Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) today announced its Global Stock Plan Services business has entered into a definitive agreement to use Solium Capital Inc.’s (TSX: SUM) Shareworks™ platform to administer equity compensation plans for its corporate clients and their employees. This initiative will combine Morgan Stanley’s highly regarded wealth management and client service offerings with Solium’s advanced, cloud-enabled technology to provide a superior experience for corporate clients and their stock plan participants.
Under the terms of the agreement, Solium will designate Morgan Stanley as a preferred provider of wealth management services to existing Solium clients.
“This dynamic partnership will advance our commitment to continued leadership in the global stock plan business. By combining the extensive range of Morgan Stanley’s wealth management services with superb technology from Solium LLC, one of the fastest growing global fintech companies focused on equity plans, we look forward to delivering an exceptional service experience to our global stock plan clients and their employees,” said Chris Randazzo, Chief Information Officer and Head of Institutional Wealth Solutions, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management.
“This milestone agreement in the U.S. marketplace is a strong endorsement of Shareworks as the premier cloud-based technology platform for global equity plan administration,” said Marcos Lopez, Solium’s Chief Executive Officer. “The Shareworks platform’s modern architecture, rich feature set and international capabilities were key differentiators for Morgan Stanley as it looked for a technology solution that would support its share plans business. This partnership with Morgan Stanley is our largest partnership, and first with a major wealth manager in the United States. We look forward to working with Morgan Stanley and further enabling its leading stock plans business.”
Through this agreement, Morgan Stanley and Solium will create a transformational stock plan offering that combines the best-in-class capabilities of two industry leading organizations. This partnership will advance Morgan Stanley’s ability to respond to client needs now and in the future by leveraging a modern technology infrastructure that addresses current plan administration, reporting and compliance needs while accelerating future enhancements.
Morgan Stanley will continue a long tradition of providing exceptional client experiences through its Stock Plan Directors, Service Delivery Teams, dedicated Financial Advisors, Global Contact Centers and digital/online channels including mobile.
Morgan Stanley Global Stock Plan Services, in business for more than 40 years, currently serves over 300 corporate clients, including 20 percent of Fortune 500 companies, representing approximately 1.4 million participants in over 150 countries.
Morgan Stanley is a leading financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 43 countries, the Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com .
Solium Capital Inc. provides cloud-enabled services for global equity administration, financial reporting and compliance. From offices in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia, our innovative software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology powers share plan administration and equity transactions for more than 3,000 corporate clients with employee participants in more than 100 countries. Follow us @Solium and visit us at solium.com.
©2016 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name.