Article 4 |
A foreign issuer applying for a TPEx primary listing of common stock shall meet the following conditions:
- It is a company limited by shares organized and registered under foreign law, and has not violated any applicable provision of the Act Governing Relations Between the Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, provided that if individuals, juristic persons, groups, or other institutions from the Mainland Area have direct or indirect shareholding or capital contribution exceeding 30 percent in, or effective control over, the foreign issuer, special-case permission shall be obtained from the competent authority; and the foreign issuer furthermore must have filed for retroactive public issuance of the stock pursuant to the provisions of the Regulations Governing the Offering and Issuance of Securities by Foreign Issuers.
- Its issued registered stock is not listed for trading on any overseas securities market.
- Its net worth as audited and attested or reviewed by a CPA for the most recent period is equivalent to at least NT$100 million.
- It has been incorporated and registered in accordance with foreign law for at least 2 full accounting years.
- The financial reports prepared by the foreign issuer shall comply with the following requirements:
- The content shall be stated in units of New Taiwan Dollars.
- The Chinese language version shall govern; an English version may also be submitted in addition thereto.
- The financial reports shall be prepared in accordance with international financial reporting standards recognized by the Competent Authority, US accounting standards, or the International Financial Reporting Standards.
- It shall be produced using period-on-period comparison, and shall include balance sheets, statements of comprehensive income, cash flow statements, statements of changes in equity, and related notes. The notes to the financial report shall state which accounting principles are employed. If they are prepared according to international financial reporting standards recognized by the Competent Authority, then Taiwan's Regulations Governing the Preparation of Financial Reports by Securities Issuers shall govern, provided that Article 24 thereof need not be applied. If they are not prepared according to international financial reporting standards recognized by the Competent Authority, then the differences in the disclosure of the period-on-period balance sheet and the comprehensive income statement titles with the international financial reporting standards recognized by the Competent Authority shall be disclosed, including any material discrepancies and the dollar amounts affected, and the aforesaid affected amounts, after imputation adjustment, shall still be required to meet the financial requirements set out in subparagraph 6 of this paragraph.
- It shall have an audit (or review) report issued by two Taiwan CPAs approved by the Competent Authority to perform attestation of financial reports for public companies; or have been audited and attested (or reviewed) by an international accounting firm that has a cooperative relationship with the aforesaid CPAs, and have an audit (or review) report that is issued by the Taiwan CPAs and that does not make reference to audit (or review) work by any other accountant.
- It shall be signed or stamped with the seal of the chairperson, managerial officers, and principal accounting officers, who shall also produce a declaration that the report contains no misrepresentations or nondisclosures.
- In the audit (or review) report, the CPAs shall explain the accounting principles adopted by the foreign issuer and the differences between those principles and the international financial reporting standards recognized by the Competent Authority, and include an index to the notes, and shall expressly state that the report has been audited in accordance with Taiwan's Regulations Governing Auditing and Attestation of Financial Statements by Certified Public Accountants and generally accepted auditing standards (or that the review work has been planned and executed in accordance with Statement of Auditing Standards No. 65: Engagements to Review Financial Statements).
- If the stock has no par value or the par value per share is other than NT$10, in the application of the provision of Article 6 of the Regulations Governing the Preparation of Financial Reports by Securities Issuers regarding 5 percent or more of paid-in capital, 2.5 percent of equity attributable to owners of the parent company shall be substituted; for the provision of Article 17 thereof regarding 20 percent or more of paid-in capital, 10 percent of equity attributable to owners of the parent company shall be substituted.
- It financially shall be required to meet one of the following standards:
- The "profitability" standard: according to the CPA audited and attested financial reports, its net income before tax in the most recent fiscal year may not be less than the equivalent of NT$4 million, and its ratio of net income before tax to the amount of equity attributable to owners of the parent company shall meet one of the following conditions:
- 4 percent or more, and no accumulated deficit in the final accounting, for the most recent fiscal year
- 3 percent or more in each of the last 2 fiscal years
- An average of 3 percent or more in the last 2 fiscal years and the profitability of the most recent fiscal year is better than that of the previous year.
- the "net worth, operating revenue, and cash flow from operating activities" standard, simultaneously meeting all of the following conditions:
- Net worth stated in the most recent CPA audited and attested or reviewed financial report is NT$600 million or more and is not less than two-thirds of the share capital.
