Document

Exhibit 4.2

DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED


The following description of the capital stock of GCM Grosvenor Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) and certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation (the “Charter”), bylaws (the “Bylaws”), Warrant Agreement, dated as of December 12, 2018, between Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company and CF Finance Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation (the “Warrant Agreement”) and Stockholders’ Agreement, dated as of November 17, 2020 by and among the Company, the GCM Equityholders (as defined below) and the other parties thereto (the “Stockholders’ Agreement”),  are summaries and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of the Charter, Bylaws, Warrant Agreement and Stockholders’ Agreement, copies of which have been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and applicable provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”). As of December 31, 2020, we had two classes of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share (“Class A common stock”) and warrants to purchase shares of Class A common stock.


Our authorized capital stock consists of:
a.700,000,000 shares of Class A common stock;
b.500,000,000 shares of Class B common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class B common stock”);
c.300,000,000 shares of Class C common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (“Class C common stock” and, together with the Class A common stock and the Class B common stock, “common stock”); and
d.100,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share.
All shares of our common stock outstanding are fully paid and non-assessable.


Common Stock


Voting


Pursuant to our Charter, holders of Class A common stock and Class C common stock vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to the stockholders for their vote or approval, except as required by applicable law. Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to the stockholders for their vote or approval. Prior to the date on which Grosvenor Holdings, L.L.C., GCM Grosvenor Management, LLC and Grosvenor Holdings II, L.L.C. (the “GCMH Equityholders”) beneficially own voting shares representing less than 20% of the amount of Class A common stock held by the GCMH Equityholders immediately following the closing of our business combination on November 17, 2020 (the “Sunset Date”),  the holders of Class C common stock are entitled to the lesser of (i) 10 votes per share and (ii) the Class C Share Voting Amount on all matters submitted to stockholders for their vote or approval. From and after the Sunset Date, holders of Class C Common Stock will be entitled to one vote per share. The Class B common stock is not entitled to vote (except as required by applicable law).


GCM V, LLC  (“GCM V”) controls approximately 75% of the combined voting power of our common stock as a result of its ownership of all of Class C common stock. Accordingly, Michael Sacks, through his control of GCM V, controls our business policies and affairs and can control any action requiring the general approval of our stockholders, including the election of our board, the adoption of amendments to our Charter and Bylaws and approval of any merger or sale of substantially all of its assets. Until the Sunset Date, Mr. Sacks will continue to control the outcome of matters submitted to the stockholders.


The Class B common stock is non-voting and is not entitled to any votes on any matter that is submitted to a vote of our stockholders, except as required by Delaware law. Delaware law would permit holders of Class B common stock to vote, with one vote per share, on a matter if it were to (i) change the par value of the Class B common stock or (ii) amend the Charter to alter the powers, preferences, or special rights of the Class B common stock as a whole in a way that would adversely affect the holders of Class B common stock.


As a result, in these limited instances, the holders of a majority of the Class B common stock could defeat such an amendment to the Charter. For example, if a proposed amendment of the Charter provided for the Class B common stock to rank junior to the Class A common stock or Class C common stock with respect to (i) any dividend or distribution, (ii) the distribution of proceeds were we to be acquired, or (iii) any other right, Delaware 
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Exhibit 4.2

law would require the separate vote of the holders of Class B common stock, with each share of Class B common stock entitled to one vote per share. In this instance, the holders of a majority of the Class B common stock could defeat that amendment to the Charter.


Dividends


The holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock (collectively, the “Economic Rights Stock”) are entitled to receive dividends as and if declared by our board of directors out of legally available funds. Under the Charter, dividends may not be declared or paid in respect of the Class A common stock or the Class B common stock unless they are declared or paid in the same amount in respect of the other class of Economic Rights Stock. With respect to stock dividends, holders of Class A common stock must receive Class A common stock and holders of Class B common stock must receive Class B common stock.


The holders of Class C common stock do not have any right to receive dividends other than stock dividends consisting of shares of Class C common stock, paid proportionally with respect to each outstanding share of Class C common stock.


