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Relevant Laws

Title:Taiwan Securities Association Rules Governing Underwriting and Resale of Securities by Securities Firms (2016.04.12)
Article 8     In the underwriting of securities offered through competitive auction, the lead underwriter shall first prepare documentation determining the particulars listed in the subparagraphs below. After being signed or sealed by the lead underwriter and co-underwriters and the issuer of the securities, said documentation shall be reported to the Taiwan Securities Association three business days before the commencement date of the tender:
  1. the total number of underwritten units, number of units expected to be sold via overallotment, number of units held by the securities underwriter for its own account as prescribed by Article 4-1, the number of units offered by competitive auction, minimum bidding unit, and maximum bid quantity per bid form;
  2. the minimum offering price as resolved by negotiation with the issuer;
  3. the firm-commitment fee or best-efforts underwriting fee, as resolved by negotiation with the issuer;
  4. the unit size of lots offered through public subscription;
  5. the names of the members of the underwriting syndicate, and the amount of securities apportioned to each, as specified by Article 7;
  6. except for the initial listing of shares on a stock exchange or an OTC market, the method of allocating among the members of the underwriting syndicate any units that remain unsubscribed after conclusion of competitive auction;
  7. the date(s) of competitive auction and the time(s) for submitting and opening bids, as agreed in consultation with the Taiwan Securities Association.
  8. the issuer shall provide the securities underwriter with a list of the persons who are disqualified from participating in the tender and negotiated sale pursuant to Article 36 and Article 73, paragraph 5.
    The minimum offering price in subparagraph 2 of the preceding paragraph shall comply with the following requirements:
  1. In an underwriting case involving an initial listing on a stock exchange or an OTC market, its upper limit shall be 70 percent of the simple arithmetic mean of the average trade prices, after factoring out ex-rights trading in connection with issuance of stock dividends (or ex-rights trading in connection with capital reduction) and ex-dividend trading, of the 30 business days on which trades have been executed before the filing of the competitive auction agreement with the Taiwan Securities Association. If the stock has not been registered and traded as an emerging stock, the underwriter and the issuer shall negotiate and set a reasonable minimum price for the auction.
  2. In the underwriting of a cash capital increase through an issue of common shares by a company already listed on a stock exchange or an OTC market in which all shares are put up for underwritten distribution, it shall not be lower than 90 percent of the simple arithmetic mean of the closing common share price, after factoring out ex-rights trading in connection with issuance of stock dividends (or ex-rights trading in connection with capital reduction) and ex-dividend trading, calculated for either the one, three, or five business days before the filing of the competitive auction agreement with the Taiwan Securities Association.
  3. In the underwriting of a cash capital increase through an issue of preferred shares, or of warrants that have been detached from preferred shares with detachable warrants or warrants that have been detached from corporate bonds with detachable warrants, by a company already listed on a stock exchange or an OTC market, its upper limit shall be the reference price calculated based on the appropriate pricing model selected at the time the fund-raising plan was reported to the competent authority.
  4. In the underwriting of convertible corporate bonds and corporate bonds with warrants, it shall not exceed the par value of said securities.
    In the event that unsubscribed units as specified in paragraph 1 subparagraph 6 are placed by the underwriting syndicate with a specific party, only the parties listed in Article 35 shall participate in said placement, and those listed in Article 36 shall not participate.
Article 9     A lead underwriter of securities shall publish a competitive auction announcement in daily newspapers on the first day on which public bids are accepted. The content of said announcement shall be reported in hardcopy and electronic media to the Taiwan Securities Association three business days before the commencement date of the tender, and shall include the items in the following subparagraphs:
  1. name of the security;
  2. names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the underwriters;
  3. method, time period, and site of the bidding;
  4. date, time, and site of the opening of the bids;
  5. minimum offering price, minimum bidding unit, and maximum bid quantity per bid form;
  6. total quantity of securities to be put up for underwritten distribution; number of units expected to be sold via overallotment; total number of units retained for their own accounts by the securities underwriters; the total number of units being offered for competitive auction, and the amount of the bid deposit and the circumstances under which it may be confiscated;
  7. the maximum quantity of securities that may be allocated to each successful bidder;
  8. parties from whom competitive auction bids will be accepted, and the provisions of Articles 35 and 36 shall be specified;
  9. matters relating to the collection of bid processing fees and award processing fees by securities underwriters;
  10. any statutory restrictions upon holding percentages as may be set forth in other laws or regulations with respect to the industry to which the issuer belongs (please list these on the bid form);
  11. if a bidder fills out and submits multiple bid forms for the same competitive auction, or has multiple competitive auction cases for which bidding closes on the same day, when the bidder submits a bid to participate in any one or more of those cases, funds shall be deducted from the bidder's bank deposit for the sum total of the bid deposits and bid processing fees for all of the bid forms submitted by the bidder;
  12. the method of disclosure of the prospectus, also specifying that the prospectus discloses the tentatively set offering price, and specifying the method for querying the subsequently set offering price;
  13. in the event the total number of securities bid for in valid bids is insufficient to cover all the securities offered through competitive auction in an underwriting case involving the initial listing of shares on a stock exchange or an OTC market, so that price setting cannot be completed, the TWSE will not open the bids, and the brokers shall, on the third business day following the bid closure date, make no-interest refunds to the bidders of the bid deposits and of the bid processing fees less the relevant handling fees;
  14. other supplemental items that must be disclosed in order to safeguard the public interest and investors.
