OREANDA-NEWS. The Directorate of the MICEX Stock Exchange has accredited first listing agents. These are organizations which have an official status and guide innovation and growth companies to the MICEX Stock Exchange, the exchange's press service underlined.

First listing agents accredited at the MICEX Stock Exchange are: ALOR INVEST; EUROFINANCES Investment Company; REGION Financial Consultations; RUSS-INVEST Investment Company; TatInK Investment Company; and FINАМ. The institution of listing agents was created to reduce investors’ risks and improve the transparency of companies in the MICEX Stock Exchange’s Sector for Innovation and Growth Companies (IGC). This is why the MICEX Stock Exchange grants the listing agent’s status only to organizations which have experience in corporate financing and investment consulting. This includes organizing and underwriting bond loans, bringing companies to the stock market, organizing IPOs, management, legal, tax and audit consulting, providing analytical support to issuers, services in the area of public relations and the marketing of financial products.

The Sector for Innovation and Growth Companies (IGC Sector) was created to attract more investments in the fast-growing innovation sector of the economy by small and medium-sized companies, create appropriate conditions for these companies’ IPOs and facilitate the development of venture financing in Russia. The IGC Sector helps small-cap companies (100 million to 5 billion rubles) to enter the market. These issuers’ securities will have to meet minimal liquidity requirements. Also, issuers will have to sign an agreement with a listing agent. The IGC Sector is for high-tech companies dealing with telecoms, online business, software development, radio electronics and semiconductors, biotechnologies and pharmaceutics, etc. For a company to be admitted to the IGC Sector, its yearly growth of revenues.