A quiet market debut at Beursplein 5

Today, in relative silence, the Amsterdam exchange welcomes a large new stock exchange fund: Exor. Founded by the Agnelli family, it is an Italian investment company behind the Fiat group. The company is making the remarkable switch from the Milan stock exchange to the one in Amsterdam. It’s a step that may have been prompted by the fact that the Milan stock exchange recently joined the Euronext exchange group.

Exor has 75,000 employees, manages €30 billion, and is a major shareholder of Juventus football club, as well as car groups as Fiat and Ferrari. The official reason for the move to Beursplein 5 is to bring the stock exchange listing and the head office – which has been located on the Amsterdam Zuidas since 2016 – under the same jurisdiction. It is also expected that more trade in the shares can be generated in Amsterdam with its international investors.

FL Entertainment to the exchange via SPAC

FL Entertainment (FLE) is making its appearance at Beursplein 5 today under a difficult market climate. The route to the stock exchange is via a merger with the SPAC Pegasus Entrepreneurs. FLE is a global entertainment company consisting of two global parts: 1) an international production house called Banijay Group; and 2) Betclic Everest Group, an online gambling and gaming company.

Launch of the new AEX ESG Index

The Netherlands is getting a new index today. In addition to the trusted AEX index, Euronext is launching the AEX ESG index today. The index consists of the 25 AEX and Midkap index companies that perform best in the field of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG). The stock exchange will therefore meet the growing demand among investors for sustainable investments.

BenevolentAI makes market debut after merger with SPAC

British drug developer BenevolentAI is making its debut on Beursplein 5 today. It will do so after a merger with the Luxembourg company, Odyssey. This means Odyssey is the fourth SPAC to succeed in finding a takeover candidate. And what’s more, the plan is for it to be a technology and healthcare company. BenevolentAI develops medicines using artificial intelligence (AI). Although it is currently making a loss, the company sees a bright future for itself.

CABKA to exchange via SPAC merger

German recycling company Cabka was listed on the Amsterdam exchange today after a merger with the Dutch SPAC DSCT Cabka recycles plastic into pallets and containers. Customers include Heineken, Volkswagen and Lidl. For DSCT, this means it has succeeded in finding a takeover candidate after almost a year and a half. This makes the company the third SPAC to succeed after DSCO and EFIC1. It is remarkable that Cabka only ended up with €45 million of the €110 million raised in 2020. Money that the recycling company has reserved for future acquisitions. The founders of DSCT remain involved with Cabka.

First SPAC of 2022

The SPAC craze of 2021, with 16 listings in Amsterdam, looks likely to continue in 2022. GP Bullhound Acquisition I SE has made an appearance on Beursplein 5 today. The proceeds of the IPO will be €200 million. Bullhound wants to use this to acquire a tech company. Behind the new SPAC is the investment company with the same name, which is, for example, also known as the backer of streaming service Spotify.

SPAC merger Azerion

Following an announcement in December 2021, gaming and advertising company Azerion has merged with the SPAC EFIC1 and will be listed on Beursplein 5 today. The owner of more than 16,000 online games is from Amsterdam and, together with the SPAC, is going against the market sentiment. WeTransfer cancelled its IPO at the last minute, but Azerion simply carries on.

Shell also moves to London

More than a year after Unilever, the shareholders of Royal Dutch Shell have also chosen to move their headquarters to the United Kingdom. Whereas the company has been British since 2005, the board will now no longer meet in The Hague. According to the company itself, it has opted for strength by getting rid of the dual share structure with A shares in Amsterdam and B shares in London. From now on there will only be B shares, also in Amsterdam.

A SPACtacular year

It has been called a ‘dream year’, the year 2021. Not only the Brexit was good for Amsterdam, the number of IPOs also reached great heights. No fewer than twenty-five new funds made their debut on Beursplein 5. Together, they raised almost €80 billion. This is a record because never before has so much money been raised in one year by IPOs. It was not without reason that the AEX index broke record after record and reached its highest ever (for the time being) level in November: 827.57 points. All the more reason to be happy, especially as it was also a year during which the economy struggled with major problems due to the pandemic. The Amsterdam stock exchange was one of the best in the world.