    In an underwriting case involving an initial listing on a stock exchange or an OTC market, the lead underwriter shall submit the timetable for the procedures and a declaration by the issuer that it has already held a roadshow in accordance with TWSE or TPEx rules. If a declaration is not submitted or the TWSE or TPEx notifies the Taiwan Securities Association that the issuing company has failed to hold a roadshow in accordance with regulations, the competitive auction shall be postponed.
     The maximum quantity of securities that may be allocated to each successful bidder referred to in paragraph 1 subparagraph 7 shall be taken as the the maximum bid quantity per bid form referred to in paragraph 1, subparagraph 5. In an underwriting case involving an initial listing on a stock exchange or an OTC market, the minimum bidding unit under paragraph 1, subparagraph 5 shall be capped at 5,000 shares.
     The amount of the bid deposit under paragraph 1, subparagraph 6 shall be limited to an amount from 30 percent to 60 percent of the bid amount.
    The maximum quantity allocated to each successful bidder, as referred to in subparagraph 7 of paragraph 1, shall not exceed 10 percent of the portion of the offering put up for public sale to outside parties. If it is an underwriting case involving an initial listing on a stock exchange or an OTC market, the lead underwriter may lower the 10 percent cap on the maximum quantity allocated to each successful bidder according to the circumstances in the given case.
Article 23     A lead underwriter underwriting securities by book building shall first carry out the matters listed in the following subparagraphs. All relevant agreements shall be signed or sealed by the lead underwriter, each co-underwriter, and the issuer (issuing institution), and then reported to the Taiwan Securities Association by the first business day prior to the start of the book building period (or by the second business day in the case of an initial listing on a stock exchange or an OTC market):
  1. formation of the underwriting syndicate by solicitation of co-underwriters;
  2. determination of the total quantity of securities to be offered by book building, and the number of units expected to be sold via overallotment;
  3. estimation of the anticipated offering price range, as determined in consultation with the issuer (issuing institution);
  4. determination of the firm-commitment fee or best-efforts underwriting fee, as determined in consultation with the issuer (issuing institution);
  5. determination of the lot size, in the event that the securities will be offered by public subscription.
  6. the issuer shall provide the securities underwriter with a list of the persons who are disqualified from participating in book building under these Rules.
Article 24     In the underwriting of securities by book building, the lead underwriter shall publish a book building announcement in daily newspapers on the first day on which book building bids are accepted. The content of said announcement shall be reported in hardcopy and electronic media to the Taiwan Securities Association by the first business day prior to the start of the book building period (or by the second business day in the case of an initial listing on a stock exchange or an OTC market), and shall include the items in the following subparagraphs:
  1. The name of the security.
  2. Total number of underwritten units, number of units expected to be sold via overallotment, number of units retained by the securities underwriters for their own accounts, the number of units for public sale, and the number of units for allocation by book building as a proportion of the total number of securities put up for public sale; in the case of an initial listing on a stock exchange or an OTC market involving simultaneous book building and public subscription procedures, the lead underwriter shall also note that it will adjust book building volume on the basis of the number of subscriptions received during the public subscription procedure.
  3. Where securities underwriters collect a book building bid deposit in accordance with the provisions of Article 40, Article 41, Article 42, or Article 42-1, the lead underwriter shall indicate the collection method, who is required to pay it, the amount, and conditions under which the deposit may be confiscated.
  4. Matters relating to the securities underwriters' collection from allotees of the entire amount of advance book building payments in accordance with Article 42-1.
  5. Matters relating to the collection of book building processing fees by securities underwriters in accordance with Article 26.
  6. The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the underwriters.
  7. The anticipated offering price range. (If a case of an offering prior to an initial listing on a stock exchange or an OTC market involves emerging stock trading, the lower limit of the anticipated offering price range may not be less than 70 percent of the simple arithmetic mean trade price for the 10 business days in which trades have been executed in Emerging Stock trading before the book building agreement has been registered with the Taiwan Securities Association, and relevant explanations shall be attached.)
