Warsaw bourse hosts IPO summit
The third international IPO summit took place at the Warsaw Stock Exchange between June 6-7 2013, bringing together entrepreneurs and investors working in Central and Eastern Europe.
“In 2012 the Warsaw Stock Exchange was the leading stock exchange in Europe in terms of the number of debuts,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said at the opening ceremony.
Panels focused on debating issues relevant to entrepreneurs and investors, such as the April 2013 launch of the Universal Trading Platform (UTP); a new trading system on the Warsaw Stock Exchange, which develops the clearing and settlement infrastructure.
The position of the Warsaw Stock Exchange among EU financial centers was also debated. Western Europe still considers Poland as an emerging economy, and therefore an attractive but risky region to invest in. Investors complained that the Warsaw Stock Exchange was inaccessible from abroad – fund managers do not sell WSE stocks abroad.
Polish investors on the other hand think that EU regulations hamper vibrant growth, but note that a lot of financing is currently coming from other emerging markets. For this reason the 2013 IPO summit also focused on attracting investors and entrepreneurs from Eastern Europe and the CIS.
The event aims to “build a bridge between people who need money and people who have money,” according to Mark Mobius, Executive Chairman of Templeton Emerging Markets Group.
Tusk emphasized that “the Warsaw Stock Exchange ranks fifth among European bourses for stock market asset value, which amounts to approximately EUR 700 mln annually.”
The conference presented innovations in the WSE trading system. Listed companies and those looking to launch IPOs were also discussed.
