Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Financial Services, Markets and Companies

Photo: bedfordrowcapital.com.

Nasdaq Baltic First North is a growth market designed for ambitious small and medium-sized companies in the Baltics. In addition to giving access to capital, First North helps to raise the profile and trustworthiness of the company and thus supports in entering new markets. The certified adviser’s role is to guide growth companies through the application process and ensure that the companies fulfil all the requirements of First North rules on a continuous basis, Nasdaq Baltic said. 

"It's a great signal for us that a U.K. based financial advisory company sees value of guiding companies to the Baltic First North market," said Kaarel Ots, the CEO of Nasdaq Tallinn. "Our market has numerous advantages which also foreign companies should use more often. Having Bedford Row Capital Advisers as our First North advisor, I'm sure our offering will become better known abroad."

Scott Levy, the CEO of Bedford Row Capital Advisers, said Bedford Row Capital Advisers is happy to join the Nasdaq Tallinn First North advisers' family.

"Our speciality are bonds and listing them on the public market, therefore we’re hoping to guide companies to the First North bond market already in the near future," Levy said.

Bedford Row Capital Advisers are fixed income specialists. The company is one of a select group of non-bank lead managers and arrangers of listed debt securities in Europe. Their focus is on helping SMEs to raise finance by issuing bonds. In 2016, they listed 15 bonds and in 2017, 14 new bonds -- helping businesses grow, and creating new opportunities for investors.

First North is regulated as a multilateral trading facility, operated by the different exchanges at Nasdaq. It does not have the legal status as a regulated market in the EU. The regulatory demands are less extensive than on the regulated market and hence there is a higher risk connected to investments on First North. This can also mean higher earnings potential on investments. Upon entry into the First North market issuers are guided and assisted by certified advisers.