Exhibit 10.39
FIRST AMENDED AND
RESTATED
MARKETING ALLIANCE
AGREEMENT
HSBC BANK PLC
GLOBAL PAYMENTS
INC.
AND
HSBC MERCHANT SERVICES
LLP
-1-
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Page
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SECTION 1:
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DEFINITIONS AND
INTERPRETATION
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1
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1.1
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Definitions and
Interpretation
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1
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SECTION 2:
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MERCHANT
AGREEMENTS; SPECIAL ACCOUNTS
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1
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2.1
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Merchant
Agreements
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1
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2.2
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Rights under
Merchant Agreements
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2
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2.3
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Modifications
to and terminations of Merchant Agreements
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4
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2.4
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Modification of
Existing Merchant Agreements
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4
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2.5
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New Merchant
Agreements
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4
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2.6
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Authorised
Agent
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5
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2.7
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Key
Accounts
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5
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2.8
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Bank Affiliate
Transactions and “on us” transactions
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7
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SECTION 3:
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SERVICES
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8
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3.1
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Joint Venture
Services; Processor Exclusivity
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8
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3.2
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Bank
Services
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9
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3.3
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Authorisation
and Consents
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9
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3.4
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Fees for Bank
Services; Invoices
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10
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3.5
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GPN obligation
in relation to Transition Agreement
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12
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SECTION 4:
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DEPOSIT AND
SETTLEMENT PROCEDURES
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12
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4.1
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Acceptance,
Delivery, and Settlement of Credit Card Transaction, etc
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12
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4.2
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Amendments
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13
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4.3
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Funding Costs
for Merchant Settlement
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13
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SECTION 5:
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PAYMENTS AND
ACCOUNTS; CLEARING ARRANGEMENTS
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14
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5.1
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General
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14
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5.2
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Withdrawal of
Account Fees and Unreimbursed Chargebacks, etc
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15
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5.3
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Ownership of
Settlement Accounts
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15
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SECTION 6:
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EXCLUSIVITY AND
MARKETING
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15
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6.1
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Referral of
Potential Merchants; Covenant Not to Compete; etc
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15
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6.2
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Marketing
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22
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6.3
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Governmental or
other Contracts
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22
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6.4
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Benchmarking
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22
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6.5
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Customer
Satisfaction Exercises
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23
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6.6
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Contact
Strategy
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23
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6.7
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Pan-European
Acquiring
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23
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6.8
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Annual
Marketing Plans and Global Partnership Meetings
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23
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6.9
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Sales
Leads
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24
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SECTION 7:
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CHARGEBACKS,
CREDIT LOSSES AND RISK MANAGEMENT
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24
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7.1
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Chargebacks and
Credit Losses
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24
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7.2
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Processing
Chargebacks and Credit Losses; Pre-Completion
Transactions
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24
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-1-
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Page
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7.3
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Payment for
Unreimbursed Chargebacks and Credit Losses
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25
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7.4
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Reserve
Accounts
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26
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SECTION 8:
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MEMBERSHIP IN
CARD ASSOCIATIONS AND NETWORK ORG
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28
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8.1
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Card
Association and Network Organisation Membership by Bank
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28
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8.2
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Card
Association and Network Organisation, etc
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28
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8.3
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Compliance with
Association Rules by the Joint Venture
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28
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8.4
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Processing and
Clearing Arrangements
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29
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8.5
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Bank Services
Fees and Indemnity during Run-Off Period
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29
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SECTION
9:
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PAYMENT OF
SCHEME FEES
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29
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9.1
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Payment of
Scheme Fees and Interchange Fees
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29
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SECTION 10:
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AMENDMENTS TO
SERVICES; PROBLEM NOTIFICATION
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30
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10.1
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Complaints
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30
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10.2
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Changes in
Laws, Association Rules and Clearing System Rules
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31
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10.3
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Problem
Notification
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31
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10.4
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Root-Cause
Analysis and Resolution
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31
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SECTION 11:
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SERVICE
LOCATIONS AND SECURITY
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32
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11.1
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Rights of
Access
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32
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11.2
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Joint Venture
Service Locations
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32
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11.3
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Unauthorised
Access or Copying
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32
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11.4
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Data Security
for Bank System
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32
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11.5
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Data Security
for Joint Venture
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33
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11.6
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Rights of
Access to Bank Service Locations
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34
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11.7
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Co-operation
with Special Investigations
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35
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SECTION 12:
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REPORTS, DATA
AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
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35
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12.1
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Joint Venture
Reports and Data Sharing
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35
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12.2
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Bank Reports
and Data Sharing
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35
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12.3
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Format and Cost
of Reports
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35
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12.4
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Ownership and
use of the Bank Data
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36
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12.5
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Access to the
Bank Data
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36
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12.6
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Privacy
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36
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12.7
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Ownership and
use of the Joint Venture Data
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36
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12.8
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Access to the
Joint Venture Data
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38
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SECTION 13:
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BUSINESS
RECOVERY PLANS
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38
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13.1
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Business
Recovery Plan
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38
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13.2
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Force
Majeure
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39
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SECTION 14:
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AUDITS,
REGULATORY EXAMINATIONS AND COMPLIANCE
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39
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14.1
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Audits and
Inspections
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39
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14.2
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Regulatory
Matters
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40
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SECTION 15:
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TERM AND
TERMINATION OF AGREEMENT
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42
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15.1
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Term and
Agreement
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42
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Page
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15.2
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Termination
Events
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42
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15.3
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Bank
Default
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42
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15.4
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Joint Venture
Default
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44
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15.5
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Other
Termination Events
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46
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15.6
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Run-Off Period
and Termination
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46
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15.7
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Consequences of
termination where GPUK owns 100% of Membership
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48
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SECTION 16:
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DESIGNATION OF
RESPONSIBLE PERSONNEL
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49
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16.1
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Joint Venture
Representatives
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49
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SECTION 17:
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EMPLOYEES
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49
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17.1
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Employee
recruitment Assistance
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49
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SECTION 18:
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CREDIT
POLICY
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49
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18.1
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Approval of
Merchant Qualification Criteria
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49
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18.2
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Review of
Merchant Qualification Criteria
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49
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18.3
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Provision of
updated copies of Merchant Qualification Criteria
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49
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SECTION 19:
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INDEMNIFICATION/LIMITATION OF LIABILITY,
ETC
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50
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19.1
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Indemnification
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50
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19.2
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Limitation of
Liability
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52
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19.3
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Recovery
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54
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19.4
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Notice of
Default
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54
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19.5
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Notice of
Litigation
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54
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SECTION 20:
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REMEDIES
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54
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20.1
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Remedies of the
Bank
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54
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SECTION 21:
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DISPUTE
RESOLUTION
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55
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21.1
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Dispute
Resolution
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55
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SECTION 22:
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MISCELLANEOUS
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55
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22.1
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Amendments
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55
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22.2
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Notices
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56
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22.3
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No Waiver;
Remedies
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57
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22.4
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Third Party
Beneficiaries
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57
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22.5
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Assignment
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58
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22.6
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Governing Law,
Jurisdiction
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58
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22.7
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Entire
Agreement
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59
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22.8
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Independent
Contractor
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59
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22.9
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Severability
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59
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22.10
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Execution in
Counterparts
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59
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22.11
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Confidentiality
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59
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22.12
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Joint
Announcement
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62
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22.13
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Survival
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62
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22.14
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Further
Assurances
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63
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22.15
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Data
Protection
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63
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22.16
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Expenses
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63
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-3-
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Page
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22.17
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Binding
Agreement
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63
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22.18
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Withholding
Tax; Applicable Sales Taxes; Transfer Pricing
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63
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22.19
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Countering
Bribery
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66
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SCHEDULE 2.5 : EXISTING FORM OF NEW
MERCHANT AGREEMENT
SCHEDULE 2.7 : LIST OF KEY ACCOUNTS
SCHEDULE 3.1(b) : JOINT VENTURE SERVICE
LEVELS
SCHEDULE 3.1(e) : PROCESSING
AGREEMENT
SCHEDULE 3.2.1 : BANK SERVICES AND
FEES
SCHEDULE 3.2.2 : BANK SERVICE LEVELS
SCHEDULE 6.1(f) : REFUND OR REFERRAL FEE
PURCHASE AMOUNT
SCHEDULE 7.3 : INDEMNIFIED EXISTING MERCHANT
LIST
SCHEDULE 7.4 : EXISTING RESERVE
ACCOUNTS
SCHEDULE 18.1 : MERCHANT QUALIFICATION
CRITERIA
-4-
FIRST AMENDED AND
RESTATED
MARKETING ALLIANCE
AGREEMENT
This FIRST AMENDED AND RESTATED
MARKETING ALLIANCE AGREEMENT (“Agreement”) is made
on June 2009, by and among HSBC Bank
PLC, a company incorporated under the laws of England and Wales
(registered number 14259) with its registered office at 8 Canada
Square, London E14 5HQ, GLOBAL PAYMENTS INC. , a corporation
organized under the Laws of the State of Georgia U.S.A with its
registered address at 10 Glenlake Parkway, North Tower, Atlanta,
Georgia, 30328, and HSBC Merchant Services LLP (No.
0C337146) a limited liability partnership incorporated under the
laws of England and Wales whose registered office at 51 De Montfort
Street, Leicester, LE1 7BB.
