H40 index: boosting the global visibility of French hydrogen
How can promising startups and small caps in the French hydrogen sector go global? The H40 index, launched last week, is part of the answer.
Hydrogen: the fuel of the future
Hydrogen is increasingly positioned as a central pillar in the decarbonization of the global economy. It has the potential to enable some of the most polluting industries – transportation, industry, power generation – to dramatically reduce their carbon emissions. But the industry is still emerging, with high production costs and a complex value chain posing challenges that must be overcome to enable the fuel to fulfil its huge potential.
From startups to world leaders
The hydrogen industry is not a homogenous whole but a vast value chain spanning equipment manufacturing, hydrogen production and infrastructure. It counts a large number of players, including a high proportion of small and medium-sized companies. These startups and smaller companies are generally highly specialized and are key drivers of innovation in their specific areas of focus.
In France there are over 400 actors involved in the hydrogen industry, 175 of which are small and medium-sized companies according to Task Force Hydrogène. Once of the missions of this task force, created jointly by MEDEF International and France Hydrogène in 2021, is to promote this galaxy of companies, and to help them transform themselves from French to global players.
An index for Hydrogen startups
An important brick in this strategy was laid last week with the launch by Task Force Hydrogène of H40, the first stock index for French startups and small caps in the hydrogen industry.
The index, open to all companies in the French hydrogen industry with market capitalizations of less than 250 million euros and at least three employees, aims to increase the international visibility of its members, and help to build partnerships to support their innovation and development.
Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking is a member of France Hydrogène and an active supporter of this new index and its underlying companies. Its experts Frank Pluta, Global Head of Energy Transition and Natural Resources; Antoine Trieux and Laura Payet, Industry Bankers, Energy Transition; attended the event Construisons ensemble l’hydrogène de demain (Lets build tomorrow’s hydrogen together) at Station F in Paris, where the index was launched last week.
Natixis CIB, a leading bank for the hydrogen industry
Natixis CIB is one of the leading banking partners for the hydrogen industry, financing and advising global players and fast-growing mid to upper caps, and working in close cooperation within Groupe BPCE with the Banque Populaire and Caisse d’Epargne banks to extend its expertise to small cap companies in the sector.
