How to transfer shares to Upstream

How do I transfer my shares to Upstream from my brokerage or transfer agent?

Upstream
6 min readOct 4, 2024

Upstream, part of MERJ Exchange, can accept the shares that you hold in your current brokerage account, shares that are held at the transfer agent in book entry, or your physical stock certificate. Here’s how to deposit your shares, step by step.

Click here to watch a video tutorial

Note that U.S. persons may not deposit, buy, or sell securities on Upstream.

STEP 1. CREATE AN ACCOUNT ON UPSTREAM & VERIFY YOUR IDENTITY

  • Download Upstream on iOS or Android and tap Sign Up. This will create your account and ‘signing key’.
  • Complete KYC. To complete KYC identity verification, tap the profile icon in the top right of the navigation, then tap KYC. Be sure to have a valid form of ID and banking details handy. Once your KYC is approved, you’re ready to move to the next step.

STEP 2. DEPOSIT YOUR SHARES WITH THE TRANSFER AGENT (NON-U.S. ONLY)

If your shares are already held at the transfer agent, you may skip this step and move on to step 3. If your shares are held in a brokerage account, please complete the following:

  • Contact your broker’s customer service via email and let them know that you’d like to have your shares held as ‘direct registration’ in ‘book entry’ at the transfer agent. You can visit the issuer’s investor relations page for transfer agent contact details. Some brokerage firms may ask you to fill out their particular share transfer form. Contact us at servicedesk@upstream.exchange if you need assistance in completing a share transfer form from your brokerage firm. This must be done before shares can be deposited at Upstream.
  • Confirm information. It is important that your name, address, social security number, and shares registered at the brokerage firm match the information that you provided when opening your account on Upstream. If your address at the brokerage firm is out of date, then you will need to update it with your brokerage firm BEFORE you transfer your shares to the transfer agent to avoid delay.
  • Receive confirmation. After receiving confirmation that your shares are with the transfer agent, you may request to deposit your shares on Upstream using the Upstream app.

STEP 3. REQUEST TO DEPOSIT SHARES USING THE UPSTREAM APP (NON-U.S. ONLY)

  • Open Upstream, Tap Investor, Manage Securities, Deposit Securities. Next, select the Company’s Ticker Symbol and enter the Number of Shares you’re requesting to deposit. Tap Next.
  • Confirm whether your shares are free trading or restricted. Optionally, enter your brokerage firm name and brokerage account number, and tap Next.
  • Sign. Finally, tap Add E-Signature, sign your name on the screen using your finger, tap Done, and then tap Sign. Once the transfer is complete you will receive a push notification in the Upstream app and see the share deposit in your Upstream Portfolio. Once you make the share deposit request using the Upstream app, and the transfer agent has your shares in ‘book entry’, then most of the time the Upstream deposit process typically completes within 48 hours (Monday to Friday, excluding U.S. holidays). If shares are not yet listed, they will not be available for trading until listing day.

Please note that the value of each share deposit request on the Upstream app may not exceed $100,000. This value is determined by the closing price of the security on the previous trading day multiplied by the number of shares being deposited.

STEP 4. YOU’RE READY FOR TRADING ON UPSTREAM (NON-U.S. ONLY)

Once the shares are in your account, you’re ready to trade on the next generation exchange! Enjoy real-time trading, a transparent orderbook, and other features enforced by blockchain technology. View your shares anytime, anywhere in your Upstream Portfolio. For more information on trading, visit Upstream’s support center.

Disclaimers:

U.S. persons may not deposit, buy, or sell securities on Upstream. Anyone may buy and sell Collectibles on Upstream.

This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell securities or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction where such offer or solicitation is not permitted. Collectibles have no royalties, equity ownership, or dividends. Collectibles are for utility, collection, redemption, or display purposes only. Anyone may buy and sell Collectibles on Upstream. All orders for sale are non-solicited by Upstream and a user’s decision to trade securities must be based on their own investment judgment.

Upstream is a MERJ Exchange market. MERJ Exchange is a licensed Securities Exchange, an affiliate of the World Federation of Exchanges, a National Numbering Agency, and a member of ANNA. MERJ is regulated in the Seychelles by the Financial Services Authority, https://fsaseychelles.sc/, an associate member of the International Association of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). MERJ supports global issuers of traditional and digital securities through the entire asset life cycle from issuance to trading, clearing, settlement, and registry. It operates a fair and transparent marketplace in line with international best practices and principles of operations of financial markets. Upstream does not endorse or recommend any public or private securities bought or sold on its app. Upstream does not offer investment advice or recommendations of any kind. All services offered by Upstream are intended for self-directed clients who make their own investment decisions without aid or assistance from Upstream. All customers are subject to the rules and regulations of their jurisdiction. By accessing the site or app, you agree to be bound by its terms of use and privacy policy. Company and security listings on Upstream are only suitable for investors who are familiar with and willing to accept the high risk associated with speculative investments, often in early and development-stage companies. U.S. persons may not deposit, buy, or sell securities on Upstream. There can be no assurance the valuation of any particular company’s securities is accurate or in agreement with the market or industry comparative valuations. Investors must be able to afford market volatility and afford the loss of their investment. Companies listed on Upstream are subject to significant ongoing corporate obligations including, but not limited to disclosure, filings, and notification requirements, as well as compliance with applicable quantitative and qualitative listing standards.

Collectible products are akin to a digital sticker of an underlying artwork and should not be considered a financial investment; a security token, an e-money token, or a form of digital currency. Collectibles should not, therefore, be purchased by anyone seeking financial gain or with an expectation to profit from the purchase, ownership in the entity, dividends or distributions, sale or resale of a Collectible. By buying a Collectible, you agree that you are not doing so for investment purposes or for the purposes of obtaining a security or an appreciating asset. You understand that the benefit you receive for buying a Collectible is limited to supporting athletes, celebrities and other brands. You also acknowledge that ownership of a Collectible does not carry with it any rights, express or implied, including (without limitation) copyright, trademarks or other intellectual property or proprietary rights in and to the underlying artwork. The copyright to the digital artwork remains with the copyright holder.

Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains “forward-looking statements.” Such statements may be preceded by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential,” or similar words. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, are based on certain assumptions, and are subject to various known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company’s control, and cannot be predicted or quantified, and, consequently, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties associated with (i) difficulties in obtaining financing on commercially reasonable terms; (ii) changes in the size and nature of our competition; (iii) loss of one or more key executives or brand ambassadors; and (iv) changes in legal or regulatory requirements in the markets in which we operate. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise its forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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Upstream

A MERJ Exchange Market. Ethereum-powered trading app for digital securities and NFTs. Learn more at https://upstream.exchange/.