Related provisions for BIPRU 12.7.9
Section 87A(1) of the Act provides for the approval of a prospectus by the FCA:
(1) |
The [FCA] may not approve a prospectus unless it is satisfied that: |
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(a) |
the United Kingdom is the home State in relation to the issuer of the transferable securities to which it relates, |
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(b) |
the prospectus contains the necessary information, and |
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(c) |
all of the other requirements imposed by or in accordance with this Part or the prospectus directive have been complied with (so far as those requirements apply to a prospectus for the transferable securities in question). |
1Sections 87A(2), (2A), 2(3) and (4) of the Act provide for the general contents of a prospectus:
(2) |
The necessary information is the information necessary to enable investors to make an informed assessment of – |
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(a) |
the assets and liabilities, financial position, profits and losses, and prospects of the issuer of the transferable securities and of any guarantor; and |
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(b) |
the rights attaching to the transferable securities.2 |
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2(2A) |
If, in the case of transferable securities to which section 87 applies, the prospectus states that the guarantor is a specified EEA State, the prospectus is not required to include other information about the guarantor. |
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(3) |
The necessary information must be presented in a form which is comprehensible and easy to analyse. |
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(4) |
The necessary information must be prepared having regard to the particular nature of the transferable securities and their issuer and any delegated acts adopted by the Commission under article 7(1) of the prospectus directive2. |
Sections 87A(5) and (6) of the Act set out the requirement for a summary to be included in a prospectus:
(5) |
The prospectus must include a summary (unless the transferable securities in question are ones in relation to which prospectus rules provide that a summary is not required). |
(6) |
The summary must convey concisely, in non-technical language and in an appropriate structure, the key information relevant to the securities which are the subject of the prospectus and, when read with the rest of the prospectus, must be an aid to investors considering whether to invest in the securities2. 2 |
Article 24 of the PD Regulation provides for how the contents of the summary are to be determined:
3Content of the summary of the prospectus, of the base prospectus and of the individual issue |
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1 |
The issuer, the offeror or the person asking for the admission to trading on a regulated market shall determine the detailed content of the summary referred to in Article 5(2) of Directive 2003/71/EC in accordance with this Article. A summary shall contain the key information items set out in Annex XXII. Where an item is not applicable to a prospectus, such item shall appear in the summary with the mention "not applicable". The length of the summary shall take into account the complexity of the issuer and of the securities offered, but shall not exceed 7% of the length of a prospectus or 15 pages, whichever is the longer. It shall not contain cross-references to other parts of the prospectus. The order of the sections and of the elements of Annex XXII shall be mandatory. The summary shall be drafted in clear language, presenting the key information in an easily accessible and understandable way. Where an issuer is not under an obligation to include a summary in a prospectus pursuant to Article 5(2) of Directive 2003/71/EC, but produces an overview section in the prospectus, this section shall not be entitled "Summary" unless the issuer complies with all disclosure requirements for summaries laid down in this Article and Annex XXII. |
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2 |
The summary of the base prospectus may contain the following information: |
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(a) |
information included in the base prospectus; |
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(b) |
options for information required by the securities note schedule and its building block(s); |
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(c) |
information required by the securities note schedule and its building block(s) left in blank for later insertion in the final terms. |
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3 |
The summary of the individual issue shall provide the key information of the summary of the base prospectus combined with the relevant parts of the final terms. The summary of the individual issue shall contain the following: |
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(a) |
the information of the summary of the base prospectus which is only relevant to the individual issue; |
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(b) |
the options contained in the base prospectus which are only relevant to the individual issue as determined in the final terms; |
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(c) |
the relevant information given in the final terms which has been previously left in blank in the base prospectus. |
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Where the final terms relate to several securities which differ only in some very limited details, such as the issue price or maturity date, one single summary of the individual issue may be attached for all those securities, provided the information referring to the different securities is clearly segregated. The summary of the individual issue shall be subject to the same requirements as the final terms and shall be annexed to them. |
Sections 85 and 86 of the Act provide for when a prospectus approved by the FCA will be required:
85 |
(1) |
It is unlawful for transferable securities to which this subsection applies to be offered to the public in the United Kingdom unless an approved prospectus has been made available to the public before the offer is made. |
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(2) |
It is unlawful to request the admission of transferable securities to which this subsection applies to trading on a regulated market situated or operating in the United Kingdom unless an approved prospectus has been made available to the public before the request is made. |
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(3) |
A person who contravenes subsection (1) or (2) is guilty of an offence and liable – |
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(a) |
on summary conviction, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 3 months or a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum or both; |
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(b) |
on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or a fine or both. |
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(4) |
A contravention of subsection (1) or (2) is actionable, at the suit of a person who suffers loss as a result of the contravention, subject to the defences and other incidents applying to actions for breach of statutory duty. |
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(5) |
Subsection (1) applies to all transferable securities other than – |
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(a) |
those listed in Schedule 11A; |
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(b) |
such other transferable securities as may be specified in prospectus rules [see PR 1.2.2 R]. |
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(6) |
Subsection (2) applies to all transferable securities other than – |
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(a) |
those listed in Part 1 of Schedule 11A; |
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(b) |
such other transferable securities as may be specified in prospectus rules [see PR 1.2.3 R]. |
