The first offshore company was approved to be listed for trading on the Stock Exchange of Mauritius (SEM). The company has a Global Business Licence Category 1, which is more stringent than GBL 2, and the listing is in line with a new Chapter 18 of the regulations. The Financial Services Commission of Mauritius licences global business sector companies.
The listing of the ordinary shares of Evisa Investments Limited was approved on 28 February for the SEM’s Official Market. Evisa is a holding company and its primary investment is in Cannon Assurance Ltd, a company incorporated since 1967 in Kenya. Evisa has 1,000,000 Ordinary Shares of US$5.45 each in issue. Its main objective is to provide its shareholders with dividend income and long-term gain through expanding and diversifying its investments.
Chapter 18 addresses specific requirements for corporations holding a GBL 1 licence and certain types of debt instruments targeted to special categories of investors, including “expert investors”, as defined in the Securities (Collective Investment Schemes and Closed-end Funds) Regulations 2008.
According to a press release, the listing of GBL 1 companies is in line with SEM’s internationalisation strategy, and fosters the development of synergistic links between the Global Business Sector and the Stock Exchange of Mauritius. It also fits with the overall objective of positioning Mauritius as a jurisdiction of substance.
The SEM was incorporated in Mauritius on March 30, 1989 under the Stock Exchange Act 1988, as a private limited company responsible for the operation and promotion of an efficient and regulated securities market in Mauritius. Since October 2008, the SEM has become a public company, and over the years the Exchange has witnessed a significant overhaul of its operational, regulatory and technical framework to reflect the changing standards of global stock markets. Mauritius is well poised to become a leading base for funds investing into Africa from all over the world, including from India and China and there is potential for more listings.
SEM is today one of the leading Exchanges in Africa and is a member of the World Federation of Exchanges, the South Asian Federation of Exchanges, the African Securities Exchanges Association and the Committee of SADC Stock Exchanges. SEM is an Approved Stock Exchange by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority and a “Recognised Stock Exchange” by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs in UK.
Evisa is a public company limited by shares, incorporated on 16 May 2002 and licensed by the FSC to operate as a GBL 1 company. The company secretary and registered office address of Evisa is International Management (Mauritius) Limited, Les Cascades Building, Edith Cavell Street, Port Louis.