NOT FOR RELEASE,
PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR
INDIRECTLY, IN, INTO OR FROM ANY JURISDICTION WHERE TO DO SO WOULD
CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF THE RELEVANT LAWS OR REGULATIONS OF SUCH
JURISDICTION
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT
CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION
FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
20 June
2024
RECOMMENDED CASH ACQUISITION
OF
GRESHAM
TECHNOLOGIES PLC
BY
ALLIANCE
BIDCO LTD
(a
company owned indirectly by funds managed or advised by STG
Partners, LLC ("STG"))
to be
implemented by means of a scheme of arrangement under Part 26 of
the Companies Act 2006
Update on
satisfaction of the Conditions and Timetable
On 9 April 2024, the boards
of Alliance Bidco Ltd ("Bidco") and Gresham Technologies
plc ("Gresham")
announced that they had reached an agreement on the terms of a
recommended cash offer by Bidco to acquire the entire issued and to
be issued share capital of Gresham (the "Acquisition"). The Acquisition is being
implemented by means of a Court-sanctioned scheme of arrangement
under Part 26 of the Companies Act 2006 (the "Scheme").
Gresham published a shareholder
circular relating to the Scheme on 18 April 2024 (the
"Scheme Document"). Capitalised terms used but
not defined in this announcement have the meanings given to them in
the Scheme Document, unless the context requires
otherwise.
On 16 May 2024, Gresham
announced that, at both the Court Meeting and General Meeting held
on that date in connection with the Acquisition, the requisite
majorities voted in favour of all resolutions necessary to approve
and give effect to the Scheme.
Further to the announcement on 18
June 2024 providing an update on the satisfaction of certain
conditions to the Scheme, Gresham and Bidco are pleased to announce
that all regulatory approvals for the Scheme have been received and
that therefore conditions 3(a) to 3(d) in Part Three of the Scheme
Document have been satisfied.
Timetable update
The Acquisition remains subject to
certain other Conditions including the Court sanctioning the Scheme
at the Scheme Court Hearing, the delivery of a copy of the Scheme
Court Order to the Registrar of Companies and the satisfaction or
(where capable of being waived) waiver of the other Conditions to
the Acquisition as set out in Part Three of the Scheme Document.
Subject to the satisfaction of these Conditions, the Scheme Court
Hearing is due to be held on 5 July 2024 and the Scheme is expected
to become Effective on 9 July 2024. A
further announcement will be made by Gresham following the Scheme
Court Hearing.
Further to the above, set out below
is an updated expected timetable of principal events for the
implementation of the Scheme.
Event
|
Expected
time/date(1)
|
Scheme
Court Hearing (to sanction the Scheme)
|
5 July
2024
|
Last day of
dealings in, or for registration of transfers of, Gresham
Shares
|
8 July
2024
|
Scheme
Record Time
|
close of
business on 8 July 2024
|
Disablement
of CREST in respect of Gresham Shares
|
close of
business on 8 July 2024
|
Suspension
of listing of, and dealings in, Gresham Shares on the London Stock
Exchange
|
7.30 a.m.
on 9 July 2024
|
Effective Date of the
Scheme
|
9 July 2024
|
Cancellation of listing and admission to trading of Gresham
Shares on the London Stock Exchange
|
By 7.30
a.m. on 10 July 2024
|
Last date
for despatch of cheques and crediting of CREST for Cash
Consideration due under the Scheme
|
By 23 July
2024
|
Long Stop
Date
|
9 January
2025(3)
|
Notes:
(1)
The dates and times given are based on current
expectations and are subject to change. Gresham will give adequate
notice of any changes to these dates and times, when known, by
issuing an announcement through a Regulatory Information Service,
with such announcement being made available on Gresham's website
at https://www.greshamtech.com/invest-in-us.
References to times are to London, United Kingdom time unless
otherwise stated.
(2)
The Scheme will become effective pursuant to its
terms upon delivery of a copy of the Scheme Court Order to the
Registrar of Companies.
(3)
This is the latest date by which the Scheme may
become Effective. However, the Long Stop Date may be extended to
such later date as may be agreed by Gresham and Bidco (with the
Panel's consent and as the Court may approve (if such consent
and/or approval is required)).
Enquiries
Gresham
Ian Manocha / Tom Mullan
|
+44 (0) 20 7653 0200
|
Houlihan Lokey Advisory Limited
(Financial Adviser and Rule 3
Adviser to Gresham)
Mark Fisher / Tim Richardson / Elliot Reader / Jack
Durston
|
+44 (0) 20 7839 3355
|
Singer Capital Markets Advisory LLP
(Corporate Broker to
Gresham)
Shaun Dobson / Jen Boorer
|
+44 (0) 20 7496 3000
|
Alma Strategic Communications
(PR Adviser to Gresham)
Josh Royston / Hilary Buchanan /
Will Ellis Hancock
|
+44 (0) 20 3405 0205
|
Bidco
Marc Bala / Ishan Manaktala / Ben Livingston / Kial
Kaiser
|
Enquiries via William Blair
|
William Blair International, Limited
(Financial Adviser to STG and
Bidco)
Dominic Emery / Hanan Lee / Jakub Lenart / Robert von
Martens
|
+44 (0) 20 7868 4440
|
Paul Hastings (Europe) LLP is acting as legal adviser
to STG and Bidco.
Taylor Wessing LLP is acting as legal adviser to
Gresham.