Merger, Consolidation or Tender or Exchange Offer


The holders of Class A common stock are not entitled to receive economic consideration for their shares in excess of that payable to the holders of Class B common stock in connection with any merger, consolidation, or tender or exchange offer. However, in any such event involving consideration in the form of securities, the holders of Class B common stock will be deemed to have received the same consideration as the holders of Class A common stock.


Liquidation or Dissolution


Upon our liquidation or dissolution, the holders of all classes of common stock are entitled to their respective par value, and the holders of Class A common stock and Class B common stock will then be entitled to share ratably in those of our assets that are legally available for distribution to stockholders after payment of liabilities and subject to the prior rights of any holders of preferred stock then outstanding. Other than their par value, the holders of Class C common stock will not have any right to receive a distribution upon our liquidation or dissolution.


Conversion, Transferability and Exchange


Subject to the terms of the Fifth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Partnership Agreement of Grosvenor Capital Management Holdings, LLLP (“A&R LLLPA”), the limited partners of Grosvenor Capital Management Holdings, LLLP (“GCMH”) (other than GCM Grosvenor Holdings, LLC (“IntermediateCo”)) may from time to time cause GCMH to redeem any or all of their  units of partnership interest in GCMH (the “Grosvenor common units”) in exchange for, at our election (subject to certain exceptions), either cash (based on the market price for a share of the Class A common stock) or shares of Class A common stock. At our election, such transaction may be effectuated via a direct exchange of Class A common stock or cash by IntermediateCo for the redeemed Grosvenor common units.


The Charter provides that (i) a share of Class C common stock will automatically be cancelled for no consideration upon any sale or other transfer of a share of Class A common stock issued as a result of any redemption or direct exchange of Grosvenor common units transferred to any person that is not Michael Sacks, GCM V or the GCM Equityholders (or affiliate or owner thereof), and (ii) a share of Class C common stock will automatically be cancelled for no consideration upon the redemption or exchange of a Grosvenor common unit for cash. Shares of Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Class C common stock are not subject to any conversion right.


Other Provisions


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Exhibit 4.2

None of the Class A common stock, Class B common stock or Class C common stock has any pre-emptive or other subscription rights, or sinking fund provisions.


Preferred Stock


We are authorized to issue up to 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock. Our board of directors is authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by Delaware law and the Charter, to determine the terms and conditions of the preferred stock, including whether the shares of preferred stock will be issued in one or more series, the number of shares to be included in each series and the powers (including the voting power), designations, preferences and rights of the shares. Our board of directors also will be authorized to designate any qualifications, limitations or restrictions on the shares without any further vote or action by the stockholders. The issuance of preferred stock may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our Company and may adversely affect the voting and other rights of the holders of Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Class C common stock, which could have a negative impact on the market price of the Class A common stock. We have no current plan to issue any shares of preferred stock.


Redeemable Warrants


Public Warrants


Each whole warrant entitles the registered holder to purchase one share of Class A common stock at a price of $11.50 per share, subject to adjustment as discussed below, at any time. Pursuant to the Warrant Agreement, a warrant holder may exercise its warrants only for a whole number of shares of Class A common stock. This means that only a whole warrant may be exercised at any given time by a warrant holder. The warrants will expire on November 17, 2025, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.


We are not obligated to deliver any shares of Class A common stock pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current. No warrant will be exercisable and we will not be obligated to issue shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of a warrant unless Class A common stock issuable upon such warrant exercise has been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will we be required to net cash settle any warrant.


We may call the warrants for redemption:


•        in whole and not in part;
•        at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
•        upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption to each warrant holder; and
•      if, and only if, the last reported sale price of the Class A common stock equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three trading days before we send the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.


If and when the warrants become redeemable by us, we may not exercise our redemption right if the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of the warrants is not exempt from registration or qualification under applicable state blue sky laws or we are unable to effect such registration or qualification.


