ETASSUM43320 - Schedule 4 Company Share Option Plan (CSOP): Shares to be used: Open market test

Paragraph 20 was repealed on 6 April 2023: Unexercised options granted prior to 6 April 2023 will benefit from the changes to the share class requirement.

Options granted prior to 6 April 2023:
For companies with more than one class of shares, if the scheme shares are not “employee-control” shares, they must satisfy the “open market test” in paragraph 20(3)(a). This means that the majority of the shares of the scheme class must be held by what can be summarised as “outsiders”, specifically:

• persons who did not acquire their shares “as a director or employee” of any company (paragraph 20(3)(a)) (ETASSUM43330),
• persons who acquired their shares in pursuance of an offer to the public (paragraph 20(3)(a)),
• trustees - but excluding the shares they hold on behalf of persons who acquired their interests in the shares “as a director or employee” and not in pursuance of an offer to the public (paragraph 20(3)(b)),