The 2018 AIM Italia and STAR Conference kicks off

-          25 AIM Italia companies taking part in conference

-          56 STAR companies attending the event

-          Over 1,100 meetings organised

Today is the start of a three-day conference in London dedicated to Italian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which will host 25 companies listed on the AIM Italia market and 56 firms listed on the STAR (high-performance equities) segment of Borsa Italiana, the Italian stock exchange. The conference offers an opportunity for listed companies and investors to come together, with a total of over 1,100 one-to-one meetings dedicated to small- and mid-cap companies.

This is the first edition of the AIM Italia Conference in this format, which has been scheduled to coincide with the presence of many STAR companies in London. The aim is to create synergies with the audience of investors attending the event and to encourage AIM Italia companies to adopt the STAR companies’ best practices in terms of investor relations. For the 25 companies taking part in the AIM Italia Conference, 300 meetings have been organised with 60 investors representing 44 investment firms (of which 82% are based abroad and 18% are Italian).

The 56 companies listed on the STAR segment will be involved in approximately 1,000 meetings. The STAR Conference will be attended by around 140 investors representing over 100 investment firms (of which 87% are foreign and 13% from Italy).

The AIM Italia market

A total of 113 companies are listed on the AIM Italia, with a combined market capitalisation of €7.7 billion* and an average market capitalisation of €68 million.

AIM Italia is currently experiencing an important period of growth and consolidation, with 27 transactions having taken place in 2018 and 26 in 2017.

The companies listed on the market represent the key sectors of the Italian economy, from the industry sector to consumer goods to technology, with an aggregate market capitalisation of €7.7 billion as at 30 September 2018.

The STAR segment

The STAR segment of Borsa Italiana currently comprises 74 listed companies, with a combined market capitalisation of €44.9 billion* and an average market capitalisation of €606.7 million.

The three new companies to join the STAR segment in 2018 were Carel Industries, Guala Closures and Piovan, while two companies moved to the STAR segment from AIM Italia: Giglio Group and Equita Group**.

International investors play a key role in the companies listed on the STAR segment, with 85% of the share capital held by institutional investors represented by foreign investors, although the presence of Italian investors is growing, thanks partly to Individual Savings Plans (PIR).

The geographical distribution of the foreign investors is particularly interesting: Continental Europe (excluding Italy) 37%; North America 29%; United Kingdom 18%; Italy 15%; rest of the world 1%.

The STAR segment has recorded very positive performances: since 2012, FTSE Italia STAR index has increased by 240% (as at 17 October 2018).

Barbara Lunghi, Head of Primary Markets at Borsa Italiana, said:

“Bringing the best companies from our STAR segment to meet international investors has always been one of the most important moments of the Conference. This year, we decided to dedicate one day to companies listed on AIM Italia, a market that is experiencing a moment of significant growth and consolidation. The number of attendees this year testifies the interest in Italian SMEs among international investors, even at a time of market volatility, and illustrates the importance of maintaining constant dialogue with a view to sharing results and strategies and focusing investors’ interest in companies’ fundamentals, in order to create value in the medium and long term”.

The companies taking part in the AIM Italia Conference are:

ALKEMY; BIODUE; BOMI ITALIA; CAPITAL FOR PROGRESS 2/ABK; CFT; COSTAMP GROUP; DBA GROUP; DIGITAL360; DIGITOUCH; ENERGICA MOTOR COMPANY; EXPERT SYSTEM; HEALTH ITALIA; ICF GROUP; INTRED; ITALIAN WINE BRANDS; LONGINO & CARDENAL; MAIL UP; MONNALISA; NOTORIOUS PICTURES; ORSERO; PHARMANUTRA; SOMEC; TPS; VIMI FASTENERS; WIIT.

AIM Italia Conference sponsor: Banca Akros | Banco BPM; Banca IMI; CFO SIM; Edison; IR TOP Consulting e KT&Partners.

The STAR segment companies taking part in the conference are:

AEROPORTO DI BOLOGNA; AQUAFIL; ARNOLDO MONDADORI EDITORE; AVIO; B&C SPEAKERS; BANCA IFIS; BB BIOTECH; BE; BIESSE; CAIRO COMMUNICATION; CAREL INDUSTRIES; CEMBRE; CEMENTIR HOLDING; D'AMICO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING; DATALOGIC; DEA CAPITAL; DIGITAL BROS; EL.EN.; ELICA; EMAK; EPRICE; EQUITA GROUP; EUROTECH; FALCK RENEWABLES; FIDIA; FIERA MILANO; GAMENET GROUP; GEFRAN; GIGLIO GROUP; GIMA TT; GRUPPO MUTUIONLINE; GUALA CLOSURES; IMA; INTERPUMP GROUP; ISAGRO; LA DORIA; LANDI RENZO; MASSIMO ZANETTI BEVERAGE GROUP; MONDO TV; NICE; OPENJOBMETIS; PRIMA INDUSTRIE; RENO DE MEDICI; REPLY; RETELIT; SABAF; SAES GETTERS; SERVIZI ITALIA; SESA; SOGEFI; TAMBURI INVESTMENT PARTNERS; TECNOINVESTIMENTI; TESMEC; TXT E-SOLUTIONS; UNIEURO; ZIGNAGO VETRO.

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