Given the technology we have available today, it should be easier for investors to locate the key information they need on listed companies. That’s the view of John Daly, a former broker and fund manager who is launching a new disclosure platform that borrows aspects of social networks to connect issuers and potential shareholders.
His service – called Listcorp – allows companies to set up an online profile with key financial, operational and governance information. Each profile also includes a calendar of upcoming events and an email link to get in contact with the firm. Investors can then ‘follow’ stocks they have an interest in, receiving alerts when a profile is updated.
Listcorp’s homepage
‘Listcorp lets investors search, find and understand listed companies, while allowing companies to explain their respective investment propositions directly to investors,’ says Daly. ‘It’s a discovery, education and communication tool for investors and listed companies.’
Companies in Australia can subscribe to the service for around A$4,000 ($3,300). ‘By charging companies, we are able to deliver the service to users – including investors, stockbrokers, journalists and financial planners – free of charge, ensuring the broadest possible distribution,’ says Daly. He hopes companies will view the cost as good value for money given that it might cost more just to secure a short speaking slot at an investor conference.
ANZ’s profile page on Listcorp
Next year Listcorp will be rolled out for Australian issuers before moving into the UK and US markets. Daly is developing new functionality for the platform, including an advanced search option that is being created in partnership with the computer science and information technology faculty at RMIT University in Melbourne.
‘We’re working with RMITU to build powerful semantic search functionality that will enable a whole range of searches including company name searches that will not only return the company itself, but also its listed competitors, important business partners, companies with which it has a common director, and so on,’ he explains.
