All Bell ceremonies

Savings Account for UNICEF

Sounding of the gong for a trip with ING for UNICEF

The Euronext listed ING (ticker symbol: INGA) is looking for a pair of energetic travelers to make a trip to Madagascar for UNICEF. They sound the gong to give extra attention to their search.

As ambassadors of the Savings Account for UNICEF the pair will experience first-hand what UNICEF has been able to do with the contributions made by ING customers and what this means for preschool children in Madagascar. ING customers who have a Savings Account for UNICEF automatically support  UNICEF’s work in Madagascar.

The whole trip will be filmed so that everyone interested in the Savings Account for UNICEF can see how UNICEF is using the donations to help as many Madagascan children as possible into preschool. UNICEF staff in Madagascar want to use the trip to provide as full a picture as possible of the effect that preschool education has on the children, their parents and the community they live in. Only 10 per cent of young children are able to go to preschool and thanks to the Savings Account for UNICEF 1,280 children are now able to attend the preschool that has been built in their village

For more information: www.ing.nl

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Refresco Gerber Listing Anniversary

Refresco Gerber Celebrates One Year Listing Anniversary

Refresco Gerber (ticker symbol: RFRG) celebrates its first year of listing at Euronext Amsterdam. Hans Roelofs, CEO Refresco Gerber, marks this occasion by sounding the gong to open trading.

Hans Roelofs: "Being a listed company offers many new opportunities and it has raised our company profile which is helpful in executing our growth strategy. The share of Refresco Gerber, with an international shareholder base of both private and institutional investors, can look back on an exciting and successful first year."

Refresco Gerber is the European leader in bottling soft drinks and fruit juices for retailers and A-brand owners. At the end of 2015, Refresco Gerber has 25 production sites worldwide including the Benelux, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.

For more information: www.refrescogerber.com

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The King’s Commissioner of Noord-Holland

The King’s Commissioner of Noord-Holland visits the Amsterdam exchange

Johan Remkes, the King’s Commissioner of Noord-Holland, sounds the gong to open trading at the Euronext exchange in Amsterdam. This ceremony also marks the launch of a new online discussion platform that allows participants to contribute ideas regarding the Province’s economic policy.

Noord-Holland is one of the Netherlands’ most healthy and dynamic provinces and one of the drivers of the country’s economy recovery, which is quickly picking up steam. The coalition formed by VVD, D66, PvdA and CDA in the States-Provincial, which in turn has appointed the Provincial Executive, is making a maximum effort to prime the pump for the steady growth of Noord-Holland’s regional economy and to create new scope for innovation, sustainability and enterprise. The Province will be investing another EUR 160 million for this purpose. The Province aims to realise its ambitions by clearing new paths for employment, accessibility, innovation, sustainable energy, a healthy rural economy and robust nature and recreation areas.

To this end, the Province has established both an innovation fund and a sustainability fund for the SME sector. In addition, the Province intends to promote a more effective alignment of the region’s education sector and employment market. The provincial administration will be investing in outstanding accessibility – both physical and digital – for economic activity in Noord-Holland through initiatives in the ‘Greenports’, the ports of Noord-Holland, the North Sea Canal and at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.

For more information: www.noord-holland.nl

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Winner Prix Veuve Clicquot

Winner Prix Veuve Clicquot opens trading

Businesswoman of the Year is an election organized by Veuve Clicquot Champagne House, part of the LVMH Group, listed on Euronext (ticker symbol: MC). The winner of 2016 visits the Amsterdam exchange and sounds the gong.

Vivienne van Eijkelenborg accepted the prestigous award for succesfull businesswoman for her leading skills at Difrax. 

Prix Veuve Clicquot is an international award for successful businesswomen and was created as a tribute to Madame Clicquot, the woman who put Veuve Clicquot on the global Champagne map.

Since 1981, the Prix Veuve Clicquot is a renowned initiative in the Netherlands. In 2016 this prize is awarded for the 35th time to a special businesswoman. In the past 34 years this award has had a very special and prestigious position and substantially contributed to a positive appreciation of female entrepreneurship. Led by a skilled jury, which this year is chaired by Mrs. Annemarie Jorritsma, the 35th Dutch Businesswoman of the Year will be elected on March 21 2016.

The prize is awarded in 18 countries. In the Netherlands, under the auspices of Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin champagne, in collaboration with Stan Huygens Journal of the newspaper De Telegraaf and in cooperation with EY.

For more information: www.veuve-clicquot.nl/prix-nederland

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Bell Ceremony to promote capital markets

Euronext Lisbon and Portuguese Trade Chambers ring the closing bell to celebrate the Fifth Annual Meeting of Portuguese Trade Chambers around the world (25 were present in the meeting) to promote relations between the two institutions in order to exchange ideas on financing companies and the support that capital markets can provide in meeting this goal.