Brigade-M3: 16th SPAC in Amsterdam

Brigade-M3 European Acquisition Company has earned €250 million with its IPO. With that, Brigade-M3, the 16^th SPAC in Amsterdam this year, wants to acquire a company that has responded well to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pegasus: 15th SPAC in Amsterdam

After Bernard Arnault, together with an associate, listed Pegasus Acquisition on the stock exchange in April, he is listing a second SPAC on Beursplein 5 today. Pegasus Entrepreneurial Acquisition Company Europe has an almost identical name and, as the 15^th SPAC this year, has earned €210 million. With this amount, the SPAC wants to acquire a fast-growing company with European headquarters.

EPIC: 14th SPAC in Amsterdam

Almost three weeks after the introduction of EHC, EPIC Acquisition Corp becomes the 14^th SPAC this year on the Amsterdam stock exchange. With the IPO, EPC has earned €150 million. With that amount, EPIC wants to merge with a company that trades in consumer goods in Europe and has growth potential in Asia.

EHC: 13th SPAC in Amsterdam

European Healthcare Acquisition & Growth Company (EHC) debuts as the 13^th SPAC on the Amsterdam stock exchange today. . EHC has earned an amount of €200 million with the IPO and wants to use this money to acquire one or more companies in the European healthcare industry.

Highest position AEX index

After the AEX index broke a 20-year old record on 1 April 2021 and passed the 800-points mark in September, today, the stock exchange index reached its highest level ever: 827.57.

SPEAR: 12th SPAC in Amsterdam

Today, SPEAR Investments I has become the 12th SPAC this year in Amsterdam. Successful Partners in Europe for Acceleration Returns (SPEAR) has earned €175 million during its debut and is now looking to acquire “companies with strong foundations and technology that are focused on innovation and change.”

Italian software company goes public

Italian software company MotorK is listed on Beursplein 5. The manufacturer of sales software for car dealers has earned €75 million with the IPO , much less than the previously envisioned €500 million. This is illustrative of the difficult situation the IPO market has recently found itself in. Ebusco also suffered from this during its recent debut and Coolblue even cancelled its IPO. What also doesn’t help in MotorK’s case is that the IPO in Amsterdam was mainly prompted by the recent accession of the Milan Stock Exchange to Euronext, and that it is therefore not well known in the Netherlands.

Electric buses on Beursplein 5

Ebusco, the manufacturer of electric buses and charging systems, is making its debut on the Amsterdam stock exchange. The company is based in Deurne and currently has electric buses driving around Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Munich. The IPO will earn them €300 million for further growth. This will be achieved by issuing new shares which will be placed primarily with institutional investors. It is noteworthy that this listing is accompanied by a physical gong reception for the first time in a long time.

Medical technology company goes public

Medical technology company ONWARD Medical NV is to be listed on the Euronext stock exchanges in Amsterdam and Brussels. The Swiss-Dutch company, based in Lausanne and Eindhoven, has developed a system that will help people with a transverse aphasia to walk again by means of implants and electronic stimuli in the spinal cord. The goal of the IPO, which will be based on the issuing of new shares, is to finance new research. A total of €86.5 million will be available for this after the first day on the stock exchange.

11th SPAC to go public

Today, without any significant media attention, the Amsterdam stock exchange has welcomed this year’s 11^th SPAC: Disruptive Capital Acquisition Company (DCACS). Remarkably, the listing will take place in Pounds Sterling, as the company aims to accommodate prospective investors from the UK. DCACS is an initiative of a financial institution with (nearly) the same name, which is based on the British channel island of Guernsey. The IPO is worth £125 million, which DCACS intends to use for the acquisition of a financial service provider in Northern or Western Europe.

Luxembourg call centre company goes public

Three days after French media conglomerate Vivendi listed a unit on the Amsterdam stock exchange, German media group Bertelsmann is doing the same. The media group is having a difficult year and has therefore decided to sell part of its 50 percent interest in Majorel, the call centre company from Luxembourg, and to cash in. The Moroccan Elalamy family, which holds the other half of the shares, has done the same. The IPO of Majorel, which employs over sixty thousand people in 31 countries and operates telephone customer services and call centres for large companies, generated a revenue of €3.3 billion despite a fall in the share price on the first day of trading.

