All Bell ceremonies

AFM

AFM Executive Board member Gerben Everts opens Amsterdam exchange

Gerben Everts, member of the Executive Board at the Netherlands Authority for the Financial Markets, opens the Amsterdam exchange. With the sounding of the gong AFM highlights their 2016-2018 agenda which will be published later this month.

As an independent market conduct authority, the AFM contributes to a sustainable financial system and prosperity in the Netherlands. Since 2011, Everts is a member of the Executive Board. His main areas of responsibility are: supervision on securities markets, asset managers and accountant organizations, financial infrastructure, corporate governance, financial reporting and auditing. 

The reason for his visit to Beursplein 5 is the AFM agenda 2016-2018. Due to social and technological developments, financial markets are continuously evolving. With the new agenda, the AFM wants to react timely on the most important developments in the financial markets with, for example, data-driven supervision. By doing so, the AFM aims to remain a pioneering supervisor both in and outside the Netherlands.  

For more information: www.afm.nl

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Voordegroei

Voordegroei opens trading

Growth companies in search of funding have access to Voordegroei, a Dutch online investment platform founded by a group of investment industry professionals. Managing Partner Bart Vemer sounds the gong.

Voordegroei was established in order to efficiently connect growth businesses and wealthy individuals and thereby get the billions of stagnant euros in The Netherlands in motion. Voordegroei was founded by Bart Vemer, Vera van Kesteren and Ivo Feeke. They come from BNP Paribas Investment Partners with a history in asset management and private banking. They have teamed up with crowd funding- and finance specialist Pim Betist of Ripplestarters. With Voordegroei they mark a new phase in the professionalization of the crowd funding market in the Netherlands.

Voordegroei is an online investment platform for the top segment of SMEs, bringing together entrepreneurs and investors. Voordegroei evaluates the loan application, handles the financial screening and assesses the growth strategy of the SME. Voordegroei stands for innovation, commitment and expertise. The team has many years of experience in asset management and was at the foundation of crowd funding in the Netherlands.

For more information: www.voordegroei.nl

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Drone Volt

EnterNext welcomes Drone Volt on Alternext Paris

Dimitri Batsis, Chairman of Drone Volt, rings the bell to mark the closing of the European trading day in Paris.

Drone Volt specializes in the design, assembly and marketing of remote controlled terrestrial and aerial drones for the sectors of media (essentially TV channels broadcasting), security and surveillance, transportation, agriculture and topography. The group also provides training and technical assistance services.

IMC Weekend School

IMC Weekend School celebrates 10th anniversary

IMC Weekend School sounds the gong to celebrate the 10th anniversary of four IMC Weekend School branches. Currently, there are ten IMC Weekend Schools in the Netherlands where students get the chance to broaden their perspectives and develop their talents.

IMC Weekend School provides supplementary education for motivated children aged ten to fourteen from underprivileged neighborhoods. The objective is to improve the future prospects for the students by offering them an inspiring glimpse into numerous disciplines such as business, medicine, astronomy and art. Volunteer experts serve as guest teachers. Students come into contact with a broad group of professionals who share their knowledge and skills while working together with the students.

For more information: www.imcweekendschool.nl

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Immersion

EnterNext welcomes Immersion on Alternext Paris

Christophe Chartier, CEO of Immersion, rings the bell to mark the closing of the European trading day in Paris.

Immersion is a European leader in the development of virtual reality, visual simulation, immersive and collaborative 3D technologies for companies operating in the industry and research sectors. The group designs and integrates high-end display and interaction systems including digital templates and virtual prototypes, allowing users to test a greater number of hypotheses, accelerate design cycle, collaborate, make decision in real time and perform a simulation to better evaluate issues.

Oyens & Van Eeghen

Oyens & Van Eeghen celebrates acquisition by Delen Private Bank

In honor of the acquisition by Bank Delen Private Bank, Oyens & Van Eeghen opens trading at Beursplein 5. CEO Pim Baljet sounds the gong. Delen Private Bank is part of the Euronext Brussels listed Ackermans en Van Haren (ticker symbol: ACKB).