- Operating revenue from principal business of the most recent fiscal year is NT$2 billion or more, and is more than that of the previous fiscal year.
- Cash flow from operating activities in the most recent fiscal year is net inflow.
- The company, excluding company insiders and any juristic persons in which such insiders hold more than 50 percent of the shares, has at least 300 registered shareholders, and the combined shareholdings those shareholders account for 20 percent or more of the total issued shares, or more than 10 million shares, of the applicant company.
- Personnel required to place their company shares in central custody shall carry out matters relating to placement in central custody and withdrawal from custody upon expiration for the entire amount of their shareholding in accordance with Article 5 of these Rules.
- It is recommended in writing by two or more securities firms, provided that one of them shall be designated as the lead recommending securities firm, and the other(s) as co-recommending securities firm(s). The recommending securities firms shall sign a TPEx stock listing advisory contract with the foreign issuer. The foreign issuer shall continue to engage a lead recommending securities firm during the fiscal year of TPEx listing and the following 3 fiscal years to assist it with compliance with Taiwan's securities laws and regulations, the rules and bylaws public announcements of the TPEx, and the Foreign Issuer TPEx Primary Listing Contract (Attachment 5).
- It shall have engaged a professional shareholder services agent within the territory of the Republic of China (ROC) to handle shareholder services.
- It shall have appointed at least one litigious and non-litigious agent domiciled or residing within the territory of Taiwan; the primary duty of the agent is to facilitate effective delivery of documents between the TPEx and the foreign issuer, to notify it of matters requiring its action, and ensure its compliance with Taiwan's securities laws and regulations, the rules, bylaws, and public announcements of the TPEx, and the Foreign Issuer TPEx Primary Listing Contract, and related matters.
- A period of not less than 6 months must have elapsed from the issuer's filing for TPEx-listing advisory guidance or from the registration for trading of its stock on the Emerging Stock Market (ESM). If there is any change in the lead advisory securities firm or Emerging-Stock lead advisory recommending securities firm, the issuer shall receive the required advisory services from the new lead advisory securities firm or Emerging-Stock lead advisory recommending securities firm, and then a further period of not less than 6 months must elapse from the filing for advisory guidance or from the trading of its stock on the ESM before it may submit its application for TPEx listing.
- The issuer shall undertake that it will comply in the following matters:
- Complying with the ROC Securities and Exchange Act and related laws, regulations, and policies.
- Cooperating with on-site audits by the TPEx as necessary, and appointing at the TPEx's request a designated CPA or professional institution to conduct a targeted examination within the audit scope designated by the TPEx. The issuer will submit the examination results to the TPEx, and agrees to bear any related expenses.
- TPEx-listed shares shall be delivered by book-entry transfer.
- Important matters in connection with protection of shareholder equity. If such matters conflict with mandatory provisions of laws or regulations in the issuer's country of registration, the issuer shall enhance the disclosure of any material discrepancies in its public prospectus. If such matters are not in conflict with mandatory provisions of law of the issuer's country of registration, they shall be specified in the company's articles of incorporation or organizational documents. If specified in the organizational documents, the articles of incorporation shall state that such matters will be separately dealt with in the organizational documents, and the procedures for adoption and amendment of the organizational documents shall be the same as for the articles of incorporation.
- The foreign issuer shall continue to engage a lead recommending securities firm during the fiscal year of TPEx listing and the following 3 fiscal years to assist it with compliance with Taiwan's securities laws and regulations, the rules and bylaws public announcements of the TPEx, and the Foreign Issuer TPEx Primary Listing Contract.
- The laws of the ROC shall be the applicable law for the Foreign Issuer TPEx Primary Listing Contract entered into by the foreign issuer. The Taiwan Taipei District Court shall be the competent court for litigation in the event of any dispute arising in connection with the Contract.
- A remuneration committee shall be established pursuant to Article14-6 of the Securities and Exchange Act and related regulations, which shall be applicable mutatis mutandis.
- If provisions of the ROC Securities and Exchange Act that are applicable mutatis mutandis are in conflict with mandatory provisions of law of the issuer's country of registration, the mutatis mutandis application of those provisions may be excluded only if they fall within the scope of specific provisions of the Securities and Exchange Act for which the competent authority has publicly announced an exemption from application.
