BNP Paribas Expands Digital Proxy Voting Globally in Partnership with Proxymity

In an initiative set to reshape how shareholders exercise their rights across continents, BNP Paribas’ Securities Services business, one of the world’s largest global custodians, with USD 17.5 trillion in assets under custody as of June 30 2026, has officially expanded its partnership with digital investor communications platform Proxymity to deploy Vote Connect Global across EMEA and Asia Pacific. Announced on October 6, 2026, this follows a highly successful pilot launched just over a year ago in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. What began as a regional innovation is now a comprehensive global service designed to replace slow, opaque, paper‑heavy legacy processes with a unified, near‑real‑time digital ecosystem linking issuers, intermediaries, and investors directly.

From Pilot to Global Platform

The first phase, launched in September 2025, proved the concept in three key markets. Now, the solution is being extended across BNP Paribas’ broader network, which spans more than 90 markets worldwide. For global custody clients, this means a single, consistent interface for managing general meetings wherever their investments are held. They receive immediate, verified announcements of upcoming meetings, submit voting instructions digitally and securely, and crucially obtain post‑meeting confirmation that their votes were actually received and counted accurately. Every step is tracked; every instruction is traceable. BNP Paribas manages all client enquiries and coordinates operational flows, while Proxymity’s technology powers the underlying connectivity deeply integrated into the bank’s existing systems, including its NeoLink client platform, and enhances capabilities such as digital power of attorney management.

The Problem Being Solved: Fragmentation and Delay

Cross‑border proxy voting has long been one of the most cumbersome, opaque parts of global finance. Information travels through layers of intermediaries; deadlines are often missed because notices arrive late; and shareholders frequently never learn whether their votes were cast as intended. The system was built for a slower, less connected era, and it has struggled to keep pace with today’s volumes and expectations. Proxymity addresses this by creating a direct digital bridge from issuer to ultimate investor, cutting through bottlenecks and delivering what it calls “golden source” data verified, authoritative meeting information that everyone sees at the same time. The platform operates in over 105 markets and is backed by a consortium including eight of the world’s top ten global custodians, collectively responsible for more than USD 290 trillion in assets under custody a powerful signal that the industry is moving toward this model as the new standard.

Shared Vision, Measurable Impact

For Dean Little, CEO and Co‑Founder of Proxymity, the expansion is about more than reach it is about reliability: “This reflects our shared commitment to a common goal: delivering real, measurable improvements for investors navigating a complex, global proxy voting landscape.” In practice, that means shorter notice periods becoming feasible, higher participation rates in shareholder decisions, and far greater confidence among asset owners and managers that their stewardship responsibilities are being discharged effectively.

Christian Houillon, Head of Custody Products and Solutions at BNP Paribas, frames the partnership as leadership: “Fostering strategic partnerships with industry pioneers like Proxymity is a way of anticipating and building tomorrow’s standards while granting our clients seamless access to them.” This is not merely adopting someone else’s technology; it is helping define the digital infrastructure that will govern how the world invests and votes for decades to come.

What This Means for the Future

With EMEA and Asia Pacific now live, the Vote Connect Global model is poised to expand further refining the experience, deepening integration with local regulatory requirements, and bringing the same transparency to additional regions. For investors, it means no longer wondering if their voice was heard. For issuers, it means broader, more informed participation. For markets, it means stronger, more accountable corporate governance underpinned by speed, clarity, and trust. In an era where stewardship and transparency matter more than ever, BNP Paribas and Proxymity are proving that the future of voting is digital, direct, and global.