Chapter III Issuance of Corporate Bonds
Section III Corporate Bonds with Equity Warrants
Article 38
An exchange-listed or OTC-listed company or an emerging stock company may issue corporate bonds with equity warrants for which the corporate bonds and warrants are detachable; a company whose stock is neither listed on an exchange nor traded over-the-counter at securities firms may not issue corporate bonds with equity warrants for which the corporate bonds and warrants are detachable.
Article 39
An exchange-listed or OTC-listed company may only issue corporate bonds with equity warrants after it has submitted the Registration Statement for Issuing Corporate Bonds with Equity Warrants (Attachments 22 and 22-1), and provided all information required therein, along with required documents to the FSC for registration, and the registration has become effective.
Registration to issue corporate bonds with equity warrants filed by an exchange-listed or OTC-listed company where any of the circumstances under Article 13, paragraph 1, subparagraph 2 exist shall become effective 20 business days from the date the FSC and FSC-designated institutions receive the registration form.
The registration filed by an exchange-listed or OTC-listed company, except those filing in accordance with the preceding paragraph, shall become effective 12 business days after being received by the FSC and FSC-designated institution.
When an emerging stock company or a company whose shares are neither listed on an exchange nor traded at the business places of securities firms that submits a registration in accordance with paragraph 1, the Registration Statement for Issuing Convertible Bonds will become effective 7 business days after its receipt by the FSC and FSC-designated institutions. However, the waiting period for effective registration is 12 business days in the case of a financial holding, banking, bill finance, or credit card enterprise.
Where registration is filed pursuant to paragraph 1 herein, Article 12, paragraph 2, Article 15, Article 16, and Article 21, paragraph 4 shall apply mutatis mutandis.
Article 40
For an issuance of corporate bonds with equity warrants that is denominated in a foreign currency, an application shall be filed with the Taipei Exchange for OTC trading.
Article 41
The following items shall be provided in the terms and conditions when issuing corporate bonds with equity warrants:
1. Issue date.
2. Coupon rate and payment of interest.
3. Date of interest payment.
4. Type of corporate bonds, the amount of each bond and the aggregate amount of this issuance.
5. The units of warrant represented by each corporate bond with warrant.
6. For corporate bonds with detachable warrants, the total number of the issued units of the warrants and the method of calculation of the price per unit of the warrants.
7. The availability of security or guarantee.
8. Name of trustee and material covenants.
9. Terms of repayment (e.g. repayment of principal upon maturity, payment of principal prior to maturity, terms of call or redemption, etc.).
10. The listing or trading at the business places of securities firms of listed or OTC companies' corporate bonds with equity warrants.
11. Procedures regarding request for exercising warrant; payment for stock price shall be made either in cash or by corporate bonds of the issuer.
12. Criteria for setting terms and conditions of exercising warrant (including exercise price, exercise period, the classes/types of shares with which to exercise warrant, and the number of shares represented by each unit of warrant).
13. Adjustment of exercise price.
14. The disposition of interests and dividends in the year of exercising warrant.
15. Rights and obligations after exercising warrant.
16. Performance of contract shall be made only by issuing new shares.
17. The number of times and date for the bondholder to acquire new stocks by submitting certificates of payment for shares.
18. Procedure for obtaining the corporate bond with equity warrant.
19. Other stipulations.
Secured corporate bonds with equity warrants are backed by the stocks of another company held by the issuer, the provisions of Article 25 shall apply mutatis mutandis.
Article 42
The face value of a corporate bond with equity warrants is limited to NT$100,000 or multiples thereof.
In cases where it is necessary to issue new shares in connection with exercise of warrants, the total number of new shares multiplied by the exercise price per share may not exceed the total issued amount, in terms of face value, of the subject corporate bonds.
The exercise price for the corporate bonds with equity warrants issued by an emerging stock company may not be lower than the weighted average trade price for the company's common shares during the period preceding the price determination date, nor may it be lower than the company's net value per share as reported in the financial report for the most recent fiscal period, audited and attested (or reviewed) by a CPA, and a recommending securities firm shall be retained to give an opinion on the reasonableness of the issue price.
The exercise price for shares of corporate bonds with warrants issued by a company whose shares are neither listed on an exchange nor traded on an OTC market may not be lower than its net value per share as reported in the financial report (audited and attested [or reviewed] by a CPA) for the most recent fiscal period, and a CPA shall be retained to give an opinion on the reasonableness of the issue price.
Article 43
When issuing corporate bonds with equity warrants, with the exception of listed or OTC companies, for which an underwriter shall be engaged to underwrite all bonds issued on a firm commitment basis, the bonds may not be underwritten and offered to the public.
Article 44
Prior to offering the corporate bonds with equity warrants, the issuer shall make public announcement on the exercise price.
Article 45
From the end of a designated period of time following the issuance date of corporate bonds with warrants until 10 days before the maturity date, the bondholder may request for exercising warrants at any time in accordance with the terms set by the issuer, except during the period in which transfer is suspended by laws. However, the exercise period may not be longer than the repayment period for the corporate bond.
The designated period of time referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be set by the issuer in its terms for issuance and exercise.
Corporate bonds with warrants issued by an exchange-listed, OTC-listed, or emerging stock company are not subject to the restriction of paragraph 1 that exercise may not be made during the 10 days before the maturity date.
Article 46
The performance of obligations by the issuer regarding exercise of warrant is not subject to the restriction of Article 140 of the Company Act that the issue price of the stocks may not be below par value.
Article 47
When requesting for exercising warrants, the holder shall fill out an exercise request form and submit it to the issuer or its agent for such purpose. After receiving such request and full payment of the stock price, the issuer or its agent shall enter the name of the bondholder into the shareholder register and deliver the new shares or certificates of payment for shares to the holder within 5 business days.
The aforesaid shares or certificates of payment for shares issued by listed, OTC, or emerging stock companies in accordance with the preceding paragraph may be traded in the stock exchange market or at the business places of securities firms from the day of delivery to shareholders.
Where the issuer delivers shares under paragraph 1, it shall, within 15 days after the end of the current quarter, publicly announce the amount of new shares issued in the preceding quarter.
For new shares issued under paragraph 1, the day, month, and year of effective registration as stated in the FSC notification may be substituted for the day, month, and year of amendment registration for issuance of new shares under Article 162, paragraph 1, subparagraph 2 of the Company Act; after such issuance of new shares, the issuer shall, at least once per quarter, submit an application for capitalization amendment registration to the competent authority for company registration, annexing the FSC's letter of approval for the original issuance.
Before the end of each fiscal year, the issuer issuing the certificates of payment for shares in accordance with paragraph 1 shall present evidence of full payment of the stock price and the consent letter from the FSC which previously approved the issuance of corporate bonds with equity warrants and apply to the competent authority in charge of the corporate registration to register the change in its capital and to issue new shares.
Article 48
Corporate bonds with equity warrants, and duly applied for and issued certificates of payment for shares, or stocks, except where in scripless form, shall uniformly be in registered form.
Article 49
Except where physical certificate is not printed, before the formal delivery of exchanged shares or certificates of payment for shares in accordance with Article 47, these shares or certificates shall be certified by the certifying organization in accordance with the Regulations Governing Certification of Corporate Stock and Bond Issues by Public Companies.