We are Margin Stock Loans Specialists

Origins

We provide liquidity to shareholders of listed equities and offer an investment opportunity to accredited investors and institutions to invest in fully secured stock loans. 

Having experienced both financial crisis in 1998 and 2008, founder of Charismatic Capital Ltd and a former private banker, Lam Ching Ching detected a niche opportunity. Hence, in 2014, she assembled a team and started originating and executing loans secured against globally listed equities and discounted block trades. 

Milestones

Our Competitive Advantage

Private lenders in Asia in this financing space are small and fragmented as majority are brokers and non-licensed and non-regulated private companies. As they have either meagre capital or limited balance sheet, they could only offer the Sale and Repurchase lending model which entails change of share ownership. Hence, they do not appeal to the borrowers in general.

As borrowers are typically majority shareholders or founders of listed companies, they prefer not the transfer their share ownership to the lender for the following reasons:

  • Reduction of the burden of having to report consecutive sell and buy back transactions to the stock exchange for short term loan facilities.
  • Retention of voting rights and dividend payouts.

Therefore, borrowers are willing to pay a premium to enjoy the above stated benefits.

As borrowers turn to margin loan borrowing (without the transfer of share ownership), Charismatic differentiates itself strongly from the competition, being both regulated and with strong balance sheet.
Henceforth, it will be able to sustain its double digit loan pricing using the financing business model that is in demand.

As a licensed and regulated fund in Singapore, Charismatic is also able to work with major investment banks with international presence around the world. This also allows Charismatic to offer borrowers another form of borrowing tied in with cooperation with investment banks.

Charismatic can secure equity derivatives with investment banks to offer to borrowers a collar structure. In a collar structure, borrowers need not cover margin calls and continue to enjoy high leverage and lower single-digit interest rates. At the same time, borrowers might not need to transfer share ownership. At the end of the loan period, there is no penalty if the borrower decides to not repay the loan. Depending on the performance of the underlying share collateral, Charismatic may be able to give cash back to the borrower, even if the borrower does not repay the loan.

Many borrowers look out for high leverage with lower interest rates. Charismatic offers this as a licensed and regulated entity, providing a flexible loan structure which allows borrowers flexibility in structuring their cashflow requirements.

News about us

CNBC

Here’s how this private lender manages default risks in margin stock loans.

Bloomberg Asia

Hedge Funds Lost Big in '18, But Some Still Pulled In The Money

Bloomberg

Ex-UBS Banker Starts $100 Million Fund for Share-Backed Loans

The Edge Singapore

Former Banker founded Charismatic Capital to offer stock loan financing to underserved companies.