BS Number Wise: An unclaimed market fortune

The value of unclaimed securities and other assets was nearly Rs 20,000 crore in March 2020. It could be just the tip of a capital market iceberg

The oldest share certificate ever found was in a forgotten archive in the Dutch city of Enkhuizen, and it belonged to an assistant to the city’s mayors, Pieter Harmensz. The Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, or VOC) issued the share dated 1606 in the early days of its global business expansion.

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) recently wrote to mar­ket record-keepers like registrar and transfer agents, seeking to determine the value of shares, dividends and other unclaimed securities market assets that may have been similarly forgotten. The Dutch company is long gone, but the unclaimed shares