Annual Report 2017

Investors

At UOB, we maintain regular dialogue and engagement with the investment community to provide relevant information on the Group’s corporate strategy, operational performance and business outlook and to help them to make well-informed investment decisions. We also seek their feedback so as to provide Management with regular updates of market perceptions. With the long-term interests of our stakeholders at heart, UOB aims to build a sustainable business with stable returns.

2017 Highlights

Continued Efforts to Diversify Our Investor Base and to Expand Our Sources of Funding
Proactive engagement with the investment community provides us with useful feedback, which helps us in the successful formulation and execution of our funding strategy. In February 2017, in consideration of European and Asian investors’ demand and preference for US dollar papers from high quality issuers, we launched our debut EUR/USD benchmark dual-tranche covered bonds – the first Asian issuer to do so. In October, we also issued our maiden
USD Reg S Basel III-compliant perpetual Additional Tier 1 capital securities. 
Our issuances in 2017, underpinned by the stability of an AA-rated institution from an AAA-rated jurisdiction, attracted strong interest from investors, demonstrated by the tight pricing and healthy levels of oversubscription. They also enabled us to achieve our objective of widening our investor base in terms of currency and geographical distribution. 
Our various bond deals during the year have won us numerous accolades, including Best Covered Bond and Best Bank Capital Bond conferred by The Asset Triple A Country Awards 2017.
The panel of UOB’s Corporate Day presenters sharing their views on banking regulations.
Corporate Day 2017 – Unravelling Banking Regulations
We organised our seventh annual Corporate Day for the investment community in August 2017. The theme of the session was “Unravelling Banking Regulations”, which aimed to provide insights into the major banking regulations coming into effect over the next two years. The event was attended by more than 100 attendees, comprising analysts, investors and our corporate clients from across the region, reflecting the strong interest in this topic.
At the event, Mr Frankie Phua, Head of Group Risk Management, Ms Heng Li Koon, Head of Balance Sheet Risk Management, and Mr Eric Lim, Head of Group Finance, each delved into the objectives and development of Basel capital and liquidity rules, and the International Financial Reporting Standards 9 on Financial Instruments. The speakers also elaborated on the implications of the regulations for banks in Asia. 
We received good feedback from the participants who expressed their appreciation for UOB’s regular efforts in engaging the investment community and business partners in pertinent areas of interest.
“Very informative session which provided a good overview on how Basel has evolved over the different stages. It is helpful to me in my work. I really appreciate UOB’s effort to provide the platform for sharing the views.”
Ms Jin Jing, Deputy General Manager,
Bank Of Communications Singapore Branch
“Gaining an understanding of the regulatory environment and an historical context on the various regulatory developments over the years was very helpful indeed. The topics chosen and the quality of each presentation were outstanding. I am very pleased I made the effort to come up from Australia to join your event.”
Mr Marcus Bogdan, Chief Investment Officer,
Blackmore Capital
Recognition of Our Investor Engagement Efforts
The UOB Annual Report 2016, which demonstrated our continued commitment to improve our disclosure quality and scope, won the Best Inaugural Sustainability Report (Mainboard) Award at the first Singapore Sustainability Reporting Awards. The awards programme was organised by the Singapore Institute of Directors to encourage and to recognise excellence in sustainability reporting among Singapore-listed companies.
Our focus on investor engagement also received recognition at FinanceAsia’s annual “Asia’s Best Managed Companies” poll in 2017 where we were ranked second in the “Best at Investor Relations” category for Singapore-listed companies.
Delivering Long-term and Sustainable Returns
Maintaining Strong Credit Ratings, Underpinning Access to Wholesale  Funding Market
Regular and Transparent Communications with Investors
Our Diversified Shareholder Base
Investor Relations Contact Information
1
Treasury shares are ordinary shares repurchased by the Bank and are shown as a deduction against share capital. These may be sold, cancelled, distributed as bonus shares, or used to meet the obligations under employee long-term incentive plans.
2
Sources: UOB, Bloomberg
3
For more information on AGM, please refer to the Corporate Governance Section.