Annual Financial Report

RNS Number : 5431D

Scottish American Investment Co PLC

03 March 2022

 

The Scottish American Investment Company P.L.C. (SAIN)

Legal Entity Identifier: 549300NF03XVC5IFB447

Regulated Information Classification: Annual Financial and Audit Reports

Annual Report and Financial Statements

Further to the statement of audited annual results announced to the Stock Exchange on 11 February 2022, The Scottish American Investment Company P.L.C. ("SAINTS" or "the Company") announces that the Company's Annual Report and Financial Statements for the year ended 31 December 2021, including the Notice of Annual General Meeting, has today been posted to shareholders and submitted electronically to the National Storage Mechanism where it will shortly be available for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism .  

It is also available on the SAINTS page of the Baillie Gifford website at: saints-it.com (as is the statement of audited annual results announced by the Company on 11 February 2022).

Responsibility Statement of the SAINTS Directors in respect of the Annual Financial Report

The SAINTS Directors confirm that, to the best of their knowledge:

¾ the Financial Statements set out in the Annual Report and Financial Statements, prepared in accordance with the applicable set of accounting standards, give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the Company;

¾ the Strategic Report set out in the Annual Report and Financial Statements includes a fair review of the development and performance of the business and the position of the issuer, together with a description of the principal risks and uncertainties that the issuer and business faces (as also set out below); and

¾ the Annual Report and Financial Statements taken as a whole, is fair, balanced and understandable and provides the information necessary for shareholders to assess the Company's position and performance, business model and strategy.

Principal and Emerging Risks relating to the Company

As explained on pages 31 and 32 of the Annual Report and Financial Statements, there is an ongoing process for identifying, evaluating and managing the risks faced by the Company on a regular basis. The Directors have carried out a robust assessment of the principal and emerging risks facing the Company including those that would threaten its business model, future performance, regulatory compliance, solvency or liquidity. There have been no significant changes to the principal risks during the year. A description of these risks and how they are being managed or mitigated is set out below.

The Board considers the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit to be factors which exacerbate existing areas of risk as categorised and further explained below.

Financial Risk - the Company's assets consist mainly of listed securities and its principal and emerging risks are therefore market related and include market risk (comprising currency risk, interest rate risk and other price risk), liquidity risk and credit risk. An explanation of those risks and how they are managed is contained in note 18 to the Financial Statements on pages 57 to 61 of the Annual Report and Financial Statements. The Board has, in particular, considered the impact of heightened market volatility since the Covid-19 pandemic. To mitigate this risk at each Board meeting the Manager provides an investment policy paper which includes a detailed explanation of significant stock selection decisions and the overall rationale for holding the current portfolio. Consideration is given to portfolio movements and the top and bottom contributors to performance. The investment approach is considered in detail at the annual Strategy Meeting. The Board has considered the potential impact on sterling from the remaining Brexit related uncertainties. The value of the Company's investment portfolio and its income stream would be affected by any currency movements, but the Board believes the nature and diversification of the Company's equity portfolio moderates such risks.

Investment Strategy Risk - pursuing an investment strategy to fulfil the Company's objective which the market perceives to be unattractive or inappropriate, or the ineffective implementation of an attractive or appropriate strategy, may lead to reduced returns for shareholders and, as a result, a decreased demand for the Company's shares. This may lead to the Company's shares trading at a widening discount to their net asset value. To mitigate this risk, the Board regularly reviews and monitors the Company's objective and investment policy and strategy; the investment portfolio and its performance; the level of discount/premium to net asset value at which the shares trade; and movements in the share register.

Climate and Governance Risk - as investors place increased emphasis on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues, perceived problems on ESG matters in an investee company could lead to that company's shares being less attractive to investors, adversely affecting its share price, in addition to potential valuation issues arising from any direct impact of the failure to address the ESG weakness on the operations or management of the investee company (for example in the event of an industrial accident or spillage). Environmental factors are also of significant importance in relation to the property investments as, for example, flood risk or the use of deleterious materials could reduce the attractiveness of a property and potentially its valuation and rental income prospects. Repeated failure by the Investment Manager and Property Manager to identify ESG weaknesses in investee companies or property investments, could lead to the Company's own shares being less attractive to investors, adversely affecting its own share price. This is mitigated by the Investment Managers' strong ESG stewardship and engagement policies, and the Board's own ESG policy, which is available to view on the Managers' website: saints-it.com, both of which have been adopted by the Company, and which are fully integrated into the investment process as well as the extensive up-front and ongoing due diligence which the Investment Manager undertakes on each investee company. The due diligence conducted by the Investment Manager and Property Manager includes assessment of the risks inherent in climate change (see page 33 of the Annual Report and Financial Statements).