AEX index breaks through 800 barrier

After an almost continuous flow of new records since 1 April 2021, the AEX index has reached a new milestone: breaking through the 800 barrier for the first time. In addition to the AEX index recently reaching that level intraday, today, the main index closed above it for the first time at 800.61. The index began this year at 624 points, which is an increase of more than 28 percent. The increase is mainly due to the rise in the share price of ASML.

Pop music back on Beursplein 5

Universal Music Group (UMG), one of the largest music companies in the world, will be listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange today. Vivendi, the Paris-based parent company of UMG, is the initiator of the IPO. With this demerger, the French media conglomerate is trying to realise a better valuation of UMG. And the results speak for themselves: the IPO has been a great success with immediate substantial share price increases and a total market value of more than €45 billion after the first trading day.

New options exchange in Amsterdam

Today, Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe) will open a new derivatives exchange in Amsterdam. The official name is CEDX, which stands for Cboe European Derivatives Exchange. It’s an exchange where investors can trade options and futures contracts for example on ‘own’ variants of the main indices of the stock exchanges in London, Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam. Cboe’s move cannot be seen separately from the relocation of much of the share trade to Amsterdam as a result of the Brexit. Nor can it be seen separately from the move of Cboe itself to the capital.

10th SPAC this year

The popularity of SPACS is at an all-time high today. On the same day that VAM Investments comes to Beursplein 5, another SPAC called Energy Transition Partners (ENTP) – the tenth this year – also makes a ‘silent’ debut on the Amsterdam stock exchange. The initiator is a former chairman of the board of British oil company BP. The €175 million in raised capital is intended for the acquisition of an energy company from the European Union, the United Kingdom or Switzerland that is active in the field of energy transition.

Italian SPAC goes public

Two weeks after the arrival of New Amsterdam Invest, the ninth SPAC this year, VAM Investments SPAC, has made a relatively quiet appearance on the Amsterdam stock exchange. This time it is an Italian initiative, which may be related to the Milan Stock Exchange recently joining the Euronext group. The IPO will generate an amount of €225 million. The purpose of this capital is to invest in companies in the consumer and service industry in the European Union, the United Kingdom or Switzerland.

Real estate SPAC goes public

Today, four days after the arrival of Odyssey, New Amsterdam Invest, a Dutch SPAC that focuses on real estate, made an appearance on Beursplein 5. The eighth SPAC of the year will earn more than €49 million, which it wants to use to buy a stake in a commercial real estate company in Europe or the United States that is attractive to investors.

SPAC Odyssey goes public

The SPAC craze continues. Two days after the arrival of CTCA 1, Odyssey Acquisition S.A. has been listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange in relative silence. It is already the seventh SPAC in Amsterdam this year. Odyssey is based in Luxembourg and is raising a total of €300 million to focus on the acquisition of companies in the healthcare, technology, media and telecom industries.

‘Green’ SPAC on the stock exchange

Today, one week after the IPO of Crystal Peak Acquisition, the Amsterdam stock exchange welcomes the sixth SPAC this year: Climate Transition Capital Acquisition 1 (CTCA 1). CTCA 1 will raise €190 million with this IPO. The aim is to accelerate the European energy transition by bringing together public capital and green companies.

IPO of 5th SPAC of 2021

Following the arrival of Hedosophia, Crystal Peak Acquisition is yet another British SPAC listed on the stock exchange that focuses on the acquisition of a tech company. This is the fifth SPAC to be listed in Amsterdam this year. Once again, the IPO will take place without any significant publicity. The IPO will raise $150 million. The goal is to use this capital to take over a company from Europe, the Middle East or Africa that focuses on cloud services or fintech and, in doing so, to gain access to the stock exchange.

Water purification company on the stock exchange

NX Filtration, a sustainable water purification company that emerged from the University of Twente, will be listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange today. The business model is based on ground-breaking technology to rid water and drinks of bacteria, viruses and other contaminants. One of its current customers is beer brewery Grolsch, but in principle, this opens up the possibility for offering clean drinking water all over the world.

