Tricor, 3 Hong Kong, CityU, Microsoft Hong Kong and TFI Sign MOU on Transforming Investor Relations Digitally

According to latest statement issued by Tricor Hong Kong, Tricor, 3 Hong Kong, CityU, Microsoft Hong Kong and TFI Sign MOU on Transforming Investor Relations Digitally, pioneering virtual general meeting system drives a new chapter for smart city.

Tricor Hong Kong (“Tricor”), the leading business expansion specialist in Asia, today signed a memorandum of understanding with leading  5G telecoms operator 3 Hong KongCity University of Hong Kong (“CityU”), a world-class institution, technology giant Microsoft Hong Kong (“Microsoft”), and blockchain and video technology leader TFI Digital Media Limited (“TFI”) to form a strategic partnership to explore innovative and capable solutions to enhance investor relations, giving a strong boost to the innovation-led growth of Hong Kong’s financial sector.

The team is pleased to unveil its first collaboration, SPOT, Hong Kong’s first and only full-function platform that enables electronic general meetings. The platform allows members to vote, post questions to management and view a live-stream of a meeting online without being at the meeting venue. SPOT-empowered meetings are highly scalable, offering significant cost savings and reduce administrative time and effort, and enhance member engagement and transparency.

With this pioneering virtual general meeting system, Tricor and its partners are devoted to further shaping the future of investor experience under the Smart City Roadmap of the Hong Kong government.  In the next phase, the partners will explore and develop more advanced and capable solutions to enhance investor relations and enable a more cutting-edge voting process. The collaboration will also contribute to developing Hong Kong’s smart city position by nurturing a strong tech talent pool.

Under the witness of the Guests of Honour, Dr David Chung Wai-keung JP, Under Secretary for Innovation and Technology and Mr Lester Garson Huang, JP, Chairman of the Council of CityU, the MOU was signed by Mr. Joe Wan, Chief Executive Officer of Tricor Hong KongMr. Kenny Koo, Executive Director and CEO of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings LimitedProfessor Way Kuo, President of CityUMs. Cally Chan, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau, and Mr. Wilson Yuen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of TFI Digital Media Limited.

In light of the environmental and public hygiene risks, virtual meetings have become a phenomenon this year amid disruptions from travel and commuting to postal services. As a market leader in meeting management and poll scrutineer services, Tricor remains committed to ensuring that listed issuers are in full compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements even in such extraordinary environment. SPOT, a tailor-made solution for Hong Kong listed companies, is at present the only eMeeting system that:

  1. complies with and observes all the requirements of HKEX Listing Rules and statutory regulations;
  2. seamlessly integrates the Register of Members;
  3. facilitates proxy actions under CCASS to attend and vote on-line;
  4. provides voting forms and proxy forms in the same format and details as published by the issuer on HKEX website for investors’ ease of use;
  5. includes a full range of functions for an end-to-end eAGM solution; and
  6. offers robust data privacy, encrypted data storage and transmission and multi-layered security.

Building on the success of fintech in the financial sector, SPOT heralds a revolution in investor engagement in Hong Kong. SPOT combines traditional in-room general meetings with virtual meeting set-ups in parallel. Operating on a secure and dedicated network to ensure reliable services, the platform allows meetings both all-online and in hybrid form. Members can vote, view a live-stream of the meeting and ask questions online, while voting results that are aligned in HKEx-required format can be declared in real-time. Various proxy features are available including alternative proxies, multiple proxies and proxy voting receipts issued for each proxy for record-keeping.

“Tricor is excited to join forces with technology experts in driving the evolution of Hong Kong’s financial sector through exploring smarter and more affordable digitalised solutions. This partnership is a landmark in revolutionising the traditional model while remaining fully in sync with the government’s vision in creating a smart city and a new era of investor relations,” said Joe Wan, Chief Executive Officer of Tricor Hong Kong. “SPOT is the first step to fundamentally change the dynamics of investor engagement in Hong Kong. The system has been receiving applauses and recognitions from clients since its launch. Looking forward, we will continue to work with our partners for the continual enhancement of SPOT in our course towards smarter investor relations solutions.”

“3 Hong Kong rolled out its ultra-fast 5G network served by a powerful 10Gbps optical-fibre backhaul infrastructure in April 2020. As a leading 5G operator flourishing into a digital operator, we are delighted to be a strong technology member of this strategic partnership. Our newly launched 5G LIVE Up broadcasting solution and other customised 5G solutions will go a long way towards pioneering the new end-to-end digital eAGM solution and transforming conventional investor relations. The deployment of 5G applications will also help accelerate Hong Kong’s development as a world-class smart city,” said Kenny Koo, Executive Director and CEO of Hutchison Telecommunications Hong Kong Holdings Limited.

“CityU’s academic programmes and scientific research are expediting the development of Hong Kong as a Smart City,” said Professor Way Kuo, President of CityU. “In fact, Smart City is one of the five major areas of translational research in the University’s recently published five-year strategic plan, which aims to contribute to solutions to real-world problems and critical global challenges. We have established the School of Data Science which works closely with our College of Business to advance smart city initiatives that will facilitate the evolution of Hong Kong’s financial sector and its fintech development.”

“COVID-19 has changed the way we live and work, and this has become our new normal. With remote working becoming essential, Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and Cloud Computing plays a crucial role to empower the continuity of businesses, enabling them to be flexible and scalable to response to the market quickly while maintain high level of cybersecurity and compliance measures. Hong Kong is a leading financial center and it is more important than ever to ensure our financial sector embarks on the digital transformation journey in order to sustain our leadership position as a global financial hub,” said Cally Chan, General Manager of Microsoft Hong Kong and Macau.

“It is encouraging to see TFI’s patented technology applied to SPOT for improved user experience with enterprise-grade security, scalability and stability. Riding on the momentum, we are excited to announce TFI’s upcoming Blockchain and Data Analytics products, focusing on data integrity and privacy protection. Such characteristics are essential in realizing our vision of modern digital infrastructure for the financial sector,” said Wilson Yuen, Founder and CEO of TFI Digital Media Limited. With HKSTP, ITB and the government’s support in technology innovation, TFI is committed to bridging scientific research with commercial applications. Leveraging the partnership with industry experts and research institutions, we wish to drive fintech adoption and bring ourselves one step closer towards the Smart City blueprint.

SOURCE Tricor Hong Kong