- €832 million placed; market capitalisation of €1.63 billion -
Paris – 27 June 2014 – Euronext today congratulated Coface, one of the world’s leading trade credit insurance companies, on listing in Compartment A of its regulated market in Paris (ticker code: COFA).
Ranked third worldwide in trade credit insurance, Coface has been assessing and preventing credit risks and protecting companies from the risk of default by clients for nearly 70 years. Its expertise is based on its unique knowledge of companies’ payment behaviour and on the expertise of its 350 underwriters located close to clients and their debtors. Present directly or indirectly in 97 countries and supported by its 4,440 employees, Coface secures the transactions of over 37,000 companies in more than 200 countries.
Coface was listed through the admission to trading of the 156,841,307 shares making up its equity including 79,989,067 existing shares sold by Natixis under a Global Offering[1] before potential exercise of the over-allotment option.
The admission and issue price of Coface shares was set at €10.40per share. Market capitalisation was €1.63 billion on the day of listing. The placement totalled €832million.
Anthony Attia, Chairman and CEO of Euronext Paris, said “We are delighted with the successful listing of Coface, a world leader in a rapidly expanding field of business, on our regulated market in Paris. By putting their trust in Euronext, Coface has confirmed our role as a benchmark for international companies, thanks to out unparalleled visibility and outstanding access to a large community of investors.”
Marc Lefèvre, Euronext’s Head of Business Development and Client Coverage, Listings, noted “We are very happy to welcome Coface back to listing on Euronext. This is an historic and particularly promising day, with three major listings on two of our markets—Paris and Amsterdam[2]—illustrating our commitment to being a major financial centre in Europe.”
Coface CEO Jean-Marc Pillu said:“During the IPO, we received a warm welcome from investors, who were particularly receptive to us, both in France and abroad. This makes us proud of the work of our teams around the world to build a solid group, which is profitable and has confirmed growth prospects. The IPO is a positive development for the Coface Group. Thanks to the diversity of our shareholding structure, which reflects the multinational dimension of Coface, we can continue to grow, innovate and offer credit insurance solutions that meet the needs of our customers worldwide.”
To celebrate, Coface rang the opening bell for trading on financial markets, accompanied by its advisers and Euronext staff.