Strategic investment born from commercial partnership
AMSTERDAM, December 1st, 2020 – Amsterdam-based fintech scale-up Dusk Network has become the newest shareholder of NPEX, the Dutch stock exchange for small- and medium enterprises. The share acquisition follows an extensive partnership period during which the companies developed pilot projects aimed at launching innovative financial products. This provides significant benefits for investors.
NPEX’s most recent capital financing round brings two new shareholders (Dusk Network and Blikkenburg, the family office of investor Dirk Lindenbergh) to the stock exchange, enabling NPEX to invest in the growth and digitalization of its platform. For Dusk Network it is a strategic move; joining forces with NPEX perfectly fits the ambition to innovate the financial sector. As a stock exchange, NPEX operates an MTF license under MiFID II, making the exchange platform compliant with the strictest European regulations.
Mark van der Plas, CEO of the NPEX stock exchange states that the capital injection, and addition of the two new shareholders, is an important milestone for NPEX. “Our ambition is for NPEX to become the undisputed market leader. We want to accelerate our growth and contribute more to the sector. Especially during the pandemic, we see a lot of demand for better access to finance and investing, and technology plays a vital role in this. This is why Dusk Network is such a strong fit.” said van der Plas.
Investing in an innovative ecosystem
By improving processes, business models, and using the right technological applications, Dusk Network and NPEX see a lot of room to improve the issuance and trading of securities. Technology such as tokenization makes it possible to create digital shares that can be sold and traded in micro quantities. In addition, oftentimes expensive processes such as shareholder meetings and dividend payments can be automated. This further reduces the cost of alternative methods of financing, making them more attractive for a larger group of companies.
Investors will also enjoy various benefits. By reducing costs and removing intermediaries, investors are able to invest in more types of securities, interact with them in new ways, and experience better shareholder engagement.
Dusk Network is a platform for innovative financial services. The partnership with NPEX creates immediate value: “As partner and shareholder, we have developed pilot projects to digitize NPEX’s services and infrastructure. Our prior experience enables us to quickly add value to the platform in the EU, using our technology, operated by their Multilateral Trading Facility (MTF) license. Aside from the technical roadmap, we also aspire to enrich the deal funnel and grow their user base” says Jelle Pol, managing director Dusk Network.
About NPEX
NPEX was founded in 2008 and is short for ‘Nederlandsche Participatie Exchange’. Its employees are skilled and motivated specialists, active in the fields of New Business, Listing, Compliance, Operations, and Marketing. NPEX holds a MTF-license given by The Dutch Authority for the Financial Markets (AFM) and is under ongoing supervision of the AFM and De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB).
Dusk Network is the privacy blockchain for financial applications. Their mission is to enable any size enterprise to collaborate, meet compliance requirements and ensure that personal and transaction data remains confidential. Companies use the Dusk Network blockchain to issue tokens, trade and collaborate via smart contracts. Dusk Network is nominated for a Dutch Blockchain Award 2020 in the category Enterprise Solution.
Read the original press release here. Find out more about Dusk Network here.
