There are some quirks in European share classes that are worth observing. We highlight the more important here:
German Participation Shares
At present, on the German market, we include Participation Certificates in the Stock Directory (e.g. Bertelsmann). These certificates are referred as “Gewinnschein" or a "Genussschein"
Participation shares are equity paper which do not confer any ownership rights but grant the holder the right to participate in the net profit and the liquidation proceeds, as well as the right to subscribe to new shares.
As per the SIX exchange website, you can find some of the features of a "Gewinnschein" listed below:
This equity instrument is typical for Austria and Germany.
The owner of a "Gewinnschein" gets property rights but no voting rights.
The holder has the right to participate in the earnings.
There is no fixed distribution (in contrast to fixed income).
Some types of "Gewinnscheins" do not pay any dividend, and all the earnings are retained.
The holder also has the right to participate in case the company is liquidated.
Italian Savings Shares
Trading on the Milan Exchange in Italy are a few dozen “Savings Shares” listed across some of the most famous Italian companies such as Pirelli and Telecom Italia.
These are shares designed for smaller shareholders that don’t provide certain voting rights but do provide certain economic advantages with a preferential dividend that has similarities to preference shares. For example the Telecom Italia Savings Shares are defined as follows:
The Share Capital of Telecom Italia is currently divided into two different types of shares: ordinary and savings. Holders of ordinary shares have the right to attend, intervene and vote during ordinary and extraordinary Shareholders’ Meetings. They also have the right to obtain a part of the net income allocated by the company, subsequent to its distribution to Savings Shareholders.Holders of savings shares do not have the right to vote either in ordinary and in extraordinary Shareholders’ Meetings, but they benefit from the distribution of the net income for the year in the proportion of 5% of a fixed value of the share (0.55 euro) and, in any case, they have the right to receive a greater dividend than holders of ordinary shares in the proportion of 2% of the fixed value of the share.
Italian companies issuing Savings Shares are required by law to specify the substance of the financial privileges due to the shares and the conditions, limits, procedures and the terms for their exercise in a certificate of incorporation.