Important Notices
Houlihan Lokey Advisory Limited
("Houlihan Lokey"), which is authorised and regulated by the
Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting
exclusively as financial adviser and Rule 3 adviser to Gresham and
no one else in connection with the matters set out in this
Announcement and will not be responsible to anyone other than
Gresham for providing the protections afforded to clients of
Houlihan Lokey or for providing advice in relation to matters
referred to in this Announcement. Neither Houlihan Lokey nor any of
its subsidiaries, branches or affiliates owes or accepts any duty,
liability or responsibility whatsoever (whether direct or indirect,
whether in contract, in tort, under statute or otherwise) to any
person who is not a client of Houlihan Lokey in connection with
this Announcement, any statement contained herein or
otherwise.
Singer Capital Markets Advisory LLP
("Singer Capital Markets"), which is authorised and regulated by
the Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting
exclusively for Gresham and no-one else in connection with the
subject matter of this Announcement and will not be responsible to
anyone other than Gresham for providing the protections afforded to
clients of Singer Capital Markets or for providing advice in
relation to the subject matter of this Announcement or any other
matter referred to in this Announcement.
William Blair International, Ltd
("William Blair"), which is authorised and regulated by the
Financial Conduct Authority in the United Kingdom, is acting
exclusively for STG and Bidco and no one else in connection with
the subject matter of this Announcement and will not be responsible
to anyone other than STG and Bidco for providing the protections
afforded to the clients of William Blair, or for providing advice
in connection with the subject matter of this Announcement. Neither
William Blair nor any of its subsidiaries, branches or affiliates
owes or accepts any duty, liability or responsibility whatsoever
(whether direct or indirect, whether in contract, in tort, under
statute or otherwise) to any person who is not a client of William
Blair in connection with the subject matter of this Announcement,
any statement contained herein or otherwise.
Disclosure requirements of the
Code
Under Rule 8.3(a) of the Takeover
Code, any person who is interested in 1 per cent. or more of any
class of relevant securities of an offeree company or of any
securities exchange offeror (being any offeror other than an
offeror in respect of which it has been announced that its offer
is, or is likely to be, solely in cash) must make an Opening
Position Disclosure following the commencement of the offer period
and, if later, following the announcement in which any securities
exchange offeror is first identified. An Opening Position
Disclosure must contain details of the person's interests and short
positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any relevant securities
of each of (i) the offeree company; and (ii) any securities
exchange offeror(s). An Opening Position Disclosure by a person to
whom Rule 8.3(a) applies must be made by no later than 3.30 p.m.
(London time) on the 10th business day following
the commencement of the offer period and, if appropriate, by no
later than 3.30 p.m. (London time) on the
10th business day following the announcement in
which any securities exchange offeror is first identified. Relevant
persons who deal in the relevant securities of the offeree company
or of a securities exchange offeror prior to the deadline for
making an Opening Position Disclosure must instead make a Dealing
Disclosure.
Under Rule 8.3(b) of the Takeover
Code, any person who is, or becomes, interested in 1 per cent. or
more of any class of relevant securities of the offeree company or
of any securities exchange offeror must make a Dealing Disclosure
if the person deals in any relevant securities of the offeree
company or of any securities exchange offeror. A Dealing Disclosure
must contain details of the dealing concerned and of the person's
interests and short positions in, and rights to subscribe for, any
relevant securities of each of (i) the offeree company; and (ii)
any securities exchange offeror(s), save to the extent that these
details have previously been disclosed under Rule 8. A Dealing
Disclosure by a person to whom Rule 8.3(b) applies must be made by
no later than 3.30 p.m. (London time) on the business day following
the date of the relevant dealing.
If two or more persons act together
pursuant to an agreement or understanding, whether formal or
informal, to acquire or control an interest in relevant securities
of an offeree company or a securities exchange offeror, they will
be deemed to be a single person for the purpose of Rule
8.3.
Opening Position Disclosures must
also be made by the offeree company and by any offeror and Dealing
Disclosures must also be made by the offeree company, by any
offeror and by any persons acting in concert with any of them (see
Rules 8.1, 8.2 and 8.4).
Details of the offeree and offeror
companies in respect of whose relevant securities Opening Position
Disclosures and Dealing Disclosures must be made can be found in
the Disclosure Table on the Takeover Panel's website
at www.thetakeoverpanel.org.uk,
including details of the number of relevant securities in issue,
when the offer period commenced and when any offeror was first
identified. You should contact the Panel's Market Surveillance Unit
on +44 (0)20 7638 0129 if you are in any doubt as to whether you
are required to make an Opening Position Disclosure or a Dealing
Disclosure.
Rule 26.1 Disclosure
In accordance with Rule 26.1 of the
Code, a copy of this announcement will be available on the investor
section of the Company's website at
https://www.greshamtech.com/invest-in-us by no later than 12 noon
(London time) on the business day immediately following the date of
this announcement. The content of the website referred to in
this announcement is not incorporated into and does not form part
of this announcement.
Note to editors
Gresham Technologies is a leading
software and services company that specialises in providing
real-time solutions for data integrity and control, banking
integration, payments and cash management. Listed on the main
market of the London Stock Exchange (GHT.L) and headquartered in
the City of London, its customers include some of the world's
largest financial institutions and corporates, all of whom are
served locally from offices located in the UK, Europe, North
America and Asia Pacific.
Gresham's award-winning Clareti
software platform is a highly flexible and scalable platform,
available on-site or in the cloud, designed to address today's most
challenging financial control, risk management, data governance and
regulatory compliance problems. Learn more at
www.greshamtech.com.