Press releases 2003

Stockholm, 6 February 2003

Advisers commit to helping Nordic companies list in London

The London Stock Exchange announced today that 18 corporate finance advisers have committed to assisting Nordic companies access its capital markets.

Of the 18 advisers, 16 are UK based and two are based in the Nordic region – Thenberg & Kinde Fondkommission AB and Lindebergs Grant Thornton. All have a specific interest in working with Nordic companies and have resources dedicated to the region. The details of the advisers have been included in a new Nordic adviser directory, which the Exchange published for the first time today.

Marcus Hamberg, the Exchange's Nordic Regional Manager, said: "This directory reflects the commitment that a number of advisers have made to the region. It forms part of our plan to build on the infrastructure that helps Nordic companies access the London markets. Any Nordic company that is thinking about accessing a public market will find this directory very useful."

The Exchange is seeking to attract more Nordic companies to its markets, including AIM, the international market for smaller, growing companies. The directory contains details of a range of advisers that can give expert advice on the flotation process and benefits of accessing the London markets.

Pär Ekengren, Head of Corporate Finance at Lindebergs Grant Thornton, said: "We're pleased to be included in this directory since we are well prepared to advise clients in this process from early stage to flotation. We see an increased interest in the AIM market from a number of local companies with ambitious international expansion strategies."

The directory is available from the Exchange's Nordic office in Stockholm or to download online.

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Notes to editors:

The London Stock Exchange established a permanent local operation when it opened its Nordic regional office in Stockholm last October.

The local operation allows Nordic companies to remain local while benefiting fully from being on the world’s most international exchange, including unrivalled access to capital, liquidity and visibility.

The opening of the office followed 12 months of intense activity in the region. This included extensive market research with more than 100 in-depth interviews with senior representatives of local issuers, brokers and advisers.

The Exchange's research has shown that Nordic companies in general – and Nordic growth companies in particular – find the key benefits that the Exchange offers highly attractive.

In 2002, the London Stock Exchange accounted for 74 per cent of all the IPOs in western Europe, including 60 IPOs on AIM alone.

Lindebergs Grant Thornton is one of Sweden's leading audit and consultancy firms with over 600 employees represented by 37 offices across Sweden. Lindebergs Grant Thornton Corporate Finance is located at the firm's Stockholm office. Lindebergs Grant Thornton is affiliated with Grant Thornton UK which is an approved nominated adviser (nomad) for AIM and has performed 79 AIM flotations to date.

A nomad is a corporate adviser approved by the London Stock Exchange to advise companies on AIM, the international market for smaller, growing companies.