All Bell ceremonies

Gong ceremony Amsterdam

This morning, Euronext reflected on the events that took place in Nice last night. The traditional gong ceremony was subdued out of respect for all the victims. The opening of trading commenced as normal today.

NIBC acquires SNS Securities

NIBC finalises acquisition SNS Securities

NIBC recently completed the acquisition of SNS Securities. The corporate bank has now effectively added capital market solutions, equity and fixed income brokerage, research and execution services for independent asset managers to its service offering under the name NIBC Markets. Rob ten Heggeler, CCO NIBC, sounds the gong.

The combined offering, next to the current financing, co-investment and advising activities is exceptional in the Dutch mid-cap market. With the combination of NIBC and SNS Securities, NIBC has now completed the financial life cycle for its clients: from advising, structuring, financing and co-investing to IPO’s and bonds. This enables NIBC to service its already loyal customers with a wider choice of financial services, which is becoming increasingly important for clients who are seeking growth. The proof is in the eating of the pudding, as is evidenced by the roles in the recent initial public offering of Basic-Fit on the Amsterdam exchange. NIBC has already done two financial transactions with Basic-Fit in the previous years.

For more information: www.nibc.com

Download photo

Evi4Kids by Van Lanschot

Sounding of the gong for Evi4Kids of Van Lanschot

Trading on the Amsterdam exchange of Euronext is opened by Van Lanschot’s ‘Evi team’, who are the initiators behind Evi4Kids. Evi, Van Lanschot’s online savings and investment service, launched Evi4Kids at the beginning of June: online wealth creation for anyone under the age of 18 years.

By setting the entry point for investment at EUR1,000, Evi4Kids makes Van Lanschot’s expertise available to all wealth levels. All parents want to give their children a great start in life – and the sooner wealth creation starts, the better the chance of building a solid foundation.

Evi was launched in the summer of 2013 and is a service offered by Euronext listed Van Lanschot (ticker symbol: LANS). Evi manages a total amount of EURO1.5 billion in assets divided over Belgium and the Netherlands.

For more information: www.evivanlanschot.nl

Download photo

‘Bull and Bear’ certificates

Société Générale sounds gong for launch ‘Bull and Bear’ certificates

With the launch of the ‘Bull and Bear’’ certificates, Société Générale, a leading provider of listed investment products, enters the retail investor market in the Netherlands for the first time. Ernst Gevaerts, Head of Cross Asset Retail Distribution Sales Netherlands, sounds the gong.

Société Générale is one of the largest European financial services groups. Based on a diversified universal banking model, the Group combines financial solidity with a strategy of sustainable growth. Their aim is to be the reference for relationship banking, be recognized on its markets, be close to clients, chosen for the quality and commitment of their teams. Société Générale has been playing a vital role in the economy for 150 years. With more than 148,000 employees, based in 76 countries, they accompany 30 million clients throughout the world on a daily basis.

For more information: www.sgbeursproducten.nl  

Download photo

Flow Traders 1-year listing anniversary

Flow Traders celebrates its one-year listed anniversary

With the opening of trading on the Amsterdam exchange, Flow Traders (ticker symbol: FLOW) celebrates its first anniversary as a listed company. As a leading global liquidity provider in ETFs, with over 300 employees spread across offices in Amsterdam, Cluj, New York and Singapore, Flow Traders can look back on a successful first year as a listed company.

The listing has helped the company to improve its visibility towards investors and potential new employees for Flow Traders. Flow Traders has noticed that more institutional counterparties considered Flow Traders as a good company to trade ETFs. On top of that, they also show clear interest in Flow Traders itself. "It is amazing to notice how many people are familiar with Flow’s "success story" and we hope it can act as an example to others," said co-CEO Dennis Dijkstra.

The listing also raised awareness amongst the investment community about the growth of the ETF market and index trackers. The ETF market has become a mature market and ETFs have become an essential part of the asset management landscape and is foreseen to grow in the future. In 2015, Flow Traders traded € 645 billion value in ETFs and realized a Net Trading Income of EUR305 million.

For more information: www.flowtraders.com

Download photo

Entrepreneurship Summer School

Sounding of the gong for Entrepreneurship Summer School

The gong is sounded for the yearly Entrepreneurship Summer School, organized by Rabobank Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship (ACE). Prof. dr. Enno Masurel, Scientific Director at Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship and initiator of the Entrepreneurship Summer School, opens trading together with (future) student-entrepreneurs, the team of ACE and Rabobank Amsterdam.

The Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship encourages entrepreneurship by providing a broad education and research program and contributes to the development of entrepreneurship skills and knowledge.

The Entrepreneurship Summer School provides 35 students the opportunity to develop their business idea into a solid business plan in one week. By following workshops and attending the entrepreneurship helpdesk. During the finals, five finalists pitch their idea to a professional jury. The student entrepreneurs can win entrepreneurship consultation from Rabobank Amsterdam and the Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship when starting their business. During the forthcoming final on July 10th, the results of a research that has been conducted under the 256 participants in the Summer school Entrepreneurship over the past 9 years will be announced.

For more information: www.ace-amsterdam.org

Download photo

DSI registry investment planners

DSI sounds gong for new registry for investment planners

Chairman Dick Garritsen of the FVP foundation, the federation for investment planners, will sound the gong to start the trading day on the Amsterdam exchange together with the DSI foundation, celebrating the start of the new DSI-certification registry for investment planners.

By starting this registry and cooperating, DSI and the FVP wish to integrate investment and financial planning. The symbiosis of investment planning starting from an all-encompassing financial plan will be given its first registry. This is a new breed of top financial advisers, operating in the interest of the investing client and working with a more integrated vision.

The members of the FVP association will register with DSI. The well-known DSI system offers pre-employment screening, permanent education, integrity testing and disciplinary rules, to which FVP wishes to subscribe. The FVP association counts 60 members. The DSI foundation counts 6100 registrations spread over 14 registers in the financial sector.

For more information: www.dsi.nl

Download photo

Deloitte Technology Fast50

Sounding of the gong for Deloitte Technology Fast50

Every year Deloitte searches for the 50 fastest growing tech companies in the Netherlands to include them in the Technology Fast50 list. A mix of successful Fast50 alumni and relatively young successful growers will open the trading day at Euronext by sounding the gong.

This year, Deloitte organizes the Technology Fast50 for the seventeenth time, in collaboration with program partners ABN AMRO, Euronext, Kennedy Van der Laan and Vitruvian. The competition was initiated to recognize the exceptional performance of these companies. The Fast50 companies have the best entrepreneurs of the future, who think fast and play a leading role in their field. The Rising Star is a special price that is destined for emerging innovative companies that are less than five years old. The ranking of the Deloitte Technology Fast50 2016 and the Rising Star 2016 will be announced in October.

For more information: www.fast50.nl

Download photo

2016 European Athletics Championships

NN Group sounds gong for 2016 European Athletics Championships

NN Group (ticker symbol: NN), the insurance corporation that celebrates its second anniversary as a listed company on the Amsterdam exchange this month, is proud sponsor of the European Athletics Championships 2016. The ECH are this year’s biggest sporting events in the Netherlands.

NN Group is an international insurance and asset management company, active in more than 18 countries, with a strong presence in a number of European countries and Japan. With around 11,500 employees the group offers retirement services, insurance, investments and banking to more than 15 million customers. NN Group includes Nationale-Nederlanden, NN and NN Investment Partners. NN Group is listed on Euronext Amsterdam.

The European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam (6-10 July) form the most important sports event in the Netherlands in 2016. Recreational and professional sports go hand-in-hand at beautiful venues like the Olympic Stadium and the Museum Square. During the ECH, many activities are organized to stimulate sports, athletic behavior in the Dutch society and a healthy lifestyle.

For more information: www.amsterdam2016.org

Download photo

North Sea Jazz Festival

North Sea Jazz Festival sounds gong with sponsor BNP Paribas

Festival Director Jan Willem Luyken opens trading at the Amsterdam exchange together with sponsor BNP Paribas The Netherlands leading up to the North Sea Jazz Festival. This year the festival starts Friday 8 July.

North Sea Jazz is the largest indoor music spectacle in the world and is known nationally and internationally as the event which in three days leads you through the past, present and future of jazz. Besides this steady basis of jazz many other genres are played like blues, soul, funk, hiphop , world, pop and more. The biggest names will be performing at the festival, while at the same time many visitors will discover new favourites. Last year marked the festival’s fortieth edition, and simultaneously the tenth in Rotterdam.

