Computershare Explained

Computershare Limited
Type:Public
Location City:Abbotsford, Victoria
Location Country:Australia
Industry:Financial services
Num Employees:14,000[1]

Computershare Limited is an Australian stock transfer company that provides corporate trust, stock transfer, and employee share plan services in many countries.

The company currently has offices in 20 countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, the Channel Islands, South Africa, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Germany, and Denmark.

History

Computershare Limited was founded in 1978 in Melbourne, Australia, and has grown largely through overseas acquisitions.

In 1997, the Australian-based Computershare expanded its registry business to include financial markets in New Zealand and the United Kingdom[2] and acquired the Royal Bank of Scotland's registrar department. In subsequent years, it expanded its business into Ireland, India, South Africa, and Hong Kong.

Computershare and the firm SETL began collaborating on a blockchain project in 2016.[3] The Louisville office of Computershare had 650 employees in May 2018.[4] In Nov. 2018, the chairman of Computershare was Simon Jones. Stuart Irving was CEO.[5]

In February 2023, Computershare called for an investigation into the exchange ASX for an alleged conflict of interest concerning the CHESS project, which had collapsed in November 2022.[6]

Acquisitions and sales

In 2004, Computershare acquired the stock transfer sectors of Harris Bank and Montreal Trust and purchased the German-based Pepper Technologies AG.[7] Since 2004, Computershare has acquired registry companies in Russia and India.

In 2005, the company acquired Equiserve.[8] [9]

In 2006 the company bought the shareholder management services from National Bank of Canada.[10]

In July 2007, Computershare acquired Datacare Software Group and its products GCM and Boardworks.[11] Currently known as Computershare Governance Services and its main product GEMS.

In February 2008, Computershare announced a cash takeover offer for Australian mailhouse group QM Technologies Limited.[12]

In September 2008, Computershare bought Lichfield based Childcare Voucher Services business called Busy Bees.[13] The name has been re-branded to Computershare Voucher Services or CVS.

In February 2010, Computershare acquired HBOS Employee Equity Solutions from Lloyds Banking Group for a sum of around £40m.[14]

In January 2012, Computershare acquired Shareowner Services (Stock Transfer Sector) from Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM) for a sum of around $550 Million.[15]

In June 2013, Computershare Limited completed the acquisition of the EMEA–based portion of Morgan Stanley's Global Stock Plan Services business.[16]

On 12 November 2018, it completed acquisition of Equatex Group Holding AG, formerly European shares plan business of UBS.[17] The deal had been announced on 16 May 2018.[18] On March 23, 2021, Computershare acquired Wells Fargo Corporate Trust business for $750 million[19] in the United States.[20]

The company acquired SunDoc Filings in Sacramento, California in May 2023. Computershare Governance Services at that time was a subsidiary of Computershare Ltd., which was based in Melbourne, and was still traded on the Australian Securities Exchange and had 14,000 employees. It also had operations in around 20 countries after various acquisitions.[21] In October 2023, the company sold its mortgage services unit to Rithm Capital[22] in the U.S. for US$ 720 mln.[23] [24]

