TALLINN, Estonia and NEW YORK, Feb.
12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nasdaq (Nasdaq:NDAQ) and
the Republic of Estonia have announced that Estonia's
e-Residency platform will be facilitating a blockchain-based
e-voting service to allow shareholders of companies listed
on Nasdaq's Tallinn Stock Exchange, Estonia's only
regulated securities market, to vote in shareholder meetings. The
country's e-Residency platform is an electronic identity system
used by both Estonian residents and those with business interests
in the country to access government services through e-Residency
digital authentication. The program marks the second official
blockchain project Nasdaq is executing on after successfully
delivering the first private securities issuance between an
investor and company via Nasdaq Linq, its blockchain-enabled
platform.
As part of the program's pilot,
shareholders who are Estonian or Estonian e-residents will be able
to participate in the corporate governance of companies more
conveniently and securely than ever before. The e-Residency
platform vastly improves the ability to authenticate shareholders
for the e-voting service, while blockchain technology will allow
votes to be quickly and securely recorded, streamlining a proxy
voting process that has historically been labor-intensive and
fragmented. The pilot is aimed to launch in 2016.
"I'm delighted Nasdaq will be using
the e-Residency platform to offer shareholders a new e-voting
system," said Kaspar Korjus, Program Director, e-Residency. "When
we started the e-Residency project a year ago we knew we would
change the way people think about nations and citizenship. Now, via
our e-voting collaboration with Nasdaq, we will be revolutionizing
corporate governance."
Making it easier and safer for
shareholders to participate in company meetings and votes is not
just a matter of convenience or security; these interactions are
the primary ways that a company's shareholders interact with
corporate management and shape the future of the company they own.
By making e-voting more efficient and secure, the blockchain-based
system has the potential to empower shareholders and improve their
engagement.
"On the heels of the successful
execution of a Blockchain transaction in the US private market, we
are pleased to further advance this technology in Estonia," said
Hans-Ole Jochumsen, President, Nasdaq. "Estonia's robust
information society and forward thinking coupled with the agility
its size affords, creates a unique opportunity to premiere the
e-voting pilot in Estonia. We're excited to see the development of
this project over the coming months, and look forward to working
closely with the government of Estonia to set a transformative
example of the future of governance."
Additional
Links:
-
E-Residency: http://e-resident.gov.ee
- Nasdaq &Nasdaq
Baltic: http://business.nasdaq.com/, http://www.nasdaqbaltic.com/
Note to
Editors:
The Estonian e-Residency program allows anyone in
the world to become a digital resident of Estonia. Not only
can Estonian e-residents easily found and manage Estonian companies
online, they can also digitally authenticate themselves. Applicants
for e-Residency are fingerprinted and background checked by the
Estonian state. Once approved, they are issued an electronic ID
card which, in combination with a 4-digit pin, can be used for
secure digital identification.
About
e-Residency
Estonia, an EU member state, is
the first country to offer e-Residency - a transnational digital
identity available to everyone in the world. Through its
e-Residency program, Estonia is building a borderless digital
society and unleashing the world's entrepreneurial potential. After
becoming an e-resident entrepreneurs and freelancers can open and
run location independent businesses online, apply for a bank
account* and conduct e-banking, get access to international payment
service providers, declare taxes, sign all relevant documents and
contracts remotely, and get easier access to EU markets. This means
a Singaporean entrepreneur can, for example, run a company from the
Philippines while serving clients in Germany. The same e-Residency
platform allows financial and web service providers, start-ups and
developers to avoid country specific solutions and have quick
access to international markets by letting clients from anywhere in
the world use their services via the clients' secure and
government-verified digital identities. E-residency does not give
citizenship or tax residency and does not confer the right to live
in or visit Estonia or the European Union. *E-Residency does not
guarantee a bank account, account opening is at the sole discretion
of the banks. To learn more, visit: e-resident.gov.ee
About
Nasdaq
Nasdaq (Nasdaq:NDAQ) is a leading provider of
trading, clearing, exchange technology, listing, information and
public company services across six continents. Through its diverse
portfolio of solutions, Nasdaq enables customers to plan, optimize
and execute their business vision with confidence, using proven
technologies that provide transparency and insight for navigating
today's global capital markets. As the creator of the world's first
electronic stock market, its technology powers more than 70
marketplaces in 50 countries, and 1 in 10 of the world's securities
transactions. Nasdaq is home to more than 3,700 listed companies
with a market value of approximately $9.6 trillion and nearly
10,000 corporate clients. To learn more, visit:
nasdaq.com/ambition or business.nasdaq.com.
Cautionary
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The matters described herein contain
forward-looking statements that are made under the Safe Harbor
provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about
Nasdaq and its products and offerings. We caution that these
statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results
may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the
forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve a
number of risks, uncertainties or other factors beyond Nasdaq's
control. These factors include, but are not limited to factors
detailed in Nasdaq's annual report on Form 10-K, and periodic
reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We
undertake no obligation to release any revisions to any
forward-looking statements.
NDAQG