2007-10-03
Issued by the Saudi Capital Market Authority, these regulations establish comprehensive rules governing acquisition and merger activities for listed companies in compliance with the Capital Market Law and Companies Law. The framework mandates independent financial and legal advisors, enforces strict confidentiality and disclosure protocols during private transactions and public offers, and triggers mandatory acquisition offers when ownership crosses the 40% voting rights threshold. It further standardizes offer timetables, pricing equality, competition law notifications, and board responsibilities to ensure transparent decision-making for shareholders while granting the Authority discretionary waiver powers.
KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA Capital Market Authority Merger and Acquisitions Regulations English Translation of the Official Arabic Text Issued by the Board of the Capital Market Authority Pursuant to Resolution Number 1-50-2007 Dated 21/9/1428H Corresponding to 3/10/2007G Based on the Capital Market Law Issued by Royal Decree No. M/30 dated 2/6/1424H Amended by Resolution of the Board of the Capital Market Authority Number 8-5-2023 Dated 25/6/1444H Corresponding to 18/1/2023G Based on the Capital Market Law Issued by Royal Decree No. M/30 dated 2/6/1424H and the Companies Law Issued by Royal Decree No. M/132 dated 1/12/1443H Note: Arabic is the official language of the Capital Market Authority Important Notice: The current version of these Regulations, as may be amended, can be found at the Authority website: www.cma.org.sa
i Table of Contents Part 1: General Provisions Article 1: Preliminary Provisions Article 2: Extent and Scope of the Regulations Article 3: General Provisions Article 4: General Principles of Announcements Article 5: Compliance with Competition Law Article 6: Waiver Part 2: Acquisitions Chapter 1: Rules of Private Transactions Article 7: Negotiation between Selling Shareholder and Offeror Article 8: Approaching the Offeree Company Article 9: Access to Confidential Information of the Target Company Article 10: Announcements Article 11: Prohibitions and Restrictions on Dealings Article 12: Appointment of Financial Advisors and Legal Advisors Article 13: Mandatory Offer Triggers Article 14: Purchase Price Article 15: Exemptions from the Offer of Securities Regulation Chapter 2: Rules of Offers Article 16: Approaching the Offeree Company Article 17: Announcement and Offer Timetable Article 18: Independent Advice Article 19: Prohibited and Restricted Dealings
ii Article 20: Purchases Resulting in an Obligation to Offer a Minimum Level of Payment Article 21: Consequences of Certain Dealings Article 22: Disclosure of Dealings during the Offer Period, Indemnity and other Arrangements Article 23: The Mandatory Offer Article 24: Restrictions on Acquisition of Shares Representing 40% or more of the Voting Rights Article 25: The Partial Offer Article 26: Securities Exchange Offer for all the shares of the Offeree Company Article 27: The Acceptance Condition Article 28: Nature of Payment to be Offered Article 29: Subjective and Financing Conditions Article 30: Offer to a Company with more than One Class of Shares Article 31: Special Deals with Favourable Conditions Article 32: Announcement of Acceptance Results Article 33: The Use of Proxies and Other Authorities in Relation to Acceptances Article 34: Information Relating to an Offer Article 35: Equality of Information Article 36: Restrictions on Frustrating Actions Article 37: Responsibilities of the Offeree Company to Update its Shareholders’ Register Article 38: Offer Document Article 39: Offeree Board Circular Article 40: Making Documents Available for Review Article 41: Profit Forecasts Article 42: Asset Valuations Article 43: Publication of the Offer Document and the Offeree Company Board Circular
iii Article 44: Timing of the Offer Article 45: Revision of the Offer Article 46: Right to Withdraw Acceptance Article 47: Reduction or Increase of Company’s Shares Article 48: Related Parties’ Offers Part 3: Merger Article 49: Types of Merger Transactions Article 50: Rules of Merger Transactions Article 51: Required Approvals for a Merger Transactions Article 52: Merger of One or More Wholly-Owned Subsidiary into its Parent Company Part 4: Publication and Entry into Force Article 53: Publication and Entry into Force
1 Part 1 General Provisions Article 1: Preliminary Provisions a) Any reference to the “Capital Market Law” in these Regulations shall mean the Capital Market Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/30 dated 2/6/1424H and any reference to the “Companies Law” in these regulations shall mean the Companies Law issued by Royal Decree No. M/132 dated 1/12/1443H. b) Expressions and terms in these Regulations have the meaning which they bear in the Capital Market Law and in the Glossary of defined terms used in the Regulations and Rules of the Capital Market Authority, unless the contrary intention appears. Article 2: Extent and Scope of the Regulations a) The purpose of these Regulations is to regulate the following:
2 b) Parties involved in Acquisitions or Mergers must take care that information made available for the purpose of the Acquisition or Merger are not made in a way that may mislead shareholders or the Exchange. c) In the case of an Offer, all shareholders of the same type or class of an Offeree Company must be treated equally by an Offeror. d) Any document or announcement related to an Offer or potential Offer, addressed by the Offeror, the board of the Offeree Company or their respective advisors, to shareholders, must be true, fair and not misleading. e) During the course of an Offer, or when an Offer is in contemplation by the Offeree Company, neither an Offeror, nor the Offeree Company, nor any of their respective advisors may furnish information to some shareholders which is not readily made available to all shareholders. This principle does not apply to the following:
3 advice given in accordance with Article 18 of these Regulations. It is the shareholders’ interests taken as a whole, together with those of employees and creditors, that should be considered when the directors are giving advice to shareholders. Directors of the Offeree Company should give careful consideration before they enter into any commitment with an Offeror (or anyone else) which would restrict their freedom to advise their shareholders in the future. n) A shareholder who owns shares with offeror (or Merging Company) and the offeree company (or the merged company) may not vote in shareholders general assembly on decisions related to offers subject to this regulation, except in one of these companies. o) A director shall not vote at a meeting of board or of its committees or a general assembly meeting on any resolution concerning an offer subject to these Regulations or any other relevant matter where the director, any relative or representative of his/her has a conflict of interest. In this context such a conflict of interest would arise if:
