Geert Noels' company, Econopolis, has acquired the Dutch asset manager Double Dividend. The well-known Antwerp economist has also recruited two well-known former professional cyclists: Jan Bakelants and Bram Tankink.
Econopolis is an asset management firm and economic consulting firm based in Wilrijk. It was founded in 2009 by economist and opinion leader Geert Noels. The company currently manages assets totaling approximately four billion euros. “We’re not just here for wealthy people, but also for small savers. Anyone who has 100 euros to invest can come to us,” says Geert Noels. Econopolis creates funds consisting of stocks and bonds, in which you can invest, for example, through your bank.
Econopolis is now making its first overseas acquisition. The Antwerp-based company has acquired a majority stake in industry peer Double Dividend. As a result of the acquisition, Econopolis now employs fifty people, forty of whom are in Belgium and ten in the Netherlands. “This acquisition feels like coming home,” says Geert Noels. “Double Dividend founders Wals Kastrop, Remco Vinck, and the late Marian Hogeslag were my colleagues when I worked for the brokerage firm Petercam in the Netherlands in the early 2000s.”
