Bank Norwegian ASA

09/07/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 09/07/2021 00:08

Announcement of acceptances received, taking Nordax to 65.21%, and partial waiver of minimum acceptance condition down to 66.67% for the recommended voluntary cash offer for[...]

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION IN OR INTO AUSTRALIA, CANADA AND JAPAN OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE DISTRIBUTION OR RELEASE WOULD BE UNLAWFUL OR REQUIRE PRIOR APPROVAL Reference is made to the offer document dated 5 August 2021 (the 'Offer Document') for the recommended voluntary offer by Nordax Bank AB (publ) ('Nordax' or the 'Offeror') to acquire all outstanding shares in Bank Norwegian ASA (the 'Company') against a consideration in cash of NOK 105 per share (subject to adjustment as set out in the Offer Document) (the 'Offer Price') (the 'Offer'). The Offer Price is Nordax' best and final. Reference is further made to the announcement dated 6 September 2021 in which the Offeror announced an extension of the offer period until 16.30 hours (Norwegian time) on 24 September 2021 (subject to extension). As of the date hereof at 08.00 hours (Norwegian time), and subject to customary verification, the Offeror has received acceptances of the Offer for a total of 79,408,435 shares, equalling 42.49% of the outstanding shares and votes in the Company. In addition, pursuant to the contribution agreements as further set out under section 1.16 (Contribution Agreements) of the Offer Document, the Offeror has conditionally agreed to acquire 42,472,603 shares, representing approximately 22.72% of the shares and votes in the Company. When counted together with the acceptances of the Offer to date, this constitutes 65.21% of the shares and votes in the Company. As of the date of this announcement, the Offeror does not hold shares in the Company. The Offeror further announces that the condition to the Offer relating to minimum acceptance of more than 90% of the issued and outstanding share capital and voting rights in the Company on a fully diluted basis, when taken together with shares acquired or agreed to be acquired by the Offeror outside the Offer, as set out in section 1.6 (Condition to the Offer) 'Minimum Acceptance' in the Offer Document is partially waived by the Offeror, down to an acceptance level of 2/3 of the issued and outstanding share capital and voting rights, when taken together with shares acquired or agreed to be acquired outside the Offer, on a fully diluted basis. The partial waiver of the Minimum Acceptance condition is made pursuant to section 1.12 (Amendments of the Offer) in the Offer Document. Settlement of the Offer shall take place no later than fourteen (14) business days after the date on which the Offeror has announced that the closing condition for the Offer relating to 'Regulatory Approvals', as described in the Offer Document, has been fulfilled or waived by the Offeror and the condition relating to 'Minimum Acceptance', as described in the Offer Document and revised pursuant to this announcement, has been fulfilled, and subject to the other closing conditions for the Offer as further set out in section 1.6 (Conditions to the Offer) in the Offer Document being fulfilled or waived, until the settlement of the Offer. The Oslo Stock Exchange has in its capacity as take-over authority of Norway reviewed and approved this announcement prior to its publication. All terms and conditions of the Offer other than extension of the offer period, as announced by the Offeror on 6 September 2021, and the amendment made by this announcement remain unchanged and as set out in the Offer Document. Completion of the Offer is subject to the fulfilment or waiver by the Offeror of the conditions for completion of the Offer set out in the Offer Document, as revised by this announcement. As of the date hereof, the Offer has been cleared by the Norwegian Competition Authority and the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority has provided regulatory approval pursuant to Norwegian law. Relevant regulatory approvals by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority remain outstanding, as expected at this time in the application processes. None of the conditions that refers to events that shall not occur have, to the Offeror's knowledge, occurred. The complete terms and conditions for the Offer, including procedures for how to accept the Offer and detailed information regarding settlement, are set out in the Offer Document, with the extended offer period as announced on 6 September 2021 and the partial waiver of the condition for Minimum Acceptance of the Offer as described herein. Acceptances of the Offer already received will remain binding and there is no need for shareholders that have already accepted the Offer to take any further action to confirm their acceptances or otherwise. Shareholders that want to accept the Offer must fill out and return the acceptance form which is included in the Offer Document by 16:30 hours (Norwegian time) on 24 September 2021 (subject to extension). The Offer Document is, subject to regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions, available at www.abgsc.com and www.dnb.no/emisjoner. Subject to regulatory restrictions in certain jurisdictions, the Offer Document may also be obtained free of charge during ordinary business hours at the offices of the receiving agent, DNB Bank ASA, Registrars department, Dronning Eufemias gate 30, 0191 Oslo, Norway. For further information on the Offer, visit www.collaborate-to-scale.com. Advisors ABG Sundal Collier, DNB Markets, Goldman Sachs International and Melesio are acting as financial advisors to Nordax in the process. FCG Risk & Compliance AB is acting as advisor on governance, risk and compliance to Nordax. Advokatfirman Cederquist KB is acting as Swedish legal counsel and Advokatfirmaet Wiersholm AS is acting as Norwegian legal counsel to Nordax. Media relations Oscar Karlsson, Brunswick Group [email protected] +46 709 62 78 42 About Nordax Nordax Bank AB (publ) is a leading