4 Article 5: Compliance with Competition Law a) Notification Where the Competition Law, its Implementing Regulations and other related instructions are applicable on an offer, or where it's required to obtain other local or foreign regulatory approvals or non-objection, the Offeror must state that in its announcement. The Offeree Company and the Offeror must notify and obtain the approval of the General Authority for Competition pursuant to the provisions of the Competition Law. b) Transaction lapse Where the Competition Law, its Implementing Regulations and other related instructions are applicable on an offer, the transaction will lapse if the General Authority for Competition notifies the Offeror or the Offeree Company in writing, or through any other formal means of notification, that it objects to the transaction. c) The end of Offer period
5 Part 2 Acquisitions Chapter 1: Rules of Private Transactions Article 7: Negotiation between Selling Shareholder and Offeror a) Negotiations or discussions between a selling shareholder and an Offeror regarding a Private Transaction must remain strictly confidential and be restricted to a limited number of concerned people within the selling shareholder and Offeror and their immediate advisors (if any). b) A selling shareholder and an Offeror who are in negotiation or discussions regarding a Private Transaction must take adequate measures to limit any potential leakage or unlawful usage of confidential/price sensitive information. Article 8: Approaching the Offeree Company a) The parties involved in a Private Transaction (the selling shareholder and the Offeror) may inform the board of the Offeree Company or its advisors of the potential transaction, at their discretion, in order to provide the offeror with price sensitive confidential information, conditioning the absence of any of the events requiring disclosure as per paragraph (d) of this Article. b) The Offeree Company is deemed informed of a potential Private Transaction upon formally notifying and informing its board of directors. Following its formal notification of a potential Private Transaction, the board of director of an Offeree Company shall act independently to serve the best long term interests of the Offeree Company and its shareholders. The knowledge of individual board members of a potential private transaction shall not be imputed to the Offeree Company, unless the board of directors is formally notified of the potential Private Transaction. c) Upon formally approaching an Offeree Company in respect of a potential Private Transaction, an Offeror or potential Offeror must make clear the identity of its substantial shareholders. d) In the event of a leakage of confidential and/or price sensitive information about the Offeree Company or the potential Private Transaction or in the event of the Offeree Company becoming subject of rumors relating to the potential Private Transaction, the Offerorshould promptly notify the Offeree Company’s board of directors and the Authority of the Private Transaction and announce the Transaction to the public in accordance with Article 10 of these Regulations. Article 9: Access to Confidential Information of the Target Company a) If and when an Offeree Company is formally approached in respect of a potential Private Transaction in accordance with paragraph (b) of Article 8 of these Regulations, such Offeree Company may share confidential/price sensitive information with a bona fide Offeror, to assist such Offeror in conducting its due diligence over the Offeree Company to evaluate the merits of the potential Private Transaction, provided this is made in strict confidence. b) The Offeree Company (through its board of directors) shall have the discretion to determine the nature and extent of confidential/price sensitive information to be shared with a bona fide Offeror. Any such determination shall be considered on a case by case basis and be made by the board of directors of the Offeree Company, taking into consideration the interests of the Offeree Company and its shareholders.
6 The board of directors of the Offeree Company must also take adequate measures to limit any potential leakage or unlawful usage of confidential/price sensitive information. Article 10: Announcements a) An announcement to the public is required to be promptly made by each of the Offeror and the selling shareholder when:
7 2) No person who is privy to confidential price-sensitive information concerning a potential Private Transaction or contemplated transaction may make any recommendation to any other person as to dealing in the relevant securities. 3) If the transaction wasn't completed, the offeror who have obtained confidential price-sensitive information concerning the Private Transaction may not, in any kind, trade in the offeree company's securities for 6 months from the date of announcing the non-completion of the transaction. Article 12: Appointment of Financial Advisors and Legal Advisors Each Offeror and selling shareholder that is party to a Private Transaction may appoint an Independent Financial Advisor and an Independent Legal Advisor, provided that they'll be responsible for advising in regards of the requirements of this regulation. Article 13: Mandatory Offer Triggers a) An Offeror who, in a Private Transaction which results in the purchase or an increase in the aggregate ownership or interest in the shares so that such Offeror or persons acting in concert with it become the owner (or Controller) of 40% or more of the offeree company's shares carrying voting rights, becomes subject to Article 23 of these Regulations. b) The provision set out in paragraph (a) of this Article shall also apply to any beneficiary on behalf of whom the selling shareholder or Offeror is acting in the context of the Private Transaction. A person shall be treated as a beneficial owner of shares of the Offeree Company if he/she has the ultimate beneficial ownership or Control of such shares, whether through multiple entities or a contractual arrangement. Article 14: Purchase Price a) The selling shareholder and Offeror may agree, in a Private Transaction, on any purchase price they deem appropriate for the acquired shares by applying a premium or discount on the market price of the shares of the Offeree Company on the Exchange. b) The selling shareholder, Offeror and/or Offeree Company (as applicable), each must disclose the agreed purchase price for the Private Transaction, in the announcement they are required to make in accordance with Article 10 of these Regulations. Article 15: Exemptions from the Offer of Securities Regulation The solicitation by a selling shareholder of multiple potential Offerors to enter into a Private Transaction for the sale of part or all of its shares in the Offeree Company shall not constitute an Offer of securities subject to the private placement requirements of the Rules Of Offering Securities And Continuing Obligations, as long as the shares of the Offeree Company are listed in the Exchange.
