ABN AMRO launches new Corporate Finance team in Belgium
ABN AMRO is pleased to announce the creation of a new Corporate Finance team in Belgium. This strategic expansion is designed to provide both large companies and family and mid-sized businesses with high-quality financial advice on mergers and acquisitions, valuations and capital structures. Combining deep industry expertise with ABN AMRO’s extensive portfolio of banking services, the new team offers clients unparalleled, comprehensive support with acquisitions.
Extending expertise to the Belgian market
ABN AMRO has been providing corporate finance advice in Belgium for quite some time, with a strong focus on large companies with a turnover of more than one hundred million euros. Until now, this has been done from Amsterdam, with expertise in the areas of mobility, energy (including renewables) and digitisation. ‘We’ve achieved a lot of success for our clients in the Belgian market in recent years,’ says Yannick Huygens, Head of Corporate & Institutional Clients at ABN AMRO Bank. ‘With our Private Banking activities in Belgium, we’ve built strong relationships with families running businesses and entrepreneurs. Setting up a Corporate Finance team in Belgium makes sense as a way to further extend our services and expertise.’
Complementary banking services
Corporate Finance has been a core component of ABN AMRO for decades. With a local team in Belgium, the bank can now respond more quickly and effectively to the needs of local companies and advise them better on their growth ambitions. Joachim Aelvoet, Country Head of ABN AMRO Belgium, emphasises the advantage of this new structure: ‘When you seek advice from a boutique agency or one of the big four, they don’t offer any financing options. By contrast, our credit experts can help with financing as well as providing private banking services to support entrepreneurs who are selling their business. This complementarity gives us a unique edge.’
Growing momentum
The number of mergers and acquisitions in Belgium is expected to increase further this year. ‘The M&A market was relatively quiet in 2023, but we saw growing momentum in 2024,’ says Aelvoet. ‘We expect this trend to continue, partly due to the high liquidity in private equity, funds and family offices. Valuations have fallen, and we’re now seeing companies dust off their acquisition plans.’
International character
ABN AMRO's Belgian Corporate Finance team is now fully operational, including the appointment of Kris Dewinter as the new Head of Corporate Finance. The team has an international character, with close cooperation with colleagues in the Netherlands, France and Germany. ‘An experienced expert from our Dutch department, who knows the Belgian market well, has joined us. This means we can give clients better support, especially when their plans have an international character,’ concludes Yannick Huygens.
With this expansion, ABN AMRO is taking an important step in strengthening its position in Belgium and offering clients the integrated financial solutions they need to achieve their business goals.
Are you curious about what Corporate Finance can do for you? Contact Kris Dewinter by e-mail or by phone at the number +32 478 88 5803.
