Development of a Mobile Proxy Voting Platform to Enhance Retail Investor Engagement

Financial services

Challenges Faced by Retail Investors in Corporate Governance Participation

Retail investors face significant obstacles in participating in proxy voting due to a complex, fragmented, and non-digital process, leading to low engagement levels. There is a need for a modern, accessible platform that simplifies voting procedures, enhances community discussion, and provides transparency in shareholder opinions to foster responsible investing.

About the Client

A mid-sized financial technology firm specializing in shareholder engagement and corporate governance solutions.

Goals for a Scalable Proxy Voting and Shareholder Engagement Solution

Develop a user-friendly mobile application for iOS and Android platforms that enables individual investors to participate easily in proxy voting.
Create a community feature allowing investors to connect, discuss proposals, and view collective sentiment.
Integrate data aggregation to provide publicly traded companies and institutional investors with insights into retail shareholder opinions.
Ensure the platform architecture supports scalability for future growth and increased user base.
Improve transparency and engagement in the shareholder voting process to boost retail investor participation and influence.

Core Functionalities for Retail Investor Proxy Voting Mobile App

User authentication and profile management for retail investors.
Community forum where users can discuss and share opinions on voting proposals.
Network view to see aggregated sentiments within user groups.
Integration of proxy voting functionality aligned with corporate governance proposals.
Data aggregation system to collect and analyze shareholder opinions for reporting to companies and institutional investors.
Responsive design ensuring consistency and smooth user experience across both Android and iOS devices.
Architecture designed for scalability to support user growth and additional features in future iterations.

Preferred Platform Technologies and Architectural Approaches

Cross-platform development frameworks (e.g., React Native, Flutter) for simultaneous Android and iOS deployment.

Scalable backend infrastructure, possibly cloud-based, to handle increasing data and user load.

Real-time data synchronization for community interactions and sentiment sharing.

Secure authentication mechanisms to ensure voting integrity and user privacy.

External System Integrations Needed for Functionality Enhancement

Proxy voting systems and corporate governance APIs for seamless vote submission.
Data providers and analytics platforms for shareholder sentiment analysis.
Authentication services (e.g., OAuth, SSO) for user login security.

Non-Functional Requirements to Ensure Reliable and Secure Platform

Platform must support at least 10,000 concurrent users without performance degradation.
App performance optimized for fast load times and responsiveness on all supported devices.
Compliance with data security regulations to protect user information and voting data.
High availability and disaster recovery capabilities to ensure platform uptime.

Projected Business Impact and Success Metrics

The developed platform aims to significantly increase retail shareholder voting participation by providing an engaging, transparent, and easy-to-use mobile solution. Expected outcomes include enhanced credibility with investors, improved governance engagement, and valuable insights for companies and institutional investors, ultimately fostering more responsible investing practices and expanding market influence.