All Bell ceremonies

Listing of first Pooled Fixed Rate Notes on Euronext Brussels

On 8 January 2014, 8 Mayors and representatives of each participating city opened the European stock markets with a Bell Ceremony at Euronext Brussels to celebrate the first listing of the Pooled Fixed Rate Notes issued by Flemish cities and municipalities. The bond listing brought together a pool of 8 Flemish municipalities (Aalst-Beringen-Boom-Bree-Brugge-Lier-Wachtebeke-Zaventem)

The bonds are listed through a private placement with a total nominal amount of 43.500.000 euro with a maturity of 10 years. The interest rate stands at 3.299%.  ING was the global coordinator.

Euronext welcomes Figeac Aéro, an aeronautic subcontractor, on Alternext Paris

Jean-Claude Maillard, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Figeac Aéro rings the opening bell.

Figeac Aéro provides sub-contracted services to companies in the aeronautics industry. The group performs studies and offers precision part machining, sub-assembly manufacturing, construction of mechanically welded structures, surface treatments, etc.
As of the end of 2012, Figeac Aéro had one production site located in France.

The Netherlands Institute for Sport and Physical Activity celebrates 15th anniversary

The Netherlands Institute for Sport and Physical Activity (NISB), which celebrates its fifteenth anniversary in 2014, starts the year by sounding the gong at Beursplein 5.

CEO Remco Boer sounds the gong to highlight the need to take breaks from long periods of sitting during working hours. A sedentary lifestyle at home and at work increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, and early death. Two hours of physical activity a week do not cancel out the effects of sitting too much at home and at work. NISB works to raise awareness of the need to become more physically active during the work day, for example by using dynamic office furniture.

For more information: www.nisb.nl

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Winners of the 2013 M&A Awards sound gong

Winners of the 2013 M&A Awards sound the gong and open the trading day during a visit to Beursplein 5.

On 12 December 2013 the 14^th M&A Awards were presented to the top performers in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance and private equity. Over 750 M& A professionals and private equity managers gathered to celebrate and look back on the year’s achievements. The awards, presented in 21 categories, are the highest recognition given to top professionals active in M & A, corporate finance and private equity.Winner of the ‘Best Acquisition Finance Banker Award’, Marin Boon, Manager Corporate Finance Memberbanks Rabobank, sounds the gong.

For more information: www.mena.nl

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KPN and Randstad sound the gong for the Dutch Short Track Championships

KPN (ticker KPN) and Randstad (ticker RAND), both listed on Euronext Amsterdam, sound the gong for the KPN Dutch Short Track Championships on 4 and 5 January.

The Dutch championships are the last speed skating tournament before the opening of the Olympic Games in Sochi one month from now. This year’s tournament will be held in the same venue as last year, the Jaap Eden IJsbanen in Amsterdam. For skaters participating in the Winter Olympics, the tournament is final test of their skill before they travel to Russia. Expectations are running high following the Dutch team’s promising performances at the European Championships, World Championships and World Cups. Cees Juffermans, tournament director, sounds the gong.

For more information: www.schaatsen.nl/shorttrack

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Moët Hennessy sounds gong for the start of the year 2014

General manager at Moët Hennessy, Bob Bron, sounds gong for the start of the year 2014.

The current portfolio of Moët Hennessy Netherlands incorporates a wide range of champagnes, cognac, whisky's, vodka and new world wines. In the Netherlands and worldwide, Moët Hennessy is the market leader in the category of champagne. Moët Hennessy is responsible for the distribution of the brands Moët & Chandon, Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot, Ruinart, Krug, Hennessy, Ardbeg, Glenmorangie, Estates & Wines, Belvedère en Drambuie. Moët Hennessy is part of the group LVMH (ticker symbol: LVMH), a world leader in luxury and possesses a unique portfolio of over 60 prestigious brands as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy, Kenzo, Tag Heuer, Moët & Chandon and Dom Pérignon.

For more information: www.moethennessy.nl

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Run4Schools Foundation sounds gong for Two Oceans Marathon

The Run4Schools Foundation sounds the gong for the tough, 56 kilometer long, Two Oceans Marathon in Cape Town, which is held on 19 April.

A team of runners run the marathon to raise money for the foundation Run4Schools. 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. The after school sports activities prove to be an effective instrument to keep children away from gangs and prevents them from engaging in drugs, crime or worse. Also, the programs are successful in helping children's healthy development by allowing them to be the children they deserve to be, at least during the safe and supportive Run4Schools activities. Different kinds of fundraising activities are initiated around running events in the Netherlands and also in South Africa. Founding father, Leslie Pangemanan, sounds the gong.

