equinet Bank Aktiengesellschaft
equinet Bank AG and ESN partner banks repeatedly awarded for research

equinet Bank AG and ESN partner banks repeatedly awarded for research

Frankfurt, May 21, 2015. equinet Bank AG and its partner banks from the European Securities Network (ESN) rank among the top experts in European research.

Analysts of equinet Bank AG and its European Securities Network partners have repeatedly won awards for their accuracy in equity research. Germany’s Handelsblatt and the US research firm Starmine place equinet, Beka Finance and CM-CIC Securities among the top experts for equity research in their domestic capital markets in the “Analyst Awards 2015 Europe”. The annual survey conducted by Starmine (a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters) on 1,347 analysts from 160 securities trading houses covering 517 different equities is considered a quality benchmark in equity research.

Jochen Rothenbacher, equinet sector specialist for transport and logistics, also features once again in the top 10 analysts in Germany in the overall assessment for stock selection and has been regularly included in the top-perfomer lists since the ranking was launched in 2003: an exception among equity experts. equinet’s Konrad Lieder distinguished himself as best analyst for the selection of German healthcare equities. Adrian Pehl, also from equinet, took second place in earnings estimates of telecommunications shares. ESN partners also scored: Ana Isabel Gonzalez from BEKA Finance secured first place with her equities selection, as well as her earnings estimates of Spanish health care shares. Francis Prêtre (CM-CIC Securities), food and beverages specialist, was rewarded with first place for stockpicking and third place for earnings estimates of French equities.

Ingbert Faust, Head of Research and Executive Board Member of equinet Bank, is proud of the consistently good track record of his research team in winning awards: “The comprehensive network of our analysts, in conjunction with a clear focus on individual sectors, has enabled us to deliver renewed proof of our expertise in valuing German equities. The continuous and targeted expansion of the team, recently with André Jäkel for technology and medical technology, as well as Thomas Rau for industry, is also a contributing factor.”

Lutz Weiler, equinet Bank AG’s Chief Executive Officer, is convinced of the value of national research in a network of European investment banks. “Together with our partners in the ESN team, we cover 650 companies in Europe, with 100 analysts offering companies and investors pan-European access to the capital market with national expertise. Our top five positions, which we have held in the ranking of Analyst Awards since 2010, are prime evidence of these strengths.”

About equinet Bank AG
equinet Bank AG, which is based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, was founded in 1999, and regards itself as an “entrepreneur among bankers”. It primarily assists medium-sized companies in financing and capital market matters, offering trading and sales services, as well as research products. Around 100 experienced investment bankers, securities traders, analysts and sales professionals develop and realise individual solutions.

About the ESN
ESN is a cross-border network of banks and stockbroking houses that provide equity research and sales according to a uniform standard. The benefit of the ESN lies in the fact that its member institutions – which have many years of experience in their home markets – contribute their local know-how to the pan-European organisation, thereby allowing the listed companies that they advise to be presented to a significantly broader spectrum of institutional investors. Equally, related trading activities are carried out on a joint platform through the partner in the respective country. Moreover, the ESN members work together on pan-European capital market transactions and M&A projects. Founded in 1998, the ESN has been a London based company that has been supported by its partners since 2002. The following banks are partners in the ESN (as of September 2014):

* Banca Akros (Italy)
* Bank Degroof (Belgium)
* BEKA Finance (Spain)
* Caixa – Banco de Investimento (Portugal)
* CM-CIC Securities (France)
* equinet Bank AG (Germany)
* Investment Bank of Greece (Greece)
* Pohjola Bank (Finland)
* SNS Securities (Netherlands)

The ESN offers its customers fully up-to-date research products, capital market information and order execution on all important European equity markets, as well as seminars, roadshows and one-on-one meetings with European companies and analysts.