© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: HSBC logo is seen on a branch bank in the financial district in New York, U.S., August 7, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
HONG KONG (Reuters) – HSBC Holdings Plc (LON:)’s board is unanimous in recommending that shareholders vote against proposals to restructure the bank and pay fixed dividends, its chairman, Mark Tucker, told Hong Kong shareholders on Monday.
The comment came as Ken Lui, an individual HSBC shareholder and leader of a Hong Kong-based investor group, called for a break up of the bank. His second proposed resolution calls on HSBC to restore pre-COVID-19 dividend levels.
Tucker told the shareholders a restructuring or spin-off of its Asia business, as demanded by Lui, would create a major period of uncertainty for clients, and employees and shareholders would be disrupted.