Trust services

On January 31, 1963, Desjardins acquired the Société de fiducie du Québec, which was incorporated some months earlier, pursuant to laws of Québec, by a group of business people. By that acquisition, Desjardins was responding to the specific needs of members for investments, assets management, and estate planning and liquidation.

The Société, which began its activities in June 1963, launched a group investment fund in August 1965 available only at the caisses populaires. This was the very beginning of what will become the range of Desjardins funds.

Starting in 1968, the Société de fiducie du Québec was able to offer a broader range of services: real estate brokerage, trustee and registrar services, and supplementary pension plans.

On its tenth anniversary, in 1973, it opened seven regional offices and the following year, shortened its name to Fiducie du Québec.

In 1980, it assigned its real estate brokerage activities to the Trust General Corporation in which it held 15% of the shares.

In 1983, it purchased 20% of the shares of Desjardins Industrial Credit, and acquired Fiducie populaire. That year it became the first trust company to obtain a permit for securities brokerage.

In 1987, it became a public corporation listed on the stock market, that Desjardins bought out in the fall of 1993.

January 1988 saw the beginning of Gestion Placements Desjardins, a subsidiary specialized in portfolio management with a full service brokerage permit. This subsidiary received the mandate to manage the Desjardins Funds, among other things. In 1988, the Fiducie du Québec became Fiducie Desjardins (Desjardins Trust).

In 1991, it was ranked first among 301 corporations responsible for managing pension funds, for the quality of its administration service and custody service.

In 1994, it decided to grant the management of Desjardins Funds to Elantis, a corporation of investment advisors acquired by Desjardins under the framework of the transaction with the Laurentian Group. Since that time, Gestion Placements Desjardins has specialized in managing personal portfolios for individuals.

Desjardins Trust is the largest RRSP trustee in Québec. Also, due to the remarkable results achieved by the Desjardins Funds, the company ranks among the best investment funds promoters in Canada. 

To find out more about Desjardins Trust