12 July 2016
Memorandum of Cooperation between the Athens Exchange Group
and the Tehran Stock Exchange
and Central Securities Depository of Iran

Executives from the Athens Exchange Group conducted an official visit to Tehran, on July 11 and 12, 2016.

The purpose of the visit was to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Athens Stock Exchange and the Hellenic Central Securities Depository and the Tehran Stock Exchange and Central Securities Depository of Iran. The Memoranda were signed by the CEO of the Athens Exchange Group, Mr. Socratis Lazaridis, the President and CEO of the Tehran Stock Exchange, Dr. Hassan Ghalibaf Asl, and the CEO of the Central Securities Depository of Iran, Mr. Mohammadreza Mohseni.

The Athens Exchange Group delegation participated also in FINEX 2016, the 9^th International Exhibition of Exchange, Bank and Insurance that takes place from July 10 until July 13 in Tehran, and aims to encourage multinational companies to invest in Iran, by means of familiarization with the economic and financial mechanisms of Iran, as well as with the relevant regulatory framework.

In the Conference held during the Exhibition and was entitled "Iran Capital Market: Rewarding Financial Instruments, Promising Diverse Industries, among the keynote speakers were the CEO of the Athens Exchange Group, Mr. Socratis Lazaridis, and the Second Vice Chairman of the Hellenic Capital Market Commission, Mr. Xenophon Avlonitis. The conference program is available here.

Ms Eleni Koritsa, Deputy CEO of Eurobank Asset Management MFMC, Mr. Spyros Kyritsis, President of the Athens Stock Exchange Members Association, and Mr. Nikos Porfyris, Deputy Staff Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Athens Stock Exchange, also participated in the FINEX 2016 Conference.

Photographs and joint Press Releases related to the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Athens Exchange Group and the Tehran Stock Exchange and Central Securities Depository of Iran are hereby attached. 

MoU Signing Ceremony Mr. Socrates Lazaridis and Mr. Mohammadreza Mohseni CEO of the Central Securities Depository of Iran
MoU Signing Ceremony Mr. Socrates Lazaridis and Dr. Hassan Ghalibaf Asl, CEO and President of the Tehran Stock Exchange		FINEX 2016 International Exhibition of Exchange, Bank and Insurance

About Athens Exchange Group

Athens Exchange Group supports the operation of the Greek capital market. The parent company, Hellenic Exchanges - Athens Stock Exchange and its 100% subsidiaries ATHEXClear and ATHEXCSD operate the organized cash and derivatives markets, carry out trade clearing, settlement and registration of securities, provide comprehensive IT solutions to the Greek capital market, and promote the development of capital markets culture in Greece.

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 by developing a secure, stable and accessible market environment. The reliability in operation, the transparency, the trust in relationships, the corporate governance know how and the harmonization with international standards are the prerequisites of the competitive Greek capital market.

About Tehran Stock Exchange

Tehran Stock Exchange is the largest and oldest securities market in Iran. It was established late 1960s, and was demutualized in 2006. The Exchanges is currently owned by brokerage firms (40%), financial institutes (40%) and individual shareholders (20%).

At the end of June 2016, TSE has 321 listed companies and more than USD 100 billion market capitalization, gaining 15% since the end of 2015. For more information please visit http://new.tse.ir/en/

About CSDI

Central securities depository of Iran (CSDI) was established in 2005 as a public joint stock company. Central Securities Depository of Iran (CSDI) is the sole registry entity in the Iranian capital market using the hybrid registry system with a fully dematerialized book entry system.

Enjoying a history of 46 years, the Iranian capital market was demutualized in 2005 and as a result, CSDI was legally segregated from the rest of the capital market and commenced to work as an independent and separate entity. It is the central registrar and clearing house for all the exchanges in Iran including Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE), Iran Farabourse (IFB), Iran Mercantile Exchange (IME), and Iran Energy Exchange (IEE).

It takes over the registry, clearing, and settlement issues related to equity, Islamic securities (Sukuk), derivatives, energy contracts, electricity, mercantile products by means of a full-fashioned registry system and multi-currency (USD, IRR, Euro).

CSDI provides thriving and secured financial investment infrastructures to contribute to the development of a fair and transparent capital market both nationwide and worldwide by guaranteeing security and efficiency in the capital market and safekeeping investors' financial properties.