During the IPO effort, most of the document preparation focuses on the registration statement on Form S-1, which registers the initial offering of common stock to the public under the Securities Act. However, in order for the stock to be traded on an exchange from and after the IPO, the company must also file a registration under the Exchange Act to reg- ister the class of security to be listed on the exchange. Registration under the Exchange Act is accomplished by filing a short registration statement on Form 8-A. This form is relatively simple for a company concurrently registering for an IPO. Form 8-A requires disclosure of general characteristics of the company’s securities being listed, including dividend rights and voting rights, and anyanti-takeover provisions in the company’s charter documents.
