On December 8, 2016, the SEC issued 35 new compliance and disclosure interpretations (C&DI) including five related to the use of Form 20-F by foreign private issuers and seven related to the definition of a foreign private issuer.
C&DI Related to use of Form 20-F
In the first of the five new C&DI, the SEC confirms that under certain circumstances the subsidiary of a foreign private issuer may use an F-series registration statement to register securities that are guaranteed by the parent company, even if the subsidiary itself does not qualify as a foreign private issuer. In addition, the subsidiary may use Form 20-F for its annual report. To qualify, the parent and subsidiary must file consolidated financial statements or be eligible to present narrative disclosure under Rule 3-10 of Regulation S-X.
Likewise in the second of the new C&DI, the SEC confirms that an F-series registration statement may be used to register securities to be issued by the parent and guaranteed by the subsidiary. When a parent foreign private issuer issues securities guaranteed or co-issued by one or more subsidiaries that do not themselves qualify as a foreign private issuer, the parent and subsidiary may use an F-series registration statement when they are eligible to present condensed consolidating financial information or narrative disclosure.
In the third C&DI the SEC clarifies the deadline for filing a Form 20-F annual report. In particular, the Form 20-F is due 4 months to the day from the end of a company’s fiscal year-end. For example, if a company’s fiscal year-end is February 20, the Form 20-F due date would be June 20.
In the fourth C&DI, the SEC confirms that a wholly owned subsidiary can omit certain information from its Form 20-F annual report in the same manner that a wholly owned subsidiary of a U.S. company can omit information in its Form 10-K. The subsidiary would need to include a prominent statement on its cover page that it meets the requirements to and is providing reduced disclosure.
The requirements to be able to provide reduced disclosure, for both 20-F and 10-K filers, include: (i) all of the company’s equity securities are owned, either directly or indirectly, by a single entity which is subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”); (ii) such parent entity is current in its reporting requirements; (iii) the parent company specifically names the subsidiary in its description of its business; (iv) during the preceding 36 calendar months and any subsequent period of days, there has not been any material default in the payment of principal, interest or any other material default with respect to any indebtedness of the parent or its subsidiaries; and (v) there has not been any material default in the payment of rentals under material long-term leases.
The disclosure that may be omitted by a qualifying subsidiary includes: (i) selected financial data; (ii) operating and financial review prospects; (iii) the list of subsidiaries exhibit; (iv) information required by Item 6.A, Directors and Senior Management, Item 6.B, Compensation, 6.D, Employees, Item 6.E, Share Ownership, Item 7, Major Shareholders and Related Party Transactions, Item 16A, Audit Committee Financial Expert, and Item 16B, Code of Ethics; and (v) Item 4 Information on the company as long as such information is included in the parent company’s filings.
In the final new C&DI, the SEC confirms that a foreign private issuer may incorporate by reference into a Form 20-F annual report information that had previously been filed with the SEC in another report, such as a Form 6-K.
C&DI Related to Definition of Foreign Private Issuer
The first of the new guidance on the definition of a foreign private issuer relates to determining whether 50% or more of a company’s outstanding securities are directly or indirectly owned by U.S. residents when a company has multiple classes of voting stock with different voting rights. In such a case a company may either (i) calculate voting power on a combined basis; or (ii) make a determination based on the number of voting securities. A company must apply its methodology on a consistent basis.
The second C&DI provides guidance on determining whether an individual is a U.S. resident. In particular, the SEC confirms that a permanent residence with a green card would be considered a U.S. resident. A company may also consider any relevant facts including tax residency, nationality, mailing address, physical presence, the location of a significant portion of their financial and legal relationships and immigration status. The application of facts must be consistently applied to all shareholders.
The third C&DI clarifies the determination of citizenship and residency of directors and officers. A company must consider the citizenship and residency of all individual directors and officers separately and not count them as a single group. In the fourth C&DI, the SEC addresses the determination where a company has two boards of directors. In that case, the company should examine the board that most closely undertakes functions that U.S.-style boards of directors would. Where such determination cannot be made or where both boards provide these functions, both boards should be aggregated and citizenship and residency examined for both.
