ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS AUTHORITY, PUBLISHED IN APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 78 OF THE LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 2017 Trading in the financial instruments of EKOPAK NV, ISIN BE0974380124 , on Euronext Brussels is suspended on the request of the company from 26/02/2026 at 14:36 CET until the publication of a press release.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS AUTHORITY, PUBLISHED IN APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 78 OF THE LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 2017 Trading in the financial instruments of WHAT'S COOKING GROUP, ISIN BE0003573814, on Euronext Brussels is suspended from 26/2/2026 at 08:30 CET until the publication of a press release.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS AUTHORITY, PUBLISHED IN APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 78 OF THE LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 2017Trading in the financial instruments of ABO Group, ISIN BE0974278104 on Euronext Brussels will re-open on 24/02/2026 at 09:00 CET.

The three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA – ESAs) have published two factsheets designed to help consumers protect themselves from crypto and other online frauds and scams and explain how fraudsters increasingly use artificial intelligence (AI) to deceive consumers.Fraud and scams are not new, but they have become much more sophisticated. Technologies like AI and blockchain make frauds and scams more convincing and harder to detect. The factsheets provide practical tips to help consumers recognise and avoid different types of frauds and scams. 

These agreed settlements consist of the payment of 54,000 euros and the publication, by name, on the website of the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA).This press release is not available in English. Please consult the French or Dutch.

This agreed settlement consists of the payment of 12,500 euros and the publication, by name, on the website of the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) for a period of three months.This press release is not available in English. Please consult the French or Dutch page.

In 2025, companies subject to the DORA regulation established a Register of Information (ROI) regarding their agreements with third-party ICT service providers. The FSMA collected these ROIs through a FiMiS survey and forwarded them to the European supervisory authorities ESMA, EIOPA and EBA (the ESAs). Based on this information, the ESAs identified the critical ICT service providers they supervise at European level.In 2026, this exercise will be repeated, but with a more limited scope. Only a limited number of companies will be required to submit their data. If there have been no changes compared to last year, they can simply confirm that the situation remains unchanged. If there are changes, they can either update last year's data or submit a new register. The technical specifications of the FiMiS Survey remain unchanged.This news article is not available in English. Please consult the French or Dutch page.

Have you met someone on an online platform? Has that person invited you to continue your discussion via another channel like WhatsApp or Telegram? Has the person told you he or she has made a fortune and knows someone who can help you make money easily by investing in cryptocurrencies? Beware of scams, especially in the run-up to Valentine’s Day.Some investment scams begin on dating applications (like Tinder, Bumble, Hinge, etc.). After having made a match with their targets, the scammers continue the discussion via another online app. In some cases, the scam begins with a message from an unknown number, a follow request on Instagram or a friend request on Facebook. After developing a relationship with their victims, the fraudsters soon start to talk money. They boast of their so-called fortune and share their secret of getting rich quick and without risk: a trading platform.Like the international organization IOSCO, which is running a campaign on this topic during the week of Valentine’s Day, the FSMA wishes once again to warn the public against this type of fraud. The warning of 10 October 2025, explains how this type of fraud works. Below you will find some advice on how to avoid falling into a trap. How to avoid this kind of fraudDon’t let yourself be duped by someone who boasts of his or her wealth and regularly talks about money or investments. Be suspicious if the person is persistent and offers you an ‘investment opportunity’ with guaranteed returns via a specific trading platform. Never act in haste. If something doesn’t seem quite right or appears to be too good to be true, stop and take time to think about it. Never send money to someone whom you have only met online. If someone directs you to a trading platform, check that it holds an authorization from the FSMA. Also check the date when the website was created, for example via a site that allows you to perform a ‘Whois’ search. If you don’t understand the products or if the offer seems too complex, don’t invest.Avoid revealing too much personal information to your interlocutor, and above all, do not send copies of your identity documents or credit card. The scammers may use these documents to commit fraud. Protect your data on social media as well, by means of your confidentiality settings.Ignore any messages you receive from an unknown number. If you receive a new friend request, check the person’s identity. Artificial intelligence makes it easier to create fake profiles or fake videos. Don’t join any chat or trading groups to which you have been added without asking.As a rule, report these persons and suspicious activities on social media, dating sites or messaging apps.What to do if you have been the victim of such a scam? Stop making any transactions and break off all contact with the fraudsters: don’t make any more payments and don’t provide any additional personal or financial information. Break off all contact with the fraudsters, including with the person who contacted you on the dating app or social media. They may try to manipulate you in order to take even more money from you.Contact your bank: Inform your bank immediately if you have made any payments to the fraudulent platform.Report the fraud to the competent authorities: contact the FSMA and file a complaint with the police.Document all exchanges of data and transactions: Gather all the evidence of your communications with the platform, including emails, messages, account statements and screen shots of the transactions. These items will be valuable when you report the fraud.Be wary of ‘recovery rooms’: fraudsters contact people who are already victims of a scam and offer to help them, for a fee, to recover their lost money. Often this constitutes yet another attempt at fraud.To verify whether or not a provider of financial services and products is authorized by the FSMA or has been the subject of a warning, please visit the website of the FSMA.Does the company hold an authorization? Check that the authorization has not lapsed and be on your guard against identity theft, known as 'cloned firms'. If an entity is not listed on the website of the FSMA, this means it is not authorized to offer such products in Belgium. Is the company named in a warning? In that case, you should under no circumstances respond to an offer they have made to you. But please note: the list of fraudulent companies provided on the FSMA’s website is not exhaustive.For more information, please consult the ‘How to recognize and avoid fraud’ page on the FSMA website. The site provides additional tips to help you avoid investment fraud. Please watch our awareness-raising videos as well (available in French and Dutch only).