British SPAC quietly goes public

Two weeks after the arrival of the French Pegasus, the fourth SPAC of 2021 has made an appearance on the Amsterdam stock exchange today. Hedosophia European Growth has raised €460 million with the IPO, which it wants to use to acquire and list a European technology company in the next two years. As the British initiators prefer to stay out of the media, the IPO took place in relative silence and lacked the usual gong ceremony.

Takeover of Milan stock exchange

After it had already become clear in October 2020 that Euronext had settled the battle with Deutsche Börse and the Swiss SIX in its favour, Euronext has finalised its acquisition of the Milan Stock Exchange today. The acquisition is worth over €4.4 billion. Borsa Italiana was acquired from LSE, which had to give it up because of the European Commission in order to limit its market power.

SPAC richest man in France goes public

Bernard Arnault, the richest man in France and Europe, is, together with his business partners, bringing Pegasus Acquisition Company Europe, a new SPAC, to the Amsterdam stock exchange today. After EFIC1, this is the third blank cheque company that applies for investment capital on Beursplein 5 this year.

Spanish fintech company goes public

The arrival of the Spanish company Allfunds means that the Amsterdam stock exchange has gained yet another fintech company. Allfunds operates a digital platform, which is used by more than 100,000 investment funds, to link investors to fund managers.

New record AEX index

Today, after 21 years, the AEX index, the main index of the Amsterdam stock exchange, has broken the record of 701.56, registered on 4 September 2000, and reached a new high of 708.43. The new milestone was achieved primarily thanks to well-performing tech stocks, which are increasingly playing a role in the composition of the index.

IPO of ‘Fintech’ SPAC

Following the recent IPO of ESG Core Investments, the second SPAC of 2021 will be listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange today. We are talking about EFIC1, which, with €415 million in capital raised today, aims to list a fintech company within two years. This goal is also reflected in the full name: European Fintech IPO Company 1, that the initiators – who all have a background in the financial sector – have given the new SPAC.

Update: on February 2, 2022, the listing of EFIC1 was acquired by the gaming and advertising company Azerion following a merger.

Hall builder CTP goes public

Prague-based Central Trade Park (CTP) is making its stock market debut in Amsterdam. CTP is a builder of business parks and logistics halls in countries such as the Czech Republic, Poland and Romania. The company’s clients include C&A and Primark. The main goal of the IPO is to raise money for further growth in Central and Eastern Europe and to expand into Western Europe, including the Netherlands, the country of origin of the founder and also the location of CTP’s parent company. To this end, 60 million new shares will be issued among institutional investors. After the first day of trading, these will account for approximately €850 million in new capital.

The bull is back on the Beursplein

After a necessary repair, the famous bronze statue of the bull has returned to the entrance of the Amsterdam stock exchange. The bull, which was secretly placed there in 2012 by Italian-American artist Arturo di Modica (1941-2021), broke a leg at the end of 2019. The returned sculpture is a replica of the ‘Charging Bull’ which the artist placed at the New York Stock Exchange in secret in 1989.

ESG SPAC listing

After the earlier listings of DSCO and DSCT, the first SPAC of 2021 will make its appearance on the Amsterdam stock exchange today. ESG Core Investments has raised approximately €250 million with the IPO and will be looking for a company with a strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) profile. Or, in other words, for a company that stands out and distinguishes itself by its socially responsible way of doing business. The initiator is Infestos, the investment company of Bernard ten Doeschot, who previously listed Alfen.

Amsterdam: early winner after Brexit

Amsterdam appears to have surpassed London in the month of January as Europe’s largest trading centre for shares. Per day, an average of €9.2 billion in shares was traded, more than four times as much as last December. Conversely, London fell from an average daily volume of €14.6 billion to €8.6 billion over the same two months.

