Electronic Dissemination of Rights Issue and Take-over Documents Extended to 30 June 2021

Singapore, 29 September 2020 …. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the Securities Industry Council (SIC) and the Singapore Exchange Regulation (SGX RegCo) announced that listed issuers and parties involved in rights issues and take-over or merger transactions will continue to have the option to electronically disseminate Offer Documents through publication on SGXNET and their corporate websites for another 9 months, until 30 June 2021.

2   With the extension, rights issues and take-over or merger transactions can proceed within safe distancing guidelines, effectively reducing physical interaction at workplaces needed to prepare, print and deliver a large number of Offer Documents. This extension is aligned to the extension of the alternative meeting arrangements  under the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020. 

3   Under the temporary measures [1] , issuers and parties who opt to disseminate their Offer Documents electronically must send a hardcopy notification to shareholders with instructions on how they can access the electronic version of the Offer Documents. They must also send the hardcopy application or acceptance forms to shareholders. These requirements will ensure that all shareholders continue to be informed of these significant corporate actions by mail during this time and are able to participate in the corporate actions. In addition, we strongly encourage parties undertaking rights issues or take-over or merger transactions to allow shareholders to apply and pay for the subscription of rights issues, accept offers and inspect documents through the internet [2] . Shareholders are encouraged to use the internet channels where these are available.