Country for PR: United States
Contributor: PR Newswire New York
Wednesday, March 25 2020 - 23:30
AsiaNet
Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. Provides Shareholder Update in Relation to COVID-19
TORONTO, March 25, 2020 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

-- As a regulated financial services company that operates globally, Canaccord 
Genuity employs a disciplined capital allocation strategy, complemented by 
ongoing business continuity planning, both of which are integral to the 
Company's firm wide and continuous risk management practices. 

In light of the recent volatility driven by the current global healthcare and 
economic crisis, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (TSX: CF, the "Company", 
"Canaccord Genuity") provides the following business and operational update for 
its shareholders.

"Our collective priority is supporting our wealth management and capital 
markets clients through this rapidly changing market backdrop, while doing our 
part to protect our employees and clients and stop the spread of COVID-19 in 
our communities," said Dan Daviau, President & CEO of Canaccord Genuity Group 
Inc. "Whether we are finding financing solutions for growth companies, advising 
issuers on prospective transactions or helping our wealth management clients 
navigate new market realities, we remain guided by our long-term priorities of 
limiting our exposure to risk, and ensuring disciplined capital management in 
any market backdrop."

Canaccord Genuity's firmwide business continuity plan is designed to ensure 
that businesses in all our geographies can continue to provide uninterrupted 
service for clients.

-- The Company has made significant investments in recent years to advance its 
infrastructure, trading and technology platforms; all protocols, capacity and 
capabilities are tested regularly. 
-- All business units are equipped to operate remotely and collaborate 
seamlessly in a secure environment. 
-- With our remote technology fully deployed and operational, the full 
complement of CG resources will be available to clients through off-site 
capabilities, as well as on-site where and if, safely available.

The Company's financial position provides the flexibility to operate 
effectively within all market environments, including the unprecedented market 
activity of recent weeks.  

-- For the first nine months of fiscal 2020, which ended December 31, 2019, the 
Company's combined global wealth management operations contributed 59% of total 
adjusted(1) net income. 
-- To date, the reduction in the value of our assets under administration 
(client assets) has been in-line with the broader market with the equities 
component impacted the greatest;  we continue to prudently monitor and manage 
all client activity, including margin and trading activity, to ensure 
compliance with best practices and regulatory requirements. 
-- There have been no material losses incurred in the Company's capital markets 
trading operations. 
-- Although we expect that investment banking and advisory revenue will 
naturally be subdued in the upcoming fiscal quarter, the activity in the 
current fiscal quarter has been at reasonable levels and we continue to 
actively engage with our clients and have been successful in closing several 
transactions.  

While we are not immune to the setbacks created by the current market 
environment, we remain focused on our strategic priorities and we are committed 
to operating our business for long-term value.

 -- We have a dedicated COVID-19 Global Response Team in place that meets 
regularly and ensures that we are sharing resources and best practices 
globally. 
 -- We operate our business efficiently and we continue to move forward with 
our previously disclosed strategy to remove $20 million from our fixed cost 
base, in connection with our objective of sustainably improving our margins 
once markets stabilize.

During the first nine months of fiscal 2020, we returned over $77 million to 
our shareholders through dividends and share buybacks and reduced our 
outstanding share count by more than 7%. Our commitment to enhancing value for 
our shareholders has not changed.

As the current environment is dynamic, we will continue to monitor changes 
within all our businesses and geographies and adjust our plans, strategies and 
communications appropriately. The Company is scheduled to release its financial 
results for the fourth quarter and full 2020 fiscal year on June 2, 2020.  

ABOUT CANACCORD GENUITY GROUP INC. 

Through its principal subsidiaries, Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. (the 
"Company") is a leading independent, full-service financial services firm, with 
operations in two principal segments of the securities industry: wealth 
management and capital markets. Since its establishment in 1950, the Company 
has been driven by an unwavering commitment to building lasting client 
relationships. We achieve this by generating value for our individual, 
institutional and corporate clients through comprehensive investment solutions, 
brokerage services and investment banking services. The Company has wealth 
management offices located in Canada, the UK, Guernsey, Jersey, the Isle of Man 
and Australia. Canaccord Genuity, the international capital markets division, 
operates in North America, UK & Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East. 

Canaccord Genuity Group Inc. is publicly traded under the symbol CF on the TSX. 

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release may contain "forward-looking information" as defined under 
applicable securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). These statements 
relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's 
expectations, beliefs, plans, estimates, intentions and similar statements 
concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or 
expectations that are not historical facts, including business and economic 
conditions and Canaccord Genuity Group's growth, results of operations, 
performance and business prospects and opportunities. Such forward-looking 
statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information 
currently available to management. In some cases, forward-looking statements 
can be identified by terminology such as "may", "will", "should", "expect", 
"plan", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict", "potential", 
"continue", "target", "intend", "could" or the negative of these terms or other 
comparable terminology. By their very nature, forward-looking statements 
involve inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, and a 
number of factors could cause actual events or results to differ materially 
from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements. In evaluating 
these statements, readers should specifically consider various factors that may 
cause actual results to differ materially from any forward-looking statement. 
These factors include, but are not limited `to, market and general economic 
conditions, the nature of the financial services industry and the risks and 
uncertainties discussed from time to time in the Company's interim condensed 
and annual consolidated financial statements, its annual report and its annual 
information form ("AIF") filed on www.sedar.com as well as the factors 
discussed in the sections entitled "Risk Management" and "Risk Factors" in the 
AIF, which include market, liquidity, credit, operational, legal and regulatory 
risks. Material factors or assumptions that were used by the Company to develop 
the forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, but are 
not limited to, those set out in the Fiscal 2020 Outlook section in the annual 
MD&A and those discussed from time to time in the Company's interim condensed 
and annual consolidated financial statements, its annual report and the AIF 
filed on www.sedar.com. The preceding list is not exhaustive of all possible 
risk factors that may influence actual results. Readers are cautioned that the 
preceding list of material factors or assumptions is not exhaustive.

Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are 
based upon what management believes are reasonable assumptions, there can be no 
assurance that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking 
statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are 
made as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as 
representing the Company's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this 
press release. Except as may be required by applicable law, the Company does 
not undertake, and specifically disclaims, any obligation to update or revise 
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, further 
developments or otherwise.

(1)Figures excluding significant items are non-IFRS measures. See Non-IFRS 
measures on page 6 of the Q3/20 MD&A. Net income attributable to common 
shareholders is calculated as the net income adjusted for non-controlling 
interests and preferred share dividends
 
Investor and media relations inquiries: Christina Marinoff, Vice President, 
Investor Relations & Communications, Phone: 416-687-5507, Email: 
cmarinoff@cgf.com, www.cgf.com/investor-relations


SOURCE: Canaccord Genuity Group Inc.