BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust plc (BRSC) has published its latest total voting rights disclosure, confirming that as at 4 November 2026, its issued share capital excluding treasury shares stands at 237,073,950 ordinary shares of £0.05 each. The update is made in compliance with the FCA's Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rules (DTR), specifically provision 5.6.1 under Article 15 of the Transparency Directive. Shareholders are required to use this figure as the denominator when calculating whether they must notify the company of a change in their interest. The announcement was released on 4 November 2026 and filed via PRN.

Key Points

  • BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust plc (BRSC)
  • The company has confirmed its voting share capital denominator as 237,073,950 ordinary shares of £0.05 each, excluding treasury shares, as at 4 November 2026
  • A total of 61,618,655 shares are currently held in treasury and are excluded from the voting rights calculation
  • Investors holding or approaching notifiable thresholds in BRSC should review their positions against the updated denominator figure

BRSC Confirms 237,073,950 Ordinary Shares as Regulatory Voting Rights Denominator

BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust plc has notified the market that its total issued ordinary share capital, for the purposes of regulatory calculations, is 237,073,950 shares as at 4 November 2026. Each ordinary share carries a nominal value of £0.05. This figure excludes the 61,618,655 shares held in treasury, which carry no voting rights and are therefore omitted from the denominator. The company has assigned a Legal Entity Identifier (LEI) of 549300MS535KC2WH4082, confirming its regulatory identity under applicable transparency obligations.

Treasury Share Position and Its Effect on BRSC's Notifiable Interest Threshold Calculations

With 61,618,655 shares sitting in treasury, the gap between BRSC's gross issued capital and its effective voting share capital is material. Shareholders are legally required under DTR 5.6 to use the 237,073,950 figure — not any gross total — when assessing whether their holding has crossed a notifiable threshold. Any investor whose stake, measured against this denominator, meets or passes a disclosure threshold under the Rules must notify the company accordingly. This distinction between gross issued capital and the treasury-adjusted figure is a standard but important element of UK transparency regulation for listed investment trusts.

BlackRock Investment Management UK Acts as Company Secretary for BRSC's DTR Compliance Filing

The disclosure was made on behalf of the company by Graham Venables, Company Secretary at BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, which administers BRSC's regulatory and secretarial functions. BlackRock Smaller Companies Trust is a UK-listed investment trust focused on smaller quoted companies, managed within the broader BlackRock investment management group. These routine monthly or event-driven capital disclosures are a standard requirement for UK-listed entities and ensure market participants have accurate, up-to-date information when assessing their own regulatory reporting obligations.