Yerevan, May 25 /Mediamax/. The future owner of the Armenian Stock Exchange and the Central Depository of Armenia - the Swedish OMX Group, informed about its merger with NASDAQ Company.

Mediamax reports referring the world media that the new company will be called NASDAQ OMX Group.

The cost of the deal is estimated to $3.67bln.

Mediamax recalls that in late April the OMX and the Armenian government declared that the Swedish Group would become the owner of the Armenian Stock Exchange and the Central Depository.

The Vice-President of OMX Niclas Lilja stated in an exclusive interview to Mediamax that “the Armenian market has great interest to develop”. According to him, “the stakeholders need to have incentives to overcome the hinders”.

Answering Mediamax’s question on whether the arrival of OMX in Armenia means that the shares of large Armenian companies will be able to enter the international market, Niclas Lilja said: “First we aim to develop the local market, and by doing that making it easier for investors and companies to find each other”.

“First thing is make it possible to invest. Technical barriers have made that quite difficult. Investment decisions should be based on transparent information. If investor can rely on the transparency, the investment can be done timely and smoothly and this is already a big win to local investors. Gradual increase in liquidity and introduction of new companies are on the list also. Long-term plan is to enable the Armenian investors to reach out to foreign securities”, Vice-President of OMX Group Niclas Lilja stated then in an exclusive interview to Mediamax.