8 Chapter 2: Rules of Offers Article 16: Approaching the Offeree Company a) An Offer must be put forward to the board of the Offeree Company or to its Independent Financial Advisor on or before it is made to the shareholders of the offeree company. b) Any Offer, or an approach with a view to an Offer being made, must make clear the identity of the substantial shareholders of the Offeror or potential Offeror or any persons Acting in Concert with the Offeror or potential Offeror. c) If the Offer, or an approach with regard to a possible Offer, is not made by the Offeror or potential Offeror, the identity of that Offeror or potential Offeror must be disclosed to the board of the Offeree Company at the outset of the Offer or the approach with regard to a possible Offer. Article 17: Announcement and Offer Timetable a) Mandatory public announcement A public announcement is required to be promptly made in the following circumstances:
9 subject to Offer-related rumors or speculations. The Offeror is also responsible for making an announcement once an obligation is incurred as per Article 23 of these Regulations . 2) Following an approach to the board of the Offeree Company which may or may not lead to an Offer, the primary responsibility for making the announcement required under paragraph (a) of this Article will rest with the board of the Offeree Company which must, therefore, keep a close watch on its share price for any untoward movement or if it is the subject of Offer-related rumors or speculations. 3) Where there is a recommendation from the Offeree Company’s board of directors to accept the Offer and to submit an application to the Authority to grant a temporary suspension of trading, and the Authority has granted such suspension, the Offeree Company may instead of announcing, obtain the temporary suspension and make the announcement afterwards. 4) A potential Offeror must not attempt to prevent the board of an Offeree Company from making an announcement or requesting the Authority to grant a temporary suspension of trading. c) Offer timetable
10 k. the last date on which the Offer must remain open for acceptance after it is declared unconditional as to acceptance, which shall be no earlier than 21 days from step (j) of this subparagraph; l. the last date for satisfaction of all other conditions, which shall be no later than 21 days from step (j) of this sub-paragraph; and m. the last date for cash or other consideration to be provided to the shareholders of the Offeree Company, which shall be no later than 10 days from step (I) of this sub-paragraph. 2) All parties related to the Offer must comply with the timetable as specified in sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph (c) of this Article. 3) The Authority must be notified immediately if the Offeror or the Offeree Company considers that it cannot comply with the adopted timetable as specified in sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph (c) of this Article. The Authority may, in any circumstances, amend the periods in the adopted timetable. 4) The offeror, while approaching the Authority as per sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph (c) of this Article, shall provide the offer document prepared in line with the provisions of Article 38 of these regulations. 5) The Offeror must notify the Authority, at any time after publishing the offer document and before the offer becomes unconditional in respect of acceptance, or before the meeting of the general assembly (if applicable) of any significant changes in the offering document or any other document required by the offeror under these Regulations, or the rise of any important issues that should’ve been added to this document. 6) The offer timetable as per sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph (c) of this Article shall be published in the manner specified by the Authority. d) The setting of deadline to make a firm Offer announcement When an announcement has been made in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Article other than the announcement of a firm intention to make an Offer, the Offeree Company’s board of directors may request that the Authority to set a time limit for the Offeror to clarify its intentions in respect of the Offeree Company. If such a time limit is approved by the Authority, at some time on or before the expiry of that limit the Offeror must publicly announce either a firm intention to make an Offer, or that it does not intend to make an Offer. e) The announcement of a firm intention to make an Offer
11 d. all conditions (including any conditions relating to acceptances, listing and increase of capital and any consent or regulatory approval) to which the Offer or the publication of the Offer Document is subject; and e. details of any indemnity arrangement involving the Offeror, the Offeree Company or any person Acting in Concert with any of them in relation to relevant securities. 3) The announcement of a firm intention to make an Offer should include confirmation by the Independent Financial Advisor that financial and practical capabilities available to the Offeror are sufficient to satisfy full acceptance of the Offer. The Independent Financial Advisor must act responsibly in accordance with paragraph (f) and paragraph (d) of Article 38 of these Regulations and take all reasonable steps to assure itself that capabilities are available. f) Obligation on the Offeree Company to circulate announcements The offeree company promptly after the Authority's approval on publishing the offer document, shall announce its board's circular, summarizing the terms and conditions of the Offer. g) Consequences of a “firm announcement” When there has been an announcement of a firm intention to make an Offer, the Offeror must, except with the consent of the Authority, proceed with the Offer unless the Offer is subject to the prior fulfilment of a specific condition which has been made public and which has not been met. The Offeror must proceed with the Offer in accordance with the timetable referred to in sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph (c) of this Article. h) Issuing a statement of intention not to make an Offer An Offeror making a statement that he/she does not intend to make an Offer for the Offeree Company should ensure that the statement is clear and unambiguous. Such Offeror (and persons acting in concert) will be bound by that statement for a period of six months unless there is a material change of circumstances related to the statement or there has occurred an event which the Offeror specified in its statement as an event which would enable it to be set aside. Article 18: Independent Advice The board of the Offeror (if the Offeror is a listed company) and the board of the Offeree Company must obtain competent independent advice from Independent Financial Advisors, appointed in accordance with paragraph (a) of Article 3 of these Regulations, and inform their respective shareholders of the substances of such advice. Article 19: Prohibited and Restricted Dealings a) Prohibited dealings
