The Medcap Forum Closes Its XXI Edition After More Than 1,000 Meetings Between Small And Medium-Sized Companies And Investors

The asset managers' panel highlights the growing flow of capital towards Europe from the US and the investment opportunities in medium-sized listed companies with attractive valuations
The event, which had more than 750 attendees, reflected on the macroeconomic situation, the boost to IPOs, and the impact of climate change

The XXI edition of the Medcap Forum has come to an end today, after more than 1,000 meetings between 107 small and medium-sized listed companies and 150 investors, a quarter of whom come from outside Spain. The event, which had more than 750 total attendees, developed an extensive program of public panels on various current issues.

One of the highlight topics of the event was the recent BME Easy Access, the new modality of going public, as an innovative measure to boost and make IPOs more flexible. Throughout the three days of the Medcap Forum, issues such as the macroeconomic situation and the role of capital markets in accelerating business growth were also discussed.

“The central theme of this twenty-first edition of the Medcap Forum has been the importance of promoting access for more companies of all sizes and areas of activity to the capital markets, as well as the need to encourage the return of retail investors to the stock market. Events like this help to give more visibility to small and medium-sized listed companies and remind us that the more robust the capital markets are, the stronger the economy as a whole will be. We are very pleased with these three days of meetings, panel discussions, and shared knowledge,” explains Juan Flames, CEO of BME.

In today's panels, sustainability, investment opportunities, and BME Growth companies were discussed. The first panel, moderated by María Cristina Romero, Head of Sustainability Finance Spain & Portugal at Ethifinance, debated the impact of climate change on listed companies. Juan Carlos Delrieu, Director of Strategy and Sustainability at the Bank of Spain, mentioned that they have been evaluating the impact of climate change on the Spanish economy for years, particularly in relation to risk management to ensure price stability and the solidity of the financial system. He also referred to the recent ECB opinion on the simplification of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) suggested by the European Commission. He advocated for maintaining transparency, including companies with more than 500 employees and not 1,000, or better defining the voluntariness of certain requirements, because simplification cannot be synonymous with deregulation. He also defended the importance of having a stable, predictable, and coherent regulatory framework.

Cristina Álvarez, Director of ISR at CaixaBank AM, also called for regulatory clarity in sustainability matters and explained that climate change impacts the companies they invest in and that there are also investment opportunities. Meanwhile, Lola Benjumea, Head of Sustainability Reporting at the DIA group, shared the company's strategy and business model, explaining that in the distribution sector, financial, operational, and reputational risks related to climate change are closely linked. Finally, Eva van der Want, Senior Business Development Manager Carbon Markets at SIX, explained SIX's recent strategic investment in Carbonfuture o jointly develop a reliable, scalable and integrity-driven durable Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) ecosystem.

The investment panel has included experts from GVC Gaesco Gestión, GVC Columbus European Equity, and COREVALUE FIL (investment fund of Creand Wealth Management). Among other topics, they have discussed the importance of active management, the opportunities offered by investing in mid-sized listed companies with attractive valuations, the growing flow of capital towards Europe from the US, the possible impact of tariff fluctuations, and the appeal they see in sectors such as telecommunications, services, or tourism.

The XXI edition of the Medcap Forum has concluded with a panel titled "Growth strategies and value generation in BME Growth," moderated by Mariano Colmenar, managing director of LKS Next, in which executives from Altia, Llyc, and Valentum participated. All the speakers have agreed on pointing out the advantages of listing on BME Growth to accelerate business growth, by obtaining an alternative financing route and greater visibility and reputation.

Cuatrecasas was the main sponsor of the Medcap Forum, which also had the support of Renta 4, GVC Gaesco, Kutxabank, PwC, LKS Next, EthiFinance, JB Capital Markets, World Television (Wtv.), and Morningstar as sponsors. Additionally, Atribus, the Spanish Institute of Analysts, CFA Society Spain, Instituto BME, and CF&B Communication collaborated in this edition.

You can find the photos from the third day of the Medcap Forum at this link and the highlights of the event on this website.