Time Finance plc (LON:TIME), the AIM listed specialist finance provider has announced the establishment of a 2022 Share Option Scheme. The 2022 Option Scheme has been designed to incentivise and retain the Company’s executives and senior management to deliver sustainable growth for the Company’s shareholders and any options awarded under the 2022 Option Scheme are expected to be satisfied without further dilution for the Group’s shareholders. The Group also announces awards of share options under the 2022 Option Scheme as set out below.
2022 Share Option Scheme
The Company has established the 2022 Option Scheme as an unapproved (i.e. non tax-advantaged) share option scheme under which nil-cost options over ordinary shares of 10 pence each in the capital of the Company (“Options“) may be awarded. Options awarded under the 2022 Option Scheme will be subject to a three-year vesting period from the date of grant, with the number of awards which ultimately vest dependent on the grantee’s continued service and on stretching performance conditions set by the Time Finance Remuneration Committee.
The Options today awarded under the 2022 Option Scheme, details of which are provided below, are the only Options that will be awarded under the Scheme. No future Option awards will be made under the 2022 Option Scheme.
As a result, it is currently expected that the Options awarded under the 2022 Option Scheme will be capable of being satisfied in full from unallocated existing ordinary shares held by the Company’s Employee Benefit Trust, without any further dilutionary effect.
The sale of ordinary shares acquired pursuant to exercises of Options will not be permitted for a period of 12 months, save for sales of ordinary shares to meet the income tax and both the employee and employer National Insurance liabilities on exercise, subject to orderly market and closed period restrictions. The sale of ordinary shares in the ensuing period of 12 months will be permitted subject to orderly market and close period restrictions.
Following the implementation of the 2022 Share Option Scheme, no further share options will be awarded under the Company’s 2020 Share Option Scheme, details of which were announced by the Company on 29 October 2020. 405,000 unvested share options remain in issue under the 2020 Option Scheme.
Share Option Awards
Under the 2022 Option Scheme, the Company has today granted a total of 1,835,000 Options, representing 1.98 per cent. of the Company’s current undiluted issued ordinary share capital.
The Awarded Options will vest in three equal tranches over a three-year period subject to stretching annual performance conditions in respect of the profitability of the Group over the three years ended 31 May 2025 and to Remuneration Committee discretion.
Vested Awarded Options may be exercised at nil-cost from the date of vesting up until the date falling 5 years from the date of vesting, provided that the recipient remains an employee of the Group at the date that the Awarded Options are exercised.
Of the Awarded Options, 1,235,000 Awarded Options have been granted to Ed Rimmer, the Company’s Chief Executive Officer and the remaining 600,000 Awarded Options have been granted to PDMR’s of the Group. The notifications below, provided in accordance with the Market Abuse Regulation, provide further details.
The Time Finance (LON: TIME) core strategy is to focus on providing or arranging the finance UK SMEs require to fund their businesses. It offers a multi-product range for SMEs including asset, vehicle, loan and invoice finance. While primarily an ‘own-book’ lender the Group does operates a ‘hybrid’ lending and broking model enabling it to optimize business levels through market and economic cycles.
