Morgan Stanley to Transition Wilson Sonsini’s Capitalization Management Software to Shareworks

Rhea-AI Summary

Morgan Stanley has announced an agreement with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati to facilitate the migration of privately-held companies using Wilson Sonsini's capitalization management software to Morgan Stanley's Shareworks platform. Shareworks offers a range of equity plan management solutions aiding companies in managing stock plans and compliance. Through this partnership, Morgan Stanley aims to enhance its leadership in capitalization management for startups and provide comprehensive financial solutions. The firm currently serves over 4.9 million stock plan participants globally.

Positive

• Partnership with Wilson Sonsini expands Morgan Stanley's client base in capitalization management.
• Shareworks enhances equity plan management, potentially increasing client engagement.
• Morgan Stanley's acquisition strategy (including Solium and E*TRADE) strengthens its market position.

Negative

• None.

Morgan Stanley today announced that it has entered into an agreement with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a premier provider of legal services to technology, life sciences, and growth enterprises worldwide. The agreement will enable privately-held companies currently using Wilson Sonsini’s proprietary capitalization management software to migrate to Morgan Stanley’s Shareworks by Morgan Stanley (“Shareworks”) capitalization and stock plan platform.

Shareworks offers equity plan management solutions that help private and public companies drive workforce performance by building a culture of ownership. Its software and services help companies attract and engage employees, simplify share plan management, provide disclosures and support tax and legal compliance. Shareworks is a leading provider of capitalization management software for startups that scales through each stage of their growth, up to and including an initial public offering.

”Morgan Stanley intends to be the leader in capitalization management for private companies and early stage startups, helping them to manage the complexities of their equity and employee stock plans,” said Jed Finn, Head of Corporate and Institutional Solutions, Morgan Stanley Wealth Management. “This agreement, along with the acquisition of Solium and the Corporate Services business from E*TRADE, are a part of our long-term strategy to be the premier provider of financial solutions to workplace employees. We are confident that Wilson Sonsini’s clients can also benefit from our broader Morgan Stanley services and offerings.”

“Wilson Sonsini has been a pioneer with innovative applications that simplify and accelerate complicated legal processes. Our capitalization software was among the first in the industry and the only one developed by a law firm,” said David Wang, Wilson Sonsini's Chief Innovation Officer. “As we continue to evolve how we serve as trusted legal and strategic advisors to our clients through their entire lifecycle, we are excited about the opportunity to provide an even more efficient and technology-driven capitalization management experience for our clients with a state-of-the-art solution like Shareworks.”

Morgan Stanley has been building a comprehensive suite of digital and wealth management tools critical for the workplace. Morgan Stanley acquired Solium Capital Inc. in May 2019 and the company was rebranded Shareworks by Morgan Stanley. Shareworks is a leading global stock plan administration platform that provides software and administration services to corporate clients around the globe.

Shareworks is a part of the Morgan Stanley at Work suite of financial solutions, which encompasses Equity Compensation (including E*TRADE Equity Edge Online), Retirement Solutions and Financial Wellness (including Gradifi by E*TRADE). Morgan Stanley at Work combines cutting-edge planning and risk management software, Morgan Stanley intellectual capital and financial education delivered through multiple channels to enable employees to build a holistic plan to achieve their financial goals. Shareworks by Morgan Stanley currently has offices in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia Pacific.

The Morgan Stanley acquisition of E*TRADE in 2020 further expanded Morgan Stanley’s leadership in workplace financial solutions with the Firm now serving over 4.9 million stock plan participants.¹

This transaction with Wilson Sonsini is the latest example of Morgan Stanley’s commitment to become a leader in providing financial solutions to companies and their employees.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

For more than 50 years, Wilson Sonsini has offered a broad range of services and legal disciplines focused on serving the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. The firm is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of corporate governance and finance, mergers and acquisitions, private equity, securities litigation, employment law, intellectual property and antitrust, among many other areas of law. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has offices in Austin; Beijing; Boston; Brussels; Hong Kong; London; Los Angeles; New York; Palo Alto; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Shanghai; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington, DE. For more information, please visit www.wsgr.com.

Morgan Stanley at Work and Shareworks by Morgan Stanley are service marks of Morgan Stanley or its affiliates.

Morgan Stanley Wealth Management is the trade name of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, a registered broker-dealer in the United States.

¹ “Morgan Stanley at an Inflection Point: The Next Decade of Growth” Investor Presentation, January 2021.

Disclosure

Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC is not implying an affiliation, sponsorship, endorsement with/of the third party or that any monitoring is being done by Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC (“Morgan Stanley”) of any information contained within the website. Morgan Stanley is not responsible for the information contained on the third party website or the use of or inability to use such site. Nor do we guarantee their accuracy or completeness.

© 2021 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC. CRC 3457525 2/2021

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FAQ

What is the recent agreement between Morgan Stanley and Wilson Sonsini about?

Morgan Stanley has entered into an agreement with Wilson Sonsini to migrate privately-held companies to its Shareworks platform for better capitalization management.

How does Shareworks by Morgan Stanley benefit companies?

Shareworks offers equity plan management solutions that simplify share plan management, enhance employee engagement, and ensure compliance.

What are Morgan Stanley's future plans regarding capitalization management?

Morgan Stanley aims to be a leader in capitalization management for private companies and startups through initiatives like its partnership with Wilson Sonsini.

How many stock plan participants does Morgan Stanley currently serve?

Morgan Stanley serves over 4.9 million stock plan participants globally.