SEE LINK INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE HELD IN BELGRADE
SEE Link enables regional companies easier access to investors
April 10, 2017
The market capitalisation of SEE LINK today exceeds 38,5 billion dollars, which proves that the pioneering efforts of creating a joint trading platform of the Ljubljana, Zagreb, Belgrade, Skopje and Sofia stock exchanges has a bright future ahead, said Ivan Takev, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the SEE Link and the CEO of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange – Sofia welcoming participants of the SEE LINK INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2017, held in Belgrade.
The conference was attended by more than 70 participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
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Even though the stock markets aren't connected through joint ownership, with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, they have managed to create a sustainable order-routing platform whose significance for the economies of member countries and listed companies will soon be apparent, the participants of the SEE Link conference, including stock markets and brokerage CEOs and investors, agreed.
After an initial showcase of stock portfolios of SEE Link member stock markets, the participants of the round table discussion talked about the technical, legal and organizational challenges still ahead of SEE Link.
Participants of the roundtable agreed that it is necessary to solve some side issues in order for platform to reach its full potential, and the moderator Ivana Gažić, Zagreb Stock Exchange President of the MB, concluded that this is a long process that takes a lot of efforts from all the capital markets participants.
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Ivan Takev explained how the leaders of stock markets from Zagreb, Skopje and Sofia have decided to create the infrastructure needed to foster and boost trading. The end of March of this year marks the first year that the SEE Link platform is fully operational, Takev emphasized. After the bulk of technical and institutional obstacles have been overcome, now trading takes place on the platform daily. Promotional activities such as this SEE LINK conference help build visibility for the platform and its future.
SEE Link's plans for the upcoming period include boosting the platform’s liquidity, expanding the SEE Link network with new stock exchanges and brokers joining, solving the issues of cross-border clearing and settlement and increasing the visibility of the SEE Link markets through joint conferences and roadshows.
The Belgrade and Ljubljana Stock Exchanges joined SEE LINK at the end of 2016, while the project officially launched in May 2014, with the setting up of a joint company in Skopje.
Funding for the project was provided by EBRD donors through the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund with a €540,000 grant to introduce an electronic system for order-routing. In parallel, participating stock exchanges extended €80,000 to SEE Link.
SEE Link order routing system has become fully operational at the end of the March 2016. The two SEE Link indices ‒ SEE LinX and SEE LinX EWI ‒ were launched in the beginning of April same year.
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Sanda Kuhtić Nalis, Head of Marketing Team |
Josip Jagić, Communication Advisor |
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About SEE LINK:
SEE Link is a project started by the Bulgarian, Croatian and Macedonian stock exchanges with the aim of creating regional infrastructure for the trading of securities. Formalising this cooperation, the three stock exchanges set up SEE Link as a joint company in May 2014, located in Skopje. The EBRD supported the initial phase of the SEE Link project with a €540,000 grant to introduce an electronic system for order-routing in July 2014. Funding for the project was provided by EBRD donors through the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund. In parallel, participating stock exchanges extended €80,000 to SEE Link.
SEE Link order routing system has become fully operational at the end of the March 2016. The two SEE Link indices ‒ SEE LinX and SEE LinX EWI ‒ were launched in the beginning of April same year. Ljubljana and Belgrade stock exchanges have joined the SEE link network at the end of 2016. SEE Link order-routing system now supports trading for a total of five markets, with a combined equity market capitalisation of more than US$ 38,5 billion and more than 500 stocks eligible for trading. A total of 27 investment companies (brokerage houses) are licensed to trade via SEE Link.
More: http://www.see-link.net/