12 b) Restriction on dealings by the Offeror
13 it shall increase its Offer to not less than the highest price paid for the shares so acquired during that period. 2) An Offeror must announce, immediately after the purchase, that a revised Offer will be made in accordance with this Article. The announcement should also state the number of shares purchased, or the interest otherwise acquired, and the price paid. Article 21: Consequences of Certain Dealings An Offeror (or any persons acting in concert) who purchase shares in an Offeree Company must fulfil any obligations arising under Article 23, 24 or 25 of these Regulations. An announcement shall be made by the offeror immediately after such a purchase, or immediately upon becoming a substantial shareholder of the Offeree Company, and shall include the number of shares purchased and the price paid. Article 22: Disclosure of Dealings during the Offer Period, Indemnity and other Arrangements a) Dealings by Offer parties and by persons Acting in Concert
14 b) Conditions, third party consents and regulatory approvals No Acquisition of shares which would give rise to an obligation of providing an Offer under this Article, if the making or implementation of such Offer would or might be dependent on the passing of a resolution at any general assembly of shareholders of the Offeror or upon any other conditions, consents or arrangements, including the relevant regulatory approvals. c) Payment Method and Takeover Consideration
15 4) The purpose of such purchase and the future plans (with persons acting in concert) toward the offeree company's activity, shareholders and employees resulting from the purchase. c) When a person obtains shares (or have control over them) by a deal or number of deals (in owned or controlled shares, or which is controlled by persons acting in concert with it) that represent 40% or more of shares, the offeree company shall disclose such information to the public, in period not exceeding the end of the third trade day following the day on which the announcement was made, as per paragraph (b) of this Article, provided that its disclosure includes the following as minimum:
16 Article 25: The Partial Offer a) An Offeror may, subject to obtaining the Authority’s prior approval, make a Partial Offer to the board of an Offeree Company. b) The partial offer for the purpose of owning 30% or more shall not be conditional unless the Offeror obtains the approvals relating to the shares which, together with the shares acquired or agreed to be acquired by the Offeror before or during the offer, result in the offeror obtaining 30% or more of the voting rights (in the absence of any other regulatory approvals necessary to implement the offer). c) If the Offeror receives a level of acceptance that is higher than the one initially planned for, it may, subject to obtaining the Authority’s prior approval, allocate the shares to the accepting shareholders in proportion to each accepting shareholder’s current ownership stake in the Offeree Company. d) A Partial Offer is subject to the provisions of these Regulations including Article 23 of these Regulations. Article 26: Securities Exchange Offer for all the shares of the Offeree Company a) An Offeror (who is a joint stock company) may provide, after obtaining the Authority’s prior approval, the Offeree Company with a Securities Exchange with the Offeror in consideration of all the shares in the Offeree Company. b) The provisions of these Regulations shall apply to a Securities Exchange Offer for all the shares in the Offeree Company, except the provisions of sub-paragraphs (1/f), (1/g), (1/h), (1/i), (1/j), (1/k), (1/l) and (1/m) of paragraph (c) of Article 17 of these Regulations. c) With no prejudice to the Companies Law, to the decision to complete the acquisition offer by offering an exchange of securities for all the shares of the offeree Company, shall not be deemed valid unless it is issued by the approval of 75% of the voting rights represented in Extraordinary General Assembly. Article 27: The Acceptance Condition a) with consideration to paragraph (a) of article 25 of these regulations, in the event of any takeover offer, to which article 23 of these regulations apply, for shares carrying voting rights which, if accepted in full, would result in the offeror holding shares carrying over 90% of the voting rights of the offeree company (including a merger of the offeree company), the offer shall not become or be announced as unconditional in regards of acceptances unless the offeror has acquired or agreed to acquire (either pursuant to the offer or otherwise) shares carrying over 50% of the voting rights attributable to any class of shares of the offeree company. b) Any announcement made pursuant to Article 32 of these Regulations must state whether the Offer has reached the required acceptance level to announce unconditional acceptances (if permitted by the Offer timetable), or whether the Offer is to remain open for acceptance and whether the Offeror shall maintain or reduce the acceptance level. c) The offer presented to acquire all shares of the offeree company must be only conditioned with the offeror obtaining the approvals related to shares, which result in (along with acquired shares or agreed to be acquired by the offeror during or after the offer) the offeror (or any persons acting in concert with it) owning shares that carry more than 50% percent of the voting rights. d) An Offeree Company may accept a Takeover Offer in respect of treasury shares until after the Offer is unconditional as to acceptances.
