Opening of joint trading by Russia's united MICEX-RTS exchange

Описание: (19 Dec 2011)
1. Mid shot of Alexander Voloshin (left of screen), former Kremlin Chief of Staff, now leading a working group on setting up an international financial centre in Russia, and Dmitry Pankin (right of screen), head of the Federal Financial Market Service, listening to countdown and ringing a symbolic bell at the opening ceremony of Moscow's joint stock exchange as trading started
2. Wide of opening ceremony with confetti flying
3. Close up of ruble-denominated MICEX stock exchange and dollar-denominated RTS stock exchange sign
4. Wide of opening session, confetti on floor
5. Mid shot journalists and traders at the opening session
6. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Sergei Shvetsov, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Central Bank:
"We should make the Russian market convenient for equity issuers and create technologies that will make investment easy and convenient for the domestic investor. In this sense, the exchange should become a centre of self-regulation and involvement in the establishment of financial markets."
7. Mid of journalists and traders
8. Close up of computer monitor
9. Wide of opening ceremony
STORYLINE:
Russia's two main stock exchanges completed their official merger on Monday, hoping to increase transparency and liquidity and attract foreign listings.
Although the ruble-denominated MICEX and the dollar-denominated RTS combined their businesses, stocks continue to be listed in both currencies, and the two indexes keep trading separately.
The merger is part of the Russian government's plan to encourage Russian and foreign equity issuers to IPO their companies in Moscow, rather than London or other global financial centres.
"We should make the Russian market convenient for equity issuers and create technologies that will make investment easy and convenient for the domestic investor," Sergei Shvetsov, deputy chairman of the Russian Central Bank, said at the merger ceremony.
This is the first step that Russian authorities have undertaken to make Russia's financial markets more investor-friendly.
Russia is also about to open a central securities depositary which will allow foreign funds to own their own shares directly, which will open the market to a larger pool of foreign investors.
Officials have also announced plans to allow Russian companies to float 100 percent of their stocks abroad - up from the 25 percent allowed now.

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