Broadridge Financial Solutions has announced a record number of new signings for its Shareholder Rights Directive (SRD II) solution. Broadridge is now onboarding these new clients, which are based both within and outside of Europe and include both retail- and institutional-focused firms to its production-ready SRD II solution for global proxy voting and shareholder disclosure.
In addition to supporting its existing client base of over 60 global and local custodian firms for SRD II, Broadridge has received unprecedented international demand since the EC reconfirmed the September deadline, signing new clients across markets in Europe and North America, including multiple tier-one banks, brokers and wealth managers.
“We are witnessing strong demand, and we are market-ready with our end-to-end solution across the shareholder communications chain,” says Demi Derem, the Broadridge executive who is spearheading global SRD efforts. “It is crucial for firms to move ahead with a strong solution with proven viability for all in-scope markets – from the straightforward to the most complex – while simultaneously meeting stringent European client data standards.”
Since the inception of SRD II, Broadridge has proactively engaged with industry authorities and market participants throughout the investor communications lifecycle, culminating in its enhanced Global Proxy solution that includes same-day event capture and distribution, same-day proxy vote processing and vote confirmations, advanced multi-channel retail functionality and European client data storage. It has also launched the Shareholder Disclosure Hub, an industry-wide digital solution, utilising the latest API- and blockchain-based technologies to address SRD II’s new shareholder disclosure requirements.
“SRD II heralds a major step forward for corporate governance standards in Europe, bringing greater transparency and efficiency to investor communications, and driving higher standards of stewardship and improved levels of investor engagement,” says Markus Kaum, founding partner at Governance & Values, a European company focused on corporate governance and shareholder engagement services. “While some intermediaries, such as global custodians, are fully aware of their new obligations under SRD II and duly prepared, for many other firms in the banking, brokerage and wealth industries the provision of services, such as proxy voting and shareholder disclosure, are new and, with September 2020 fast approaching, they cannot afford to delay.”
The scope of SRD II is global, impacting any financial intermediary holding or servicing European equities, irrespective of where the firm is located.
