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Relevant Laws

Title:Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation Rules Governing Review of Securities Listings (2023.09.05)
Article 4     Where an issuing company applying for the listing of its stock meets the criteria listed below, the TWSE will agree to list its stock:
  1. Duration of corporate existence: It has been incorporated and registered under the Company Act for at least three years at the time of the application for listing; provided, this restriction shall not apply to public (state-owned) enterprises or to privatized public enterprises.
  2. Paid-in capital: At the time it applies for listing, its paid-in capital is NT$600 million or more and the number of shares of its publicly offered and issued common stock is 30 million shares or more.
  3. Profitability: The profit before tax in its financial reports meets either of the following criteria, and it does not have any accumulated deficit in the final accounting for the most recent fiscal year:
    1. The profit before tax for the most recent two fiscal years represents 6 percent or greater of the share capital stated on the financial report for the annual final accounts.
    2. The profit before tax for the most recent two fiscal years represents on average 6 percent or greater of the amount of paid-in capital in its final accounts and the profitability for the most recent fiscal year is greater than that for the immediately preceding fiscal year; or
    3. The profit before tax for the most recent five years represents 3 percent or greater of the share capital stated on the financial report for the annual final accounts.
  4. Dispersion of share ownership: The number of registered shareholders is 1,000 or more. Excluding company insiders and any juristic persons in which such insiders hold more than 50 percent of the shares, the number of registered shareholders is at least 500, and the total number of shares they hold is 20 percent or greater of the total issued shares, or at least 10 million.
  5. An issuer listed in the food industry or whose income from catering business occupies at least 50 percent of its total operating revenue in the last fiscal year shall comply with the following:
    1. Establish a laboratory to engage in self-inspection.
    2. Deliver the raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products whose inspection is outsourced, to a laboratory or inspection institution certified or accredited by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan Accreditation Foundation or an institution engaged by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, for inspection.
    3. Request a reasonable opinion from an independent specialist on its food safety monitoring plan, inspection cycle, items for inspection etc.
    Where an issuing company applying for the listing of its stock has a market value of NT$5 billion or more and meets the criteria listed below, the TWSE will agree to list its stock:
  1. The company meets the conditions set forth in subparagraphs 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the preceding paragraph.
  2. Its operating revenue in the most recent fiscal year exceeds NT$5 billion and is better than the previous fiscal year.
  3. Its cash flow from operating activities in the most recent fiscal year is positive.
  4. The net worth on the financial reports for the most recent quarter is not lower than two-thirds of the capital stock identified in the financial report.
    Where an issuing company applying for the listing of its stock has a market value of NT$6 billion or more and meets the criteria listed below, the TWSE will agree to list its stock:
  1. The company meets the conditions set forth in subparagraphs 1, 2, 4 and 5 of the first paragraph.
  2. Its operating revenue in the most recent fiscal year exceeds NT$3 billion and is better than the previous fiscal year.
  3. The net worth on the financial reports for the most recent quarter is not lower than two-thirds of the capital stock identified in the financial report.
    The TWSE will agree to list the stock of an issuing company applying for the listing of its stock in accordance with the second paragraph or the preceding paragraph only if the value of the number of the securities to be listed and available for trading multiplied by the offering price for the price at which the security opens on its first day in the initial public offering has met the minimum requirement on the market value applicable to its application, except where its stock is already listed and traded on the GreTai Securities Market.
Article 6-1     Where the issuing company applying for the listing of its stock is a private enterprise participating in major national public construction projects under encouragement of the government, where it has acquired the concession agreement for investment, construction, and operation approved by the Central Government, municipality under direct jurisdiction of the Executive Yuan, and the local autonomy organization(s) or the juristic person(s) with 50 percent or greater of its capital fund contributed by the Central Government, municipality under direct jurisdiction of Executive Yuan, or the local autonomy organization(s) and the certification issued by the said agency(ies), and where it meets the following requirements, the TWSE will agree to list its stock:
  1. The company is newly established for procurement of the concession agreement and its business items have been approved by the central authority in charge of the enterprise concerned.
  2. Its paid in capital is NT$5 billion or more at the time when it applies for listing.
  3. The total cost expected to be injected in the construction project at the time when the concession agreement is procured is NT$20 billion or more.
  4. The remaining term of the concession agreement is 20 years or more at the time when it applies for listing.
  5. Its directors, shareholders holding 5 percent or more of its total issued shares, or its shareholders or operators who make equity investment in the form of technical know-how and hold 0.5 percent or more of its total issued shares or 100,000 shares or more shall have the technical capability, financial means, and other necessary abilities as required for the completion of the concession agreement, and a certification issued by the agency approving the concession agreement has been obtained.
  6. The dispersion of share ownership meets the criteria set forth in subparagraph 4, Article 4 of these Rules.
Article 28-1     The TWSE may issue documentation evidencing listing approval of the application by a foreign issuer for a TWSE primary listing if that issuer meets all of the requirements listed below:
  1. It complies with regulations in connection with the Act Governing Relations Between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. However, 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.
  2. At the time it applies for listing, the applicant company or any of its controlled companies shall have an operational track record of three years or longer.
  3. The company scale meets one of the following criteria:
    1. At the time of application for listing, paid-in capital or net worth is NT$600 million or higher.
    2. At the time of listing, market capitalization is NT$1.6 billion or higher.
  4. Its cumulative profit before tax for the most recent three fiscal years is NT$250 million or higher, and its profit before tax for the most recent fiscal year is NT$120 million or higher, and it does not have any accumulated deficit.
  5. Its number of shareholders of record is 1,000 or more, and the number of shareholders other than insiders of the foreign issuer and juristic persons of which such insiders own over 50 percent of the shareholding is no less than 500 and their total shareholdings constitute 20 percent or more of the total issued shares or not less than 10 million shares.
  6. An issuer listed in the food industry or whose income from catering business occupies at least 50 percent of its total operating revenue in the last fiscal year shall comply with the following:
    1. Establish a laboratory to engage in self-inspection.
    2. Deliver the raw materials, semi-finished products and finished products whose inspection is outsourced, to a laboratory or inspection institution certified or accredited by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Taiwan Accreditation Foundation or an institution engaged by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, for inspection.
    3. Request a reasonable opinion from an independent specialist on its food safety monitoring plan, inspection cycle, items for inspection etc.
  7. The number of shares planned to be listed and traded shall exceed 50 percent of the total number of its issued shares.
  8. It is recommended, in writing, by two or more securities underwriters.
    Where a foreign issuer applies for a TWSE primary listing of stock, if, for the foreign issuer or a company controlled by it contributing 50 percent of its overall operating revenue, there has been issued an unequivocal opinion by an R.O.C. competent authority of a target business in accordance with the business attributes of foreign issuer, or a TWSE-designated professional institution, indicating that the company is a technology enterprise or a cultural and creative enterprise with market potential, if the foreign issuer meets the requirements of the following subparagraphs, the TWSE may issue evidentiary documentation indicating its approval of the listing:
  1. It complies with the relevant provisions of the Act Governing Relations Between Peoples of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area. However, 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.
  2. At the time of the listing application, the applying company or the controlled company that is a technology enterprise shall have a business record of one full fiscal year or more.
  3. At the time of the listing application, the paid-in capital or net worth reaches NT$300 million or more, or the market capitalization reaches NT$800 million or more.
  4. At the time of the listing application, the net worth on the most current financial report audited and attested by a CPA is not lower than two-thirds of the capital stock, with proof that the company has operating capital sufficient for 12 months of operation following the listing. In the case of a foreign issuer whose shares have no par value or a par value other than NT$10, the issuer's net worth shall be not less than two-thirds of the sum of the share capital plus capital reserves minus original issue premium.
  5. Its number of shareholders of record is 500 or more, and the total shareholdings of the shareholders of record other than insiders of the foreign issuer and juristic persons of which such insiders own over 50 percent of the shareholding constitute 20 percent or more of the total issued shares or not less than five million shares.
  6. The number of shares planned to be listed and traded shall exceed 50 percent of the total number of its issued shares.
  7. It is recommended by two or more securities underwriters.
    When a foreign issuer applies for a TWSE primary listing of stock, if its operating revenue derived from construction business as stated in the financial reports represents 20 percent or greater of its total operating revenue, or its gross profit from operations derived from construction business represents 20 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, during the most recent two fiscal years, it shall meet all of the requirements provided in Articles 16 and 17 herein, in which case, the TWSE may issue evidentiary documentation indicating its approval of the listing thereof; in the case of a foreign issuer whose shares have no par value or a par value other than NT$10, the requirement of Article 16, paragraph 1, subparagraph 2 shall be calculated on the basis of the net worth reaching NT$600 million or more.
    "Controlled company" in paragraphs 1 and 2 means any of the following circumstances:
  1. Any controlled company in which the foreign issuer directly holds more than 50 percent of the issued voting shares or has contributed more than 50 percent of the capital.
  2. Any controlled company in which the foreign issuer, indirectly through a subsidiary company, holds more than 50 percent of the issued voting shares or has contributed more than 50 percent of the capital.
  3. Any controlled company in which the foreign issuer directly, or indirectly through a subsidiary, holds more than 50 percent of the issued voting shares or has contributed more than 50 percent of the capital.
  4. A company of which a foreign issuer directly or indirectly elects or appoints more than half of the directors for the board of directors.
    Where a foreign issuer applying for the primary listing of its stock has a market value of NT$5 billion or more and meets the criteria listed below, the TWSE will agree to list its stock:
  1. The issuer meets the conditions set forth in subparagraphs 1 and 2, item 1 of subparagraph 3 and subparagraphs 5 to 8 of the first paragraph.
  2. Its operating revenue in the most recent fiscal year exceeds NT$5 billion and is better than the previous fiscal year.
  3. Its cash flow from operating activities in the most recent fiscal year is positive.
  4. The net worth on the financial reports for the most recent quarter is not lower than two-thirds of the share capital identified in the financial report.
    Where a foreign issuer applying for the primary listing of its stock has a market value of NT$6 billion or more and meets the criteria listed below, the TWSE will agree to list its stock:
  1. The issuer meets the conditions set forth in subparagraphs 1 and 2, item 1 of subparagraph 3 and subparagraphs 5 to 8 of the first paragraph.
  2. Its operating revenue in the most recent fiscal year exceeds NT$3 billion and is better than the previous fiscal year.
  3. The net worth on the financial reports for the most recent quarter is not lower than two-thirds of the share capital identified in the financial report.
    The TWSE will agree to list the stock of a foreign issuer applying for the primary listing of its stock who shall meet the conditions in paragraph 1, subparagraph 3, item 2, or whose application is filed in accordance with the fifth paragraph or the preceding paragraph only if the value of the number of the securities to be listed and available for trading multiplied by the offering price for the price at which the security opens on its first day in the initial public offering has met the minimum requirement on the market value applicable to its application, except where its stock is already listed and traded on the GreTai Securities Market.
    If a foreign issuer is a professional investor and its purpose is to directly, or indirectly through a subsidiary company, control the operations of a held company or companies, 70 percent or more of that foreign issuer's net operating income in its consolidated financial statement shall be derived from a controlled company or companies.