ewbc-20251231

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

(Amendment No. )

Filed by the Registrant ☒

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐

Check the appropriate box:

☐ Preliminary Proxy Statement

☐ Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

☒ Definitive Proxy Statement

☐ Definitive Additional Materials

☐ Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12

EAST WEST BANCORP, INC.

(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

☒ No fee required.

☐ Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

☐ Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act rules 14a6(i)(1) and 0-11

2026 Proxy Statement

Notice of Annual Meeting of Stockholders

DATE AND TIME

Monday, May 18, 2026,

at 2:00 p.m., Pacific Time

RECORD DATE

March 30, 2026

PLACE

Virtual Annual Meeting Link:
meetnow.global/MLUSZFD

We are holding the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders of East West Bancorp, Inc. (the “Annual Meeting”) in a virtual-only meeting format. To participate in the Annual Meeting, please review the information included in the Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials on your proxy card or the instructions that accompanied your proxy materials.

ITEMS OF BUSINESS

1.	Elect 11 directors to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and to serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified.

2.	Approve, on a non-binding advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers for 2025.

Approve the amendment and restatement of the East West Bancorp, Inc. 2021 Stock Incentive Plan.

Approve the adoption of the East West Bancorp, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

Ratify the appointment of KPMG LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2026.

Transact such other business as may properly come before the Annual Meeting or any postponement or adjournment of the Annual Meeting.

RECORD DATE

Stockholders of record of East West Bancorp, Inc. common shares at the close of business on March 30, 2026 are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting and any postponement or adjournment thereof.

DELIVERY OF PROXY MATERIALS

On or about April 8, 2026, we began mailing to our stockholders of record a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials containing instructions on how to access and review this Proxy Statement and our 2025 Annual Report, which includes our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (the “2025 Annual Report”), how to vote, instructions on how to participate in the Annual Meeting and how to request a printed copy of our proxy materials. Our Proxy Statement and 2025 Annual Report are also available at: www.envisionreports.com/EWBC.

VOTING

We urge you to submit your proxy promptly whether or not you plan to attend the Annual Meeting. You may vote by telephone, online, or by mailing your signed proxy card in the enclosed return envelope if the Proxy Statement was mailed to you. For more information on the virtual Annual Meeting, please refer to the “Questions and Answers About the Annual Meeting and Voting” section of the Proxy Statement beginning on page 81.

By order of the Board of Directors,

Douglas P. Krause

Corporate Secretary

Pasadena, California | April 8, 2026

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 2

Table of Contents

PROXY STATEMENT		5
Annual Meeting of Stockholders		5
Summary of Proposals for 2026		5
Voting Your Shares		6
COMPANY HIGHLIGHTS		7
Our Company at a Glance		7
2025 Financial Performance		8
Corporate Responsibility		9
Community Highlights		10
Summary Information About Director Nominees		11
Corporate Governance Highlights		12
Executive Compensation Highlights		12
BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE		13
Proposal 1: Election of Directors		13
Board of Directors and Nominees		13
Director Nominee Qualifications and Experience		15
Governance Documents		21
Director Independence, Financial Experts and Risk Management Experience		21
Board Leadership Structure		23
Director Education and Self-Assessment; Succession Planning		23
Board Meetings		24
Board Committees		24
Audit Committee		25
Compensation and Management Development Committee (“Compensation Committee”)		26
Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee		27
Risk Oversight Committee		27
Executive Committee		28
Stockholder Nominees		28
Identifying and Evaluating Nominees for Directors		29
Communications with the Board		30
Stock Ownership Guidelines		30
Pledging of Company Securities		31
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions		31
Director Compensation		32
2025 Non-Employee Director Compensation Table		33
Proposal 2: Advisory Vote to Approve Executive Compensation		33
COMPENSATION DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS		35
2025 Business and Financial Performance Highlights		35
Our Compensation Philosophy		37