In the fifth C&DI the SEC confirms that a company can use the geographic segment information in its balance sheet to determine if more than 50% of its assets are located outside the U.S. A company may also use any other reasonable methodology as long as it is used consistently.
In the sixth C&DI the SEC provides guidance for determining whether a business is principally administered in the U.S. As with the theme of the other guidance, the SEC gives the company guidance to exercise reasonable discretion consistently. A company must assess the location from which its officers, partners, or managers primarily direct, control and coordinate the company business and activities.
In the seventh new C&DI the SEC confirms that holding meetings of shareholders or the board of directors on occasion, will not necessarily result in a conclusion that the company is principally administered in the U.S.
In another new C&DI the SEC confirms that all securities-trading markets in countries that are part of the European Union may be considered a single foreign jurisdiction for purposes of applying the trading market definition for purposes of determining the trading of foreign securities.
Refresher Overview for Foreign Private Issuers
               Definition of Foreign Private Issuer
Both the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”) contain definitions of a “foreign private issuer.” Generally, if a company does not meet the definition of a foreign private issuer, it is subject to the same registration and reporting requirements as any U.S. company.
The determination of foreign private issuer status is not just dependent on the country of domicile, though a U.S. company can never qualify regardless of the location of its operations, assets, management and subsidiaries. There are generally two tests of qualification as a foreign private issuer, as follows: (i) relative degree of U.S. share ownership; and (ii) level of U.S. business contacts.
As with many securities law definitions, the overall definition of foreign private issuer starts with an all-encompassing “any foreign issuer” and then carves out exceptions from there. In particular, a foreign private issuer is any foreign issuer, except one that meets the following as of the last day of its second fiscal quarter:
(i) a foreign government;
(ii) more than 50% of its voting securities are directly or indirectly held by U.S. residents; and any of the following: (a) the majority of the executive officers or directors are U.S. citizens or residents; (b) more than 50% of the assets are in the U.S.; or (c) the principal business is in the U.S. Principal business location is determined by considering the company’s principal business segments or operations, its board and shareholder meetings, its headquarters, and its most influential key executives.
That is, if less than 50% of a foreign company’s shareholders are located in the U.S., it qualifies as a foreign private issuer. If more than 50% of the record shareholders are in the U.S., the company must further consider the location of its officers and directors, assets and business operations.
Registration and Ongoing Reporting Obligations
Like U.S. companies, when a foreign company desires to sell securities to U.S. investors, such offers and sales must either be registered or there must be an available Securities Act exemption from registration. The registration and exemption rules available to foreign private issuers are the same as those for U.S. domestic companies, including, for example, Regulation D (with the primarily used Rules 506(b) and 506(c)) and Regulation S) and resale restrictions and exemptions such as under Section 4(a)(1) and Rule 144.
When offers and sales are registered, the foreign company becomes subject to ongoing reporting requirements. Subject to the exemption under Exchange Act Rule 12g3-2(b) discussed at the end of this blog, when a foreign company desires to trade on a U.S. exchange or the OTC Markets, it must register a class of securities under either Section 12(b) or 12(g) of the Exchange Act. Likewise, when a foreign company’s worldwide assets and worldwide/U.S. shareholder base reaches a certain level ($10 million in assets; total shareholders of 2,000 or greater or 500 unaccredited with U.S. shareholders being 300 or more), it is required to register with the SEC under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act.
