Think Morningstar High Dividend UCITS ETF

Think ETF’s launches Think Morningstar High Dividend UCITS ETF

Think ETF’s launches its 14th ETF, the Think Morningstar High Dividend UCITS ETF (Ticker: TDIV). Bouke van den Berg, Business Development at Think ETF’s, opens trading at the exchange.

The new ETF tracks the Morningstar Developed Markets Large Cap Dividend Leaders Index™, which includes 100 stocks with high dividend payouts. The index rules also incorporate historical dividends and a measure to assess whether the companies are able to maintain their dividends in the future. The maximum sector weight is 40% and the maximum weight to an individual stock is 5%.

Think ETF’s is the first Dutch issuer of ETF’s (Exchange Traded Funds). The company was launched in 2008 and introduced its first ETF in 2009. Morningstar Inc. is a supplier of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia and Asia.

For more information: www.thinketfs.nl

Download photo

25th anniversary Eurocommercial Properties

Eurocommercial Properties celebrates 25th anniversary at Euronext Amsterdam

Eurocommercial Properties (ticker symbol: ECMPA) was founded in 1991 and has been listed on Euronext Amsterdam for almost 25 years. On 18 June 2016, Eurocommercial will celebrate its 25th anniversary and to mark the occasion, the company is sounding the gong on the Amsterdam exchange.

At the outset Eurocommercial Properties invested in a variety of countries, including France where the Company made its first investment in 1992 with the acquisition of Les Atlantes shopping center in Tours. In 1994, the company purchased Curno in Bergamo, marking its first acquisition in Italy. Eurocommercial moved into the Swedish market in 2001. The Company is now one of Europe's most experienced property investors with a portfolio of shopping centers valued at €3.3 billion. As at 31 December 2015, 37% of these assets are in France, 42% in Italy and 21% in Sweden.

For more information: www.eurocommercialproperties.com

Download photo

120th listing anniversary Brill

Brill sounds gong for 120-years listed anniversary

This year, academic publisher Brill (ticker symbol: BRILL) not only celebrates its 333rd birthday but also the fact that the company has been listed at the Amsterdam Stock Exchange for 120 years. On behalf of the new Management Team, which will help Brill develop its digital future, Peter Coebergh, EVP Sales & Marketing, sounds the gong.

Brill’s shares have been listed at Euronext Amsterdam since 1997. Since then, revenue has increased steadily from 7.9 million euros to 30.8 million euros in 2015, as a result of organic growth and acquisitions. Investors who purchased the share at its first listing in 1997 have quadrupled their investment and achieved a compound average total shareholder return of 7%.

Brill’s publishing portfolio consists of over 20 subject areas in the Humanities, Social Sciences and International Law. Apart from traditional print publications, Brill has been innovative in electronic publishing: the 265 journals and close to 1000 new books and reference works published each year are available both in print and electronic form. In 2015, almost half of the revenue was created through digital products.

For more information: brill.com

Download photo

Amsterdam Commodities

CFO Amsterdam Commodities Allard Goldschmeding opens Amsterdam exchange

Allard Goldschmeding was recently appointed as a new member of the statutory Management Board and CFO of Amsterdam Commodities N.V. (ticker symbol: ACOMO), the Euronext Amsterdam listed trading house in spices and nuts, edible seeds, tea and food ingredients. Allard Goldschmeding sounds the opening gong in presence of his colleagues, including CEO of Acomo, Erik Rietkerk.

Goldschmeding, who joined Acomo on 1 December 2015, is delighted with his appointment by this leading trading house. Acomo  acts as a bridge between farmers in countries of origin and costumers in the food industry since 1908 and is operating in over 90 countries: “Acomo’s subsidiairies like Catz International (spices), King Nuts & Raaphorst (nuts), Red River Commodities (edible seeds), Van Rees Group (tea) and Snick Euro Ingredients (food ingredients) all have a beautiful history, track record and market position. They are well prepared for future developments in the food sector and the supply chains wherein they operate. The additional value that they offer their suppliers and customers on a daily base is a sum of trading roles and expertise. The volatility and the global playing field of the trading products requires effective financial management of the holding.”

