(Vienna – Warsaw) The roadshow in Warsaw on 1 June 2005 organized jointly by Wiener Börse and Raiffeisen Centrobank marks the first trip to one of the new EU member states after destinations such as London, New York, Zurich and Paris. A total of eight companies – primarily the ATX heavyweights like BA-CA AG, Erste Bank AG, OMV AG, Raiffeisen International AG and Telekom Austria AG – have accepted the invitation to present themselves before Polish investors in small groups and intensive one-on-one talks. Immoeast Immobilien Anlagen AG, Flughafen Wien AG and Wienerberger AG have also joined the roadshow in Warsaw. For Raiffeisen International it is the first joint roadshow with Wiener Börse after the going public in April.
"Raiffeisen Centrobank was fast to recognize and take advantages of the growing relations of Austria with the CEE capital markets. RCB is already an exchange trading member in Budapest and will soon acquire this status in Warsaw. The CEE market is crucial for our bank’s trading activities – as well as sales – and we are leaders in the CIS and SEE markets. We also hold a leading position for structured products on CEE securities: in November 2004 experts awarded RCB second prize for structured CEE products. A new strategy concept for research activities includes a sector-based organization that covers Austrian and CEE companies. Furthermore, the activities of the ECM department have been enlarged to include the new member states in Central and Eastern Europe", said Michael Spiss, Member of the Management Board of Raiffeisen Centrobank in Vienna.
"We are very happy to welcome such prominent, major companies to the roadshow in Warsaw. The interest of these companies once again confirms the growing significance of the financial marketplace of Warsaw", said Wieslaw Rozlucki, President and CEO of the Warsaw Stock Exchange. The excellent performance of the Warsaw Stock Exchange and the associated rise in prices (+59% between December 2002 and April 2005) has motivated Polish investors to diversify into foreign stocks. Their focus is on companies with strong ties to Eastern Europe. Austrian companies are especially attractive, because these took advantage of the opportunites of the region at an early stage and have built up strong competitive positions: 84% of ATX companies have investments in Eastern Europe. Vice versa, the emerging Polish capital market is the largest in the region and is becoming increasingly attractive for Austrians.
Warsaw is the third of eight roadshows after London and Zurich, which Wiener Börse is organizing in cooperation with banks. After Warsaw, one is planned for Milan in June before the summer break. In the autumn, the series will continue taking the presenters to London, Edinburgh, Frankfurt and New York.