Exhibit



Exhibit 4.18



DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
The following description summarizes important terms of our capital stock. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, copies of which have been filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are incorporated herein by reference, and applicable provisions of Delaware law. As used in this section, “we,” “us” and “our” mean The Carlyle Group Inc., a Delaware corporation, but not any of its subsidiaries. 
Our purpose is to engage directly or indirectly in any business activity that is approved by our board of directors in its sole discretion and that lawfully may be conducted by a corporation organized pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). Our authorized capital stock consists of 100,000,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 1,000,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. Unless our board of directors determines otherwise, we will issue all shares of our capital stock in uncertificated form.
Common Stock 
Except as otherwise required by law or as expressly provided in our certificate of incorporation, holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters on which stockholders are entitled to vote generally, including the election or removal of directors. The holders of our common stock do not have cumulative voting rights in the election of directors. 
Holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends when, as and if declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available therefor, subject to applicable law and any contractual restrictions on the payment of dividends and to the rights of the holders of one or more outstanding series of our preferred stock. 
Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up and after payment in full of all amounts required to be paid to creditors, and subject to the rights of the holders of one or more outstanding series of preferred stock having liquidation preferences senior to or on parity with our common stock, the holders of shares of our common stock will be entitled to receive a pro rata portion of our remaining assets available for distribution. 
The common stock will not be subject to further calls or assessments by us. Holders of shares of our common stock do not have preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights. There will be no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. The rights, powers, preferences and privileges of holders of our common stock will be subject to those of the holders of any shares of our preferred stock or any other series or class of stock we may authorize and issue in the future. 
Preferred Stock 
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to establish one or more series of preferred stock out of our authorized and unissued shares of preferred stock. Unless required by law or by any stock exchange, and subject to the terms of our certificate of incorporation, any shares of preferred stock may be so designated and the rights, powers and preferences thereof may be fixed as described below by our board of directors, and such shares will be available for issuance, without further action by holders of our common stock. Our board of directors is able to determine, with respect to any series of preferred stock, the powers (including voting powers), preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including, without limitation: 
		
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	the designation of the series; 


		
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	the number of shares of the series, which our board of directors may, except where otherwise provided in any preferred stock designation, increase (but not above the total number of authorized shares of the class) or decrease (but not below the number of shares then outstanding); 


		
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	whether dividends, if any, will be cumulative or non-cumulative and the dividend rate of the series; 











		
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	the dates at which dividends, if any, will be payable on shares of such series; 


		
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	the redemption rights and price or prices, if any, for shares of the series; 


		
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	the terms and amounts of any sinking fund provided for the purchase or redemption of shares of the series; 


		
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	the amounts payable on shares of the series in the event of any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of our affairs or other event; 


		
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	whether the shares of the series will be convertible into shares of any other class or series, or any other security, of us or any other entity, and, if so, the specification of the other class or series or other security, the conversion price or prices or rate or rates, any rate adjustments, the date or dates as of which the shares will be convertible and all other terms and conditions upon which the conversion may be made; 


		
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	restrictions on the issuance of shares of the same series or of any other class or series of our capital stock; and 


		
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	the voting powers, if any, of the holders of the series. 


We could issue a series of preferred stock that could, depending on the terms of the series, impede or discourage an acquisition attempt or other transaction that some, or a majority, of the holders of our common stock might believe to be in their best interests or in which the holders of our common stock might receive a premium over the market price of the shares of our common stock. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock may adversely affect the rights of holders of our common stock by restricting dividends on the common stock, diluting the voting power of the common stock or subordinating the rights of the common stock to distributions upon a liquidation, dissolution or winding up or other event. As a result of these or other factors, the issuance of preferred stock could have an adverse impact on the market price of our common stock. 
Dividends 
The DGCL permits a corporation to declare and pay dividends out of “surplus” or, if there is no “surplus,” out of its net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year. “Surplus” is defined as the excess of the net assets of the corporation over the amount determined to be the capital of the corporation by its board of directors. The capital of the corporation is typically calculated to be (and cannot be less than) the aggregate par value of all issued shares of capital stock. Net assets equals the fair value of the total assets minus total liabilities. The DGCL also provides that dividends may not be paid out of net profits if, after the payment of the dividend, the remaining capital would be less than the capital represented by the outstanding stock of all classes having a preference upon the distribution of assets. In either case, the corporation must also have sufficient lawfully available funds to pay the dividend.  Declaration and payment of any dividend will be subject to the discretion of our board of directors. 
Annual Stockholder Meetings 
Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that annual stockholder meetings will be held at a date, time and place, if any, as exclusively selected by our board of directors. To the extent permitted under applicable law and determined by our board of directors, we may conduct meetings solely by means of remote communications, including by webcast. 
Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws and Certain Provisions of Delaware Law 
Our certificate of incorporation, bylaws, and the DGCL contain provisions that are summarized in the following paragraphs and that are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our board of directors. These provisions are intended to avoid costly takeover battles, reduce our vulnerability to a hostile or abusive change of control and enhance the ability of our board of directors to maximize stockholder value in connection with any unsolicited offer to acquire us. However, these provisions may have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, deter or prevent a merger or acquisition of us by means of a tender offer, a proxy contest or other 









takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the prevailing market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders. 
Authorized but Unissued Capital Stock 
Delaware law does not require stockholder approval for any issuance of shares that are authorized and available for issuance. However, the listing requirements of Nasdaq, which would apply so long as the shares of common stock remain listed on Nasdaq, require stockholder approval of certain issuances equal to or exceeding 20% of the then outstanding voting power or the then outstanding number of shares of common stock. These additional shares may be used for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings, to raise additional capital or to facilitate acquisitions. 
Our board of directors may generally issue shares of one or more series of preferred stock on terms designed to discourage, delay or prevent a change of control of us or the removal of our management. Moreover, our authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock will be available for future issuances in one or more series without stockholder approval and could be utilized for a variety of corporate purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, to facilitate acquisitions and employee benefit plans. 
One of the effects of the existence of authorized and unissued and unreserved common stock or preferred stock may be to enable our board of directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management, which issuance could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, and thereby protect the continuity of our management and possibly deprive our stockholders of opportunities to sell their shares of common stock at prices higher than prevailing market prices. 
Classified Board of Directors 
Our certificate of incorporation provides that, subject to the right of holders of any series of preferred stock, our board of directors will be divided into three classes of directors, as nearly equal in number as possible, and with the directors serving staggered three-year terms, with only one class of directors being elected at each annual meeting of stockholders. The classification of directors will have the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of our board of directors. Our certificate of incorporation provides that, subject to any rights of holders of preferred stock to elect additional directors under specified circumstances, the number of directors will be fixed from time to time exclusively pursuant to a resolution adopted by our board of directors. 
Business Combinations
We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging, under certain circumstances, in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:
		
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	prior to such time, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;


		
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	upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding (but not for purposes of determining the number of shares owned by the interested stockholder) (1) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (2) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or











		
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	at or subsequent to such time, the business combination is approved by the board and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.


Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder (other than on other than a pro rata basis with other stockholders). Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with that person’s affiliates and associates, owns or if such person is an affiliate or associate of the corporation, within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, did own 15% or more of a corporation’s outstanding voting stock.
Under certain circumstances, Section 203 makes it more difficult for a person who would be an “interested stockholder” to effect various business combinations with a corporation for a three-year period. Accordingly, Section 203 could have an anti-takeover effect with respect to certain transactions our board of directors does not approve in advance. The provisions of Section 203 may encourage companies interested in acquiring us to negotiate in advance with our board of directors to avoid the restrictions on business combinations that would apply if the  stockholder became an interested stockholder. However, Section 203 also could discourage attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our board of directors and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
Removal of Directors; Vacancies and Newly Created Directorships 
Under the DGCL, unless otherwise provided in our certificate of incorporation, directors serving on a classified board may be removed by the stockholders only for cause. Our certificate of incorporation provides that, subject to the rights granted to one or more series of preferred stock then outstanding, the directors divided into classes may be removed only for cause upon the affirmative vote of a majority in voting power of all outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors, voting together as a single class. If, at the same meeting at which a director is so removed, the stockholders holding a majority in voting power of all outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors nominate a replacement director, such nomination shall not be subject to the nomination procedures that otherwise apply and stockholders holding a majority in voting power of all outstanding shares of stock entitled to vote on the election of such director may vote to elect a replacement director. Subject to the foregoing, our certificate of incorporation also provides that, subject to the rights granted to one or more series of preferred stock then outstanding, any newly-created directorship on the board of directors that results from an increase in the number of directors and any vacancies on our board of directors will be filled only by the affirmative vote of a majority of the remaining directors, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director. 
Loss of Voting Rights
If at any time any person or group (other than our former general partner and its affiliates, a direct or indirect transferee of our former general partner or its affiliates (provided that, with respect to any indirect transferee, our board of directors shall have provided such transferee with written notification that this limitation shall not apply) or a person or group that has acquired such stock with the prior approval of our board of directors or our former general partner) beneficially owns 20% or more of any class of our stock then outstanding, that person or group will lose voting rights on all of its shares our stock and such shares of stock may not be voted on any matter as to which the holders of such shares of stock may be entitled to vote and will not be considered to be outstanding when sending notices of a meeting of stockholders, calculating required votes, determining the presence of a quorum or for other similar purposes, in each case, as applicable and to the extent the holders of such shares of stock are entitled to any vote.  
No Cumulative Voting 
Under Delaware law, the right to vote cumulatively does not exist unless the certificate of incorporation specifically authorizes cumulative voting. Our certificate of incorporation does not authorize cumulative voting. 