This circular FSMA_2026_03 (available in French or Dutch only) informs obliged entities on the contents of the information, and the modalities for their transmission, intended to be used to assess the compliance and the efficiency of the system they have implemented for combating money laundering and the financing of terrorism. This information is collected by means of an annual questionnaire, which is an important tool in the exercise of the Financial Services and Markets Authority’s permanent legal supervisory powers in combating ML/TF.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS AUTHORITY, PUBLISHED IN APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 78 OF THE LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 2017Trading in the financial instruments of CELYAD ONCOLOGY, ISIN BE0974260896 on Euronext Brussels will re-open on 12/02/2026 at 09:00 CET.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS AUTHORITY, PUBLISHED IN APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 78 OF THE LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 2017Trading in the financial instruments of CELYAD ONCOLOGY, ISIN BE0974260896, on Euronext Brussels is suspended from 11/02/2026 at 14:35 CET until the publication of a press release.

The Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) warns the public against the activities of unauthorized lenders who offer consumers fake credit.The FSMA has identified 40 new fraudulent lenders who offer fake credit to Belgian consumers via the internet. Consumers come into contact with such providers in a variety of ways: they receive unsolicited messages via email or social media (Facebook, WhatsApp, etc.) or find advertisements online. Given the current economic situation, consumers often search for extra funds in the form of credit, and as a result may come into contact with questionable players.In practice, these involve fake credit that is offered to consumers in order to coax consumers into giving them money. The fraudsters claim to be authorized lenders or registered credit intermediaries, and do not hesitate to use the names or logos of well-known credit institutions. In such cases, this is considered to be a case of ‘cloned firm’ fraud.The fraudsters offer loans at very attractive conditions. For example, the credit provider claims to lend large amounts at a low interest rate. It also claims that there will be no credit check on the consumer to determine whether he or she is a poor payer who has taken out loans in the past which he or she was unable to repay.Consumers who accept the credit offer are asked to pay some costs associated with the credit up front. These may be presented as an insurance premium to cover the lender against default on the loan, file handling costs, administrative costs, etc. But these are all fictitious costs.Once the consumers have paid these so-called costs, the ‘lender’ disappears into thin air and it is nearly impossible to recover the sums paid.The FSMA therefore strongly advises not to take up such credit offers.The illegally operating companies against which the FSMA warns the public are as follows:24 uur krediet (24uurkrediet.com)Arc Credit (c-arcgroup.com)ASF Groep (asfgroep.com)Banque Financier, Banque Financier De Ville (banquefinancier.com)Belg Krediet (belg-krediet.com)Boostkrediet, Boostkrediet Dienst (boostkrediet-dienst.com)Cash Lenen (cashlenen.com)CMSIQ (cmseur.com)Credsolux (credsolux.com)Crets Beheer (crets-beheer.com)Direct-Lening (direct-lening.com)Doric Finance (doricglobaal-krediet.com)Eurofins Agence (eurofins-agence.com)Financiële regularisatie (financiele-regularisatie.com)Finanturbo (finanturbo.com)Finanz krediet (finanz-krediet.com)Finax (Clone) (finaxo.be)Groep Kapitalis (Groepkapitalis.com)Groep-Financien (groep-financien.com)Horyten (horyten.com)Korenixunion (korenixunion.com)Krediet Zeker (kredietzeker.com)Krediet48 (krediet48.com)Kredit Chris (Clone) (chrisprosolutions.com)Le Bon Emprunt (lebon-emprunt.com)Lenen-Nu (Lenen-nu.com)Lopesgroups (lopesgroups.com)Money Snel Service (moneysnel-service.com)Nationale Krediet (nationalekrediet.com)Ola Krediet (olakredit.info)Prêteur riquier (preteur-riquier.com)Rescousse Credit (rescousse-credit.com)SEDEF Bank (sedef-bk.com)SGF Compagnie, SGF-Compagny (sgf-compagny.com, sgfcompagnie.com)Crédit Sofinco (Clone)Spon Bedrijf (spon-bedrijf.com)Ultrafin Group (ultrafin-group.com)Uni Group (uni-group.com)VDK Belfast (Clone) (vdk-belfast.com)Vousfinancer Belgique (vousfinancerbelgique.com)The FSMA has a number of general recommendations to enable you to recognize such fraudulent credit offers:Be suspicious if you are suddenly offered credit out of the blue via the internet or social media.Beware of any offers of credit on very favourable terms (a loan that is very large in relation to the consumer’s financial situation, at a very low interest rate or with an