For more information: www.northseajazz.com

Download photo

Robeco SummerNights

Gong ceremony to mark the start of the Robeco SummerNights concert series

The collaboration between Robeco (ticker symbol ROBP) and The Royal Concertgebouw on Robeco SummerNights – the longest-running and most successful partnership in the cultural sector – is about to start again.

As this 28th year also marks the start of a further three-year extension, Edwin Rietkerk, Head of Global Marketing and Retail at Robeco and Simon Reinink, Director of The Concertgebouw, sound the gong at Euronext Amsterdam, to open trading. They will be preceded by jazz singer Fay Claassen singing ‘I’ve Got the World on a String’, as a preview to her forthcoming concert on 12 August.

During Robeco SummerNights, which this year will be held between 1 July and 31 August, audiences can enjoy over 80 concerts in The Concertgebouw in the classical, pop, jazz and world music genres. The music will vary from Kyteman’s jam session during the opening concert to master pianist, Denis Kozhukhin, playing Mozart’s Fifteenth Piano Concerto. The season will also include special theme nights, such as on 12 August when the Main Hall will be transformed into a Jazz Club in honour of the First Lady of Jazz, Rita Reys, and the Tribute to the Beach Boys by various Dutch artists such as Yorick van Norden and The Kik.

For more information: www.robecosummernights.nl

Download photo

Partnership JCDecaux & Het Rijksmuseum

JCDecaux The Netherlands and Het Rijksmuseum sound gong for partnership

JCDecaux The Netherlands (ticker symbol: DEC) and Het Rijksmuseum have formed a partnership. René Witzel, CEO JCDecaux The Netherlands, sound the gong on this occasion and opens trading at the Amsterdam exchange.

This partnership is intended to give more visibility to Het Rijksmuseum. René Witzel: ''JCDecaux bears art a warm heart and promotes various cultural projects around the world, because art is close to one of the pillars of the company: high-quality design. We are very proud of our partnership with the ultimate icon in the field of Dutch art.''

JCDecaux is leader in Outdoor advertising and street furniture in the Netherlands and worldwide. In Amsterdam JCDecaux been responsible for the deployment, management and operation of bus shelters carrying advertising since 1987. In Amsterdam alone, the company has about 1,500 bus shelters and another few hundred freestanding billboards. With this partnership Het Rijksmuseum will benefit from the high range of the street furniture and this may bring them even more to the attention of residents and millions of visitors of Amsterdam.

For more information: www.jcdecaux.nl

Download photo

30th anniversary Optiver

Optiver sounds gong to celebrate 30th anniversary

Optiver opens trading at the Amsterdam exchange by sounding the gong to celebrate their 30th anniversary. A global electronic market maker, Optiver uses their own capital, at their own risk, to trade on major financial markets around the world.

Their story begins in 1986, with a single trader on the floor of Amsterdam’s options exchange. Today, they are at the forefront of trading and technology, employing more than 950 Optiverians of 40 nationalities across offices on four continents. Their wide range of products includes listed derivatives, cash equities, exchange-traded funds, bonds and foreign exchange.

For more information: www.optiver.com

Download photo

De Brauw

De Brauw sounds gong as leading firm of the Netherlands

The International Financial Law Review has chosen De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek as the Leading Firm of the Netherlands. Joost Schutte opens trading at the Amsterdam exchange by sounding the gong.

De Brauw has been honored with this award for advising ABN AMRO on its IPO. It is a great accomplishment for De Brauw's capital markets team, headed by Jan Willem Hoevers and Joost Schutte.

De Brauw, founded in 1871, is a law firm with a global reach, with a robust corporate practice, a centre of excellence in litigation, and an unparalleled team of regulatory experts. In addition to its headquarters in Amsterdam, the firm has offices in Brussels, Frankfurt, London, New York, Shanghai and Singapore, and is part of the Best Friends network – a network of premier European law firms.

For more information: www.debrauw.com

Download photo

CIOCITY conference

Gong marks start CIOCITY conference

During the CIOCITY conference in Amsterdam, executive teams of Digital Leader associations from China, Europe, India, Russia, South America and the United States will sign a collaboration agreement – The Global Digital Leader Alliance –  to share peer-to-peer knowledge and best-practices on the Global Digital Transition.

CIOCITY conference of CIONET is an associated event of the Dutch presidency of the European Commission. Unique for the Netherlands is the gathering of over 300 European Chief Information Officers and Digital Leaders to share knowledge. CIOCITY will also host the European CIO of the Year Awards to leading European CIOs.