WHEREAS, on 17 June 2008 the Bank and GPUK entered
into the Purchase Agreement pursuant to which the Bank agreed to
sell and GPUK agreed to purchase a 51% interest in the Joint
Venture; and
WHEREAS, the Parties entered into a Marketing Alliance
Agreement dated 30 June 2008 (the “ Original
Marketing Alliance Agreement ”) which sets out certain
activities which the Parties have agreed to undertake or cause to
be undertaken with respect to the Merchant Acquiring Business;
and
WHEREAS , the Bank has agreed to sell and Global
Payments U.K. Limited agreed to purchase the Bank’s 49%
interest in the Joint Venture; and
WHEREAS , the Parties have agreed to amend and restate
the Original Marketing Alliance Agreement as set forth herein;
and
WHEREAS , the execution and delivery of this Agreement
by the Bank, GPN and the Joint Venture is one of the deliveries to
be made at closing of the Instrument of Transfer; and
NOW, THEREFORE
, in consideration of the closing of
the transactions contemplated by the Instrument of Transfer, of the
foregoing and of the mutual covenants and agreements contained
herein, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged, the Bank, GPN and the Joint Venture hereby agree as
follows:
SECTION 1. DEFINITIONS AND
INTERPRETATION
SECTION 1.1 Definitions and
Interpretation. Capitalised terms used but not defined in this
Agreement shall bear the same meanings as in part 1 of Schedule 1.1
to the Purchase Agreement (the “ Definition and
Interpretation Schedule ”) and the provisions of part 2
of the Definition and Interpretation Schedule shall apply as if
they appeared in this Section. Other expressions which are defined
in this Agreement shall bear the meanings so assigned to them where
used elsewhere in this Agreement.
SECTION 2. MERCHANT AGREEMENTS;
SPECIAL ACCOUNTS
SECTION 2.1 Merchant
Agreements. Except as expressly provided for in this Agreement,
the Bank shall remain a party to all Existing Merchant Agreements
and take such other actions as may be necessary in consultation
with the Joint Venture in order to comply with the applicable
Association Rules as they relate to the Bank Services.
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SECTION 2.2 Rights under Merchant
Agreements.
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(a)
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The rights and
obligations of the Joint Venture and the Bank in relation to the
Existing Merchant Agreements and New Merchant Agreements entered
into between the Effective Time and the New Form Merchant Agreement
Issue Date are as set out in the Hive Down Agreement. Except as
expressly set out herein the Joint Venture shall, after the
Effective Time, be entitled to receive all of the rights under all
Existing Merchant Agreements and New Merchant Agreements and shall
be responsible for all liabilities arising from or relating to all
Existing Merchant Agreements and New Merchant
Agreements.
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(b)
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Save as
expressly provided below in Section 2.2(c), the Joint Venture
shall not, prior to the later of the Migration Completion Date or
the expiry or termination of the HSBC Trade Mark Licence Agreement
(“ Relevant Date ”), assign or transfer the
benefits or obligations under any Merchant Agreement (other than an
assignment of any right of the Joint Venture to revenue) without
the prior written Consent of the Bank (not to be unreasonably
withheld or delayed). The Bank’s refusal to grant Consent to
any such assignment or transfer to a Restricted Entity shall not be
considered “unreasonably withheld” by the Bank. For
greater certainty, a Change of Control of HMS or of any of
HMS’ parent or affiliates shall not constitute an assignment
as contemplated by this Section 2.2(b).
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(c)
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The Joint
Venture shall be permitted to assign to any Person:
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(i)
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at any time
after the First Variation Effective Date, its rights to revenue in
respect of any Merchant Agreement;
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(ii)
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at any time
after the Relevant Date, any of its rights and obligations in
respect of any Merchant Agreements;
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(iii)
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at any time
after the Relevant Date, all of its rights and obligations in
respect of any Merchant Agreements where such assignment or
delegation is part of a transfer of all of the rights of the Joint
Venture under this Agreement to the same Person to whom such
Merchant Agreements are assigned;
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(iv)
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at any time
after the Relevant Date, any of its rights and obligations in
respect of any Merchant Agreements in relation to any assignment or
delegation of any of the Joint Venture’s rights, privileges,
duties and obligations hereunder to an Affiliate of the Joint
Venture in accordance with, and subject to, Section 22.5
(Assignment);
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(v)
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at any time after the Relevant
Date, in conjunction with a Change of Control, all Merchant
Agreements, where all or substantially all of the rights or
obligations under such Merchant Agreements are
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-2-
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assigned or transferred by the
Joint Venture to the Person to whom such control is transferred and
who is not an Affiliate of the Joint Venture; and/or
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(vi)
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at any time
after the Relevant Date, any of its rights, privileges, duties and
obligations hereunder to any Person into or with which the
assigning or delegating Party shall merge or consolidate or to
which the assigning or delegating Party shall sell all or
substantially all its assets in accordance with
Section 22.5.
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(d)
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In relation to
any assignment of Merchant Agreements pursuant to
Section 2.2(c) above the Joint Venture shall be entitled to
request that the Bank assign to the assignee: (i) any
remaining rights and obligations it may have by virtue of remaining
a party to the Merchant Agreements; and/or (ii) any
BIN/ICA’s which relate to the Merchant Agreements that are to
be assigned and which the Bank is permitted to assign pursuant to
applicable Laws and Association Rules; and, subject to the Bank
being indemnified (in a form reasonably acceptable to the Bank) by
the Joint Venture and the relevant assignee against any claims and
liability in relation to such Merchant Agreements and BIN/ICAs
relating to transactions processed after the effective date of the
Bank’s assignment referred to in this Section 2.2(d),
the Bank shall assign such Merchant Agreements and/or BIN/ICAs in
accordance with such request.
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(e)
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Save in
relation to an assignment under Section 2.2(c)(i), (iii),
(iv), (v) and (vi) or any assignment under
Section 2.2(c)(ii) where the Joint Venture continues
notwithstanding such assignment to carry out (and retains all
rights and obligations in relation to carrying out) settlement with
the relevant Merchant, following any assignment under
Section 2.2(c)(ii) of any Merchant Agreement by the Joint
Venture, the Bank shall immediately following the perfection of
such assignment (by way of migration, conversion and transfer of
the Merchant Agreement and BIN/ICAs to the assignee, as the case
may be) have no further obligation or liability to the Joint
Venture or any assignee under this Agreement (with respect to the
assigned Merchant Agreements), under the assigned Merchant
Agreement or otherwise in relation to the assigned Merchant;
provided that, the Bank’s obligations under any assigned
Merchant Agreements, under this Agreement and in relation to the
assigned Merchant will continue as to all liabilities which arose
or Credit Card Transactions which were handled prior to the
perfection of such assignment from the Bank to the applicable
assignee.
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(f)
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The Parties
agree that:
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(i)
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they will work
together in good faith and use their commercially reasonable
endeavours to cause an orderly transition of any assigned Merchant
Agreements to the relevant assignee or transferee within a
transition period reasonably requested by the Joint Venture (and
the Joint Venture will pay the Bank’s reasonable costs and
expenses in relation to any such transition assistance provided by
the Bank pursuant to this Section); and
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-3-
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(ii)
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the Joint
Venture shall, notwithstanding any assignment of any Merchant
Agreement, continue to be liable to the Bank under this Agreement
in relation to all obligations and liabilities it has to the Bank
in relation to such Merchant Agreement.
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SECTION 2.3 Modifications to and
terminations of Merchant Agreements.
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(a)
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The Joint
Venture shall not modify any Merchant Agreement in a way which
increases the Bank’s liabilities to the Card Associations or
under any Merchant Agreement or under this Agreement or any other
Operative Document without the Bank’s prior written Consent.
Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, Section 2.4
(Modification of Existing Merchant Agreements), Section 2.7
(Key Accounts) and Section 6.1(q) (Exclusivity and Marketing),
the Joint Venture shall have the right to modify any Merchant
Agreement at any time.
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(b)
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Subject to the
provisions of Section 2.7(c) regarding Key Accounts, the Joint
Venture shall have the right to terminate any Merchant Agreement at
any time. Unless otherwise expressly provided for in this
Agreement, the Bank shall not terminate any Existing Merchant
Agreement or New Merchant Agreement without the prior Consent of
the Joint Venture such Consent not to be unreasonably
withheld.
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SECTION 2.4 Modification of
Existing Merchant Agreements. Without prejudice to
Section 2.3, the Joint Venture shall not effect modifications
to Existing Merchant Agreements prior to 1 January 2009
(i) except to the extent it deems reasonably necessary to
protect itself against a Loss; or (ii) except in relation to
Key Accounts to which Section 2.7 applies, to (on notice to a
Merchant in accordance with the terms of the relevant Existing
Merchant Agreement), increase the fees charged to that Merchant
where:
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(a)
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such increase
is equivalent to a fully absorbed cost increase (including an
increase in Interchange Fees) received from a Card Association or
Network Organisation;
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(b)
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the Merchant is
priced below Interchange Fees plus Assessments provided that the
increase does not result in charges which exceed the Standard Rate;
or
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(c)
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as otherwise
agreed with the Bank (including where incorporated in an amended or
replaced form of agreement approved by the Bank).
