Sonray enters voluntary administration, freezes 3000 accounts
Melbourne-based broker Sonray Capital Markets has entered voluntary administration, freezing accounts of 3,000 clients, its administrator Ferrier Hodgson announced Wednesday.
Troubles of Sonray, which specialises in providing access to global stockmarkets for sophisticated retail investors, follow the collapse of Opes Prime and a sequence of other Melbourne-based finance firms that have gone under since the world financial crunch.
Ferrier Hodgson partner George Georges said it was still difficult to tell how much money was held in the frozen accounts. A creditors' meeting will be held next week.
"We understand the concerns of investors at this difficult time and ask for their patience while we carry out the investigation," Mr Georges said in a statement.
"Our job will be to provide creditors with clarity about what happened to Sonray and we will do all we can to keep creditors informed about any developments."
Ferrier Hodgson would not give names of Sonray's directors, and could not say if third parties had any exposure to the broker.
Established in 2003, Sonray provides global execution and clearing services through two online trading platforms. It also has an office on the Gold Coast.
On its website, the broker claims to be one of the first companies in Australia to provide advice on contracts for differences.
It also offered other derivatives such as options and futures, and a range of corporate advisory services including initial public offerings (IPOs) and secondary market raising for public and private entities with a market capitalisation up to $100 million.