VILNIUS - OMHEX, the largest operator of stock exchanges in Northern Europe, announced it would pay 10.8 million litas (3.1 million euros) for the state's 44.31 percent stake in the National Stock Exchange of Lithuania and 32 percent stake in the Central Securities Depository.
In addition, OMHEX bought 8.54 percent of shares in the exchange from small shareholders in an over-the-counter operation on May 21, paying 966,000 litas in total.
The sale agreement was signed by Povilas Milasauskas, director general of the State Property Fund, and Jukka Pekka Ruuska, OMHEX's deputy CEO. As a result, OMHEX was set to pay 5 million litas for the state-owned shares in the NSEL, or 46,000 litas per share, and another 5.1 million litas for the state's stake in the CSDL, or 300 litas per share.
The Nordic stock exchange operator is also buying a 9.76 percent stake in the Vilnius exchange that is held by private investors. The buyer is to pay the same price of 46,000 litas per share for the block, or 1.1 million litas in total.
OMHEX, which held 27 percent of shares in the Vilnius bourse before the privatization deal, said it planned to buy 100 percent of NSEL.
