EquiLend, the global technology, data and analytics company for the securities finance industry, announced that private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS) has agreed to acquire a majority stake in the company. The acquisition is set to close in Q2 2024. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed, although there were reports the purchase price is said to be over $800 million.
However, EquiLend noted that WCAS has committed a further $200 million investment to support organic growth initiatives and acquisitions.
Brian Lamb, CEO of EquiLend, said in a statement: “EquiLend has experienced remarkable growth over our more than two decades of supporting the technological needs of the securities finance market. Our new partnership with Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe will propel our business to new heights and enable us to do more than ever within securities finance and beyond.”
Ryan Harper, general partner at WCAS, said in a statement: “We are impressed with EquiLend’s highly differentiated suite of technology solutions and its sustained, trusted client relationships. We believe the company is uniquely positioned to help drive further electronification, efficiency and innovation in its market. We look forward to partnering with the EquiLend team in this next chapter of exciting growth.”
EquiLend was founded in 2001 by a consortium of global banks and broker-dealers to develop technology to create efficiencies for the securities finance market. Since its founding, the company’s client base has grown to nearly 200 asset owners, agency lending banks, broker-dealers and hedge funds. EquiLend’s suite of financial technology solutions support all facets of a securities finance market participant’s business, including electronic trading, order management, post-trade automation, data and analytics and regulatory technology solutions. EquiLend operates NGT, the regulated securities lending trading platform through which more than $2.4 trillion of transactions are executed each month by market participants around the globe.