JPX Market Innovation & Research to acquire 100% of SCRIPTS Asia shares
Japan Exchange Group, Inc. (JPX) announces that its Board of Directors has, at the meeting held today, resolved that its subsidiary JPX Market Innovation & Research, Inc. (JPXI) will make SCRIPTS Asia, K.K. a wholly owned subsidiary through the acquisition of all its issued shares, subject to the approval of the relevant authorities.
The sum of the acquisition is USD 20 million (JPY 2.9 billion). In addition to this, a conditional acquisition consideration (earn-out consideration) of a maximum amount of USD 15 million (JPY 2.17 billion) may be paid contingent on the satisfaction of certain criteria.
Overseas investors are an important player in the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE) stock market, and there are great expectations from these overseas investors for the disclosure and provision of company information in English.
In light of this, TSE has been encouraging its listed companies to improve their corporate value through constructive dialogue with global investors, while also working to support them in enhancing their disclosure, for example through the establishment in March last year of “JPX English Disclosure GATE.”
SCRIPTS Asia is a start-up company which creates transcripts of investor events held by listed companies and translates them into English within a short time after the event, then distributes these to domestic and overseas institutional investors, securities companies, and the like. SCRIPTS Asia’s services are highly evaluated by overseas investors.
In consideration of SCRIPTS Asia’s contribution to narrowing the information gap between overseas and Japanese investors through its distribution of event transcripts, TSE has been collaborating with SCRIPTS Asia to provide a transcript distribution service since 2020.
In order to promote the further expansion of English disclosure, JPX considers supporting its enhancement through the provision of practical services as an important part of its role as a market operator, and hence has decided to actualize this vision through the acquisition of SCRIPTS Asia by JPXI.
In addition, together with ICJ, Inc. and Minsetsu, Inc. (which have capital relationships with JPX) and other partners, JPX will look to increase the volumes of information communicated through and enhance operational efficiency in dialogue between listed companies and investors or shareholders, in order to contribute to improving the reach and vitalization of the Japanese stock market by promoting constructive dialogue between listed companies and investors.