- If the industrial classification of the TPEx listing is the food industry, or revenue from food and beverages accounts for 50 percent or more of its total operating revenue for the most recent accounting year, the company shall meet the requirements in all the following items:
- It shall have set up a laboratory to conduct autonomous inspections.
- If product raw materials, semi-finished products, or finished products are to be outsourced for inspection, they shall be submitted to a laboratory or inspection institution certified or recognized by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, by the Taiwan Accreditation Foundation, or by an institution retained by the Ministry of Health and Welfare for the inspection.
- It shall retain independent experts to issue opinions on the reasonableness with respect to its food safety monitoring plan, inspection frequencies, and items to be inspected.
- Its articles of incorporation shall specify the following matters:
- It shall adopt electronic means as one of the methods for shareholders to exercise voting rights.
- The candidate nomination system shall be adopted for the election of the company's directors.
- An audit committee shall be established.
- It shall have appointed a chief corporate governance officer in accordance with the TPEx Directions for Compliance Requirements for the Appointment and Exercise of Powers of the Boards of Directors of TPEx Listed Companies.
The professional shareholder services institution referred to in paragraph 1, subparagraph 10 shall have documents evidencing the following issued by the Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation (TDCC):
- Its personnel and equipment for handling shareholder services all are in compliance with the Regulations Governing the Administration of Shareholder Services of Public Companies.
- There has been no instance in the preceding 3 years in which, after a TDCC audit, the TDCC has made written suggestions for improvement, and it has failed to make improvements by the deadline.
When a foreign issuer applies for a TPEx primary listing and the issuer meets the conditions set out in any of the below-listed subparagraphs, the issuer may proceed in accordance with the provisions of that subparagraph, and thereby be exempted from the application of paragraph 1, subparagraph 12; provided that a foreign issuer that has submitted and obtained approval for its scheduled plan for the appointment of independent directors and reorganization of the board of directors shall, no later than by the time of the TPEx primary listing of the stocks, meet the requirement specified in Article 9, paragraph 1, subparagraph 5 hereto:
- If a foreign issuer's stock has already traded on a main foreign securities market, when the foreign issuer applies for the TPEx primary listing, it need not file for TPEx-listing advisory guidance or comply with the requirement for ESM registration period set out in paragraph 1, subparagraph 12, provided that this subparagraph shall not apply if a period of more than 6 months has elapsed since termination of trading of the stock on the main foreign securities market.
- If a foreign issuer's stock has already passed review for listing on a main foreign securities market, and the foreign issuer applies for a TPEx primary listing during the period of validity of passage of the listing review, the issuer may apply on a special-case basis for reduction of the period for filing of TPEx-listing advisory guidance or trading on the ESM, provided that the period still may not be less than 2 months, and the lead advisory securities firm or Emerging-Stock lead advisory recommending securities firm may not be changed during the period.
If the foreign issuer obtains from the competent ROC authority for the relevant industry according to the nature of the applicant's business or the TPEx-appointed professional institution an assessment opinion indicating that the company is a technology-based enterprise or a cultural or creative enterprise and has marketability ("technology-based enterprise or cultural or creative enterprise"), it may be exempted from the provisions of paragraph 1, subparagraphs 4 and 6, provided that a technology-based enterprise's net worth shall not be less than two-thirds of the share capital stated in the latest CPA-audited and attested or reviewed financial report.
For a foreign issuer whose stock has been listed for trading on the Taiwan Innovation Board (TIB) of the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation (TWSE) for not less than 2 years pursuant to Chapter IV of the TWSE Rules Governing Review of Securities Listings, when the foreign issuer applies for TPEx trading of its stock, it shall satisfy the conditions set out in the subparagraphs of paragraph 1, except that the financial requirement in paragraph 1, subparagraph 6 only refers to meeting the "profitability" standard set out in item A and that the foreign issuer need not be subject to the restriction of paragraph 1, subparagraph 12.
