The Board of Directors of Canatu Plc has resolved to launch the second plan period under the Employee Share Savings Plan
Canatu Plc Company announcement 27 January 2026 at 9.30 am EET
The Board of Directors of Canatu Plc has resolved to launch the second plan period under the Employee Share Savings Plan
The Board of Directors of Canatu Plc resolved on 9 December 2024 to establish an Employee Share Savings Plan (the “ESSP”) for the employees of Canatu Plc and its subsidiaries. The purpose of the ESSP is to encourage the employees to acquire and own the Company’s shares. It is further intended to align the interests of the shareholders and the employees, as well as increasing employees’ motivation and long-term commitment to the Company.
The ESSP is intended to consist of plan periods commencing in 2025, 2026 and 2027, each with a 12-month savings period followed by a holding period of approximately two years. The Board of Directors resolves annually on the launch of a new plan period. The first plan period of the ESSP started on 1 March 2025 and will end on 31 December 2027. Participation in the ESSP is voluntary, and employees are invited to participate in each plan period separately.
The Board of Directors of Canatu Plc has resolved to launch the second plan period for the years 2026–2028 under the ESSP.
The second plan period 2026–2028 under the ESSP will begin on 1 March 2026 and end on 31 December 2028. The second savings period ends on 28 February 2027. The holding period begins at the first acquisition of savings shares. During the plan period 2026–2028, the ESSP is offered to approximately 170 employees of the Group, including the management team and the CEO.
As part of the ESSP, the employees will have an opportunity to save a proportion of their salaries and invest those savings in the Company’s series A shares. The savings during the plan period 2026–2028 will be used to acquire series A shares in the Company in two parts, after the publication of the Company’s half-yearly financial report for the first half of 2026 and the annual financial statement for the year 2026.
During the plan period 2026–2028, the Company will give the ESSP participants participating only in the ESSP Plan, as a reward for their commitment, one free matching share (gross) for each two savings shares acquired with savings and one additional matching share (gross) for each two savings shares acquired with savings if the Company’s highest criterion for the total shareholder return of the series A share is met before the end of the holding period. Employees who participate also in the performance share plan announced on 9 December 2024, on the other hand, will receive one free matching share (gross) for every three savings shares acquired with savings and are not entitled to additional matching shares based on total shareholder return. Continuity of employment and holding of acquired savings shares for the duration of the holding period ending on 31 December 2028 are prerequisites for receiving the award.
The potential reward will be paid partly in shares and partly in cash after the end of the holding period. The cash proportion is intended to cover taxes and statutory social security contributions arising from the reward. Matching shares will be freely transferable after they have been registered in a participant’s book-entry account. Savings shares and matching shares are Canatu’s series A shares.
The maximum number of matching shares (gross before taxes) for the second plan period 2026–2028 is approximately 59,516, calculated at the share price on 21 January 2026. The final number of matching shares depends on the employees’ participation and savings rate in the plan, the fulfilment of the prerequisites for receiving matching shares and the number of shares acquired from the market with savings.
Additional information
Juha Kokkonen, CEO, juha.kokkonen@canatu.com, +358 40 543 0367
Mari Makkonen, VP, IR, Communications & Marketing, mari.makkonen@canatu.com, +358 50 442 2343
Certified adviser
DNB Carnegie Investment Bank AB (publ), tel. +46 (0) 8 588 685 70
About Canatu
Canatu (CANATU, Nasdaq First North, Finland) is a fast-growing deep technology company creating advanced carbon nanotubes (Canatu CNTs), related products, and manufacturing equipment for the semiconductor, automotive, and medical diagnostics industries. Canatu partners with forerunner companies, together transforming products for better tomorrows with nano carbon.
Canatu’s versatile platform technology has broad potential applications. Its current core includes CNT membranes for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) processes in the semiconductor industry, enabling more effective manufacturing of the most advanced chips, as well as film heaters for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) in the automotive industry. Additionally, electrochemical sensors for medical diagnostics are in the development phase. Canatu’s patented CNT reactors and Dry DepositionTM method yield clean and pristine CNTs. The company operates through two business models: selling CNT products directly, as well as selling CNT reactors and licensing the related technology so that customers can produce CNT products under a limited license.
Headquartered in Finland, Canatu also operates in the US, Japan and Taiwan. Founded in 2004 as a spin-off from Aalto University’s Nanomaterials Group, Canatu currently has close to 170 employees representing over 30 nationalities, with nearly 20% holding or pursuing doctorates. Discover more at www.canatu.com and follow us on LinkedIn.