2. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires— Act No. 13 of 2008 “ auditor ” has the same meaning assigned to it in the Accountants Act; “ authorisation ” means any consent, permission, recognition or capacity given or granted by the Commission to a licensed person— (a) for carrying on business, a transaction or a series of transactions as a capital markets operator; or (b) for doing any act or omitting to do any act incidental to business, a transaction or a series of transactions; whether or not for a specific period; “ authorised person ” means a person authorised to exercise the powers of the Commission as specified in this Act; “ Commission ” means the Securities and Exchange Commission continued in existence in accordance with section seven; “ bank ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Banking and Cap. 387 Financial Services Act; “ beneficial owner ” means the ultimate owner of securities held in a securities account, excluding a nominee; “ blocked account ” means an account that belongs to a holder of securities and which is the subject of a pledge, charge or judgment debt and in which the interest of the chargee, pledgee or judgment creditor has not been satisfied and notified to a clearing and settlement agency; “ board ” means a board of a capital markets operator or company with registered securities in whom the management of the entity is vested; “ Board ” means the Board of the Commission appointed in accordance with section eight; Securities [No. 41 of 2016 867 “ capital markets ” means the market where securities are bought and sold; “ capital markets operator ” means a person registered, authorised or licensed in accordance with this Act to perform specific functions in the capital markets, including a person or entity, whether incorporated in Zambia or not, who is granted or receives authorisation from the Commission, an intermediary, nominee or a person conducting a professional development or asset management programme; “ Chief Executive Officer ” means the person appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the Commission in accordance with section sixteen; “ clearing and settlement ” means the— (a) process of preparing for settlement of a securities transaction which has been executed on a securities exchange; (b) provision of clearing and settlement facilities; and (c) determination of payment and delivery obligations of the parties to a securities transaction, whether or not on a net basis; “ clearing and settlement agency ” means a company that is licensed in accordance with this Act to— (a) be a depository of securities for purposes of clearing and settling securities transactions; (b) provide clearing and settlement facilities; (c) maintain records of trades in securities for purposes of settling claims for securities; (d) maintain records of transfers and pledges of securities for purposes of permitting securities to be transferred by record entry; or (e) hold security certificates deposited for purposes of permitting securities to be transferred by record entry; excluding a dealer, bank or financial institution acting exclusively in the ordinary course of its business; “ clearing and settlement agency licence ” means a licence granted to a company in accordance with section twenty- three; 868 No. 41 of 2016] Securities “ clearing and settlement facility ” means a system or mechanism provided by a clearing and settlement agency for the— (a) holding of securities in dematerialised form; (b) presentation and exchange of data or documents in order to calculate the obligations of the participants in the system and to allow for the settlement of obligations; (c) transfer of securities; and (d) clearing services or arrangements that mutualise or transfer among participants the credit risk arising from securities transactions; excluding a clearing and settlement facility maintained by the Bank of Zambia, or an entity, facility, system or organisation that solely arranges or provides for— (a) settlement, netting or novation of obligations resulting from agreements, contracts or transactions on a bilateral basis; (b) settlement or netting of cash payments through an inter-bank payment system; or (c) settlement, netting or novation of obligations resulting from a sale of a commodity; “ collective investment scheme ” means a scheme in whatever form, including an open-ended investment company, where members of the public are invited or permitted to invest money or other assets in a portfolio and in terms of which— (a) two or more investors contribute money or other assets to, and hold a participatory interest in, a portfolio of the scheme through shares, units or other form of participatory interest; and (b) the investors share the risk and the benefit of investment in proportion to their participatory interest in the portfolio of the scheme or as determined in the trust deed; “ committee ” means a standing or special committee of the Commission established in accordance with section thirteen; Securities [No. 41 of 2016 869 “ commodity ” means virtual and non-virtual commodities, such as agricultural commodities, gold, silver, platinum, gemstones, minerals, carbon