26 April 2018
1st ATHEX Mid-Cap Conference

A total of 350 one-on-one meetings were held between the listed companies and 25 investment funds and 70 analysts and portfolio managers.

At the opening of the event, Mr. Sokratis Lazaridis, CEO of the Athens Exchange Group, noted in his address: "The organisation of the 1st ATHEX Mid-Cap Conference constitutes a recognition of the need for the promotion of mid-cap companies, which will allow them to capitalise on the opportunities offered by the Greek capital market, especially during a period when efforts at a European level are focused on putting in place the framework that will enable access of SMEs to the capital markets. With the Roadshows that we have organised in London and New York we have managed to promote the companies that took part in them and we hope to do the same for middle-sized enterprises. We believe that today's conference will further mobilise the investor community and open more channels for their communication with mid-cap listed companies. At the same time the broader capital market ecosystem must be set into motion in view of the challenges introduced by MIFID II".

Ms. Sabina Dziurman, Director for Greece and Cyprus at EBRD, also addressed the conference, noting, among other things, that: "During its two and a half years in Greece, EBRD has invested more than 1.6 billion euros in more than 30 investment proposals, whereas all its investments in Greece which pertain to the private sector were made with the parallel participation of foreign and Greek institutional investors. EBRD tangibly supports the corporate bond market of the Athens Stock Exchange, having already participated in three bond issues traded on ATHEX and its Board having approved another 100 million euros for its participation in other bond issues through the Athens Stock Exchange. Today's event is taking place at the right point in time, when a sense of trust is being established and the conditions of the Greek economy are improving - and this is the time when mid-cap companies should be reinforcing their investment program and export profile. EBRD offers its support to the businesses, and is also partnering with international investors for their participation in these companies".

Mr. Elias Lekkos, Chief Economist of Piraeus Bank, referred to the capacity of the Greek economy to expand and boost during 2018 its positive momentum from 2017. The positive conclusions from 2017 - according to Mr. Lekkos - include the fact that growth appears to be based on the recovery not just of tourism, but also a range of other financial activity sectors, such as industry, services, as well as the retail and wholesale trade sectors. At the same time, 2018 will not have any big bond maturities which in the past gave rise to a sense of heightened uncertainty, and neither will any new fiscal measures be adopted.

Perhaps the only issue is how we will make the transition from the current "surveillance" period to the post-memorandum era, and the manner in which the financing needs of the Hellenic Republic will be met.

Therefore, the Greek economy must take advantage of these favourable circumstances in order to gain serious momentum, which will allow it to not only record positive rates for 2018, but also maintain its positive course on a long-term horizon.

Mr. Elias Athanasiou, CEO of Enterprise Greece, stated: As a National Organisation looking outwards, one of our main goals is to attract foreign direct investments. We firmly support today's investment conference held by ATHEX as well as others, because we believe that the primary and secondary financial markets are interconnected vessels. The attraction of investor interest for both is important for the success of the new Greek Economy, which is extroverted and is based on the inflow of foreign investments into the country, as well as the reinforcement of Greek exports towards third countries. Congratulations to the people of ATHEX for yet one more exceptional event".   

Mr. Vassilis Kletsas, Senior Project Manager at the Listings Division of the Athens Exchange Group, underlined in his speech: "Since last year we have witnessed increased investor interest for ATHEX mid-cap companies, and we hope to see this trend growing after the ATHEX Mid-Cap Conference. This would lead to an increase of investment choices in ATHEX, a higher trading activity, and by extension, an environment more favourable to the listing of new companies in ATHEX".

The Conference was supported by nine (9) Greek investment companies: Alpha Finance, BETA Securities, NBG Securities, Eurobank Equities, Euroxx Securities, Ιnvestment Bank of Greece, Merit Securities, Pantelakis Securities, Piraeus Securities, N. Chryssochoidis Stock Brokerage as well as international investment firm Wood & Company.

The Enterprise Greece - Invest & Trade organisation was the sponsor of the event.

Download the το Press Release

Sokratis Lazaridis CEO of the Athens Exchange Group		Sabina Dziurman Director for Greece and Cyprus at EBRD
Elias Athanasiou CEO of Enterprise Greece		Elias Lekkos Chief Economist of Piraeus Bank
Vassilis Kletsas Senior Project Manager at the Listings Division of the Athens Exchange Group		View of the Congress

About the 1st ATHEX Mid-Cap Conference

The Athens Stock Exchange organised for the first time a Conference in Athens for Mid Cap Greek Companies. The conference was organised in the context of the activities we are planning with the aim of promoting middle capitalisation listed companies to the investor community, increasing their coverage by stock exchange analysts and reinforcing the marketability of their shares.

A series of meetings were held during the Conference between the representatives of the companies and stock market analysts as well as Greek and foreign institutional investors, whether one-on-one or in groups, along the lines of the Investor Roadshows organised by the Athens Stock Exchange in New York and London.  

 A total of 16 companies were presented, with a capitalisation ranging between 500 million euros and 100 million euros, which, excluding very few, are not included under the Large Cap index. They are moreover companies which in their majority are characterised by solid fundamentals.

 Other market stakeholders also delivered addresses in the context of the conference.

About Athens Exchange Group

The Athens Stock Exchange since its establishment in 1876, consistently participate in the financial and business developments in the country.

Athens Exchange Group (ATHEX Group), provides support to the Greek Capital Market. ATHEX Group operates the organized Equities and Derivatves markets, the alternative market and performs clearing and settlement of trades.

The Athens Stock Exchange, through its markets, offers solutions and financing tools to businesses, expands investor choice by providing a safe, stable and easy environment in full alignment with international practices and the European regulatory framework. It has held the ISO 22301:2012 international standard for Business Continuity, for all its companies, including all its operations as well as the products & services it provides.

In a period that the role of stock markets in exploring alternative ways of financing business, at a European level, is significantly enhanced, the Athens Exchange Group has taken a series of initiatives to highlight the attractiveness of the Greek Capital Market and the Greek companies to the international investment community and expand the variety of investment opportunities.

Its shares are traded on the Main Market of the Athens Stock Exchange (Symbol: EXAE).

The profiles of the ATHEX Group and its markets can be downloaded from the link. More information can be found in the website www.athexgroup.gr.

110 Athinon Ave. 10442 Athens, Greece, tel +30-210 3366 800, fax +30 210-3366 101