The SEC has adopted several rules applicable only to foreign private issuers and maintains an Office of International Corporate Finance to review filings and assist in registration and reporting questions. Of particular significance:
(i) Foreign private issuers may prepare financial statements using either US GAAP; International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”); or home country accounting standards with a reconciliation to US GAAP;
(ii) Foreign private issuers are exempt from the Section 14 proxy rules;
(iii) Insiders of foreign private issuers are exempt from the Section 16 reporting requirements and short swing trading prohibitions; however, they must comply with Section 13 (for a review of Sections 13 and 16, see my blog HERE);
(iv) Foreign private issuers are exempt from Regulation FD;
(v) Foreign private issuers may use separate registration and reporting forms and are not required to file quarterly reports (for example, Form F-1 registration statement and Forms 20-F and 6-K for annual and periodic reports); and
(vi) Foreign private issuers have a separate exemption from the Section 12(g) registration requirements (Rule 12g3-2(b)) allowing the trading of securities on the OTC Markets without being subject to the SEC reporting requirement.
Although a foreign private issuer may voluntarily register and report using the same forms and rules applicable to U.S. issuers, they may also opt to use special forms and rules specifically designed for and only available to foreign companies. Form 20-F is the primary disclosure document and Exchange Act registration form for foreign private issuers and is analogous to both an annual report on Form 10-K and an Exchange Act registration statement on Form 10. A Form F-1 is the general registration form for the offer and sale of securities under the Securities Act and, like Form S-1, is the form to be used when the company does not qualify for the use of any other registration form.
A Form F-3 is analogous to a Form S-3. A Form F-3 allows incorporation by reference of an annual and other SEC reports. To qualify to use a Form F-3, the foreign company must, among other requirements that are substantially similar to S-3, have been subject to the Exchange Act reporting requirements for at least 12 months and have filed all reports in a timely manner during that time. The company must have filed at least one annual report on Form 20-F. A Form F-4 is used for business combinations and exchange offers, and a Form F-6 is used for American Depository Receipts (ADR).  Also, under certain circumstances, a foreign private issuer can submit a registration statement on a confidential basis.
Once registered, a foreign private issuer must file periodic reports. A Form 20-F is used for an annual report and is due within four months of fiscal year-end. Quarterly reports are not required. A Form 6-K is used for periodic reports and captures: (i) the information that would be required to be filed in a Form 8-K; (ii) information the company makes or is required to make public under the laws of its country of domicile; and (iii) information it files or is required to file with a U.S. and foreign stock exchange.
As noted above, a foreign private issuer may elect to use either U.S. GAAP; International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”); or home country accounting standards with a reconciliation to U.S. GAAP in the preparation and presentation of its financial statements. Regardless of the accounting standard used, the audit firm must be registered with the PCAOB.
All filings with the SEC must be made in English. Where a document or contract is being translated from a different language, the SEC has rules to ensure that the translation is fair and accurate.
The SEC rules do not have scaled disclosure requirements for foreign private issuers. That is, all companies, regardless of size, must report the same information. A foreign private issuer that would qualify as a smaller reporting company or emerging growth company should consider whether it should use and be subject to the regular U.S. reporting requirements and registration and reporting forms. The company should also consider that no foreign private issuer is required to provide a Compensation Discussion & Analysis (CD&I). If the foreign company opts to be subject to the regular U.S. reporting requirements, it must also use U.S. GAAP for its financial statements. For further discussions on general reporting requirements and rules related to smaller reporting and emerging growth companies, see my blogs HERE and HERE and related to ongoing proposed changes HERE, which includes multiple related links under the “further background” subsection.
               Deregistration
The deregistration rules for a foreign private issuer are different from those for domestic companies. A foreign private issuer may deregister if: (i) the average daily volume of trading of its securities in the U.S. for a recent 12-month period is less than 5% of the worldwide average daily trading volume; or (ii) the company has fewer than 300 shareholders worldwide. In addition, the company must: (i) have been reporting for at least one year and have filed at least one annual report and be current in all reports; (ii) must not have registered securities for sale in the last 12 months; and (iii) must have maintained a listing of securities in its primary trading markets for at least 12 months prior to deregistration.
