Virtual DACH-Nordic Technology Conference 2021: Pareto Securities supports technology companies with capital markets activities

• Virtual TechITService conference on April 20, 2021 brings together technology companies from Scandinavia and the DACH region with more than 1,000 participants
• Pareto Securities is a long-standing partner for technology companies in the field of corporate finance
• Scandinavian IPO and bond markets offer many opportunities especially for SMEs

Frankfurt, March 11, 2021. Pareto Securities AS, an international investment bank headquartered in Oslo and a long-standing partner of SMEs in Germany and Scandinavia, specializes in advising and implementing financings for SMEs. In 2020 alone, Pareto Securities successfully advised on more than 250 transactions worldwide. With its strengths in specific sectors, it has also been advising companies in the technology sector on all aspects of corporate finance for more than 35 years. Due to a very active and functioning SME capital market, the Scandinavian financing market are also particularly attractive for German SME issuers. In 2020 alone, more than 100 IPOs and listings were successfully completed in Sweden and Norway and around EUR 2.2 billion equity was raised via 42 IPOs on the Euronext Growth Oslo exchange (around EUR 52 million average volume). Furthermore, around 125 SME bonds with a volume of around EUR 8 billion have been placed (around EUR 64 million average volume).

In the Scandinavian market, there was a particularly strong interest in technology companies in the recent past. "Pareto Securities advised on more than 40 transactions in the technology/software sector and raised more than EUR 1.3 billion of capital in conjunction with 34 equity financings since start of 2020 until today. Among institutional investors, we have noticed an increased interest in growth companies," reports Gero Wendenburg, Co-Head Investment Banking Germany.

Knud Hinkel, analyst at Pareto Securities, explains the background: "The megatrend digitalization has received a further boost from the current COVID-19 pandemic. The Software and IT Service industry is not only exhibiting above average growth rates and profitability, it also features a positive ESG profile, because the creativity of employees is the main resource for most IT products and services. Moreover, IT solutions play a crucial role in meeting the challenges of our time. Consider, for example, the shift of many jobs to home offices last year, which would not have been possible without innovative IT solutions. Accordingly, the share price performance of many Software and IT Service companies has again beaten the broader stock market in 2020. In addition, we have seen a lively IPO activity in the second half of 2020 in Scandinavia, which shows that capital market-oriented investors continue to invest in innovative capabilities of young technology companies."

Pareto Securities will bring together technology companies from Scandinavia and the DACH region with more than 1,000 institutional investors and other interested participants at the virtual TechITService Conference on April 20, 2021. The aim of the conference is to provide investors with a focused insight into the spectrum of IT companies, as well as a closer look at key market drivers and technology trends in the diverse subsectors. Management presentations, panel discussions and other expert sessions on the IT industry round off the program.

Interested parties can register for the TechITService Conference via the platform (Registration). Further information is available on the Pareto Securities homepage https://paretosec.com/ in the "Events and Conferences" section.

About Pareto Securities

Founded in 1986, Pareto Securities is headquartered in Norway and has offices in Denmark, Finland, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the United States, Singapore and Australia. Pareto Securities has a leading position in the Nordic financial markets and a strong international presence. It offers a wide range of financial services, including equity and fixed income brokerage, equity, debt and project finance, as well as advisory services related to mergers and acquisitions and restructuring.