When a foreign issuer applies for a TPEx primary listing of common stock, if, during the most recent 2 fiscal years, its operating revenue derived from construction business represents 40 percent or greater of its total operating revenue, or its gross profit derived from construction business represents 40 percent or greater of its total gross profit, or its operating revenue or gross profit derived from construction business is more than that derived from other business items, it shall be subject to the mutatis mutandis application of the TPEx Supplemental Directions for Applications by Construction Companies for TPEx Listing. However, the paid-in capital requirement under Article 2, paragraph 1, subparagraph 2 of those Supplemental Directions shall be calculated instead on the basis of equity attributable to owners of the parent company, and the imputed profitability calculation under Article 2, paragraph 1, subparagraph 6 thereof shall be replaced instead by the conditions set out in paragraph 1, subparagraph 6 of the present Article. The foreign issuer may be exempted from the requirements of Article 3, paragraph 1, subparagraphs 1 to 3 of those Supplemental Directions if the construction company and the foreign issuer are not related parties, and the foreign issuer has established complete internal control systems and tender procedures for contracting projects out, and the payment terms comply with usages of trade.
The terms "net worth" and "net income before tax" in this Article mean the amounts attributable to owners of the parent.
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Article 5 |
Except as otherwise provided for the specific enterprises listed below, a foreign issuer's personnel required to place their shares in central custody means the directors and shareholders holding more than 10 percent of the total amount of issued shares:
- In the case of a technology-based enterprise, it means the directors, general manager, R&D managers, shareholders holding more than 5 percent of the total amount of issued shares, and shareholders providing patent rights or technical know-how as capital contribution and holding a position in the company and also holding 0.5 percent or more, or at least 100,000 shares, of the total issued shares of the company at the time of applying for TPEx listing.
- In the case of a cultural or creative enterprise, it means the directors, shareholders holding more than 5 percent of the total amount of issued shares, and shareholders providing patent rights or technical know-how as capital contribution and holding a position in the company and also holding 0.5 percent or more, or at least 100,000 shares, of the total issued shares of the company at the time of applying for TPEx listing.
The restriction of the preceding paragraph shall not apply where, during the Emerging Stock registration period of a technology-based enterprise or cultural or creative enterprise, its recommending securities firm holds more than 5 percent of its total issued shares as a result of subscription or trading of operating securities.
The personnel required to place shares in central custody under paragraph 1 shall place the full amount of the shares they hold as set out in the application documents after deduction of the number of shares placed with the recommending securities firm for underwriting, and the total shares placed in central custody shall not be less than the percentage of the total amount of shares of common stock already offered and issued by the company at the time of application for listing as calculated in accordance with paragraph 4. If there is any deficit, arrangements shall be made with other shareholders to make up the deficit.
The total percentage of total shares that must be placed in central custody at the time of application for TPEx listing in accordance with the preceding paragraph shall be calculated as follows:
- If the total number of shares at the time of application for TPEx listing is 30 million or fewer, 25 percent of the total number of shares shall be placed in central custody.
- If the total number of shares at the time of application for TPEx listing is greater than 30 million but not more than 100 million, in addition to doing as specified in the preceding subparagraph, the party shall place in central custody 20 percent of those shares in excess of 30 million.
- If the total number of shares at the time of application for TPEx listing is greater than 100 million but not more than 200 million, in addition to doing as specified in the preceding subparagraph, the party shall place in central custody 10 percent of those shares in excess of 100 million.
- If the total number of shares at the time of application for TPEx listing is greater than 200 million, in addition to doing as specified in the preceding subparagraph, the party shall place in central custody 5 percent of those shares in excess of 200 million.
If a person who is required to place shares in central custody, during the period between the date of application for TPEx listing and the listing date, obtains capital increase shares due to a share issue for capital increase by the issuing company, or obtain shares for another reason, the shares shall be transferred in full to central custody, and may not be pledged, transferred, or otherwise disposed of. Persons who have not yet actually received the shares as of the listing date shall undertake that they will submit those shares to central custody after their receipt. "Another reason" refers to a reason such as acquisition through succession, receipt of a gift, or purchase on the ESM.
Any shares that were allocated for underwriting by the recommending securities firm and thus originally deducted from the amount required to be submitted for central custody, but that could not actually be sold in an overallotment (greenshoe allotment) shall be placed in central custody after their return by the recommending securities firm and prior to listing. Shares bought back from the market by the recommending securities firm while implementing price stabilization measures during the first 5 business days after listing need not be placed in central custody.
The designated central custodian institution is the TDCC.
Except as otherwise provided in paragraph 9, one-half of the shares that were duly placed in custody may be withdrawn upon expiration of the 6-month period following the day that TPEx trading of the issuer's shares commences; all of the shares may be withdrawn upon expiration of a 1-year period.
