The Sovereign Group acquires Gibraltar based STM Fidecs Management Limited

The Sovereign Group, a leading independent provider of corporate, private client and retirement planning services, has announced the acquisition of STM Fidecs Management Limited (FML), the Gibraltar-based trust and company management arm of the AIM-listed STM Group and one of the longest-standing and most prominent fiduciary businesses in Gibraltar.

Under the terms of the acquisition, 18 of FML’s existing staff will be relocating to the new offices of Sovereign Trust (Gibraltar) Limited at Sovereign Place, 117 Main Street, Gibraltar, and the company will be rebranded as Sovereign Fiduciary Services Limited.

The rebranded entity will trade alongside Sovereign’s own trust and company management division, under the management of Sovereign Trust (Gibraltar) Managing Director, John Blake. The acquisition brings staff numbers on this side of the business to 54. Sovereign currently employs a further 87 staff in Gibraltar across its retirement planning, wealth management and insurance broking arms.

Sovereign moved its headquarters office in Gibraltar from 143 to 117 Main Street, which has now been renamed Sovereign Place, in December. The conversion of this historic family freehold into a four-storey office providing 1,300sqm of Grade A office space took some three years and represents a substantial investment in the future of our business on the Rock.

Commenting on the deal, Sovereign Group CEO Gerry Kelly said: “We are delighted to complete this acquisition and to welcome the FML staff to the Sovereign team. It was precisely with acquisitions like this in mind that Sovereign moved to occupy larger premises in Gibraltar last year.

“This acquisition of FML comes hard on the heels of our acquisition of First Rock Trustees in Gibraltar in October 2020. We expect to see further consolidation in the trust and company sector over the coming few years and Sovereign will be actively looking for other opportunities in Gibraltar and elsewhere that match our investment criteria.”

STM Fidecs Management Limited is regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC), which has granted regulatory approval for the acquisition.

Sovereign now employs over 140 staff in Gibraltar and is one of the most significant private sector employers. Regulated by the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC), Sovereign’s four authorised entities work closely to drive growth and sustainability for Gibraltar businesses through a complementary suite of professional trustee, director, company and Trust management, pensions and insurance services.

Sovereign’s offering ranges across employee benefit packages and incentive plans, professional trustee and director services, accounting, payroll, bespoke corporate and private client insurance, occupational and personal pension plans, investment and pensions advice, market entry, local licences and permits, plus company secretarial and company management.

As part of the deal, the Sovereign Group has also acquired the Gibraltar-based tax advisory company STM Fiscalis Limited, which is to change its name to Sovereign Fiscalis Limited. We are pleased that an additional staff member will also join us under the terms of this acquisition.