unusually long repayment period, etc.) that would not usually be available from authorized lenders.Be all the more suspicious if the lender makes the credit subject to the payment of a sum of money intended to cover certain costs before the credit will be granted. The justifications given for such a payment can vary: they may be called an insurance premium with a view to insuring the lender against default on the loan, file handling costs, authentication costs, administrative costs, etc. These costs are purely fictitious. Once the money has been paid, the ‘lender’ disappears and the victim never recovers the money transferred.Enquire whether the lender has the necessary authorization or registration. Via the search function on the FSMA’s website, you can easily determine whether this person has the necessary authorization or registration. Persons without an authorization or registration may not offer you credit.Consider doing a search for the person using the customary search engines. You may find testimonials by people who have already been approached by the same person. But remain alert, as sometimes these are falsely positive testimonials posted by the company itself in order to gain the confidence of consumers.More than ever, prudence is necessary. In case of any doubt, and before making any (more) payments, do not hesitate to contact the FSMA directly using the contact form on its website. As well, please feel free to notify the FSMA of any contact with a suspicious company that has not yet been the subject of a warning by the FSMA.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS AUTHORITY, PUBLISHED IN APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 78 OF THE LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 2017Trading in the financial instruments of BIOTALYS, ISIN BE0974386188 on Euronext Brussels will re-open on 09/02/2026 at 14:00 CET.

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS AUTHORITY, PUBLISHED IN APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 78 OF THE LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 2017Trading in the financial instruments of BIOTALYS, ISIN BE0974386188, on Euronext Brussels is suspended on the request of the company from 9/2/2026 at 9:00 CET until the publication of a press release.

The FSMA has published a new edition of its Retail Investor Dashboard. This publication provides an overview of the behaviour of Belgian retail investors.Increased investor activity in the third quarter of 2025About 221,000 Belgian retail investors traded in shares in the third quarter of 2025. In addition, 110,000 Belgian retail investors traded in ETFs and 19,000 of them in bonds during the same period. In comparison with the previous quarter, these figures indicate an increase in the number of active investors in shares and bonds, while the number of active investors in ETFs remained stable. The number of active investors in shares reached a 5-year high.During the third quarter of 2025, 20,000, 20,000 and 6,000 Belgian retail investors traded for the first time in shares, ETFs or bonds, respectively. For the first time in more than a year, the number of new investors in ETFs did not exceed the number of new investors in shares.In all, Belgian retail investors carried out more than 1.6 million transactions in shares during the third quarter of 2025. In addition, around 370,000 ETF transactions and 29,000 bond transactions were carried out. The bond market saw an increase in the number of transactions for the first time since the second quarter of 2024.Trade in defence-related shares and ETFs has risen sharply since 2024The number of transactions in defence-related shares and ETFs carried out by Belgian retail investors rose sharply in 2024 and increased further in 2025. During the first nine months of 2025, about 300,000 transactions were recorded in the defence sector. This represents a tenfold increase over the number of annual transactions carried out in the 2021-2023 period. Shares in defence industries, in particular, seem popular, partly because many (European) defence ETFs were launched only in 2024 or later.Investments in the defence sector by Belgian retail investors remain chiefly within the EU. More than 60% of the transactions carried out in 2024 involved a European defence share or an ETF that focuses specifically on European defence. In 2025, that percentage rose to 75%. An analysis of trade volumes reveals similar results. The increase in defence-related investments by Belgian retail investors occurred mainly among investors over the age of 50. In the first nine months of 2025, that group accounted for almost 70% of all transactions in defence-related shares and ETFs. By contrast, during the same period, young people under 30 carried out only 5% of all defence-related transactions. The latter age group seems less inclined to invest in defence.

