AGM Information • Mar 30, 2023
AGM Information
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If you are in any doubt as to any aspect of the proposals referred to in this Notice or as to the action you should take, please take advice from a stockbroker, solicitor, accountant or other independent professional adviser.
If you have sold or otherwise transferred all of your shares, please send this document, together with the accompanying documents, at once to the purchaser or transferee, or to the stockbroker, bank or other agent through whom the sale or transfer was effected, for transmission to the purchaser or transferee.
Whether or not you propose to attend the Annual General Meeting, please complete and submit a Proxy Form in accordance with the instructions printed on the enclosed form. The Proxy Form must be received not less than 48 hours before the time of the holding of the Annual General Meeting (i.e. by 12 pm on Tuesday 9 May 2023).
Notice of the Annual General Meeting of Funding Circle Holdings plc to be held at the Company's offices at 71 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4AY, on Thursday 11 May 2023 at 12 pm.
(incorporated and registered in England and Wales under number 07123934)
30 March 2023
Dear Shareholder
The Annual General Meeting ("AGM") of Funding Circle Holdings plc (the "Company") will be held at the Company's offices at 71 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4AY, on Thursday 11 May 2023 at 12 pm.
The formal Notice of AGM is set out on the following pages of this document, detailing the resolutions that the shareholders are being asked to vote on, along with explanatory notes of the business to be conducted at the AGM.
Shareholders who would like to attend the AGM in person are asked to register their intention as soon as practicable by email to [email protected]. We have also arranged for shareholders to be able to raise questions in advance and, should they be unable to attend in person, invite them to listen to the meeting via video conference if they wish.
We do not anticipate any restrictions to be in place that would prevent shareholders from attending the meeting in person. However, should there be any reason to do so, we will provide an update on our website at https://corporate.fundingcircle.com/investors/shareholdermeetings and, where appropriate, via a Regulatory Information Service, if any changes are required to the AGM arrangements.
The Board remains committed to shareholder engagement and has made the arrangements set out below to help facilitate this.
Whether or not you propose to attend the AGM, I would encourage you to appoint the Chair of the meeting as proxy to vote as you direct at the AGM. Please complete and submit a form of proxy ("Proxy Form") to enable you to vote at the AGM, even if you are unable to attend. This will not prevent you from attending and voting at the AGM in person if you so wish. A Proxy Form is enclosed with this Notice of AGM for you to complete and return or you can submit your Proxy Form electronically at www.sharevote.co.uk, through the CREST service or via the Proxymity platform. Alternatively, if you have already registered with our registrar's online portfolio service, Shareview, you can submit your proxy, by logging on to your portfolio at www.shareview.co.uk, using your usual user ID and password. For further details on appointing a proxy please see the notes to the Notice of the AGM starting on page 4.
Please note that all Proxy Forms and appointments must be received by 12 pm on Tuesday 9 May 2023.
If I am appointed as proxy I will, of course, vote in accordance with any instructions given to me. If I am given discretion as to how to vote, I will vote in favour of each of the resolutions to be proposed at the AGM.
Voting on the business of the meeting will be conducted by way of a poll. The results of voting on the resolutions will be announced via a regulatory announcement and posted on the Company's website as soon as practicable after the AGM.
Shareholders are invited to listen to the formal proceedings of the meeting via video conference although you will not be able to use this facility to vote, ask questions or table resolutions. If you wish to access this facility, please email [email protected] at least 24 hours before the meeting (specifying your name and shareholder reference number (as shown on your Proxy Form) to obtain the required link and access code.
The Board appreciates that the AGM is an important forum for shareholders to engage with us and shareholders are, therefore, invited to submit questions on the business of the AGM in advance by emailing [email protected]. Questions must be received by no later than 5.30 pm on 2 May 2023. Please ensure you include your name and shareholder reference number (as shown on your Proxy Form) with your question. Responses to frequently asked questions across key themes relevant to the business of the meeting will be posted on our website prior to the last day for receipt of Proxy Forms as specified above.
The Board considers that the resolutions set out in the Notice of AGM are in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders as a whole. The Directors, therefore, recommend that shareholders vote in favour of each of the resolutions, as they intend to do in respect of their own shareholdings.
Yours faithfully
Andrew Learoyd Chair
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING ("AGM") of Funding Circle Holdings plc (the "Company") will be held at the Company's offices at 71 Queen Victoria Street, London EC4V 4AY, on Thursday 11 May 2023 at 12 pm to consider and, if thought appropriate, pass the following resolutions. Resolutions 1 to 15 and 20 will be proposed as ordinary resolutions and Resolutions 16 to 19 will be proposed as special resolutions.
such authorities to apply in place of all existing authorities pursuant to section 551 of the Companies Act 2006 and to expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or, if earlier, the close of business on 31 July 2024, but in each case so that the Company may make offers and enter into agreements during the relevant period which would, or might, require shares to be allotted or rights to subscribe for or to convert any security into shares to be granted after the authority expires, and the Directors may allot shares and grant rights in pursuance of that offer or agreement as if this authority had not expired.