A technology-based enterprise, or an issuer that applies for a TPEx primary listing of its common stock based on the "net worth, operating revenue, and cash flow from operating activities" standard set out in paragraph 1, subparagraph 6 of the preceding Article (hereinafter, a TPEx listing applicant that applies based on the "net worth, operating revenue, and cash flow from operating activities" standard) may withdraw one-fourth of the shares placed in central custody in accordance with applicable regulations upon expiration of a 6-month period following the day that TPEx trading of the issuer's shares commences; it may withdraw a further one-fourth of the shares 6 months thereafter; all of the shares may be withdrawn upon expiration of the 2-year period following the commencement of TPEx trading.
The effect of stock custody shall not be affected by any change of an original holder's status.
During the custody period, a person who is required to place shares in central custody may not rescind the custody contract, and the custodial receipt may not be transferred or pledged.
If, prior to expiration of the custody period, as a result of withdrawal of shares by operation of court orders or for other causes, the shares placed in central custody under relevant regulations fall below the number required for central custody for such custody period as calculated pursuant to regulations, the foreign issuer's responsible person shall coordinate to remedy the deficit within 1 month.
If a TPEx listed company fails to observe relevant regulations by remedying its deficit of shares required for central custody, the TPEx may impose a penalty of NT$50,000 on a case-by-case basis and notify the company by letter to make corrections within 2 days from receipt of the letter, and, if the company still fails to make corrections within that time limit, a further penalty of NT$10,000 may be imposed on a daily basis until the day corrective measures are taken.
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Article 6 |
A foreign issuer applying for the first time for TPEx trading of its stock shall, out of the total shares planned for TPEx listing, allocate a specified percentage for cash capital increase through a new share issue, and, after deducting the number of shares reserved for employee subscription as provided in its articles of incorporation, engage the recommending securities firms referred to in Article 4, paragraph 1, subparagraph 9 herein to offer all of the remaining shares for public sale prior to the TPEx listing.
The foreign issuer may use shares already offered and issued as a greenshoe (over-allotment) for stabilization of the underwriting price by the recommending securities firms; these shares also constitute a portion of the public sale prior to the TPEx listing.
The number of shares reserved for employee subscription referred to in paragraph 1 may not exceed 15 percent of the total number of new shares issued.
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Article 7 |
A foreign issuer applying for the first time for TPEx trading of its stock shall allocate at least 10 percent of the amount of the total shares it intends for TPEx listing and retain the recommending securities firms to underwrite the shares; provided, if the number of shares calculated by such percentage is less than 1 million, no less than 1 million shares shall be provided for underwriting, or, if the number of shares so calculated exceeds 10 million shares, no less than 10 million shares shall be provided for underwriting.
Stock allocated for underwriting shall be confined to issued common shares.
If the foreign issuer has commenced TPEx trading of its stock as Emerging Stock for less than 2 years, the number of shares it has duly provided for subscription by the recommending securities firm for such Emerging Stock may be deducted from the number of shares it provides for underwriting hereunder, provided that the deduction shall not exceed 30 percent of the shares provided for underwriting hereunder.
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Article 8 |
A securities firm that is recommending stock for TPEx trading under Article 4, paragraph 1, subparagraph 9 shall be a registered member of the Taiwan Securities Association, and shall be qualified in Taiwan as a securities underwriter and TPEx securities dealer, and shall meet the conditions set out in Article 23 of the Regulations Governing Securities Firms. However, in the case of a foreign issuer applying for an initial listing on the TPEx, if not less than 6 months have elapsed from the issuer's filing for TPEx-listing advisory guidance pursuant to Article 4, paragraph 1, subparagraph 12, and its stock has not been traded on the ESM, a securities firm that is qualified merely as a securities underwriter may serve as a recommending securities firm.
If any of the following circumstances exists with respect to the foreign issuer or a recommending securities firm, the TPEx will refuse to accept the assessment report issued by the recommending securities firm and will not approve the TPEx listing of the stock:
- Any circumstance set out in Article 26 of the Regulations Governing Securities Firms; or
- If the issuer and recommending securities firm are from the same corporate group.
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Article 9 |
Although a foreign issuer meets the conditions set out in these Rules, the TPEx may deny approval for TPEx trading of its stock under any of the following circumstances, if the TPEx deems it unsuitable for TPEx trading:
- Any circumstance set out in Article 156, paragraph 1, subparagraph 1 to 3 of the Securities and Exchange Act.