Polish company listed on Amsterdam stock exchange

InPost, a Polish company that offers fully automated lockers from which consumers can collect parcels, will be listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange today. The current owner, American venture capitalist Advent is bringing 500 million existing shares to the stock exchange, which is about 35 percent of their total. Bij de beursgang worden geen nieuwe aandelen uitgegeven. InPost is not (yet) active on the Dutch market. The choice for the IPO on the Damrak is inspired by the low ‘threshold’ that applies for this type of listing in Amsterdam and the fact that several technology companies are already listed there.

New shareholders NPEX

NPEX, the SME exchange in The Hague, will have two new shareholders in addition to its current major shareholders, including the Dutch State. These are a fintech company and a company that manages the assets of wealthy families. After a difficult phase and a relaunch of NPEX in 2018, they want to use a capital injection to stimulate the growth and marketability of the alternative financing platform. The first goal is to further digitalise the platform and broaden the product range. The ultimate goal is to eventually grow into the first pan-European SME exchange.

Unilever will become fully British

After 90 years, the dual nationality of the main Unilever fund is coming to an end. Since the merger of the British Lever Brothers and the Dutch Margarine Unie in 1930, the food group had always remained an Anglo-Dutch enterprise with two companies, two headquarters and two classes of shares: PLC and NV shares. The shares of the British British Public Limited Company (PLC) were listed in London, while the shares of the Dutch Public Limited Company (NV) were listed in Amsterdam.

Listing new SPAC

The founders of Dutch Star Company One (DSCO), which recently helped CM.com to get listed, are bringing a second SPAC to the Amsterdam stock exchange today: Dutch Star Company Two (DSCT). Like DSCO, DSCT is a so-called Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), an exchange fund without its own activities that uses the raised capital – in this case €110 million – to find a company to merge with, after which that company takes over the listing.

Second listing AdUx

AdUx, a French specialist in digital ads that is also active in the Netherlands, strengthens its presence in our country and will acquire, in addition to Paris, a second listing in Amsterdam.

Douwe Egberts goes public for the third time

Douwe Egberts, now a subsidiary of the American-German-Dutch company JDE Peet’s, is set to make its second return onto the Amsterdam exchange. The coffee company made its first appearance at Beursplein 5 in 1982. Because its former American parent company, which would later be known as Sara Lee, decided to delist the company shortly after, its initial run on the exchange only lasted until 1984. 

Suspension gong ceremony

Following the outbreak of the corona virus, the Amsterdam exchange has decided to temporarily suspend the daily gong ceremony. The company also closes its doors to visitors. Trading however continues, resulting in unprecedented activity levels and major slumps, especially at the start of the crisis.

Update: over the course of 2020, prices have gradually recovered, but because of the persistence of the corona crisis, the gong ceremony has still not been (fully) resumed. There were a few brief physical gong receptions during the second half of 2021, but more often they did not take place at all or only online.

CM.com goes public

After the Breda technology company CM.com was forced to abandon its plans for an IPO in 2019 due to disappointing market conditions and a lack of interest, it finally makes its debut at the Amsterdam exchange today. CM.com, which mainly helps companies such as IKEA and Albert Heijn communicate with its customers via text messaging and WhatsApp, goes public to raise capital to develop new activities, such as ticket sales for major events and mobile payment services.

Recycling firm Renewi listed on the Amsterdam exchange

Anglo-Dutch waste processor Renewi is to be listed on the Amsterdam exchange. The company, which was created in 2016 after a merger between the British Shanks and the Dutch Van Gansewinkel, is already listed on the London Stock Exchange. No new shares will be issued. The purpose of the second listing in Amsterdam just before Britain’s exit from the European Union is to increase interest in the sustainable nature of the business among Benelux investors, where the company has the largest presence. Via this detour, Van Gansewinkel has finally managed to make it to Beursplein 5 after almost 10 years. 

Drumming day 2019

This year, the Amsterdam exchange continues the age-old tradition of drumming. As in 2018, Amsterdam’s school children will bang their drums to commemorate the actions of an alert orphan boy, who managed to prevent a Spanish attack on the Hendrick de Keyser Exchange during the Eighty Years’ war.

Aedifica listed on Amsterdam exchange

Belgian real estate fund Aedifica, which has been listed in Brussels since 2006, is getting a second listing on Euronext Amsterdam today. With its listing on the Amsterdam exchange, Aedifica, which specializes in healthcare real estate for senior citizens, wants to contribute to further growth and visibility on the Dutch market. It will not, however, be issuing new shares.

