Collaboration Enhances Voting Efficiency, Corporate Governance and Transparency for Investors
LONDON, JOHANNESBURG, (November 6, 2023) – Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), a leading provider of corporate governance and sustainable investment solutions to financial market participants, today announced its Global Proxy Distribution (GPD) collaboration with Strate, South Africa’s principal central securities depository (CSD) and central collateral platform. The integration of services between the two organizations allows global and local custodian banks utilizing ISS GPD outsourced voting solutions to leverage Strate’s central platform for direct vote processing for shareholder meetings of South African issuers.
“We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Strate, which enhances our GPD outsourced voting solution for custodians with global and local investor clients seeking to exercise effective investment stewardship in South Africa,” said Rudi Kuntz, Head of Global Proxy Distribution at ISS. “The new arrangement removes a step in the intermediary chain for vote processing in the local market and provides institutions with extended voting deadlines. This benefits custodians’ investor clients by allowing more time for engagement and vote decision-making ahead of company meetings in South Africa”.
“Collaboration is key for Strate as we integrate with ISS GPD to create further efficiencies for electronic proxy voting within the South African market. This milestone will afford ISS GPD clients with direct market access to vote and to connect with local issuers, thereby enhancing investor stewardship,” says Gregory Naicker, Strate’s Head of CSD Services.
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About ISS Founded in 1985, Institutional Shareholder Services group of companies (ISS) empowers investors and companies to build for long-term and sustainable growth by providing high-quality data, analytics and insight. ISS, which is majority owned by Deutsche Börse Group is a leading provider of corporate governance and sustainable investment solutions, market intelligence, fund services, and events and editorial content for institutional investors and corporations, globally. ISS operates on an arm’s-length basis and Deutsche Börse Group has adopted Principles protecting the independence and integrity of ISS’ research offerings. ISS’ 3,000 employees operate worldwide across 25 global locations in 15 countries Its more than 3,400 clients include many of the world’s leading institutional investors who rely on ISS’ objective and impartial ESG and governance research, market intelligence and fund services and data and analytics, as well as public companies focused on ESG and governance risk mitigation as a shareholder value enhancing measure. Clients rely on ISS’ expertise to help them make informed investment decisions.
About Strate As South Africa’s principal central securities depository and central collateral platform, Strate serves the financial market through the safekeeping of the legal, digital record of securities ownership, enabled through registry, settlement and asset services, and through facilitating the reuse of securities as collateral to optimize balance sheets for the benefit of the South African economy. Recognized locally and internationally as a trusted and neutral financial market infrastructure (FMI), Strate has been a key component of the financial market ecosystem for over 20 years, responsible for delivering services critical to the smooth functioning and stability of the South African financial markets. As a purpose-led company, Strate is committed to driving a shared-value approach, whereby we partner with our stakeholders – employees, clients, shareholders, regulators, government and business partners – to unlock value and maintain a trusted investment environment. We deliver value creation through our contribution to a thriving, well-regulated and resilient financial market and through our ability to promote market interoperability, increase efficiencies, mitigate systemic risks, optimize the use of capital and enhance market transparency.
Media Contact:
Sarah Ball, Executive Director, Communications, ISS
+44-203-192-5728
sarah.ball@issgovernance.com
ISS GPD and Strate Collaborate to Streamline Proxy Voting Lifecycle in South Africa
Collaboration Enhances Voting Efficiency, Corporate Governance and Transparency for Investors
LONDON, JOHANNESBURG, (November 6, 2023) – Institutional Shareholder Services Inc. (ISS), a leading provider of corporate governance and sustainable investment solutions to financial market participants, today announced its Global Proxy Distribution (GPD) collaboration with Strate, South Africa’s principal central securities depository (CSD) and central collateral platform. The integration of services between the two organizations allows global and local custodian banks utilizing ISS GPD outsourced voting solutions to leverage Strate’s central platform for direct vote processing for shareholder meetings of South African issuers.
“We are delighted to announce our collaboration with Strate, which enhances our GPD outsourced voting solution for custodians with global and local investor clients seeking to exercise effective investment stewardship in South Africa,” said Rudi Kuntz, Head of Global Proxy Distribution at ISS. “The new arrangement removes a step in the intermediary chain for vote processing in the local market and provides institutions with extended voting deadlines. This benefits custodians’ investor clients by allowing more time for engagement and vote decision-making ahead of company meetings in South Africa”.
“Collaboration is key for Strate as we integrate with ISS GPD to create further efficiencies for electronic proxy voting within the South African market. This milestone will afford ISS GPD clients with direct market access to vote and to connect with local issuers, thereby enhancing investor stewardship,” says Gregory Naicker, Strate’s Head of CSD Services.
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About ISS Founded in 1985, Institutional Shareholder Services group of companies (ISS) empowers investors and companies to build for long-term and sustainable growth by providing high-quality data, analytics and insight. ISS, which is majority owned by Deutsche Börse Group is a leading provider of corporate governance and sustainable investment solutions, market intelligence, fund services, and events and editorial content for institutional investors and corporations, globally. ISS operates on an arm’s-length basis and Deutsche Börse Group has adopted Principles protecting the independence and integrity of ISS’ research offerings. ISS’ 3,000 employees operate worldwide across 25 global locations in 15 countries Its more than 3,400 clients include many of the world’s leading institutional investors who rely on ISS’ objective and impartial ESG and governance research, market intelligence and fund services and data and analytics, as well as public companies focused on ESG and governance risk mitigation as a shareholder value enhancing measure. Clients rely on ISS’ expertise to help them make informed investment decisions.
About Strate As South Africa’s principal central securities depository and central collateral platform, Strate serves the financial market through the safekeeping of the legal, digital record of securities ownership, enabled through registry, settlement and asset services, and through facilitating the reuse of securities as collateral to optimize balance sheets for the benefit of the South African economy. Recognized locally and internationally as a trusted and neutral financial market infrastructure (FMI), Strate has been a key component of the financial market ecosystem for over 20 years, responsible for delivering services critical to the smooth functioning and stability of the South African financial markets. As a purpose-led company, Strate is committed to driving a shared-value approach, whereby we partner with our stakeholders – employees, clients, shareholders, regulators, government and business partners – to unlock value and maintain a trusted investment environment. We deliver value creation through our contribution to a thriving, well-regulated and resilient financial market and through our ability to promote market interoperability, increase efficiencies, mitigate systemic risks, optimize the use of capital and enhance market transparency.
Media Contact:
Sarah Ball, Executive Director, Communications, ISS
+44-203-192-5728
sarah.ball@issgovernance.com
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