20 Years of Euronext

22 September 2020 marks the 20^th anniversary of Euronext’s creation. This is a unique occasion for us to look back together at the incredible journey of our company and to reflect on our ambitions for the coming years.

Euronext was formed 20 years ago through the merger of the Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels stock exchanges. In joining forces, the vision of Euronext’s founding fathers was to provide local businesses and investor communities with unrivalled access to capital and liquidity. Euronext was subsequently taken public in 2001 and expanded quickly with the acquisition of the Lisbon stock exchange in 2002. In 2007, Euronext merged with the New York Stock Exchange, before becoming independent again through an IPO in 2014.

Since this successful IPO, Euronext has significantly accelerated its growth journey, furthering its geographical reach through the acquisitions of the Irish Stock Exchange in 2018 and of Oslo Børs VPS in 2019. Importantly, not only has the geographical footprint of Euronext expanded, but Euronext has also diversified into new asset classes, with the acquisitions of FastMatch -now Euronext FX- in 2017, and of Nord Pool in 2019. In parallel, Euronext has diversified into post-trade through the acquisitions of VPS in Oslo and VP in Copenhagen. We have also developed innovative services with the formation of a rich and growing Corporate Services franchise. Importantly, Euronext teams have also cemented our technology leadership with the deployment of our state-of-the-art proprietary trading platform, Optiq.

Twenty years after its foundation, Euronext has become the leading pan-European market infrastructure, governed by a powerful federal model, and inspired by our moto: “united in diversity”. Euronext is building the backbone of the European capital markets union. By connecting European economies with global markets, we play a pivotal role in strengthening the European construct. We believe in the power of public markets, the potential of which can transform a nation’s economy, generate jobs and growth, and improve the lives of the citizens of the countries we operate in.

I am very proud of what Euronext teams have accomplished thus far with our clients, Board members, partners, regulators and all our stakeholders, and this is just the beginning. Euronext is committed to building an ever-stronger market infrastructure to finance the real economy. We do it with determination and discipline: by expanding our geographical reach, and by developing new services across the value chain of our industry for our clients. Together, today, we are more diverse, more mature and more resilient than ever.

Today’s celebration is the occasion to open a new chapter in Euronext’s journey. Our mission is to connect local economies to global capital markets, to accelerate innovation and sustainable growth. We do so together, to the benefit of our clients, our shareholders, our colleagues, our communities and our environment.

Let’s Grow Together!
Go Europe, Go Euronext.

Stéphane Boujnah

CEO and Chairman of the Managing Board of Euronext

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