Lisbon, 17 December 2013 – Today EnterNext, the Euronext subsidiary dedicated to promoting and growing the European SME market, welcomed Caixa Económica Montepio Geral to the Euronext market in Lisbon.
Montepio (ticker code: MPIO) was listed through the admission of 200,000,000 Participation Units1 . Each participation unit has a face value of €1.
Established in 1844, Caixa Económica Montepio Geral is a savings bank focused on retail banking and fully owned by Montepio Geral – Associação Mutualista (MGAM), the largest mutual association in Portugal. Offering a wide range of banking and financial products and services, Caixa Económica caters for all its customers’ financial needs through its network of more than 450 branches as well as through its satellite offices.
“It is of great satisfaction for the Portuguese Stock Exchange that Montepio has chosen to support its financing strategy using the capital market”, said Luís Laginha de Sousa, Chairman and CEO of Euronext Lisbon. He added: “The different alternatives that the capital market offers are underlined by the uniqueness of this operation, which can also be a stimulus for other issuers and the market itself.”
Miguel Geraldes, Head of Cash Market & Listing of Euronext Lisbon, said: “The listing of participation units of Caixa Económica Montepio Geral (mutual fund) is the first issue and listing of its kind not only in Portugal, but also in the Euronext market, which once more demonstrates the groundbreaking nature of Portuguese issuers and financial intermediaries.” He added: “This operation also shows that the exchange is prepared to serve entities of different legal natures, namely mutual associations. We congratulate Montepio for its innovative and pioneering spirit.”
António Tomás Correia, Chairman of Montepio said: “The subscription of participation units of Caixa Económica Montepio Geral (CEMG) was a success and it reflects the trust of our members and clients in our responsible project for the future, our ambition and growing objectives. The entry in the Portuguese Stock Exchange is a historic moment for the bank. It is the first time that Montepio has equity capital listed on a stock exchange. It is a matter of great satisfaction for us and it establishes and strengthens our confidence in the future, taking into account the high number of subscribers - more than 25,000 - which shows the power of the brand”. He added: “With the participation fund, CEMG have created a capitalization tool that will allow us to have a stronger and active role in financing and developing the Portuguese economy. We are confident that this innovative issue in the Portuguese capital market will establish itself as an attractive tool”.