17 Article 28: Nature of Payment to be Offered a) Cash Offer In the event where shares of any class in the Offeree Company are purchased in exchange for cash by an Offeror (or any persons acting in concert) during the Offer period or in the 12 months prior to it, in which case the Offer for that class shall be in cash or accompanied by a cash alternative at not less than the highest price paid by the Offeror (or any persons acting in concert) for shares of that class during the Offer period or in the 12 months prior to it. b) Exemption from highest price If the Offeror considers that the highest price (for the purpose of paragraph (a) of this Article) should not apply in a particular case, the Offeror should approach the Authority, which has discretion to agree on an adjusted price. c) Non-cash payment If the Offeror is a company, it may make an Offer that includes in whole or in part non-cash consideration (including issuing share by Offeror to the shareholders of the Offeree Company) as per the following conditions: a. all shareholders of the same type or class of the Offeree Company are treated equally by the Offeror; and b. where the Offeree Company’s shareholders are offered shares in the Offeror or other non-cash consideration, the Offeror must provide a valuation report of the non-cash consideration prepared by the Offeror’s Independent Financial Advisor and which shall be required to be published in accordance with paragraph (f) of Article 38 of these Regulations. Article 29: Subjective and Financing Conditions a) An Offer must not be subject to conditions which depend solely on subjective judgements by the Offeror or the Offeree Company, or in either case, their respective directors, or that the fulfilment of such conditions is subject to their opinions. b) An Offer must not be made subject to conditions relating to financing. Article 30: Offer to a Company with more than One Class of Shares a) Where an Offeree Company has more than one type or class of share capital, an Offer (that is comparable) must be made for each type or class (whether such types or classes of shares carry voting rights or not); and the Authority should be consulted in advance. An Offer for non-voting shares shall not be made conditional on any particular level of acceptances in respect of that type or class unless the Offer for the voting shares is also conditional on the success of the Offer for the non-voting shares. b) Provisions of this Article shall apply to an Offeree Company which has options or subscription rights that are outstanding. Article 31: Special Deals with Favourable Conditions An Offeror (or any person acting in concert with it) may not make any arrangements with shareholders and may not deal, enter into arrangements to deal in shares of the Offeree Company, or enter into arrangements which involve acceptance of an Offer, if there are favourable conditions attached which are not being extended to all shareholders.
18 Article 32: Announcement of Acceptance Results a) Timing and contents An Offeror must make an announcement regarding the Offer acceptance result no later than half an hour before the time on which the Exchange is due to open and not exceeding the day following the time on which an Offer is due to expire, the next day when the offer becomes, or is declared unconditional as to acceptances, or the next day following the offer revising or extension. The announcement must state the total number of shares and rights over shares as follows:
19 b) Inaccurate announcements Parties to an Offer and their advisors must not issue inaccurate or imprecise announcements, which may mislead shareholders or the Exchange. c) Distribution and availability of documents and announcements Copies of all documents and announcements bearing on an Offer and of advertisements and any material released to the media must, at the time of request, be provided to the Authority, the Independent Financial Advisors and all parties of the Offer. When the release is outside normal business hours, such Independent Financial Advisors must be informed of the release immediately; special arrangements may need to be made to ensure that the material is delivered directly to them and to the Authority. No party to an Offer should be put at a disadvantage through delay in the release of new information to it. Article 35: Equality of Information a) Equality of information to shareholders Information about the Offer, including announcements, statements, presentations, circulars and information concerning companies involved in an Offer must be made equally available to all shareholders as nearly as possible at the same time and in the same manner, including publication on the website of the Offeror and Offeree Company, through the exchange or other Regulatory Information Service Providers (as applicable), no later than the end of the trading day. b) Equality of information to competing Offerors Any information, including particulars of shareholders, given to one Offeror or potential Offeror must, upon request, be given equally and promptly to another Offeror or bona fide potential Offeror. Article 36: Restrictions on Frustrating Actions a) Shareholders’ consent in the general assembly During the course of an Offer, or even before the date of the Offer if the board of the Offeree Company has reason to believe that a bona fide Offer might be imminent, the board must not, except in pursuance of a binding contract entered into earlier, and without the approval of the shareholders convened in a general assembly, effect any of the following:
20 b) Break-up Fees
21 clarifying the impact of accepting the offer on capital and income earned by shareholders of the offeree company. In the event that the new securities are not identical with the listed securities, the offer document shall contain all the details of the rights associated with the securities and a statement indicating whether or not a request has been or will be submitted to the Authority for listing. h. In the event of a merger or offer of a securities exchange, reference should be made to the effect of accepting the offer (in full) for the purpose of controlling the assets of the offeror, its profits and its business that may be important for the proper valuation of the offer. 