American Depository Receipts (ADRs)
An ADR is a certificate that evidences ownership of American Depository Shares (ADS) which, in turn, reflect a specified interest in a foreign company’s shares. Technically the ADR is a certificate reflecting ownership of an ADS, but in practice market participants just use the term ADR to reflect both. An ADR trades in U.S. dollars and clears through the U.S. DTC, thus avoiding foreign currency issuers. ADR’s are issued by a U.S. bank which, in turn, either directly or indirectly through a relationship with a foreign custodian bank, holds a deposit of the underlying foreign company’s shares. ADR securities must either be subject to the Exchange Act reporting requirements or be exempt under Rule 12g3-2(b). ADR’s are always registered on Form F-6.
OTC Markets
OTC Markets allows for the listing and trading of foreign entities on the OTCQX and OTCQB that do not meet the definition of a foreign private issuer as long as such company has its securities listed on a Qualifying Foreign Stock Exchange for a minimum of the preceding 40 calendar days subject to OTC Markets’ ability to waive such requirement upon application. If the company does not meet the definition of foreign private issuer, it still must fully comply with Exchange Act Rule 12g3-2(b). For details on the OTCQX listing requirements for international companies, see my blog HERE and for listing requirements for OTCQB companies, including international issuers, see HERE.
India as an Emerging Market
India is widely considered the world’s fastest-growing major economy. The small- and micro-cap industry has been eyeing India as an emerging market for the U.S. public marketplace for several years now. In my practice alone, I have been approached by several groups that see the U.S. public markets as offering incredible potential to the exploding Indian start-up and emerging growth sector. Taking advantage of this opportunity, however, was stifled by strict Indian laws prohibiting or limiting foreign investment into Indian companies. In June 2016, the Indian government announced new rules allowing for foreign direct investments into Indian-owned and -domiciled companies, opening up the country to foreign investment, including by U.S. shareholders.
The new rules allow for up to 100% foreign investment in certain sectors. U.S. investors who already invest heavily in Indian-based defense, aviation, pharmaceutical and technology companies will see even greater opportunity in these sectors, which will now allow up to 100% foreign investment. Although certain sectors, including defense, will still require advance government approval for foreign investment, most sectors will receive automatic approval. U.S. public companies will now be free to invest in and acquire Indian-based subsidiaries. Likewise, more India-based companies will be able to trade on U.S. public markets, attracting U.S. shareholders and the benefits of market liquidity and public company valuations.
Indian companies are slowly starting to take advantage of reverse-merger transactions with U.S. public companies. In July 2016, online travel agency Yatra Online, Inc., entered into a reverse-merger agreement with Terrapin 3 Acquisition Corp, a U.S. SPAC. The transaction is expected to close in October 2016. Yatra is structured under a U.S. holding company with operations in India though an India-domiciled subsidiary.
Last year Vidocon d2h became the first India-based company to go public via reverse merger when it completed a reverse merger with a U.S. NASDAQ SPAC. In January, 2016 Bangalore-based Strand Life Sciences Pvt. Ltd. became the second India-based reverse merger when it went public in the U.S. in a transaction with a NASDAQ company.
In addition, U.S.-based public companies, venture capital and private equity firms, and hedge funds and family offices have been investing heavily in the Indian start-up and emerging growth boom. Yatra and Strand Life had both received several rounds of U.S. private funding before entering into their reverse merger agreements. NASDAQ-listed firm Ctrip.com International recently invested $180 million into another India-based online travel company, MakeMyTrip.
India’s Mumbai/Bombay Stock Exchange is already a Qualified Foreign Exchange for purposes of meeting the standards to trade on the U.S. OTCQX International. For details on all OTCQX listing requirements, including for international companies, see my blog HERE and related directly to international companies including Rule 12g3-2(b), see HERE.  At least 5 companies currently trade on the OTCQX, with their principal market being in India.
Exchange Act Rule 12g3-2(b)
Exchange Act Rule 12g3-2(b) permits foreign private issuers to have their equity securities traded on the U.S. over-the-counter market without registration under Section 12 of the Exchange Act (and therefore without being subject to the Exchange Act reporting requirements). The rule is automatic for foreign issuers that meet its requirements. A foreign issuer may not rely on the rule if it is otherwise subject to the Exchange Act reporting requirements.
