ewbc-20260518 0001069157 false 0001069157 2026-05-18 2026-05-18 UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-K CURRENT REPORT Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d) of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported) May 18, 2026 EAST WEST BANCORP, INC. (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) 000-24939 (Commission File Number) 95-4703316 (IRS Employer Identification No.) 135 N Los Robles Ave. , 7th Floor , Pasadena , California 91101 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip code) ( 626 ) 768-6000 (Registrant’s telephone number, including area code) Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions: ☐ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)   ☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)   ☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))   ☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share EWBC The Nasdaq Global Select Market Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter). Emerging growth company ☐ If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐ Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders. On May 18, 2026 , East West Bancorp, Inc. (the “Company”) held its 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the “Annual Meeting”). The Company’s stockholders considered five proposals at the Annual Meeting, each of which was described in more detail in the Company’s definitive proxy statement (the “2026 Proxy Statement”) for the Annual Meeting, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 8, 2026. There were 124,578,151 shares of common stock represented at the Annual Meeting in person or by valid proxies, which was approximately 90.95% of the shares of common stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting. The final results of the voting for each matter submitted to a vote of stockholders at the Annual Meeting are as set forth below. Proposal 1: Election of Directors The Company’s stockholders elected the eleven director nominees named in the 2026 Proxy Statement for a one-year term until the 2027 annual meeting of stockholders and to serve until his or her successor is elected and qualified. The voting results were as follows: Votes Cast For Votes Against Votes Abstained Broker Non-Votes Manuel P. Alvarez 116,188,758 241,029 173,258 7,975,106 Peter Babej 115,868,646 561,471 172,928 7,975,106 Molly Campbell 113,818,854 2,601,009 183,182 7,975,106 Archana Deskus 115,883,756 547,787 171,502 7,975,106 Serge Dumont 114,106,546 2,313,310 183,189 7,975,106 Mark Hutchins 115,677,538 752,191 173,316 7,975,106 Paul H. Irving 110,811,599 5,602,264 189,182 7,975,106 Sabrina Kay 115,019,476 1,385,599 197,970 7,975,106 Jack C. Liu 112,305,620 4,109,078 188,347 7,975,106 Dominic Ng 113,532,567 2,888,548 181,930 7,975,106 Lester M. Sussman 115,180,631 1,245,564 176,850 7,975,106 Proposal 2: Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation The advisory vote to approve the Company’s executive compensation (“say-on-pay”) for 2025 was approved by the Company’s stockholders by the vote set forth in the table below. Votes Cast For Votes Against Votes Abstained Broker Non-Votes 110,797,650 5,606,345 199,050 7,975,106 (95.18% of total votes cast) Proposal 3: Approval of the Amendment and Restatement of the East West Bancorp, Inc. 2021 Stock Incentive Plan The Company’s stockholders voted to approve the amendment and restatement of the East West Bancorp, Inc. 2021 Stock Incentive Plan by the vote set forth in the table below. Votes Cast For Votes Against Votes Abstained Broker Non-Votes 114,335,164 1,985,957 281,924 7,975,106 (98.29% of total votes cast) Proposal 4: Approval of the Adoption of the East West Bancorp, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan The Company’s stockholders voted to approve and adopt the East West Bancorp, Inc. 2026 Employee Stock Purchase Plan by the vote set forth in the table below Votes Cast For Votes Against Votes Abstained Broker Non-Votes 116,357,656 88,216 157,173 7,975,106 (99.92% of total votes cast) Proposal 5: Ratification of Auditors The Company’s stockholders ratified the appointment of KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026 by the vote set forth in the table below. Votes Cast For Votes Against Votes Abstained Broker Non-Votes 122,787,826 1,618,044 172,281 — (98.70% of total votes cast) No other matters were submitted for stockholder action. SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. EAST WEST BANCORP, INC. Date: May 19, 2026 By: /s/ Christopher J. Del Moral-Niles Christopher J. Del Moral-Niles Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer