The integration of the Nordic markets advanced today with news that HEX Integrated Markets – the marketplace division of the company created by the merger of OM and the Helsinki Exchanges – will join the NOREX Alliance.
“The merger between OM and HEX was a major step in the creation of an integrated Nordic and Baltic securities market,” says Jukka Ruuska, Deputy CEO of OMHEX and President of HEX Integrated Markets. “It is natural for us to continue integration by including all HEX Integrated Markets’ marketplaces, the Stockholm, Helsinki, Tallinn and Riga exchanges, in the existing co-operation with our NOREX partners.”
The goal of NOREX is to create fully integrated Nordic and Baltic securities markets which enhance the liquidity and competitiveness of the capital markets of the region. “Including HEX Integrated Markets, NOREX will cover the whole Nordic region and two thirds of the Baltic area, comprising of seven exchanges, four clearinghouses and three central securities depositories (CSDs),” says Hans-Ole Jochumsen, President and CEO of Copenhagen Stock Exchange. “Our common vision is to create a joint, fully integrated market place for financial instruments, including shares, bonds and derivatives, which in sum will be one of the world’s most efficient securities markets.”
In connection with HEX Integrated Markets becoming a member of NOREX, a new NOREX agreement will be negotiated. It is expected to be signed during the first quarter of 2004.
“The integrated trading platform and harmonization of rules and practices will generate many benefits to our customers, including increased liquidity, more efficient member access, broader service range and lower costs when connecting to Nordic markets,” adds Kerstin Hessius, Chairman of NOREX and President of Stockholmsbrsen. “An integrated Nordic and Baltic market will also attract new members, issuers and investors.”
“Once the Finnish, Estonian and Latvian markets start trading on the SAXESS trading system next year, easy access to securities from seven markets will be available through one trading system,” says Sven Arild Andersen, President and CEO of Oslo Brs. “On the other hand different clearing and settlement market practices and technologies represent challenges for the order to facilitate cross-border settlement within and into the Nordic area. Thus the exchanges are looking forward to collaborate further with the CSDs to simplify cross-border clearing and settlement in the Nordic area in order to further increase the competitiveness of the Nordic and Baltic region.”
“ICEX embraces this important step towards an integrated Nordic and Baltic securities market,” concludes Thordur Fridjonsson, President and CEO of Iceland Stock Exchange. “We believe that such a common market in this region provides a solid foundation for a competitive and efficient securities market in the global setting.”
HEX Integrated Markets, division of OMHEX, is northern Europe’s largest securities market. Through its exchange operations within Stockholmsbrsen, HEX Helsinki, HEX Tallinn and HEX Riga it offers investors access to 80 per cent of the Nordic and Baltic equity market. HEX Integrated Markets also operates CSDs in Finland, Estonia and Latvia.
NOREX is the strategic alliance between the Nordic stock exchanges. The NOREX Alliance is the first stock exchange alliance to implement a joint system for equity trading and harmonise rules and requirements between the exchanges with respect to trading and membership. The Alliance currently consists of the Copenhagen Stock Exchange, Iceland Stock Exchange, Oslo Brs and Stockholmsbrsen.