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SECTION 2.5 New Merchant
Agreements. The Bank and the Joint Venture shall cooperate in
good faith to agree a new form of Merchant Agreement as soon as
practicable following the Completion Date and, in any event, prior
to the date 75 days from the Completion Date (the “New
Form Merchant Agreement Target Date” ). If the Bank and
the Joint Venture have not agreed a new form of Merchant Agreement
by the New Form Merchant Agreement Target Date, the Bank and the
Joint Venture shall be deemed to have agreed to the
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latest draft form of Merchant Agreement as
proposed by the Joint Venture on such date, provided that such
draft form of Merchant Agreement shall comply with applicable Laws,
Association Rules and Clearing System Rules. The form of Merchant
Agreement deemed to be agreed under the preceding sentence or as
agreed between the Bank and the Joint Venture prior to the New Form
Merchant Agreement Target Date shall be the “New Form
Merchant Agreement” . From the Effective Time until the
date the New Form Merchant Agreement has been printed and is ready
for issue (which shall be no later than the date 60 days following
the New Form Merchant Agreement Target Date) (or any later date
agreed between the Joint Venture and the Bank) (the “New
Form Merchant Agreement Issue Date” ), except as
otherwise provided herein, all Merchant Agreements executed by the
Joint Venture shall be substantially in the form set out in
Schedule 2.5 (Existing Form of New Merchant Agreement). From
the New Form Merchant Agreement Issue Date (or any later date
agreed between the Joint Venture and the Bank), except as otherwise
provided herein, all Merchant Agreements executed by the Joint
Venture shall be substantially in the form of the New Form Merchant
Agreement, which form may be amended from time to time by the Joint
Venture with the prior written Consent of the Bank, (the form in
Schedule 2.5 together with the New Form Merchant Agreement
and any subsequently agreed amended forms each being an “
Agreed Form New Merchant Agreement ”) .
Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Bank and the Joint Venture
provide a joint response to a request for proposal (“
RFP ”) which relates to Merchant Acquiring Services,
the Joint Venture shall have the limited authority to sign, on
behalf of the Bank, a New Merchant Agreement which is substantially
in the form presented in the joint RFP response even if the form
materially differs from the Agreed Form Merchant Agreement,
provided that the obligations of the Bank in such agreement do not
differ materially from the obligations of the Bank under the Agreed
Form Merchant Agreement. Except as set forth above, the
Bank’s Consent shall be required prior to the execution of
any New Merchant Agreement negotiated between the Joint Venture and
a Merchant pursuant to any other RFP. Where in this Section 2
the Bank’s Consent is required in relation to a modification
to a Merchant Agreement, or to the terms of a New Merchant
Agreement, or to the terms of a new Agreed Form New Merchant
Agreement, the Bank’s Consent shall not be unreasonably
withheld or delayed and shall be assumed to have been given unless
the Bank advises the Joint Venture that it does not Consent within
7 days of a written request for Consent being received by the
Bank.
SECTION 2.6 Authorised Agent.
The Bank hereby grants to the Joint Venture the limited authority
to sign any New Merchant Agreements from time to time on behalf of
the Bank in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, provided
that such New Merchant Agreements do not differ substantially from
the Agreed Form New Merchant Agreement.
SECTION 2.7 Key
Accounts.
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(a)
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Attached hereto
as Schedule 2.7 (List of Key Accounts) is a list of
Merchants that the Parties acknowledge are significant relationship
customers of the Bank (the “ Key Accounts ”).
Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in this Agreement,
the Bank may add any Merchant or otherwise revise the list of
Merchants set out in Schedule 2.7 (List of Key Accounts) at
any time and from time to time as the Bank may reasonably consider
appropriate by giving at least 30 days notice to the Joint Venture
provided that at no time will Schedule 2.7 (List of Key
Accounts) contain more than 250 Merchants.
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(b)
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Notwithstanding
Section 2.7(c), the Joint Venture may, with 7 days prior
written notice to the Bank, amend the pricing relating to a Key
Account where the Key Account is currently priced below the
Standard Rate applicable to Merchants having characteristics in the
market place (including volume levels) materially the same as those
of the relevant Key Account (“ Relevant Standard Rate
”), provided that the increased price charged shall not be
greater than the Relevant Standard Rate.
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(c)
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Except as
permitted in Section 2.7 (b), if the Joint Venture desires to
cause a Merchant Agreement that relates to a Key Account to be
terminated or modified in respect of any material commercial terms
(including discount fees and other fees and expenses payable by the
Key Account) or to commence or threaten legal action against a Key
Account in connection with the applicable Merchant Agreement, the
Joint Venture shall first give notice to the Bank’s Joint
Venture Representative of its intention to do so (a “ Key
Account Notice ”), which notice shall include a
description of the Joint Venture’s proposed course of action
and the reasons therefore. A Key Account Notice indicating that the
Joint Venture desires either to terminate a Merchant Agreement that
relates to a Key Account because it reasonably believes that a
continuation of the Merchant Agreement with the Key Account may
result in Losses to the Joint Venture (including Losses arising
from or in connection with the potential bankruptcy or insolvency
of the Key Account or the risk profile of the Key Account or the
potential sale, assignment, transfer or disposal of the Key
Account), or to seek injunctive or other equitable relief against
the Key Account, shall be considered an “ Emergency
”. The Bank must respond to an Emergency within two Business
Days after the Key Account Notice is received by the Bank. If the
Key Account Notice does not relate to an Emergency, the Bank shall
respond within five Business Days after receipt of the Key Account
Notice. If the Bank responds to the Joint Venture within the
applicable response time that it wishes to become involved in the
proposed action involving a Key Account with a view to avoiding or
preventing the proposed termination, modification or legal or other
proceeding or action or otherwise addressing the issues set forth
in the Key Account Notice, the Bank and the Joint Venture shall
negotiate in good faith to ensure that a mutually agreeable
solution is reached as soon as reasonably possible. In the event
that (i) the Bank does not respond to the Key Account Notice
within the applicable response time, or (ii) the Bank responds
but the Bank and the Joint Venture do not reach a mutually
agreeable solution including where the Bank does not agree to
subsidise or otherwise contribute or provide rights of indemnity
(to the satisfaction of the Joint Venture) with respect to Losses
arising from or in connection with such Key Account or the Merchant
Agreement relating to such Key Account (A) in the case of an
Emergency, at the end of the second Business Day, or (B) in
any other case, at the end of the 10th Business Day after the Bank
has responded, or failed to respond within the applicable response
time, to the Key Account Notice, the Joint Venture shall be
permitted to proceed with the course of action proposed in the Key
Account Notice without any further notice to or Consent from the
Bank.
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(d)
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The Bank may,
from time to time, request the Joint Venture to offer Merchant
Acquiring Services for specified fixed periods to certain Key
Accounts on the basis of Interchange Fees and Assessments plus an
agreed margin which margin (“ Discounted Margin
”) is lower than the margin element of the Standard Rate
applicable to Merchants having characteristics in the market place
(including volume levels) materially the same as those of the
relevant Key Account (“ Standard Margin ”). The
Joint Venture and the Bank shall negotiate in good faith taking
into account prevailing market conditions and competitive pricing
and agree on a reduction of the Standard Margin for such Key
Accounts, failing which the Joint Venture shall honour the
Discounted Margin request as long as the Bank agrees to pay to the
Joint Venture the difference between the Discounted Margin and the
Standard Margin (the “ Reimbursement Amount” ).
The Joint Venture shall invoice the Bank monthly for any
Reimbursement Amount owed by the Bank under this Agreement and such
invoices shall be due and payable within 30 days after receipt by
the Bank.
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(e)
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If the Bank
desires to terminate any arrangement described in
Section 2.7(d) with respect to a particular Key Account, it
shall have the right to do so by providing the Joint Venture with
written notice in advance of such termination specifying the
effective date of termination; provided, however, that such notice
period must be at least as long as the notice period required under
the terms of the applicable Merchant Agreement for the Joint
Venture to terminate or if appropriate amend, as applicable, the
applicable Merchant Agreement plus an additional 30
days.
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SECTION 2.8 Bank Affiliate
Transactions and “on us” transactions.
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(a)
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The Bank
acknowledges that there are certain Credit Card Transactions
(collectively, “ Bank Affiliate Transactions ”)
of the Bank and certain of its Affiliates and other Persons in
which the Bank has an ownership interest (e.g., insurance and
brokerage subsidiaries) (collectively, for the purposes of this
Section only, “ Bank Affiliates ”). The Bank
agrees that it shall use commercially reasonable endeavours to
ensure that all Bank Affiliates who utilise the Merchant Acquiring
Services or services similar to the Merchant Acquiring Services
(i) process Bank Affiliate Transactions exclusively through
the Joint Venture; and (ii) execute a New Merchant Agreement
with the Joint Venture in the same form as the Agreed Form Merchant
Agreement not later than 6 months after the Effective Time. Where a
Bank Affiliate Transaction is processed in the absence of a
Merchant Agreement being in place with the relevant Bank Affiliate
the Bank shall charge the Bank Affiliate at a rate equivalent to
that charged by the Joint Venture in the Ordinary Course for such
processing and shall reimburse the Joint Venture all sums received
from the Bank Affiliate.
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(b)
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The Bank acknowledges that
certain Credit Card Transactions are processed as “on
us” transactions by the Bank rather than being processed
through the Credit Card Interchange System, including, but not
limited to, Bank Affiliate Transactions referred to above. Between
the Effective Time and
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the date that all transactions
are processed through the Credit Card Interchange System, the
issuing side of the Bank shall receive “on-us” rates
for all “on-us” transactions which rates shall not
exceed the Interchange Fees that the relevant Bank Affiliate
Transaction would have otherwise attracted. The Bank agrees that
following the Transition Period, all such transactions shall be
processed through the Credit Card Interchange System, unless
otherwise agreed or required by Laws or Association
Rules.
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SECTION 3.
SERVICES
SECTION 3.1 Joint Venture
Services; Processor Exclusivity.