Regulatory Risk - failure to comply with applicable legal and regulatory requirements such as the tax rules for investment companies, the FCA Listing Rules and the Companies Act could lead to suspension of the Company's Stock Exchange listing, financial penalties, a qualified audit report or the Company being subject to tax on capital gains. To mitigate this risk, Baillie Gifford's Business Risk, Internal Audit and Compliance Departments provide regular reports to the Audit Committee on Baillie Gifford's monitoring programmes. Major regulatory change could impose disproportionate compliance burdens on the Company. In such circumstances representation is made to ensure that the special circumstances of investment trusts are recognised. Shareholder documents and announcements, including the Company's published Interim and Annual Report and Financial Statements, are subject to stringent review processes, and procedures are in place to ensure adherence to the Transparency Directive and the Market Abuse Directive with reference to inside information.

Custody and Depositary Risk - safe custody of the Company's assets may be compromised through control failures by the Depositary, including breaches of cyber security. To mitigate this risk, the Board receives six monthly reports from the Depositary confirming safe custody of the Company's assets held by the Custodian. Cash and portfolio holdings are independently reconciled to the Custodian's records by the Managers. The Custodian's audited internal controls reports are reviewed by Baillie Gifford's Business Risk Department and a summary of the key points is reported to the Audit Committee and any concerns investigated.

Operational Risk - failure of Baillie Gifford's systems or those of other third party service providers could lead to an inability to provide accurate reporting and monitoring or a misappropriation of assets. To mitigate this risk, Baillie Gifford has a comprehensive business continuity plan which facilitates continued operation of the business in the event of a service disruption (including any disruption resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic) or major disaster. Baillie Gifford has continued to operate on a business as usual basis throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions by the Scottish and UK Governments, Baillie Gifford has begun to see a gradual increase in office attendance. A hybrid model is now operating, with staff determining the most appropriate split between working from home and working in the office. The Board reviews Baillie Gifford's Report on Internal Controls and the reports by other key third party providers are reviewed by Baillie Gifford on behalf of the Board. In the year under review, the other key third party service providers have not experienced significant operational difficulties affecting their respective services to the Company.

Discount Risk - the discount/premium at which the Company's shares trade relative to its net asset value can change. The risk of a widening discount is that it may undermine investor confidence in the Company. The Board monitors the level of discount/premium at which the shares trade and the Company has authority to buy back its existing shares when deemed by the Board to be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders.

Leverage Risk - the Company may borrow money for investment purposes (sometimes known as 'gearing' or 'leverage'). If the investments fall in value, any borrowings will magnify the extent of this loss. If borrowing facilities are not renewed, the Company may have to sell investments to repay borrowings. The Company can also make use of derivative contracts. To mitigate this risk, all borrowings require the prior approval of the Board and leverage levels are discussed by the Board and Managers at every meeting. Details of the Company's current borrowings can be found in notes 11 and 12 on page 55 of the Annual Report and Financial Statements. The majority of the Company's investments are in quoted securities that are readily realisable. Further information on leverage can be found on page 69 and the Glossary of Terms and Alternative Performance Measures on pages 70 and 71 of the Annual Report and Financial Statements.

Political Risk - political developments will be closely monitored and considered by the Board and Managers. Following the departure of the UK from the European Union and the subsequent trade agreement between the UK and the European Union, the Board continues to assess the potential consequences for the Company's future activities including those which may arise from further constitutional change. The Board also remains watchful of broader geopolitical tensions and the associated potential for armed conflict. The Board considers the nature and diversification of the Company's investments provides a good degree of protection against such political risks.

Emerging Risks - as explained on pages 31 and 32 of the Annual Report and Financial Statements, the Board has regular discussions on principal risks and uncertainties, including any risks which are not an immediate threat but could arise in the longer term. The Board considers that the key emerging risks arise from three areas: from the global reach of the investment portfolio and its exposure to external and emerging threats such as cyber risk, coronavirus variants or similar public health threats and inflation (and governmental policy response to it). This is mitigated by the Investment Manager's close links to the investee companies and their ability to ask questions on contingency plans. The Investment Manager believes the impact of such events may be to slow growth rather than to invalidate the investment rationale.

Baillie Gifford & Co Limited

Company Secretaries

3 March 2022

 

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