Prohibition on financial assistance for share purchases: exceptions for bank lending and employee share schemes. Companies may not buy their own shares unless capital reduction is sanctioned; public companies and private subsidiaries of public companies may not give financial assistance for purchase or subscription of their or their holding company's shares, subject to limited exceptions for ordinary banking loans, approved employee share-scheme financing by trustees, and loans to bona fide employees (excluding directors/managers) within a cap of six months' salary; contraventions attract a statutory fine and do not affect statutory redemption rights.