- The issuer's finances or business cannot be independently differentiated from those of another person.
- Any material non-arm's length transaction which has not been corrected by the time of the application.
- Within the past 3 years any act in violation of the principle of good faith was done by the company or by any director, general manager, or de facto responsible person thereof who is incumbent at the time of the application.
- The applicant company has less than five directors on its board of directors or its directors are of a single gender, or its independent directors number less than three persons or less than one-third of the number of directors; or the board of directors is unable to independently perform its duties.
- There is serious deterioration in the business it operates.
- Where shares of the applicant company are held by a TPEx or TWSE listed company and furthermore any of the conditions listed below is met, and during the 3-year period before the application for TPEx listing, the TPEx or TWSE listed company, when taking any action to disperse its equity ownership in order to reduce its shareholding percentage in the applicant company, has failed to do so in a manner giving pre-emptive subscription rights to the existing shareholders of the TPEx or TWSE listed company or another manner not detrimental to the rights and interests of the shareholders of the TPEx or TWSE listed company:
- The applicant company is a transferee company of a demerger conducted by the TPEx or TWSE listed company.
- The applicant company is a subsidiary of the TPEx or TWSE listed company, and during the 3-year period before the application for TPEx listing, the TPEx or TWSE listed company has cumulatively reduced its shareholding percentage in the applicant company, including direct and indirect shareholding, by 20 percent or more.
- The TPEx deems TPEx listing of the stock unsuitable due to the scope or nature of, or special circumstances relating to, the enterprise.
The termination date of the period of applicability of the items in the subparagraphs of the preceding paragraph shall be the day before the date on which the TPEx issues a letter notifying the issuer of its agreement to the Foreign Issuer TPEx Primary Listing Contract.
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Article 10 |
Specific standards for a determination under Article 9, paragraph 1, subparagraph 1:
- The issuer of the securities becomes involved in litigious or non-litigious matters the consequences of which could cause company dissolution, or change in corporate organization, capital, business plan, financial condition, or suspension of production, and there is a likelihood that market order will be affected or the public interest impaired.
- The issuer of the securities encounters a significant disaster, enters into an important agreement, experiences exceptional circumstances, changes important content of its business plan, or has a check dishonored, the consequences of which could cause significant material change to the financial condition of the company, and there is a likelihood market order will be affected or the public interest impaired.
- The issuer of the securities engages in any deceptive, dishonest, or illegal conduct, sufficient to affect the price of its securities, and there is a likelihood market order will be affected or the public interest impaired.
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Article 11 |
Specific standards for a determination under Article 9, paragraph 1, subparagraph 2:
- An excessive share of the applicant company's funds comes from non-financial institutions.
- The applicant has entered into any contract that materially limits its operations or that is obviously unreasonable, with a likelihood that adverse effects will occur.
- The applicant company jointly shares a loan credit line with another party in which its own credit use cannot be clearly distinguished. This provision does not apply, however, to a joint loan credit line that is shared between business entities that are included in the consolidated financial statement of the foreign issuer.
- During the fiscal year of application for TPEx listing and during the most recent fiscal year, more than 70 percent of the applicant company’s purchase amount comes from any related party(ies) not falling in the category of a company(ies) within the same group enterprise as the applicant company. However, this shall not apply where such event results from industry characteristics, market demand and supply conditions, government policy, or any other reasonable cause.
- During the fiscal year of application for TPEx listing and during the most recent fiscal year, more than 50 percent of the applicant company's operating revenue or operating profit comes from any related party(ies) not falling in the category of a company(ies) within the same group enterprise as the applicant company; or more than 50 percent of the applicant company's operating revenue is derived by utilizing key technologies or assets of such related party(ies). However, this shall not apply where such event results from industry characteristics, market demand and supply conditions, government policy, or any other reasonable cause, and the aforesaid ratio furthermore does not exceed 70 percent.
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Article 12 |
Specific standards for a determination under Article 9, paragraph 1, subparagraph 3:
- Where the purpose, prices, or terms and conditions with respect to, or the handling procedures for, a purchase or sale of goods are at variance with those of an ordinary arm's-length transaction or are obviously unreasonable.
- In any related party transaction or financial or business interaction, the applicant is unable to reasonably demonstrate the necessity thereof, the legality of its decision-making process, and the reasonableness of the price and the payment/collection of monies.