On April 25, 2024, Computershare announced that it had agreed to acquire BNY Trust Company of Canada, the Canadian corporate trust division of BNY Mellon.[25] [26]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Our story. 1 January 2022. 1 January 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220101172502/https://www.computershare.com/corporate/about-us/who-we-are/our-story#:~:text=Now%20we're%20a%20global,a%20unique%20Australian%20success%20story.. live.
  2. Web site: Computershare – About Computershare – Company History . 19 December 2013 . 19 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131219193916/http://www.computershare.com/au/about/Pages/history.aspx . live .
  3. News: Kelly . Jemima . 2016-04-28 . Computershare teams up with start-up SETL on blockchain project . 2026-01-22 . Reuters . en-US.
  4. Web site: Large sign on downtown tower marks Louisville hiring milestone for Computershare . 2023-11-24 . www.bizjournals.com.
  5. Web site: Kruger . Colin . 2018-11-14 . Computershare gets first strike over CEO's expat expenses . 2023-11-24 . The Sydney Morning Herald . en. https://web.archive.org/web/20181114103053/https://www.smh.com.au/business/companies/computershare-gets-first-strike-over-ceo-s-expat-expenses-20181114-p50g0h.html. 2018-11-14. live.
  6. Web site: 2023-02-23 . Share registry targets ASX's CHESS conflict of interest . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231119220856/https://www.afr.com/companies/financial-services/share-registry-targets-asx-s-chess-conflict-of-interest-20230223-p5cmvc . 19 November 2023 . 2023-11-24 . Australian Financial Review . en.
  7. News: Computershare develops a taste for Pepper . Fairfax . 4 February 2004 . 21 December 2015 . 13 April 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100413083928/http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/02/03/1075776057565.html?from=storyrhs . live .
  8. Web site: 2004-10-21. Computershare acquires US company. 2020-09-08. The Sydney Morning Herald. en. 23 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210423075806/https://www.smh.com.au/business/computershare-acquires-us-company-20041021-gdjylx.html. live.
  9. News: Wright . Stephen . 22 October 2004 . Computershare Buys EquiServe, Expands in U.S. . 23 January 2024 . The Wall Street Journal.
  10. Web site: National Bank History . 2008 . National Bank of Canada . 19 December 2013 . 20 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131220015727/http://www.nbc.ca/bnc/cda/content/0,2662,divId-2_langId-1_navCode-10683,00.html . dead .
  11. Web site: Datacare Acquisition. live. Computershare. https://web.archive.org/web/20120321160312/http://www.computershare.com/News/Computershare%20-%20Acquisition%20of%20Datacare.pdf . 21 March 2012 .
  12. News: Computershare says QMT bid unconditional. 2008-04-02. The Sydney Mornin Herald. 2017-03-27. en-US. 28 March 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170328195223/http://www.smh.com.au/business/computershare-says-qmt-bid-unconditional-20080401-2339.html. live.
  13. Web site: Computershare Voucher Services: Parent Information Pack. live. 8 September 2020. Computershare. https://web.archive.org/web/20210423075824/https://www.uel.ac.uk/hrservices/documents/others/CVSParentInformationPack.pdf . 23 April 2021 .
  14. Web site: Computershare Acquires HBOS Employee Equity Solutions Mergr. 2020-09-08. mergr.com. 23 April 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210423075824/https://mergr.com/computershare-acquires-hbos-employee-equity-solutions. live.
  15. News: Computershare Gets BNY Mellon Deal Approval . 7 November 2011 . The Wall Street Journal.
  16. Web site: 2015-08-11. Computershare to Acquire Morgan Stanley's EMEA Shares Business 03-2013. 2020-09-08. GEO. en. 20 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201020205558/https://www.globalequity.org/geo/node/4602. live.
  17. Web site: CPU completes Equatex acquisition. 20 February 2019. 20 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190220122731/https://www.asx.com.au/asxpdf/20181112/pdf/4405x5kfk34lp9.pdf. live.
  18. Web site: Computershare to buy Equatex – a European share plans business. 20 February 2019. 20 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190220181307/https://www.computershare.com/News/Equatex%20Media%20Statement.pdf. live.
  19. Web site: 2021-03-23. Wells Fargo Enters Agreement with Computershare to Sell Wells Fargo Corporate Trust Services. 2021-05-12. www.businesswire.com. en. 12 May 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210512060026/https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210323006085/en/Wells-Fargo-Enters-Agreement-with-Computershare-to-Sell-Wells-Fargo-Corporate-Trust-Services. live.
  20. Web site: 2021-03-24 . Computershare's $1b 'delicate dance' in the US . 2023-11-24 . Australian Financial Review . en . 19 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231119220856/https://www.afr.com/technology/computershare-s-1b-delicate-dance-in-the-us-20210324-p57dkp . live .
  21. Web site: Australia's Computershare to acquire Sacramento's SunDoc Filings . 2023-11-24 . www.bizjournals.com . 16 November 2024 . https://archive.today/20241116001024/https://www.bizjournals.com/sacramento/inno/stories/news/2023/05/11/computershare-acquiring-sundoc-filings.html . live .
  22. Web site: Rithm Capital to buy Computershare mortgage business. 2 October 2023. Ryan. Lawler. Axios. subscription. https://web.archive.org/web/20231119220856/https://www.axios.com/pro/fintech-deals/2023/10/02/rithm-capital-computershare-mortgage-business. 19 November 2023. live.
  23. Web site: 2023-10-03 . CPU ASX: Computershare offloads US mortgages unit for $1.13b . 2023-11-24 . Australian Financial Review . en . 19 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231119220857/https://www.afr.com/companies/infrastructure/computershare-offloads-us-mortgages-unit-for-1-13b-20231003-p5e99k . live .
  24. News: Chatterjee . Rishav . 2023-10-03 . Australia's Computershare to sell US mortgage portfolio for $720 mln . en . Reuters . 2023-11-24 . 19 November 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231119222358/https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/australias-computershare-sell-us-mortgage-portfolio-720-mln-2023-10-02/ . live .
  25. Web site: 26 April 2024 . Computershare to acquire BNY Trust company of Canada - Asset Servicing Times . 2025-01-23 . Asset Servicing Times.
  26. Web site: 2024-04-25 . Computershare to buy BNY Trust Company of Canada for $98m . 2025-01-23 . Capital Brief . en.

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