ANNOUNCEMENT BY CAIXABANK, S.A., IN RELATION TO THE CALL FOR THE 2020 GENERAL SHAREHOLDERS' MEETING SCHEDULED IN ITS SECOND CALL FOR 3 APRIL 2020, AS A RESULT OF THE RISK TO PUBLIC HEALTH DERIVING FROM THE PROPAGATION OF THE COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS
Given the evolution of the situation of risk to public health deriving from the propagation of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the cause of the Covid-19 illness, and taking into account the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern issued on 31 January 2020 by the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, Caixabank, S.A. ("CaixaBank" or the "Company") placing before all other concerns the health of its shareholders, employees, customers and the population in general, after having assessed the situation, the communication by the Spanish National Securities Market Commission made public yesterday and the necessary action plans that allow the measures implemented by the authorities to be followed to prevent contagion, specifically in relation to the holding of the abovementioned Ordinary Annual General Meeting, informs its shareholders, investors and the market in general of the following measures:
1. To inform shareholders that the call to the Ordinary Annual General Meeting shall be maintained under all of its terms, expected to be held on second call, i.e. on 3 April 2020.
2. To recommend not to attend the Annual General Meeting physically and to exercise voting rights by remote means of communication under the terms and conditions established in the Rules and Regulations of the Annual General Meeting of CaixaBank, S.A., as approved on 28th April 2016 and in the Instructions on Proxy and Remote Voting, approved by the Board of Directors on 20 February 2020, which are detailed in the call notice to meeting, and which are available on the Company's corporate website (www.caixabank.com) being also possible to appoint a proxy using the same means. Shareholders are reminded of the option to delegate their vote to the Board of Directors, conferring voting instructions if they consider it appropriate. Likewise, in accordance with the Instructions on Proxy and Remote Voting, and the call notice to the General Meeting, shareholders that have already delegated their vote may vote remotely, becoming the delegation granted in favour of a representative automatically null and void, so that the representative will no longer be required to attend the Meeting.
To such effect, the shareholders will be able to exercise their voting and proxy rights by electronic means via the proxy and voting platform with direct access from the "2020 Shareholders' Annual General Meeting" section of the Company's corporate website (www.caixabank.com), using a digital certificate, or, for those users of the CaixaBankNow digital banking service, using their personalised access codes. Shareholders will also be able to exercise their voting and proxy rights via post by filling out and signing the Distance Voting Card or the Proxy Card, which can be handed in at any branch of CaixaBank, sent to the company's PO BOX: Apartado de Correos 281, 08080 Barcelona or to the Company's registered office at: Calle Pintor Sorolla, 2-4, 46002 Valencia. Likewise, shareholders will be able to leave the card with the entity in which they have deposited their shares so that it may be forwarded to CaixaBank in a timely and orderly manner.
3. As in previous years, to broadcast the Annual General Meeting live via the Company's corporate website (www.caixabank.com), which will also be able to be followed in English, and for the first time this year there will be a sign language interpreter.
4. To reduce to a minimum the number of people belonging to internal and external personal that assist in the organisation of the Annual General Meeting, as well as other persons authorised to attend the meeting. It is informed that the Company has decided not to send out courtesy invitations to suppliers and non-shareholders.
5. To adopt at the venue where the meeting is to take place, the necessary preventive measures recommended by the health authorities in view of the evolution of the risk to public health, and to such end, monitor the announcements and recommendations of said authorities at all times.
The above measures are subject, in any case, to the resolutions or recommendations issued by the competent authorities. In the event of any changes to the measures, the market shall be duly informed.