For more information: www.acomo.nl

Download photo

Stofwisseltour 2016

Team Axel and Team Euronext sound gong for Stofwisseltour 2016

The trading day at Euronext is opened by Foundation Stofwisselkracht, Team Axel and Team Euronext to call attention to the Stofwisseltour 2016.

Last year Team Axel visited the Amsterdam exchange to raise awareness for the Stofwisseltour. After this, plans were made for a Team Euronext to participate in this year’s Stofwisseltour, which takes place for the sixth time from 17 - 19 June. Seventeen cycling teams participate in this three day cycling relay to raise money for research into metabolism diseases and to raise awareness to this relatively unknown disease.

Each year, around 800 children are diagnosed with a metabolic disorder in The Netherlands. There is currently no treatment for many of these metabolic disorders, leaving many children developing severe mental and physical disabilities. More than half of the children die before they are 18 years old. Foundation Stofwisselkracht joins forces with parents, patients, doctors, researchers and volunteers to fight against metabolic diseases. Through sports and social events and activities, the foundation raises funds for research.

For more information: www.stofwisselkracht.nl

Download photo

Intertrust acquires Elian

Intertrust celebrates Elian acquisition by sounding gong

Intertrust (ticker symbol: INTER) celebrates its successful acquisition and capital raising for Elian Group, a regional trust and corporate services leader and specialist in private equity and real estate fund administration and capital market services. David de Buck, CEO of Intertrust and Paul Willing, CEO of Elian, sound the gong.

Elian is a high growth, regional Trust & Corporate Services leader with an excellent management team and 6151 dedicated, highly qualified employees. The Company has the number one leadership position in Jersey and a strong presence in the UK and 13 other jurisdictions, 10 of which overlap with Intertrust.

Intertrust is a leading global provider of high-value trust and corporate services, with a network of 37 offices in 26 jurisdictions across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Middle-East. The Company focuses on delivering high-quality tailored services to its clients with a view to building long-term relationships. Intertrust’s business services offering comprise corporate services, fund services, capital market services, and private client services. Intertrust has leading market positions in selected key geographic markets of its industry, including the Netherlands, Luxembourg, the Cayman Islands and Guernsey.

For more information: www.intertrustgroup.com

Download photo

IPO Basic-Fit

Euronext Amsterdam welcomes Basic-Fit

Euronext welcomes Basic-Fit (ticker symbol: BFIT), the European market leader in the ‘’value-for-money’’ fitness market, to the Amsterdam exchange. CEO René Moos sounds the gong and opens trading in the Basic-Fit share.

Basic-Fit is active in some of Europe's most attractive markets, with more than 350 clubs in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Spain. With around 2,800 employees, Basic-Fit operates a straightforward membership model, offering uncomplicated, essential and effective fitness experiences that are both affordable and easy to access for everyone. Building on the longstanding expertise, Basic-Fit combines a flexible low-cost membership model with high-quality fitness equipment and technology, virtual and live group lessons and shareable family passes. Over 2015 Basic-Fit generated a revenue of EUR 202.2 million and an adjusted EBITDA of EUR 60.1 million.

For more information: www.basic-fit.com

Download photo

IPO a.s.r.

