On 8 January 2025, partner Stephanie Chan and senior managing associate Adrian Tang of Sidley’s Hong Kong office delivered an engaging seminar hosted by the Hong Kong Chartered Governance Institute (HKCGI), on “Governance and Best Practices for Listed Issuers in Handling Loans and Lending Arrangements”. The seminar attracted more than 125 attendees, spanning across Hong Kong’s major business sectors including directors and governance professionals of listed issuers from, among others, the finance, real estate, technology, telecommunications, insurance, natural resources and transport sectors.
Ernest Lee FCG HKFCG(PE), immediate past president of HKCGI and technical partner of Deloitte China chaired the seminar. Stephanie and Adrian provided a useful summary and overview of the key legal and regulatory considerations for listed companies when handling loans and lending transactions, and shared some insightful practical tips for avoiding common pitfalls at the pre-loan, post-loan and recovery stages of the lending lifecycle. They also discussed some of the recent enforcement cases brought by the Hong Kong regulators and the key observations and lessons learnt from those cases.
The seminar also included a panel discussion on best practices for good corporate governance related to loans and lending arrangements. Stephanie and Ernest were joined by Polly Wong FCG HKFCG(PE), Company Secretary and Group Financial Controller of Dynamic Holdings Limited, who shared her extensive experience in working closely with executive directors and independent non-executive directors in managing and overseeing the financial affairs of a listed issuer.
The event brought together directors and governance professionals of listed issuers to better understand the significant challenges when managing loans and lending arrangements, while ensuring compliance with the regulatory requirements under the Hong Kong Listing Rules and the Securities and Futures Ordinance.
HKCGI, formerly known as The Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Secretaries (HKICS), is the only qualifier of the internationally recognized Chartered Secretary and Chartered Governance Professional qualification in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. HKCGI currently has over 10,000 members, graduates and students with significant representations within listed issuers and other cross-industry governance functions.
