PR 2.2 Format of prospectus
Format of prospectus
A prospectus may be drawn up as a single document or separate documents. [Note: PD article 5.3]
- (1)
A prospectus composed of separate documents must divide the required information into a registration document, a securities note and a summary.
- (2)
The registration document must contain the information relating to the issuer. The securities note must contain the information concerning the transferable securities to be offered or to be admitted to trading. [Note: article 5.3 PD]
The registration document accompanied by the securities note (updated if applicable in accordance with PR 2.2.5 R) and the summary shall be considered to constitute a valid prospectus. [Note: article 9.4 PD]
Prospectuses consisting of separate documents
An issuer, offeror or person requesting admission who already has a registration document approved by the FSA is required to draw up only the securities note and the summary when transferable securities are offered or a request is made for admission to trading. [Note: article 12.1 PD]
If PR 2.2.4 R applies, the securities note must provide information that would normally be provided in the registration document where1 there has been a material change or recent development which could affect an investor's assessment1 since the latest updated registration document was approved, unless such information is provided in a supplementary prospectus1. The securities note and summary shall be subject to a separate approval. [Note: article 12.2 PD]
Base prospectus
The prospectus can, at the choice of the issuer, offeror or person requesting admission, consist of a base prospectus containing all relevant information concerning the issuer and the transferable securities to be offered or to be admitted to trading if it relates to one of the following types of transferable securities:
- (1)
non-equity transferable securities, including warrants in any form, issued under an offering programme; or
- (2)
non-equity transferable securities issued in a continuous or repeated manner by credit institutions:
- (a)
where the sums deriving from the issue of the transferable securities, under national legislation, are placed in assets which provide sufficient coverage for the liability deriving from transferable securities until their maturity date;
- (b)
where, in the event of the insolvency of the related credit institution, the said sums are intended, as a priority, to repay the capital and interest falling due, without prejudice to the provisions of Directive 2001/24/EC on the reorganisation and winding up of credit institutions. [Note: article 5.4 PD]
- (a)
The information given in the base prospectus must be supplemented, if necessary, in accordance with section 87G of the Act (supplementary prospectus), with updated information on the issuer and on the transferable securities to be offered or to be admitted to trading. [Note: article 5.4 PD]
If the final terms of the offer are not included in eitherthe base prospectus or a supplementary prospectus:
- (1)
the final terms must be provided to investors and filed with the FSA, and made available to the public, in accordance with PR 3.2.4 R to PR 3.2.6 R the PD Regulation as soon as practicable after each offer is made and, if possible, before the offer begins;
- (2)
the base prospectus must disclose the criteria and/or the conditions in accordance with which the above elements will be determined or, in the case of price, the maximum price. [Note: article 5.4 PD]
Articles 25 and 26 of the PD Regulation provide for the format of prospectuses and base prospectuses:
Format of the prospectus |
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25.1 |
Where an issuer, an offeror or a person asking for the admission to trading on a regulated market chooses, according to [PR 2.2.1 R] to draw up a prospectus as a single document, the prospectus shall be composed of the following parts in the following order: |
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(1) |
a clear and detailed table of contents; |
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(2) |
the summary provided for in [section 87A(5) of the Act]; |
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(3) |
the risk factors linked to the issuer and the type of security covered by the issue; |
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(4) |
the other information items included in the schedules and building blocks according to which the prospectus is drawn up. |
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2. |
Where an issuer, an offeror or a person asking for the admission to trading on a regulated market chooses, according to [LR 3.1.1 R], to draw up a prospectus composed of separate documents, the securities note and the registration document shall be each composed of the following parts in the following order: |
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(1) |
a clear and detailed table of contents; |
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(2) |
as the case may be, the risk factors linked to the issuer and the type of security covered by the issue; |
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(3) |
the other information items included in the schedules and building blocks according to which the prospectus is drawn up. |
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3. |
In the cases mentioned in paragraphs 1 and 2, the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market shall be free in defining the order in the presentation of the required information items included in the schedules and building blocks according to which the prospectus is drawn up. |
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4. |
Where the order of the items does not coincide with the order of the information provided for in the schedules and building blocks according to which the prospectus is drawn up, the [FSA] may ask the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for the admission to trading on a regulated market to provide a cross reference list for the purpose of checking the prospectus before its approval. Such list shall identify the pages where each item can be found in the prospectus. [see PR 3.1.1 R (3)2] 2 |
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5. |
Where the summary of a prospectus must be supplemented according to [section 87G of the Act], the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market shall decide on a case-by-case basis whether to integrate the new information in the original summary by producing a new summary, or to produce a supplement to the summary. |
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If the new information is integrated in the original summary, the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market shall ensure that investors can easily identify the changes, in particular by way of footnotes. |
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2In any case, a new filing of final terms and summary of the individual issue annexed thereto corresponding to offers made prior to the production of a new summary or a supplement to the summary shall not be required. |
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Format of the base prospectus and its related final terms |
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26.1 |
Where an issuer, an offeror or a person asking for the admission to trading on a regulated market chooses, according to [PR 2.2.7 R] to draw up a base prospectus, the base prospectus shall be composed of the following parts in the following order: |
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(1) |
a clear and detailed table of contents; |
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(2) |
the summary provided for in [section 87A of the Act]; |
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(3) |
the risk factors linked to the issuer and the type of security or securities covered by the issue(s); |
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(4) |
the other information items included in the schedules and building blocks according to which the prospectus is drawn up. |
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2. |
Notwithstanding paragraph 1, the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market shall be free in defining the order in the presentation of the required information items included in the schedules and building blocks according to which the prospectus is drawn up. The information on the different securities contained in the base prospectus shall be clearly segregated. |
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3. |
Where the order of the items does not coincide with the order of the information provided for by the schedules and building blocks according to which the prospectus is drawn up, the [FSA] may ask the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market to provide a cross reference list for the purpose of checking the prospectus before its approval. Such list should identify the pages where each item can be found in the prospectus. [see PR 3.1.1 R (3)2] 2 |
