EU – Baltic States, Financial Services, Forum, Investments, Markets and Companies

IPO Summit, Warsaw 2013 is a major conference for international investors and companies seeking growth capital in Central and Eastern Europe. The Summit is organized by the Ministry of Treasury of the Republic of Poland, the Warsaw Stock Exchange and the National Depository for Securities (KDPW), supported by Partners – global and regional financial, legal and advisory firms, and the City of Warsaw.

During the two-day conference, Warsaw will be a forum for global debate on investing and raising capital in the CEE region. “The privatization of state-owned companies through the public market is of great importance for the Warsaw Stock Exchange development. In the last three years, we made transactions worth over PLN 44.20 billion (EUR 10.66 billion). We want Poland to be the meeting place for great international capital. An increasing number of foreign companies raise capital on the WSE,” says Mikołaj Budzanowski, Poland’s Minister of Treasury.

Two previous editions of the IPO Summit conference brought over a thousand guests to Warsaw from several dozen countries, including Ukraine, the UK, Austria, Romania, Greece, Turkey and the Baltic states. Encouraged by the interest generated so-far, the organizers have now decided to enrich the conference agenda with one-on-one meetings of investors from international funds and managers of major WSE-listed companies. “Stable economic growth, a solid financial system, and a safe passage through the crisis makes Poland the ideal place to both invest and raise capital. This is why we have created a meeting place for investors and issuers from various regions of the world,” says Adam Maciejewski, CEO & President of the Warsaw Stock Exchange.

IPO Summit, Warsaw 2013 is also an excellent opportunity to highlight the position of the Warsaw exchange on the international markets. As the largest stock exchange in the region, the WSE not only attracts international investors, but has also gained the reputation of the leading listing venue for companies from Europe, the Middle East and Northern America. Over the past decade, a total of 51 foreign companies have decided to list on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. “The success of the Polish capital market – both on the regional and global scale – is due to the strength of our economy and top commitment of all institutions. International investors and issuers will find in Poland a state-of-the-art market infrastructure – a professional CCP clearing house and a central securities depository with 19 operational links to their foreign counterparts,” says Iwona Sroka, CEO & President of the National Depository for Securities (KDPW).

Conference Ambassadors & Special Guests

This year’s edition of the conference is supported by persons of exceptional experience in the economic policy on the highest international level. The Ambassadors of IPO Summit, Warsaw 2013 are Lech Wałęsa, former President of Poland and Nobel Peace Prize Winner in 1983; Jerzy Buzek, Member and former Chairman of the European Parliament; Danuta Hübner, Member of the European Parliament; and Janusz Lewandowski, EU Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget. “Countries in our region play an increasingly greater role in the global economy due to rapid economic development. With its huge potential, Poland gained a leadership position throughout the CEE countries and is the natural host for such a large event as the IPO Summit, Warsaw 2013. Our successful transformation, measured with the strength of the Polish capital market, deserves recognition,” says Lech Wałęsa, the Ambassador of IPO Summit, Warsaw 2013.

Conference Agenda

On the first day, the conference will hold two debates with the participation of international investors and business professionals. Panel discussions will focus on investment needs and opportunities – offered by the stock market against the backdrop of the world’s economy challenges – the outlook for the global IPO market in the near future, and issues concerning trans-regional capital markets.

The second day of the conference – in addition to the panels for investors and issuers – will feature one-on-one meetings sessions. This will be an excellent opportunity for companies already listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange and those preparing to go public. Future issuers will also have the chance to gain practical know-how on how to prepare and successfully negotiate the IPO process and then effectively perform on the public market.