Notice for Shareholders regarding the distribution of the Special Dividend-in-kind of SEALSQ shares to WISeKey Shareholders
Date: June 12, 2023
The information contained in this notice is correct as of the date of posting. Neither WISeKey International Holding AG nor SEALSQ Corp. are under any obligation to provide any further updates.
The process of distributing the special dividend-in-kind of shares of SEALSQ to shareholders of WISeKey is underway, having commenced on the May 23, 2023. However, as is standard in cross-border transactions of this type, the process is not immediate and therefore there will be a delay before you receive evidence of the distribution of your SEALSQ shares.
Depending upon the manner in which you have chosen to hold your WISeKey shares, you should expect one of the following events to occur:
If you are a registered holder of Ordinary B Shares in WISeKey (i.e. the WISeKey shares you own are registered in your own name on the WISeKey shareholder register), you should expect to receive a letter from Computershare US (the registrar and transfer agent for SEALSQ shares) that will include details on the SEALSQ shares that have been distributed to you and how to access your SEALSQ shares in Computershare’s Direct Registration System (DRS) for SEALSQ shareholders. The next steps to take, if you wish, is to instruct Computershare to transfer your SEALSQ shares to your brokerage or custody account. Alternatively, the SEALSQ shares can be retained in the Computershare DRS through which it is possible to issue sales instructions on SEALSQ shares. The letter you are to receive from Computershare US will also contain details on how to access your DRS account online, and any fractional SEALSQ shares sold on your behalf and the payment for the fractional shares.
For any shareholders who have not yet completed their US W-8/W-9 tax certification, the letter will contain details on how to declare your tax status with an extension to complete the certification being provided until June 30, 2023.
If you have any questions for Computershare US on your SEALSQ shares, please contact Computershare Shareholder Services at +1 (617) 231 2593 or (866) 777-0201.
If you are a holder of Ordinary B Shares in WISeKey not registered in our share register (i.e. you hold your WISeKey shares in a brokerage or custody account), your broker or custodian bank will have received a communication from Computershare US providing them with the details for the number of SEALSQ shares they have been credited on behalf of the unregistered WISeKey shareholders that have accounts at the broker or custodian such bank and an instruction on how to distribute the SEALSQ shares to their account holders. Your broker or custodian bank is responsible to allocate the SEALSQ shares to you as WISeKey, SEALSQ and Computershare US do not have the details of the holders of WISeKey shares held in broker or custodian bank accounts. Please contact your broker or custodian bank for more information.
If you are a holder of American Depositary Shares representing WISeKey shares, the distribution of SEALSQ shares The Depository Trust Company (DTC) system (the US clearing system) has been completed. You should have received or will shortly receive confirmation from your broker or custodian bank that is a participant in DTC of the SEALSQ shares that have been distributed to you as well as any fractional share cash equivalent. Please contact your broker or custodian bank for more information.
We hope that this provides some additional clarity on the process.