Euronext welcomes a.s.r. to the Amsterdam exchange

Euronext welcomes a.s.r. (ticker symbol: ASRNL), a leading Dutch insurance company with a comprehensive product offering for its customers to the Amsterdam Exchange. a.s.r. begins trading on the Amsterdam market of Euronext after its successful IPO. CEO Jos Baeten sounds the gong.

a.s.r. serves a broad range of both consumers as well as commercial customers. The company has a strong solvency position, proven cost-reduction capabilities and a solid track record of attractive return on equity and cash generation. Besides insurance products, the a.s.r. product range includes savings and investment products and bank savings products.

a.s.r. is the Dutch insurance company for all types of insurance. Via the a.s.r., De Amersfoortse, Ditzo, Ardanta and Europeesche Verzekeringen brands, a.s.r. offers a wide range of financial products covering non-life, life and income protection insurance, group and individual pensions, health insurance, and travel and leisure, and funeral insurance. Besides insurance products, the a.s.r. product range includes savings and investment products and bank savings products. a.s.r. also invests actively in real estate development and operations.

For more information: www.asr.nl

Download photo

National Prokkel intern day

Sounding of the gong marks start of National Prokkel  intern day

By sounding the gong, Johanneke Behrend, customer experience manager at Aegon and Cahaya, a student of the Bernardusschool in The Hague and Prokkel intern at Aegon, open trading at the Amsterdam exchange.

Insurer Aegon is listed on Euronext Amsterdam (ticker symbol: AGN). The Bernardusschool is a secondary school for pupils with developmental delays. Its goal is to increase the opportunities for students to fully participate in society, including in the field of employment.

The gong also marks the start of the National Prokkel intern day; part of a week in which thousands of people with a (mental) disability intern for one day. One day to get to know eachothers’ capabilities, one day as an example and inspiration for the rest the year, one day with the aim of creating an inclusive labor market.

For more information: www.prokkel.nl

Download photo

eHealth Week 2016

Edith Schippers kicks off eHealth Week 2016

Edith Schippers, Dutch Minister of Health Welfare and Sport opens trading at the Amsterdam exchange in the company of Vytenis Andriukaitis, EU Commissioner Health and Food Safety, and Stephen Lieber, President and CEO HIMSS, on the occasion of the start of eHealth Week 2016.

eHealth Week 2016 is the leading eHealth event in Europe. It is organised in Amsterdam, following the Dutch Presidency of the European Council. The event is organised by the European Commission, the Dutch Ministry of Health and the Dutch Presidency of the Council of the European Union and HIMSS Europe. During eHealth Week 2016, over 2,000 international experts in IT and healthcare, public institutions, professional and patient organisations will be welcomed. This year’s educational programme highlights three main themes: Empowering People, Trust & Standards and Social Innovation & Transition.

eHealth Week 2016 will focus on the people who are changing the healthcare system. Until now, policies have mainly focused on institutions and IT systems: today, that focus is shifting and is now being placed on eHealth users. The people who are using eHealth are becoming increasingly involved in the discussion and being placed at the heart of eHealth policy-making.

For more information: www.ehealthweek.org

Download photo

Smartphoto acquires Webprint

Smartphoto group celebrates acquisition by sounding gong

The Euronext Brussels listed smartphoto group (ticker symbol: SMAR) acquired the Netherlands-located Webprint at the end of April, resulting in a new group with a strong commercial position in the Netherlands. CEO Stef de Corte, sounds the gong.

With a combined turnover of more than € 46 million, smartphoto group shows its European ambition. Through this acquisition the knowledge of the consumer market, the customer focus and the brand awareness of Webprint is combined with the knowledge of smartphoto in the areas of technology, marketing and production of personalized photo products.

Smartphoto group operates in 14 European countries in E-commerce with affordable high-quality photo products, such as photo books, photo cards, photo calendars, photos on canvas and photo gifts. The shares of Smartphoto group are traded on Euronext Brussels.

For more information: www.smartphotogroup.com

Download photo

Euronext Market Data App

Euronext and Heckyl sound gong for new Euronext Market Data App

Euronext recently launched the new Market Data app, a free and convenient means for investors to find all the data they need. The app has been enhanced with  great new features including Sentiment Analysis, Trending News and Broker Connectivity. Mike Bournes, Head of Business Development Market Data, sounds the gong together with Gustav Pegers, Head of Sales, Heckyl Technologies.

