SIX Group announced today that it is planning to launch a new dedicated equity segment for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in an effort to facilitate the growth of SMEs in Switzerland.
Dubbed 'Sparks', the new segment will address the financing needs of SMEs in the country. SIX also highlighted a significant surge in the number of SMEs in Switzerland and mentioned that the companies are interested in the unique benefits of public capital markets.
Commenting on the latest announcement, Valeria Ceccarelli, Head of Primary Markets, SIX Swiss Exchange, said: “SMEs in Switzerland, as in many countries, are a powerful economic engine. Our challenge has been to ensure that we can offer entrepreneurs a platform that can help them efficiently access capital, enhance their visibility, strengthen their credibility and provide the levels of transparency and scrutiny that maximize investor interest. With Sparks, we will be able to achieve the right balance of all of these elements as well as to contribute meaningfully to the growth of SMEs and, more broadly, to that of the Swiss economy.”
The recent announcement from SIX came after the Group reported strong trading numbers in June 2021. In the last month, trading turnover on the Swiss Stock Exchange reached CHF 113.7 billion, which is 21.1% more than in May 2021.
Expansion
SIX has expanded its offerings significantly since the start of 2021. Global companies started selecting SIX for crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs). In January 2021, CoinShares, Europe’s largest crypto asset manager, launched Bitcoin ETP on SIX. “SIX is committed to ensuring that the backbone of the Swiss economy, fast-growing and established SMEs, can benefit from the unique advantages of public capital markets. Sparks will be the next step in SIX’s ongoing efforts to enhance its offering to this segment. It follows services such as Stage, which unlocks independent research coverage for SMEs, conferences connecting SMEs with investors, education workshops and e-learning solutions,” SIX added.