Therefore, stockholders holding a majority in voting power of the shares of our stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors will be able to elect all of our directors up for election at each annual meeting. 
Special Stockholder Meetings 
Our certificate of incorporation provides that special meetings of our stockholders may be called at any time only by or at the direction of our board of directors or stockholders representing 50% or more of the voting power of the outstanding stock of the class or classes for which a meeting is proposed. The DGCL and our bylaws prohibit the conduct of any business at a special meeting other than as specified in the notice for such meeting. These provisions may have the effect of deterring, delaying or discouraging hostile takeovers, or changes in control or management of the Company. 
Director Nominations and Stockholder Proposals 
Our certificate of incorporation establishes advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our board of directors or a committee of our board of directors or with respect to any directors elected by the holders of one or more series of our preferred stock. In order for any matter to be properly brought before a meeting, a stockholder will have to comply with advance notice requirements and provide us with certain information. Generally, to be timely, a stockholder’s notice must be received at our principal office no later than the close of business on the 90th day, nor earlier than the closer of business on the than 120th day, prior to the first anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting of stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation also specifies requirements as to the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. Our certificate of incorporation allows our board of directors to adopt rules and regulations for the conduct of meetings of stockholders which may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the rules and regulations are not followed. These provisions may also defer, delay or discourage a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirer’s own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to influence or obtain control of the Company. 
Stockholder Action by Written Consent 
Pursuant to Section 228 of the DGCL, any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of the stockholders may be taken without a meeting, without prior notice, and without a vote if a consent or consents in writing, setting forth the action so taken, is or are signed by the holders of outstanding stock having not less than the minimum number of votes that would be necessary to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all shares of our stock entitled to vote thereon were present and voted, unless our certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our certificate of incorporation does not permit our common stockholders to act by consent in writing, unless such action is consented to by our board of directors in writing or by electronic transmission. 
The combination of the classification of our board of directors, the lack of cumulative voting and the loss of voting rights by any person or group that beneficially owns 20% or more of any class of our stock then outstanding (subject to certain exceptions) will make it more difficult for our existing stockholders to replace our board of directors as well as for another party to obtain control of us by replacing our board of directors. Because our board of directors has the power to retain and discharge our officers, these provisions could also make it more difficult for existing stockholders or another party to effect a change in management. 
These provisions may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying or preventing changes in control of us or our management, such as a merger, reorganization or tender offer. These provisions are intended to enhance the likelihood of continued stability in the composition of our board of directors and its policies and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened acquisition of the Company. These provisions are designed to reduce our vulnerability to an unsolicited acquisition proposal. The provisions are also intended to discourage certain tactics that may be used in proxy fights. However, such provisions could have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our shares and, as a consequence, they also may inhibit fluctuations in the market price of our shares that could result from actual or rumored takeover attempts. Such provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in management. 









Dissenters’ Rights of Appraisal and Payment 
Under the DGCL, with certain exceptions, our stockholders will have appraisal rights in connection with a merger or consolidation in which we are a constituent entity. Subject to certain exceptions, pursuant to the DGCL, stockholders who properly demand and perfect appraisal rights in connection with such merger or consolidation will have the right to receive payment of the fair value of their shares as determined by the Delaware Court of Chancery, plus interest, if any, on the amount determined to be the fair value, from the effective time of the merger or consolidation through the date of payment of the judgment. 
Stockholders’ Derivative Actions 
Under the DGCL, any of our stockholders may bring an action in our name to procure a judgment in our favor, also known as a derivative action, in certain circumstances.  Among other things, either the stockholder bringing any such action must be a holder of our shares at the time of the transaction to which the action relates or such stockholder’s stock must have thereafter devolved by operation of law, and such stockholder must continuously hold shares through the resolution of such action. To bring such an action, the stockholder must otherwise comply with Delaware law regarding derivative actions. 
Exclusive Forum 
Our certificate of incorporation provides that, unless we consent otherwise in writing, any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our Company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, stockholder or employee of our Company to our Company or our Company’s stockholders, (3) action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws (as either may be amended or restated) or (4) action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine, shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be exclusively brought in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or, if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction thereof, any other court located in the State of Delaware with subject matter jurisdiction. Any person who acquires an interest in any shares of capital stock of our company shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our certificate of incorporation. However, it is possible that a court could find our forum selection provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable. 
Conflicts of Interest 
Delaware law permits corporations to adopt provisions renouncing any interest or expectancy in certain opportunities that are presented to the corporation or its officers, directors or stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation, to the maximum extent permitted from time to time by Delaware law, renounces any interest or expectancy that we have in any business ventures of (a) our former general partner, (b) any person who is or was a “tax matters partner” (as defined in the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, the “Code” as in effect prior to 2018) or “partnership representative” (as defined in the Code), as applicable, officer or director of Carlyle or our former general partner, (c) any officer or director of Carlyle or our former general partner who is or was serving at the request of Carlyle or our former general partner as an officer, director, employee, member, partner, “tax matters partner” (as defined in the Code as in effect prior to 2018) or “partnership representative” (as defined in the Code), as applicable, agent, fiduciary or trustee of another person (subject to certain limitations), (d) any person who controls our former general partner, and (e) certain other persons designated by the Corporation (collectively, the “Indemnitees”), except with respect to any corporate opportunity expressly offered to any Indemnitee solely through their service to us or our subsidiaries. Our certificate of incorporation provides that each Indemnitee has the right to engage in businesses of every type and description, including business interests and activities in direct competition with our business and activities. Our certificate of incorporation also waives and renounces any interest or expectancy that we may have in, or right to be offered an opportunity to participate in, business opportunities that are from time to time presented to the Indemnitees. Our certificate of incorporation also provides that the Indemnitees shall not be liable to us, any of our stockholders or any other person who acquires an interest in any shares of capital stock of our company by reason that such Indemnitee(s) pursues or acquires a business opportunity for itself, directs such opportunity to another person, does not communicate such opportunity or information to us or our subsidiaries or, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, uses information in the possession of us or our subsidiaries to acquire or operate a business opportunity.











Limitations on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors 
The DGCL authorizes corporations to limit or eliminate the personal liability of directors to corporations and their stockholders for monetary damages for breaches of directors’ fiduciary duties, subject to certain exceptions. Our certificate of incorporation includes a provision that eliminates the personal liability of directors for monetary damages to the corporation or its stockholders for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except to the extent such exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the DGCL. The effect of these provisions is to eliminate the rights of us and our stockholders, directly or through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf, to recover monetary damages from a director for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, including breaches resulting from grossly negligent behavior. However, exculpation does not apply to any director if the director has breached such director’s duty of loyalty, acted in bad faith, knowingly or intentionally violated the law, authorized illegal dividends, redemptions or repurchases or derived an improper benefit from his or her actions as a director. 
Our certificate of incorporation generally provides that we must indemnify and advance expenses to our directors and officers to the fullest extent authorized by the DGCL in actions, suits or proceedings not commenced by them. There is currently no pending material litigation or proceeding involving any of our directors, officers or employees for which indemnification by us pursuant to our certificate of incorporation is sought. We also are expressly authorized to carry directors’ and officers’ liability insurance providing indemnification for our directors, officers and certain employees for some liabilities. We believe that these indemnification and advancement provisions and insurance are useful to attract and retain qualified directors and executive officers. 
The limitation of liability, indemnification and advancement provisions in our certificate of incorporation may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against directors for breach of their fiduciary duty. These provisions also may have the effect of reducing the likelihood of derivative litigation against directors and officers, even though such an action, if successful, might otherwise benefit us and our stockholders. In addition, your investment may be adversely affected to the extent we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and officers pursuant to these indemnification provisions. 
Transfer Agent and Registrar 
The transfer agent and registrar for common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. The transfer agent and registrar’s address is 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219, and its telephone number is (718) 921-8300 or (800) 937-5449.
Listing 
Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol “CG.”