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(a)
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During the
Term, the Joint Venture shall provide the Joint Venture Services in
respect of all Merchant Agreements in accordance with this
Agreement (either through itself or through the Transition
Agreement or the Processing Agreement). For the avoidance of doubt,
if any of the Bank’s benefits or obligations under any
Merchant Agreements which are intended to be transferred or
assigned to the Joint Venture are not effectively transferred or
assigned for any reason, the Joint Venture shall perform the Joint
Venture Services (including such obligations) in respect of such
Existing Merchant Agreements in accordance with this Agreement
notwithstanding that the Bank may remain bound by such Merchant
Agreements in respect of such obligations and the Joint Venture
shall be entitled to all of the benefits thereunder.
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(b)
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Without
prejudice to the generality of this Section 3.1, the Joint
Venture shall ensure that the Joint Venture Services shall not give
rise to any material deterioration in terms of the types, quality
or standard of the services, products and functionalities provided
or supported by the Bank under the Merchant Acquiring Business as a
whole immediately prior to the Completion Date. The Joint Venture
shall provide the Joint Venture Services in accordance with the
service levels described in Schedule 3.1(b) (Joint Venture
Service Levels). Notwithstanding the foregoing, during the period
from the Completion Date to a date 30 days after the Back End
Migration Completion Date or the Front End Migration Completion
Date (as applicable) if and to the extent that the Required
Information delivered by the Bank under the Transition Agreement
does not include the information described in Part 1 (in relation
to Back End Migration) or Part 2 (in relation to Front End
Migration) of Schedule 6 of the Transition Agreement or such
information is inaccurate then the Joint Venture shall not be in
breach of its obligations under this Agreement to meet a Joint
Venture Service Level if the breach is caused by such omission or
inaccuracy of information and provided always that the Joint
Venture shall use commercially reasonable endeavours to achieve the
relevant Joint Venture Service Levels and to cure any failure to do
so. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,
except for a breach of the Joint Venture Critical Service Levels
which are set forth in Section 15.4 (c) below, no breach
of a Joint Venture Service Level shall constitute a Joint Venture
Default.
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(c)
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As the Joint
Venture’s and the GPN Processor’s technological
infrastructure becomes operational and, in no event later than the
end of the Transition Period, the Joint Venture Services shall
include products and services that, considered as a whole from the
vantage point of customers, are reasonably competitive in
comparison to leading acquirers in the United Kingdom. For greater
certainty, the Joint Venture shall not be required to offer every
product or service offered by leading acquirers in the United
Kingdom and shall not be required to be the lowest cost
acquirer.
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(d)
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The Joint
Venture Services shall also include merchant reporting tools and
other back-end product features which are necessary for the growth
of the Merchant Acquiring Business.
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(e)
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The Joint
Venture has appointed GPN as the GPN Processor with effect from the
Effective Time under the terms of the Processing Agreement attached
at Schedule 3.1 (e) (Processing Agreement). Whilst the
Bank is represented on the Board, the Joint Venture shall not agree
to any amendment to the Processing Agreement which could reasonably
be expected to have a material adverse effect on the Joint Venture
or the Bank or to terminate the Processing Agreement without the
Board’s Consent. If the Bank is not represented on the Board,
the Joint Venture shall (i) not make any material amendment to
the terms of the following provisions within the Processing
Agreement: Sections 7 (Joint Venture Data, Bank Data), 8 (Data
Processing), 9 (Audits, Regulatory Examinations and Compliance) and
10.13 (Confidentiality); and (ii) procure that the GPN
Processor complies with Section 2.4(c) of the Processing
Agreement (Use of Subcontractors); and (iii) not enter into
any replacement Processing Agreement that does not include
provisions offering substantially the same protections to the Bank
as those contained in the Sections described above, in each case,
without the Bank’s Consent. In the event that the Joint
Venture receives a notice of termination of the Processing
Agreement from the GPN Processor, at any time, the Joint Venture
shall promptly notify the Bank.
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SECTION 3.2 Bank Services.
During the Term the Bank shall provide the Bank Services as set out
in Schedule 3.2.1 (Bank Services and Fees) unless otherwise
agreed with the Joint Venture or provided for in this Agreement.
The Bank shall ensure that the Bank Services shall not
(i) give rise to any material deterioration in the services
and functionalities provided or supported by the Bank prior to the
Effective Time which are equivalent to the Bank Services; and
(ii) cause any breach of the Merchant Agreements. The Bank
shall provide the Bank Services in accordance with the standards
applied before the Completion Date and in accordance with the
service levels described in Schedule 3.2.2 (Bank Service
Levels). Except for a breach of a Bank Critical Service Level which
is set forth in Section 15.3 (c), no breach of a Bank Service
Level hereunder shall constitute a Bank Default.
SECTION 3.3 Authorisations and
Consents. The Joint Venture shall be solely and fully
responsible for ensuring compliance by the Joint Venture with all
applicable Laws, Association Rules and Clearing System Rules,
including any service levels established thereunder, and obtaining
and complying with the terms and conditions of all Authorisations
and Consents required by applicable Laws, Association Rules and
Clearing System Rules, in each case, with
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respect to the Joint Venture Services to be
performed by the Joint Venture or by other Persons (other than the
Bank) on its behalf, and shall pay all related Merchant acquiring
fees, costs and expenses and assume all other obligations
associated therewith. The Joint Venture shall be solely and fully
responsible for and shall pay all fines and penalties arising from
or in connection with any non-compliance by the Joint Venture or
any Person (other than the Bank) on its behalf with any Merchant
Agreement, applicable Laws, Association Rules or Clearing System
Rules or other applicable requirements in respect of its delivery
of the Joint Venture Services. As between the Bank and the Joint
Venture, the Joint Venture shall collect from and be responsible
for any fines and penalties arising from the non-compliance by a
Merchant with any Association Rules or Clearing System Rules. Other
than the Merchant acquiring fees, costs and expenses described
above the Joint Venture shall not be responsible for any
Authorisations, Consents, memberships or sponsorships required to
be obtained and/or maintained by the Bank or any Person on its
behalf or for any related fees, costs and expenses required or
incurred in connection with the performance by the Bank or any
Person on its behalf of the Bank Services. The Bank shall be solely
and fully responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable
Laws, Association Rules and Clearing System Rules, including any
service levels established thereunder, and obtaining and complying
with the terms and conditions of all Authorisations and Consents
required by applicable Laws, Association Rules and Clearing System
Rules, in each case, with respect to the Bank Services to be
performed by it or by other Persons on its behalf and, subject to
the Bank’s right to reimbursement as set out in this
Agreement, shall pay related fees, costs and expenses and assume
all other obligations associated therewith. For the avoidance of
doubt, the Bank shall pay all membership fees, costs and expenses
of the applicable Card Associations and Network Organisations which
arise solely and directly from the Bank’s status as an issuer
of Cards (and no right of reimbursement shall apply to such fees,
costs and expenses). The Bank shall be responsible for and shall
pay all fines and penalties arising from or in connection with
non-compliance by the Bank or any Person on its behalf with any
applicable Laws, Association Rules or Clearing System Rules or
other applicable requirements, in respect of its delivery of the
Bank Services (and no right of reimbursement shall apply to such
fees, costs and expenses and, for the avoidance of doubt,
Section 19.2(d) is not intended to limit or exclude the
Bank’s liability to the Card Associations in respect of such
fines and penalties). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary
contained in this Agreement, the Bank shall not be responsible for
any Authorisations and Consents required to be obtained and/or
maintained by the Joint Venture or any Person on its behalf or for
any related fees, costs and expenses required or incurred in
connection with the performance by the Joint Venture or any Person
on its behalf of the Joint Venture Services. In the event that the
Bank receives a notice of a violation by the Joint Venture of a
Merchant Agreement or an applicable Law, Association Rule or
Clearing System Rule, the Bank shall as soon as reasonably
practicable notify (but in no event more than two Business Days
following receipt of such notice) the Joint Venture of the
occurrence and details of such event.
SECTION 3.4 Fees for Bank
Services; Invoices.
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(a)
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Except as provided for in
Section 8.5, the Bank shall charge the Joint Venture in
providing the Bank Services the fees described in Schedule
3.2.1 (Bank Services and Fees) and: (i) for any Bank
Service that is provided during the period from the Effective Time
to the First Variation Effective Date which continues to be
provided following the First Variation Effective Date and which is
not covered by Schedule 3.2.1, an amount equal to the Direct Costs
incurred by the Bank or any of its Affiliates in the provision
of
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the Bank Services not covered by
Schedule 3.2.1; and (ii) for any New Bank Service, such fees,
charges and/or costs as may be agreed between the Bank and the
Joint Venture (and the Bank shall not be required to provide any
New Bank Service, and the Joint Venture will not be obligated to
purchase any New Bank Service from the Bank, unless and until such
fees, charges and/or costs have been agreed), in each case subject
to any adjustment pursuant to Section 22.18(k) (Withholding
Tax; Applicable Sales Taxes; Transfer Pricing) (provided that, for
the avoidance of doubt, the Bank may not charge for the same
services under both this Agreement and the Transition Agreement).
The Bank shall invoice the Joint Venture by the 15th day of each
month for the Bank Services provided during the immediately
preceding month. The Joint Venture shall pay any undisputed amounts
set forth in the Bank invoices within 30 days after receipt. All
payments shall be made in pounds sterling. Except as otherwise
specifically set out in this Agreement, the charges set forth in
Schedule 3.2.1 are the sole and exclusive charges for the Bank
Services. For greater certainty, any Bank Service covered by
Section 9.1(b) (Payment of Scheme Fees and Interchange Fees)
shall be reimbursed in accordance with that Section 9.1(b) and
not this Section.
