Euroclear is a Belgium-based financial services company that specialises in the settlement of securities transactions, as well as the safekeeping and asset servicing of these securities. It was founded in 1968 as part of J.P. Morgan & Co. to settle trades on the then developing eurobond market. It is one of two European international central securities depositories (Clearstream being the other).
Euroclear settles domestic and international securities transactions, covering bonds, equities, derivatives, and investment funds. Euroclear provides securities services to financial institutions located in more than 90 countries.
In addition to its role as an international central securities depository (ICSD), Euroclear also acts as the central securities depository (CSD) for Belgian, Dutch, Finnish, French, Irish, Swedish, and UK securities. Euroclear also owns EMXCo, the UK's leading provider of investment-fund order routing.
Retail investors are able to have direct accounts in local CSDs, according to local laws, rules, and procedures.
The Euroclear System was operated by the Belgian branch of Morgan Guaranty Trust Company from its founding in December 1968 until the start of 2001, when they transferred control to Euroclear Bank. Kidder Peabody had been the first major trading firm to tell the market that it would only deal with firms that cleared through Euroclear. Euroclear's creation provoked a reaction in Luxembourg among firms which were competitors with Morgan, and who feared that Morgan could use their settlement data to its trading advantage. This led to the launch of a competitor, Luxembourg-based Cedel, in September 1970.
Euroclear acquired Sicovam (the French central securities depository or CSD) in 2001, Necigef (Nederlands Centraal Instituut voor Giraal Effectenverkeer), the Dutch and CRESTCo Ltd, the CSD for UK & Irish securities using the CREST application in 2002. It acquired Caisse Interprofessionnelle de Dépôts et de Virements de Titres (CIK), the Belgian CSD, in 2007.