Is your company ready for an IPO? ABN AMRO’s ECM experts create a plan that is tailor-made for you

For an entrepreneur, an IPO can feel intimidating. Is the company actually ready for it? Is the timing right? And what are the risks involved? The Equity Capital Markets team will therefore first carry out a thorough review of the company. If everything looks good, a market analysis will be conducted and an equity story and a prospectus drawn up. This story is used to brief the analysts at the meeting held a few weeks before the actual IPO. This gives them the time to conduct their research thoroughly and prepare a report to convince potential investors when you go public. "The preparatory process is crucial. Our experts take the time they need to complete this; they can call on the experience and expertise of our international ABN AMRO network, and they are close to the business owner. So while an IPO doesn't have to be stressful, it is crucial to obtain the right guidance," says Maarten Altena, Executive Director ECM at ABN AMRO.

After an IPO, a company ends up in a different world, one that brings with it a whole host of new (administrative) challenges. These include capital rounds, shareholders’ meetings, dividend payments, employee/management share plans, etc. The company can also get assistance from ABN AMRO for all these matters. “But our services go far beyond simply providing the essentials,” says Julie Nollet, Associate Director ECM/Corporate Broking. "Our bank offers a number of services that are unique in the market. For example, we are the only bank in Belgium to offer shareholder identification services, which naturally provides particularly valuable insights. We act as a one-stop-shop: we can provide all the services a company needs after listing: from equity research to liquidity provision, from capital rounds to shareholders’ meetings. The (digital) customisation we offer, combined with our personal approach sets us apart from other financial institutions.

For Equity Capital Markets solutions, an international presence is an important element. Here, too, ABN AMRO can bridge the gap between a local, personal approach and extensive international support, something particularly appreciated by our Belgian customers. "In terms of ECM Corporate Broking & Issuer services, we are currently the largest player in the BENELUX. Thanks to our strategic partnership with ODDO BHF, we also have unrivalled market intelligence for Northwest Europe. As a result, we have already been able to set up attractive deals for Xior and DEME, for example. And our efforts are paying off: we have already won several awards and our customers remain loyal to us. Last year, we played a leading role in seven out of eight ECM property transactions in Belgium. And we are still growing: 2021 was historically our busiest year ever. And even now - after times of crisis - we are noticing that the market is picking up again and companies are more often (daring to) move into the stock market. The climate is fair. This is a trend that we expect to continue during 2025, after the volatility due to the elections has settled."

Would you like to know more about our Equity Capital Markets solutions? Please contact Julie Nollet (julie.nollet@nl.abnamro.com; +32 494 66 37 62) or Maarten Altena (maarten.altena@nl.abnamro.com; +31 6 8328 9483), contacts for ECM customers in Belgium.