PARIS, Dec 31 ― A record number of companies made their market debut on the Euronext index in 2021 as the pan-European exchange benefitted from Brexit and added Milan to the group, the operator said yesterday.

Euronext said 212 companies were newly listed this year for a total market capitalisation of €123 billion (RM581.3 billion), but it did not indicate how many had delisted.

The index includes exchanges in Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, Oslo, Paris, and Milan, which joined the group this year.

"In 2021, Euronext confirmed its position as the leading European market infrastructure, thanks to Borsa Italiana joining the Group in April 2021, and benefiting from post-Brexit conditions,” said the firm's chief executive, Stephane Boujnah.

Britain formally exited the European Union at the start of the year, resulting in London losing its European share trading crown to Amsterdam during most of 2021.

Euronext features 1,959 listed companies across its seven exchanges, worth a total €6.9 trillion.

One of the most high-profile listings this year was the introduction of Universal Music Group in Amsterdam.

It has been a banner year for initial public offerings worldwide, raising US$592 billion in 2021, up 85 per cent from 2020, according to data provider Dealogic.

In the latest major IPO, Chinese artificial intelligence start-up SenseTime saw its shares jump by as much as 23 per cent in the company's Hong Kong debut. ― AFP