer rules under the Exchange Act or a going-private transaction subject to the going-private rules under the Exchange Act; however, if the purchasers determine at the time of any such purchases that the purchases are subject to such rules, the purchasers will be required to comply with such rules.
The purpose of any such transaction could be to (1) increase the likelihood of obtaining shareholder approval of our initial business combination, (2) reduce the number of public warrants outstanding or vote such public warrants on any matters submitted to the public warrant holders for approval in connection with our initial business combination or (3) satisfy a closing condition in an agreement with a target that requires us to have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash at the closing of our initial business combination, where it appears that such requirement would otherwise not be met. This may result in the completion of our initial business combination that may not otherwise have been possible. Any such purchases will be reported pursuant to Section 13 and Section 16 of the Exchange Act to the extent such purchasers are subject to such reporting requirements. To the extent such securities are purchased, such public securities will not be voted as required by Tender Offers and Schedules Compliance and Disclosure Interpretations Question 166.01 promulgated by the SEC.
In addition, if such purchases are made, the public “float” of our securities and the number of beneficial holders of our securities may be reduced, possibly making it difficult to maintain or obtain the quotation, listing or trading of our securities on a national securities exchange.
Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or any of their affiliates anticipate that they may identify the shareholders with whom our sponsor, officers, directors or their affiliates may pursue privately-negotiated purchases by either the shareholders contacting us directly or by our receipt of redemption requests tendered by shareholders following our mailing of proxy materials in connection with our initial business combination. To the extent that our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates enter into a private purchase, they would identify and contact only potential selling shareholders who have expressed their election to redeem their shares for a pro rata share of the trust account or vote against our initial business combination, whether or not such shareholder has already submitted a proxy with respect to our initial business combination. Such persons would select the shareholders from whom to acquire shares based on the number of shares available, the negotiated price per share and such other factors as any such person may deem relevant at the time of purchase. The price per share paid in any such transaction may be different than the amount per share a public shareholder would receive if it elected to redeem its shares in connection with our initial business combination. Our sponsor, officers, directors, advisors or their affiliates will only purchase shares if such purchases comply with Regulation M under the Exchange Act and the other federal securities laws.
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Any purchases by our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their respective affiliates who are affiliated purchasers under Rule 10b-18 under the Exchange Act will only be made to the extent such purchases are able to be made in compliance with Rule 10b-18, which is a safe harbor from liability for manipulation under Section 9(a)(2) and Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act. Rule 10b-18 has certain technical requirements that must be complied with in order for the safe harbor to be available to the purchaser. Our sponsor, officers, directors and/or their respective affiliates will not make purchases of shares if the purchases would violate Section 9(a)(2) or Rule 10b-5 of the Exchange Act.
Additionally, in the event our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, such purchases would be structured in compliance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act including, in pertinent part, through adherence to the following:
●
our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would disclose the possibility that our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates may purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders outside the redemption process, along with the purpose of such purchases;
●
if our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates were to purchase public shares or warrants from public shareholders, they would do so at a price no higher than the price offered through our redemption process;
●
our registration statement/proxy statement filed for our business combination transaction would include a representation that any of our securities purchased by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction;
●
our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates would not possess any redemption rights with respect to our securities or, if they do acquire and possess redemption rights, they would waive such rights; and
●
we would disclose in a Form 8-K, before our security holder meeting to approve the business combination transaction, the following material items:
●
the amount of our securities purchased outside of the redemption offer by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates, along with the purchase price;
●
the purpose of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates;
●
the impact, if any, of the purchases by our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates on the likelihood that the business combination transaction will be approved;
●
the identities of our security holders who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates (if not purchased on the open market) or the nature of our security holders (e.g., 5% security holders) who sold to our sponsor, initial shareholders, directors, officers, advisors and their affiliates; and
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the number of our securities for which we have received redemption requests pursuant to our redemption offer.
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Redemption Rights for Public Shareholders upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their public shares upon the completion of our initial business combination, regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account as of two business days prior to the consummation of the initial business combination, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, subject to the limitations described herein. The amount in the trust account is initially anticipated to be approximately $10.05 per public share. The per-share amount we will distribute to public shareholders who properly redeem their shares will not be reduced by the deferred underwriting commissions we will pay to the underwriters. Our sponsor, officers and directors have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to their founder shares, placement shares and any public shares they may hold in connection with the completion of our initial business combination. However, our sponsor, officers and directors will be entitled to redemption rights with respect to any public shares held by them if we fail to consummate a business combination or liquidate within the completion window.
