Study and Webinar on Corporate Access

Continuous dialogue with institutional investors is essential for publicly listed companies. However, regulations and new trends complicate their access to investors and to the necessary capital. In a joint study, the master degree programme Digital Business Communications of the St. Pölten UAS and the company Embera Partners examine how companies design corporate access and overcome challenges, and which approaches they adopt for the future. The study’s outcomes reveal current practices and offer companies inspiration and orientation in designing their relationships with institutional investors. On 24 April 2025 from 16:00 to 17:30, the results will be presented for the first time in the free webinar “Corporate Access & Investor Engagement” and will be discussed with issuers and representatives of the sell side.

Corporate access refers to activities that promote direct exchange between companies and investors such as, e.g., investor meetings, roadshows, capital market days, and web calls. It means that the management, investor relations professionals, and board members provide insights into a company’s business development, strategy, financial performance, or ESG initiatives (environmental, social, governance).

This personal approach allows investors to enter into dialogue with the companies, ask targeted questions, and obtain confidence-building information beyond that which has already been published. The objective is for institutional investors to be able to take well-informed investment decisions.

Corporate Access Challenges Caused by MiFID II

The introduction of the EU Directive on Markets in Financial Instruments (MiFID II Directive) in January 2018 had significant consequences for the field of corporate access services.

On the whole, MiFID II led to an extensive reorganisation of the relationships between investment banks, issuers, and investors. Transparency and clarity of costs were increased, which made corporate access less attractive as a service, especially for small and medium-sized stock market-listed enterprises. And this, in turn, impedes their access to institutional investors and thus to capital.

Study on Corporate Access

Together with the consulting firm Embera Partners, the St. Pölten UAS carried out eight qualitative interviews with analysts and issuers as well as a quantitative survey among the investor relations managers of 200 stock exchange-listed companies in Germany and Austria to find out how they are designing the access to institutional investors under these partly difficult conditions and under the influence of further trends such as increasing virtuality and intensified ESG focus. The results also anticipate future developments in investor engagement.

Live Exchange with Experts

In the webinar “Corporate Access & Investor Engagement”, the master degree programme Digital Business Communications of the St. Pölten UAS and Embera Partners present the new insights and discuss current challenges, possible solutions, and future developments with seasoned experts in corporate access.
The participants of the webinar learn:

• how corporate access is designed and evaluated in Germany and Austria,
• how the possibilities and preferences with regard to corporate access have changed since the introduction of MiFID II,
• which problems arise from the changed conditions for everyone involved,
• and which solutions issuers and the sell side are planning for now and in the future.

Information for Participation

The webinar is open for all and free of charge. It is not necessary to sign up for it. If you have any questions, please contact Monika Kovarova-Simecek, Academic Director of the master degree programme Digital Business Communications.

For further information and the link for participation, please refer to the event website. Information on the study is available on the project website.

Added Value for Practice

The study offers all publicly listed companies – but especially the smaller issuers which are most affected by the current situation – inspiration and guidance in designing their relationships with institutional investors.

Project Management & Coaching

The project is managed by Monika Kovarova-Simecek from the St. Pölten UAS. On the side of Embera Partners, the project receives specialist support from Andreas Posavac, Michael Oplustil, and George Carswell. Eight students of the master degree programme Digital Business Communications are involved in the project – Johanna Wittner, Sophie Pollhammer, Monika Hunjadi, Vanessa Mölschl, Isabella Steiner, Katharina Pöschl, Barbara Mayr, and Katharina Tauber. Under the supervision of their coach Monika Kovarova-Simecek, they contributed significantly to the project’s implementation.

About Embera Partners

Embera Partners is a leading specialist investor and capital market consulting firm that covers the entire value chain of financial consulting, investor relations, corporate governance and sustainability (ESG), and M&A and financial communication.

The project is supported by the Vienna Stock Exchange, the Circle of Investor Relations Austria (CIRA), the German Investor Relations Association (DIRK), IRClub from Switzerland, and SIX Group.