Registered shares




Changeover to registered shares

"Seven forty-four nine hundred" is becoming "A zero XYGA"

The Shareholders' Meeting of technotrans AG on May 9, 2008 resolved, among other things, to change the company's shares from bearer shares to registered shares. We provide a variety of information below that will be of interest to you, our shareholders.

Bearer shares, registered shares – what's the difference?

In the case of bearer shares, the shareholder in the company is the party placing the shares in a security deposit account at a bank. The company therefore does not know the name or address of the individual shareholder, and it can consequently only communicate with the shareholders via the depositary banks. Take for example the invitation to the Shareholders' Meeting: because the company does not know who the shareholders are, the invitations are sent first of all to the depositary banks, who then forward them to those customers who have shares in the company deposited with the banks on a given date.

In the case of registered shares, all shares are entered on a share ledger. Only those parties entered on the share ledger are considered to be shareholders in the company. If a shareholder sells their shares, a note is entered on the share ledger and the party who bought the shares is entered on the share ledger in their place.

The shareholders' data (name, address, date of birth and number of shares) is transmitted largely automatically, by electronic means, with the result that no action is required on the part of the shareholder.

Registered shares are widespread outside Germany, but are now becoming increasingly popular in Germany too.

What does the changeover mean

- for the company?

The registered share offers the company a unique opportunity to communicate directly with shareholders. The share ledger enables the company to contact its shareholders directly and in a targeted manner, e.g. in order to send them invitations to the Shareholders' Meeting. We also expect that the change will bring quite significant cost savings that will probably more than outweigh the cost of switching to registered shares. The company will moreover obtain a clearer picture of its shareholder structure. By monitoring changes, it will be able to keep track of developments and the company will be able to adjust accordingly. That will also pave the way for more targeted and therefore more effective investor relations work.

- for the shareholder?

Initially not a great deal, apart from the obvious change to a new, unfamiliar securities identification number. In particular, our shareholders will incur no costs as a result of the changeover or for entries on the share ledger. Dividend will continue to be paid out via the depositary bank. One difference is that our shareholders will now receive mail such as the invitation to the Shareholders' Meeting directly from the company. In order to take part in the Shareholders' Meeting, the shareholder must have sent off their registration by no later than the 7th day prior to the Shareholders' Meeting. The remaining details will be announced along with the invitation.

Precisely what information is recorded on the share ledger?

Only those who are entered on the share ledger are deemed to be shareholders in the company (Section 67 Paras. 1 and 2 of German Stock Corporation Law). The company's shareholders are registered with the following data: name, address, date of birth; in the case of legal entities, their company, business address and registered office, as well as the number of shares held in each case. Every shareholder is entitled to information about what data is kept about them on the ledger. The shareholders' data will be transferred automatically by the depositary banks unless shareholders object to its entry.

Is my personal data safe?

The data on the share ledger is confidential and is not disclosed to unauthorised third parties. Although shareholders need not be entered on the share ledger, the company considers only those who are entered on the share ledger to be shareholders. If the shareholder lodges an objection with the depositary bank, the latter will normally be entered as trustee. This will mean that the shareholder will not receive information directly from the company, such as the invitation to the Shareholders' Meeting, nor will they be able to exercise their rights as a shareholder directly.

What is the exact procedure for the changeover?

On October 17, 2008, all holdings of our shares will be changed after the market close. The "old" bearer shares with the number WKN 744 900 and ISIN DE0007449001 will be exchanged 1:1 for the "new" registered shares with the number WKN A0X YGA and ISIN DE000A0XYGA7. Trading of the "new" registered shares will start on Monday, October 20, 2008.