European Securities and Markets Authority

ESMA Chair Steven Maijoor opens trading

Steven Maijoor, Chair of European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA), opens trading at the Amsterdam exchange. With the sounding of the gong the multi-day meeting of the ESMA Board of Supervisors in Amsterdam will start.

ESMA, established in Paris since 2010, contributes to safeguarding the stability of the European Union's financial system by enhancing the protection of investors and promoting stable and orderly financial markets. ESMA is an independent EU Authority that strengthens the coordination between national regulators of financial markets and ensures the consistent application of EU financial legislation in EU countries.

Due to the Dutch presidency of the EU in the first half of 2016, the ESMA Board of Supervisors takes place in Amsterdam once.

For more information: www.esma.europa.eu

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Impact Summit Europe

Opening of trading for Impact Summit Europe

Opening of trading is done on the occasion of the kick-off for the Impac Summit Europe, which will take place at the The Hague Peace Palace on 22 and 23 March. Investors, fund managers, multinationals, and policy makers will join to put impact on the map of European capital markets.

Frank Bult of Phenix Capital says that the impact investing industry, with a current value of $60 billion, has been estimated to grow to $2 trillion in the next ten years, which is 1% of the assets invested worldwide. Despite this increased interest and recognition, there are still stumbling blocks to be overcome by impact investing as they are hampering the capital inflow to the industry, such as the lack of awareness, the difficulty of standing up against conventional methods and models, and an imbalance between the demand and supply of capital. Only when these barriers are broken, impact can become completely ‘mainstream’.

Phenix Capital sounds the gong together with fellow-pioneers PGGM, FMO, C-Change , PYMWIMIC, B Corp en Spring Associates and the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) delivering the message that it is time for investors – large and small – to actively include both the negative and possibly positive impact on society in their decision-making process.

For more information: www.impactsummiteurope.com

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Global Money Week

Under the Global Money Week (GMW), more than 50 students rang the closing bell. Euronext Lisbon, together with the capital markets regulator (CMVM) celebrated the closing of the Global Money Week with presentations of both institutions to two schools (Primary School no. 2 and 3 Santa Iria da Azóia and wellness center social Forums of Salvaterra) under the project of promoting the Financial Literacy among young people.

Global Money Week is an annual international event to create money awareness and takes place in the second week of March. Global Money Week engages children worldwide in learning how money works, including saving, creating livelihoods, gaining employment, and entrepreneurship.

414th anniversary Amsterdam exchange

Gong marks the exchange anniversary and interest payment on 17th century bonds

This year, the Amsterdam exchange, the oldest stock exchange in the world, celebrates its 414th anniversary. On this occasion, the interest will be paid on some ancient bonds that still pay interest ,   from the rich archive of the Amsterdam exchange, as managed by Stichting Capital Amsterdam.

In honor of this anniversary the gong will be sounded by Patrick Poelmann, chair (dijkgraaf) of Hoogheemraadschap De Stichtse Rijnlanden, the current successor of  the Utrecht dike board  Lekdijk Bovendams, that issued these bonds 400 years ago.

The Lekdijk Bovendams, a 33-kilometer dike from Amerongen to Vreeswijk(Nieuwegein), has been protecting Amsterdam and large parts of Holland and Utrecht from the water for centuries. After adike burst  in the early 17th century, the water board decided to issue interest letters to pay for the recovery.

These oldest known interest-bearing bonds of the world do not only symbolize the financial power of our country, but also touch on the "social" origin of the global stock market capitalism. Experts see an important explanation for the rise of capitalism in the Netherlands in the eternal struggle against water. Because of the constant flood threats that the country faced the Dutch were forced to keep money on hand for centuries and are joined in the fight against the water.

For more information: www.hdsr.nl

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25 years BEL20

Our national blue chip the BEL 20 was created 25 years ago on 18 March.It is based on the performance of the 20 most representative companies for the Belgian market. It first saw the light in 1991 and experienced many changes, both in composition and regulations. To make sure this anniversary did not go unnoticed, Euronext organized a breakfast with CEOs and board members of the 20 constituents of the BEL 20. Deputy Prime Minister Alexander De Croo rang the opening bell.

To know more about the BEL 20, check our dedicated pages :
www.euronext.com/25bel20

Friday March 18th

Thursday March 17th

Global Money Week 2016

Child & Youth Finance International marks Global Money Week 2016

Global Money Week is an annual international event to create money awareness and takes place in the second week of March. Global Money Week engages children worldwide in learning how money works, including saving, creating livelihoods, gaining employment, and entrepreneurship.