specialist bank in Northern Europe owned by Nordic Capital Fund VIII and Sampo. Nordax has around 287,000 private customers in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Germany. We are a specialist bank that through responsible lending helps people make informed decisions for a life they can afford. We are a flexible complement to the major banks. Instead of quantity, we have specialised in a few selected products that we know best: personal loans, mortgages, equity release products and savings accounts. Since 2019, Svensk Hypotekspension, which is a specialist in equity release products, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nordax. Nordax has around 350 employees, practically all of whom work from a central office in Stockholm. The credit assessment process is one of Nordax's core competencies. It is thorough, sound and data driven. Nordax's customers are financially stable. As of 30 June 2021, lending to the public amounted to SEK 30.1 billion and deposits amounted to SEK 28.4 billion. Important notice This press release is for informational purposes only and is not an offer to buy or the solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. The Offer will only be made on the basis of the Offer Document, and can only be accepted pursuant to the terms of the Offer Document. The Offer will not be made in any jurisdiction in which making of the Offer would not be in compliance with the laws of such jurisdiction or would require that an additional offer document is prepared or registration effected or that any other measures are taken in addition to those required under Norwegian law and regulations. This press release and any related Offer documentation are not being distributed and must not be mailed or otherwise distributed or sent in or into any country in which the distribution or offering would require any such additional measures to be taken or would be in conflict with any law or regulation in such country - any such action will not be permitted or sanctioned by Nordax. Any purported acceptance of the Offer resulting directly or indirectly from a violation of these restrictions may be disregarded. Notice to U.S. Holders U.S. Holders (as defined below) are advised that the shares in BANO (the 'Shares') are not listed on a U.S. securities exchange and that the Company is not subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the 'U.S. Exchange Act'), and is not required to, and does not, file any reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') thereunder. The Offer is made to holders of Shares resident in the United States ('U.S. Holders') on the same terms and conditions as those made to all other holders of Shares of the Company to whom an offer is made. Any information documents, including the Offer Document, will be disseminated to U.S. Holders on a basis comparable to the method that such documents are provided to the Company's other shareholders to whom an offer is made. The Offer is made by the Offeror and no one else. The Offer is made to U.S. Holders pursuant to Section 14(e) and Regulation 14E under the U.S. Exchange Act as a 'Tier II' tender offer, and otherwise in accordance with the requirements of Norwegian law. Accordingly, the Offer is subject to disclosure and other procedural requirements, including with respect to the offer timetable, settlement procedures and timing of payments, that are different from those that would be applicable under U.S. domestic tender offer procedures and law. Pursuant to an exemption from Rule 14e-5 under the U.S. Exchange Act, the Offeror and its affiliates or brokers (acting as agents for the Offeror or its affiliates, as applicable) may from time to time, and other than pursuant to the Offer, directly or indirectly, purchase or arrange to purchase, Shares or any securities that are convertible into, exchangeable for or exercisable for such Shares outside the United States during the period in which the Offer remains open for acceptance, so long as those acquisitions or arrangements comply with applicable Norwegian law and practice and the provisions of such exemption. To the extent information about such purchases or arrangements to purchase is made public in Norway, such information will be disclosed by means of an English language press release via an electronically operated information distribution system in the United States or other means reasonably calculated to inform U.S. Holders of such information. In addition, the financial advisors to the Offeror may also engage in ordinary course trading activities in securities of the Company, which may include purchases or arrangements to purchase such securities. Neither the SEC nor any securities supervisory authority of any state or other jurisdiction in the United States has approved or disapproved the Offer or reviewed it for its fairness, nor have the contents of the Offer Document or any other documentation relating to the Offer been reviewed for accuracy, completeness or fairness by the SEC or any securities supervisory authority in the United States. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offence in the United States. Forward-looking information Statements in this press release relating to future status and circumstances, including statements regarding future performance, growth and other projections and whether the Offer will be completed, are forward-looking statements. These statements may generally, but not always, be identified by the use of words such as 'anticipates', 'expects', 'believes', or similar expressions. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. There can be no assurance that actual results will not differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements due to many factors, many of which are outside the control of Nordax. Any such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they were made and Nordax has no obligation (and undertakes no such obligation) to update or revise any of them, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except for in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.