LONDON, UK / WELLINGTON, NZ: 14-15 November 2021 – Proxymity, the leading digital investor communication platform, and Computershare (ASX: CPU), a global market leader in financial and governance services, today announced that they have launched the first direct digital “issuer to investor” connection in New Zealand, with Citi and J.P. Morgan being the first custodians to adopt the new connection.

The Computershare and Proxymity collaboration represents a key milestone in transforming a market used to operating by paper-based proxy voting, with meeting announcements, agendas, and votes traditionally sent by post or fax.

As the industry moves towards real-time online investor communications, Computershare clients can now use Proxymity’s digital-native platform to deliver electronic meeting announcements, agendas, and documents instantly and accurately. Investors and intermediaries receive these as “golden source” directly from the issuer, which removes human error and provides transmission as originally intended.

The enhanced speed of communication aims to add up an additional 6 days for investors to research their vote and enables voting right up to the meeting deadline. This leaves ample time for issuers and investors to communicate productively in advance of the meeting itself, supporting better outcomes through timely engagement. The digital connection also provides real-time status updates and transparency, including post-meeting vote confirmation, representing another first for the market.

“With Computershare’s connection to Proxymity live and ready for the 2022 season, we are excited to be offering the benefits of digital-first voting to our New Zealand clients”, said Stuart Jury, Managing Director of Computershare New Zealand. “We expect the speed, accuracy and flexibility provided by this platform to be game-changing for issuers and their shareholders in the months and years to come.”

The connection between Computershare and Proxymity also provides unprecedented transparency, aligned with global regulatory trends and the growing focus on ESG, as it allows issuers to see voting information in real-time, and provides auditable confirmation for shareholders that their votes were received at the meeting.

The launch will be supported by Proxymity’s new customer APAC hub in Melbourne, also known for being Computershare’s original home. Working in collaboration with local and global partners, including the region’s top custodians, Proxymity’s commitment to APAC ensures both a local presence and excellent service and support for our in-region customers.

Jonathan Smalley, Co-Founder and COO of Proxymity said: “Over the past few years Proxymity and Computershare have partnered across the globe, and we’re delighted to be able to collaborate in New Zealand, one of their core markets. This launch highlights the positive transformations that digital connections are bringing to the industry, and we look forward to showing the immediate and direct benefits for issuers and investors throughout this upcoming season.”