“The Nordic capital markets continue to flourish. And whilst EU regulations aimed at promoting closer integration and cross-border harmonization have largely been a force for good in the Nordics, some rules could potentially cause problems for the region’s capital markets. In this edition of our “Where Can We Take You” series, Marcello Topa, Global Head of Advocacy for Investor Services at Citi, sits down again with Ola Mjorud, Nordic Custody Head, to talk about what differentiates the Nordics capital markets from its peers. Q Topa: What differentiates the Nordic’s capital markets from its peers? A Mjorud: As a region, the Nordics have a deep pool of investors as education about finance and investing begins at a young age. In Sweden for example, the government has played a critical role in supporting the issuance and marketing of so-called people’s or popular shares – otherwise known as Folkaktier. The tax framework in the Nordics also provides a compelling incentive for people to invest and in addition, the region’s institutional investors, e.g., sovereign wealth funds and defined contribution pension funds, have sizeable Assets Under Management (AUM) too.”
Morten W. Langer