Delen Private Bank reached an agreement with the shareholders and Board of Oyens & Van Eeghen to acquire all the shares of one of oldest independent Dutch financial institutions in July 2015. Delen Private Bank, thereby strengthens its presence in the Benelux and creates a group of asset managers active in the Benelux and the United Kingdom with total assets under management of approximately EUR 37 billion. January marks the launch of the joint approach of the Dutch market.

Delen Private Bank has gained experience in the development of its successful advisory model in the field of financial planning, structuring capital and asset management over the past decades. Oyens & Van Eeghen in recent years has increasingly focused on the segment of specialized asset management and fiduciary advisory services for private and institutional investors. Thanks to the acquisition by partner Delen Private Bank, Oyens & Van Eeghen can now offer a solution for every target audience of every size. It offers return for any capital size with the power of simplicity and efficiency.

For more information: www.oyens.com

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Fintessa

Fintessa visits Beursplein 5

Fintessa marks the new year with a visit to Beursplein 5. General manager Martine Hafkamp sounds the gong at the Amsterdam exchange.

Fintessa is an autonomous and independent asset management company and offers customized asset management for assets starting at € 100,000. Asset management is an extension of each individual situation, whether as an individual or institution and is the basis of wealth preservation or capital appreciation. That is being translated into a custom risk profile and investment portfolio. Fintessa expressly does not work with their own products, so that objectivity is always guaranteed.

For more information: www.fintessa.nl

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Dutch IR Awards

Winners of the Dutch IR Awards visit Beursplein 5

The winners of the Dutch IR Awards pay a visit to Beursplein 5 to sound the gong.

The Dutch Association of Investor Relations (NEVIR) presents the awards to Dutch companies and professionals who excel in investor relations. Winners are announced in the presence of more than 200 professionals during the Dutch IR Awards Dinner. The NEVIR represents the interests of its members. The vast majority of professional investor relations officers in the Netherlands is affiliated with the NEVIR; more than 95% of the AEX companies; nearly 60% of the AMX companies and 25% of other companies listed on Euronext Amsterdam.NEVIR was founded in 1991 and celebrates its 25-year-anniversary this year. 

For more information: www.nevir.nl

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Solvay

Solvay raises € 1.5 billion on Euronext Brussels

Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, CEO of Solvay, rang the Euronext closing bell on Thursday 7 January 2016. The management team of the worldwide chemical and advanced materials Group was in Brussels to celebrate the successful capital increase carried out a few weeks previously in order to complete the financing of the acquisition of Cytec. This transaction is Solvay’s first capital increase since its listing on the Stock Exchange in 1967.

JOGG

Young People at a Healthy Weight sounds the gong

Young People at a Healthy Weight (Jongeren Op Gezond Gewicht JOGG) open trading to focus attention on healthy New Year’s resolutions. Ambassador Erben Wennemars sounds the gong in the company of the JOGG-board, aldermen, business partners, neighbourhood sports coaches and Young People at a Healthy Weight’s national ambassadors Prince Pieter-Christiaan van Oranje and Juvat Westendorp.

Using the JOGG-approach, over 100 JOGG-municipalities are now working year-round at providing today's youth with a healthier environment to stick to those Healthy New Year’s resolutions. They are working together with existing local initiatives, entrepreneurs and various other parties. Schools and sports canteens receive help and encouragement on offering healthy choices in their canteens. And to ensure it meets their needs, JOGG-municipalities are also taking a closer look at the care available for overweight and obese children. All of these efforts, along with intelligent social marketing, are geared towards tempting parents and children to drink more water, to get more exercise and to maintain a healthier lifestyle.