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(b)
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The Joint
Venture shall notify the Bank of any disputed amounts contained in
any invoice submitted under this Section in the manner specified
in, and the dispute shall be resolved in accordance with,
Section 3.4(e).
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(c)
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GPN and the
Joint Venture shall have the right to audit the Books and Records
of the Bank applicable only to the Bank’s billing for the
provision of the Bank Services hereunder; provided that such
inspection shall be conducted not more often than at reasonable
intervals, shall be at mutually agreeable times upon prior
appointment and subject to the Bank’s Security and Privacy
Policies and Procedures.
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(d)
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[Intentionally
blank]
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(e)
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Any dispute
arising from any invoice issued pursuant to this Section 3.4
shall be resolved in the following manner:
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(i)
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within 180 days
after receiving the invoice, the Joint Venture shall serve written
notice on the Bank stating the nature and amount of its
dispute;
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(ii)
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the Joint
Venture and the Bank shall each appoint an appropriate officer with
authority to resolve the dispute on its behalf within 10 days after
the Bank has received the notice of dispute from the Joint
Venture;
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(iii)
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the officers
respectively appointed by the Joint Venture and the Bank shall act
in good faith and use all reasonable endeavours to resolve the
dispute;
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(iv)
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if the dispute
is not resolved within 30 days after the Bank receives the notice
of dispute from the Joint Venture, the dispute shall be handled in
accordance with Section 21 (Dispute Resolution);
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(v)
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the Bank shall
not be entitled to serve notice under Section 15.4(a) in
respect of any disputed amount for as long as such dispute is
continuing;
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(vi)
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the Joint
Venture shall pay the Bank all undisputed amounts of any invoice on
or before the due date whilst the dispute is being resolved in
accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. If it is later
agreed by the Joint Venture and the Bank or it is ordered by an
arbitrator or court that the whole or any part of the disputed
amount of the invoice should be paid by the Joint Venture, the
Joint Venture shall pay to the Bank the disputed amount together
with interest on that amount at the rate of 10% per annum for
the period from the due date on the applicable invoice until the
date on which payment is actually received by the Bank.
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(f)
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The Joint
Venture shall not be obligated to pay any fees or expenses to the
Bank under this Agreement unless the Bank delivers an invoice to
the Joint Venture for such fees or expenses within six months after
the last day of the month in which such fees or expenses are
incurred. All invoices issued to the Joint Venture shall be in a
form which complies with any applicable Laws.
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SECTION 3.5 GPN obligation in
relation to Transition Agreement. GPN shall pay to the Bank the
sums described in Sections 5.5(b) (Delayed Back-End Migration
Completion) and 5.7(b) (Delayed Front-End Migration Completion) of
the Transition Agreement on behalf of the GPN Processor.
SECTION 4. DEPOSIT AND SETTLEMENT
PROCEDURES
SECTION 4.1 Acceptance, Delivery,
and Settlement of Credit Card Transaction Records and Debit Card
Transaction Records.
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(a)
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On and after
the Effective Time, the Joint Venture shall accept Credit Card
Transaction Records and Debit Card Transaction Records from
Merchants in documentary or electronic (including telephonic) form
and shall transmit such information as is reasonably required by
the Bank to settle with Merchants in the Ordinary Course of the
Joint Venture’s business in accordance with the provisions of
this Agreement and the applicable Merchant Agreement.
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(b)
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The Bank or its Affiliates (as
applicable) shall, on the instructions of the Joint Venture and
subject to the receipt of the information described in
Section 4.1(a), transfer funds from the applicable Settlement
Account to the Merchant Depository Accounts (whether maintained by
Merchants with it or with financial institutions other than the
Bank or any of its Affiliates) in
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the Ordinary Course of the
Bank’s business for settling transactions effected by the
Merchants. In the case of Merchants that are settled on a net
basis, such settlement amounts shall be net of certain Account Fees
depending on the Joint Venture’s arrangement with the
Merchant.
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(c)
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The Bank or its
Affiliates, as applicable, shall debit funds from the applicable
Settlement Account to effect transfers in accordance with
Section 4.1(b). In the event that the Daily Aggregate Balance
of the Settlement Accounts is negative at the end of a day, the
Joint Venture shall pay the Bank a service fee in accordance with
Section 4.3. Unless otherwise agreed by the Joint Venture and
the Bank, the Bank and its Affiliates shall be prohibited from
backdating any settlement deposits into a Merchant Depository
Account (e.g., giving a Merchant credit for funds availability in
its Merchant Depository Account before the funds are actually
deposited). The Joint Venture shall also be prohibited from
requesting the transfer of funds to either a Merchant Depository
Account or a Joint Venture Bank Account prior to the requests for
settlement being sent to the respective Card Association or Network
Association.
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(d)
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The Parties
agree that any over-the-counter cash advances shall be processed
(authorized and settled) through the Credit Card Interchange System
from the Effective Time. The Joint Venture shall be entitled to all
processing revenues (including but not limited to the reverse
interchange) arising from over-the-counter cash advances whether or
not Bank Affiliates have entered into a Merchant Agreement pursuant
to Section 2.8 (a) (Bank Affiliate Transactions and
“on us” transactions). The Bank shall be liable for any
valid Chargeback arising from such transactions.
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SECTION 4.2 Amendments. The
Parties acknowledge and agree that the procedures set forth in this
Section 4 may be amended by agreement between the Joint
Venture and the Bank from time to time provided that such amended
procedures are in accordance with applicable Laws, Association
Rules, Clearing System Rules and provided further that there is no
material adverse impact on the Bank.
SECTION 4.3 Funding Costs for
Merchant Settlement.
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(a)
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In the event
the Daily Aggregate Balance of all of the Settlement Accounts at
midnight (local time in the UK) on any day is negative, the Joint
Venture shall owe the Bank a service fee equal to the negative
amount of such Daily Aggregate Balance multiplied by the
Bank’s then applicable daily lending rate which shall be
equal to the best rate then available from the Bank for a similar
secured lending facility. The Bank shall provide the Joint Venture
with a reconciliation of the debit balances and credit balances in
all of the Settlement Accounts which have been used to calculate
each Daily Aggregate Balance within thirty days after the end of
the applicable month and the Joint Venture shall pay any service
fee owing to the Bank within 30 days after the Joint
Venture’s receipt of the applicable invoice from the Bank.
The reconciliation provided by the Bank shall include a description
of the daily debit or credit balance in each Settlement Account,
together with the applicable lending rate.
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(b)
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Upon receiving
cleared funds from the applicable Card Association or other
settlement system for settlement of Credit Card Transactions, the
Bank shall apply such funds towards satisfaction of any debit
balance in the relevant Settlement Account on a same day
basis.
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(c)
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The Daily
Aggregate Balance shall not include any debit balance in any
Settlement Account to the extent that the applicable amount of
debit balance is satisfied in full through the receipt of cleared
funds from the applicable Card Association or other settlement
system on or before midnight (local time in the UK) on the same day
that such amount of debit balance was incurred.
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(d)
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Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, the Bank
shall not charge the Joint Venture any service fee described in
Section 4.3(a) on any Card Transactions involving Cards issued
by the Bank which are “on us” transactions.
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SECTION 5. PAYMENTS AND ACCOUNTS;
CLEARING ARRANGEMENTS
SECTION 5.1
General.
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(a)
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The Bank shall
maintain one or more internal , segregated settlement
accounts (the “ Settlement Accounts ” ) ,
the sole purpose of which shall be for the Bank to receive funds
from the Card Associations and Network Organizations, as the case
may be, in connection with the Merchant Acquiring
Business.
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(b)
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The Bank shall
provide the Joint Venture electronically with details of settlement
activities (in the manner, format and content agreed to by the
Joint Venture and the Bank) on a daily and monthly basis. The
Bank’s obligation under this Section is satisfied by
providing the Joint Venture with unlimited electronic view access
to the Settlement Accounts.
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(c)
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The Bank shall
provide the Joint Venture the ability to instruct the Bank to make
transfers from the Settlement Account to Merchant Depository
Accounts or from the Settlement Accounts or from the Merchant
Depository Accounts to the Joint Venture bank accounts consistent
with funding rights provided for in the Merchant Agreements and in
accordance with Association Rules. These transfers will reflect
settlement activities and shall include, but not be limited to,
Account Fees, merchant fees, establishment of Reserve Accounts,
Chargeback and Credit Losses, merchant funding exceptions (i.e.,
returns and miscellaneous Merchant fund transfers), Card
Association fees and exceptions (i.e., rejects).
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(d)
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In any event
where the Merchant Acquiring Business receives settlement proceeds
from the Credit Card Associations in one currency and pays a
Merchant in another currency, the Bank agrees to make any such
currency conversion requested by the Joint Venture. The Bank shall
charge the Joint Venture for such foreign exchange activities as
provided for in Schedule 3.2.1 (Bank Services and
Fees).