- The scope of "related party" in connection with the preceding two subparagraphs is as defined in Article 18 of the Regulations Governing the Preparation of Financial Reports by Securities Issuers, and includes the circumstances in each of the items listed below; provided, this shall not apply if the applicant company can prove that no control, joint control, or significant influence exists:
- Any shareholder holding more than 10 percent of the shares of the applicant company or of any company that has a controlling and subordinate relationship with, or a relationship of mutual investment in each other with, the applicant company (hereinafter, "affiliated enterprise").
- Anyone having any of the following relationships with a director, supervisor, or managerial officer of the applicant company:
- Any person who is a relative within the second degree thereof or of the spouse thereof (including of any person cohabiting as a spouse therewith; the same applies hereinbelow).
- If such a director or supervisor is a juristic person: the parent company or any subsidiary of that juristic person, or any company controlled by the same company or individual shareholder that controls that juristic person.
- Anyone who has any of the following relationships with a shareholder holding more than 10 percent of the shares of the applicant company or with a director, supervisor, managerial officer, or shareholder holding more than 10 percent of the shares of an affiliated enterprise:
- Spouse.
- Any person who is a relative within the second degree thereof or of the spouse thereof.
- If such a shareholder, director, or supervisor is a juristic person: the parent company or any subsidiary of that juristic person, or any company controlled by the same company or individual shareholder that controls that juristic person.
- Any investee company, or subsidiary of any such investee company, in which any director, supervisor, managerial officer, or shareholder holding more than 10 percent of the shares of the applicant company or of its parent company or major subsidiary, individually or jointly with any person having a relationship of spouse or relationship under either of the preceding two items therewith, directly or indirectly holds a total of one-half or more of the total number of voting shares or total amount of capital.
- A determination of whether correction has been made with respect to the phrase "has not been corrected" shall be based upon any of the following circumstances:
- If a person other than the applicant company profited from the non-arm's length transaction, the receiving person disgorged such profit to the person entitled to it.
- If an investigating or judicial agency has determined that the non-arm's length transaction does not constitute a criminal offense.
- The status quo ante has been restored with respect to the non-arm's length transaction.
If the applicant company has profited from a non-arm's length transaction, after the imputation and deduction of such profit, its profitability shall meet the conditions required for the application for listing.
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Article 13 |
Specific standards for a determination under Article 9, paragraph 1, subparagraph 4:
- The term "within the past 3 years " refers to the 3-year period starting from the date on which the TPEx receives and accepts for processing the company's application for TPEx listing.
- The term "act in violation of the principle of good faith" means any of the following circumstances on the part of the applicant company or any director, general manager, or de facto responsible person thereof, and the circumstances are material and without reasonable cause:
- Tardy repayment of a loan from a financial institution.
- Any commission of a crime under commercial, financial, securities, or tax laws, or commission of a crime of corruption, malfeasance in office, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, or embezzlement, for which a sentence of imprisonment for a fixed period or a more severe penalty was handed down by a court judgment.
- Breach of any representation made in a written statement submitted at the time of application for TPEx listing.
- Business malpractice such as suspected fraudulent bankruptcy of, or material violation of the principle of corporate governance of, another company operated by the applicant company.
- Any other material misrepresentation or other act that would damage the company's creditworthiness, and that is likely to harm company interests or shareholder equity or the public interest.
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Article 14 |
The specific standards for a determination of "the board of directors is unable to independently perform its duties" under Article 9, paragraph 1, subparagraph 5 means failure to satisfy any one of the following provisions:
- More than half of the directors on the applicant company's board of directors shall have a household registration in Taiwan; in the case of a juristic person shareholder elected as a director, the determination shall be based on the household registration of its beneficial owner. At least two of the independent directors on the board of directors shall have a household registration in Taiwan.
- The applicant company's audit committee shall be composed of the entire number of independent directors. It shall not be fewer than three persons in number, one of whom shall be the convener.
- More than one-half of the directors of the applicant company shall mutually be free of any of the following relationships:
- Spouse.
- Lineal relative within the second degree of kinship.
- Representative of the same juristic person.
Representatives of the same juristic person include representatives appointed by the government, juristic person shareholders, or entities with a controlling or subsidiary relationship therewith (including incorporated foundations and incorporated associations).
- Prerequisites to serve as an independent director:
- Meet the conditions of substantive independence set out in the Regulations Governing Appointment of Independent Directors and Compliance Matters for Public Companies.
