EquiLend announced a new partnership with the rollout of Onboard+, powered by valid8Me. Onboard+ introduces the only end-to-end fund and counterparty onboarding solution to the securities finance market. Global custodian banks and broker dealers have already committed to the platform.
The Onboard+ platform addresses a significant industry challenge around the onboarding of beneficial owners in securities lending programs. What has traditionally been a very manual and onerous process with significant lead times will now, leveraging the AI-driven platform, see a dramatic increase in automation, expediting the entire process while reducing costs.
Trillions of dollars of trapped liquidity currently remain untapped in the securities finance market due to the inability of firms to cost-effectively onboard all beneficial owners that may otherwise want to initiate securities lending activity. Easier onboarding and therefore more beneficial owners and counterparty relationships entering the market will benefit both lenders and borrowers as this new liquidity becomes available.
Kevin McNulty, head of RegTech Solutions at EquiLend, said in a stateement: “EquiLend has a long history of bringing efficiencies to the securities finance markets. Developed in collaboration with our clients, EquiLend Onboard+ fuses valid8Me’s innovation in KYC with EquiLend’s expertise in the securities finance market to unlock huge volumes of untapped liquidity.”
Patrick Horgan, CEO of valid8Me, said in a stateement: “We are excited to partner with EquiLend, a market leader in securities finance, and together solve a significant industry challenge with the introduction of the Onboard+ platform which will unlock long-term value for our end clients.”