First chairwoman of the Amsterdam exchange

For the first time in its long history, the Amsterdam exchange is set to have a female chairperson: Simone Huis in ’t Veld. This marks a special milestone for an institution that has historically been a male stronghold. Although the first woman was granted membership to the stock exchange in 1923, the trading floor would remain off limits to women for a long time after. After the appearance of the first three female traders on the exchange floor in 1975, Simone Huis in ’t Veld today becomes the first woman to ever take up the gavel at Beursplein 5.

Internet company Prosus listed on Amsterdam exchange

The South African media and technology company Naspers is splitting off its international online activities and listing them on the Amsterdam stock exchange under the name Prosus. No new shares will be issued. With this IPO, part of all Naspers shares, listed in Johannesburg, will be renamed and transferred to the Amsterdam exchange.

Fastned heads to Beursplein 5

Charging station operator Fastned, which has been listed on the alternative stock exchange NxChange since 2016, is also set to get a listing on Euronext Amsterdam. This makes Fastned a ‘dual-listed company’, making it possible for the company’s shares to be traded on both exchanges. Due to high demand and limited supply, the share is considerably more expensive on Euronext than on NxChange for the first few days, a situation that is both highly unusual and, according to the VEB Association of Stock Owners, very undesirable.

Icelandic food-processing company listed on Amsterdam exchange

Marel, an originally Icelandic manufacturer of chicken, meat, and poultry processing equipment, is set to get a second listing on Amsterdam’s stock exchange. The company has been listed in Reykjavik since 1992, where it is the largest company by market cap. Marel is issuing a total of 100 million new shares, raising € 370 million in new capital. With its listing in Amsterdam, Marel is seeking to increase the marketability of shares in the company, which also has a presence in the Dutch towns of Boxmeer and Lichtenvoorde. 

Euronext acquires Norwegian exchange

After a fierce takeover battle with the American Nasdaq, Euronext, the parent company of the Amsterdam exchange, has managed to acquire the Oslo exchange for almost € 700 million. The Oslo exchange was one of the last remaining independent exchanges in Europe. With an annual turnover of € 110 million in 2018, it will be Euronext’s third-largest exchange after Paris and Amsterdam. This new addition is much larger than the relatively small Dublin exchange, which Euronext acquired in 2018.

Transfer of historical stock exchange archives

On the occasion of the celebration of the 417^th anniversary of the stock exchange, the official transfer of the historical fund archives (1850-1996) and the collection of historical price lists (1796-2010) of the Amsterdam stock exchange to the NEHA, an archive institute affiliated with the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), will take place.

By means of this transfer, four hundred metres of unique archive material concerning thousands of former stock exchange funds and over two hundred years of historical price data of the Amsterdam stock exchange have been safeguarded for the future.

NxChange open to cooperation

The small Amsterdam-based SME exchange NXChange is set to start cooperating with its Swiss peer Lykke. For the Swiss, the AFM trading license recently obtained by NxChange is a major reason for entering into a strategic alliance. Lykke will also take a stake in NxChange, marking the first time that the latter has raised external capital since it was founded in 2016. NxChange is also entering into a partnership with Rabobank to provide loans to SMEs listed and traded on this alternative exchange platform. 

Envipco goes public

Envipco, an international company that produces Reverse Vending Machines and recycling systems is set to be listed on the Amsterdam exchange. With its recycling systems, Envipco seeks to facilitate the affordable, environmentally friendly collection of beverage packaging. In addition to its branch in the Netherlands, the company operates various other branches around the world.

Payment company Adyen goes public

Amsterdam-based payment company Adyen is to get a listing on the Amsterdam exchange. Since it was first founded in 2006, Adyen has been one of the fastest growing fintech companies in the Netherlands. 

Second listing for Retail Estates

Belgian real estate fund Real Estates, which has been listed in Brussels since 1998, is strengthening its presence in the Netherlands with a second listing on the Amsterdam exchange.

