Euronext, the pan-European stock exchange operator based in Amsterdam, has opened an office in Zurich, the company said in a statement today.

The company aims to help tech companies develop their business on a greater scale through capital markets. It has launched three projects aimed at this industry:

• Tech share: a pan-European educational program dedicated to helping executives of tech companies better understand how to use capital markets and the challenges of an IPO. This program will be up and running by September 2018 in Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland.
• Morningstar equity research program: a partnership of Euronext and Morningstar aimed at enhancing the visibility of the industry in a bid to increase the coverage by financial analysts. The program will provide synthetic analysis of tech stocks listed on Euronext.
• Tech 40 label and index: an initiative to increase the exposure of tech companies listed on Euronext, providing access to a greater scope of services including investor roadshows and a dedicated index.

In addition to this, Euronext in 2018 will launch two programs aimed at small- and medium-sized European tech companies:

• Get to your investors: after their listing, companies will receive in-house market intelligence services for six months. The services will be tailored for their businesses and will help them develop a better understanding of their investor base.
• Trade and leverage: also, the companies will benefit from investor access initiatives sponsored by Euronext, including equity research, investor events and forums.

Former UBS Banker as Head of Office

Euronext appointed Søren Bjønness as head of its office in Zurich. He will receive the support of a new European team of analysts and communications experts, the company said.

The economist is Norwegian by origin and has lived in Switzerland for the past two decades. He studied economics at University of Fribourg.

Bjønness is the founder and a partner at Catapult Capital, a consultancy and interim management company. The former officer of the Norwegian Navy also has a past at PricewaterhouseCoopers and UBS.

The advance of Euronext onto the turf of Six is ironic because the Swiss company for a long time was said to have an interest in buying Euronext. It never happened and now Euronext is moving to a place close by.