Consors Discount-Broker AG

START_OF_TAGBEND_OF_TAGConsors Discount-Broker AGSTART_OF_TAG/BEND_OF_TAG, one of the leading online brokers in Europe, is a Nuremberg-based bank specializing in securities transactions. It was founded in 1994 by Karl Matthäus Schmidt, now the company CEO, as a branch office of Schmidt Bank KGaA, Hof, Germany. Consors was the first German broker to go public, on 26 April 1999 and since then has been listed on the Neuer Markt segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the Nemax 50. A pioneer in discount brokerage, it is the top online financial services provider in terms of transaction numbers, both in Germany and in the rest of Europe. In 2001, our customers executed 7.4 million orders to stock exchanges. Consors has one of the most successful websites in Germany, with on average over 38 million page impressions per month, and almost 700,000 users in the community.START_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBEND_OF_TAGConsors as an international company – steady expansion policySTART_OF_TAG/BEND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGConsors has been operating internationally since 1999. With its clear European core strategy, it is already represented in five European countries. The expansion started in July 1999 with the acquisition of a major stake in the French broker Axfin S.A., which now trades as Consors France S.A. and ranks fourth on the highly competitive French brokerage market. Shortly after this it acquired the Spanish broker SIAGA with its online brand CiberBroker, now called Consors España S.V., S.A. and set up Consors (Switzerland) Ltd., which was granted a full bank license by the Swiss Federal Banking Commission in July 2001. The most recent member of Consors’ European family is Consors ONline Broker SIM S.p.A., Milan, active on the Italian market since January 2001.START_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGWith its four European subsidiaries, Consors is well placed to strengthen its position as market leader in European discount brokerage and has reinforced its market position in Europe particularly in the Heavy Trader segment.START_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBEND_OF_TAGConsors as a partner for today’s investorSTART_OF_TAG/BEND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGConsors sees itself as a partner for the independent and self-directed investor of today, who seeks quick and convenient access to customized financial services, at any time and in any place. We aim above all to offer private investors professional tools and to narrow the gap between professional and private customers. We consider the key areas driving growth in value to be extending our core brokerage business, focussing on growing sales of investment products and moving into b-2-b business with asset management.START_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSince summer 2001, Consors has also offered personal investment consulting to smart investors with a long-term perspective through a telephone fund consulting service. In January 2002 this was expanded to encompass advice on selected individual securities. We are the first and only online broker to offer this investor group a fully independent product range, based on research by Feri Trust rather than being determined by the interests of a particular group or alliance.START_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGConsors has also established a strong position in the financial planning and retirement planning sectors. Working in conjunction with our subsidiary, einsurance, one of the leading Internet insurance marketplaces with over 250,000 registered customers, we have launched a comprehensive calculation tool in the form of the Retirement Planning Check, enabling customers to determine their own specific requirements in retirement planning. The focus here, reflecting our corporate strategy, is on independent provision of a wide range of products that reflect the market as a whole. This allows customers to select optimum protection at the most competitive price from 350 insurance offers and 13 lines of the insurance business. START_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBEND_OF_TAGProducts and technologySTART_OF_TAG/BEND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGConsors’ trademark is its leadership in the European brokerage market in terms of technology and innovation. Consors is the leading company in its sector in Germany, offering intraday trading both there and in the USA. It is also one of the key players in Germany in EUREX trading for private investors. The most important feature of Consors’ product portfolio is its wide range of funds – now amounting to 5,300 funds from over 120 investment trusts – and the around 3,000 discounted funds we offer, including circa 600 that are not even subject to loads. Tradegate enables Consors’ customers to engage in OTC trading without being charged a brokerage fee, and gives them direct access to the Berlin Stock Exchange’s order books.START_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGIn Consors Info World, the investor can avail of an extensive information platform, including realtime prices, an individual watchlist for securities and indices and the Consors Market Map, an intelligent overview of the market as a whole, showing all shares traded in Germany. In addition, the Consors Finders present important data and figures for shares, funds, warrants and certificates. Mobile features complement Consors’ information network. In December 2000, Consors launched its Market Pulse, with which users receive price or news alerts via SMS or email almost in realtime.START_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGFurthermore, Consors realized its paperless account management in 2001 with its Online Archives. Our customers can view account statements, contract notes and settlement confirmations, interest and dividend calculations and all other order data at any time online. In its Online Archives, Consors offers a certified and audit-proof filing system with convenient search functions and 10-year data retention. Last year we entered the financial services sector and set new standards through special service modules, such as the Portfolio Management System for asset managers and fund brokers.START_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGIn the first few months of 2002, Consors launched a range of new trading applications. With the Active Trader, Platinum Trader, Future Trader and US Trading, Consors offers simple and convenient trading applications for all investor profiles and for specific market segments. The really striking element here is the intelligent combination of trading application and information tool. Consors has further strengthened its position at the cutting edge of innovation. START_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBEND_OF_TAGDiscount brokerage is more than just share tradingSTART_OF_TAG/BEND_OF_TAGSTART_OF_TAGBREND_OF_TAGBy adding alternative services, Consors, the leading German online broker, has made its website into a platform for personal financial planning in addition to catering for pure securities business. With the establishment of Consors Capital Bank AG in October 2000, the company entered the field of investment banking for private customers and the underwriting business. We are convinced that we can now offer our customers much better access especially to the mostly oversubscribed first-quality issues than through pure cooperation with renowned investment banks. Consors Capital Bank led the consortium of banks that underwrote the new share issue of Init AG when it went public on Frankfurt’s Neuer Markt trading segment in July 2001 – Consors Capital Bank’s first IPO.