Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation

Companies have been asked to postpone their shareholder meetings to July and August due to the COVID-19 epidemic. According to TDCC, in July, the numbers of people attending shareholder meetings in person have declined substantially from the previous years, and companies have all adhered to the level 3 epidemic prevention guidelines while holding shareholder meetings.

Given the announcement of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on July 23 that the level of epidemic control measures will be lowered to level 2 between July 27 and August 9, TDCC also fine-tuned its “Operating Guidelines for Epidemic Prevention at Shareholder Meetings” immediately upon the instruction of the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC). Shareholders’ health and safety remains a top priority, so frequent disinfection of the meeting venue and shared items like microphones and pens is essential. Shareholder meeting attendees must wear a surgical mask at all times, and have their body temperatures measured before entering the meeting venue. Eating and drinking in the meeting room is not allowed, and attendees should provide their names and contact numbers to the meeting organizer. Ventilation at the venue and access control are both required, and maintaining social distance is also advisable.

Regarding the number of people allowed at the meeting venue, which all listed companies are keen to know, the maximum number is 50 for an indoor venue and 100 for an outdoor one, according to the CECC’s level 2 control measures.

TDCC President Han-Chiang Chu emphasized that epidemic prevention at shareholder meetings must remain watertight despite the downgrade to level 2, and companies that are about to hold a shareholder meeting should not drop their guard.

According to the FSC’s announcement of delaying shareholder meetings of publicly-listed companies on June 29, companies that fulfill certain criteria may hold a physical shareholder meeting between August 16 and August 31 and provide live streaming service. President Han-Chiang Chu said the Shareholder Meeting Live Streaming platform is now undergoing a test run. Some basic functions will be made available this year, and TDCC will send engineers to provide teach-ins to eligible companies in order to allow more shareholders to participate in the meeting online.