“Although there is interest, there are very few Romanian brokers who have extended their services outside the country. We are negotiating with several brokers and managers of mutual and pension funds, in order to expand services and diversify portfolios in the 11 countries in which Wood is already present, with us brokering transactions. We are talking about Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Serbia, Slovenia and Dubai,” said Andrea Ferancova, Partner and Director of Equities for WOOD&Company.
She added that the Czech broker is open to opportunities in terms of acquisitions or mergers with a local broker, although it is not now negotiating with any player.
WOOD&Company is one of the medium-sized brokers on BVB, with monthly transactions worth some RON 3 million. From the beginning of the year, the Czech broker holds 47th place, with turnover of some RON 11 million.
“In this time of crisis, the number of investors interested in Romania has remained unchanged; however, we have observed a drastic drop in volumes in the first quarter in 2009, although other markets had a similar situation. The introduction of global accounts will be a major step forward for BVB. Any measure to facilitate access to and exits from the market will positively influence volumes,” added Ferancova.