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 3

Table of Contents

Overview of Our Executive Compensation Program		38
2025 Pay Mix for NEOs		38
Compensation-Setting Process and Roles		39
Role of the Compensation Committee		39
Role of the Compensation Consultant		39
Role of Management		39
2025 Stockholder Advisory Vote on Executive Compensation		40
Use of Peer Group		40
Compensation-Setting Process		41
Elements of Our Executive Compensation Program		42
Other Compensation Policies and Information		50
Compensation Committee Report		51
Summary Compensation Table		52
Grants of Plan-Based Awards		53
Outstanding Equity Awards at Year-End		54
Option Exercises and Stock Vested		55
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Table		55
Retirement Plans		56
Employment Agreements and Potential Payments upon Termination or Change in Control		56
CEO to Median Employee Pay Ratio		60
STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN		64
Proposal 3: Approval of the Amendment and Restatement of the East West Bancorp, Inc. 2021 Stock Incentive Plan		64
EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN		73
Proposal 4: Approval of the Adoption of the East West Bancorp, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan		73
RATIFICATION OF AUDITORS		77
Proposal 5: Ratification of Auditors		77
Audit Fees, Audit-Related Fees, Tax Fees and All Other Fees		77
Audit Committee Policy on Pre-Approval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm		78
Audit Committee Report		78
STOCK OWNERSHIP OF PRINCIPAL STOCKHOLDERS, DIRECTORS, AND MANAGEMENT		80
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE ANNUAL MEETING AND VOTING		81
OTHER INFORMATION		86
Proposals of Stockholders		86
2025 Annual Report		86
APPENDIX A		87
East West Bancorp, Inc. 2021 Stock Incentive Plan		87
APPENDIX B		99
East West Bancorp, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan		99

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 4

2026 Proxy Statement

This summary does not contain all of the information that you should consider, and you should read the entire Proxy Statement before voting. For more complete information regarding our 2025 financial performance, please review our 2025 Annual Report (the “2025 Annual Report”), which includes our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025 (the “Annual Report on Form 10-K”).

Annual Meeting of Stockholders

DATE AND TIME

Monday, May 18, 2026,

at 2:00 p.m., Pacific Time

RECORD DATE

March 30, 2026

PLACE

Virtual Annual Meeting Link:
meetnow.global/MLUSZFD

This Proxy Statement and the accompanying proxy card are furnished in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of East West Bancorp, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) for use at the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 18, 2026, and any postponements, adjournments, or continuations thereof (the “Annual Meeting”). The mailing address of our principal executive office is 135 N. Los Robles Avenue, 7th Floor, Pasadena, California 91101.

On or around April 8, 2026, we began sending to our common stockholders of record as of March 30, 2026 (the “Record Date”) a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “Notice of Internet Availability”). The Notice of Internet Availability includes instructions on how to access this Proxy Statement and the 2025 Annual Report and how to vote.

Summary of Proposals for 2026

Proposals for Stockholder Consideration	Board Recommendation
PROPOSAL 1: ELECTION OF DIRECTORS (PAGE 13) — To elect 11 directors to serve until the next annual meeting of stockholders and to serve until their successors are duly elected and qualified.	FOR EACH DIRECTOR NOMINEE — The Board believes that each of the 11 director nominees possesses the necessary qualifications to provide effective oversight of our business and quality advice and counsel to our management.
PROPOSAL 2: ADVISORY VOTE TO APPROVE EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION (PAGE 33) — We seek approval from stockholders, on a non-binding advisory basis, of the compensation paid to our Named Executive Officers (NEOs) for 2025, as described in the “Compensation Discussion and Analysis” section and the tables that follow, beginning on page 35 of this Proxy Statement.	FOR — The Board believes that the Company’s executive compensation program appropriately aligns pay with performance and provides a strong incentive to executives to achieve Company objectives and create long-term value for our stockholders. The Board values stockholders’ opinions and the Compensation Committee will consider the outcome of the advisory vote when evaluating future executive compensation decisions.
PROPOSAL 3: APPROVAL OF THE AMENDMENT AND RESTATEMENT OF THE EAST WEST BANCORP, INC. 2021 STOCK INCENTIVE PLAN (PAGE 64) — We seek stockholder approval of an amendment to increase the number of shares available for issuance under the East West Bancorp, Inc. 2021 Stock Incentive Plan.	FOR — The Board believes that the effective use of stock-based long-term incentive compensation is essential to maintain a balanced and competitive compensation program, has been integral to the Company’s success in the past, and is vital to its ability to achieve strong performance in the future.
PROPOSAL 4: APPROVAL OF THE ADOPTION OF THE EAST WEST BANCORP, INC. EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN (PAGE 73) — We seek stockholder approval of the East West Bancorp, Inc. 2026 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.	FOR — The Board believes the East West Bancorp, Inc. 2026 Employee Stock Purchase Plan benefits the Company by aligning the interests of employees with those of the Company, providing an increased incentive for employees to contribute to the Company’s future success, and enhancing the Company’s ability to attract and retain qualified employees.
PROPOSAL 5: RATIFICATION OF AUDITORS (PAGE 77) — As a matter of good corporate governance, stockholders are being asked to ratify the Audit Committee’s selection of KPMG LLP to serve as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the year ending December 31, 2026.	FOR — The Audit Committee and the Board believe that the continued retention of KPMG LLP to serve as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company for the year ending December 31, 2026 is in the best interests of the Company and its stockholders.

