KUALA LUMPUR (May 21): Bursa Malaysia Bhd said today the bourse regulator and operator has granted an automatic one-month deadline extension to Main Market- and ACE Market-listed companies to issue their quarterly financial statements and annual reports due respectively on May 31, 2021 and June 30, 2021 after considering the potential impact of Malaysia's current Covid-19-driven Movement Control Order (MCO) on Bursa-listed firms.

Bursa said it has also granted the automatic one-month deadline extension to LEAP Market-listed companies to issue their semi-annual and audited financial statements which are due respectively on May 31,2021 and June 30, 2021.

On May 10, 2021, news reports, quoting Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's statement, said the whole Malaysia would be placed under the MCO again from May 12 to June 7 to curb the spread of Covid-19 infections in the country.

The re-enforcement of the current MCO is commonly known as MCO 3.0.

Today, Bursa said in a statement: "This latest relief measure (automatic one-month deadline extension) is granted, having considered the potential impact of MCO 3.0 from May 12 to June 7, 2021 on listed issuers."

"Notwithstanding the one-month extension, listed issuers are reminded to comply with the disclosure obligations under the listing requirements, including making immediate announcements of any material information to ensure that shareholders and investors have access to information in a timely manner," Bursa said.

Bursa said today that since March 2020, the exchange has implemented various relief measures to ease regulatory compliance and aid Bursa-listed companies to navigate through the current challenging times amid the Covid-19 pandemic while ensuring that the objectives and purpose of Bursa’s regulatory framework are met.