What is the Nouveau Marché?

It's a French equity market that was founded in 1996 to provide access to the financial markets for new start-ups with insufficient financing but high growth potential. Nouveau Marché (New Market) was intended to be a French equivalent to the US Nasdaq.

Where have you heard about the Nouveau Marché?

Nouveau Marché was created around the same time as Germany's Neuer Markt and Britain's Alternative Investment Market, so you may have come across it in that context. Most of the companies in the Nouveau Marché are innovative technology businesses.

What you need to know about the Nouveau Marché.

To gain entry to the Nouveau Marché, companies originally needed a minimum of 1.5 million euros in capital, along with other requirements. In the first half of 2000 there were 40 initial public offerings in the Nouveau Marché. But as the dotcom boom faded, the market lost its momentum, and by the second half of 2000 it saw just eight more IPOs.

Today, Nouveau Marché is an index on Euronext Paris that includes start-ups and other high-risk, high-growth companies. The other divisions of the French equities market are the Premier Marché and Second Marché.