As Head of Listing for Ireland and the UK at Euronext, Niall Jones helps companies leverage public markets to access the capital they need to scale and grow. Through Euronext’s IPOready programme, he equips private companies with the tools, knowledge, and networks necessary to prepare for entry into the equity capital markets. While Euronext Dublin supports companies of all sizes, it places particular emphasis on helping SMEs scale. The recent launch of the Euronext Access market further enhances this mission by enabling smaller businesses to unlock equity capital more easily, with requirements tailored to their size and growth stage.
For those who may not be familiar, can you tell us more about Euronext and its presence in Ireland?
Euronext is the leading European capital market infrastructure, operating regulated exchanges in Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal. Its product offering covers the entire capital markets value chain, from listing, trading, clearing, settlement and custody, to solutions for investors and issuers. Euronext’s mission is to connect European economies to global capital markets, to accelerate innovation and sustainable growth. Euronext Dublin operates in line with this mission, aiming to connect Irish companies to both European and global capital markets. Euronext Dublin is also the largest centre for debt and funds listing in the world and serves as the Euronext group’s centre of excellence for debt and funds listing.
How does Euronext support Irish companies and investors, both locally and across Europe?
Euronext provides Irish companies access to European capital markets and investors via its single trading platform called Optiq. Through Optiq, issuers and investors join a single pan-European order book with access to deep pools of international capital. Through IPOready, Euronext helps get Irish companies “investment ready” over the course of its six-month programme which offers workshops, mentoring and investor pitches. Euronext Corporate Solutions provides post-listing support for Irish-listed companies to help them with their regulatory obligations, investor relations, and board meeting management.
What role does Euronext play in driving growth and innovation within the Irish financial ecosystem?
Euronext Dublin offers a range of markets to help companies raise equity finance to support their growth. To create a level playing field with other EU markets, it advocates for reforms to support Irish capital markets to help domestic companies raise finance for their growth ambitions at home. Through Budget submissions, it has helped secure a stamp duty exemption on the trading in shares of certain Irish companies, entrepreneur relief for company founders and a tax-deduction for expenses associated with a company listing on public markets. It has also introduced the Access market, tailored specifically to the needs of smaller Irish companies seeking to access equity capital on public markets.
Euronext is a proud member of Guaranteed Irish - what does being part of the Guaranteed Irish network mean to you as a business?
Through Guaranteed Irish’s extensive domestic business network, Euronext Dublin plays an important role in supporting Irish businesses. Euronext Dublin has hosted Guaranteed Irish events on its historic market floor at the exchange building in Dublin and is proud to align itself with Guaranteed Irish in its efforts to promote Irish companies and facilitate job creation at a national level. Our 2025 joint campaign on “Scale to Stay” has given both Guaranteed Irish and Euronext the opportunity to highlight the benefits of, and toolkit for, scaling businesses out of Ireland – via funding and retaining the jobs, IP and taxes here in Ireland.
Why do you think it’s important for global companies with an Irish base to connect with initiatives like Guaranteed Irish?
By connecting with Guaranteed Irish, global companies demonstrate their commitment and contribution to the local community, workforce and ecosystem. This builds trust with the Irish ecosystem, including employees and customers. As the national symbol of trust, the Guaranteed Irish symbol helps to strengthen the reputation of global companies operating in Ireland, celebrating companies that create quality jobs and support local workers and suppliers. By joining Guaranteed Irish’s diverse network, these companies also empower and unlock opportunities for innovation and knowledge sharing.
Euronext is hosting this year’s Guaranteed Irish CEO Alumni event -what made you decide to support and partner on this initiative?
The Guaranteed Irish CEO Alumni event explores the idea of local leadership driving global change and how Irish companies make an impact on the world stage. These themes are important to Euronext Dublin, which has enabled many Irish companies to scale from small, domestic companies to large, global organisations. With the “Scale to Stay” initiative, Euronext Dublin aims to continue to play this role by helping domestic companies to grow and go global while investing in Ireland’s economic future. By partnering with Guaranteed Irish, Euronext Dublin seeks to provide an opportunity for domestic companies to network, share knowledge and engage in meaningful discussions as they explore new avenues for growth.
How important do you think networking and peer engagement are for Irish CEOs and business leaders in today’s business climate?
Ireland’s economy thrives on interconnected sectors, from indigenous SMEs to global corporations. Events like the Guaranteed Irish CEO Alumni Event foster dialogue between leaders across industries, creating a space for collaboration, innovation and knowledge transfer. Networking with peers and investors in such a setting can unlock opportunities for strategic partnerships, increased collaboration, mutual support and access to knowledge on funding and capital markets.
What are some of the key trends or opportunities you see emerging in the Irish and European financial markets?
New opportunities for Irish SMEs to access funding to scale in Ireland are emerging, as companies seek to grow internationally while continuing to contribute to the local economy and ecosystem. The launch of the Access market seeks to enable these companies to raise capital at home and continue to support jobs in Ireland while growing their international footprint. As part of the Savings and Investment Union, there is a push from a European level to establish tax efficient investment accounts, which are designed to boost retail participation in local and EU capital markets. This presents an opportunity for local companies to benefit from increased retail participation from local investors. Irish households can also get better opportunities to accumulate wealth for their futures, rather than leaving money sitting in low-interest bank accounts.
How is Euronext continuing to support sustainable and responsible business growth in Ireland?
Euronext Dublin has positioned itself as a sustainability champion in Ireland, supporting initiatives such as Euronext Sustainability Week and Climate Finance Week Ireland. This year, Euronext Dublin, in association with Social Entrepreneurs Ireland and Resolve Partners, hosted its inaugural “Scaling Purposefully” event for scaling social and for-profit enterprises. Euronext has also established itself as in the number 1 exchange globally for listing green and ESG bonds, enabling both Irish and international companies to raise finance for their sustainable projects. During the IPOready programme, future listed companies are introduced to sustainability leaders who will help them embed sustainability into their operations in a transparent manner, in line with the high standards expected of public listed companies. By leveraging Euronext Dublin’s ESG infrastructure, Irish companies can strengthen their reputation and appeal to domestic and international capital.
Euronext is proud to host the upcoming Guaranteed Irish CEO Alumni Network morning on November 19th, 2025.
The event will explore how Irish-based companies are making a meaningful impact worldwide. Guests will hear directly from leaders across finance, industry, agriculture, and entrepreneurship who are shaping Ireland’s future place on the global stage.. To learn more about the event or how to attend, please contact Roisin at roisin@guaranteedirish.ie.
