Strengthening the link between companies and investors
Over the last ten years, the goal of bringing listed (and unlisted) companies closer to investors and ensuring a stronger direct link between them has gained increasing significance, becoming one of the mainstays underpinning Borsa Italiana’s activities. By increasing its networking efforts and deploying highly complex capabilities, Borsa Italiana Group contributed to lending value to Italy and enhancing its industrial landscape, helping it to overcome the economic downturn. Its role as a financial resource catalyst grew stronger following the introduction, on the one hand, of a programme of meetings and paths divided by company size and industry and, on the other hand, the strengthening of the local and international network.
In 2011, in addition to the well-established STAR Conference and Italian Equity Roadshow programmes — which totalled 1,500 meetings across 3 continents and reached Singapore for the first time (in addition to the traditional stops in Milan, London, Frankfurt, Stockholm, New York and Tokyo) — the first edition of the Small Cap Conference, entirely dedicated to small cap companies, was launched with the aim of increasing their visibility with the domestic financial community.
The following year, the promotion of listed companies aimed at international investors was extended to Hong Kong and Boston, while the first Luxury&Finance roadshow for industry listed and unlisted companies was staged in collaboration with Vogue. In 2016, it featured more than 250 meetings and was attended by the industry’s leading companies, bearing out Borsa Italiana’s role as a key financial hub for the luxury industry.
In 2012, the Elite project was also launched, with the participation of 63 companies. It is an innovative organisational and managerial development programme designed for growth-oriented SMEs with the aim of encouraging them to approach the financial markets. It was the first time that Borsa Italiana, in conjunction with Confindustria, acted as mentor and coach for companies, guiding them along a business path rather than a mere listing pursuit. In 2014, Elite became a pan-European platform open to companies from all EU countries and began a process of rapid internationalisation. During 2018, the offer of Elite Spa — established two years earlier to complete the strategic plan and currently consisting of Elite Growth and Elite Club Deal — reached and exceeded the goal of 1,000 companies from 40 countries worldwide (649 based in Italy). The first edition of Elite Day, the first international conference specifically dedicated to the community, also scored a record-breaking turnout.
In 2013, the first Italian Infrastructure Day, during which nineteen of Italy’s leading companies engaging in the public and private infrastructure sector met with international investors. In the same year, the Zero-km Road Shows got underway in Bologna and Verona as part of events dedicated to new “Zero-km” investment opportunities to facilitate interactions between investors and local companies. 2017 saw the launch of the Italian Equity Week, a three-day event intended for the leading sectors of the Italian economy, i.e. lifestyle, industry and infrastructure, Italian Sustainability Day to raise awareness of ESG issues among companies and investors, and Italian Listed Brands, showcasing 22 listed companies that enjoy recognition for the strong value of their brands both in the domestic market as well as global markets.
In 2018, the first editions of the AIM Italia Conference held in Milan and London — bringing together companies listed on AIM Italia and Italian and international investors — completed a robust and ongoing set of initiatives that help to rank Italian companies among the European listed companies with the highest liquidity and largest presence of international investors, while making Borsa Italiana a global financial centre with 8,000 funds (more than 90% of which are foreign) from 40 countries that invest in Italian companies on a regular basis.
With a view to improving the link and relationship between investors and issuers, Borsa Italiana also engages in educational activity designed for retail investors, including potential investors. To this end, in 2011 the Sotto la Lente (Under the Magnifying Glass) website section was created and participation in financial education initiatives promoted by the Ministerial Committee was encouraged. In addition, reliable and accurate indexes and analytical tools were developed (including by group companies, such as FTSE Russell) for investors to incorporate in their investment choices and analyses.