For more information: www.run4schools.nl

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Minister Plasterk and ‘Hulp voor Hulpverleners’ Foundation sound gong

On December 30th, one day before the end of the year, minister Plasterk sounds the gong to show his appreciation for the work and the commitment of emergency workers. But more importantly, he calls attention to aggression and violence during New Year’s Eve. Plasterk: "Aggression and violence against emergency workers are unacceptable. I am committed to reduce the number of incidents.”

For years already the ‘Hulp voor Hulpverleners’ (Assistance for Emergency Workers) Foundation has been campaigning to reduce aggression and violence against emergency workers. The foundation calls on the Dutch population to ensure that emergency workers can do their work in a normal way this year.

For more information: www.hulpvoorhulpverleners.nl

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Witte Bedjes Het Parool foundation highlights Happy2Move project

Witte Bedjes Het Parool foundation sounds the gong to highlight the Happy2Move project.

The foundation raises money for children who are sick, handicapped, or in need of some other form of help. The money is made available to non-profit organisations working with sick or handicapped children in and around Amsterdam. The fund is primarily intended for relatively small, tangible projects that do not receive any other form of subsidy. This year the foundation is supporting the Happy2Move project.

The Happy2Move project provides after-school care to mentally or physically handicapped children between the ages of 4 and 20. The activities it organises after school and during teacher workshops and vacations are based on healthy lifestyles, emphasizing sports, healthy eating and enjoying recreation. To promote healthy eating, the children are given a hot meal after these activities, just before they go home. Happy2Move provides the children with transportation from school to the activities venue, and from there to their home.

For more information: www.happy2move.nl

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Speelgoedbank Amsterdam celebrates successful year

Speelgoedbank Amsterdam sounds the gong for a very successful first year.

Many children in Amsterdam grow up in poverty. For these children, it is not part of their normal lives to visit a toy store. Growing up in poverty has clear implications, not only materially but also emotionally and socially. Speelgoedbank Amsterdam collects toys, both new and used. Children growing up in poverty can visit Speelgoedbank Amsterdam four times a year. At each visit, they can choose two toys and a book from the store. This way Speelgoedbank Amsterdam builds a bridge between surplus and deficit, recycles toys and lets children shine.

For more information: www.SpeelgoedbankAmsterdam.nl

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Barbara Barend sounds gong for Sterrenfonds December month

Sterrenfonds ambassador Barbara Barend sounds gong for all the children in the Netherlands, who are in a disadvantaged position. Whether it is because of living in poverty, being seriously ill or having been placed out of home. With great attention we have to take responsibility for them, who are our future.

Over the past month, Sterrenfonds enabled 12,000 children to fully experience their childhood with a unique cinema event, a Santa Claus show and Children's Christmas Boxes. In 2012, Sterrenfonds ambassador Frans Bauer sounded the gong, concluding the Children's Christmas Boxes for over 600 seriously ill children and children in poverty. This year ambassador Barbara Barend visits Euronext for the ending the December activities for 12,000 children.

For more information: sterrenfonds.nl

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Winner Deloitte Kordes Awards sounds gong

Deputy mayor of Uden municipality, René Peerenboom, sounds the gong as the winner of the Deloitte Kordes Award 2013.

The Deloitte Kordes Award is awarded since 1995 for the public organization with the best annual report. The objective of the award is to continuously improve reporting on performance and accountability of (semi) public organizations. According to the jury Uden municipality is this year's convincing winner: "The annual report meets all jury criteria and excels in risk reporting and in style and communication. Additionally, the municipality has made the annual report available digitally and is herewith setting an example for other organizations." Last year, Uden Municipality participated for the first time and immediately became the winner in the category of Local Government."

For more information: www.deloitte.com

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Congratulations to Lotus Bakeries with its 25 years of listing on the Brussels Stock Exchange

Matthieu Boone, Chairman of the Board of Lotus Bakeriesrang the Opening Bell to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the listing of their company on Euronext. On this special occasion the following guests were also present : Jan Boone (CEO) Jan Vander Stichele (Executive Director), John Van de Par (Corporate Director EMEA & ICT), Jos Destrooper (Corporate Director Finance & HR) and Marc Janssens (Partner Petercam)

Lotus Bakeries operates in the field of authentic specialties in the biscuits, gingerbread, waffles and cake specialties markets. Lotus Bakeries, with headquarters in Belgium, is a dynamic, internationally oriented company with production facilities in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and Sweden, own sales organisations in 10 European countries, the US, Hong Kong, China, Chile, ….

