Winners of the European Small and Mid-cap Awards to Be Revealed on 19 November 2013 in Brussels

BRUSSELS, Belgium, November 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --

Sixteen small and medium-sized businesses from seven countries are running for the European Small and Mid-cap Awards. The awards are a part of a Europe-wide competition to highlight the best European small and medium enterprises who have gained access to capital markets via an Initial Public Offering (IPO). The Award winners will be announced on 19 November in Brussels at an Award Ceremony organised by the Federation of European Securities Exchanges and EuropeanIssuers.    

Potential winners range from a leading chemical distributor to a free wireless access provider, biochemical specialist, an engineering firm converting waterfalls into power plants and a company reinventing the online lottery - to name only a few.

The full list and descriptions of all the sixteen competing companies is available here.

The Awards are a joint initiative by the European Commission, leading European Stock Exchanges^[1] and EuropeanIssuers. Companies have been nominated by their listed exchanges in four categories: Best new listed company, Most innovative newcomer, Most internationally-minded newcomer and Rising star.

More information on the Awards together with a Factsheet and Frequently Asked Questions about the competition and the advantages of a stock exchange listing for small and medium-sized businesses is available here.

The aim of the European Small and Mid-cap Awards is to encourage small and medium sized businesses to access capital markets via Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). Benefits of an IPO include continuing access to capital, diversification of one's investor base, and increased visibility.

According to the Federation of European Securities Exchanges, IPO activity in Europe is declining. Whereas in 2007 there were over 666 new listings, in 2012 there were only 165. In comparison, in the United States IPO activity is accelerating, with 63 new listings in the second quarter of this year alone. To put this in a global context, according to Ernst & Young, 38% of second quarter IPOs occurred in the Asia/Pacific Region, with North America trailing at 31%, Europe, Middle East and Africa at 28% and 3% Central and South America^[2].

--------------------------------------------------

1. Including members of the Federation of European Securities Exchanges

(http://www.fese.be/en/?inc=page&id=7) and the London Stock Exchange Group

(http://www.londonstockexchange.com/home/homepage.htm)

2. Source Ernst&Young: http://www.ey.com/Publication/vwLUAssets/EY-Global-IPO-Trends-Report-Q3-2013/$FILE/EY-Global-IPO-Trends-Report-Q3-2013.pdf