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SECTION 5.2 Withdrawal of Account
Fees and Unreimbursed Chargebacks from Merchant Depository
Accounts. The Bank shall take the actions set forth in this
Section 5.2 unless otherwise prohibited by the Merchant
Agreement. On a monthly basis, or more frequently if requested by
the Joint Venture, for all Merchants which do not have their
Account Fees debited from their net settlement amounts on a daily
basis, (a) the Joint Venture shall direct the Bank to withdraw
the Account Fees from each Merchant Depository Account maintained
with the Bank or any of its Affiliates, and (b) for each
Merchant whose Merchant Depository Account is maintained with a
financial institution other than the Bank, collect such Account
Fees from the Merchant in the Ordinary Course of the Bank’s
business. Except as otherwise stated in Sections 2.4 (Modification
of Existing Merchant Agreements), 2.7 (Key Accounts) and 6.1(q)
(Exclusivity and Marketing), the Joint Venture shall have the right
to change the manner in which Account Fees are calculated and the
Bank shall be obligated to use commercially reasonable endeavours
to accommodate such changes, so long as changes are consistent with
the applicable Merchant Agreements, Law and/or Association Rules.
On each Business Day for any Merchant whose unreimbursed
Chargebacks and Credit Losses are not already offset from its daily
settlement amounts, the Joint Venture shall direct the Bank to
(i) withdraw any unreimbursed Chargebacks and Credit Losses
from each Merchant Depository Account maintained with the Bank or
any of its Affiliates, and (ii) for each Merchant whose
Merchant Depository Account is maintained with a financial
institution other than the Bank or any of its Affiliates, collect
such Chargebacks and Credit Losses from the Merchant in the
Ordinary Course of the Bank’s business. The Bank shall cause
the Account Fees and amounts related to unreimbursed Chargebacks,
Credit Losses and Merchant settlement adjustments, if any, to be
deposited into a Joint Venture Bank Account. For the avoidance of
doubt, the Bank is not required to take any collection or
enforcement steps or action other than debiting or collecting the
relevant amounts in accordance with this Agreement.
SECTION 5.3 Ownership of
Settlement Accounts. The Parties agree that the Settlement
Accounts shall be held in the name of the Bank or its Affiliates in
order to comply with applicable Association Rules concerning the
use by the Joint Venture of the Bank’s BIN/ICAs . The
Parties agree that the funds which are held in the Settlement
Accounts at any given time are held for the benefit of the
applicable Merchants and the Joint Venture according to the terms
of the relevant Merchant Agreement and this Agreement as their
respective rights and interests to those funds are set forth
therein and the Bank shall not exercise any right over such funds
except as otherwise set forth in this Agreement.
SECTION 6. EXCLUSIVITY AND
MARKETING
SECTION 6.1 Referral of Potential
Merchants; Covenant Not to Compete; Exclusivity; Indemnification
for Indemnified Merchants.
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(a)
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For the
purposes of this Section 6, “ Restriction Period
” means the period of time commencing on the Completion Date
and ending on the start of the Run-Off Period.
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(b)
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Subject to Section 6.1 (c),
during the Restriction Period, neither the Bank nor any of its
Affiliates shall provide access to a BIN/ICA number owned by the
Bank or an Affiliate of the Bank to any Person for the purposes of
a Competing Business in the United Kingdom. This Section 6.1
(b) shall not restrict the Bank or any of its Affiliates from
providing access to an Affiliate
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of the Bank (whose primary business
is outside the United Kingdom) to a BIN/ICA number owned by the
Bank or a Bank Affiliate in relation to the provision of services
similar to Merchant Acquiring Services that are Pan-European or
International Acquiring Services to a merchant of such Affiliate
(whose primary business is outside the United Kingdom) in respect
of which an expression of interest is received by the Bank or an
Affiliate of the Bank from outside the United Kingdom.
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(c)
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During the
Restriction Period, neither the Bank nor any of its Affiliates
shall directly or indirectly solicit or accept on its own behalf or
on behalf of any Person (other than the Joint Venture) any
Merchants or Prospective Merchants in relation to a Competing
Business in the United Kingdom.
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(i)
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The Bank
further agrees that where GPUK (or any Affiliate of GPUK) owns 100%
of the Membership Units in the Joint Venture neither the Bank nor
its Affiliates shall:
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(A)
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for six months
following the Restriction Period solicit or accept Merchants or
Prospective Merchants on its own behalf or on behalf of any Person
(other than the Joint Venture); or
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(B)
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for eighteen
months following the later of (i) the end of the Restriction
Period, and (ii) completion of the Transfer resulting in GPUK
(or any Affiliate of GPUK) owning 100% of the Membership Units in
the Joint Venture, solicit Merchants on its own behalf or on behalf
of any Person (other than the Joint Venture),
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in each case in relation to a
Competing Business in the United Kingdom.
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(ii)
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GPN further
agrees that where the Bank owns 100% of the Membership Units in the
Joint Venture neither GPN nor its Affiliates shall, for eighteen
months following the later of (i) the end of the Restriction
Period, and (ii) completion of the Transfer resulting in the
Bank owning 100% of the Membership Units in the Joint Venture,
solicit Merchants on its own behalf or on behalf of any Person
(other than the Joint Venture) in relation to a Competing Business
in the United Kingdom, except as permitted by
Section 6.1(k).
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(d)
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During the
Restriction Period neither the Bank nor any of its Affiliates shall
participate, directly or indirectly, in a Competing Business in the
United Kingdom (unless such Competing Business is entered into
through the Joint Venture).
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(e)
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Subject to
Section 6.1(g), during the Restriction Period, the Bank shall
refer only to the Joint Venture any Person (a “
Prospective Merchant ”) who expresses an interest in
obtaining any of the following:
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(i)
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Merchant
Acquiring Services in the United Kingdom;
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(ii)
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Merchant
Acquiring Services that are Pan-European; or
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(iii)
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International
Acquiring Services,
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in each case where the relevant
referral is made by or through the Bank based in the United
Kingdom.
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(f)
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Notwithstanding
anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, in the event
of a Change of Control of the Bank, the foregoing shall continue to
apply to the Bank and its successors notwithstanding such Change of
Control. In the case of a Change of Control of the Bank involving a
Merger Transaction where the Bank is not the Surviving Person
immediately following the completion of such Merger Transaction,
then the obligations contained in this Section shall apply to
(i) all of the branches (and the existing and potential
merchants with accounts at such branches) of the Bank in existence
on the date immediately prior to the Change of Control even if the
name of such branches is changed or the control of such branches is
changed as a result of such Change of Control, and (ii) to any
other branches which bear the HSBC name (or derivation thereof)
provided that there shall be no obligation on the Surviving Person
to comply with this Section where to do so would put the Surviving
Person in breach of a written obligation of the Surviving Person
pre-dating the Merger Transaction. The foregoing exception shall
relieve the Bank or the Surviving Person of its obligations
hereunder only to the extent prohibited by the express terms of the
agreement and for only so long as the written agreement referred to
in the foregoing sentence remains in effect and the Bank and/or the
Surviving Person shall terminate such obligation at the earliest
possible time allowed by such agreement (pursuant to a right to
terminate for convenience or at the end of the term) and shall not
seek to extend the term of such obligation. If, following a Change
of Control of the Bank, there is a material, sustained reduction in
the number of referrals being made by the Bank to the Joint Venture
and such reduction is not justified by normal market fluctuations
or circumstances other than the Change of Control of the Bank,
then, at GPN’s option, the Bank’s referral obligations
shall cease and the Bank shall pay GPN (on behalf of GPUK) an
amount as set forth in Schedule 6.1 (f) (Refund of
Referral Fee Purchase Amount) (the “Referral Fee Purchase
Amount” ).
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(g)
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Section 6.1 (e) shall not apply where
the Joint Venture determines that Joint Venture Services or
functionalities required by any Prospective Merchant are not
currently made available by the Joint Venture and cannot be made
available by the Joint Venture within a reasonable period of
time.
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(h)
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The Parties acknowledge that, in
addition to the Merchant Acquiring Business that is the subject of
this transaction, as at the Completion Date the Bank and/or its
Affiliates operate businesses similar to the Merchant Acquiring
Business in other regions of Europe (each an “ Affiliated
Business ”). If, prior to the start of the Run-Off
Period, the Bank or its Affiliate desires to transfer an Affiliated
Business to another Person (other
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than an Affiliate of the Bank), the
Bank must, subject to the grant of any regulatory approvals that
may be required and to the remainder of this Section 6.1(h),
first provide to the Joint Venture the opportunity to review
information relevant to transferring that Affiliated Business and
to allow the Joint Venture, within a period of 30 days following
receipt of all information reasonably requested by the Joint
Venture, to make an offer to acquire such Affiliated Business and
to accept such offer provided that it is on terms (including
material non-monetary terms) substantially equal to or better than
those offered by the relevant other Person (and in the case of a
transfer relating to an Affiliated Business operated by HSBC Bank
Malta, the terms are deemed by HSBC Bank Malta to be an acceptable
offer) and unless the Bank or the relevant Affiliate decides not to
proceed with the transfer of the Affiliated Business. If GPN (or
one of its Affiliates) has already entered into another merchant
acquiring joint venture with another major financial institution in
the primary country in which such Affiliated Business operates
which is a competitor of the Bank, which relationship the Bank
reasonably deems unacceptable, and which cannot be terminated or
which cannot be modified to the Bank’s reasonable
satisfaction within a reasonable period of time, the Joint Venture
shall have no right of first refusal under this Section 6.1(h)
as to such Affiliated Business at that time but no other rights
hereunder shall be affected.
