Save time when issuing share certificates by automating your signing on Vestd.
It can be time-consuming when you’re issuing multiple share certificates and have to individually sign each one. So we created automated signing, which lets company directors use a digital signature to effortlessly sign and issue as many share certificates as needed.
To set up automated signing, log in to Vestd and click Customise share certificates at the bottom of your homepage.
Select the primary and secondary signers, and tick the checkbox to invite them to create their signatures. Please note, only directors can be invited to set up automated signing.
If a company only has one director, a specified witness can be the secondary signer (automated signing won’t be available in this scenario). A specified witness is someone who is:
- Over 18 years of age
- Of sound mind
- Isn't related to the primary signer
- Isn't party to the share certificates in question
The specified witness must also be in the room and watch the primary signer sign the document before adding their own signature. Our platform doesn't currently support witness signatures, so if a document needs to be signed with a witness it's your responsibility to ensure it's properly executed.
Company directors can also sign their own share certificates as long as there are no clauses in the company articles that say otherwise.
Customising your share certificates
You also have the option to customise your share certificates with your company logo and a specific border colour. Just upload an image of your logo in the appropriate file format and size, and select a border colour from the colour picker, then click Save.
You’ll be able to preview the share certificate on the following page before it’s sent for signing. Any changes can be reverted by going back to the previous page.
Once you have clicked Save, the directors will be emailed to create their signatures. They have the option to consent or reject their signature being used. Go to your Share certificate settings page to see whether a director has uploaded or revoked their signature.
It’s worth knowing that if one director consents and the other rejects, both will have to sign the certificates one by one.
For your peace of mind, creating a signature simply acts as consent for issuing share certificates. It won’t be used for anything else and you can revoke your consent at any time.
If a director creates their signature and then decides against it, they can revoke their consent by going to their Personal details page. Account editors can also do this by going to Secretarial & admin > Directors, selecting the director’s name and clicking Revoke your consent.
Issuing share certificates
We will automatically generate a share certificate for most share movements (share issuances, transfers, buybacks and option exercising) executed on the Vestd platform.
You will be notified by email when a new share certificate has been generated and is ready to send for signing.
Simply follow the email link to view the new share certificates and send them for signing.
As the platform generates the share certificates, most of the required information will be pre-filled.
However, we don't know the shareholder's address without your input.
So if a shareholder is missing their address, we won't be able to automatically generate their share certificate.
Whenever you're issuing shares to a new shareholder or adding existing shareholders to Vestd, we will prompt you to add their address for this reason.
To add shareholder addresses, simply click Shareholders on your homepage to view your shareholder record. You'll see a list of all your shareholders and those with missing addresses will have an Add address link next to their name.
Our team, content and app can help you make informed decisions. However, any guidance and support should not be considered as 'legal, tax or financial advice.'