For the purposes of this resolution, "rights issue" means an offer to:
to subscribe for further securities, subject in both cases to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates or legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter.
and subject in both cases to such exclusions or other arrangements as the Directors may deem necessary or expedient in relation to treasury shares, fractional entitlements, record dates or legal, regulatory or practical problems in, or under the laws of, any territory or any other matter; and
(b) in the case of the authority granted under paragraph (a) of Resolution 15, shall be limited to the allotment of equity securities (otherwise than pursuant to paragraph (a) above) up to a nominal amount of £18,065,
such authority to expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or, if earlier, the close of business on 31 July 2024 but, in each case, prior to its expiry the Company may make offers, and enter into agreements, which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the Board may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
The authority in this Resolution 16 applies in relation to a sale of shares which is an allotment of equity securities by virtue of section 560(3) of the Companies Act 2006 as if in the first paragraph of this resolution the words "under the authority given by Resolution 15" were omitted.
such authority to expire at the end of the next annual general meeting of the Company or, if earlier, the close of business on 31 July 2024 but, in each case, prior to its expiry the Company may make offers, and enter into agreements, which would, or might, require equity securities to be allotted (and treasury shares to be sold) after the authority expires and the Board may allot equity securities (and sell treasury shares) under any such offer or agreement as if the authority had not expired.
The authority in this Resolution 17 applies in relation to a sale of shares which is an allotment of equity securities by virtue of section 560(3) of the Companies Act 2006 as if in the first paragraph of this resolution the words "under the authority given by Resolution 15" were omitted.
(d) this authority shall expire at the conclusion of the Company's next annual general meeting or, if earlier, the close of business on 31 July 2024 (except in relation to the purchase of ordinary shares, the contract for which was concluded before the expiry of such authority and which might be executed wholly or partly after such expiry).
in each case during the period beginning with the date of the passing of this resolution and ending on the conclusion of the next annual general meeting, or the close of business on 31 July 2024, whichever is earlier. In any event, the aggregate amount of political donations and political expenditure made or incurred by the Company and its subsidiaries pursuant to this resolution shall not exceed £100,000. For the purposes of this resolution, the terms "political donations," "independent election candidates," "political organisations," "political expenditure" and "political parties" have the meanings set out in sections 363 to 365 of the Companies Act 2006.
By order of the Board
Lucy Vernall Company Secretary 30 March 2023
Registered in England and Wales
Registered office: 71 Queen Victoria Street London EC4V 4AY
CREST members who wish to appoint a proxy or proxies through the CREST electronic proxy appointment service may do so for the AGM (and any adjournment of the meeting) by following the procedures described in the CREST Manual (available via www.euroclear.com). CREST personal members or other CREST sponsored members (and those CREST members who have appointed a voting service provider) should refer to their CREST sponsor or voting service provider, who will be able to take the appropriate action on their behalf.
The notes on the following pages give an explanation of the proposed resolutions.
Resolutions 1 to 15 and 20 are proposed as ordinary resolutions. For each of these resolutions to be passed, more than half of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution. Resolutions 16 to 19 are proposed as special resolutions. For each of these resolutions to be passed, at least three quarters of the votes cast must be in favour of the resolution.
The first item of business is the receipt by the shareholders of the Annual Report and the Accounts of the Company for the year ended 31 December 2022. The Directors' Report, the accounts and the report of the Company's auditors on the accounts and on those parts of the Directors' Remuneration Report that are capable of being audited are contained within the Annual Report.
The Directors' Remuneration Report, which may be found on pages 100 to 115 of the Annual Report, gives details of the remuneration paid to the Directors for the year ended 31 December 2022.
This resolution is advisory in nature, meaning that payments made or promised to Directors will not have to be repaid, reduced or withheld in the event that the resolution is not passed.
The Companies Act 2006 requires the Director's Remuneration Policy to be put to shareholders for a binding vote at least every three years unless there is a change in the approved policy within the three-year period. The Company is not proposing any changes to the Directors' Remuneration Policy which was approved at the AGM in 2021.
The auditors of a company must be appointed or reappointed at each general meeting at which the accounts are laid. Resolution 3 proposes, on the recommendation of the Board, the appointment of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as the Company's auditors, until the conclusion of the next general meeting of the Company at which accounts are laid.