- The independent directors shall include at least one professional in accounting or finance.
- Have pursued continuing education every year (counting from the fiscal year in which the recommending securities firms and the company entered into the advisory contract) for at least three hours in legal affairs, finance, or accounting and obtained certification documents issued through an external continuing education system separate from the recommending securities firm, certifying that the independent director has taught courses, attended courses, participated as a discussant in symposia, or the like.
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Article 14-1 |
The specific standards for a determination under Article 9, paragraph 1, subparagraph 6 are that if the applicant company falls in any of the following circumstances, the TPEx may determine there to be serious deterioration in the business it operates; however, this does not apply if on the applicant company's financial report for the most recent fiscal year the ratio of net income before tax excluding net income (or loss) from non-controlling interests to the amount of equity attributable to owners of the parent company is 6 percent or more:
- Operating revenue and operating income for the most recent fiscal year or the fiscal year in which the application for TPEx listing is filed show a significant deterioration relative to other enterprises in the same industry.
- Net income before tax for the most recent fiscal year or the fiscal year in which the application for TPEx listing is filed show a significant deterioration relative to other enterprises in the same industry.
- There is continuing negative growth in operating revenue and operating income for each of the 3 most recent fiscal years.
- There is continuing negative growth in net income before tax for each of the 3 most recent fiscal years.
- The company's products or technology are outdated, and it has no plan for improvement.
The subparagraphs of the preceding paragraph need not apply if the applicant company is applying for TPEx listing under the "net worth, operating revenue, and cash flow from operating activities" standard in Article 4, paragraph 1, subparagraph 6 hereof or under Article 4, paragraph 4 hereof, and has submitted a statement explaining the reasonableness thereof.
For the "other enterprises in the same industry" in paragraph 1, subparagraphs 1 and 2, the securities underwriter shall evaluate and explain the reasonableness of the enterprises sampled for the comparison.
The provisions of subparagraphs 3 and 4 of paragraph 1 do not apply to a company that already has a concrete improvement plan that is producing positive effects.
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Article 14-2 |
Specific standards for a determination under Article 9, paragraph 1, subparagraph 7:
- "During the 3-year period before the application for TPEx listing" means the 3-year period before the day on which the TPEx receives the application documents from the company applying for TPEx listing.
- "Taking any action to disperse its equity ownership in order to reduce its shareholding percentage in the applicant company" means any dispersion of equity ownership by the TPEx or TWSE listed company in order to reduce its shareholding percentage in the applicant company, including any disposal of shareholdings in the applicant company or waiver of rights to priority subscription to new shares issued by the applicant company for cash capital increase based on the original shareholding ratio.
- "Detrimental to the rights and interests of the shareholders of the TPEx or TWSE listed company" means that in a dispersion of equity ownership as mentioned in the preceding item, the parties to which equity ownership is dispersed or the price determination method for the dispersion violate relevant regulations, or are clearly unreasonable and detrimental to the rights and interests of the shareholders of the TPEx or TWSE listed company. The "parties to which equity ownership is dispersed" include assignees of the disposed shareholding and specified persons determined following a waiver of rights to priority subscription to new shares issued for a cash capital increase. The price of equity ownership dispersion includes the disposal price and the price of the cash capital increase. "Violate relevant regulations" means any violation of laws or regulations of the country of registration, or the Securities and Exchange Act, or Article 8-1 or Chapter II-1, Section IV of the Taipei Exchange Rules Governing Securities Trading on the TPEx ("TPEx Trading Rules"), or Article 48-2 or Chapter IV-1 of the Operating Rules of the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation. "Clearly unreasonable" means there is a likelihood of improper profit to specified persons.
- "Transferee company of a demerger conducted by the TPEx or TWSE listed company" means a newly incorporated transferee company or an existing transferee company of a demerger conducted in accordance with Article 15-23 or 15-24 of the TPEx Trading Rules, or Article 53-22 or 53-23 of the Operating Rules of the Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation.
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Article 15 |
The foreign issuer shall enter into a Foreign Issuer TPEx Primary Listing Contract with the TPEx before permission for TPEx trading will be given.
When the TPEx agrees to a Foreign Issuer TPEx Primary Listing Contract, it shall issue a letter of notification to the issuer and report the matter to the competent authority for recordation.
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