- The event attracted over 730 attendees and nearly 300 registered users on its official app
- The president of CEPYME, Ángela de Miguel, emphasises that access to the funding provided by the capital markets is essential for business growth
- The final two panels discuss the defence and aerospace sector and the advantages of being a listed company for inorganic growth
The 22nd edition of the Medcap Forum concluded today after three days of public panel discussions on current issues and more than 1,200 meetings among the more than 100 companies and the 170 investors present at the event. Of these, nearly 20% were international investors, coming from France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Switzerland, Germany, the United States, Denmark, Finland, Hong Kong, Ireland, and Italy.
A dozen discovery meetings between companies and investors were also held, five of which took place during today's session. The benchmark event for small and mid-cap listed companies had more than 730 in-person attendees over these days. In addition, the Forum’s app had close to 300 users.
“We are very satisfied with the outcome of the twenty-second edition of the Medcap Forum, an event that once again brought together small and medium-sized companies with investors from around the world at the stock exchange. The main conclusion from these three days of the Forum is that we are at a decisive moment for Europe and Spain, in which it is crucial to strengthen capital markets. To achieve this, it will be necessary to promote financial education and the presence of retail investors, with measures such as the Personal Investment Plans (PPI) that we propose at BME,” explains Juan Flames, CEO of BME.
Over these three days, in addition to the meetings between companies and investors, open panels were held on topics such as the macroeconomic situation, investment opportunities in small and mid-cap listed companies, the importance of attracting retail investors to the stock market, and the role of capital markets and public-private collaboration in boosting economic growth.
The event’s closing was led by Ángela de Miguel, president of CEPYME. In her special address, she highlighted that "the Medcap Forum is a space where companies can access investment, which is essential for driving their growth; through effective meetings and strategic agreements, real opportunities are generated for companies, making it an indispensable forum for reflecting on the future of our companies, our markets, and, ultimately, our economy”: She also mentioned that the current context presents numerous challenges, shaped by the geopolitical situation and the need to innovate in business operations, and in this regard, the forum facilitates access to financing—a critical and indispensable element for growth, since without financing there are no companies or growth, which are the fundamental pillars of our economy”
Prior to that special presentation, the final day featured a panel discussion dedicated to the defence and aerospace sector and another focusing on the value provided by capital markets for inorganic growth transactions.
The defence and aerospace sector panel featured representatives from Amper, Indra, Hyperion and PLD Space. The panelists were unanimous in highlighting the strategic value of this sector in the current context of increased defence investment and the fragmentation of the international order, in which it is essential for Europe to maintain strategic sovereignty. To this end, it is important to invest more in innovation and boost European competitiveness comparted to other big world powers. They also reflected on the boom in the aerospace industry in this sort of second space race in which we find ourselves.
During the second panel discussion, “M&A and the Stock Markets,” featuring Axon Partners, Caixabank AM, Making Science, and Seresco, the speakers emphasized that being publicly traded has provided them with both internal advantages—by helping them generate more value and build a stronger organization—and external advantages—by giving them greater visibility and credibility. Furthermore, all agreed that being a publicly traded company has been key to growing internationally and carrying out acquisitions outside of Spain, as being listed on the stock exchange fosters transparency and trust. In short, they emphasized that being publicly traded has been a fundamental tool for the development of their companies.
Cuatrecasas is the main sponsor of the Medcap Forum, which is also supported by Renta 4, GVC Gaesco, Kutxabank, PwC, LKS Next, EthiFinance, Alantra, JB Capital Markets, World Television (Wtv.) and Morningstar as sponsors. Atribus, the Spanish Institute of Analysts and CFA Society Spain are also collaborating on this edition.
You can view the photos from the 22nd edition of the Medcap Forum via this link.