UniCredit Banca Mobiliare S.p.A. (UBM) will go live as a Market Maker on MTS France tomorrow, March 19, 2002. UBM, the investment banking arm of UniCredito Italiano and the first Italian financial institution to join the platform, was last year nominated as a French Market Specialist (SVT- Spcialiste en Valeurs du Trsor ) by Agence France Trsor.
Lorenzo Stanca, Head of Fixed Income and Forex Markets at UBM, said: “UBM’s commitment in the French Treasury market as an SVT is a natural development of its activity in Italy where it holds a leading position. We believe that operating as a Market Maker on the electronic platform of MTS France is a key factor in order to provide liquidity to the market. UBM has been among the major players in developing a similar trading system in Italy. This reflects our strong belief that transparency in the market place, and thereby creating value for investors, can only be achieved by participating in the process of modernization process of market structures.” UBM is also a European Primary Dealer on EuroMTS, a Primary Dealer on MTS S.p.A., MTS German Market, MTS Portugal and EuroCredit MTS.
MTS France is enjoying a solid start to 2002, with buoyant average daily turnover in excess of Euros 1 billion on sovereign and non-sovereign segments combined. MTS France expects to attract further members to its platform in the coming months, following the expansion of its issuer base and product lines.