Global Money Week is an initiative of Child & Youth Finance International (CYFI).  CYFI is an organization based in Amsterdam, but working globally. CYFI has taken on the challenge of reshaping financial systems – by making sure that everyone works together to help children and youth become empowered economic citizens (receive financial, social and livelihood education and be financially included). Through collaboration they ensure that national authorities, CEOs, heads of NGOs, academics, media personalities and young people work together today to make tomorrow more sustainable, equal and stable.

For more information: www.globalmoneyweek.org

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Carré brings Broadway's PIPPIN

Carré opens trading with ‘Broadway on the Amstel’ musical PIPPIN

The musical PIPPIN is the first performance in Carré’s new ‘Broadway on the Amstel’. Every year Carré will bring leading productions from Broadway to the Netherlands. Madeleine van der Zwaan, director Royal Theatre Carré, sounds the gong with sponsor ING (ticker symbol: INGA).

The Broadway show PIPPIN is a dazzling musical full of extraordinary acrobatics, breathtaking stunts, theatre, magic and music of Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz. PIPPIN is directed by Tony Award-winner Diane Paulus.

The show tells the story of Pippin who is looking for himself, and the meaning of life. The performance with the original American casts sets foot in Europe for the first time, and is exclusively at Carré for five weeks since March 9.

For more information: www.carre.nl

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Kanker.nl

Kanker.nl celebrates opening new office with opening trade

On 17 March, the new building of the kanker.nl foundation officially opened in Amsterdam. With the sounding of the gong director Els Bosma opens the trading day.

Since January of this year kanker.nl is an independent foundation. Kanker.nl went live in the summer of 2013 as a project of KWF, IKNL and Levenmetkanker. Now, three years later, kanker.nl tis independent and the kanker.nl foundation is a fact.

The independence of kanker.nl enables the foundation to cooperate with several partners in order to build an even stronger position. Kanker.nl as a foundation has more options and opportunities to forge new relationships with others to broaden and deepen the platform so that they can support the patient even better with more digital services.

Since February 1 Els Bosma started as director of the foundation kanker.nl. Before, she worked as a Program Director Open Access at Elsevier. Content and knowledge sharing were central to her previous job at Elsevier and this is also what kanker.nl is about.

Els leads an ambitious team of 15 employees and wants to go full speed ahead with this team in 2016.

For more information: kanker.nl

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Global Money Week

Kick-off of the Global Money Week at Euronext Brussels

The Global Money Week that starts on 14 March is organised by Wikfin.be, De Tijd, L’Echo and Radio1 and many other partner a.o Euronext. This week aims at stimulating financial education and takes financial questions under the microscope. All lot of activities are organized in schools and info Markets in different cities, as well as for the general public. Minister of Budget, Sophie Wilmès opened the financial markets to celebrate this events in the presence of Minister of Finance, Johan Van Overtveldt and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Kris Peeters and the Governer of the National Bank of Belgium and Jean-Paul Servais, Chairman of the FSMA.

Want to find out more : www.deweekvanhetgeld.be
                                           www.lasemainedelargent.be     

Twitter:  #dwvhg16.
               #lsdla16.

Opera Forward Festival

Dutch National Opera sounds gong for Opera Forward Festival

On 15 March the first edition of the Opera Forward Festival starts, a new festival in honour of the 50th anniversary of the Dutch National Opera. Initiator and director Pierre Audi opens trading by sounding the gong, the day before the opening.

Opera Forward Festival opens with the world premiere Only the Sound Remains of Finnish composer Kaija Sariaaho. In the ten days the festival lasts, there are four grand operas on three different locations. The National Opera & Ballet Theatre is the heart of everything, with lectures, student performances, exhibitions and after talks.

The festival is dedicated to the future of art and the art of opera. The gong ceremony is also attended by soloist Davone Tines and Els van der Plas, director National Opera & Ballet, representing the festival.

For more information: www.operaforwardfestival.nl

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Opening of trading with Masterclasses Financiële Journalistiek

The gong is sounded by ‘Masterclasses Financiële Journalistiek’ because of the Masterclass Financial Markets (Financiële Markten) held at Beursplein 5.

The Masterclass Financial Markets provides an overview of the financial markets and deals with questions like who are key players, what happens on unregulated markets and the relationship with the ‘real’ economy? The masterclass is held at Euronext Amsterdam. Speakers include economics professor Bas Jacobs, Lukas Daalder, CIO Robeco and Maurice van Tilburg, CEO Euronext Amsterdam.

The Masterclasses Financiële Journalistiek offers journalists the opportunity to gain more knowledge of current financial issues without the pressure of deadlines. At each masterclass experts from the financial and academic industry speak and are meant to broaden experience and knowledge. The masterclasses are organized by journalists for journalists.

For more information: www.financielejournalistiek.nl