  8. The manner of disclosure of the prospectus, including: (1) a statement clarifying that the anticipated offering price range as disclosed in the prospectus is an estimate based on information gathered during book building; and (2) an explanation of how to inquire about subsequent offering price revisions.
  9. The securities on offer, and the method, time period, and site for submission of bids.
  10. Parties from whom book building bids will be accepted.
  11. The pricing date (in the case of an initial listing on a stock exchange or an OTC market involving simultaneous book building and public subscription procedures).
  12. Other supplemental items that must be disclosed in order to safeguard the public interest and investors.
    In the section specifying the parties from whom book building bids will be accepted (as set forth under the preceding paragraph), the announcement shall print the relevant provisions of Articles 35, 43, and 43-1, according to the type of securities on offer.
    In an underwriting case involving an initial listing on a stock exchange or an OTC market, when the lead underwriter registers with the Taiwan Securities Association the offering using hardcopy media as required in paragraph 1, it shall also submit a timetable adopted in compliance with the provisions of Article 42-1 and a declaration by the issuing company that it has already held a roadshow in accordance with TWSE or TPEx rules.
    If a declaration is not submitted in accordance with the preceding paragraph or the TWSE or TPEx notifies the Taiwan Securities Association that the issuing company has failed to hold a roadshow in accordance with regulations, the book building shall be postponed.
    In an underwriting case involving an initial issue of Taiwan depositary receipts, when the lead underwriter registers the issue with the Taiwan Securities Association using hardcopy media as required in paragraph 1, it shall also submit an evaluation of whether during the 3 months before the date of registration there has been any unusual movement in the price of the stock represented by the Taiwan depositary receipts.
Article 53      With the exceptions of cases of the underwriting of initial listing on a stock exchange or OTC market or initial issue of Taiwan Depositary Receipts that are conducted by simultaneous book building and public subscription procedures, and of cases of public sale to outside parties that are conducted partly by competitive auction and partly by public subscription, an underwriter handling an offering by public subscription shall, after registering the underwriting contract with the Taiwan Securities Association, observe the following schedule in handling matters relating to subscriptions, bid deposits, and postage for lottery winner notifications:
  1. Day One: Publish an underwriting announcement and commence subscription.
  2. Day Three: Subscription period closes. Deadline for subscriber's payment of subscription processing fee, subscription payment, and postage expense for lottery winner notification to the designated bank.
  3. Day Four: Date of deduction of subscription processing fees, subscription payments, and postage for lottery winner notifications. Broker's bank undertakes matters regarding deduction of subscribers' subscription processing fees, subscription payments, and postage for lottery winner notifications.
  4. Day Five: Date of public drawing of lots. The TWSE undertakes drawing. TWSE produces and sends report of winner information to each broker. TWSE compiles and reports the information to the lead underwriter for provision to subscribers for their review.
  5. Day Six: Date of settlement of subscription processing fees, subscription payments, and postage expense for lottery winner notifications.
    Brokers make no-interest refunds to non-lottery winners of bid deposits and prepaid postage for lottery winner notifications; the subscription processing fees of non-lottery winners are not returned.
    Underwriter shall send lottery winner notifications and prospectuses (or subscription forms) to lottery winners by express registered mail or by electronic means.
    The subscriber shall, on any given day during the subscription period between 09:00 and 14:00, fill-in a subscription form (formatted as in Attachment 7) at the business premises of the broker or entrust the broker by phone to fill in such a form, or shall, during the subscription period before 14:00 on the day of the deadline, fill in and submit a subscription form via the Internet.
    Every day during the subscription period until the deadline, the broker shall compile up until the previous day and place the subscription information in the trading room as a reference for subscribers or for voice or computer query.
    If any of the dates set forth in paragraph 1 subparagraphs 2, 3, 4, and 5 falls on a weekend, regular holiday, or bank holiday, it shall be postponed by one day, and the dates that follow shall be moved forward accordingly.
    The dates specified under paragraph 1 may be changed if necessary by applying for approval with the Taiwan Securities Association.
    The Taiwan Securities Association shall prescribe the standard for the postage expense for lottery winner notification. A securities firm shall be responsible for compensation for any loss to the lottery winner resulting from problems in service of the lottery winner announcement; provided, however, that this provision shall not apply where the securities firm was not negligent.
    The procedures related to the allocation of securities by public subscription by securities firms as prescribed by paragraph 1 shall be separately prescribed by the Taiwan Securities Association.
    If the number of units subscribed does not exceed the number of units to be sold, all qualified subscribers shall be deemed lottery winners, and a public drawing of lots shall be unnecessary.
    After the subscriber has commissioned subscription with a broker, the subscription form shall not be withdrawn or changed.