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(7) |
"Approved prospectus" means, in relation to transferable securities to which this section applies, a prospectus approved by the competent authority of the home State in relation to the issuer of the securities. |
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86 |
Exempt offers to the public |
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(1) |
A person does not contravene section 85(1) if – |
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(a) |
the offer is made to or directed at qualified investors only; |
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(b) |
the offer is made to or directed at fewer than 1502 persons, other than qualified investors, per EEA State; |
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(c) |
the minimum consideration which may be paid by any person for transferable securities acquired by him pursuant to the offer is at least 100,0003 euros (or an equivalent amount); 3 |
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(d) |
the transferable securities being offered are denominated in amounts of at least 100,0003 euros (or equivalent amounts); 33 |
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(e) |
the total consideration for the transferable securities being offered in the EEA states3 cannot exceed 100,000 euros (or an equivalent amount); or3 3 |
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3(f) |
the offer falls within subsection (1A). |
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3(1A) |
An offer (“the current offer”) falls within this subsection where transferable securities are resold or placed through a financial intermediary where: |
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3(a) |
the transferable securities have previously been the subject of one or more offers to the public; |
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3(b) |
in respect of one or more of those previous offers, any of paragraphs (a) to (e) of subsection (1) applied; |
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3(c) |
a prospectus is available for the securities which has been approved by the FCA and meets either of the conditions in subsection (1B);4 and 4 |
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3(d) |
the issuer or other person who was responsible for drawing up the prospectus has given written consent to the use of the prospectus for the purpose of the current offer.4 |
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4(1B) |
The conditions referred to in subsection (1A)(c) are: |
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(a) |
that the prospectus was approved by the FCA no earlier than 12 months before the date the current offer is made, and is supplemented by every supplementary prospectus which was required to be submitted under section 87G; or |
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(b) |
in the case of non-equity transferable securities falling within article 5(4)(b) of the prospectus directive, that the securities concerned have not ceased to be issued in a continuous or repeated manner. |
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(2) |
Where - |
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(a) |
a person who is not a qualified investor ("the client") has engaged a qualified investor falling within point (1) of Section 1 of Annex II to the markets in financial instruments directive3 to act as his agent; and 3 |
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(b) |
the terms on which the qualified investor is engaged enable him to make decisions concerning the acceptance of offers of transferable securities on the client's behalf without reference to the client, |
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an offer made to or directed at the qualified investor is not to be regarded for the purposes of subsection (1) as also having been made to or directed at the client. |
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(3) |
For the purposes of subsection (1)(b), the making of an offer of transferable securities to – |
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(a) |
trustees of a trust, |
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(b) |
members of a partnership in their capacity as such, or |
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(c) |
two or more persons jointly, |
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is to be treated as the making of an offer to a single person. |
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(4) |
In determining whether subsection (1)(e) is satisfied in relation to an offer ("offer A"), offer A is to be taken together with any other offer of transferable securities of the same class made by the same person which – |
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(a) |
was open at any time within the period of 12 months ending with the date on which offer A is first made; and |
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(b) |
had previously satisfied subsection (1)(e). |
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(5) |
For the purposes of this section, an amount (in relation to an amount denominated in euros) is an "equivalent amount" if it is an amount of equal value denominated wholly or partly in another currency or unit of account. |
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(6) |
The equivalent is to be calculated at the latest practicable date before (but in any event not more than 3 working days before) the date on which the offer is first made. |
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(7) |
"Qualified investor" in relation to an offer of transferable securities,3 means – |
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(a) |
a person described in points (1) to (4) of Section I of Annex II to the markets in financial instruments directive, other than a person who, before the making of the offer, has agreed in writing with the relevant firm (or each of the relevant firms) to be treated as a non-professional client in accordance with the final paragraph of Section I of Annex II to that directive;3 3 |
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(b) |
a person who has made a request to one or more relevant firms to be treated as a professional client in accordance with Section II of Annex II to that directive and has not subsequently, but before the making of the offer, agreed in writing with that relevant firm (or each of those relevant firms) to be treated as a non-professional client in accordance with the final paragraph of Section I of Annex II to that directive;3 3 |
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(c) |
a person who is recognised as an eligible counterparty in accordance with article 24 of that directive and has not, before the making of the offer, agreed in writing with the relevant firm (or each of the relevant firms) to be treated as a non-professional client in accordance with the final paragraph of Section I of Annex II of that directive;3 3 |
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3(d) |
a person whom any relevant firm is authorised to continue to treat as a professional client in accordance with article 71(6) of that directive. |
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3(8) |
In subsection (7) “relevant firm” means an investment firm or credit institution acting in connection with the offer. |
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3(9) |
Investment firms and credit institutions must communicate their classification of their clients as being or not being qualified investors on request to an issuer, subject to complying with the Data Protection Act 1998 or any directly applicable EU legislation relating to data protection. |
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3(10) |
In subsections (8) and (9) - “credit institution” means - (a) a credit institution authorised under the banking consolidation directive; or (b) an institution which would satisfy the requirements for authorisation as a credit institution under that directive if it had its registered office (or if it does not have one, its head office) in an EEA State. |