Russian companies alone will be seeking to raise around $10 billion in London this year, double the $5 billion of 2005, while the number of listings in Russia is also predicted to double.
A source in the organizing committee said the main topics at the conference would be the anticipated "IPO boom" in London among companies from Russia and the former Soviet Union, and the sustainability of demand for assets. The event will be hosted by the London Stock Exchange's Financial Laboratory, launched in 2004 to provide comprehensive information and train specialists for international companies seeking to raise capital in London.
Ten companies that have most of their assets in Russia are currently listed on the LSE's Main Market. In January 2006, the Exchange's member firms traded a record $14.8 billion of Russian securities, an increase of 328% on the same period last year, according to the Exchange's Web site. Trading in Russian securities represented around 69 per cent of the total trading volume on the International Order Book in January 2006.
In April 2006, there were 27 companies with the CIS focus listed on the Exchange's Alternative Investment Market.
