The Chairman of ATHEX and Chief Executive Officer of HELEX Mr. Spyros I. Capralos welcomed a delegation from Takasbank, the post-trading operator in the Turkish market, at the Athens Exchange today. The delegation was headed by Mr. Hόseyin Erkan, Chairman of Takasbank and Chairman and CEO of the Istanbul Stock Exchange.

At the meeting, the structure and operation of the two markets were presented. The two delegations discussed the changes taking place worldwide in post-trading and the exchange industry in general. The meeting gave the opportunity to the representatives of Takasbank and HELEX to explore the possibility of further cooperation between the two companies, as well as the possibility of creating a common index between ATHEX and ISE, with the purpose of issuing a common ETF that will be traded in both markets.

During the meeting Mr. Capralos noted that "the exchange industry worldwide is changing at a very rapid pace, and we have to adapt to the new developments in order to respond to the increasing competition. Turkey is a large market in our region that has excellent potential and high growth rates. Cooperation between the Exchanges and Depositories of the two countries will help both markets develop and will have positive effects for investors and other market participants."

Mr. Erkan noted that "the prospect of cooperation between ATHEX and ISE will provide new investment opportunities, improve the liquidity and strengthen the capital markets of the two countries".

It was agreed that a follow-up meeting be held in Istanbul in order to continue the discussion.