Winners of the 2023 IR Awards as voted by financial institutions in the large capitalisation stock category at a ceremony in HCM City on September 28. — Photo of the organisers

HCM CITY — Fourteen listed companies received the 2023 IR Awards for having the best investor relations at a ceremony in HCM City on September 28.

According to the organizers, the Vietnam Association of Financial Executives, Finance and Life e-magazine (FiLi.vn) and Vietstock (Vietstock.vn), the awards were based on a survey of compliance with information disclosure obligations by all 731 companies listed on the HCM City and Hanoi stock exchanges, and 364 of them had complied with all.

Then, based on criteria such as liquidity, foreign investment, compliance in terms of financial transparency, successfully conducting the annual general meeting, corporate governance regulations, treasury stock and internal shareholder transactions, and filing ESG reports, 45 were nominated.

In the final round, they were divided into three groups based on size (large, medium and small, and micro cap) and went through a rigorous assessment by 33 leading financial institutions and voting by investors to find three winners in each category.

The top three voted by investors were Vietinbank, FPT Corporation, and MB Bank (large-cap); Viettel Construction Corporation, Digital World Corporation and FPT Digital Retail JSC (mid-cap); Tiên Sơn Thanh Hóa Group JSC, AAV Group JSC and Hà Nội Plastics JSC (small and micro-cap).

The top three chosen by financial institutions were FPT Corporation, Techcombank, and Vinhomes JSC (large-cap); Digital World Co Ltd, FPT Digital Retail JSC, and PetroVietnam Transports Corporation (mid-cap); and AAV Group JSC, Hà Nội Plastics JSC, and Phục Hưng Holding Construction JSC (small and micro-cap).

Speaking at the awards ceremony, Nguyễn Như Hùng, editor-in-chief of Fili.vn, said: “The IR Awards, in their 13th year now, seek to raise awareness in the business community about the role and importance of investor relations, promote information transparency in the stock market and improve the quality of information and investor confidence in the stock market.”

The winning companies met the stringent standards set for information disclosure, provided financial information transparently, had effective communication with the financial and investment communities, and have IR activities that help optimise business value.

Nguyễn Hoàng Linh, head of research at Vietcombank Fund Management, said companies need to pay more attention to their websites and treat investors equally, regardless of size, be open and well prepared to answer questions from investors, and ensure regular connectivity between top management and investors, he said.

He also recommended that firms should take advantage of social media to stay connected with investors.

Lê Hồng Liên, senior director of investor relations at Techcombank, said investors are paying increasing attention to ESG (environmental, social, and corporate governance).

Firms need to adopt these factors in their operation to achieve sustainable development and create long-term value for business and society.

Mathew Smith, head of research at Yuanta Vietnam, said IR is a vital factor in maximising stakeholder value, especially in the current uncertain environment.

Investor relations is a process, not a one-time event, and should not pause when bad things happen, he warned.

Investors appreciate companies with information transparency and are willing to pay a premium for those with excellent IR activities, he added. — VNS