2007 was a transformational year for Fidecs. On 28 March 2007, Fidecs Group was acquired by STM Group PLC which was admitted to the London Stock Exchange’s AIM market, on the same day. Fidecs was renamed STM Fidecs.

The strategy of the newly formed Group was to facilitate expansion through the acquisition of corporate and trustee service provider (CTSPs) operating in international jurisdictions which offered complementary products and services to those provided by STM Fidecs. Between 2007 and 2010 STM Group acquired various CTSPs within Gibraltar and Jersey, the acquisition of which further consolidated STM’s position as one of the largest Trust and Company managers in Gibraltar.

As the CTSP business grew, so did the pensions division which was originally formed in 2006 to manage and administer occupational pension schemes. The range of retirement solutions was further expanded to provide personal pension schemes, in particular those recognised by HMRC as Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS).

In 2008 the Group launched STM Life Assurance PCC PLC (STM Life). STM Life is licensed to write Class III, linked long-term life assurance business and was primarily established to provide a potential alternative to other wealth wrappers, utilised by high-net-worth individuals and designed to hold assets such as private company shares, real estate, participation in hedge funds, REITs and EIFs. As Gibraltar is part of the UK Member State for EU purposes (unlike the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man), STM Life benefits from the fundamental freedom to provide its financial products and services within the EU and is able to passport its services into a number of Member States, which could potentially offer favourable tax treatment to insurance products.