Restart NPEX

AFM grants NPEX a new trading licence. After trading on the SME exchange based in the Hague was suspended in November 2017 because its license no longer met MIFID II rules, the exchange is now up and running once more. Under the new regulations, NPEX has been granted MTF status as a recognized alternative exchange platform. In addition to the launch of a new and improved trading system, the restart has also ushered in a change in the ownership structure. Along with a new majority shareholder, the government has become a co-owner, having transmuted a loan into stock.

Options Exchange celebrates 40th birthday

Euronext is celebrating the 40th birthday of Amsterdam’s options exchange, which started life as the European Options Exchange (EOE) when it became Europe’s first options exchange in 1978. In addition to major celebrations and a conference, also the ancient tradition of exchange drumming marked this special anniversary.

Euronext acquires Irish exchange

Euronext, the parent company of the Amsterdam exchange, has taken over the Dublin-based Irish Stock Exchange (ISE) for € 137 million. ISE was founded in 1793 and has screen trading since 2000. At the time of the acquisition, 56 companies were listed on the Dublin stock exchange with a total market cap of € 125 billion. These companies will be added to the 1300 listings, with a total market cap of € 3600 billion, already on Euronext. After Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, and Lisbon, the Dublin-based exchange is now the fifth national exchange to join the Euronext group.

NIBC corporate bank listed

After several unsuccessful attempts, JC Flowers today successfully floated the NIBC corporate bank, based in the Hague. Remarkably, two new companies make their debut at Beursplein 5 today, which is why NIBC’s listing is celebrated with an extra gong ceremony in the afternoon.

Distribution company B&S makes stock exchange debut

This morning, B&S Group, a consumer product distributor from Dordrecht, makes its debut on the Amsterdam exchange. B&S supplies foodstuffs, cosmetics and beverages to major cruise lines and military bases and made its name in trading tax-free products.

Energy specialist Alfen goes public

Energy specialist Alfen is to get a listing on the Amsterdam exchange. The Almere-based builder of transformers, energy storage systems, and charging stations, is hoping that its IPO will increase brand awareness abroad.

Film about Wally van Hall

The feature film ‘Bankier van het Verzet’, chronicling the special acts of resistance of stock trader Walraven van Hall has its premiere today. Thanks to his network in the financial world, Van Hall managed to raise more than 80 million guilders for the resistance during the war. Beursplein 5 was a key location for his resistance work and can be seen in the film. Eventually, the film managed to draw about 400,000 people to cinemas across the country.

Initial Public Offering Dutch Star Company One

Dutch Star Companies One (DSCO) will be listed on the Amsterdam stock exchange. The remarkable thing is that DSCO is not a company but an empty investment vehicle (a so-called SPAC) with the aim of later taking a large stake in a yet to be selected and preferably Dutch company, after which that company will then take over DSCO’s listing.

Update: After a legal merger, technology company CM.com took over the listing of DSCO in early 2020.

MIFID II enters into force

In addition to the European MIFID directive introduced in 2007, a new set of rules for European capital markets called MIFID II will enter into effect today. The main objective of the new rules is improvement of transparency and investor protection. 

Stricter rules for reverse listings

Together with AFM, Euronext is introducing stricter rules for reverse listings. In a reverse listing, a company effectively goes public by acquiring an ‘empty’ listed company. 

Ladder manufacturer goes public

Just a few days before the stricter reverse listing rules are set to come into force, Brabant-based scaffolding and ladder manufacturer Alumexx is set to become publicly held by acquiring the ‘empty’ listed company Phelix.

Investment fund goes public

South-African investment fund Reinet Investments makes its debut on the Amsterdam exchange. With this new listing, Reinet hopes to gain access to a new group of European investors.

Childminding agency goes public

Gastvrij Nederland, the tenth largest childminding agency in the Netherlands, becomes listed on the Amsterdam exchange. It managed to secure this listing by means of the so-called reverse listing route, acquiring the ’empty’ listed company Lavide.

Silent IPO for real estate fund

Nepi Rockcastle, a real estate fund from South Africa, which mainly operates in Central and Eastern Europe, is set for a silent IPO on the Amsterdam exchange.