2018-12-19
The Securities Market Superintendence of Panama issued Agreement 8-2018 to subrogate Agreement 2-2018 and modify submission deadlines for issuer and investment company reports. The regulation mandates the use of standardized electronic forms (F1 through F9, SI-IAS, and CR-1) for annual, quarterly, and semi-annual disclosures, including financial summaries, corporate governance questionnaires, and external auditor rotation notices. It further updates the content requirements for quarterly and annual update reports under Agreement 18-2000, establishes penalties for late or incomplete submissions, and sets January 1, 2019, as the effective date for compliance.
Consolidated Text 27.04.2020 1 REPUBLIC OF PANAMA SECURITIES MARKET SUPERINTENDENCE Agreement 8-2018 (Of December 19, 2018) “By which Agreement 2-2018 of May 9, 2018 is subrogated, and the deadlines for the forms of reports on the issuer and investment companies, their operations, businesses, and securities registered with the Securities Market Superintendence are modified.” (Modified by Agreement 1-2020 of February 19, 2020) CONSOLIDATED TEXT THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS In exercise of its legal powers, and CONSIDERING That the Consolidated Text of Decree-Law No. 1 of July 8, 1999, modified by Law No. 12 of April 3, 2012 and Law No. 56 of October 2, 2012 (hereinafter the “Securities Market Law”) creates the Securities Market Superintendence. That Article 3 of the Securities Market Law establishes that the general objective of the Superintendence is the regulation, supervision, and oversight of securities market activities conducted in the Republic of Panama or from it, promoting legal certainty for all market participants and guaranteeing transparency, with special protection of investors' rights. That Article 10, numeral 1 of the Securities Market Law empowers the Board of Directors to “adopt, reform, and revoke agreements that develop the provisions of the Securities Market Law”. That in meetings of the Securities Market Superintendence, the need has been highlighted to adopt forms and review the content of reports submitted regarding the issuer, its operations, businesses, and securities registered with the Securities Market Superintendence, as well as the review and consequent reform of Agreement 18-2000 of October 11, 2000, considered relevant and important information and documents for the investing public. That Article 117 of the Securities Market Law states that issuers whose securities are registered with the Superintendence must submit the following reports:
Consolidated Text 27.04.2020 2 ARTICLE 3. Adoption of Formats and Forms. The Securities Market Superintendence shall ensure that the forms adopted and in force by it are accessible on its official website. In case of modification, content review, or change to the form, it will be communicated through appropriate means, placing the latest version on the official website. In case of inconvenience regarding access due to material damage, substantial or technical failures, the Securities Market Superintendence will communicate the means and method by which such reports must be sent and submitted to the Superintendence. ARTICLE 4. Frequency of Report Submission. Issuers with registered securities, as well as investment companies whose participation quotas are registered with the Superintendence, must submit their reports through the following forms, which are mandatory, under the frequency established below:
| Adopted Form Name | Report Frequency |
|---|---|
| F1-Issuer General Information | Annual Report. Within three (3) months following the close of the corresponding fiscal period. |
| F-2 – Investment Company General Information | Annual Report. Within three (3) months following the close of the corresponding fiscal period. |
| F3-Register of Issuer's Current Securities | Quarterly, within two (2) months following the close of the corresponding period to be reported. |
| F4-Financial Summary | Quarterly, submission shall be made within two (2) months following the close of the corresponding quarter, including the fourth quarter. The information to be reported must be consolidated in the case of issuers that are or belong to Economic Groups. Issuers that are holding companies and only hold common shares of economic groups that have not registered debt securities are exempt from submitting this form. |
| F5-Issuer Corporate Governance Questionnaire | Annual Report. Must be submitted within three (3) months following the close of the corresponding fiscal period. |
| F8-Rotation of Issuer's External Audit Team | Annual Report. Thirty (30) days prior to the start of annual audit work, the names of the auditors comprising the team. (Art. 16 and 17, Agreement No. 8-2000). Investment Companies will continue to communicate the Rotation of the External Audit Team physically. |
| F9-Entities and Persons Involved in the Issuance | Annual Report. Within three (3) months following the close of the corresponding fiscal period. Applies only to issuers. |
| Form SI-IAS | Semi-annual Report, within a period of two (2) months following the conclusion of each semester. Applies only to investment companies. |
| Form CR-1 | Semi-annual Report, within a period of two (2) months following the conclusion of each semester. Applies only to venture capital investment companies. |
The Superintendence, in accordance with its powers, and for the protection of the investing public, may publish all submitted forms, as well as the information contained therein, on its website. The forms adopted herein, as well as their current formats, will be available to the public on the Securities Market Superintendence's website. Current forms, as well as their modifications and updates, will be maintained on the Superintendence's website. In the event that the submission day is a non-working day, it shall be understood that submission must be effectively made on the next working day. Material Facts and Supplements to Information Prospectuses must be submitted in *PDF format through the Electronic System for Information Submission (SERI). For the purposes of the Annual Report of Investment Companies, submission through SERI will not be required, nor physically. It must be available to each investor, and to the Superintendence, in the event that the latter requires it. 1 Sworn Declarations that must accompany the Annual Update Reports, in the case of issuers, and the Audited Financial Statements for investment companies, must be submitted solely in digital form to the Superintendence through SERI; however, the original of these documents must be available to the Superintendence whenever it so requires. 1 Modified by Article Two of Agreement 1-2020 of February 19, 2020.
