Alpbach, Austria - Wiener Boerse AG, Vienna's stock
exchange, expressed interest Wednesday in buying a majority stake of
the Prague Stock Exchange, Austrian news agency APA reported.
'If we are asked to make an offer, we will do so,' Wiener Boerse
CEO Heinrich Schaller told reporters at the European Forum Alpbach
conference. 'Basically, we were invited to do so,' he added.
In early August, the Prague Stock Exchange (PSE) announced
shareholders controlling a majority stake in the bourse had decided
to jointly sell their shares within several months.
The deadline for submitting non-binding offers runs out at the end
of August.
Schaller said the Vienna bourse would not seek a fusion with
Prague, stressing the importance of regional stock exchanges.
As of December 2007, the Prague exchange was owned by 27
companies. Major shareholders include the Patria Finance brokerage,
which holds 24.85 per cent, as well as the Komercni and Ceska
Sporitelna banks.
The Vienna stock exchange strengthened its position in central
Europe in June by announcing to increase its stake in the Budapest
Stock Exchange to 37.7 per cent, and by acquiring 81 per cent of the
Slovenian exchange in Ljubljana for 38 million euros (56 million
dollars).
'Through a bigger network, you have more synergies,' Schaller
said. 'This helps our exchange, markets and issuers.'
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