What Is a Direct Listing?
On June 1, 2023, the United States Supreme Court unanimously held that a stockholder bringing claims under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 must plead and prove that they purchased shares traceable to the allegedly...more
The U.S. Supreme Court held that purchasers of shares sold to the public through a direct listing cannot sue under Section 11 of the Securities Act of 1933 unless they can trace their shares to an allegedly defective...more
The D&O liability landscape is poised to change—or not—depending on how the US Supreme Court rules in the long-running Section 11 case against Slack. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in this case on April 17, 2023, and...more
On December 15, 2022, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relaxed price range limitations when it approved a proposed rule change set forth by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) for companies listing in connection...more
On December 15, 2022, the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) received approval from the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to modify certain pricing limitations for companies undertaking a direct listing involving sales...more
On December 2, 2022, the SEC, acting through its Division of Trading and Markets, approved changes that Nasdaq had proposed to its regime for primary direct listings (which Nasdaq refers to as direct listings with a capital...more
[Editor's Note (1/25/22): This article includes an update regarding the amended rule proposal Nasdaq filed with the SEC in January 2022.] [Editor's Note (6/1/21): This article includes an update regarding a proposed rule...more
The NYSE’s yearly statistics release highlights a second consecutive year of record new listings and the exchange’s increased focus on sustainability. This year’s listings added $1 trillion of new market capitalization to...more
On September 20, 2021, in the first case by a U.S. Court of Appeals to have considered the issue, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals held that a shareholder plaintiff had statutory standing to pursue claims under...more
The decision appears to create a new rule for determining standing to bring Securities Act claims in the context of direct listings. The Slack Direct Listing Decision - On September 20, 2021, the US Court of Appeals...more
On September 20, 2021, in a 2-1 decision, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that Sections 11 and 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933 (1933 Act) apply to direct listings of company shares, including...more
When the SEC was considering the NYSE’s proposal to permit direct listings of primary offerings, one of the frequently raised problems related to the potential “vulnerability” of “shareholder legal rights under Section 11 of...more
On May 19, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved Nasdaq’s proposal to permit companies to issue shares and raise capital in primary direct listings conducted on the Nasdaq Global Select Market without...more
On February 22, 2021, Nasdaq amended the rule changes it initially proposed in September 2020 that would permit an issuer to conduct a concurrent primary offering of its securities and a direct listing on Nasdaq. ...more
On Dec. 22, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a proposed change to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) listing rules that will allow a company, at the time of its initial listing on the NYSE, to...more
On December 22, 2020, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a proposal by the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) that allows companies going public via a direct listing to issue new shares and raise capital...more
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has approved New York Stock Exchange rule changes that will grant the exchange discretion to allow companies to raise money by selling common shares in registered direct offerings,...more
Shortly before the end of his tenure as Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Chair Jay Clayton presided over the SEC as it considered and approved the New York Stock Exchange’s (NYSE) proposed rule change...more
What you need to know about this IPO alternative - On December 22, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved a NYSE rule that permits an issuer, at the time of an initial listing on the NYSE, to conduct a...more
Yesterday, by another 3-2 vote, the SEC approved changes to NYSE listing rules relating to primary direct listings after conducting a “de novo” review following objections raised by certain investors and commentators. In...more
On December 22, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) approved the proposal submitted by the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) that allows companies to conduct concurrent primary offerings as part of a...more
On August 26, the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets took action, pursuant to delegated authority, to approve a proposed NYSE rule change that would allow companies going public to raise capital through a primary direct...more
Private companies go public for a variety of reasons, including: •raising capital- •providing liquidity for existing owners- •establishing publicly traded currency for acquisitions... ...more
Direct listings have been gaining traction as an alternative to the traditional IPO approach to going public. A direct listing is the registered sale of a company’s stock and the listing of that company’s stock on an exchange...more
SEC Greenlights NYSE Proposal Modifying Direct Listings; SEC Expands Definition of Accredited Investor; SDNY Court Permits Trial To Proceed Against Former Lead Trader at Nomura Securities International; Delaware Chancery...more