credits, emission permits, emission allowances, and includes other products commonly known as commodities and which are prescribed by rules made by the Commission; “ company ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Companies Cap. 388 Act; “ contract note ” means a document specified in section eighty-five; “control” means the control of a company by a person who— (a) beneficially owns more than one half of the issued share capital of the company; (b) is entitled to vote a majority of the votes that may be cast at a general meeting of the company, or has the ability to control the voting of a majority of those votes, either directly or through a controlled entity of that person; (c) is able to appoint or to veto the appointment of a majority of the directors of the company; (d) is a holding company and the company is a subsidiary of that company as provided for in the Companies Act; (e) in the case of a company that is a trust, has the ability to control the majority of the votes of the trustees, to appoint the majority of the trustees or to appoint or change the majority of the beneficiaries of the trust; or (f) has the ability to materially influence the policy of the company in a manner comparable to a person who, in ordinary commercial practice, can exercise an element of control referred to in paragraphs (a) to (e); “ Court ” means the High Court for Zambia; “ credit rating ” means an opinion regarding the creditworthiness of a licensed person, securities or an issuer; “credit rating agency” means a person who provides credit rating services as provided in this Act; Cap. 388 870 No. 41 of 2016] Securities “ credit rating services ” means the analysis, evaluation, approval, issuing or review of data and information for the purposes of credit rating; “ custodian ” means a company authorised, in accordance with this Act, to have charge or custody of property, papers or other valuables; “ dealer ” means a person specified in section thirty-two and who holds a dealer’s licence; “ dealer’s licence ” means a licence granted to a company in accordance with section thirty-seven authorising a company to carry on a business as a dealer; “ dealing ” means— (a) acquiring, disposing of, subscribing for or charging or pledging of, securities; (b) underwriting securities; or (c) making or offering to make with any person, or inducing or attempting to induce a person to enter into or offer to enter into, an agreement relating to— (i) the acquisition or disposal of, subscription for or charging or pledging of, securities; or (ii) underwriting of securities; “ debt securities ” means debt created or acknowledged in an instrument which is issued or proposed to be issued by a company, including debentures, debenture stock, loan stock, bonds, certificates of deposit, commercial paper and notes; “ defalcation ” means a default, act of embezzling, failure to meet an obligation, misappropriation of trust funds or money held in any fiduciary capacity and failure to properly account for such funds; “ dematerialised ” means uncertificated securities which represent a share, or other interest in property, of a company or an obligation of the issuer that is not represented by an instrument but is registered on the issuer’s records; Securities [No. 41 of 2016 871 “ depository ” means a place where money or other valuable is placed and kept for safekeeping; “ disgorgement ” means an act of giving up profits, as a result of insider dealing obtained in accordance with an order of the court issued as specified in section one hundred and forty-one; “ electronic ” means the use of equipment for processing, digital compressing, storing and transmitting data or employing wires, radio, optical technology or any electromagnetic method for such purpose, and includes an electronic signature attached to, incorporated in or logically associated with other data and which is intended by the user to serve as a signature, and “electronically” shall be construed accordingly; “ electronic book entry system ” means an electronic arrangement that permits the holding of securities, whether or not represented by scrip, and which permits the transfer of ownership or interest in those securities by electronic adjustments through securities accounts without physical movement or physical exchange of scrip or endorsement, and “book entry” shall be construed accordingly; “ electronic trading facility ” means a trading facility that— (a)operates by means of an electronic or telecommunications network; and (b) maintains an automated audit trail of bids, offers and the matching of orders or the execution of securities transactions; “ exchange ” means a securities exchange which is licensed in accordance with section twenty-two; “ exchange rules ” means rules made by a securities exchange and approved by the Commission; “ fit and proper ” means the criteria set by the Commission in accordance with rules made under section two hundred and twenty-one; “ foreign collective investment scheme ” means a collective investment scheme declared to be an authorised scheme in accordance with section one hundred and twenty-five; 872 No. 41 of 2016] Securities “ Fund ” means the Compensation Fund established in accordance with section one hundred and seventy-six; “ insider ” means a person who— (a) is connected with a listed company in one or more of the following capacities: (i) director of the company or of a related company; (ii) officer of the company or of a related company; (iii) employee of the company or of a related company; (iv) independent contractor of the company who is involved in a professional or business relationship with the company; (v) shareholder of the company or any person who has or can be considered to have a relationship with the company or shareholder; (vi) member of the audit committee of the company; (b) has inside information where the person knows that the direct or indirect source of the information was a person specified in paragraph (a); (c) obtains inside information from a person specified in paragraph (b); and (d) by virtue of having been connected with the company in any other way, possesses unpublished price-sensitive information in relation to the securities of the company; “ insider dealing ” means trading in securities by an insider for the benefit of the insider or any other person; “ investment adviser ” means a person specified in section thirty-three and who holds an investment adviser’s licence; “ investment adviser contract ” means a contract entered into between an investment adviser and a client to, provide advice on the value of securities or investing in securities, or manage an investment or trading account of a client; Securities [No. 41 of 2016 873 “ investment adviser’s licence ” means a licence granted to an investment adviser in accordance with section thirty- seven; “ investment company ” means a company having, as its purpose, the investment of its funds with the aim of spreading investment risk and giving its members the benefit of the results of the management of those funds by or on behalf of the company; “ issuer ” means a person or other entity that issues, has issued or proposes to issue, securities to the public in accordance with this Act; “ licence ” means a licence granted in accordance with this Act and “licensed” shall be construed accordingly; “ licensed person ” means a person who is granted a licence, as the case may be, in accordance with this Act; “ listed company ” means a company whose securities have been registered with the Commission and which has been admitted to trade its securities on a securities exchange; “ listed securities ” means securities of a listed company; “ listing exchange ” means the securities exchange on which listed securities are traded; “ listing requirements ” means the requirements, issued by a licensed exchange and approved by the Commission, which must be met before securities are listed on the securities exchange, traded or continue to be traded on the exchange; “ manager ” means a person who— (a) holds a dealer’s or investment adviser’s licence; (b) directs the business, operations and affairs of a collective investment scheme; and (c) is authorised in accordance with section one hundred and twenty-three; “ marked to market ” means re-valued for purposes of the seller’s obligations at the current market value; “ market misconduct ” includes— (a) the use or disclosure of price-sensitive information contrary to this Act; 874 No. 41 of 2016] Securities (b) engaging in improper trading practices as provided in Part XVIII; (c) failure to comply with any provision of this Act; and (d) a conviction of an offence under this Act; “ material change ” means a change in the business, operations, assets or ownership of an issuer that could reasonably be expected to have a significant effect on the market price or value of the securities of the issuer, and includes a decision to implement a change made by the issuer; “ material fact ” means a fact that significantly affects or could reasonably be expected to significantly affect the market price or value of the securities of the issuer; “ merger ” means an amalgamation of two or more entities, where an entity, directly or indirectly, acquires or establishes control over the whole or part of the business of another entity or where two or more entities mutually agree to adopt arrangements for common ownership or control over the whole or part of a business, and includes an acquisition by an entity outside Zambia which affects Zambian entities; “ misrepresentation ” means— (a) an untrue statement of a material fact; or (b) an omission to state a material fact that is required to be stated or is necessary to prevent a statement that is made from being false or misleading in the circumstances in which it is made; “ netting ” means the process of reducing multiple obligations for fewer settlement obligations or to a single settlement obligation; “ nominee ” means a person authorised by a beneficial owner of securities to hold the securities in custody for that beneficial owner; “ officer ” means an employee of the Commission; “ open-ended investment company ” means a company whose articles of association authorise the acquisition of its own shares structured in such a manner that it provides for the issuing of different classes of