Manner of Conducting Redemptions
We will provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Class A ordinary shares upon the completion of our initial business combination either (i) in connection with a general meeting called to approve the business combination (regardless of whether they vote for or against the proposed business combination or do not vote at all) or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether we will seek shareholder approval of a proposed business combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by us, solely in our discretion, and will be based on a variety of factors such as the timing of the transaction and whether the terms of the transaction would require us to seek shareholder approval under the law or stock exchange listing requirement. Under NYSE rules, asset acquisitions and share purchases would not typically require shareholder approval while direct mergers with our company and any transactions where we issue more than 20% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares or seek to amend our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association would require shareholder approval. We currently intend to conduct redemptions in connection with a shareholder vote unless shareholder approval is not required by applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and we choose to conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the SEC for business or other legal reasons.
If a shareholder vote is not required and we do not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
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conduct the redemptions pursuant to Rule 13e-4 and Regulation 14E of the Exchange Act, which regulate issuer tender offers; and
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file tender offer documents with the SEC prior to completing our initial business combination which contain substantially the same financial and other information about the initial business combination and the redemption rights as is required under Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies.
Upon the public announcement of our initial business combination, we or our sponsor will terminate any plan established in accordance with Rule 10b5-1 to purchase our Class A ordinary shares in the open market if we elect to redeem our public shares through a tender offer, to comply with Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act.
In the event we conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, our offer to redeem will remain open for at least 20 business days, in accordance with Rule 14e-1(a) under the Exchange Act, and we will not be permitted to complete our initial business combination until the expiration of the tender offer period. In addition, the tender offer will be conditioned on public shareholders not tendering more than the number of public shares we are permitted to redeem. If public shareholders tender more shares than we have offered to purchase, we will withdraw the tender offer and not complete the initial business combination.
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If, however, shareholder approval of the transaction is required by law or stock exchange listing requirement, or we decide to obtain shareholder approval for business or other legal reasons, we will, pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association:
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conduct the redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, which regulates the solicitation of proxies, and not pursuant to the tender offer rules; and
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file proxy materials with the SEC.
We expect that a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 20 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Although we are not required to do so, we currently intend to comply with the substantive and procedural requirements of Regulation 14A in connection with any shareholder vote even if we are not able to maintain our NYSE listing or Exchange Act registration.
In the event that we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination, we will distribute proxy materials and, in connection therewith, provide our public shareholders with the redemption rights described above upon completion of the initial business combination.
If we seek shareholder approval, we will complete our initial business combination only if we obtain the approval of an ordinary resolution under Cayman Islands law and our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association. In such case, pursuant to the terms of a letter agreement entered into with us, our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed (and their permitted transferees will agree) to vote any founder shares and/or placement shares held by them, and any public shares during or after this offering in favor of our initial business combination (except with respect to any public shares which may not be voted in favor of approving the business combination transaction in accordance with the requirements of Rule 14e-5 under the Exchange Act and any SEC interpretations or guidance relating thereto). We expect that at the time of any shareholder vote relating to our initial business combination, our sponsor and its permitted transferees will own at least 25% of our issued and outstanding ordinary shares entitled to vote thereon. Each public shareholder may elect to redeem their public shares without voting and, if they do vote, irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction. In addition, our initial shareholders, directors and officers have entered into a letter agreement with us, pursuant to which they have agreed to waive their redemption rights with respect to any founder shares, placement shares and public shares held by them in connection with the completion of a business combination.
Redemptions of our public shares may be subject to a net tangible asset test or cash requirement pursuant to an agreement relating to our initial business combination. For example, the proposed business combination may require: (1) cash consideration to be paid to the target or its owners; (2) cash to be transferred to the target for working capital or other general corporate purposes; or (3) the retention of cash to satisfy other conditions in accordance with the terms of the proposed business combination. In the event the aggregate cash consideration we would be required to pay for all public shares that are validly submitted for redemption plus any amount required to satisfy cash conditions pursuant to the terms of the proposed business combination exceed the aggregate amount of cash available to us, we will not complete the business combination or redeem any public shares, and all public shares submitted for redemption will be returned to the holders thereof. We may, however, raise funds through the issuance of equity-linked securities or through loans, advances or other indebtedness in connection with our initial business combination, including pursuant to forward purchase agreements or backstop arrangements we may enter into following consummation of this offering, in order to, among other reasons, satisfy such net tangible assets or minimum cash requirements.