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 5

2026 Proxy Statement

Voting Your Shares

		WHO MAY VOTE Common stockholders of record as of the close of business on March 30, 2026.


		VOTING BY TELEPHONE Follow the instructions on the Notice of Internet Availability or on your proxy card.


		VOTING ONLINE PRIOR TO MEETING Registered holders can go to www.envisionreports.com/ewbc and follow the instructions. If you hold your shares in street name, please follow the instructions found on your voting instruction form.


		VOTING BY MAIL Complete, sign, and date the proxy card and return it in the envelope that was provided in the proxy statement mailing package.


		VOTING DURING THE MEETING If you choose to vote during the virtual Annual Meeting, you will need the 15-digit control number appearing on the Notice of Internet Availability or proxy card distributed to you. If you want to vote shares that you hold in street name during the virtual Annual Meeting, a control number must be obtained in advance to vote during the meeting or to submit questions during the meeting. To obtain a control number, beneficial stockholders must submit proof of their legal proxy issued by their broker, bank, or other nominee holding their shares by emailing a copy of the legal proxy, along with their name and email address, to Computershare at legalproxy@computershare.com. Requests for a control number must be labeled as “Legal Proxy” and be received by Computershare no later than 5:00 p.m., Eastern Time, on May 13, 2026.

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 6

Company Highlights

Our Company at a Glance

East West Bancorp, Inc., (Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”): EWBC) is the publicly traded parent company of East West Bank. As of December 31, 2025, the Company reported total assets of $80.4 billion.

Founded in 1973 in Los Angeles as a savings and loan association, East West Bank has grown into the largest independent bank (based on total assets) headquartered in Southern California. The Company operates more than 110 banking locations in the United States and Asia and has a branch presence across seven U.S. states.

East West Bank offers a comprehensive suite of commercial, consumer, and wealth management solutions.

Commercial Banking: Commercial and industrial (C&I) and commercial real estate (CRE) lending; industry expertise across energy, healthcare, insurance, media and entertainment; private equity, manufacturing, and wholesale sectors; trade finance, interest-rate, foreign-exchange and commodity risk management; treasury and liquidity management; capital markets and cross-border banking solutions.

Consumer & Business Banking: FDIC-insured checking, savings, money market accounts, and certificates of deposit (CDs); credit cards; residential mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit; small business banking and Small Business Administration (SBA) lending; and private banking services.

Wealth Management: Financial planning, including education, retirement and estate planning; customized structured products and tax-advantaged investment strategies; professionally managed portfolios, including equity and fixed income products; mutual funds and annuities; and insurance products including life and long-term care insurance.

East West Bank, through its subsidiary, East West Bank (China) Limited, holds a commercial business operating license in China, enabling the Bank to locally operate branches, extend loans, accept deposits and provide customers with other banking services and products.

As of year-end 2025, the Company employed approximately 3,350 full-time equivalent associates worldwide. In 2025, East West Bank ranked No. 1 in the $50 billion and above asset category by Bank Director for the third consecutive year and the fourth time in the past five years.

