US private equity firm’s acquisition gives EquiLend a game-changing boost.

Welsh, Carson, Anderson and Stowe (WCAS), a US private equity firm, has purchased a majority stake in EquiLend, a securities lending platform. The deal, subject to regulatory approvals and expected to be completed in Q2 2024, is backed by a further $200m from WCAS to support EquiLend’s growth and acquisition activities. EquiLend, founded in 2001 by a consortium of financial institutions including JP Morgan, provides trading, post-trade, analytics, regtech, and platform solutions for the securities finance industry. EquiLend CEO Brian Lamb said the acquisition would enable the company to expand in securities finance and other areas. Ryan Harper, general partner at WCAS, added that the firm saw EquiLend as being uniquely positioned to drive further innovation in the securities finance industry.