London Stock Exchange : ELITE welcomes 21 new international companies today, bringing the total number of ELITE companies to 683

• 21 new companies join ELITE from across Europe, Turkey, Russia and Israel
• Brings the total number of firms in the ELITE community to 683
• First companies from Serbia and Luxembourg join the programme, bringing the total number of countries in ELITE to 27
• 1000 advisers, investors and companies, make up growing ELITE community

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) today welcomes 21 new international companies to its successful global business support and capital raising ecosystem, ELITE. This brings the total number of companies in the ELITE community to over 680.

Luca Peyrano, CEO, ELITE, welcomed the new ELITE CEOs alongside Ernesto Somma, Professor and Chief of Cabinet at Italian Ministry of Economic Development, and Domenico Arcuri, CEO, Invitalia, to open trading on London's markets this morning.

The 21 new businesses come from 11 countries, ranging from Denmark to Turkey and including four companies from Croatia, three from Hungary - based on the long term partnership with the Budapest Stock Exchange - and the first companies from Luxembourg and Serbia. 14 companies from the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) region have joined today as part of UniCredit CEE Lounge, a partnership between LSEG's ELITE and UniCredit designed to prepare and support firms in the region.

Businesses come from a wide range of sectors, including technology, leisure goods and media. Companies include Israeli 3D printing firm, Massivit 3D and Danish mobile advertising technology firm, Calldorado. Boutique hotel, Relais San Maurizio, and pharmaceutical products firm, Proton System, are the first companies from respectively Luxembourg and Serbia to join ELITE.

Currently, ELITE covers 27 countries and 35 sectors, generating over €50 billion in combined revenues and accounting for 240,000 jobs across Europe and beyond. Today, the new international group brings the overall number of firms on ELITE to 683.

Luca Peyrano, CEO, ELITE:

'I am thrilled to welcome the latest group of International firms to ELITE today. The ever growing success of ELITE validates and highlights the importance of partnerships like the ones with Budapest Stock Exchange and UniCredit.

'Programmes like ELITE are key for the expansion of fast-growing companies, providing support in the development of these ambitious and dynamic firms. These companies have a unique capacity to innovate, create new jobs and ultimately drive economic prosperity.'

Andrea Diamanti, Head of Corporate and Investment Banking and Private Banking in CEE, UniCredit:

'We are delighted that our partnership with ELITE has proven to be very successful. This initiative underscores our strong belief in the potential of the most-ambitious mid-sized companies in the CEE region, and helps us supporting them in upgrading their business models and boosting their growth.

'ELITE is also an innovative way to better understand their needs and strategies. It brings growing businesses together and gives them the opportunity to inspire each other, exchange ideas, share best practices and identify mutual business opportunities.'

ELITE continues to innovate with ELITE Club Deal, the online private placement platform helping to streamline the capital raising process for ELITE companies. ELITE Club Deal helps bridging a funding gap and streamline the capital raising process for companies, bringing together investors, corporate advisers and growing companies in a secure and efficient environment.

ELITE is working on a series of added value services across different areas from open innovation to talent and skills management to international exposure for the ELITE companies.

New ELITE international companies (by country)

ELITE has welcomed 88 new companies throughout November 2017:

• 7 November - ELITE 12 Italian cohort
• 7 November - ELITE 4 Moroccan cohort
• 8 November - ELITE 8 UK cohort
• 22 November - ELITE 6 International cohort

- Ends -