Hungary: first MTF opened by Budapest Stock Exchange

In September 2017, the Budapest Stock Exchange (BSE) opened Xtend, its first multilateral trading facility. Xtend is designed for medium-sized companies that plan substantial business growth, seek external funding to finance this expansion, and are able to fulfill certain transparency requirements.

In Hungary, external funding for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are typically loans. Although the EU has seen an increase in venture capital investments over the last few years, many SME owners are reluctant to involve venture capital investors who would take part in the company’s day-to-day operations. With Xtend, companies will be able to acquire external equity investments without having to give up control.

Xtend is different from the classic stock exchange in that a listing is possible without a public transaction (i.e. a technical listing), stock exchange fees are considerably lower, and Xtend companies do not have to fulfill the same requirements as classically listed companies. For example, listings of under EUR 5 million on Xtend do not require a prospectus, only an information document to be approved by the BSE. Supervision over Xtend is shared between the BSE and the Hungarian National Bank. Designated financial consultants will assist companies that wish to be present on Xtend. They will assist with the initial listing and be at hand to offer assistance throughout a company’s presence on the Xtend market.

With Xtend, the BSE hopes to create a platform for access to Hungary's most successful SME shares. The BSE would like these new companies to gradually become acquainted with the capital market and eventually move forward to the regular stock exchange.

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