We have established the last of the redemption criterion discussed above to prevent a redemption call unless there is at the time of the call a significant premium to the warrant exercise price. If the foregoing conditions are satisfied and we issue a notice of redemption of the warrants, each warrant holder will be entitled to exercise its warrant prior to the scheduled redemption date. However, the price of the Class A common stock may fall below the $18.00 redemption trigger price (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) as well as the $11.50 warrant exercise price after the redemption notice is issued.
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Exhibit 4.2



If we call the warrants for redemption as described above, our management will have the option to require any holder that wishes to exercise its warrant to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” our management will consider, among other factors, its cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on its stockholders of issuing the maximum number of shares of Class A common stock issuable upon the exercise of our warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, all holders of warrants would pay the exercise price by surrendering their warrants for that number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of shares of Class A common stock underlying the warrants, multiplied by the difference between the exercise price of the warrants and the “fair market value” (as defined below) by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” shall mean the average volume weighted average last reported sale price of the Class A common stock for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants. If our management takes advantage of this option, the notice of redemption will contain the information necessary to calculate the number of shares of Class A common stock to be received upon exercise of the warrants, including the “fair market value” in such case. Requiring a cashless exercise in this manner will reduce the number of shares to be issued and thereby lessen the dilutive effect of a warrant redemption. We believe this feature is an attractive option to us if we do not need the cash from the exercise of the warrants. If we call our warrants for redemption and our management does not take advantage of this option, CF Finance Holdings, LLC (the “CF Sponsor”) and its permitted transferees would still be entitled to exercise their private placement warrants for cash or on a cashless basis using the same formula described above that other warrant holders would have been required to use had all warrant holders been required to exercise their warrants on a cashless basis, as described in more detail below.


A holder of a warrant may notify us in writing in the event it elects to be subject to a requirement that such holder will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, such person (together with such person’s affiliates), to the warrant agent’s actual knowledge, would beneficially own in excess of 4.9% or 9.8% (or such other amount as a holder may specify) of the shares of Class A common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise.


If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is increased by a stock dividend payable in shares of Class A common stock, or by a split-up of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such stock dividend, split-up or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be increased in proportion to such increase in the outstanding shares of Class A common stock. A rights offering to holders of Class A common stock entitling holders to purchase shares of Class A common stock at a price less than the fair market value will be deemed a stock dividend of a number of shares of Class A common stock equal to the product of (i) the number of shares of Class A common stock actually sold in such rights offering (or issuable under any other equity securities sold in such rights offering that are convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock) and (ii) one (1) minus the quotient of (x) the price per share of Class A common stock paid in such rights offering divided by (y) the fair market value. For these purposes (i) if the rights offering is for securities convertible into or exercisable for Class A common stock, in determining the price payable for Class A common stock, there will be taken into account any consideration received for such rights, as well as any additional amount payable upon exercise or conversion and (ii) fair market value means the volume weighted average price of Class A common stock as reported during the ten (10) trading day period ending on the trading day prior to the first date on which the shares of Class A common stock trade on the applicable exchange or in the applicable market, regular way, without the right to receive such rights.


In addition, if we, at any time while the warrants are outstanding and unexpired, pay a dividend or make a distribution in cash, securities or other assets to the holders of Class A common stock on account of such shares of Class A common stock (or other shares of our capital stock into which the warrants are convertible), other than (a) as described above, (b) certain ordinary cash dividends, or (c) to satisfy the redemption rights of the holders of Class A common stock in connection with a stockholder vote to amend our Charter with respect to any provision relating to stockholders’ rights, then the warrant exercise price will be decreased, effective immediately after the effective date of such event, by the amount of cash and/or the fair market value of any securities or other assets paid on each share of Class A common stock in respect of such event.


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Exhibit 4.2

If the number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock is decreased by a consolidation, combination, reverse stock split or reclassification of shares of Class A common stock or other similar event, then, on the effective date of such consolidation, combination, reverse stock split, reclassification or similar event, the number of shares of Class A common stock issuable on exercise of each warrant will be decreased in proportion to such decrease in outstanding shares of Class A common stock.


Whenever the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants is adjusted, as described above, the warrant exercise price will be adjusted by multiplying the warrant exercise price immediately prior to such adjustment by a fraction (x) the numerator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the warrants immediately prior to such adjustment, and (y) the denominator of which will be the number of shares of Class A common stock so purchasable immediately thereafter.


In case of any reclassification or reorganization of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock (other than those described above or that solely affects the par value of such shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any merger or consolidation of us with or into another corporation (other than a consolidation or merger in which we are the continuing corporation and that does not result in any reclassification or reorganization of our outstanding shares of Class A common stock), or in the case of any sale or conveyance to another corporation or entity of our assets or other property an entirety or substantially as an entirety in connection with which we are dissolved, the holders of the warrants will thereafter have the right to purchase and receive, upon the basis and upon the terms and conditions specified in the warrants and in lieu of the shares of Class A common stock immediately theretofore purchasable and receivable upon the exercise of the rights represented thereby, the kind and amount of shares of stock or other securities or property (including cash) receivable upon such reclassification, reorganization, merger or consolidation, or upon a dissolution following any such sale or transfer, that the holder of the warrants would have received if such holder had exercised their warrants immediately prior to such event. If less than 70% of the consideration receivable by the holders of Class A common stock in such a transaction is payable in the form of Class A common stock in the successor entity that is listed for trading on a national securities exchange or is quoted in an established over-the-counter market, or is to be so listed for trading or quoted immediately following such event, and if the registered holder of the warrant properly exercises the warrant within thirty days following public disclosure of such transaction, the warrant exercise price will be reduced as specified in the Warrant Agreement based on the Black-Scholes value (as defined in the Warrant Agreement) of the warrant. The purpose of such exercise price reduction is to provide additional value to holders of the warrants when an extraordinary transaction occurs during the exercise period of the warrants pursuant to which the holders of the warrants otherwise do not receive the full potential value of the warrants in order to determine and realize the option value component of the warrant. This formula is to compensate the warrant holder for the loss of the option value portion of the warrant due to the requirement that the warrant holder exercise the warrant within 30 days of the event. The Black-Scholes model is an accepted pricing model for estimating fair market value where no quoted market price for an instrument is available.


The Warrant Agreement provides that the terms of the warrants may be amended without the consent of any holder to cure any ambiguity or correct any defective provision, but requires the approval by the holders of at least 65% of the then outstanding public warrants to make any change that adversely affects the interests of the registered holders of public warrants.


The warrants may be exercised upon surrender of the warrant certificate on or prior to the expiration date at the offices of the warrant agent, with the exercise form on the reverse side of the warrant certificate completed and executed as indicated, accompanied by full payment of the exercise price (or on a cashless basis, if applicable), by certified or official bank check payable to us, for the number of warrants being exercised. The warrant holders do not have the rights or privileges of holders of Class A common stock and any voting rights until they exercise their warrants and receive shares of Class A common stock. After the issuance of shares of Class A common stock upon exercise of the warrants, each holder will be entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by stockholders.
No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the warrants. If, upon exercise of the warrants, a holder would be entitled to receive a fractional interest in a share, we will, upon exercise, round down to the nearest whole number of shares of Class A common stock to be issued to the warrant holder.


Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation or Bylaws
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Exhibit 4.2

The Bylaws may be amended or repealed by a majority vote of our board of directors or by the holders of at least the majority of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon, subject to the Stockholders Agreement (for so long as it remains in effect).  The affirmative vote of a majority of our board of directors and a majority in voting power of the outstanding shares entitled to vote thereon is required to amend our Charter, subject to the terms contained therein.


Exclusive Forum


The Charter provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, and unless we provide notice in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of us, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any of our directors, officers, employees,  agents or stockholders to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, the Charter or Bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, in each such case subject to such Court of Chancery having personal jurisdiction over the indispensable parties named as defendants therein. The Charter further provides that, unless we otherwise consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the federal district courts of the United States will be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. There is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce such a provision relating to causes of action arising under the Securities Act, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. The clauses described above will not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction.


Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of the Charter and Bylaws


The provisions of the Charter and Bylaws and of the DGCL summarized below may have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, defer or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that you might consider in your best interest, including an attempt that might result in your receipt of a premium over the market price for your shares of Class A common stock.