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(i)
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If prior to the start of the
Run-Off Period the Bank or any of its Affiliates (each, a “
Controlled Person ”) directly or indirectly acquires a
business similar to the Merchant Acquiring Business in the United
Kingdom (an “ Acquired Affiliated Business ”),
such Controlled Person shall be required, subject to the grant of
any regulatory approvals that may be required, to offer such
business to the Joint Venture at fair market value (determined in
accordance with the procedures set forth in the Partnership
Agreement (in effect immediately prior to the First Variation
Effective Date)) (other than in relation to an Affiliated Business
operated by HSBC Bank Malta in respect of which the value shall be
as agreed between the Joint Venture and HSBC Bank Malta) within 180
days of such acquisition in accordance with the provisions of this
Section unless such a transfer (A) would result in a breach of
any pre-existing obligation of such Acquired Affiliated Business
that is assumed by the Bank in connection with the acquisition of
such Acquired Affiliated Business or of an obligation of the Bank
or any of its Affiliates which exists as at the Completion Date, or
(B) is otherwise prohibited by Laws, or (C) would cause
the Bank to incur a material termination fee (unless the Joint
Venture agrees to fund such termination fee). The foregoing
exception shall only relieve the Bank of its obligations hereunder
for so long as the obligation, restriction, or cause, as
applicable, referred to in the foregoing sentence remains in effect
and the Bank shall terminate such obligation at the earliest
possible time allowed by such agreement (under a right of
termination for convenience or as allowed at the end of the term
only) and shall not seek to extend the term of such obligation.
Except in relation to a transfer relating to an Affiliated Business
operated by HSBC Bank Malta, the Joint Venture has a period of 30
days following receipt of the determination of fair market value
from the Appraisers which shall
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constitute the offer from the Bank
in which to accept such offer. The parties agree that, if
(i) an exception to the Bank’s obligation to offer the
Acquired Affiliated Business to the Joint Venture as described in
this Section 6.1(i) applies, or (ii) the Joint Venture
does not accept the offer to acquire the Acquired Business within
this 30 day period, the Bank’s obligations set out in this
Section 6.1(i) shall not apply in relation to the Acquired
Affiliated Business at that time, but any other rights hereunder
shall not be affected. In the event that an offer by the Joint
Venture is accepted pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, the
Joint Venture and the Bank shall use commercially reasonable
endeavours to complete such sale as soon as practicable. In
relation to an Acquired Affiliated Business operated by HSBC Bank
Malta, should the Controlled Person be required to offer such
business to the Joint Venture then the Controlled Person shall
provide to the Joint Venture the opportunity to review information
relevant to transferring that Acquired Affiliated Business and to
allow the Joint Venture, within a period of 30 days following
receipt of all information reasonably requested, to make an offer
to acquire such Acquired Affiliated Business and to accept such
offer provided that it is on terms (including material non-monetary
terms) that are deemed by HSBC Bank Malta to be an acceptable
offer.
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(j)
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[Intentionally
blank]
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(k)
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The BIN/ICA
numbers owned by the Bank or any of its Affiliates and utilised by
the Joint Venture pursuant to this Agreement shall not be used for
any business of GPN or the Joint Venture other than the Merchant
Acquiring Business and shall not, without the prior express written
consent of the Bank, be used for the purposes of providing Merchant
Acquiring Services (or any other services) to any Person other than
those Merchants who have a Merchant Agreement in effect as at the
First Variation Effective Date and any new Merchants who enter into
a Merchant Agreement as a consequence of Organic Growth or who
become Merchants as a consequence of the acquisition by the Joint
Venture of a merchant acquiring portfolio from the Bank or any of
its Affiliates.
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(l)
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During the
Restriction Period the Joint Venture shall not form an alliance
with any Restricted Entities in the United Kingdom. Notwithstanding
the foregoing the Bank acknowledges that a parent of the Joint
Venture could be acquired by a bank or by a Restricted Entity and
nothing herein shall be construed as attempting to prevent or
restrict such acquisition and such acquisition shall not put either
the Joint Venture or the acquiring party in breach of this Section
as a result of such acquisition.
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(m)
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The Joint
Venture may solicit:
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(i)
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Merchant
Acquiring Services within the United Kingdom;
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(ii)
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International
Acquiring Services anywhere in the world;
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(iii)
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Merchant
Acquiring Services, both domestic and Pan-European, in regions of
Europe where the Bank or any of its Affiliates as of the Completion
Date:
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(A)
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do not operate
a business similar to the Merchant Acquiring Business;
or
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(B)
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operate a
business similar to the Merchant Acquiring Business but
subsequently ceased operating such business,
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(“ Non-Operating Region
”).
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(n)
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Notwithstanding
Section 6.1(m) the Joint Venture can provide Merchant
Acquiring Services in any region of Europe provided that the
referral or request for services is received by the Joint Venture
outside a Non-Operating Region.
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(o)
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Save as
permitted by Sections 6.1(m) and 6.1(n), the Joint Venture shall,
during the Term, be prohibited from offering or marketing the Joint
Venture Services without the Consent of the Board whilst the Bank
is represented on the Board and thereafter without the Consent of
the Bank.
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(p)
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The Joint
Venture shall pay the Bank a referral fee in connection with
referrals of potential merchants to the Joint Venture consistent
with the terms set forth in Schedule 3.2.1 (Bank Services
and Fees) and the Bank agrees that the Merchant Acquiring Business
shall remain a discreet item on the performance statements for the
Bank customer referral generating relationship managers, and, for
the period between the First Variation Effective Date and the
expiry or termination of the HSBC Trade Mark Licence Agreement, the
income reporting for all existing Merchants as at the First
Variation Effective Date who remain live customers, shall remain at
levels that are equivalent to those levels in effect immediately
prior to the First Variation Effective Date. Such amount shall be
paid for each potential merchant that (a) executes a Merchant
Agreement with the Joint Venture, and (b) remains active for
no less than 30 days.
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(q)
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If the Joint Venture does not
wish to enter into a New Merchant Agreement with a Prospective
Merchant or prospective merchant referred to the Joint Venture by
the Bank, the Bank may request that the Joint Venture accept such
Prospective Merchant or prospective merchant (each, an “
Indemnified Merchant ”) in exchange for the
Bank’s agreement to subsidize or otherwise contribute or
provide rights of indemnity as agreed by the Joint Venture and the
Bank, as applicable, with respect to Losses under the Merchant
Agreement with the Indemnified Merchant. The Joint Venture shall
not unreasonably refuse to offer Joint Venture Services to a
Prospective Merchant or prospective merchant referred to the Joint
Venture by the Bank unless such refusal is consistent with the
Merchant Qualification Criteria or unless the Joint Venture is
incapable of providing the services requested. If the Joint Venture
and the Bank agree upon the terms and conditions of such
arrangement, the Joint Venture shall accept such Prospective
Merchant or
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prospective merchant subject to such
arrangement and shall not modify such arrangements in a manner
which would increase the Bank’s liability or cause the
Bank’s subsidy obligations to increase without the
Bank’s prior Consent and shall in relation to any other
modifications to or the termination of any such arrangement provide
the Bank with prior notification. The Bank acknowledges and agrees
that, except as expressly set out below, the indemnification
obligations described in this Section are complete, (subject to
Section 6.1(r)) irrevocable, nontransferable, unqualified,
unconditional and, subject to the Bank’s right to terminate
such obligations under Section 6.1(r), shall survive
termination of this Agreement. Notwithstanding anything to the
contrary contained herein, the Bank, their Affiliates and their
successors and assigns waive any and all claims, demands, and
causes of action against the Joint Venture, GPN, and all of
GPN’s Affiliates regarding any indemnification amounts paid
or owed under this Section unless the Losses under the Merchant
Agreement with the Indemnified Merchant were caused by the Joint
Venture’s negligence or wilful default.
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(r)
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Unless
otherwise provided hereunder in this Section 6.1(r),
Section 7.3(a), or otherwise, if the Bank desires to terminate
its subsidy, contribution and/or indemnity obligation with respect
to a particular Merchant, it shall have the right to do so by
providing the Joint Venture with notice in advance of such
termination with a minimum notice period equal to the notice period
for termination set forth in the applicable Merchant Agreement plus
thirty days. Once the Joint Venture has received such notice, it
shall have the right to continue providing services for such
Merchant or to terminate the applicable Merchant Agreement. In
either event, the subsidy, contribution and/or indemnity obligation
of the Bank, as applicable, shall continue to apply with respect to
all services provided and all transactions which are handled prior
to the effective date of termination of the subsidy, contribution
and/or indemnity obligation of the Bank, as applicable, which
effective date will occur on the date specified in the Bank’s
notice as long as the notice has been given in compliance with the
notice requirements set forth above. Notwithstanding the foregoing,
the Bank shall not have the right to terminate the Bank’s
subsidy, contribution, and/or subsidy contribution if the
termination of the Merchant Agreement is prohibited by any
bankruptcy stay, court order, or other legal proceeding, in which
event such obligation of the Bank shall continue to apply with
respect to all services provided and all transactions which are
handled prior to the effective date of termination of the Merchant
Agreement. The foregoing shall survive the termination of this
Agreement.
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(s)
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In the event that (a) the
Bank wishes to respond to a request for proposal issued by a
Prospective Merchant or prospective merchant for services to be
provided by the Bank or any of its Affiliates and the Bank desires
to include in its response the Joint Venture Services of the Joint
Venture or (b) if the request for proposal specifically
requests or refers to Joint Venture Services, the Bank shall
contact the Joint Venture and the Joint Venture shall provide the
terms and conditions, including the prices, and supporting
marketing materials to be included in such proposal with a view to
agreeing to the same
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with the Joint Venture to enable the
Bank to submit the response to the Prospective Merchant or
prospective merchant within the time reasonably required by the
Bank or its Affiliate.
