COVID-19: Amid second wave, SEC halts visits to its offices

Amid the rise in COVID- 19 cases, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has suspended all physical meetings and visits to its offices.

The commission on Friday, in a statement on its website, encouraged stakeholders in the capital market to conduct meetings and other engagements virtually.

“Public companies are advised to take appropriate precautionary measures as recommended by the Federal and State Governments as well as the NCDC to ensure the safety of shareholders and participants at Annual General Meetings/Extra-Ordinary General Meetings and other meetings which may be held during the prevalence of the pandemic,” the statement read.

SEC said it has embraced digital operations, adding that applications should be sent to some specified email addresses.

For registration of funds and other relevant filings, a mail can be forwarded to [email protected], while the registration of securities, public offers, mergers and acquisition, debt issuances and others can be done to [email protected].

Fresh applications for registration of capital market operators (CMOs) and pending applications and requests by CMOs for an update of information can be sent to [email protected].

For filing of returns, public companies can send a mail to [email protected], while captial market operators (CMOs) can send to [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected],  [email protected] and [email protected].

It said shareholders with 5 per cent and more stake can file their returns to [email protected], while anti money laundering/ combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) can do the same by sending a mail to [email protected].

The apex capital market regulator further said investors and CMOs who intend to file complaints to the commission can send a mail to [email protected] or fill the online complaint form on its website.

SEC also said it would continue to work with financial regulators and governmental authorities on appropriate pandemic safety protocols.

It added that market stakeholders would be regularly updated.