East West Bank also ranked third among top-performing banks by American Banker. The Bank has also been recognized by Forbes in its “America’s Best Companies,” by Fortune in “Best Workplaces in Financial Services & Insurance,” by The Wall Street Journal in “America’s Top 100 Most Loved Workplaces,” and by U.S. News & World Report as a “Best Company to Work For.”

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 7

Company Highlights

2025 Financial Performance

For the full year 2025, the Company achieved record revenue, net income and earnings per share, generating a 16.01% return on average equity and 1.70% return on average assets. We grew deposits by $3.9 billion, reflecting the strength of our customer relationships. Fee income grew 12% year-over-year, with notable strength in wealth management, lending and loan servicing, and commercial and consumer deposit-related fees. For more complete information regarding our 2025 financial performance, please review our Annual Report on Form 10-K. Highlights of the Company’s 2025 financial performance are provided below.

*CAGR = 4-year compound annual growth rate, December 31, 2021 to December 31, 2025.

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 8

Company Highlights

Corporate Responsibility

Highlights of our Corporate Responsibility strategic initiatives and commitments:

		SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITIES. At East West Bank, we provide high-quality, affordable financial services and products to support our communities. Our lending activities play a central role in advancing economic opportunities and strengthening the communities we serve. Through commercial, consumer and community development lending, we provide capital that supports affordable housing, small business growth, community development and expanded access to financial services.
		Between the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025, our lending activity that aligns with those goals included:

•

$800 million in commitments to support small business and community development, including lending in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods.

•

$400 million in commitments for affordable, transitional and senior housing, addressing critical housing needs across the country.

•

$600 million in commitments to support healthcare infrastructure and improve health outcomes in underserved communities.

•

$90 million in commitments to education and arts organizations that enhance the cultural and economic vitality of local communities.

We were early pioneers in offering mobile banking in multiple languages and continue to provide multilingual support across our branch network. Since our founding, helping customers achieve the dream of homeownership has been central to our mission. We offer home loans and other products and services that support low-to-moderate income and underserved communities. We provide community development loans to non-profit and community-based organizations. Our focus on fair-priced products and alternative credit qualifications continues to expand access to financial services for customers with limited traditional banking options. The Bank has an overall Community Reinvestment Act rating of “Outstanding.”

OUR INVESTMENT ACTIVITY. We have a long-standing and active program to make investments that promote community development. Through ownership interests in funds or direct equity investments, we deploy capital that we believe strengthens our communities and contributes to broader societal benefit. In the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025, our investments included:

•

$79 million in affordable housing projects that provide permanent housing for families, seniors, and special-needs populations.

•

$138 million in renewable energy projects that generate and store electricity.

•

$29 million in various investment funds that support job creation for small businesses and community development.

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY. The Bank is focused on integrating sustainable principles into our business, from reducing our energy and water footprint to financing projects that support the transition to a resilient energy economy. We operate out of several LEED and/or Energy Star® certified buildings. In the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025, we made $1.2 billion in loan commitments to support various sustainability related projects, including clean energy projects and the purchase of energy- and design-efficient and/or Energy Star®-certified buildings. In 2025, we continued to strengthen our data collection capabilities, made significant progress on a comprehensive greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory and initiated work on a climate risk and opportunity report aligned with California Air Resources Board (CARB) requirements.

SUPPORTING THE ARTS. The arts play a vital role in building bridges between cultures and enhancing community well-being. The Bank fosters the arts in our communities by supporting artists, museums, exhibits, art education programs, cultural celebrations, and other artistic experiences that bring us joy, express our voices, promote mutual understanding and enrich the communities we serve.

FINANCIAL LITERACY. Financial literacy is a cornerstone of our community outreach efforts to narrow the economic gap across our markets. We support and offer comprehensive financial education programs – many in different languages – to help individuals manage their finances more effectively. These programs are available in different languages. To date, over 3,260 community members have participated in our workshops and seminars covering important financial literacy topics such as homeownership, saving, budgeting and other essential life skills.