At the gong, aldermen for Dordrecht and Purmerend were present, as well as neighbourhood sports coaches from Purmerend and Harderwijk. For 2015, these municipalities already showed excellent results. Since the JOGG-approach was first implemented, the number of overweight children in Dordrecht-West has declined by 20 %. Compared to 2011, the number of overweight 4-, 5- and 10-year-olds in the Purmerend JOGG-neighbourhoods has declined as well.

For more information: www.jongerenopgezondgewicht.nl

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DBT

Listing on Alternext of DBT

Hervé Borgoltz, Chairman of DBT, closes the European trading day in Paris.

DBT (Douaisienne de Basse Tension) specializes in the production and marketing of access control and energy distribution terminals. The company’s activity is split into 4 product families:

• electric vehicle charging stations and cabinets;
• retractable bollards and systems for access control and deterrence: designed to manage and regulate car flows in cities and ensure unimpeded movement of pedestrians;
• energy distribution terminals: designed for the electrification of public spaces (market places, reception areas, port areas, camp sites, etc.);
• current transformers: instrument transformers designed for metering of EDF yellow and green rates.

Philips Innovation Award

Philips Innovation Award open trading

The Board of the Philips Innovation Award opens trading at the Amsterdam exchange by sounding the gong. This gong marks the 11th edition of the largest student entrepreneur award in the Netherlands. The Board is accompanied by Daan van Manen, responsible for the historical bifurcation of Philips. Pearltect, Printr and Blue Battery, three of the finalists of the 10th edition of the Award, also accompany the board.

The Philips Innovation Award, part of the Euronext Amsterdam listed Philips (ticker symbol: PHIA), consists of four Stages (the Idea Stage, Developing Stage, Refining Stage and Final Stage). The feedback, training and coaching will intensify each Stage. Participants can currently enroll for the Developing Stage. In addition, the sounding of the gong marks the continuous growth of the Award, since a record amount of more than 300 student-entrepreneurs are already participating in the platform this year.

The prize worth €50.000 will be awarded to the student with the most innovative and promising plan. The jury, presided over by CEO of Philips, Frans van Houten, takes (among other criteria) the impact, sustainability and feasibility of the plans into account. The prize consists of cash and a toolkit of products and services that gives the student-entrepreneurs a kick start.

For more information: www.phia.nl

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IEX Group NV

EnterNext welcomes IEX Group NV

EnterNext, the Euronext subsidiary designed to promote and grow the market for SMEs, welcomes IEX Group NV (IEX). The listed company MTY Holdings, which recently took over the online activities of IEX Media and Value8 changed its name to IEX Group NV. CEO Peter van Sommeren sounds the gong.

IEX Group, the leading provider of online investment information in the Netherlands and Belgium, reaches 1.8 million investors, of which 1.5 million in the Netherlands and approximately 300,000 in Belgium. IEX Group has  – in addition to IEX.nl itself –  a portfolio of strong brands in the Dutch retail investment segment, including: Belegger.nl, DeBeurs.nl, Eurobench.nl, Participaties.nl and IEXGeld.nl. The IEX Group is active on the Belgian market with Beursduivel.be, while IEXProfs. and the Gouden Stier awards focus on the professional segment.

For more information: www.iexmedia.nl

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Euronext wishes you a happy New Year

With the sounding of the gong Euronext wishes you all a prosperous New Year on the first trading day of 2016.

Euronext is the primary exchange in the Euro zone with more than 1 300 issuers worth €2.8 trillion in market capitalisation, an unmatched blue-chip franchise consisting of 25 issuers in the EURO STOXX 50® benchmark and a strong, diverse domestic and international client base.

Euronext operates regulated and transparent equity and derivatives markets. Its total product offering includes Equities, Exchange Traded Funds, Warrants & Certificates, Bonds, Derivatives, Commodities and Indices. Euronext also leverages its expertise in running markets by providing technology and managed services to third parties. Euronext operates regulated markets, Alternext and the Free Market; in addition it offers EnterNext, which facilitates SMEs’ access to capital markets.

