Investor Highlights

Deepening investor engagement efforts with thematic showcases on digital banking, digital finance and sustainability opportunities across the region

Clockwise from top: UOB Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Wee Ee Cheong, speaking at UOB’s 2021 Annual General Meeting; and Head, TMRW Digital Group, Mr Kevin Lam; Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO) and Head, Group Finance, Mr Eric Lim; and Chief Risk Officer (CRO), Mr Chan Kok Seong, speaking at virtual investor conferences.

We are committed to maintaining open, regular and transparent communications with our investment community as it is key to maintaining their trust and confidence in the Bank. Our investment community includes shareholders, institutional and retail investors, shareholder proxy advisory agencies and equity, fixed income and ESG-focused analysts, as well as credit rating agencies.
‍
In 2021, we held various thematic showcases across digital banking, digital finance, sustainability and the future of work. These included:

Dedicated fireside chats with our senior management to showcase our strengthened digital capabilities and initiatives, including how our unified UOB TMRW platform in Singapore positions us for future growth;
Dialogue with our CRO who shared his views on the potential of blockchain technology and aspects in which UOB is focused on deepening capabilities; and
Panel discussions with our CSO who shared the progress of our sustainability journey and UOB’s role in supporting ecosystem players across the region in their own transition to a low-carbon future.

These sessions were very well-received by the investment community as they provided additional avenues for in-depth engagement to showcase our thought leadership across various topics of interest.

“We hosted a fireside chat last week with Mr Kevin Lam, Head of UOB’s digital bank, TMRW, where we exchanged views on the rise of digital banking, threats these new entrants pose, and opportunities that emerge. We also discussed UOB’s TMRW – something investors don’t seem to have paid much attention to... Numbers aside, investors should note the significant progress made and the newfound confidence to share quantifiable impact. More generally, the insights shared are relevant to investors looking at digital banks and FinTechs across ASEAN.”

“UOB: Mighty in digital banking, TMRW... Today?”, Bernstein, 9 November 2021

“With increasing focus on blockchain and cryptocurrencies, UOB’s CRO was keen to share his views on developments and where UOB may play a role. UOB is a systemically important bank in Singapore and the jurisdiction is embracing the space to foster innovation. We came away from the discussion impressed by the thoughtful stewardship UOB is under.”

“A conversation with UOB’s Chief Risk Officer on Blockchain opportunities”, Macquarie, 27 August 2021

"We recently hosted an investor call with UOB’s Chief Sustainability Officer – Mr Eric Lim. UOB is positioning its strategy to leverage its balance sheet together with advisory, wealth and solutioning capabilities to support customers in the transition to sustainable opportunities. UOB is also transforming culturally within the organisation as it looks to build a sustainable growth strategy that serves all stakeholders. This should drive long-term competitive advantages for UOB.”

“Building a green franchise”, Maybank, 4 June 2021

We regularly review our disclosures to provide investors with the necessary information to make sound investment decisions. In 2021, we continued to provide detailed disclosures on the asset quality of our portfolios, the progress of our digital initiatives and our continued efforts in driving the sustainability agenda for our customers and communities.
‍
To overcome the travel restrictions and social distancing measures during the pandemic, we continued to use digital meeting tools to engage the investment community virtually. In 2021, we held around 600 virtual meetings with debt and equity investors to provide updates on UOB’s financial performance, asset quality and business outlook. Senior management also proactively engaged the investment community at briefings and conferences to emphasise UOB’s responsible yet progressive stance as a long-term player in the region.

These meetings included:

quarterly results briefings and post-results 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;

engagement with credit rating agencies; and

the UOB annual general meeting.

In view of global investors’ demand for sustainability and green bonds, we issued Singapore’s first sustainability bond offering under the newly-established UOB Sustainable Bond Framework in 2021. In addition to green projects, the proceeds of our US$1.5 billion sustainability bond offering were used to finance social assets which included pandemic-related support extended to small businesses. This embodied the Bank’s holistic approach to sustainability that goes beyond environmental considerations.
‍
Together with its Rule 144A format, the transaction helped us to achieve a comprehensive investor reach and participation across Asia Pacific, Europe and the US.

The transaction also achieved the following milestones:

first dual tranche senior and subordinated Tier 2 instrument in sustainability format globally from a bank issuer;
resounding response from sustainability-focused investors, who contributed to 60 per cent of the final orderbook of US$2.75 billion from 149 investors; and
subscription rate of 1.8 times.

In addition, the offering was recognised as the Best Sustainability Bond in Singapore at The Asset Country Awards 2021. UOB was also named the Best Issuer for Sustainable Finance in Singapore.

“UOB sold Singapore’s first sustainability bond and the first ESG bank capital offering from Southeast Asia in a dual-tranche US$1.5 billion offering that broadened its appeal to international investors. The first concurrent offering of senior and Tier 2 sustainability notes from any global bank also adds to the development of sustainable finance in Singapore…”

“UOB broadens appeal with dual-tranche US$1.5bn sustainability bond”, IFR Asia, 8 April 2021

As the industry progresses on the transition to new benchmark rates, we also led the way among issuers in Singapore with the following offerings:

Singapore’s first capital securities with a reset coupon rate that references the Singapore Overnight Rate Average Overnight Indexed Swap (SORA-OIS) rate; and
Singapore’s first Sterling Overnight Interest Rate Average (SONIA) benchmark covered bond.

Our £850 million SONIA covered bond issuance was the largest-ever Sterling covered bond from an Asian issuer at the time of issuance and was well received by a diversified investor base, underscoring UOB’s strong credit standing.
‍
In supporting open digital solutions and infrastructure, we were also the first financial institution in Singapore to pilot a digital bond issuance on Marketnode, an exchange-led digital asset venture leveraging distributed ledger technology. The digital bond was run in parallel with the conventional issuance process.

“UOB drew a fantastic response for its first Sonia covered bond, both in terms of size and spread...”

“UOB scales up in SONIA”, GlobalCapital Asia, 14 September 2021

Downloads