Singapore Press Holdings' subsidiary ShareInvestor is teaming up with Wholesale Investor, an Australian investor services company, in a joint venture to offer online investor relations services Down Under.
Wholesale Investor, set up in Sydney in 2008, links investors to companies seeking funding opportunities. They include firms listed on the Australian Stock Exchange (ASX), New Zealand Stock Exchange and Singapore Exchange, as well as privately-owned companies in small cap and pre-initial public offering stages.
Global investment bank, Investec, recently acquired a substantial interest in Wholesale Investor to fund its technology developments and business expansion in the Asia-Pacific.
ShareInvestor is a finance-focused media and technology firm with operations in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
It provides online data for multiple markets to more than 500 corporate clients in the four Asean countries.
It also offers investor relations and communications services.
SPH announced the deal in a statement to the Singapore Exchange on Monday.
ShareInvestor and Wholesale Investor have been collaborating for the past two years in staging several events in Singapore, assisting more than 50 Australian companies to reach out to local investors.
The new venture, Wisi Australia, will have a paid-up capital of A$200,000 (S$208,000), with ShareInvestor subscribing to 49 per cent equity (A$98,000) and Wholesale Investor with 51 per cent (A$102,000).
"Wholesale Investor's strengths are its familiarity with the local funding ecosystem, and as a proven investment-matching enabler providing upstream and downstream access to investors and companies," said Mr Christopher Lee, ShareInvestor's chief executive.
"Combined with our existing investor relations infrastructure and market data tools, we are able to offer a compelling value proposition to companies seeking capital funding, and to investors assessing untapped opportunities. Together, we can develop synergy."
Wisi Australia, to be located in Sydney, is expected to start operations in early November. The business will operate out of Wholesale Investor's current office.
"Through Wisi Australia, we are able to provide ASX-listed companies with access to a market-leading online investor relations platform," said Mr Steve Torso, Wholesale Investor's managing director.
"This is a great opportunity for these companies to provide more relevant and valuable information for investors along with gaining distribution to Asian investment markets interested in discovering opportunities from Australia and New Zealand."