The partnership between Euronext and Heckyl Technologies, a leading provider of news and data analytic solutions, has provided sentiment data, market intelligence and trending news on all companies listed on Euronext’s markets to the renewed Euronext Market Data App. Heckyl Technologies is a start-up in London’s Level39 fintech hub and this innovative service will enable investors with the Euronext Market Data App to increase insight in stock market behavior.

The Euronext Market Data app features comprehensive information on the world’s leading indices, stock prices, currencies and more. It includes extensive market data from Euronext’s cash, and derivatives markets and indices as well as from other global equity exchanges. The Euronext app provides market data free of charge with a 15-minute delay. Last May, Euronext won the award for Best New Data Product at  the presentation of the Inside Market Data Awards.

Heckyl is a real-time data analytics company that brings news, price, fundamental and portfolio analysis through a single platform called FIND (Financial in News and Data). FIND can be used by a researcher, trader or an analyst to get actionable insights from both unstructured and structured data. The platform brings real-time news, information and market data from companies, businesses and global markets from around the world.

For more information: https://www.euronext.com/en

Download photo

Open Day Dutch building and infrastructure sector

Association of Dutch building and infrastructure companies chairman Maxime Verhagen sounds gong

Maxime Verhagen, Chairman of the Association of Dutch building and infrastructure companies, sounds the gong at the Amsterdam exchange ahead of the 11th ‘Dag van de Bouw’, on 4 June. Throughout The Netherlands everyone is welcome to visit some of the 160 construction sites which have opened their gates on this annual open day.

“This day is a kind of benchmark. How is our sector developing? What are we working on today?”, mr. Verhagen explains. “This past week I therefore embarked on an ‘innovation journey’ along various construction sites and companies. Often our sector is labeled as ‘not innovative’ or even ‘conservative’. Fortunately many projects tell a different story. I have witnessed many and wildly varying innovations in close up. And moreover, heard the accompanying stories, with narrators brimming with pleasure and profound satisfaction, rooted in the true cooperation between bidders, construction companies and the sites’ neighbours. Of course technical genius is part of it, but true innovation exceeds the mere engineering solutions.”

“Solutions for example of traffic congestion, or ingenuity employed on reinforcing our dikes, which is of course a classic Dutch challenge. Or the challenge of providing an efficient solution for the aging inhabitants of low-cost rental houses. They can now live their lives in upgraded, care-friendly sustainable homes. To put it this way: innovation in the construction sector is equivalent to solving a puzzle together, in a dynamic environment. This is how we invest in society. We’re facing major challenges in the near future, but we’re confident in meeting tomorrow’s demands of 18 million people in our country!”

The Euronext listed construction companies Heijmans, BAM and Boskalis highlight different construction projects during ‘Dag van de Bouw’. 

For more information: www.dagvandebouw.nl

Best SME-award North-Holland

Winners Best SME-award North-Holland open trading at Beursplein 5

The winners of the Best North-Holland SME-awards open trading at Beursplein 5. GP Groot (Large SMEs), Zuiver (Medium SMEs) and Klaas Bart Hoveniers (Small SMEs) emerged as  winners. This year’s public choice award went to Van ‘t Hek Bros from Beemster.

For the jury, important distinctive criteria were personnel management, innovation, creativity and financial policy. According to the chairman of the entrepreneurs’ organisation of North-Holland  OVNH and member of the judging committee Jeroen Zwinkels, the jury visits were truly inspiring.

Partners and sponsors of the Best North-Holland SME-awards are: Randstad and Provincie Noord-Holland, MKB Noord-Holland, ABN AMRO, Delta Lloyd, Holland Media Combinatie, RSM Niehe Lancée Kooij, RTVNH and Media Support/Kantoor 260. 

For more information: www.ovnh.nl

Download photo

ICT Group

ICT Group sounds the gong to celebrate name change

ICT Group (ticker symbol: ICT) opens trading on the Amsterdam exchange by sounding the gong. This was done to mark the statutory name change of ICT Automatisering N.V. to ICT Group N.V.

