The firm was established in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1840 and commenced operations in Australia the following year. It was incorporated in England on 27 October 1856 as The Scottish Australian Investment Company Limited and later changed its name to The Scottish Australian Company Limited on 12 January 1933. The company invested in mortgages and real estate in the colony of New South Wales on behalf of people in Britain in return for a commission. It had offices at 24 Gresham Street, London and at O'Connell Street in Sydney. In 1972 after the tax domicile of the company was transferred to Australia, the company became a subsidiary of Scottish Australian Holdings Limited.