What is a HIN number, and how does it work?
Navigating the world of share trading can often feel like deciphering a complex code, especially when you’re faced with complicated terminology and acronyms like HIN, CHESS, and SRN. If you’ve ever found yourself wondering what any of these terms mean, you’re not alone.
A HIN (Holder Identification Number) is an investor's unique identifier in the Australian share market, allowing investors to protect their investment in the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) in the cases of potential bankruptcy or collapse of their brokers. For example, if a CHESS-sponsored broker went bankrupt, investors with their own HIN can still retrieve their AU shares from the ASX (information only, needs language review). It acts like a social security number for your investments.
Tracking your investments is crucial, especially in today's world of online trading and commission-free options. New investment platforms like Moomoo have made investing easier and increased the need for investors to monitor their portfolios actively.
Moomoo is here to help. With a wealth of experience in Australia’s investment landscape and over 21 million users globally, we know what we’re talking about. Let’s explore what HIN numbers are and help you easily navigate the language of share market trading.
What is a HIN?
A Holder Identification Number (HIN) identifies your shares just as your bank account number identifies your financial holdings. A HIN uniquely identifies your shares with CHESS, the ASX's Clearing House Electronic Subregister System.
Every HIN has a ten-digit code that usually begins with an ‘X’. It’s specific to the entity that owns the shares and the stockbroker facilitating the transactions, meaning each account has a HIN. If, for example, an investor has accounts with multiple stockbrokers, each account has its unique HIN.
The investor can buy or sell shares held in any of their accounts, and CHESS tracks this under the relevant HIN. This is called a CHESS-sponsored account.
Having a HIN provides several benefits in the trading landscape:
Precise identification: Your HIN ensures you can precisely identify the shares you own or those owned by a different entity. This precision is crucial, especially for investors managing multiple stockbroking accounts.
Streamlined transactions: When it was introduced in the 1990s, the HIN system aimed to streamline the identification of securities ownership. Electronic registration revolutionised the trading process, making it easier than ever to trade shares through online trading platforms.
Today, the HIN system is the bedrock of securities ownership identification on the ASX. Millions of investors use it, allowing for secure and transparent share trading. Understanding how it works helps investors accurately track and protect their assets. It’s also worth noting that you may have multiple HINs when you have several accounts with different brokers.
Understanding shareholdings in Australia
Investing in Australian shares opens the door to a unique form of ownership. By owning shares, you become part-owner of a company. Whether you’re an individual shareholder or part of a collective investment through a managed fund, the ownership of shares grants you the potential to access dividends and other benefits.
Here’s what the path to ownership looks like:
Buying shares directly: When you buy shares (also called stocks, securities, or equities), you acquire a stake in the company, making you a shareholder. Shareholders can receive dividends and enjoy other perks based on the company’s performance.
Managed funds: Pool your money with others through a managed fund to create a diversified portfolio managed by professionals. This provides a more hands-off investment experience.
You also have the option to participate in the share market by yourself through an online trading platform or a full-service provider like an advisor. An online broking service lets you make independent investment decisions via e-trading platforms. This approach has lower fees, platforms like moomoo offer CHESS-sponsored ASX trading from as low as $3 per trade.
On the other hand, you can hire a full-service advisory service that manages trades and provides investment advice. Fees for these services are often a percentage of the trade value, with larger transactions attracting lower percentages.
Enter the HIN. The HIN plays a crucial role in the Australian shareholding landscape. It ensures that CHESS tracks transactions between shareowners and trading accounts, whether you trade through an online platform or a brokerage.
What are the differences between other types of identification numbers
There are many acronyms and terms to wrangle with in the shareholding world, including the international securities identification number (ISIN) and the ticker symbol. Here’s what sets those apart from the HIN:
ISIN: The ISIN is a globally recognised identifier that uniquely distinguishes specific securities, like stocks and bonds. It provides a standardised code that aids in international trading.
Ticker symbol: Ticker symbols are commonly used shorthand representations of a security’s name, making it easier for investors to track and trade. While they assist in quick identification, they don’t delve into the nuanced details of ownership or account identification.
The HIN is different because it’s primarily employed within the CHESS and is also there to identify ownership of an ASX security. As a result, it traces both the entity owning the shares and the stockbroker facilitating the transactions.
The HIN’s uniqueness lies in its ability to cut across various securities within an account, providing a comprehensive overview of an individual’s shareholdings.
What’s the difference between a HIN and an SRN?
You may also have heard of a security reference number (SRN) or shareholder reference number (SRN). This is another identifier that’s crucial in securities ownership. However, the HIN and SRN are different.
If an investor holds shares in a particular company, held solely in the company’s share registry, this is an issuer-sponsored holding. These shares don’t have a HIN; instead, they have an SRN. This is a ten or eleven-digit code starting with an ‘I’.
The codes themselves differ because they describe different shares, so it’s essential to ensure your shares have the right number. Any discrepancies in details, like the applicant's name on your CHESS statement, may result in shares being allotted under a Security Holder Reference Number (SRN) instead.
An SRN identifies the owner of shares that are held by a share registry compared to a HIN, which identifies the owner of shares that are held through a chess-sponsored broker.
Meanwhile, having a HIN streamlines administrative changes, such as changing the registration name, for which you only need to contact your sponsoring broker. However, for shares in the issuer-sponsored subregister, you have to individually inform the share registry of each company where you hold shares.
Understanding the differences between HINs and SRNs is essential to buy and sell shares effectively.
How do you get a HIN?
The ASX will issue your HIN when you become a CHESS-sponsored broker’s client. Following your registration as a client, the ASX Settlement will contact you to notify you of your HIN. At this point, you’ll have a way to connect with your shares.
You can start the process by selecting a trading platform. You’ll need to provide personal details to create your account, and you usually have to verify your identity. You can begin trading after receiving your HIN.
If you ever need to find your HIN, you can log onto your broker’s platform and find it in your portfolio
How do you buy and sell shares with a HIN?
Trading ASX shares with a HIN is relatively easy thanks to the transparent tracking HIN numbers provide. Since the HIN is attached to the holder, it ensures that bought shares are registered in the correct name and that the correct shares are being sold.
Shares tied to a HIN can be conveniently sold through the associated stockbroker.
However, there can be difficulties along the way. For example, the process can be more difficult when selling shares tied to a deceased estate, long-held investments, inherited shares, or situations where you’re acting with power of attorney.
In these cases, you need to contact the sponsoring participant as soon as possible. An advisor could potentially provide you with the investment advice you need for buying and selling complicated shares, even providing tailored guidance in these more difficult scenarios.
The process is pretty straightforward for those who’ve received shares through an employee share scheme and are now eligible to sell them. Simply fill out an online share sale form through your stockbroker or trading platform, ensuring you correctly fill out the HIN or SRN.
Summing up
The HIN is a unique feature of Australian investments. There are other models for share trading, such as the Custodian model. For more information on the difference between a HIN model and a Custodian model, please refer here.
It’s essential to be familiar with your HIN to understand how trading in the ASX works; that way, you can protect your investments and stay safe.
Whether you want to start investing or simply invest with confidence, choose Moomoo as your trusted platform. Check out our guides from expert financial advisers on topics from HIN numbers to super funds. Learn more about Moomoo today.