2) The Offer Document must include a statement as follows: "The Capital Market Authority and the Saudi Stock Exchange do not assume any responsibility for the contents of this Offer Document and make no assurances as to its accuracy or completeness, and expressly disclaim any liability whatsoever for any loss arising from this document or reliance on any part thereof " 3) In the event of the offer of a securities exchange in which the offeror is a non-listed company, or where the offer for the purpose of control results in merger with an non-listed company, the offer document shall include: a. Sales and net profit or loss before and after the deduction of Zakat or tax, the value of Zakat or tax paid, any exceptional items, minority interests, and the total amount of dividends, revenues and profits per share for the last three financial years in which this information was published. b. Statement of assets and liabilities in accordance with the most recent audited financial statements. c. Cash flows when available in accordance with the most recent audited financial statements. d. All material changes in the financial or commercial position of the offeror in accordance with the most recent audited financial statements, or a statement that none have occurred. e. Details of the items referred to in sub-paragraph (3) of paragraph (a) of this Article on any quarterly announcement or any interim financial statements issued since the last audited financial statements were published. f. Any information on any of the above that has been adjusted to take inflation impact into account. g. Significant accounting policies and any key notes to the financial statements relating to the adjustment of the data, including any data adjusted to take inflation impact into account. If the data cannot be compared due to a change in accounting policy, it should be disclosed and the approximate amount of variation arising from the change is specified. h. The names of the members of the board of directors of the offeror and their contributions to the offeree company and the offeror. i. The nature of the offeror's activity and the financial and commercial expectations. j. A summary of the basic contents of each essential contract entered into by the offeror or any of its subsidiaries outside the ordinary course of business of the company during the two years preceding the beginning of the offer period. The summary shall include a clarification of the date of the contract, its parties, terms and conditions and any amounts paid by the offeror (or any of its subsidiaries) Or paid to it on the basis of each contract. 4) The offer document shall contain a description of how the offer is financed and the financing source, and identify the names of the major lenders or the person arranging the financing. If the
22 offeror decides that the payment of the fee or payment or the provision of security for any obligation (conditional or otherwise) will depend to a large extent on the business of the offeree company, the planned arrangements shall be described, or provide a statement that there is no such arrangement. 5) If any document issued to the shareholders of the offeree company contains a recommendation or opinion of a financial advisor regarding the acceptance of the offer or not; the document, unless issued by the financial advisor itself, shall contain a statement stating the approval of the financial advisor (and without withdrawing its consent) to issue the document containing its recommendation or opinion in the form and text contained in the document. b) Shareholdings and dealings The offer document should indicate the following:
23 d) Confirmation of cash sufficiency If the offer or any part thereof is to be paid in cash, the offer document must contain a bank guarantee issued by a local bank that ensures that the bidder can fulfil the full value of the offer. e) The final owner of the shares acquired and the controlling shareholders in the offeror The offer document shall contain a description of any person or persons who own or have control over 30% or more of the offeree company's capital, or is able to direct and manage its decisions, as well as to clarify whether there is a transfer of any securities acquired under the offer to other persons or not, with the names of the parties in any relevant agreement, arrangement of understanding (If any), besides the details of the securities held by such persons in the offeree company, or a statement that there is no such securities. f) Estimated value of unlisted securities If the offer includes the issuance of securities not listed in the market as compensation, and will remain unlisted, or the consideration is non-cash, the offer document and any subsequent document made by the offeror shall include, an estimate of the value of these securities or any other non-monetary consideration and issued by a financial advisor. g) Information not applicable to other offers The information contained in sub-paragraphs (1/g), (1/h), and (3) of paragraph (a) of this Article shall not apply to the partial offer that is not intended for the takeover of the shares of the offeree company. Article 39: Offeree Board Circular a) Views of the board The board of the Offeree Company must circulate its views on the Offer to the shareholders, including any alternative Offers, and must, at the same time, make known to its shareholders the substance of the advice given to it by the Independent Financial Advisor appointed pursuant to Article 18 of these Regulations. An Offeree Company board circulars shall be published in accordance with the Offer timetable announced by the Authority pursuant to paragraph (c) of Article 17 of these Regulations. b) Views of the Offeree Company’s board on the Offeror’s plans for the company and its employees The circular of the board of the Offeree Company (referred to in paragraph (a) of this Article) should, insofar as relevant, include its views on the Offeror’s plans in respect of the Offeree Company and its employees. c) Shareholdings and dealings
24 Company or of a subsidiary of the Offeree Company, or by an advisor to the Offeree Company, or by any person Acting in Concert with the Offeree Company; d. the shareholdings and the size of any control shareholding, in the Offeree Company and (in the case of a Merger or a Securities Exchange Offer) in the Offeror owned or subject to shareholder Control by a person who has an arrangement of the kind referred to in sub-paragraph (3) of paragraph (d) of Article 19 of these Regulations; e. the shareholdings in the Offeree Company and (in the case of a Merger or a Securities Exchange Offer) in the Offeror which are managed on a discretionary basis by a Connected Fund Manager, unless the Authority consents of otherwise; and f. whether the directors of the Offeree Company intend, in respect of their own shareholdings, to accept or reject the Offer. 2) If there are no shareholdings or controlled shareholdings as prescribed above, then this fact shall be stated. 3) If any person whose shareholdings or substantial shareholdings are required by sub-paragraphs (1/a) or (1/b) of paragraph (c) of this Article to be disclosed (whether there is an existing holding or not) has dealt in the shares in question during the period beginning 12 months prior to the Offer period and ending with the last day prior to the publication of the circular, the details, including dates and prices, must be stated. In all cases, if no such dealings have taken place this fact should be stated. 