QCA Corporate Governance Code

Last updated

The QCA Corporate Governance Code is a corporate governance code published by the Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA).

It is the corporate governance code adopted by the majority of companies on the AIM market in the UK. London Stock Exchange rules allow companies on AIM to choose which code they adopt and referenced two options as "recognised corporate governance codes". [1] These are:

  1. The QCA Corporate Governance Code
  2. The UK Corporate Governance Code

A review of all 927 companies on AIM at the end of 2018 showed that 89% had chosen to apply the QCA Corporate Governance Code, with 6% applying the UK Corporate Governance Code, and 5% applying a range of other codes. [2] [3] [4]

Related Research Articles

Board of directors Type of governing body for an organisation

A board of directors is an executive committee that jointly supervise the activities of an organization, which can be either a for-profit or a nonprofit organization such as a business, nonprofit organization, or a government agency.

The Nasdaq Stock Market is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is ranked second on the list of stock exchanges by market capitalization of shares traded, behind the New York Stock Exchange. The exchange platform is owned by Nasdaq, Inc., which also owns the Nasdaq Nordic stock market network and several U.S.-based stock and options exchanges.

Sarbanes–Oxley Act United States law covering finance and accountability

The Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002 is a United States federal law that mandates certain practices in financial record keeping and reporting for corporations.

Ticker symbol Abbreviation identifying specific shares

A ticker symbol or stock symbol is an abbreviation used to uniquely identify publicly traded shares of a particular stock on a particular stock market. In short, ticker symbols are arrangements of symbols or characters representing specific assets or securities listed on a stock exchange or traded publicly. A stock symbol may consist of letters, numbers or a combination of both. "Ticker symbol" refers to the symbols that were printed on the ticker tape of a ticker tape machine.

Corporate governance is defined, described or delineated in diverse ways, depending on the writer's' purpose. Writers focussed on a disciplinary interest or context often adopt narrow definitions that appear purpose-specific. Writers concerned with regulatory policy in relation to corporate governance practices often use broader structural descriptions. A broad (meta) definition that encompasses many adopted definitions is '“Corporate governance” describes the processes, structures, and mechanisms that influence the control and direction of corporations'.

A real estate investment trust (REIT) is a company that owns, and in most cases operates, income-producing real estate. REITs own many types of commercial real estate, including office and apartment buildings, warehouses, hospitals, shopping centers, hotels and commercial forests. Some REITs engage in financing real estate.

Singapore Exchange Investment holding company in Singapore

The Singapore Exchange Limited (SGX) is an investment holding company located in Singapore and provides different services related to securities and derivatives trading and others. SGX is also a member of the World Federation of Exchanges and the Asian and Oceanian Stock Exchanges Federation.

AIM is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange that was launched on 19 June 1995 as a replacement to the previous Unlisted Securities Market (USM) that had been in operation since 1980. It allows companies that are smaller, less-developed, or want/need a more flexible approach to governance to float shares with a more flexible regulatory system than is applicable on the main market.

JSE Limited Stock exchange in Johannesburg, South Africa

JSE Limited is the largest stock exchange in Africa. It is located in Sandton, Johannesburg, South Africa, after it moved from downtown Johannesburg in 2000. In 2003 the JSE had an estimated 473 listed companies and a market capitalisation of US$182.6 billion, as well as an average monthly traded value of US$6.399 billion. As of March 2022, the market capitalisation of the JSE was at US$1.36 trillion.

B3 (stock exchange)

B3 S.A.- Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão, formerly BM&FBOVESPA, is a stock exchange located in São Paulo, Brazil, and the second oldest of the country. At the end of 2011 it had a market capitalization of R$2.37 trillion, making it the 13th largest stock exchange in the world. However, owing to the slump in economic growth in Brazil associated with political problems, in addition to the strengthening of the United States dollar against the Brazilian real, the capitalization shrank to R$2.21 trillion by the end of 2015.

The OTC (Over-The-Counter) Bulletin Board or OTCBB was a United States quotation medium operated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) for its subscribing members. FINRA closed the OTCBB on November 8, 2021.

OTC Markets Group is an American financial market providing price and liquidity information for almost 10,000 over-the-counter (OTC) securities. The group has its headquarters in New York City. OTC-traded securities are organized into three markets to inform investors of opportunities and risks: OTCQX, OTCQB and Pink.

Cross-listing of shares is when a firm lists its equity shares on one or more foreign stock exchange in addition to its domestic exchange. To be cross-listed, a company must thus comply with the requirements of all the stock exchanges in which it is listed, such as filing.

UK corporate governance has influenced corporate governance regulation in the European Union and United States.

In corporate finance, a listing refers to the company's shares being on the list of stock that are officially traded on a stock exchange. Some stock exchanges allow shares of a foreign company to be listed and may allow dual listing, subject to conditions.

The King Report on Corporate Governance is a booklet of guidelines for the governance structures and operation of companies in South Africa. It is issued by the King Committee on Corporate Governance. Three reports were issued in 1994, 2002, and 2009 and a fourth revision in 2016. The Institute of Directors in Southern Africa (IoDSA) owns the copyright of the King Report on Corporate Governance and the King Code of Corporate Governance. Compliance with the King Reports is a requirement for companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. The King Report on Corporate Governance has been cited as "the most effective summary of the best international practices in corporate governance".

The UK Corporate Governance code, formerly known as the Combined Code is a part of UK company law with a set of principles of good corporate governance aimed at companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. It is overseen by the Financial Reporting Council and its importance derives from the Financial Conduct Authority's Listing Rules. The Listing Rules themselves are given statutory authority under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 and require that public listed companies disclose how they have complied with the code, and explain where they have not applied the code – in what the code refers to as 'comply or explain'. Private companies are also encouraged to conform; however there is no requirement for disclosure of compliance in private company accounts. The Code adopts a principles-based approach in the sense that it provides general guidelines of best practice. This contrasts with a rules-based approach which rigidly defines exact provisions that must be adhered to. In 2017, it was announced that the Financial Reporting Council would amend the Code to require companies to "comply or explain" with a requirement to have elected employee representatives on company boards.

Integrated reporting in corporate communication is a "process that results in communication, most visibly a periodic “integrated report”, about value creation over time. An integrated report is a concise communication about how an organization's strategy, governance, performance and prospects lead to the creation of value over the short, medium and long term."

The Quoted Companies Alliance (QCA) is the membership organisation that champions the interests of small and mid-size quoted companies in the United Kingdom. The company is not-for-profit. The QCA campaigns on a wide variety of issues and organises surveys and events to inform its membership about making the most of public markets. The organisation has 300 members of which nearly 200 are quoted companies.

Gender representation on corporate boards of directors refers to the proportion of men and women who occupy board member positions. To measure gender diversity on corporate boards, studies often use the percentage of women holding corporate board seats and the percentage of companies with at least one woman on their board. Globally, men occupy more board seats than women. As of 2018, women held 20.8% of the board seats on Russell 1000 companies. Most percentages for gender representation on corporate boards refer only to public company boards. Private companies are not required to disclose information on their board of directors, so the data is less available.

References

  1. "Inside AIM" (PDF). www.londonstockexchange.com. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2019.
  2. "Which corporate governance codes do AIM companies apply?". www.theqca.com.
  3. "QCA Code emerges as AIM companies' first choice under new reporting requirements". www.lexisnexis.com.
  4. "Executive remuneration in AIM listed companies" (PDF). www.kpmg.com.