BBSP opens its capital to AXA Private Equity and XAnge Private Equity Paris, the 27th september 2005

BBSP, the European leader in graphical analysis chartist software, welcomes AXA Private Equity and the funds managed by XAnge Private Equity to its capital to continue its strong growth.

Established in 1990, BBSP is still mainly owned by its two founders. However, institutional investors are going to posses 24% of the capital.

Through its offices in Paris for Europe, Montreal for North America, Singapore and the South-East Asian region, BBSP covers all financial markets worldwide.

Thanks to a strategy focused on the sale of advice with a high added value to demanding institutional clients, and a successful development in North America, the group has achieved a double-digit increase of its turnover (€ 10M) and of its profitability over the past five years.

This opening to the capital of AXA Private Equity and of XAnge Private Equity, as well as their nomination in the Supervisory Board, are part of a perspective focussed on reinforcing BBSP’s share ownership, and developing its business thanks to its new partners. The objective is to continue the group’s internationally orientated development, to increase the number of analysed products and to improve its software performance.

About XAnge Private Equity:

The XAnge Private Equity approved portfolio management company, specialised in investment capital, was established in July 2004 by the La Poste group and the ABN AMRO group in France. XAnge Private Equity:

• on one hand operates an FCPI management business representing subscriptions amounting to € 106M to present, in the scope of which it participates in companies meeting the criteria for innovating companies in multi-industry software,
• on the other hand advises the industrially dedicated € 50M SCR, XAnge Capital which purpose is to invest in companies with activities related to the La Poste business; thus it may also act in the quality of a co-investor on behalf of the FCPIs.

The acknowledged XAnge Private Equity professionals comprise twelve employees.

Players:

• AXA Private Equity: Arnaud Dufer, François Jerphagnon
• XAnge Private Equity: François Cavalié, Etienne Arlet

Advisors of AXA Private Equity and XAnge Private Equity:

• Legal advice: Latham & Watkins (Olivier du Mottay, Coralie Oger)
• Accounting, financial and fiscal due diligence: Constantin (Gilles Cart-Tanneur, Brigitte NGuyen).
• Company financial advice: Financière Breteuil (Thierry Moreau)
• Company legal advice: Schmidt, Brunet, Henry & Associés (Philippe Schmidt, Marion Teyssier, Muriel Dajtlich)

Press contacts:

XAnge:
H&B Communication
Nadège Chapelin / Michèle Brischoux
Tel.: (33) 1 58 18 32 45
n.chapelin@hbcommunication.fr

AXA Private Equity:
+33 1 44 45 92 20