For more information: www.euronext.com/en

DoubleDividend and Run4Schools open trading

DoubleDividend opens the Amsterdam exchange with Run4Schools. With the final gong of the year, DoubleDividend likes to draw attention to the runners of Run4Schools. On March 26 2016, they will run the 56 kilometers of the Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town, South Africa for this charity.

DoubleDividend bridges financial return and social benefit and fully supports the mission of Run4Schools. Marian Hogeslag, partner at DoubleDividend: “Run4Schools is a beautiful initiative for young South African children. By organizing school sports activities these kids are of the streets and work on a better future. This is financed by the runners for this charity. Today, we are pleased to make these runners more visible by sounding the gong”.

DoubleDividend Management B.V. specializes in the field of sustainable investments. DoubleDividend is a manager of investment funds and offers tailor made asset management services. DoubleDividend invests on the basis of the conviction that sustainability positively contributes to the risk- return profile of an investment portfolio.

Run4Schools finances and organizes both in - and after - school sports activities and care at four primary schools in the township of Mitchell's Plain, Cape Town, South Africa. In cooperation with The Western Cape Education Department.

For more information: www.doubledividend.nl

Rabobank and Terre des Hommes sound gong

Trading day at the Amsterdam exchange is opened by Rabobank and Terre des Hommes, together they combat child exploitation. Director Retail & Private Banking, Ron Droste, sounds the gong.

It’s not unusual for full moving boxes to be left in the attic for at least a year after moving. Three out of ten people in the Netherlands store items such as books, home accessories, clothes, CDs and household items in their attics. In some cases we never intend to use these items, while in others we think they might come in handy one day. But most of the time these boxes are never touched or are moved unopened to the next attic.

This inspired Rabobank and the Terre des Hommes charity to come up with the idea of the Home Box. Every customer who visits Rabobank for a mortgage consultation or exploratory meeting is given a box to take home with them. The customer can then use it to bring usable items to one of the 42 Terre des Hommes shops in the Netherlands. Terres des Hommes subsequently uses the proceeds from selling the contents of these boxes to provide children in exploitative situations with a structurally better future.

For more information: www.tehuisdoos.nl

ASN Sustainable Equity fund wins Green Bull

The ASN Sustainable Equity Fund has won the Green Bull (Groene Stier). The prize for best sustainable investment fund in the Netherlands. Director Bas-Jan Blom opens the trading day by sounding the gong.

The website Belegger.nl annually awards seven Golden Bulls and one Green Bull to the leaders in the financial services industry. After extensive research the editors of the website determine who are eligible for one of the eight Golden Bulls. Then a jury of experts selects the winners. This is the second time that ASN Sustainable Equity Fund has won the Green Bull. The jury noted the distinctive sustainable strategy, good performance and low cost.

The ASN Sustainable Equity Fund invests worldwide in large companies that have sustainable leaders in their sector. They meet the strict sustainability criteria of ASN Investment Funds. The manager assesses companies on human rights, including labor rights; environment and climate; animal welfare; transparency and community involvement. In selecting companies, the manager also takes into account their CO2 emissions: the smaller it is, the more the fund invests in the company.

For more information: www.asnbank.nl

Amsterdam Light Festival visits Beursplein 5

Amsterdam Light Festival brings light to the darkest time of the year and enlightens visitors with colorful artworks. Chairman Felix Guttman sounds the gong and opens trading at the Amsterdam exchange.

For 51 days, the historical center of Amsterdam is the unique decor for this international festival. The city is complemented by 35 light sculptures, projections and installations by contemporary (inter)national artists. The boat route, Water Colors, takes visitors past artworks along Amsterdam’s canals. The walking route, Illuminade, winds through the city center. During the festival, light plays a central role in the city as museums and cultural institutions organize light-related activities, introducing visitors to innovations in light art.

For more information: www.amsterdamlightfestival.com