Trading symbol : LOTB
Company information about : LotusBakeries

Gong marks launch ‘Follow the money’ app

Director of the Amsterdam Museum, Paul Spies, launches the new app ‘Follow the money’ by sounding the gong. With this app users can take a stroll through the centre of Amsterdam and learn more about the financial history of the city. The tour spans a period of 400 years, from the Golden Age to the present.

With the app users can get acquainted with the visible financial history in the city in an accessible way. The app has been realized by the Amsterdam Museum with the help of Platform Capital Amsterdam, Capital Amsterdam Foundation, Nachenius Tjeenk Foundation, the Dutch Central Bank and M2Mobi. The app is available for free in both Dutch and English in the Google store or can be downloaded from Itunes, search term "money tour.

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Euronext welcomes Carbios, a green chemistry company on Alternext Paris

Jean-Claude Lumaret, CEO of Carbios opens the European trading day in Paris.

Carbios is a green chemistry company specializing in the development of breakthrough technologies in the recovery of plastic waste and the production of bio-polymers. "Our ambition is to develop new programmed self-degradable plastics; transform plastic into high value raw material so it can act as a substitute for petroleum; and regenerate new plastics from plastic waste”, said Jean-Claude Lumaret, CEO of Carbios. “100 million tons of valuable plastic waste in the world; that is a windfall of $100 billion and represent a significant reservoir of untapped renewable resources.

Winner Shell LiveWIRE Award sounds gong

Brechtje Riphagen, founder of Innofuse and the winner of the prestigious Shell LiveWIRE Award 2013 visits Euronext Amsterdam and sounds the gong in the presence of president director Shell Netherlands B.V., Dick Benschop and director Syntens Innovation Center, Piet van Staalduinen.

The winner is chosen on December 17^th and received the award from Bertholt Leeftink, director-general Enterprise and Innovation at the Ministry of Economic Affairs at the award ceremony hosted at Shell Headquarters in The Hague. Shell LiveWIRE is an international social investment programme that aims to help young innovative entrepreneurs develop their business. Every year over 600 entrepreneurs receive free professional coaching and training through master classes as well as access to an expert network. Syntens Innovation implements Shell LiveWIRE programme in the Netherlands. The programme is active in 17 countries.

For more information: www.LiveWIRE.nl

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Listing of Qrf on Euronext Brussels

Since 18 December 2013 is the company Qrf listed on Euronext Brussels. Quares stands for Quality Real Estate Services. Quares is a real estate specialist operating in Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and France. The company’s primary objective is to maximise the financial returns on real estate of private clients, business partners and investors.Qrf-Quares Retail Fund- founded on 3 September 2013, is part of the group and is a quoted fixed-capital real estate investment fund investing in commercial real estate under Belgian law. Qrf focuses on inner-city stores in streets that are dominant in their catchment areas. The fund seeks to create value through active portfolio management and an innovative, professional approach.

To celebrate this event, Anneleen Desmyter, CEO of Qrf opened the markets with a Bell Ceremony on 18 December 2013 together with Freddy Hoorens and Herman Du Bois.  Anneleen Desmyterhad the honour to write the first opening price on the blackboard. Other guests of honour were Inge Boets, Chairman of the Board, Frank De Moor and Jan Brouwers, Board members - Francis Hendrickx, CFO - Bert Weemaes, COO and An Bertels, Finance Manager.

The ticker code : QRF.

If you would like to find out more on Quares : www.qrf.be

Aon celebrates 325th anniversary at Euronext Amsterdam

Today (Re)insurance brokers are common among organizations and individuals, but that was not always the case. Exactly 325 years ago the oldest existing insurance broker in the world was founded, a company that is now known as Aon (ticker symbol: AON). CEO Aon Benfield Netherlands,Bob Reichenfeld, sounds the gong to celebrate the anniversary.

The founding father of Aon risk consultants and (re)insurance brokers is Evert van Heijningen. Back in 1688 he founded his company, Van Heijningen, which is now part of one of the largest financial services companies in the world. What began with a single policy, is now a $ 11.5 billion global company with over 500 offices in 120 countries and a working population of more than 65,000.

(Re)insurance brokers and insurers continue to ensure that risks are manageable and pose limited threat to the continuity of a company. "Over the years a lot has changed in the insurance business, but the goal has remained the same. We make sure that entrepreneurs can and dare to take responsible risks by helping them to protect and manage their business continuity," says Lex Geerdes , Country Manager Aon Netherlands, CEO Aon Risk Solutions Benelux and CEE.

For more information: www.aon.com

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