4) If any person whose shareholdings or substantial shareholdings are required by sub-paragraphs (1/c), (1/d) or (1/e) of paragraph (c) of this Article to be disclosed (whether there is an existing holding or not) has dealt in the shares in question during the Offer period and ending with the last day prior to the publication of the circular, details of such dealing, including dates and prices, must be stated. In all cases, if no such dealings have taken place this fact shall be stated. d) Material contracts The first circular from the board of the Offeree Company advising shareholders on an Offer must contain a summary of the principal contents of each material contract entered into by the Offeree Company (or any of its subsidiary companies) out of the ordinary course of business during the period beginning two years before the commencement of the Offer period where the total amount of consideration for such contract is 10% or more of the Offeree Company’s annual revenues according to the latest reviewed interim financial statements or latest audited annual financial statements, whichever is later. Such summary must include particulars of dates, parties, terms and conditions and any consideration passing to or from the Offeree Company (or any of its subsidiaries) on each contract basis. Article 40: Making Documents Available for Review a) Copies of the following documents must be made available for review from the date the Offer Document or Offeree Company board circular is published until the end of the Offer period:
25 3) any report, letter, valuation or other document which is exhibited or referred to in any document issued by or on behalf of the Offeror and the Offeree Company; 4) written consents of the Independent Financial Advisors given in accordance with subparagraph (5) of paragraph (a) of Article 38 of these Regulations; 5) any document evidencing an irrevocable commitment to accept an Offer; 6) documents relating to the financing arrangements for the Offer where such arrangements are described in the Offer Document in compliance with subparagraph (4) of paragraph (a) of Article 38 of these Regulations; and 7) documents relating to break-up fees or similar arrangements. b) The Offer Document or Offeree Company board circular must state the place, being the registered address of the Offeror company or the Offeree Company respectively or such other place as the Authority may agree, where document required to be on display in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Article, can be inspected. c) A copy of each document required to be on display in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Article must, upon request, promptly be made available by the Offeror or the Offeree Company to the other party and to any competing Offeror or potential Offeror. Article 41: Profit Forecasts a) Standards of care A profit forecast must be compiled with due care and consideration by the relevant board of directors with the assistance of such professional advice, whose sole responsibility it is; the Independent Financial Advisors must ensure that the forecast has been prepared in care and consideration by the board of directors. b) Assumptions When a profit forecast appears in a document addressed to shareholders in connection with an Offer, or in a press announcement, any assumptions on which the forecast is based should be included. c) Publication of a profit forecast Unless the Authority consents of otherwise, if, during an Offer period (or in an announcement which commences an Offer period), the Offeree Company or the Offeror in a securities exchange offer, must include in the document or announcement in which the forecast or statement is first published, the following:
26 2) Unless the Authority consents of otherwise, any unaudited profit figures published during an Offer period must be prepared based on the same standards as a profit forecast, except the following: a. unaudited statements of annual or interim results which have been published prior to the commencement of the Offer period; and b. any other unaudited statements of results which comply with the Capital Market Law and its Implementing Regulations. 3) A profit forecast for a limited period (such as for the following quarter) is subject to this Article. 4) The Authority must be consulted in advance of publishing any announcement of guaranteed profits in connection with an Offer. e) Earnings enhancement and Offer benefits statements: Parties related to an Offer wishing to make earnings enhancement statements which are not intended to be profit forecasts must include within the statement an explicit and clear disclaimer to the effect that such statements should not be interpreted to mean that earnings per share will necessarily be greater than those for the relevant preceding financial period. Article 42: Asset Valuations a) Valuation Report When a value of real or intangible property assets is stated in connection with an Offer, it shall be supported at the time of publication by a valuation report containing the opinion of a named independent licensed valuator, and the basis of valuation must be clearly stated. The document containing the valuation must also state that the evaluator has given and not withdrawn his consent to the publication of his valuation report. b) Validity of Valuation A valuation report related to the Offer made in accordance with this Article must state the effective date as at which the assets were valued and the address of the valuator and his professional qualifications. If a valuation is not current, the valuator must state that a current valuation would not be materially different. If this statement cannot be made, the valuation must be updated. Article 43: Publication of the Offer Document and the Offeree Company Board Circular a) Approval of the Offer Document
27 b. require the concerned person or third parties to provide additional information or documents, or to confirm, in such manner as the Authority may specify, that the information provided is accurate; or c. defer making any decision for such period as may be reasonably necessary to carry out a further study and examination or to allow for additional information to be provided. 5) If, having taken actions pursuant to sub-paragraph (4) of paragraph (a) of this Article, the Authority determines that the Offer to be made pursuant to the Offer Document is still not in the interest of investors or may result in a breach of the Capital Market Law or its Implementing Regulations, the Authority shall, after giving the Offeror a suitable opportunity to be heard, issue a notification to the Offeror stating that the approval of the Authority to publish the Offer Document is not granted. A notification under this sub-paragraph may include a prohibition on a further Offer for the Offeree Company on such terms as the Authority sees appropriate. 6) On receipt of a notification under sub-paragraph (5) of paragraph (a) of this Article, an Offeror must notify the Offeree Company of, and publicly announce, the rejection of publishing the Offer Document. b) Publication of the Offer Document The Offer Document must be published by, or on behalf of, the Offeror in accordance with the timetable referenced in sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph (c) of Article 17 of these Regulations. c) The Offeree Company board circular The board of the Offeree Company shall publish the circular containing its advise to shareholders regarding the Offer in accordance with the Offer timetable referenced in sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph (c) of Article 17 of these Regulations. d) Material changes