shares to investors, with each class of shares representing a separate portfolio having a distinct investment policy; Securities [No. 41 of 2016 875 “ participant ” means a person who receives services from a clearing and settlement agency, other than exclusively— (a) through another person who is a participant; or (b) as a pledgee, judgment creditor or beneficial owner; for whom a blocked account in a clearing and settlement facility has been established; “ participating clearing bank ” means a bank which is assigned or appointed to provide banking and other facilities, to an exchange, a clearing and settlement agency and members of an exchange, to facilitate clearing and settlement functions; “ pledge ” means a contractual interest in a security that is delivered to, retained by, or considered to be in the possession of, a creditor to secure payment of a debt or other obligation; “ price-sensitive information ” means a material fact or material change that is not generally available or disclosed in relation to registered securities and if it were generally known, would likely materially affect the price of the securities; “ primary market ” means the market in which securities are issued or traded for the first time, including a market where a company seeks to raise funds from investors in exchange for the company’s securities; “ prospectus ” means a notice, circular, brochure, advertisement, publication or request issued in paper or other document, whether electronic or otherwise, inviting applications or offers from the public to subscribe or purchase, or offering to the public for subscription or purchase, a share in or debenture of a company or proposed company, and includes a statement attached to or intended to be read with the prospectus; “ public body ” means the Government, a Ministry or department of the Government, the National Assembly, a local authority, parastatal, council, authority, the Commission or other body appointed by the Government or established by any other written law; “ public company ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Companies Act; Cap. 388 876 No. 41 of 2016] Securities “ public debt securities ” means loan stock, bonds and other instruments creating or acknowledging indebtedness by or on behalf of a public body or central bank; “ registered owner ” means a person who is, or is presumed to be, shown on the securities register of an issuer as the owner of securities or holds a securities certificate issued by the issuer; “ registered securities ” means securities that have been registered in accordance with section seventy-five; Cap. 354 “ repealed Act ” means the Securities Act, 1993, repealed in accordance with section two hundred and twenty-two; “ reporting issuer ” means an issuer— (a) who has made an offer of securities, by way of a prospectus, before or after the commencement of this Act; (b) who has made, by way of a merger, take-over or similar procedure, an offer for securities; (c) whose securities are listed on a securities exchange in Zambia; or (d) who has not less than fifty shareholders; “ representative ” means a person who is employed by, or acts for, a dealer or an investment adviser and who performs for that dealer or investment adviser any of the functions of a dealer or investment adviser, other than the work ordinarily performed by accountants, legal practitioners, clerks or cashiers, whether or not remuneration is paid, and holds a representative’s licence; “ representative’s licence ” means a licence granted in accordance with section thirty-seven; “ rules ” in relation to a securities exchange, a clearing and settlement agency or a self-regulatory organisation means the rules governing the members, by whatever name called and wherever contained, and includes rules contained in the articles of association of the securities exchange, clearing and settlement agency or self-regulatory organisation; “ Secretary ” means the person appointed Secretary to the Commission in accordance with section seventeen; Securities [No. 41 of 2016 877 “ securities ” means— (a) shares; (b) debt securities; (c) public debt securities; (d) derivatives; (e) any rights, options or derivatives in respect of any such shares, debt securities or public debt securities; (f) any rights under a contract to secure a profit or avoid a loss by reference to fluctuations in— (i)vthe value or price of any shares, debt securities or public debt securities; (ii) the value or price of a group of shares, debt securities or public debt securities; or (iii) an index of shares, debt securities or public debt securities; (g) unit trusts and interests under collective investment schemes; (h) commercial paper; (i) depository receipts; (j) warehouse receipts; or (k) any other instrument commonly known as securities or which are prescribed by rules made by the Commission; excluding treasury bills, bills of exchange, promissory notes, certificates of deposit issued by a bank, or any other instrument prescribed by rules, made by the Commission, not to be securities for the purposes of this Act; “ securities certificate ” means an instrument issued by, or on behalf of, an issuer that is evidence