China Bank and its SVP for Investor and Corporate Relations Alexander C. Escucha were recognized at the recent 5th Asian Excellence Awards in Hong Kong. China Bank was named Best Investor Relations Company (Philippines), while Escucha was named Best Investor Relations Professional (Philippines).
Organized by Corporate Governance Asia, the Asian Excellence Awards distinguish the public companies in the region that perform consistent excellence in corporate governance. The companies are evaluated on aspects such as investor relations, corporate social responsibility, financial performance, and business ethics.
China Bank was one of the 22 awardees for the Philippines in the Best Investor Relations Company category, along with SM conglomerate companies BDO, SM Investments Corporation (SMIC), and SM Prime Holdings.
Escucha was one of the seven Best Investor Relations Professional awardees for the Philippines, including SVP for Investor Relations Corazon C. Guidote of SMIC.
Investor Relations (IR) is a key component of corporate governance at China Bank. A financial discipline and a communication function, it is fundamental in its role of promoting transparency and investor confidence. According to Escucha, IR facilitates a better understanding, for the Bank’s investors and the financial community, of how China Bank conducts business and makes money ethically, and for Management, of investors’ expectations of China Bank.
“Through regular two-way communication and interaction with investors, analysts, regulators, the financial news media, and other stakeholder groups, IR is shaping the standards of governance at China Bank, enabling us to benchmark the Bank’s performance against our peers, get a clearer sense of the concerns and expectations of our diverse investors, and develop strategies to address these concerns and expectations and increase shareholder value,” said Escucha.
Late last year, Corporate Governance Asia, the most authoritative quarterly magazine on corporate governance in Asia, also named China Bank as Asia’s Outstanding Company on Corporate Governance (Philippines), and its corporate secretary, Atty. Corazon I. Morando, as Asian Company Secretary of the Year (Philippines).
Founded in 1920, China Bank is the country’s first privately-owned local commercial bank and now the fifth largest private universal bank with P471 billion in assets. It serves the banking needs of the corporate, commercial, and retail markets. The China Bank Group has 480 branches to date: 316 for China Bank, 86 for China Bank Savings, and 78 for Plantersbank. This vast branch network is complemented by electronic banking channels—ATM, online, mobile, and phone banking—that provide 24/7 service.