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Limitation on Redemption Upon Completion of Our Initial Business Combination If We Seek Shareholder Approval
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if we seek shareholder approval of our initial business combination and we do not conduct redemptions in connection with our initial business combination pursuant to the tender offer rules, our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Exchange Act), will be restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to Excess Shares. We believe this restriction will discourage shareholders from accumulating large blocks of shares, and subsequent attempts by such holders to use their ability to exercise their redemption rights against a proposed business combination as a means to force us or our sponsor or its affiliates to purchase their shares at a significant premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. Absent this provision, a public shareholder holding more than an aggregate of 15% of our public shares could threaten to exercise its redemption rights if such holder’s shares are not purchased by us or our sponsor or its affiliates at a premium to the then-current market price or on other undesirable terms. By limiting our shareholders’ ability to redeem no more than 15% of the public shares sold in our initial public offering, we believe we will limit the ability of a small group of shareholders to unreasonably attempt to block our ability to complete our initial business combination, particularly in connection with a business combination with a target that requires as a closing condition that we have a minimum net worth or a certain amount of cash. However, we would not be restricting our shareholders’ ability to vote all of their shares (including Excess Shares) for or against our initial business combination or to abstain from voting. Our sponsor, officers and directors have, pursuant to a letter agreement entered into with us, waived their right to have any founder shares, placement shares or public shares held by them redeemed in connection with our initial business combination. Unless any of our other affiliates acquires founder shares through a permitted transfer from an initial shareholder, and thereby becomes subject to the letter agreement, no such affiliate is subject to this waiver. However, to the extent any such affiliate acquires our public shares through open market purchases, it would be a public shareholder and restricted from seeking redemption rights with respect to any Excess Shares. Clear Street will have the same redemption rights as a public shareholder with respect to any public shares it acquires.
Delivering Share Certificates in Connection with the Exercise of Redemption Rights
We may require our public shareholders seeking to exercise their redemption rights, whether they are record holders or hold their shares in “street name,” to either tender their share certificates (if any) to our transfer agent prior to the date set forth in the tender offer documents, or up to two business days prior to the vote on the proposal to approve the business combination in the event we distribute proxy materials, or to deliver their shares to the transfer agent electronically using The Depository Trust Company’s DWAC (Deposit/Withdrawal At Custodian) System, rather than simply voting against the initial business combination. The tender offer or proxy materials, as applicable, that we will furnish to holders of our public shares in connection with our initial business combination will indicate whether we are requiring public shareholders to satisfy such delivery requirements. Accordingly, a public shareholder would have from the time we send out our tender offer materials until the close of the tender offer period, or up to two days prior to the vote on the business combination if we distribute proxy materials, as applicable, to tender its shares if it wishes to seek to exercise its redemption rights. Pursuant to the tender offer rules, the tender offer period will be not less than 20 business days and, in the case of a shareholder vote, a final proxy statement would be mailed to public shareholders at least 20 days prior to the shareholder vote. However, we expect that a draft proxy statement would be made available to such shareholders well in advance of such time, providing additional notice of redemption if we conduct redemptions in conjunction with a proxy solicitation. Given the relatively short exercise period, it is advisable for shareholders to use electronic delivery of their public shares.
There is a nominal cost associated with the above-referenced tendering process and the act of certificating the shares or delivering them through the DWAC System. The transfer agent will typically charge the tendering broker $100.00 and it would be up to the broker whether or not to pass this cost on to the redeeming holder. However, this fee would be incurred regardless of whether or not we require holders seeking to exercise redemption rights to tender their shares. The need to deliver shares is a requirement of exercising redemption rights regardless of the timing of when such delivery must be effectuated.
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In order to perfect redemption rights in connection with their business combinations, many blank check companies would distribute proxy materials for the shareholders’ vote on an initial business combination, and a holder could simply vote against a proposed business combination and check a box on the proxy card indicating such holder was seeking to exercise his or her redemption rights. After the business combination was approved, the company would contact such shareholder to arrange for him or her to deliver his or her certificate to verify ownership. As a result, the shareholder then had an “option window” after the completion of the business combination during which he or she could monitor the price of the company’s shares in the market. If the price rose above the redemption price, he or she could sell his or her shares in the open market before actually delivering his or her shares to the company for cancellation. As a result, the redemption rights, to which shareholders were aware they needed to commit before the general meeting, would become “option” rights surviving past the completion of the business combination until the redeeming holder delivered its certificate. The requirement for physical or electronic delivery prior to the general meeting ensures that a redeeming holder’s election to redeem is irrevocable once the business combination is approved.