of an interest in securities; “ securities exchange ” means an exchange established and operated by a company licensed to do so in accordance with section twenty-two; “ securities market ” means a place where, or facility, whether electronic or otherwise, by which— (a) trading in securities is regularly undertaken; 878 No. 41 of 2016] Securities (b) invitations are intended, or may reasonably be expected, to result, whether directly or indirectly, in securities transactions; or (c) information is regularly provided on the prices at which, or the consideration for which, particular persons or particular classes of persons propose, or may reasonably be expected, to undertake securities transactions; “ securities transaction ” means the process or system through or by which securities are traded; “ self-regulatory organisation ” means an organisation that regulates the operations and standards of practice and business conduct of its members and their representatives and which is recognised by the Commission in accordance with section twenty-nine; “ senior management ” means the chief executive officer, chief financial officer and executive director of a company, licensee or issuer, or any person performing similar functions; “ settlement ” means the completion of a securities transaction, in accordance with this Act, through the final transfer of securities and monies between the buyer and seller; “ settlement guarantee fund ” means a fund established by a clearing and settlement agency in accordance with paragraph (e) of subsection (1) of section twenty-three; “ shares ” means an ownership interest or stocks issued or proposed to be issued by a company in the capital of the company; “ share transfer agent ” means— (a) a person who, on behalf of an issuer— (i) creates and maintains the records of holders of securities issued by an issuer; Securities [No. 41 of 2016 879 (ii) deals with all matters connected with the transfer, issue, cancellation and redemption of its securities; (iii) safeguards securities and funds; and (iv) distributes dividends; or (b) a department or division, by whatever name called, of a listed company performing the activities referred to in paragraph (a), if at any time the total number of the holders of the company’s securities exceed a prescribed amount; “ short sale ” means a sale of a security that the seller or seller’s principal does not own, or has not contracted for, at the time of sale or which requires the seller to borrow in order to make delivery; “ subsidiary ” has the meaning assigned to it in the Companies Cap. 388 Act; “ substantial shareholder ” means a person who is the beneficial owner of, or is in a position to exert control over, not less than fifteen percent of the shares of a body corporate; “ take-over ” means the acquisition by a person of sufficient shares in a company to give the acquirer control over that company, and includes an acquisition by a person outside Zambia which affects Zambian companies; “ take-over bid ” means an offer or invitation to treat made for the purpose of a take-over as provided in section one hundred and thirty-two; “Tribunal” means the Capital markets Tribunal established in accordance with section one hundred and eighty-four; “ trust deed ” means an agreement drawn up between the trustees and the managers, or between such persons approved by the Commission, for purposes of regulating the operations of a collective investment scheme, funds, debentures, bonds or other schemes approved by the Commission; “ trustee ” means a person who is authorised by the Commission in accordance with section one hundred and twenty-three; 880 No. 41 of 2016] Securities “ underwriter ” means— (a) a dealer who has temporarily purchased securities from an issuer with a view to offering or selling the securities for the issuer in connection with the distribution of such securities or participates or has a direct or indirect participation in any such undertaking, excluding a person whose interest is limited to a commission from an underwriter or a dealer which is not in excess of the usual and customary distributor’s or seller’s commission; or (b) a person who is not a dealer but who obtains approval from the Commission to act as an underwriter in a particular transaction in compliance with rules prescribed by the Commission; and “ underwriting ” shall be construed accordingly; “ units ” means sub-divisions of a beneficial interest in the assets of a collective investment scheme or of any other scheme approved by the Commission; “ unit trust ” means any scheme or arrangement in the nature of a trust where members of the public are invited or permitted, as beneficiaries under the trust, to acquire an interest or undivided share in one or more groups or blocks of specified securities and to participate proportionately in the income or profits derived under the trust; “ unlisted securities ” means securities that are not listed on a securities exchange; and “venture capital funds” means risk capital by investors to start-up firms and small and medium sized businesses with perceived high growth potential. Application of Act to shares owned by Government Exemption