Riga/Tallinn/Vilnius, Nasdaq Baltic Market, December 2, 2019 - Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) announces that as of today, December 2, a direct link between Clearstream Banking AG, the German CSD, and Nasdaq CSD has been activated to facilitate cross-border settlement in T2S markets, giving foreign investors easier and efficient access to the Baltic securities market. The direct link will provide foreign investors with a window to the Baltic capital market by allowing securities' transactions to be settled more efficiently and more securely within the pan-European securities settlement platform TARGET2-Securities (T2S), promoting investments in the region. Clearstream customers will benefit from having a single access point to securities issued in Nasdaq CSD without leaving their home country. The single point of access to Baltic securities makes Baltic securities available for increased liquidity pooling, allows settlement of Baltic securities in central bank money and offers new connectivity solutions with a single user interface and harmonised formats. "The link is an important addition to the Baltic market's cross-border settlement infrastructure, facilitating access in rapidly expanding markets in response to customer demand. It will provide foreign investors easier access to the Baltic region, securing a more robust channel to settle cross-border securities transactions," says Indars Ascuks, the CEO of Nasdaq CSD. "We look forward to operating with maximum energy to bring further efficiency gains for the region, powered by modern straight-through processing technology, connectivity to T2S and a direct link to Clearstream." "For our customers, the direct access to the Nasdaq CSD means reduced risk and operational efficiencies. It also represents a further expansion of our Investor CSD model, meeting our customers' appetite for more diverse markets and allowing them to realise more of the opportunities provided by TARGET2-Securities while still benefiting from our harmonised services," says Thilo Derenbach, the Head of European Custody Product at Clearstream. About Clearstream As an international central securities depository (ICSD), headquartered in Luxembourg, Clearstream, which is part of Deutsche Börse Group, provides the post-trade infrastructure for the Eurobond market and services for securities from 58 domestic markets worldwide. With around 14 trillion euros in assets under custody, Clearstream is one of the world's largest settlement and custody firms for domestic and international securities. To learn more, visit: clearstream.com. About Nasdaq CSD Nasdaq CSD group operates regional central securities depositories in the Baltics and Iceland, with a business presence in Estonia, Iceland, Latvia and Lithuania. It provides post-trade infrastructure and a wide range of securities services for Baltic and Icelandic market participants. The CSD is a fundamental element in the financial markets, settling shares and other securities issued by companies and governments. Nasdaq CSD SE is licensed under the European CSDR and supervised by the respective regulatory institutions. The depository is powered by modern straight-through processing technology connected to the pan-European T2S platform. Nasdaq CSD is a part of the Nasdaq Group. Nasdaq, Inc., the ultimate parent, provides trade and post-trade services in more than 50 countries. To learn more, visit: nasdaqcsd.com. About Nasdaq Nasdaq (Nasdaq: NDAQ) is a global technology company serving the capital markets and other industries. Our diverse offering of data, analytics, software and services enables clients to optimize and execute their business vision with confidence. To learn more about the company, technology solutions and career opportunities, visit us on LinkedIn, on Twitter @Nasdaq, or at www.nasdaq.com. Nasdaq Baltic represents the common offering of the Nasdaq Tallinn, Nasdaq Riga, Nasdaq Vilnius securities exchanges as well as Nasdaq CSD. Read more: nasdaqbaltic.com. Media Relations Contact: Dace Bulte +371 67 212 431 Dace.bulte@nasdaq.com
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