28 subsequent document in connection with the Offer, that document must include any material changes in information (relating to the Offeror, Offeree Company or the Offer), intentions or opinions disclosed in any previous document published by it in connection with the Offer which are material in the context of that document, or a statement that there have been no such material changes. Article 44: Timing of the Offer a) Periods related to the offer
29 The board of the Offeree Company may not announce any material new information including trading results, profit or dividend forecasts, asset valuations or proposals for dividend payments after the date prescribed in the timetable referred to in sub-paragraph (1/g) of paragraph (c) of Article 17 of these Regulations. Where the publication of such results would be required by the Capital Market Law and its Implementing Regulations, the board of directors of the Offeree Company shall, as soon as possible, raise the issue to the Authority that will decide as it deems appropriate. g) Effect of lapsing The lapsing of an Offer, before it becomes unconditional as to acceptance, will result in the Offer ceasing to be capable of further acceptance and the shareholders and the Offeror thereafter shall not be bound by prior acceptances. Such effect shall be clearly stated in the Offer Document. Article 45: Revision of the Offer a) Entitlement to revised payment If an Offer is revised, it must be revised on terms making it not less favourable to Offeree Company’s shareholders, and all shareholders who accepted the original Offer must be entitled to the revised payment. b) New conditions for the Offer Subject to the prior approval of the Authority, and only to the extent necessary to implement an improved or increased Offer, the Offeror may introduce new conditions. Article 46: Right to Withdraw Acceptance A person who has accepted an Offer must be entitled to withdraw his acceptance from the time prescribed in the timetable referenced in sub-paragraph (1/i) of paragraph (c) of Article 17 of these Regulations. Article 47: Reduction or Increase of Company’s Shares a) Possible requirements to make an Offer as per Article 23 of these regulations or impose restriction period and disclosure requirement as per Article 24 of these regulations When for any reason the total number of a particular class of shares of a company listed on the Exchange is reduced or increased, whether by redemption, repurchase or cancellation, resulting in each case in an increase in the percentage of voting rights held by a shareholder or group of shareholders Acting in Concert with it, the provisions of Article 23 and 24 of these Regulations shall apply (as the case may be). b) Subsequent Acquisitions of shares Subsequent to the reduction or increase referred to in paragraph (a) of this Article, all shareholders will be subject, in making further Acquisitions of shares in the company, to the relevant provisions of these Regulations. c) Redemption or purchase of shares by the Offeree Company
30 bona fide Offer might be imminent, the board of the Offeree Company must include information about the Offer, Merger or anticipated Offer in the notice convening the general assembly. 2) Public disclosure For the purpose of applying the provisions of paragraph (a) of Article 22 of these Regulations, dealings in relevant securities by the Offeree Company include the redemption or purchase of, or taking or exercising an option over, any of its own relevant securities. The total amount of securities of the relevant class remaining in issue following the redemption or purchase must also be disclosed. 3) Disclosure in the Offeree Company board circular The Offeree Company board circular advising shareholders on an Offer must state the amount of relevant shares of the Offeree Company which the Offeree Company has redeemed or purchased during the period commencing 12 months prior to the Offer period and ending with the latest date prior to the publication of the circular, and the details of any such redemptions and purchases, including dates and prices. d) Redemption or purchase of securities by the Offeror
31 the Offeree Company’s independent and disinterested shareholders in voting in general meeting on the completion of the Offer. 4) If requested by the Offeror who owns 5% or more of the Offeree Company, the board of the Offeree Company must convene a general assembly of shareholders and send a circular to shareholders prior to the date of such general assembly in accordance with the terms of its bylaws and the provisions of the Companies Law and the Corporate Governance Regulations. Such circular must include at least the following: a. a copy of the Offer Document; b. the details of any existing holdings of Related Party in each of the Offeror and the Offeree Company, including:
32 Part 3 Merger Article 49: Types of Merger Transactions Without prejudice to the Capital Market Law, Companies Law, and their Implementing Regulations, a company may enter into a Merger transaction through any of the following: a) Merger by way of absorption A merged Company may merge into another entity by way of absorption by a Merging Company, whether the shares of Merging Company are listed on the Exchange or not.
33 the other Merging Company in accordance with the provisions of the Capital Market Law, Companies Law and its Implementing Regulations. 2) Upon successful completion of the Offers mentioned in sub-paragraph (1) of paragraph (b) of this Article and closing of the Merger transaction, the assets of the Merged Company and of the other Merging Company are transferred to the newly formed legal entity, the Merged Company and other Merging Company will cease to exist, and the Merged Company’s shares will be delisted from the Exchange in accordance with the Capital Market Law and its Implementing Regulations. 3) Should the newly formed legal entity wish to list its shares on the Exchange, it shall submit a new application to list the shares of the new legal entity to the Authority in accordance with the Capital Market Law and its Implementing Regulations. Article 50: Rules of Merger Transactions The provisions of Chapter 2 of Part 2 of these Regulations, applicable to Takeover Offers, shall apply mutatis mutandis to Merger transactions. Article 51: Required Approvals for a Merger Transactions
34 Part 4 Publication and Entry into Force Article 53: Publication and Entry into Force These Regulations shall be effective as per its approval resolution.