Tapping digital channels for proactive investor engagement amid the COVID-19 pandemic
UOB Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Wee Ee Cheong, speaking at UOB’s 2020 Annual General Meeting.
UOB Group Chief Financial Officer, Mr Lee Wai Fai, speaking at a virtual meeting with investors hosted by Macquarie.
At UOB, we believe that open, regular and transparent communications are essential to maintaining trust and confidence among our stakeholders in the investment community. Our investment community includes shareholders, institutional and retail investors, shareholder proxy advisory agencies, equity and fixed income analysts and credit rating agencies.
Maintaining open and frequent communications was even more critical in 2020 as the investment community sought assurance on UOB’s ability to navigate successfully the economic repercussions arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. We also provided enhanced disclosures to address their areas of interest, such as:
asset quality of our portfolio as we supported our customers through the crisis;
progress of how we are reaping the benefits from our digital investments; and
continued efforts in driving sustainable financing.
To overcome travel restrictions and social distancing measures, in 2020 most of our meetings and overseas roadshows were held virtually. The convenience and accessibility provided by digital meeting tools enabled us to step up investor engagement amid these times of unprecedented uncertainty. We held more than 700 meetings with analysts and investors to share UOB’s corporate strategy, operational performance, asset quality and business outlook. Senior management also proactively engaged the investment community to reassure them of UOB’s responsible and prudent approach as a long-term player in the region. In addition, we collaborated with brokers to hold thematic online events, providing asset quality updates and showcasing our various digital and sustainability initiatives. In 2020, these meetings included:
quarterly results briefings and investor calls;
investor conferences and meetings with North American, European and Asian institutional investors;
Securities Investors Association (Singapore) Corporate Connect Webinar with retail investors on Facebook Live;
calls with credit rating agencies; and
our annual general meeting.
Number of investor meetings
Distribution of investor engagement between face-to-face and virtual meetings
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