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4. |
In case the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market has previously filed a registration document for a particular type of security and, at a later stage, chooses to draw up base prospectus in conformity with the conditions provided for in [PR 2.2.7 R], the base prospectus shall contain: |
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(1) |
the information contained in the previously or simultaneously filed and approved registration document which shall be incorporated by reference, following the conditions provided for in Article 28 of this Regulation; |
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(2) |
the information which would otherwise be contained in the relevant securities note less the final terms where the final terms are not included in the base prospectus. |
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5. |
The final terms shall be presented in the form of a separate document or be included in the base prospectus. The final terms shall be prepared in an easily analysable and comprehensible form.2 2 |
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The items of the relevant securities note schedule and its building blocks, which are included in the base prospectus shall not be reproduced in the final terms.2 2 |
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The issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market may include any of the additional information set out in Annex XXI in the final terms.2 2 |
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2A clear and prominent statement shall be inserted in the final terms indicating: |
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(a) |
that the final terms have been prepared for the purpose of Article 5(4) of Directive 2003/71/EC and must be read in conjunction with the base prospectus and its supplement(s); |
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(b) |
where the base prospectus and its supplement(s) are published in accordance with Article 14 of Directive 2003/71/EC; |
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(c) |
that in order to get the full information both the base prospectus and the final terms must be read in conjunction; |
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(d) |
that a summary of the individual issue is annexed to the final terms. |
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The final terms may include the signature of the legal representative of the issuer or the person responsible for the prospectus according to the relevant national law or the signature of both. |
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5a |
The final terms and the summary of the individual issue shall be drawn up in the same language respectively as the approved version of the form of the final terms of the base prospectus and as the summary of the base prospectus. |
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When the final terms are communicated to the competent authority of the host Member State or, if there is more than one host Member State, to the competent authorities of the host Member States, in accordance with Article 5(4) of Directive 2003/71/EC, the following language rules shall apply to the final terms and the annexed summary: |
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(a) |
where the summary of the base prospectus is to be translated pursuant to Article 19 of Directive 2003/71/EC, the summary of the individual issue annexed to the final terms shall be subject to the same translation requirements as the summary of the base prospectus; |
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(b) |
where the base prospectus is to be translated pursuant to Article 19 of Directive 2003/71/EC, the final terms and the summary of the individual issue annexed thereto, shall be subject to the same translation requirements as the base prospectus. |
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The issuer shall communicate those translations, together with the final terms, to the competent authority of the host Member State or, if there is more than one host Member State, to the competent authorities of the host Member States. |
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6. |
Where a base prospectus relates to different securities, the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market shall include a single summary in the base prospectus for all securities. The information on the different securities contained in the summary, however, shall be clearly segregated. |
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7. |
Where the summary of a base prospectus must be supplemented according to [section 87G of the Act], the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market shall decide on a case-by-case basis whether to integrate the new information in the original summary by producing a new summary, or by producing a supplement to the summary. |
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If the new information is integrated in the original summary of the base prospectus by producing a new summary, the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market shall ensure that investors can easily identify the changes, in particular by way of footnotes. |
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8. |
Issuers, offerors or persons asking for admission to trading on a regulated market may compile in one single document two or more different base prospectuses. |
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2[Note: See transitional provisions in Regulation (EU) No 486/2012]
NOTE:The European Commission has published a draft Regulation amending the PD Regulation here: http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/securities/prospectus/index_en.htm
The FSA will review prospectuses in accordance with the authoritative version of the PD Regulation, including any amendments made by the final published version of the above Regulation, which is the version that is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, from the date it is stated to be in force.
The FSA Handbook will be updated to reflect the final changes in due course.
Please also note that references to the PD Regulation in the FSA Handbook have been amended to take account of the amendments to the PD Regulation made by Regulation (EU) No 486/2012 which was published in the Official Journal on 9 June 2012.
2The PD Regulation provides for categories of information to be included in the base prospectus and final terms.
Categories of information in the base prospectus and the final terms |
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2a |
1 |
The categories set out in Annex XX shall determine the degree of flexibility by which the information can be given in the base prospectus or the final terms. The categories shall be defined as follows: |
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(a) |
'Category A' means the relevant information which shall be included in the base prospectus. This information cannot be left in blank for later insertion in the final terms; |
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(b) |
'Category B' means that the base prospectus shall include all the general principles related to the information required, and only the details which are unknown at the time of the approval of the base prospectus can be left in blank for later insertion in the final terms; |
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(c) |
'Category C' means that the base prospectus may contain a reserved space for later insertion for the information which was not known at the time of the approval of the base prospectus. Such information shall be inserted in the final terms. |
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2 |
Where the conditions of Article 16(1) of Directive 2003/71/EC apply, a supplement shall be required. |
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Where those conditions do not apply, the issuer, the offeror or the person asking for admission to trading on a regulated market shall publish a notice of the change. |
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2[Note: See transitional provisions in Regulation (EU) No 486/2012]
NOTE:The European Commission has published a draft Regulation amending the PD Regulation here: http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/securities/prospectus/index_en.htm
The FSA will review prospectuses in accordance with the authoritative version of the PD Regulation, including any amendments made by the final published version of the above Regulation, which is the version that is published in the Official Journal of the European Union, from the date it is stated to be in force.
The FSA Handbook will be updated to reflect the final changes in due course.
Please also note that references to the PD Regulation in the FSA Handbook have been amended to take account of the amendments to the PD Regulation made by Regulation (EU) No 486/2012 which was published in the Official Journal on 9 June 2012.