Equities First Holdings
| equitiesfirst | |
| File:Equitiesfirst Equities First Holdings | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
|---|---|
| Industry | Finance |
| Founded 📆 | |
| Founder 👔 | |
Area served 🗺️ | |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | https://www.equitiesfirst.com/ |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
| equitiesfirst | |
Founded in 2002 by American entrepreneur Alexander Christy Jr., EquitiesFirst is a global investment firm that provides long-term equities-based financing.
The company's roots trace back to 1997, when Christy brokered a loan for a family-owned apple farm in Michigan, leveraging their holdings in publicly traded stocks to attain financing that secured the business for the long term. The experience convinced Christy to explore the idea of lending against equities, eventually leading to the creation of EquitiesFirst.
EquitiesFirst's unique approach, which the company calls "Progressive Capital," enables listed companies, entrepreneurs, and investors to access capital by financing against their publicly traded assets. The firm issues nonrecourse, nonpurpose financing in exchange for equity holdings, with interest rates typically ranging between 3% and 4% and loan-to-value ratios between 60% and 70%.
During the financing term, EquitiesFirst obtains title and custody of the pledged shares, but upon loan repayment, the client regains the shares, retaining 100% of the equity upside appreciation. The company’s goal is to align interests with its partners and create value for all stakeholders. It is fully privately owned and invests only its proprietary assets.
With a global footprint spanning 13 offices across eight countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, China (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing), South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, and Australia (Sydney, Perth, Melbourne)
As of January 2023, EquitiesFirst had issued more than $4.5 billion in loans. The company prides itself on its robust due diligence processes, comprehensive onboarding procedures, and stringent regulatory compliance measures.
