BNP Paribas Expands Global Proxy Voting Solution with Proxymity Integration

BNP Paribas’ Securities Services business has expanded its partnership with Proxymity to deploy the Vote Connect Global solution across EMEA and Asia Pacific. For fintech professionals in the custody and asset servicing space, this move digitises the traditionally opaque proxy voting process, offering near real-time transparency and operational efficiency for global custody clients managing assets across more than 90 markets.

What was announced

The implementation of Proxymity’s Vote Connect Global marks a significant scaling of BNP Paribas’ digital investor communications. Initially introduced to local custody clients in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand in September 2025, the solution is now being rolled out to the bank’s global custody clients. This expansion targets the complexities of cross-border corporate governance by providing a direct digital link between issuers, intermediaries, and investors.

The system operates through a single platform, allowing global custody clients to receive immediate meeting announcements and transmit voting instructions digitally. Crucially, the platform provides post-meeting confirmations, ensuring that votes have been counted—a historically difficult metric to verify in global proxy chains. BNP Paribas’ Securities Services business manages all client enquiries and activities, while coordinating the underlying operational flows with Proxymity.

Technologically, the solution is fully integrated into the bank’s existing NeoLink client platform. This integration complements BNP Paribas’ broader suite of general meeting services and in-house expertise. The updated service also includes enhanced features for power of attorney management, streamlining the administrative burden for institutional investors. By leveraging Proxymity’s digital ecosystem, the bank aims to replace manual, fragmented processes with a transparent, near real-time workflow across its extensive global network, which currently oversees USD 17.5 trillion in assets under custody.

"We’re proud to extend our partnership with BNP Paribas’ Securities Services through the implementation of Vote Connect Global. This reflects our shared commitment to a common goal: delivering real, measurable improvements for investors navigating a complex, global proxy voting landscape."

Dean Little, CEO and Co-Founder, Proxymity.

The companies involved

BNP Paribas is a global banking heavyweight with a significant presence in the asset servicing sector. Its Securities Services business is a leading global custodian, currently managing approximately USD 17.5 trillion in assets under custody. The bank operates as a major pillar of the European financial landscape while maintaining a deep footprint in the Asia Pacific and EMEA regions. In recent years, the firm has focused on digitising its custody stack to maintain its competitive edge against other global custodians and specialized fintech challengers.

Proxymity is a digital investor communications platform that has established itself as a key utility in the corporate governance space. Founded by Dean Little and his team, the company provides a digital connection between issuers and investors, aiming to eliminate the inefficiencies of the traditional proxy voting chain. Proxymity has gained traction by partnering with major financial institutions to standardise digital voting and disclosure. The platform’s growth reflects an industry-wide shift toward greater transparency in shareholder engagement. Unlike legacy systems that rely on manual data entry and physical mail, Proxymity’s infrastructure is built for real-time data exchange, helping more companies achieve digital proxy voting at scale.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has extensively tracked BNP Paribas’ digital transformation and its strategic moves in the securities services market. Recently, the bank entered a BNP Paribas and Google Cloud Launch 5-Year Strategic Agentic AI Partnership, highlighting its commitment to integrating advanced technology into its core banking operations. In the asset servicing space specifically, the firm has been active in enhancing its data capabilities, as seen when BNP Paribas Launches Advanced Data PRISM360 Capabilities for UniSuper. Furthermore, the bank has been restructuring its internal teams to address the rise of tokenisation and blockchain, with BNP Paribas Securities Services Scales Digital Assets with New Leadership and Structure. These developments suggest a broader institutional push to modernise the entire lifecycle of asset ownership and reporting.

What this means

This announcement signals that the "plumbing" of global finance is finally catching up with the digital expectations of institutional investors. For too long, proxy voting has been a black box of manual reconciliations and delayed confirmations. By integrating Proxymity’s tech into a global custodian’s core platform, the industry is moving toward a standard where real-time transparency is no longer a premium feature but a baseline requirement. This puts significant pressure on smaller, legacy-bound custodians who cannot afford the deep integration costs of such platforms. The move also raises questions about how quickly the rest of the major global custodians will respond to ensure they aren't left behind in the race for digital governance.