The rule provides that an issuer is not required to be subject to the Exchange Act reporting requirements if:
- the issuer currently maintains a listing of its securities on one or more exchanges in a foreign jurisdiction which is the primary trading market for such securities; and
- the issuer has published, in English, on its website or through an electronic information delivery system generally available to the public in its primary trading market (such as the OTC Market Group website), information that, since the first day of its most recently completed fiscal year, it (a) has made public or been required to make public pursuant to the laws of its country of domicile; (b) has filed or been required to file with the principal stock exchange in its primary trading market and which has been made public by that exchange; and (c) has distributed or been required to distribute to its security holders.
 Primary Trading Market means that at least 55 percent of the trading in the subject class of securities on a worldwide basis took place in, on or through the facilities of a securities market or markets in a single foreign jurisdiction or in no more than two foreign jurisdictions during the issuer’s most recently completed fiscal year.
In order to maintain the Rule 12g3-2(b) exemption, the issuer must continue to publish the required information on an ongoing basis and for each fiscal year. The information required to be published electronically is information that is material to an investment decision regarding the subject securities, such as information concerning:
(i) Results of operations or financial condition;
(ii) Changes in business;
(iii) Acquisitions or dispositions of assets;
(iv) The issuance, redemption or acquisition of securities;
(v) Changes in management or control;
(vi) The granting of options or the payment of other remuneration to directors or officers; and
(vii) Transactions with directors, officers or principal security holders.
At a minimum, a foreign private issuer shall electronically publish English translations of the following documents:
(i) Its annual report, including or accompanied by annual financial statements;
(ii) Interim reports that include financial statements;
(iii) Press releases; and
(iv) All other communications and documents distributed directly to security holders of each class of securities to which the exemption relates.
The Author
Laura Anthony, Esq.
Founding Partner
Legal & Compliance, LLC
Corporate, Securities and Going Public Attorneys
LAnthony@LegalAndCompliance.com
Securities attorney Laura Anthony and her experienced legal team provides ongoing corporate counsel to small and mid-size private companies, OTC and exchange traded issuers as well as private companies going public on the NASDAQ, NYSE MKT or over-the-counter market, such as the OTCQB and OTCQX. For nearly two decades Legal & Compliance, LLC has served clients providing fast, personalized, cutting-edge legal service. The firm’s reputation and relationships provide invaluable resources to clients including introductions to investment bankers, broker dealers, institutional investors and other strategic alliances. The firm’s focus includes, but is not limited to, compliance with the Securities Act of 1933 offer sale and registration requirements, including private placement transactions under Regulation D and Regulation S and PIPE Transactions as well as registration statements on Forms S-1, S-8 and S-4; compliance with the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, including registration on Form 10, reporting on Forms 10-Q, 10-K and 8-K, and 14C Information and 14A Proxy Statements; Regulation A/A+ offerings; all forms of going public transactions; mergers and acquisitions including both reverse mergers and forward mergers, ; applications to and compliance with the corporate governance requirements of securities exchanges including NASDAQ and NYSE MKT; crowdfunding; corporate; and general contract and business transactions. Moreover, Ms. Anthony and her firm represents both target and acquiring companies in reverse mergers and forward mergers, including the preparation of transaction documents such as merger agreements, share exchange agreements, stock purchase agreements, asset purchase agreements and reorganization agreements. Ms. Anthony’s legal team prepares the necessary documentation and assists in completing the requirements of federal and state securities laws and SROs such as FINRA and DTC for 15c2-11 applications, corporate name changes, reverse and forward splits and changes of domicile. Ms. Anthony is also the author of SecuritiesLawBlog.com, the OTC Market’s top source for industry news, and the producer and host of LawCast.com, the securities law network. In addition to many other major metropolitan areas, the firm currently represents clients in New York, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Boca Raton, West Palm Beach, Atlanta, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Washington, D.C., Denver, Tampa, Detroit and Dallas.
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