FEAS Yearbook FEAS Yearbook 2013 | Page 28

FEDERATION OF EURO-ASIAN STOCK EXCHANGES ANNUAL REPORT JUNE 2013 BAKU STOCK EXCHANGE 2012 has been the second highly performing year in terms of trading volumes in the history of the Baku Stock Exchange since its inception in 2000. Amin Muradov Chairman of Baku Stock Exchange 2012 has been the second highly performing year in terms of trading volumes in the history of the Baku Stock Exchange since its inception in 2000. After a very succesfull year in 2011, the BSE was able to achieve another 7% increase in total volume of the transactions in 2012. We have been continusly in touch with the local business about the opportunities and benefits of the capital market and developing efficient funding platform for their investments. The year of 2012 is important also in terms of the commencement of the Capital Market Modernization Project funded by HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT After gaining it’s independence, and embedding property and ownership rights in the overall legal system, Azerbaijan made it first step toward developing the capital markets by adopting the Law on “Securities market and stock exchanges” on 24 November 1992. On January 13 of 1995 the Law on “Investment activity” became effective. On September 29 of 1995 the government adopted the first State Privatization Program for the next three years which paved the way for the establishment of the necessary capital market institutions. As a result, by the end of 1998 28 thousand small organizations and more than 800 medium and large enterprises were successfully privatized. PAGE 26 the Government of Azerbaijan, World Bank and State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (SECO) and managed by the State Committee for Securities of Azerbaijan Republic. The main objective of this 4-year project is to increase the use of equity and corporate debt as financing and/or investment instruments through the adoption of an effective capital markets regulatory framework and infrastructure. As one of the beneficiaries of the Project, we are working on modernizing our trading platform, increase the number of listed companies and strengthen the institutional capacity of the BSE. Concluding the all above, I have to emphasize that 2013 will be the year of active sales efforts by the stock exchange. We will implementing Listing Advisory Program aimed at increasing the demand for investment capital and/or supply of investment opportunities and securities on the Baku Stock Exchange. The goal is to increase significantly the trading volumes with the corporate securities within the next 3 years. The need for proper regulation of the capital markets paved the way for the establishment of the State Committee for Securities (SCS) under auspices of the President of Republic of Azerbaijan on December 30, 1998. The vital part of the capital markets development was establishment of the Baku Stock Exchange (BSE) with the help of local and international financial organizations most of which became the shareholders of the company. bills has grown 9.7 times, trading in central bank notes has grown 29.2 times, trading in corporate bonds has grown 22.4 times, and trading in stocks has grown by 23.6 times at the end of 2012. Currently Closed Joint Stock Company “Baku Stock Exchange” has 19 shareholders. Throughout the period since inception, the BSE has managed to establish a well-organized securities trading platform effectively linked with other market participants. The first securities to trade on the organized stock exchange were treasury bills which were issued by the Ministry of Finance. The first placement of the stocks and corporate bonds in the organized stock exchange was in 2003 and 2004 respectively. Since 2004 trading in treasury