In 2025, the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) received 306 whistleblowers’ reports, which is up by 12% over the previous year and more than twice the number of reports received in 2022. Reports submitted via the  Whistleblowers’ point of contact, as well as complaints filed via the channel specific to the  banker’s oath (available in French - Dutch only), help the FSMA detect infringements at an early stage and enable the FSMA, where applicable, to take measures against inappropriate conduct. The FSMA also received 4,674 consumer reports in 2025, mostly relating to unlawful or fraudulent offers.Whistleblowers play an important role in detecting infringements of financial legislationSince 2017, the FSMA has had a channel for persons wishing to report possible infringements of the financial legislation and regulations with which the FSMA supervises compliance. The reports received are treated with particular care, to ensure that anonymity and confidentiality are guaranteed. The FSMA received 139 reports via that channel in 2022, 238 in 2023, 274 in 2024 and 306 in 2025. These reports concern a wide range of tasks carried out by the FSMA (supervision of financial products, surveillance of financial markets and supervision of information disseminated by companies, supervision of conduct of business rules, supervision of financial service providers and intermediaries, supervision of supplementary pensions, unlawful activity, etc.). These reports are important to the supervision conducted by the FSMA. Some of them give rise to investigations and may lead to the imposition of sanctions. The new banker’s oath regime further strengthens the protection of financial consumersRecently, the banker’s oath regime was introduced to strengthen the existing legislation and regulations, holding bankers personally responsible for their actions. It imposes individual rules of conduct on bankers, placing the emphasis on the principles of integrity, professionalism and the fair treatment of customers. These rules also apply to persons subject to fit and proper requirements and to managers responsible, crucial in order to guarantee bankers’ ethics and integrity. The banker’s oath regime applies to about 30,000 people in Belgium. It is accompanied by potential disciplinary sanctions, such as a ban on carrying out professional activities for up to three years. To guarantee the efficacy of this type of sanction, any applicant for a position as banker must have a certificate from the FSMA confirming that they are not subject to a professional ban. A specific channel for complaints has been set up. Currently, more than 500 people who hold managerial positions have taken the banker’s oath at the FSMA, and 3,350 people took the oath at their credit institution.The channels are complementary and usefulThese channels are particularly useful. They are not intended to enable complainants to obtain individual compensation, but to lead to solutions to problems that are important for all financial consumers. The channels are therefore a priority for the FSMA.The various channels are complementary. The complaint channel specific to the banker’s oath is intended to receive complaints about disciplinary issues on the part of bankers, whereas the Whistleblowers’ point of contact is for infringements of any other financial legislation and regulations with which the FSMA supervises compliance. The information received by the FSMA through either channel is protected by the FSMA’s obligation of confidentiality. Complaints relating to the banker’s oath give rise to investigations that consider both the charges and the defence, ensuring that the right to self-defence is respected. More and more people are turning to the FSMAIn addition, an increasing number of consumers have been contacting the FSMA to ask questions, request certain types of information or report cases of fraud. In 2025, the FSMA received 4,674 consumer reports, which is three times higher than in 2016 and 13% higher than in 2024. This increase has been continuing year on year. A majority of the reports submitted to the FSMA concern unlawful or fraudulent offers. In 2025, the FSMA received an average of 273 reports every month relating to these matters. In addition, an increasing number of consumers have been turning to the FSMA before investing money, to check if their interlocutor is trustworthy. This is the best way to avoid falling victim to fraud. Since April 2025, the FSMA has blocked 245 fraudulent domain names via the Belgian Anti-Phishing Shield (BAPS), thereby preventing consumers from consulting a fraudulent website a total of 22,973 times.Jean-Paul Servais, Chairman of the FSMA: 'The fact that a steadily increasing number of people are contacting the FSMA is a positive trend. This indicates, first, that the FSMA is becoming ever better known and is recognized as a trusted interlocutor: consumers are more and more likely to contact it when they have a question about a financial matter or before investing money, to check if their provider is trustworthy. This is the best way to prevent falling victim to fraud. Furthermore, for a modern and agile supervisory authority, it is crucial to listen both to members of the financial sector and to the public at large. In this way, the FSMA is better able to have the finger on the pulse of the Belgian financial sector and to detect, as early as possible, important signals that may require it to act quickly and effectively.' The FSMA offers various access points through which it can be contactedBelow are the specific contact channels provided by the FSMA: Whistleblowers’ point of contactChannel for complaints relating to the banker’s oath (available in French - Dutch only)Channel for questions relating to investment fraud and credit fraudGeneral consumer contact formContact form for professionals

ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE FINANCIAL SERVICES AND MARKETS AUTHORITY, PUBLISHED IN APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 78 OF THE LAW OF 21 NOVEMBER 2017Trading in the financial instruments of ABO Group, ISIN BE0974278104, on Euronext Brussels is suspended on the request of the issuer from 26/01/2026 at 9:00 CET until the publication of a press release.

One of the tasks entrusted to the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA) is to combat unlawful activities in the area of financial investments. It publishes a dashboard that provides statistics as well as an overview of the main trends regarding investment fraud. Today, it is publishing the dashboard for the second half of 2025.This edition of the dashboard highlights the following items: For the second half of 2025:A new type of fraud, taking the form of supposedly exclusive investment advice via WhatsApp groups, has duped several victims, with losses in this category totalling more than 9.5 million euros.Consumer reports of scams linked to cryptocurrencies or fraudulent trading platforms make up nearly half of the consumer reports of fraud received by the FSMA.Between July and December 2025, Belgian consumers reported to the FSMA having collectively lost more than 23,443,906 euros due to fraud.For the full year:In 2025, the FSMA received a total of 2,911 consumer reports about unlawful activity. This is an increase of 11 % compared to 2024.In the course of 2025, the FSMA published a total of 19 warnings against a total of 240 fraudulent entities and 316 websites. Requests were made to the judicial authorities to block those sites.The dashboard is available on the website of the FSMA.In 2025, the FSMA further extended its various actions to prevent any other Belgians from falling victim to investment fraud. Among other things, the FSMA participated in a major  awareness-raising campaign launched by the Centre for Cybersecurity Belgium (CCB) with various partners.The FSMA also joined the Belgian Anti-Phishing Shield (BAPS), an initiative of the CCB. Thanks to this tool, anyone who surfs to a website that the FSMA considers fraudulent is redirected to a webpage containing a warning. This new approach has had great success: since 15 May, the FSMA has entered 245 names of fraudulent websites; 22,973 unique IP addresses were thus redirected to the FSMA’s warning page instead of to a fraudulent website.

The FSMA warns the Belgian public against the activities of the SE-RE-CO company in the area of mortgage credit.The SE-RE-CO company is not a regulated entity and is thus not authorised to offer mortgage credit to Belgian consumers.SE-RE-CO uses the trading name “SERECO” and is established in Belgium at Deken Jonckheerestraat 2, box 202, 8560 Wevelgem. Its website is https://bm-sereco.be. Its primary activity is in the sector of real estate development.According to the information available to the FSMA, SERECO appears, at first glance, to offer mortgage credit to Belgian consumers.However, SERECO is not authorised to carry out such activities within Belgium.As a result, SERECO may not engage in any advertising and may not present, offer, prepare or conclude credit contracts. The documentation provided by SERECO may consist exclusively of non-personalized documentation drawn up by a lender or a credit intermediary and under the latters’ responsibility. SERECO may also not encourage clients to use its services to obtain more detailed explanations of the said documentation.Thus, SERECO must limit its activities solely to directing potential clients to a credit intermediary or a lender. Any activity beyond those limits requires registration with the FSMA.The FSMA therefore advises consumers to exercise vigilance and refuse any offer of mortgage credit made directly by SERECO.If you have any doubts regarding a provider of financial services or products, feel free to consult the FSMA’s registers using the search function made available on its website.

This agreed settlement consists of the payment of 10,000 euros and the publication, by name, on the website of the Financial Services and Markets Authority (FSMA).This press release is not available in English. Please consult the French or Dutch.