Securities administration - Hong Kong
Income collection
| Books Close date a | Basis for entitlement | Standard interest calculation rule |
| Corporate debt instruments | ||
| Record date | Settled positions on Record date | 365-day basis |
| Equities, Warrants, Unit trusts | ||
| Record date | Settled positions on Record date | Not applicable |
| Exchange Fund Notes | ||
| Record date | Settled positions on Record date | 365-day basis |
a. The date on which securities positions are fixed and holders are recorded as eligible to receive entitlements.
Equities
Most listed companies pay dividends semi-annually. Company announcements are usually published about 10-14 days before the Record date. Dividends payments are made 14-28 days after the Record date. Dividends are paid either via cheque from the share registrars and listed companies or by funds transfer via CCASS.
Fixed income securities
Interest on most debentures is paid on a quarterly or semi-annual basis. Paying agents credit interest payments directly to the member’s bank account via CHATS on Payment date.
Corporate actions
Most common corporate events
The most common corporate actions in Hong Kong are AGMs/EGMs, new issue subscriptions and mandatory/voluntary corporate events for listed shares.
Under the listing ordinance, all corporate announcements by public companies in Hong Kong must be published in the local press.
This information is captured manually in the exchange system and released to the participants by announcement, entitlement and payment advices within 24 hours of the public announcement made by the company.
Other market specifics
Proxy voting for Hong Kong securities: votes can be split on an AGM/EGM agenda item and taken either by a show of hands or by poll of shares.
Stock Connect
The following corporate actions are available to Hong Kong and overseas investors:
- Cash dividend;
- Bonus issue;
- Proxy voting;
- Takeover offer;
- Rights issue.
Proxy voting for Stock Connect China A-Shares
HKSCC will advise CCASS participants of all general meeting details such as meeting date, time and the number of resolutions. CCASS participants who have relevant holdings in their securities account as at the record date can vote via CCASS’s existing voting functions. HKSCC will consolidate the voting instructions from CCASS participants and endeavour to submit a combined single voting instruction to the relevant listed issuer.
HKSCC, as the shareholder on record, can attend shareholdings’ meeting.
HKSCC will make arrangements to appoint one or more investors as its proxies or representatives to attend shareholders’ meetings when instructed (where the articles of association of a listed company do not prohibit the appointment of proxy/multiple proxies by its shareholder).