SUPPORT FOR SMALL BUSINESS. Small businesses strengthen the economic foundations of the communities we serve. To support entrepreneurs and business owners, we offer a suite of products and services including business checking, small business loans and merchant services, helping small businesses start, grow and thrive.

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 9

Company Highlights

Community Highlights

We maintain a culture of giving back to the communities in which we operate. As active volunteers, our associates work alongside numerous local organizations to promote a variety of causes including financial literacy, small business development and first-time home ownership in low-to-moderate income areas. The Bank, through its sponsorship and giving, also actively fosters and supports the arts as a bridge to promote multi-cultural understanding. The following are some examples of the Company’s 2025 community investments and social programs:

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 10

Company Highlights

Summary Information About Director Nominees

The following table provides summary information about each director nominee and continuing director.

Name	Age	Director Since	Independent	Committee Memberships/ Financial or Risk Expertise	Primary Occupation
Manuel P. Alvarez	45	2022	X	A, R (RE)	Founding Principal, BridgeCounsel Strategies, LLC
Peter Babej	62	2025	X	R	Retired CEO, Citi Asia
Molly Campbell	65	2014	X	A (FE), C, N	Retired Director, Port of New York and New Jersey
Archana Deskus	60	2019	X	C, R	Retired Executive Vice President and CTO, PayPal Holdings, Inc.
Serge Dumont	66	2022	X	C, N	Vice Chairman, ImpactWayv, Inc.
Mark Hutchins	63	2023	X	A (FE), R (RE and Chair)	Retired Partner, KPMG LLP
Paul H. Irving	73	2010	X	A, N (Chair), R	Senior Advisor, Milken Institute
Sabrina Kay	63	2022	X	C, N	CEO, Fremont Private Investments
Jack C. Liu	67	1998	X	C (Chair), N, R	Senior Attorney, Alliance International Law Offices
Dominic Ng	67	1991	CEO	E (Chair)	Chairman of the Board and CEO of East West Bancorp, Inc. and East West Bank
Lester M. Sussman	71	2015	X	A (FE and Chair), C, E, R (RE), Lead Independent Director	Retired Partner, Deloitte & Touche

A = Audit Committee; C = Compensation Committee; E = Executive Committee; N = Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee; R = Risk Oversight Committee;
FE = Audit Committee Financial Expert; RE = Risk Oversight Committee Risk Expert

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 11

Company Highlights

Corporate Governance Highlights

Highlights of our corporate governance practices include:

DIRECTOR ELECTION
› Annual Director Elections	›	Majority Voting in Uncontested Elections

BOARD COMPOSITION
› Independent Board	›	27% Women, 73% Men, 64% Directors who self-identify
› Strong Lead Independent Director Position		as ethnically diverse or belonging to a historically
› Key Board Committees are Independent		underrepresented group

STOCKHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
› Annual Say-on-Pay	›	No Poison Pill
› Right to Call Special Meetings	›	Stockholder Proxy Access

DIRECTOR/STOCKHOLDER ALIGNMENT
› Stock Ownership Guidelines	›	No Hedging or Pledging (except in limited circumstances with pre-approval)

PRACTICES AND POLICIES
› Corporate Governance Guidelines	›	Regular Board Self-Assessment and
› Code of Conduct		Management Evaluation
› Environmental and Social Policy Framework	›	Annual Planned and Emergency Succession Planning
› Continuing Education for Board Directors		Exercises for Executive Management and the Board

Executive Compensation Highlights

We measure executive officer performance by evaluating both the achievement of specific financial goals and the long-term performance of the Company. We align the pay and performance of our executive officers to the success of our business and the interests of our stockholders. Our executive compensation practices include:

INDEPENDENT REVIEW
› Independent Compensation Consultant	›	Compensation Strategy and Plan

PRACTICES AND POLICIES
› High Proportion of At-Risk Compensation	›	Emphasis on Long-Term Incentive Compensation
› Stockholder Alignment and Engagement	›	No “Single Trigger” Change of Control Payments
› Stock Ownership Contains Holding Period	›	“Claw Back” Policy

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 12

Board of Directors and Corporate Governance

Proposal 1: Election of Directors

PROPOSAL SNAPSHOT

What am I voting on?

