SEBI issues new regulations for issue of capital
Published: Aug 17, 2017
By TIOLCORPLAW News Service
MUMBAI, AUG 17, 2017: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) issued a Notification No. SEBI/LAD-NRO/GN/2017-18/016, dated August 14, 2017, wherein it made Regulations to further amend the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) Regulations, 2009 (hereinafter the 'Regulations of 2009').
The new Regulations are known as the the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Issue of Capital and Disclosure Requirements) (Fourth Amendment) Regulations, 2017. Further, in Regulation 70 of the Regulations of 2009, in sub-regulation (1) in clause (c), after the words and figure, "Sick Industrial Companies (Special Provisions) Act, 1985 or" and before the words "the Tribunal", the words "the resolution plan approved by" have been inserted.
Moreover, the the existing sub-regulation (5) of the Regulations of 2009, was substituted by a new sub-regulation, the contents of which are as follows -
"(5) The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply where the preferential issue of specified securities is made to the lenders pursuant to conversion of their debt, as part of a debt restructuring scheme implemented in accordance with the guidelines specified by the Reserve Bank of India, subject to the following conditions:
(a) the guidelines for determining the conversion price have been specified by the Reserve Bank of India in accordance with which the conversion price shall be determined and which shall be in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013;
(b) the conversion price shall be certified by two independent qualified valuers, and for this purpose ‘valuer’ shall be a person who is registered under section 247 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the relevant Rules framed thereunder: Provided that till such date on which section 247 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the relevant Rules come into force, valuer shall mean an independent merchant banker registered with the Board or an independent chartered accountant in practice having a minimum experience of ten years;
(c) specified securities so allotted shall be locked-in for a period of one year from the date of their allotment:
Provided that for the purpose of transferring the control, the lenders may transfer the specified securities allotted to them before completion of the lock-in period subject to continuation of the lock-in on such securities for the remaining period, with the transferee;
(d) the lock-in of equity shares allotted pursuant to conversion of convertible securities issued on preferential basis shall be reduced to the extent the convertible securities have already been locked-in;
(e) the applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 are complied with, including the requirement of special resolution."
Furthermore, the existing sub-regulation (6) of the Regulations of 2009, was substituted by the following new sub-regulation, the contents of which are -
"(6) The provisions of this Chapter shall not apply where the preferential issue, if any, of specified securities is made to person(s) at the time of lenders selling their holding of specified securities or enforcing change in ownership in favour of such person(s) pursuant to a debt restructuring scheme implemented in accordance with the guidelines specified by the Reserve Bank of India, subject to the following conditions:
(a) the guidelines for determining the issue price have been specified by the Reserve Bank of India in accordance with which the issue price shall be determined and which shall be in compliance with the applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013;
(b) the issue price shall be certified by two independent qualified valuers, and for this purpose ‘valuer’ shall be a person who is registered under section 247 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the relevant Rules framed thereunder: Provided that till such date on which section 247 of the Companies Act, 2013 and the relevant Rules come into force, valuer shall mean an independent merchant banker registered with the Board or an independent chartered accountant in practice having a minimum experience of ten years;
(c) the specified securities so allotted shall be locked-in for a period of at least three years from the date of their allotment;
(d) the lock-in of equity shares allotted pursuant to conversion of convertible securities issued on preferential basis shall be reduced to the extent the convertible securities have already been locked-in;
(e) a special resolution has been passed by shareholders of the issuer before the preferential issue;
(f) the issuer shall, in addition to the disclosures required under the Companies Act, 2013 or any other applicable law, disclose the following information pertaining to the proposed allottee(s) in the explanatory statement to the notice for the general meeting proposed for passing the special resolution as stipulated at clause (e) of this sub-regulation:
a. the identity including that of the natural persons who are the ultimate beneficial owners of the shares proposed to be allotted and/ or who ultimately control the proposed allottee(s);
b. the business model;
c. a statement on growth of business over the period of time;
d. summary of audited financials of previous three financial years; e. track record in turning around companies, if any; f. the proposed roadmap for effecting turnaround of the issuer.
g. the applicable provisions of the Companies Act, 2013 are complied with."
