Bank of Valletta plc has been included in the Dow Jones Stoxx EU Enlarged Select Dividend® 15 Index, a new index which was launched on 5 February. The objective of the index is to measure the performance of the highest dividend-paying stocks of the EU enlarged region relative to its home markets.

The index covers Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech R., Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The index is derived from the Dow Jones STOXX EU Enlarged Total Market Index TMI®, and presumably seeks to address increased investor interest in the “catch-up” process, or “real” convergence of the new EU member states.

“The index is globally integrated in the Dow Jones Select Dividend Index family and should give the bank increased exposure as well as enhance its reputation among international financial markets players,” noted Tonio Depasquale, chief executive officer at Bank of Valletta. “In this respect, the bank is proud to be among the leading companies within the emerging EU,” he added.

The index components are weighted by their indicated annual net dividend yield, with the stocks being screened by a three-year non-negative dividend-per-share growth rate and a dividend to earnings-per-share ratio of less than or equal to 100%. This latter criterion underlines the bank’s dividend policy oriented towards the longer-term growth and sustainability.