Consolidated Text 27.04.2020 3 Article 5. Information Submitted. The legal representatives or attorneys-in-fact of issuers and investment companies, as well as the Principal Investment Administrators of Self-Managed Investment Companies who must periodically submit reports through the Electronic System for Information Submission (SERI), do so under oath, whereby such information must be truthful, accurate, and timely, reflecting the reality of the operations, businesses, and all information related to the issuer and its issuance, or the investment companies, as applicable. ARTICLE TWO. MODIFY Article 3 of Agreement No. 18-2000 of October 11, 2000, which shall read as follows: Article 3: (Content). The Quarterly Update Report must contain the following Information: The Quarterly Update Report must contain the information described in this article, and must be submitted in *PDF format through the Electronic System for Information Submission (SERI) in a single document. a. A summary of the important aspects of the quarter, as established in the Analysis of Financial and Operational Results section referred to in Section VIII of Article 7 of Agreement No. 2-2010 of April 16, 2010. Additionally, the issuer must report any material facts or changes that have occurred during the reported period (by way of example but not exclusively: changes in executive, managerial, advisory, or audit personnel; modifications to the Partnership Agreement or bylaws; changes in organizational structure, controlling shareholders; opening of new establishments, etc.) b. Interim financial statements of the issuer corresponding to the Quarter for which it is reporting. c. When applicable, interim financial statements corresponding to the Quarter for which the issuer is reporting, from persons who have served as guarantors or sureties for the securities registered with the Superintendence. In case the guarantor or surety does not consolidate with the issuer, it must submit its Interim Financial Statements. d. When applicable, Certification by the trustee stating the assets that constitute the trust estate, in the case of securities registered with the Superintendence that are guaranteed by the trust. ARTICLE THREE. MODIFY Article 4 of Agreement No. 18-2000 of October 11, 2000, which shall read as follows: Article 4: The Annual Update Report must contain the following information described in this article, and shall be submitted in *PDF format through the Electronic System for Information Submission (SERI) in a single document: a. A detailed description of the issuer's activities, its subsidiaries, and any entity that preceded it. To this effect, the order and content prescribed in the Issuer Information sections; Analysis of Financial and Operational Results; Directors, Officers, Executives, Administrators, Advisors and Employees; Shareholders and Related Parties, Links and Affiliations, established in Agreement No. 2-2010 of April 16, 2010 shall be observed. Those issuers requiring additional explanations or different presentation formats in financial summaries must include them in the pertinent parts of the report. b. A financial summary of operating results and Balance Sheet accounts for the year and the three previous fiscal periods, in the tabular presentation established in Form IN-A. It is requested as it is audited information.
Consolidated Text 27.04.2020 4 c. Annual financial statements of the issuer, audited by an Independent Authorized Public Accountant. d. When applicable, annual financial statements, audited by an Authorized Public Accountant, of persons who have served as guarantors or sureties for the securities registered with the Superintendence. In case the guarantor or surety does not consolidate with the issuer, it must submit its Audited Financial Statements. e. When applicable, annual financial statements of the trust, audited by an Authorized Public Accountant, in the case of securities registered with the Superintendence that are guaranteed by the trust. f. Update of the Risk Rating Report. g. Sworn Declaration. Additionally, it must be presented physically at the Superintendence. ARTICLE FOUR: (INFORMATIVE) The forms and their nomenclature are adopted as follows: