Small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) form the bedrock of the European economy. More than 98% of EU companies are SMEs, and they account for two-thirds of all employment and almost 60% of GDP (total value added). But European SMEs frequently struggle to get through all the necessary requirements when listing on public markets and secure funding on top of what they can borrow from banks. Initial public offerings (IPOs) can be complex and very expensive (see also article on Capital Markets Union in this issue). The European Small and Mid-Cap Awards – an initiative led by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW) – casts some light on a few positive stories of SME listing. Let’s have a look at the winners for this edition.

The 2022 awards

On 29 November, the 2022 winners of the European Small and Mid-Cap Awards were announced at an award ceremony at the SME Assembly 2022 in Prague. The Awards, organised by the European Federation of European Securities Exchanges (FESE), EuropeanIssuers and DG GROW, aim to encourage best practices and promote stock listing in EU public markets. The Awards highlight some of the excellent SMEs from the 27 EU Member States that have accessed capital markets via an IPO in the two preceding years.

The winners

An independent expert jury assessed the nominated companies in four categories and awarded the following winners:

⁕ The Star of 2022, awarded to an outstanding corporate citizen that stands out in a broad range of areas (e.g. ESG, financial and economic performances, reputation): GreenVolt (Euronext Lisbon)

⁕ The Star of Innovation, awarded to a newly listed small or mid-cap company that places innovation at the centre of its strategy for business development: SECO (Borsa Italiana)

⁕ The International Star, awarded to a newly listed small and mid-cap company that boasts impressive results in terms of international sales, profit and market share growth: NACON (Euronext Paris)

⁕ The Rising Star, awarded to an SME with a market capitalisation up to €200 million that displays remarkable growth potential: EIdF (BME, SIX Group)

The jury also assigned a Special Mention to recognise an initiative, an individual or a company that has had a significant impact on small and mid-cap issuers accessing capital markets: Rosinger Group (Wiener Börse)

More information on the winners and the short-listed companies here