Any request to redeem such shares, once made, may be withdrawn at any time up to the date set forth in the tender offer materials or the date of the general meeting set forth in our proxy materials, as applicable. Furthermore, if a holder of a public share delivered its certificate in connection with an election of redemption rights and subsequently decides prior to the applicable date not to elect to exercise such rights, such holder may simply request that the transfer agent return the certificate (physically or electronically). It is anticipated that the funds to be distributed to holders of our public shares electing to redeem their shares will be distributed promptly after the completion of our initial business combination.
If our initial business combination is not approved or completed for any reason, then our public shareholders who elected to exercise their redemption rights would not be entitled to redeem their shares for the applicable pro rata share of the trust account. In such case, we will promptly return any certificates delivered by public holders who elected to redeem their shares.
If our initial proposed business combination is not completed, we may continue to try to complete a business combination with a different target until the expiration of the completion window.
Redemption of Public Shares and Liquidation if No Initial Business Combination
Our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association provide that we have only 18 months from the closing of our initial public offering (which can be extended two times, each by an additional three months, for a total completion window of up to 24 months), or until such earlier date as our board of directors may approve, to complete our initial business combination. Pursuant to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, in order to avail ourselves to each individual three-month extension, we must deposit, or cause to be deposited, into the trust account funds equal to the product of (x) $0.10 and (y) the number of public shares then issued and outstanding. If we are unable to complete our initial business combination within such completion window, we will: (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter (and subject to lawfully available funds therefor), redeem the public shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (less taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidation distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of our remaining shareholders and our board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject in each case to our obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law. There will be no redemption rights or liquidating distributions with respect to our warrants, which will expire worthless if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window.
Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed to waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to their founder shares and placement shares, as applicable, if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. However, if our sponsor, officers or directors acquire public shares after our initial public offering, they will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the trust account with respect to such public shares if we fail to complete our initial business combination within the completion window. Clear Street will have the same redemption rights as a public shareholder with respect to any public shares they acquire.
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Our sponsor, officers and directors have agreed, pursuant to a written letter agreement with us, that they will not propose any amendment to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association that would (i) modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within the completion window or (ii) with respect to the other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares or pre-business combination activity, unless we provide our public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem their Class A ordinary shares upon approval of any such amendment at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the trust account, including interest (which interest shall be net of taxes payable) divided by the number of then outstanding public shares. If this optional redemption right is exercised with respect to an excessive number of public shares such that we cannot satisfy any applicable net tangible asset requirement (described above), we may determine not to proceed with the amendment or the related redemption of our public shares.
We expect that all costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, as well as payments to any creditors, will be funded from amounts remaining out of the $475,001 of proceeds held outside the trust account at the time of our initial public offering, although we cannot assure you that there will be sufficient funds for such purpose. However, if those funds are not sufficient to cover the costs and expenses associated with implementing our plan of dissolution, to the extent that there is any interest accrued in the trust account not required to pay taxes, we may request the trustee to release to us an additional amount of up to $100,000 of such accrued interest to pay those costs and expenses.
If we were to expend all of the net proceeds from our initial public offering and the sale of the placement units, other than the proceeds deposited in the trust account, and without taking into account interest, if any, earned on the trust account, the per-share redemption amount received by public shareholders upon our dissolution would be approximately $10.05. The proceeds deposited in the trust account could, however, become subject to the claims of our creditors which would have higher priority than the claims of our public shareholders. We cannot assure you that the actual per-share redemption amount received by shareholders will not be substantially less than $10.05. While we intend to pay such amounts, if any, we cannot assure you that we will have funds sufficient to pay or provide for all creditors’ claims.