The Charter and Bylaws contain certain provisions that are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our board of directors and that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing our future takeover or change in control unless such takeover or change in control is approved by our board of directors.


These provisions include:


Action by Written Consent; Special Meetings of Stockholders.    The Charter provides that, until we are no longer a “controlled company” under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5605(c)(1), stockholder action can be taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting. The Charter and Bylaws also provide that, subject to any special rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock and except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of the stockholders can only be called by our board of directors, the chairman or so long as we are a “controlled company,” by the Secretary at the request of any holder of at least 25% of the total voting power of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. Stockholders are not otherwise permitted to call a special meeting or to require our board of directors to call a special meeting.


Advance Notice Procedures.    The Bylaws establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of our stockholders, and for stockholder nominations of persons for election to our board of directors to be brought before an annual or special meeting of stockholders. Stockholders at an annual meeting will only be able to consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of our board of directors or by a stockholder who was a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has given our Secretary timely written notice, in proper form, of the stockholder’s intention to bring that business or nomination before the meeting. Although the Bylaws do not give our board of directors the power to approve or disapprove stockholder nominations of candidates or proposals regarding other business to be conducted at a special or annual meeting, as 
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Exhibit 4.2

applicable, the Bylaws may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed or may discourage or deter a potential acquiror from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us.


Authorized but Unissued Shares.    Our authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock will be available for future issuance without stockholder approval. These additional shares may be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, corporate acquisitions and employee benefit plans. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of common stock and preferred stock could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of a majority of our common stock by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.


Business Combinations with Interested Stockholders.    The Charter provides that we are not subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, an anti-takeover law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination, such as a merger, with an “interested stockholder” (which includes a person or group owning 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock) for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested stockholder, unless (with certain exceptions) the business combination or the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder is approved in a prescribed manner. However, our Charter contains provisions that have a similar effect to Section 203, except that they provide that Mr. Sacks and the GCMH Equityholders, their respective affiliates and successors and their direct and indirect transferees will not be deemed to be “interested stockholders,” regardless of the percentage of our voting stock owned by them, and accordingly will not be subject to such restrictions.


Corporate Opportunities


The Charter provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, we renounce any interest or expectancy in a transaction or matter that may be a corporate opportunity for us and Mr. Sacks (other than in his capacity as an officer and employee of our Company), the GCMH Equityholders, or any of our non-employee directors have no duty to present such corporate opportunity to us and they may invest in competing businesses or do business with our clients or customers.


Registration Rights
On November 17, 2020, we entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”) with the CF Sponsor, the GCMH Equityholders and certain qualified institutional buyers and accredited investors that agreed to purchase shares of Class A common stock in a private placement in connection with the transactions contemplated by that certain transaction agreement dated as of August 2, 2020. Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement, we agreed to register for resale, pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, certain shares of our Class A common stock and other equity securities that are held by the parties thereto from time to time.


Transfer Agent and Registrar


The transfer agent for our common stock is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company. Each person investing in our Class A common stock held through The Depository Trust Company must rely on the procedures thereof and on institutions that have accounts therewith to exercise any rights of a holder of our Class A common stock.


For as long as any shares of our Class A common stock are listed on Nasdaq or on any other stock exchange operating in the United States, the laws of the State of New York shall apply to the property law aspects of our Class A common stock (including securities exercisable for or convertible into our Class A common stock) reflected in the register administered by our transfer agent.


We have listed shares of our Class A common stock in registered form and such shares, through the transfer agent, will not be certificated. We have appointed Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company as our agent in New York to maintain our shareholders’ register on behalf of our board of directors and to act as transfer agent and registrar for our Class A common stock. Shares of our Class A common stock are traded on Nasdaq in book-entry form.
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Exhibit 4.2



The warrant agent for the warrants is Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Company.


Listing of Class A Common Stock and Warrants


Our Class A common stock and warrants are listed on Nasdaq under the symbols “GCMG” and “GCMGW,” respectively.


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