Global miner Rio Tinto will go ahead with its $3.7-billion dividend payment this month, its chairman told shareholders this week, as a weaker global economy forces some of its peers to forgo payouts.
The mining company held the London leg of its annual general meeting via teleconference call due to coronavirus restrictions.
The outbreak has roiled global markets, disrupted supply chains and forced operations to shutter, pushing some mining companies to shore up balance sheets by withholding shareholder payouts. But Rio chairperson Simon Thompson said the company had decided to go ahead with paying the dividend due on April 16.