This resolution seeks shareholder consent for the Audit Committee to fix the remuneration of the auditors.
In accordance with the Company's Articles of Association and the UK Corporate Governance Code (the "Code"), each of the Directors is standing for election or re-election at the AGM. All Directors will be standing for re-election this year.
Following a formal performance evaluation of the Directors during 2022 in relation to the fulfilment of their duties to act in the long-term interests of the Company, on behalf of its members, while also having due regard for other stakeholders, the re-election of each of the relevant Directors is recommended by the Board, each having demonstrated continued competence, commitment and effectiveness. Further details can be found in the Nomination Committee Report on pages 88 to 90 of the Annual Report.
The Board confirms that the Directors each make a valuable contribution and together bring a depth and wide range of experience from a diverse range of backgrounds and countries. The biographical details of the Directors provided on pages 74 to 75 of the Annual Report illustrate this. Their balance of skills combined with their knowledge, diversity, industry expertise and business experience ensure the continued effective and successful functioning of the Board and its Committees.
The Board has carefully considered the guidance criteria on the independence of Directors given in the Code and believes that each of the independent Directors seeking re-election remains independent in character and judgement, and that there are no relationships or circumstances that are likely to affect, or appear to affect, their judgement. Further details can be found in the Nomination Committee Report on pages 88 to 90 of the Annual Report.
Separate resolutions are proposed for each of the re-elections.
Under the Companies Act 2006, the Directors of a company may only allot new shares (or grant rights over shares) if authorised to do so by the shareholders in a general meeting (other than in connection with an employee share scheme). The authority which is sought in respect of this is dealt with in Resolution 15. The authority in paragraph (a) of the resolution will allow the Directors to allot new shares and grant rights to subscribe for, or convert other securities into, shares up to approximately one third (33.3%) of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company which as at 17 March 2023, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this Notice of meeting, is equivalent to a nominal value of £120,434.
The authority in paragraph (b) will allow the Directors to allot new shares and grant rights to subscribe for, or convert other securities into, shares only in connection with a rights issue up to a nominal value of £240,868, which is equivalent to approximately two thirds (66.6%) of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 17 March 2023. The Company currently holds no shares in treasury.
In total, the resolution will allow the Directors to allot a maximum aggregate of two thirds of the issued share capital of the Company and is considered routine by the Investment Association (as set out in its share capital management guidelines).
The directors have no present intention to allot shares or grant rights to subscribe for or convert any security into shares pursuant to this authority. However, the Directors consider it desirable to have the flexibility to respond to market developments and to enable allotments to take place in appropriate circumstances.
If the resolution is passed, the authority will expire at the conclusion of the next annual general meeting, or close of business on 31 July 2024, whichever is earlier.
If the Directors wish to allot new shares and other equity securities, or sell treasury shares, for cash (other than in connection with an employee share scheme), company law requires that these shares are offered first to shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings. There may be circumstances, however, when it is in the interests of the Company to be able to allot new equity securities for cash other than on a pre-emptive basis.
Resolution 16 deals with the authority of the Directors to allot new shares or other equity securities pursuant to the authority given by Resolution 15, or sell treasury shares, for cash without the shares or other equity securities first being offered to shareholders in proportion to their existing holdings. Such authority shall only be used in connection with a pre-emptive offer, or otherwise, up to an aggregate nominal amount of £18,065, being approximately 5% of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 17 March 2023. The Company currently holds no treasury shares.
The 2015 Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles supports the annual disapplication of pre-emption rights in respect of allotments of shares and other equity securities (and sales of treasury shares for cash) representing no more than an additional 5% of issued ordinary share capital, to be used only in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment. The 2015 Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles defines "specified capital investment" as meaning one or more specific capital investment related uses for the proceeds of an issuance of equity securities, in respect of which sufficient information regarding the effect of the transaction on the Company, the assets the subject of the transaction and (where appropriate) the profits attributable to them are made available to shareholders to enable them to reach an assessment of the potential return.
Accordingly, and in line with the template resolutions published by the Pre-Emption Group in 2015, Resolution 17 seeks to authorise the Directors to allot new shares and other equity securities pursuant to the authority given by Resolution 15, or sell treasury shares, for cash up to a further nominal amount of £18,065, being approximately 5% of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company as at 17 March 2023, only in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment which is announced contemporaneously with the allotment, or which has taken place in the preceding six-month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the issue. If the authority given in Resolution 17 is used, the Company will publish details of the placing in its next Annual Report.
If these resolutions are passed, the authorities will expire on the earlier of the next annual general meeting, or, if earlier, 31 July 2024.