CIONET was founded in Belgium in 2005. CIONET is a knowledge network for CIOs and Digital Leaders. Today CIONET has over 6200 members in 24 countries including 630 in the Netherlands. Members work cross industry like telecom, finance, logistics, health, government and industry as IT executive with multinationals, governments and the large SME organizations.

For more information: www.cionet.com

Download photo

World Championships Rowing

Aegon and Royal Dutch Rowing Association open Amsterdam exchange

Aegon (ticker symbol: AGN) and rowing juniors sound the gong at the Amsterdam exchange and open trading. The young men of the Dutch Junior Eight Rowing Team and their coach, Ronald Florijn, will open the Amsterdam Exchange.

From 20 to 28 August 2016 the World Championships Rowing, the World Junior Championships and the World Championships under 23 years will be held simultaneously on the Willem-Alexander course in Rotterdam, 5 meters below sea-level. With 1830 athletes in 620 boats from 36 countries, and 1000 volunteers, this will be one of the largest sports events in the Netherlands this summer.

Aegon has been the proud sponsor of the Royal Dutch Rowing Association (KNRB) since 2010. Marco Keim, CEO Aegon Netherlands: “Over the past few years, both recreational and professional rowing have been booming as a sports in the Netherlands. Student rowing associations are flooded with applicants. The World Championships are a perfect moment for our talented rowers to show the world what they are capable of. Aegon stands behind the athletes and next to their parents to cheer them on.”

For more information: www.rotterdam2016.com

Download photo

NL Next Level

LTO Nederland sounds gong for NL Next Level

The NL Next Level campaign offers a new perspective for the Netherlands. With a broad investment agenda which can ensure that the Netherlands remains ranked at the top of the world. Albert Jan Maat, Chairman of LTO Nederland, sounds the gong and opens trading at the Amsterdam exchange.

NL Next Level is a new ambitious perspective for all Dutch people. A unique program that leads to new entrepreneurs, to new investment, sustainable growth and jobs for all Dutch people. A programme of VNO-NCW, MKB – Nederland and LTO-Netherlands together with branches/sectors. The essence is to focus on investing in the Netherlands's transition to a next level of prosperity, sustainability and opportunities for all.

In the Netherlands LTO is the national organization that represents the interests of farmers and cultivators in politics and in society, on the level of municipalities, provinces, in The Hague with the national government and in Brussels with the EU. LTO Nederland is an umbrella organization of regional and sectorial organizations. Those organizations boast a total network of around 50 thousand agriculture entrepreneurs. In interest representation and lobbying it is not just about specific agricultural topics like pesticides and fertilization, but also about wider, intersectional themes. In the lobby, LTO Nederland tries to connect as much as possible to organizations and institutes that have the same focus on the horizon when it comes to the position and future of their sector.

For more information: www.nl-nextlevel.nl

Download photo

AkzoNobel launches Visualizer App

AkzoNobel sounds gong for launch new Visualizer App

AkzoNobel (ticker symbol: AKZO) visits the Amsterdam exchange to open trading. The ceremony coincides with the launch of the latest version of AkzoNobel’s innovative Visualizer decorating app.

The free digital tool allows users to see, share and virtually paint in their chosen colors – before anything is actually applied. Packed with new features, the Visualizer now includes enhanced video capability and intuitive colour picker technology, as well as the ability to share designs on social media. Now available for iOS and Android, the new version of the Visualizer will be rolled out in more than 40 markets this year.

Research shows that 30 percent of consumers struggle to visualize what a colour will look like in their homes, and 39 percent discuss colour schemes with friends and family before making a purchase. “Colour is the number one decision factor when consumers choose paint,” explained AkzoNobel. “Selecting the right colour can be an exciting yet overwhelming challenge. The new features in the Visualizer offer a fun and easy way for people to find the essential colour that makes their living spaces more inspiring.”

AkzoNobel creates everyday essentials to make people’s lives more liveable and inspiring. As a leading global paints and coatings company and a major producer of specialty chemicals, they supply essential ingredients, essential protection and essential colour to industries and consumers worldwide. Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, they have approximately 45,000 people in around 80 countries, while their portfolio includes well-known brands such as Sikkens, Flexa and Jozo.

For more information: www.akzonobel.com

Download photo