Equity Story Group (ASX:EQS) just cracked open the US market, with the US Securities Exchange Commission officially green-lighting the Aussie-listed trading advisor, educator and fund manager as an Investment Adviser Firm – opening up EQS services into the United States of America.

EQS has come away with the lollies after a gruelling 12-month process to obtain registration, with the US Securities Exchange Commission vetting EQS to stringent conditions in a milestone broadly similar to the Australian Financial Services Licences (AFSL) held by EQS in Australia.

As of 10 June, the Investment Adviser Firm status was approved by the SEC with EQS notified on 11 June, making for a terrific Queens Birthday weekend.

 

What does the new status bring?

The SEC registration is a go-go-go for Equity Story USA (a Delaware Statutory Trust legally and commercially controlled by EQS) to get into its bread and butter business of providing subscription based financial, equities trading general advice, research insights, and investor education services to US residents.

CEO Trent McGraw says Equity Story already has well-laid plans to establish its initial US operations in the second quarter of FY23, with services on the ground commencing in early 2023.

EQS is all over the US markets and has started its own lengthy vetting process of recruiting the right US equity market commentators to complement the existing Equity Story analyst team.

McGraw says these US-based analysts will broadcast ‘uniquely rich and actionable’ daily podcasts along similar lines to the current core subscriber offering in Australia.

The US business will be managed from EQS central, at its Sydney offices.

With the growing fascination for universal trade, all the new US market content will be available to existing EQS Australian subscribers as a product add-on.

In addition, US subscribers will be offered trading education content in due course, McGraw adds.

The marketing of these services will be primarily via US-based channel partners, and digital advertising initiatives to obtain an initial base of US members.

 

Tantalising

According to the ASX 2020 Australian Investor Study some 6.6 million Aussies hold listed equity investments.

In comparison, there’s nigh-on 60% of Americans that own stock, based on Gallup’s April 2022 Economy and Personal Finance survey. That number’s been growing strongly every year and translates into about 144 million equity-tinkering Americans – roughly 21 times the size of the Australian market.

This is a market that Equity Story is keen to address in a considered and cautious manner, McGraw says.

“The SEC registration is an important milestone for the Company’s future progress, and the key regulatory approval required to enable Equity Story to offer our content, podcasts and training courses to Americans,” he said

It is understood that Equity Story is possibly the only ASX listed business of its kind that holds US Investment Adviser Firm status.

“This also consolidates our long-term strategy to build a fully-licensed financial content platform across a number of international markets.  Equity Story is now better positioned to execute our growth initiatives.”

 

A gripping yarn

The newly-listed EQS provides stock market advice, research, investor education and management services, and delivered a successful IPO featuring strong support from sophisticated investors; in particular, a long line of company clients.

SEC registration is a key component in the creation by EQS of a regulatory infrastructure platform to expand the audience for our equities market investment and education content across two key markets.

With a database of around 40,000 investors to whom they can promote new and relevant financial investor service offerings, the business is already leveraging the growing obsession Australians have with the stock market, particularly from the younger ‘next generation’ of savvy investors.

A generation which is determined to spread their wings across Wall Street and beyond.

 

This article was developed in collaboration with Equity Story Group, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

This article does not constitute financial product advice. You should consider obtaining independent advice before making any financial decisions.