The proposition was approved on the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on May 11, 2016. The name change was necessary to better reflect the international character of the company and to enable the company to add new labels to the group. “Sounding the gong is our way to present our new name to investors. We are proud to be here” says Jan Willem Wienbelt, CFO at ICT Group.

ICT Group is a leading industrial technology solutions and services provider. Specific industry knowledge of various markets, enables us to realize innovative solutions. Over 750 passionate technical specialists are working for the ICT Group. The main subsidiaries of the ICT Group are: ICT Netherlands, Strypes, Raster, Improve and BMA.

For more information: www.ict.eu

Download photo

Coca-Cola European Partners

Euronext Amsterdam welcomes Coca-Cola European Partners

Coca-Cola European Partners (ticker symbol: CCE), a major European fast-moving consumer goods company and the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler based on net sales, starts trading on the Amsterdam and London markets of Euronext. John Brock, CEO of Coca-Cola European Partners, sounds the gong together with Sol Daurella, Chairman Coca-Cola European Partners, to celebrate the listing.

Coca-Cola European Partners is a new company created by the merger of three Western European bottlers; Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc, Coca-Cola Iberian Partners SAU and Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetränke GmbH.

Coca-Cola European Partners is a consumer packaged goods (CPG) company in Europe, producing, distributing and marketing an extensive range of non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages and is the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler based on net sales. Coca-Cola European Partners serves a consumer population of over 300 million across Western Europe, including Andorra, Belgium, continental France, Germany, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Monaco, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands.  The company is listed on Euronext Amsterdam, Euronext London, the New York Stock Exchange and on the Spanish stock exchanges.

For more information: www.ccep.com

Download photo

Philips Innovation Award 2016

Mobile text processor for deaf people wins Philips Innovation Award 2016

Student startup Ava, creator of a mobile text processor for deaf people, won the Philips Innovation Award 2016. Ava can now call itself the most innovative student startup of the Netherlands and opens trading at the Amsterdam exchange to celebrate. Pieter Nota, Member Executive Committee and Board of Management, Royal Philips, sounds the gong.

The winning students showed the big impact of their invention to the jury presided by Pieter Nota, CEO Personal Health of Philips. Ava is a smartphone application for deaf people, that shows in less than a second who says what in the environment. To do this, Ava records the sound of the environment with every present phone with the app. This way, Ava wants to empower deaf people. The Ava team are students at the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

The Philips Innovation Award is the largest student-entrepreneur Award in The Netherlands. The winner wins the prize worth € 50,000. Speaker at the finale of the 11th edition in the Nieuwe Luxor Theater in Rotterdam were Yuri Van Geest (Founder Singularity University) and Harald Swinkels (Founder Nederlandse Energiemaatschappij)

For more information: www.phia.nl

Download photo

Topvrouwen Foundation

Topvrouwen Foundation sounds gong for more females in the Boardroom

With a renewed and ever growing database of board-ready top women, directors and trailblazers of Topvrouwen.nl are taking up the challenge to attain more women at the top. Marry de Gaay Fortman, Chair Topvrouwen Foundation, sounds the gong.

According to Topvrouwen Foundation, boardrooms function better when featuring the best people, with a good blend of perspective and background. Women's voices belong there. They state that Dutch companies, however, are progressing very slowly and with currently just 10%, the ultimate goal of 30 % women at the top is a long way away. Companies are missing the boat when it comes to bringing in all of society's talent. The discussion that continues to flare up is to whether or not introduce a mandatory quota. Topvrouwen.nl is convinced that this should not be necessary.

Topvrouwen Foundation recognizes the importance of a greater proportion of women at the top of the Dutch business community. With a view to innovative ability, balanced decision-making and the broadest possible social tuned antennas, gender diversity belongs in on top of the company’s boardroom agenda.

For more information: www.topvrouwen.nl

Download photo