The Board considers the authorities in Resolutions 16 and 17 to be appropriate in order to allow the Company to have the flexibility to finance business opportunities or to conduct a rights issue or other pre-emptive offer without the need to comply with the statutory pre-emption provisions, which can be done if shareholders have first given this limited waiver of their pre‑emption rights.
The Board intends to adhere to the provisions in the 2015 Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles not to allot shares for cash on a non-pre-emptive basis (other than pursuant to a rights issue or pre-emptive offer) in excess of an amount equal to 7.5% of the total issued ordinary share capital of the Company within a rolling three-year period other than: (i) with prior consultation with shareholders; or (ii) in connection with an acquisition or specified capital investment which is announced contemporaneously with the allotment or which has taken place in the preceding six-month period and is disclosed in the announcement of the allotment.
The Directors are aware of the revised Pre-Emption Group's Statement of Principles and the new template resolutions that have been published by the Pre-emption Group in November 2022, which include an increase in the dis-application of pre-emption rights limit. The Directors have decided that they do not want to increase the dis-application threshold at the current time, but will keep it under review.
The effect of Resolution 18 is to grant authority to the Company to purchase its own ordinary shares, up to a maximum of 36,130,314 ordinary shares, until the annual general meeting in 2024, or 31 July 2024, whichever is earlier. This represents 10% of the ordinary shares in issue as at 17 March 2023, being the latest practicable date prior to the publication of this Notice. The Company's exercise of this authority is subject to the stated upper and lower limits on the price payable, the upper limit being the price stipulated in Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/1052 as referred to in Article 5(6) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Listing Rules.
Pursuant to the Companies Act 2006, the Company can hold any shares which are repurchased as treasury shares and either resell them for cash, cancel them, either immediately or at a point in the future, or use them for the purposes of its employee share schemes. Holding the repurchased shares as treasury shares will give the Company the ability to resell or transfer them in the future and will provide the Company with additional flexibility in the management of its capital base. No dividends will be paid on, and no voting rights will be exercised in respect of, treasury shares. Shares held as treasury shares will not automatically be cancelled and will not be taken into account in future calculations of earnings per share (unless they are subsequently resold or transferred out of treasury).
The Directors consider it desirable and in the best interests of shareholders to grant this authority. The Directors will exercise the authority only when to do so would be in the best interests of the Company and of its shareholders generally.
The Company will not, save in accordance with a predetermined, irrevocable and non-discretionary programme, repurchase shares in the period immediately preceding the preliminary announcement of its annual or interim results as dictated by the Listing Rules or Market Abuse Regulation or, if shorter, between the end of the financial period concerned and the time of a relevant announcement or, except in accordance with the Listing Rules and the Market Abuse Regulation, at any other time when the Directors would be prohibited from dealing in shares.
As at 17 March 2023, being the latest practicable date prior to publication of this Notice, awards over to 23,752,647 ordinary shares were outstanding under the Company's share schemes, representing 6.1% of the Company's total issued ordinary share capital as at 17 March 2023, and 6.6% of the Company's total issued ordinary share capital if the full authority to purchase its own shares (as is being sought in Resolution 18) is used.
Under the Companies Act 2006, the notice period required for all general meetings of the Company is 21 clear days, though shareholders can approve a shorter notice period for general meetings that are not annual general meetings, which cannot, however, be less than 14 clear days. Resolution 19 seeks such approval. Annual general meetings will continue to be held on at least 21 clear days' notice. The shorter notice period would not be used as a matter of routine, but only where the flexibility is merited by the business of the general meeting to be held, and is thought to be to the advantage of shareholders as a whole. Shareholder approval will be effective until the Company's next annual general meeting, when it is intended that a similar resolution will be proposed.
Part 14 of the Companies Act 2006 requires companies to obtain shareholders' authority for donations to registered political parties and other political organisations in the EU totalling more than £5,000 in any 12-month period, and for any political expenditure in the EU, subject to limited exceptions. The definition of donation in this context is very wide and extends to bodies such as those concerned with policy review, law reform and the representation of the business community. There are further restrictions on companies incurring political expenditure (as defined in the Companies Act 2006) without first obtaining shareholders' consent. The Company has not made any and does not envisage making any political donations; however, this resolution is proposed for approval as a precaution in order to avoid inadvertent breach of the legislation as a result of the wide meanings given to the terms "political donations" and "political expenditure". This resolution, if passed, will authorise the Directors until the annual general meeting in 2024 to make donations and incur expenditure which might otherwise be caught by the terms of the Companies Act 2006, up to an aggregate amount of £100,000 for the Company and for subsidiary companies.
Funding Circle Holdings plc 71 Queen Victoria Street London EC4V 4AY
corporate.fundingcircle.com/investors
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