NASDAQ OMX Vilnius Will Use the Euro Currency for Trading and Clearing

26.07.2010 RIG

Riga, July 26 – NASDAQ OMX Vilnius, part of the NASDAQ OMX Group (NASDAQ: NDAQ) today announces that it has decided to later this year start using the euro as the trading and clearing currency for shares on its regulated market. This follows Lithuanian customer feedback and the plan is to implement the new trading and clearing currency this year, given market participant readiness.

“Changing the trading and clearing currency on NASDAQ OMX Vilnius to the euro is a major milestone in developing our financial market and will provide easy and effective access to Lithuanian securities. The introduction of the euro will decrease currency conversion costs for foreign investors, local pension and investment funds as well as most of the private Lithuanian investors who are trading on multiple markets. We also expect to attract more capital into the market and boost liquidity, which benefits all investors”, said Arminta Saladziene, Chairman of the NASDAQ OMX Vilnius Management Board.

Trading in shares listed on NASDAQ OMX Vilnius will in the future only be conducted in euro. The Central Securities Depository of Lithuania will provide settlement of transactions in euro via the TARGET2 system.

Furthermore, the European Parliament has supported the neighboring country Estonia’s application to join the euro area and thus Estonia will adopt the euro from January 1, 2011. Since one third of the stock exchange transactions within the Baltic region are cross-border, the Baltic markets will be more homogeneous with NASDAQ OMX Vilnius using the same trading and clearing currency. The third Baltic stock exchange, NASDAQ OMX Riga, will also move along with its plan to introduce trading in the euro on its regulated equities market.

Considering the above and with the input from market consultations, the NASDAQ OMX Baltic exchanges have decided to discontinue previously announced initiative regarding single Baltic marketplace for trading Baltic equities in euro.

About NASDAQ OMX

The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. is the world’s largest exchange company. It delivers trading, exchange technology and public company services across six continents, with more than 3,600 listed companies. NASDAQ OMX offers multiple capital raising solutions to companies around the globe, including its U.S. listings market, NASDAQ OMX Nordic, NASDAQ OMX Baltic, NASDAQ OMX First North, and the U.S. 144A sector. The company offers trading across multiple asset classes including equities, derivatives, debt, commodities, structured products and exchange-traded funds. NASDAQ OMX technology supports the operations of over 70 exchanges, clearing organizations and central securities depositories in more than 50 countries.  NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic are not legal entities but describe the common offering from NASDAQ OMX exchanges in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Iceland, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. For more information about NASDAQ OMX, visit http://www.nasdaqomx.com. Please follow NASDAQ OMX on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/nasdaqomx and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/nasdaqomx).

Media Contacts:

Āris Dreimanis, Communications Manager
NASDAQ OMX Riga +371 67 212431

Tex Vertmann, Communications Manager
NASDAQ OMX Tallinn +372 640 8862

Gintare Blazyte, Communication Manager
NASDAQ OMX Vilnius +370 5 272 3458