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Matti Hyyrynen, EBRD’s Head of the Baltics and Arminta Saladziene, Vice President of Nasdaq Baltic.
- Nasdaq Baltic recognises EBRD role in region’s capital market reform
- Biennial award highlights commitment to sustainable investments
- Affirms Bank’s combined approach of investment and policy dialogue
The EBRD has won the “Ally of the Year” award by Nasdaq Baltic for its contribution to the development of capital markets in the region. The EBRD was recognised as a “strong partner [for] anchoring investments in the Baltic region” and its contribution to the region’s “sustainable growth”.
The prize was awarded by Arminta Saladziene, Vice President of Nasdaq Baltic, in a ceremony on Thursday evening. The festivities spanned seas, with the ceremony’s moderator broadcasting from New York to celebrations in Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius via video bridge. Matti Hyyrynen, EBRD’s Head of the Baltics, accepted the award on behalf of the Bank.
He said: “I am grateful and proud of this prestigious recognition of the EBRD’s work in capital market development in the region. We are impressed by the efforts that are being made in the Baltics where authorities, regulators, investors and financial institutions share the goal to support growth and the sound supply of finance.”
As part of efforts to help further develop the region’s capital markets, the EBRD has been working with authorities from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as the European Commission, to create a pan-Baltic capital market to strengthen their economies and stimulate investment with a common framework for the issuance of covered bonds blending mortgages.
In addition, throughout the past year the EBRD has acquired holdings in the recent public offerings of Auga Group, and AS Tallinna Sadam, was recognised as the “Stock Exchange Event of the Year” from Estonia and was the first listing of a Sovereign Owned Enterprise in the Baltics for over 20 years. The EBRD also invested in various bonds in the region, one of which – Lietuvos Energija – was recognised by Nasdaq Baltic yesterday as well.
Supporting the development of local capital markets is one of the EBRD’s strategic priorities. The Bank’s combined approach of policy dialogue and investments helps utilise the strengths of the three Baltic states to further integrate their capital markets.
The EBRD has been investing in the Baltic states since they regained their independence in 1991. To date, the Bank’s total investment stands at more than €2.2 billion through 256 projects.
