Seven companies approved for trading on new First North segment
Stockholm, February 18, 2009 — The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:NDAQ) on
Monday successfully launched a new segment on its First North growth market,
called First North Premier. The new segment supports companies on First North
who seek to enhance investor visibility and credibility by complying with the
NASDAQ OMX Nordic main market disclosure and accounting rules. To date, seven
companies have been approved for trading on First North Premier.
The companies approved for trading on First North Premier are: Aqeri Holding
AB, Black Earth Farming Ltd., CellaVision AB, Entraction AB, Guava A/S, Precio
Systemutveckling AB and Tretti AB.
Companies in the First North Premier segment commit to follow the disclosure
rules for the NASDAQ OMX Nordic main market, and to apply International
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for accounting and financial reports.
Jenny Rosberg, Senior Vice President, NASDAQ OMX said, “We are delighted to
offer this opportunity for companies that are interested in committing to
deliver a higher standard of transparency, thereby enabling increased liquidity
in their shares. This is also a great opportunity for companies that are
preparing for the next step -- a listing on our Nordic main market.”
The First North Premier segment is available on NASDAQ OMX markets in
Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki and Iceland. For more information about First
North Premier visit:
www.nasdaqomx.com/listingcenter/firstnorth/premier.
About First North
First North is an alternative market, operated by the different exchanges
within NASDAQ OMX Nordic. It gives companies greater visibility and ease of
access to Northern Europe's largest pool of capital, combining the benefits of
being on-market with simplicity. This means that the companies admitted to
trading at First North are given the same possibilities as larger companies,
but with lighter regulations. During 2007 and 2008, 10 companies admitted to
trading on First North have moved to the main market. First North does not have
the legal status of an EU-regulated market. Companies at First North are
subject to the rules of First North and not the legal requirements for
admission to trading on a regulated market. The risk in such an investment may
be higher than on the main market.
ABOUT NASDAQ OMX GROUP
The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. is the world's largest exchange company. It delivers
trading, exchange technology and public company services across six continents,
with over 3,800 listed companies. NASDAQ OMX Group offers multiple capital
raising solutions to companies around the globe, including its U.S. listings
market, NASDAQ OMX Nordic, NASDAQ OMX Baltic, NASDAQ OMX First North, and the
U.S. 144A sector. The company offers trading across multiple asset classes
including equities, derivatives, debt, commodities, structured products and
ETFs. NASDAQ OMX Group technology supports the operations of over 70 exchanges,
clearing organizations and central securities depositories in more than 50
countries. NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic are not legal entities but
describe the common offering from NASDAQ OMX Group exchanges in Helsinki,
Copenhagen, Stockholm, Iceland, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. For more
information about NASDAQ OMX, visit www.nasdaqomx.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The matters described herein contain forward-looking statements that are made
under the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform
Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about
NASDAQ OMX's products and offerings. We caution that these statements are not
guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from
those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other factors beyond
NASDAQ OMX's control. These factors include, but are not limited to factors
detailed in NASDAQ OMX's annual report on Form 10-K, and periodic reports filed
with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to
release any revisions to any forward-looking statements. There can be no
assurance that the FSA will give the NASDAQ OMX applicant the authorization and
permissions which it seeks.
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CONTACTS:
The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc.
Anna Rasin
+46 8 406 6612
anna.rasin@nasdaqomx.com
Carl Norell
+46 8 405 66 39
carl.norell@nasdaqomx.com