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(t)
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In connection
with the determination to enter into a New Merchant Agreement with
a Prospective Merchant or prospective merchant, the Joint Venture
shall follow the Card Association Rules and the Merchant
Qualification Criteria agreed to between the Bank and the Joint
Venture. The Joint Venture further agrees that if it receives a
notice from the Bank that a Merchant does not, in the reasonable
opinion of the Bank (having consulted the Joint Venture and having
regard of its comments), meet the Merchant Qualification Criteria
or that a Merchant Agreement substantially increases the
reputation, legal, financial or credit risk of the Bank, then the
Joint Venture shall terminate such Merchant Agreement as soon as
reasonably practicable taking into account the Joint
Venture’s need to reduce financial risk by accumulating a
reasonable amount of reserves, and promptly notify the Bank of the
effective date of the termination.
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(u)
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The Parties
shall, where expressly applicable and to the extent permitted by
Laws, procure that their Affiliates shall comply with the
provisions of this Section 6.1.
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SECTION 6.2 Marketing. During
the Term, the Joint Venture shall permit the Bank and its
Affiliates to market its products (other than the Merchant
Acquiring Services or services similar to Merchant Acquiring
Services) to the Joint Venture’s customers so long as such
marketing does not adversely impact the relationship between the
Joint Venture and such customers and does not otherwise violate the
terms of this Agreement and conforms with all Laws and Association
Rules. The Joint Venture and the Bank shall advise the other of any
opt outs, suppression requests and/or other notices or requests
that it receives from the Merchants or other Persons and shall work
together to determine the appropriate actions relating to such
notices and/or requests provided that the Party whose marketing
activity is the subject of the notice and/or request shall be
solely responsible for taking the necessary action in relation to
it.
SECTION 6.3 Governmental or other
Contracts. If a Governmental Entity or any other Merchant
requires a financial institution to be the only other party to any
contract, agreement, understanding, commitment or arrangement
involving the Merchant Acquiring Business or any part thereof
(each, a “ Governmental Contract ”) and the
Joint Venture is interested in pursuing such Merchant Agreement or
Governmental Contract, the Bank agrees to enter into such Merchant
Agreement or Governmental Contract on behalf of the Joint Venture.
The economic benefits and burdens of such Governmental Contract or
Merchant Agreement shall inure to the Joint Venture like any other
New Merchant Agreement hereunder.
SECTION 6.4 Benchmarking. The
Bank may require the Joint Venture to carry out a benchmarking
exercise to determine if the Joint Venture’s products,
services and costs are competitive in the marketplace provided that
the Joint Venture shall not be obliged to carry out such an
exercise more frequently than once per year. To the extent that
such exercise reveals deficiencies, the Joint Venture, in
combination with the GPN Processor, shall prepare and present to
the Bank an appropriate plan to make the products and services more
competitive.
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SECTION 6.5 Customer Satisfaction
Exercises. On an annual basis, the Joint Venture, in
cooperation with the Bank shall, at its cost, conduct research to
gauge customer satisfaction across its products and services. To
the extent that such research produces results that are
significantly below the standard obtained by the Bank in relation
to its customers, the Joint Venture shall prepare and present to
the Bank an appropriate plan to improve customer satisfaction in
general and with respect to specific deficiencies highlighted by
the research results.
SECTION 6.6 Contact Strategy.
The Parties shall participate in such joint customer calling
programmes and pitching activities in respect of Merchants and
potential merchants (including Prospective Merchants) as may be
agreed in writing between the Parties from time to time.
SECTION 6.7 Pan-European
Acquiring. The Parties acknowledge that GPN confirms its desire
to develop Pan-European acquiring capabilities through the
acquisition of direct merchant acquiring businesses that meet the
strategic and financial criteria of GPN and GPN agrees that it
shall use its reasonable commercial endeavours to: (i) keep
the Bank reasonably informed about the product capabilities of GPN
(and its relevant Affiliates) from time to time to enable the Bank
to inform potential merchants (including Prospective Merchants) of
the products and services offered by GPN (and its relevant
Affiliates), subject to any requirements or restrictions imposed by
any applicable Laws; (ii) keep the Bank reasonably informed
(and whenever reasonably requested by the Bank, inform the Bank) of
GPN’s (and its relevant Affiliates’) current strategy
and intentions in relation to future product development and, in
particular, the development of Pan-European acquiring capabilities
(provided that nothing in this Section 6.7(ii) shall oblige
GPN to provide to the Bank any commercially sensitive or
strategically confidential information); (iii) take account of
and, where requested by the Bank (provided that such request is not
made more than once in any 12 month period during the Term of this
Agreement), discuss with the Bank the Bank’s requirements in
relation to future product development and the development of
specific new products and services to meet the needs of Merchants
and potential merchants (including Prospective Merchants); and
(iv) when Pan-European acquiring capabilities are available,
facilitate the provision of any Pan-European acquiring in respect
of Merchants or potential merchants (including Prospective
Merchants) referred by the Bank to the Joint Venture and serve as
the initial point of contact for any referral generating
relationship managers of the Bank. If any relevant products and
services provided to such Merchants or potential merchants are
provided through an Affiliate of GPN, the Bank agrees that any
referral fees, that would otherwise have been payable by the Joint
Venture to the Bank pursuant to Section 6.1(p), may be paid
directly by that Affiliate to the Bank (provided that nothing in
this Section 6.7 shall release the Joint Venture from its
obligation to pay such referral fees in accordance with this
Agreement).
SECTION 6.8 Annual Marketing
Plans and Global Partnership Meetings. The Parties shall,
during the Bank’s annual operational planning cycle each year
(currently July to September (inclusive) each year, but as may be
amended from time to time), jointly develop, and use their
reasonable commercial endeavours to agree, a joint marketing and
sales plan for the immediately following calendar year in respect
of the Merchant Acquiring Business, which plan may include, if
agreed between the Bank and the Joint Venture, the provision of
reasonable training to the Bank’s staff. The Parties shall
also ensure that, at a frequency and at times to be agreed between
the Parties (acting reasonably), appropriate members of their
respective senior personnel (as agreed between the Parties acting
reasonably) attend and participate in a senior global partnership
meeting to discuss such matters as the Parties determine are
appropriate.
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SECTION 6.9 Sales Leads.
During the period from the First Variation Effective Date to the
later of the Migration Completion Date or the expiry or termination
of the HSBC Trade Mark Licence Agreement, the Bank shall be
responsible for the generation, management and control of sales
leads and referrals in respect of potential merchants (including
Prospective Merchants) who have, or may have, an interest in
procuring Merchant Acquiring Services or International Acquiring
Services (“ Bank Prospects ”). Also during this
period, the Bank may, from time to time and by written notification
to the Joint Venture, require the Joint Venture not to contact
certain Bank Prospects specified or referred to in such written
notification in connection with the provision or potential
provision of Merchant Acquiring Services to those Bank Prospects,
or otherwise carry out any sales or marketing activities directed
specifically at such Bank Prospects in connection with the
provision or potential provision of Merchant Acquiring Services,
and the Joint Venture shall comply with any such requirement. The
Bank agrees that the number of actively restricted Bank Prospects
will not exceed 50,000 at any one time, or exceed any other number
to which the Parties shall reasonably agree in writing. Following
this time, the Joint Venture may call on any prospect without
restriction.
SECTION 7. CHARGEBACKS, CREDIT
LOSSES AND RISK MANAGEMENT
SECTION 7.1 Chargebacks and
Credit Losses.
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(a)
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The Joint
Venture shall be responsible for, and reimburse the Bank in respect
of, all unreimbursed Chargebacks and Credit Losses with respect to
Card Transactions that occur after the Effective Time, subject to
the provisions of Section 8.2 (b) and Schedule 8 of the
Transition Agreement. The Bank shall be reimbursed for sums due
under this Section 7.1(a) by debiting such funds from the
applicable Settlement Account.
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(b)
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The Bank shall
follow the Joint Venture’s reasonable instructions, if any,
with respect to monitoring Merchants and holding funds relating to
the Merchant Acquiring Business at the Joint Venture’s
request subject to any applicable Law or Association
Rules.
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SECTION 7.2 Processing
Chargebacks and Credit Losses; Pre-Completion Transactions.
Without prejudice to the Bank’s obligations under the
Transition Agreement, the Joint Venture shall process Chargebacks
and Credit Losses relating to the Merchant Agreements in an
expeditious manner in the Ordinary Course of its business after the
Effective Time. The Bank shall be responsible for, and reimburse
the Joint Venture in respect of all unreimbursed Chargebacks and
Credit Losses with respect to Card Transactions which are
authorised (or if no authorisation, presented) on or prior to the
Effective Time, even if the such Chargebacks and Credit Losses are
incurred or received after the Effective Time except to the extent
that any such Chargebacks or Credit Losses arise as a result of the
Joint Venture’s negligence or wilful default in performing
its obligations under this Agreement or any Joint Venture
Agreements (provided always that prior to Back-end Migration
Completion any such Chargebacks and/or Credit Losses which arise as
a result of an IT systems failure shall not be deemed to result
from the Joint Venture’s negligence or wilful default in
performing its obligations).
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SECTION 7.3 Payment for
Unreimbursed Chargebacks and Credit Losses.
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(a)
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The Bank agrees
to pay the Joint Venture for all unreimbursed Chargebacks and
Credit Losses applicable to any Merchant referred to in Schedule
7.3 (Indemnified Existing Merchant List) (each, an “
Indemnified Existing Merchant ”) except to the extent
that such unreimbursed Chargebacks and Credit Losses arise from the
J
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