abrdn Smaller Companies Income Trust plc abrdn Smaller Companies Income Trust plc (ASCI.L) is a United Kingdom-domiciled closed-end investment trust that provides a high and growing dividend alongside capital growth through a diversified portfolio invested principally in ordinary shares of smaller UK-listed companies across diversified sectors; it also allocates to fixed income securities issued by various issuers and may invest through collective investment schemes. The trust employs fundamental analysis with top-down and bottom-up security selection to benchmark against the FTSE SmallCap Index excluding investment companies, maintaining gearing via a £10 million facility comprising a £5 million five-year fixed rate loan and a £5 million one-year variable rate loan. Incorporated on 30 March 1992 and previously known as Aberdeen Smaller Companies High Income Trust PLC, Shires Smaller Companies PLC, and other names, it was headquartered in Scotland with its registered office latterly at c/o FRP Advisory Trading Limited in Aberdeen before entering liquidation. In December 2023, the trust merged with Shires Income plc Shires Income plc, forming an enlarged entity with approximately £125 million in assets under management offering a higher yield of around 6%, reduced ongoing charges through tiered fee structures, continued exposure to UK smaller companies targeting 20% allocation, and management by Charles Luke and Iain Pyle under abrdn plc; this transaction followed broader industry merger activity post-pandemic to enhance scale, liquidity, and shareholder value in a high-inflation, high-interest-rate environment.