Stockholders are being asked to elect 11 director nominees for a one-year term. This section includes information about the Board and each director nominee.

Voting recommendation:

FOR the election of each director nominee. We believe the combination of the various qualifications, skills and experiences of the director nominees will contribute to an effective and well-functioning Board. The director nominees possess the necessary qualifications to provide effective oversight of the business and quality advice and counsel to the Company’s management.

Board of Directors and Nominees

Our business is managed under the direction of our 11-member Board. The Board is nominating the 11 director nominees to serve a one-year term, each of whom is recommended for re-election by the Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee.

We seek directors with a strong reputation and experience in areas relevant to the strategy and operations of our businesses, particularly the industries and growth segments that we serve, as well as key geographic markets where we operate. Each of the nominees for director holds or has held senior leadership and/or executive positions in financial services and/or large, complex organizations, and has operating experience that meets this objective. In these positions, they have also gained experience in core management skills, such as strategic and financial planning, corporate governance, risk management, regulatory oversight, and leadership development.

We also believe that each of the nominees has other key attributes that are important to an effective Board, including:

›

Integrity and high ethical standards;

›

Sound judgment and analytical skills;

›

The ability to engage management and each other in a constructive and collaborative fashion; and

›

The commitment to devote significant time and energy to serve on the Board and its committees.

The nominees collectively bring a wide range of experience to the Board, enhancing our ability to serve as a financial bridge between the U.S. and Asia.

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 13

Board of Directors and Corporate Governance

The following table presents certain information with respect to the Board’s nominees for director. All director nominees of the Company are also directors of the Bank, and all director nominees have indicated their willingness to serve.

Director Nominees		Age	Year First Appointed	Committee Memberships
	Manuel P. Alvarez*	45	2022	A, R (RE)
	Peter Babej*	62	2025	R
	Molly Campbell*	65	2014	A (FE), C, N
	Archana Deskus*	60	2019	C, R
	Serge Dumont*	66	2022	C, N
	Mark Hutchins*	63	2023	A (FE), R (RE and Chair)
	Paul H. Irving*	73	2010	A, N (Chair), R
	Sabrina Kay*	63	2022	C, N
	Jack C. Liu*	67	1998	C (Chair), N, R
	Dominic Ng	67	1991	E (Chair)
	Lester M. Sussman (LD)*	71	2015	A (FE and Chair), C, E, R (RE)

A = Audit Committee; C = Compensation Committee; E = Executive Committee; N = Nominating/Corporate Governance Committee; R = Risk Oversight Committee

* = Independent Director; LD = Lead Independent Director; FE = Audit Committee Financial Expert; RE = Risk Oversight Committee Risk Expert

None of the director nominees were selected pursuant to any arrangement or understanding, other than with the directors and executive officers of the Company acting within their capacity as such. There are no family relationships among directors or executive officers of the Company. As of the date of this Proxy Statement, Mr. Ng is a director of Mattel, Inc. (Nasdaq: MAT); Mr. Babej is a director of Reinsurance Group of America, Inc. (NYSE: RGA); Ms. Campbell is a director of Granite Construction Inc. (NYSE: GVA); Ms. Deskus is a director of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corporation (Nasdaq: CTSH) and Global Payments, Inc. (Nasdaq: GPN); Mr. Hutchins is a director of Old Market Capital Corporation (Nasdaq: OMCC); and Dr. Kay is a director of MannKind Corporation (Nasdaq: MNKD) and Hagerty, Inc. (NYSE: HGTY), and there were no other directorships held by any director with a company that has a class of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (“Exchange Act”), or subject to the requirements of Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act, or any company registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

We have no reason to believe that any of the director nominees will be unable or unwilling to serve if elected. However, if any nominee should become unable for any reason, or unwilling for good cause to serve, proxies may be voted for another person nominated as a substitute by the Board, or the Board may reduce the number of directors.

EAST WEST BANCORP 2026 Proxy Statement 14

Board of Directors and Corporate Governance

Director Nominee Qualifications and Experience

Our director nominees bring a balance of relevant skills to our Board including:

SEC Form DEF 14A filed by East West Bancorp Inc.