Although we will seek to
have all third parties (other than our independent auditors), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do
business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to any monies held in the trust
account for the benefit of our public shareholders, there is no guarantee that they will execute such agreements or even if they
execute such agreements that they would be prevented from bringing claims against the trust account including but not limited to
fraudulent inducement, breach of fiduciary responsibility or other similar claims, as well as claims challenging the enforceability
of the waiver, in each case in order to gain an advantage with respect to a claim against our assets, including the funds held in
the trust account. If any third party refuses to execute an agreement waiving such claims to the monies held in the trust account,
our management will perform an analysis of the alternatives available to it and will only enter into an agreement with a third party
that has not executed a waiver if management believes that such third party’s engagement would be significantly more
beneficial to us than any alternative. Examples of possible instances where we may engage a third party that refuses to execute a
waiver include the engagement of a third party consultant whose particular expertise or skills are believed by management to be
significantly superior to those of other consultants that would agree to execute a waiver or in cases where management is unable to
find a service provider willing to execute a waiver. In addition, there is no guarantee that such entities will agree to waive any
claims they may have in the future as a result of, or arising out of, any negotiations, contracts or agreements with us and will not
seek recourse against the trust account for any reason. Upon redemption of our public shares, if we are unable to complete our
initial business combination within the prescribed time frame, or upon the exercise of a redemption right in connection with our
initial business combination or certain amendments to our amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, we will be
required to provide for payment of claims of creditors that were not waived that may be brought against us within the 10 years
following redemption. Our sponsor has agreed that it will be liable to us if and to the extent any claims by a third-party (other
than our independent auditors) for services rendered or products sold to us, or a prospective target business with which we have
discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the trust account to below (i) $10.05 per public
share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account,
due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes,
except as to any claims by a third party who executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the trust account and except
as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including
liabilities under the Securities Act. In the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, then
our sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. We have not independently verified
whether our sponsor has sufficient funds to satisfy its indemnity obligations and believe that our sponsor’s only assets are
securities of our company. None of our officers or directors will indemnify us for claims by third parties including, without
limitation, claims by vendors and prospective target businesses.
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In the event that the proceeds in the trust account are reduced below (i) $10.05 per public share or (ii) such lesser amount per public share held in the trust account as of the date of the liquidation of the trust account, due to reductions in value of the trust assets, in each case net of the amount of interest which may be withdrawn to pay taxes, and our sponsor asserts that it is unable to satisfy its indemnification obligations or that it has no indemnification obligations related to a particular claim, our independent directors would determine whether to take legal action against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations. While we currently expect that our independent directors would take legal action on our behalf against our sponsor to enforce its indemnification obligations to us, it is possible that our independent directors in exercising their business judgment and subject to their fiduciary duties under Cayman Islands law may choose not to do so in any particular instance. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that due to claims of creditors the actual value of the per-share redemption price will not be substantially less than $10.05 per share.
We will seek to reduce the possibility that our sponsor will have to indemnify the trust account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all third parties (other than our independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which we do business execute agreements with us waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the trust account. Our sponsor will also not be liable as to any claims under our indemnity of the underwriters of our initial public offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We will have access to up to $475,001 from the proceeds of our initial public offering and the sale of the placement units, and a maximum of $525,000 in loans from our sponsor or one of its affiliates, with which to pay any such potential claims (including costs and expenses incurred in connection with our liquidation, currently estimated to be no more than approximately $100,000). In the event that we liquidate and it is subsequently determined that the reserve for claims and liabilities is insufficient, shareholders who received funds from our trust account could be liable for claims made by creditors, however such liability will not be greater than the amount of funds from our trust account received by any such shareholder. In the event that our offering expenses exceed our estimate of $600,000, we may fund such excess with funds from the funds not to be held in the trust account. In such case, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would decrease by a corresponding amount. Conversely, in the event that the offering expenses are less than our estimate of $600,000, the amount of funds we intend to be held outside the trust account would increase by a corresponding amount.
If
we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy winding-up petition is filed against us that is not dismissed,
the proceeds held in the trust account could be subject to applicable bankruptcy or insolvency law, and may be included in our bankruptcy
or insolvency estate and subject to the claims of third parties with priority over the claims of our shareholders. To the extent any
bankruptcy or insolvency claims deplete the trust account, we cannot assure you we will be able to return $10.05 per share to our public
shareholders. Additionally, if we file a bankruptcy or winding-up petition or an involuntary bankruptcy or winding-up petition is filed
against us that is not dismissed, any distributions received by shareholders could be viewed under applicable debtor/creditor and/or
bankruptcy or insolvency laws as either a “preferential transfer” or a “fraudulent conveyance.” As a result,
a bankruptcy or insolvency court could seek to recover all amounts received by our shareholders. Furthermore, our board may be viewed
as having breached its fiduciary duty to our creditors and/or may have acted in bad faith, and thereby exposing itself and our company
to claims of punitive damages, by paying public shareholders from the trust account prior to addressing the claims of creditors. We cannot
assure you that claims will not be brought against us for these reasons.
Our
public shareholders will be entitled to receive funds from the trust account only upon the earlier of (i) the completion of our initial
business combination, (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend our amended
and restated memorandum and articles of association (A) to modify the substance or timing of our obligation to allow redemption in connection
with our initial business combination or to redeem 100% of our public shares if we do not complete our initial business combination within
the completion window or (B) with respect to any other material provisions relating to the rights of holders of Class A ordinary shares
or pre-business combination activity and (iii) the redemption of all of our public shares if we are unable to complete our initial business
combination within the completion window, subject to applicable law. In no other circumstances will a shareholder have any right or interest
of any kind to or in the trust account. In the event we seek shareholder approval in connection with our initial business combination,
a public shareholder’s voting in connection with the business combination alone will not result in a public shareholder’s
redeeming its shares to us for an applicable pro rata share of the trust account. Such shareholder must have also exercised its redemption
rights described above.
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Competition
In identifying, evaluating and selecting a target business for our initial business combination, we expect to encounter intense competition from other entities having a business objective similar to ours, including other blank check companies, private equity groups and leveraged buyout funds, and operating businesses seeking strategic acquisitions. Many of these individuals and entities are well established and have extensive experience in identifying and effecting, directly or indirectly, acquisitions of companies operating in or providing services to various industries. Moreover, many of these competitors possess greater financial, technical, human and other resources than us. While we believe there are numerous target businesses we could potentially acquire with the net proceeds from our initial public offering and the sale of the placement units, our ability to acquire larger target businesses will be limited by our available financial resources. This inherent limitation gives others an advantage in pursuing the acquisition of a target business. Furthermore, our obligation to pay cash in connection with our public shareholders who exercise their redemption rights may reduce the resources available to us for our initial business combination, and our outstanding warrants, and the future dilution they potentially represent, may not be viewed favorably by certain target businesses. This may make it more difficult for us to consummate an initial business combination with a target business. Any of these factors may place us at a competitive disadvantage in successfully negotiating an initial business combination.
Facilities
We currently maintain our executive offices at Suite 4005-4006, 40/F, One Exchange Square 8 Connaught Place, Central, Hong Kong. We consider our current office space adequate for our current operations.
Employees
We have 5 officers. Members of our management team are not obligated to devote any specific number of hours to our matters but they intend to devote as much of their time as they deem necessary to our affairs until we have completed our initial business combination. The amount of time that our officers or any other members of our management team will devote in any time period will vary based on whether a target business has been selected for our initial business combination and the current stage of the business combination process.
Periodic Reporting and Financial Information
Our units, Class A ordinary shares and warrants are registered under the Exchange Act and have reporting obligations, including the requirement that we file annual, quarterly and current reports with the SEC. In accordance with the requirements of the Exchange Act, our annual reports will contain financial statements audited and reported on by our independent registered public auditors.
We will provide shareholders with audited financial statements of the prospective target business as part of the tender offer materials or proxy solicitation materials sent to shareholders to assist them in assessing the target business. These financial statements may be required to be prepared in accordance with, or be reconciled to, U.S. GAAP, or IFRS, depending on the circumstances and the historical financial statements may be required to be audited in accordance with the PCAOB. These financial statement requirements may limit the pool of potential target businesses we may acquire because some targets may be unable to provide such statements in time for us to disclose such statements in accordance with federal proxy rules and complete our initial business combination within the prescribed time frame. While this may limit the pool of potential acquisition candidates, we do not believe that this limitation will be material.
We will be required to evaluate our internal control procedures for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026 as required by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Only in the event we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer or an accelerated filer will we be required to have our internal control procedures audited. A target company may not be in compliance with the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act regarding adequacy of their internal controls. The development of the internal controls of any such entity to achieve compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act may increase the time and costs necessary to complete any such acquisition.
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We filed a Registration Statement on Form 8-A with the SEC to voluntarily register our securities under Section 12 of the Exchange Act. As a result, we are subject to the rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act. We have no current intention of filing a Form 15 to suspend our reporting or other obligations under the Exchange Act prior or subsequent to the consummation of our initial business combination.
We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the JOBS Act. As such, we are eligible to take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not “emerging growth companies” including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a non-binding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. If some investors find our securities less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our securities and the prices of our securities may be more volatile.
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act also provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. In other words, an “emerging growth company” can delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We intend to take advantage of the benefits of this extended transition period.
We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (1) the last day of the fiscal year (a) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our initial public offering, (b) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.235 billion, or (c) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our ordinary shares that is held by non-affiliates equals or exceeds $700 million as of the end of that year’s second fiscal quarter, and (2) the date on which we have issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt securities during the prior three-year period. References herein to “emerging growth company” shall have the meaning associated with it in the JOBS Act.