By Yang Huiwen

GUIDELINES on how Singapore companies conduct themselves - especially how they deal with investors - will get their first overhaul in four years.

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) will set up a specialised corporate governance council to review the adequacy of the current guidelines, as part of efforts to enhance investors' confidence in listed companies here.

This was announced by MAS managing director Heng Swee Keat at the Securities Investors Association of Singapore (Sias) inaugural Asian Investors' Corporate Governance Conference yesterday.

Council to have representatives from private & public sectors

A CORPORATE Governance Council will be formed to review guidelines in Singapore's Code of Corporate Governance.

Corporate governance refers to practices such as how transparent companies are when dealing with investors. This covers everything from the clarity of annual reports to the timely disclosure of market sensitive information.

The code was last reviewed in 2005 by the now-defunct Council on Corporate Disclosure and Governance (CCDG) and took effect from January 2007. Compliance with the code is not mandatory, but listed companies are required under the Singapore Exchange's listing rules to disclose their corporate governance practices.

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