I. General questions
Q1. When was Bank of China Limited (hereinafter “Bank of China” or “the Bank”) established? When did it go public?
A1: The Bank was established in February 1912 under the approval of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. From 1912 to 1949, the Bank served consecutively as the country’s central bank, international exchange bank and specialist international trade bank. Fulfilling its commitment to serving the public and developing China’s financial services sector, the Bank adhered to prudential operation, forged ahead with great determinations and made significant progress in all businesses. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, with a long history as the state designated specialist foreign exchange and trade bank, the Bank made great contribution to the nation’s foreign trade development and economic infrastructure. In 1994, the Bank was transformed to a state-owned commercial bank. In 2003, the Bank initiated its joint-stock reform. In August 2004, Bank of China Limited was formally incorporated. The Bank was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Stock Exchange in June and July 2006 respectively, becoming the first Chinese commercial bank listed in both the mainland and Hong Kong. Please refer to “About Us – Bank of China Overview” on the website of the Bank for details.
Q2. Which stock exchange is the Bank’s stock traded on? What is the stock code?
A2: The Bank’s ordinary A Shares are traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (Stock Code:601988), and the ordinary H Shares are traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (Stock Code:3988).
Please refer to “Investor Relations – Shares and Dividends – Shareholding Information” on the website of the Bank for details.
Q3. Which companies are the registrars of the Bank?
A3: The H-Share registrar of the Bank is Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited. The A-Share registrar of the Bank is China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited.
Q4. As a shareholder, what can I do when coming across issues concerning the shareholding of the Bank, such as share transfers, changes of name or address, or loss of share certificates?
A4: Any shareholder who wants to inquire such issues as share transfers, changes of name or address, or loss of share certificates, etc. may contact the registrars of the Bank:
H-Share: Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited.
Address: 17M, Hopewell Centre, 183 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong, China
Tel: (852) 2862 8555
Fax: (852) 2865 0990
A-Share: Shanghai Branch of China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited
Address: 36 F China Insurance Building, 166 East Lujiazui Road, Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China
Tel: (86) 21-38874800
Q5. Has Bank of China established a corporate governance framework?
A5: Yes. Please refer to “Investor Relations – Corporate Governance” on the website of the Bank for details.
II. Questions concerning dividends
Q1. Does the Bank distribute dividends?
A1: Yes. Since 2007, the Bank has distributed cash dividends once a year.
Q2. In which currency does Bank of China distribute its dividends?
A2: The payment of dividends or other amounts to the shareholders of domestic shares by the Bank shall be calculated, declared and paid in RMB. The payment of dividends or other amounts to the shareholders of foreign shares by the Bank shall be calculated and declared in RMB but paid in HKD. The payment of foreign currencies to shareholders of foreign shares by the Bank shall be made in compliance with relevant provisions of foreign exchange administration of the state.
Q3. Shall shareholders pay income tax for the dividends from Bank of China?
A3: Dividends obtained by A-Share Holders and H-Shares Holders from the Bank shall be subject to individual income tax or business income tax, in accordance with relevant provisions of the Ministry of Finance, State Administration of Taxation, Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong and other organs. As for the applicable tax rate and other specific matters, please refer to relevant announcements on dividend distribution of the Bank or the advices of your professional consultants.
Q4. Where can we inquire the historical dividend distribution of the Bank?
A4: Please refer to “Investor Relations – Shares and Dividends –Dividend Information” on the website of the Bank.
III. Questions concerning the General Meeting of Shareholders
Q1. Does Bank of China hold General Meeting of Shareholders?
A1: The Bank holds annual general meeting (AGM) every year. In case of significant events in need of voting before the AGM, an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) will be held.
Q2. When will the next General Meeting of Shareholders be held?
A2: Please refer to relevant notices and announcements on the General Meeting of Shareholders in “Investor Relations – Announcements” on the website of the Bank.
Q3. As a shareholder of Bank of China, may I attend its General Meeting of Shareholders?
A3: The Bank welcomes all qualified shareholders to the General Meeting of Shareholders. As for qualifications required and formalities to be handled for attending the General Meeting of Shareholders of the Bank, please refer to relevant notices and announcements on the General Meeting of Shareholders in “Investor Relations –Announcements” on the website of the Bank.
IV. Questions concerning financial reports
Q1. When does the Bank release its reports on operating results?
A1: The Bank releases its annual reports as of 31 December (inclusive) of every financial year, the first quarter reports as of 30 April (inclusive), interim reports as of 30 June (inclusive) and the third quarter reports as of 30 September (inclusive). As for the time of releasing the operating results, please refer to “Investor Relations – Corporate Calendar” on the website of the Bank.
Q2. Is there any webcast on the operating results of the Bank?
A2: The Bank will provide webcasts on its annual and interim operating results. Detains of webcasts on operating results are available on the website of the Bank before the release of operating results. The downloadable version will be uploaded to the Investor Relations page. For webcasts, please refer to “Investor Relations – Presentation/ Live Webcast” on the website of the Bank.
Q3. How to get access to reports on the operating results of the Bank?
A3: Please refer to “Investor Relations – Financial Reports” on the website of the Bank.
Q4. Which firm is the external auditor of the Bank?
A4: The Bank engaged Ernst & Young Hua Ming as its external auditor for auditing its financial statements and internal control.
Q5. What’s the credit rating of the Bank?
A5: Please refer to “Investor Relations – Bonds and Rating Materials – Rating Materials” on the website of the Bank.
Q6. As an H-Share holder, how can I obtain an annual report or interim report prepared in the other language?
A6: The annual reports and interim reports prepared by the Bank based on the international accounting standards are available in both Chinese and English. The electronic edition can be downloaded from “Investor Relations – Financial Reports” on the website of the Bank. After receiving the printed report, if you want to get the edition prepared in the other language, please contact the H-Share registrar of the Bank: Computershare Hong Kong Investor Services Limited.
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