Leading Nordic investment bank SEB will expand its Corporate Finance and Equity operations into Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. For this purpose it has employed Ivars Bergmanis, Henrik Igasta, Priit Koit and Sten Sumberg, all previously partners at Suprema Securities. They will be joined in the new enterprise by Zygintas Macenas, current Head of Baltic and Lithuanian operations of SEB Vilfima, and other corporate finance specialists within SEB Vilfima.
"We are very pleased that the top resources from Suprema have decided to join us. Together with the successful team in SEB Vilfima and supported by our existing organisation in Europe and New York they will form a powerful operation that we believe clients will benefit greatly from", says John Abrahamson, Global Head of SEB Enskilda Corporate Finance.
"At a time when we take further steps in strengthening our capabilities to support clients and develop the markets in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, the establishment of a strong Investment banking unit is key and strategically important to us", says Annika Falkengren, President and Chief Executive Officer of SEB.
By retaining the most experienced bankers and best talent in each market, SEB Enskilda's ambition is to lead the development of investment banking in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. SEB Enskilda builds on the Nordic and international expertise, qualifications and resources of SEB Enskilda's existing organisation as well as the deep-rooted contacts of the SEB Group's local banking operations.
The new unit is expected to be fully operational by the beginning of 2007.
SEB Enskilda is the Investment Banking part of the SEB Group. Founded by SEB in London in 1982 as Enskilda Securities, it is the leading Nordic investment bank, with operations spanning corporate finance (incl. mergers and acquisitions), equities, equity research and equity capital markets. SEB Enskilda currently has offices in Stockholm, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Oslo, London, Frankfurt and New York.
SEB Enskilda's leading position in the Nordic region within its spheres of activity is confirmed both by market shares and top rankings for Corporate Finance, Research and Stock broking.
SEB is a leading wholesale bank in Northern Europe, with presence in the Baltic markets through SEB Eesti Uhispank, SEB Unibanka and SEB Vilniaus Bankas.
Rankings of SEB Enskilda's Nordic research
| Survey | Date | Institutions | Rank |
| Financial Hearings | Jun 2006 | Swedish | #1 |
| Thomson Extel | Jun 2006 | European | #1 |
| Institutional Investor | Feb 2006 | European | #1 |
| Kapital | Jan 2006 | Norwegian | #1 |
| Prospera | Dec 2005 | Swedish | #1 |
| Affärsvärlden | Nov 2005 | Swedish | #1 |
Source: SEB Enskilda.
Since the Bank opened in 1856, generations of customers and employees have made SEB what it is today. This year the Group is celebrating 150 years of looking forward.
The SEB Group is a North European financial group for 400,000 corporate customers and institutions, and 5 million private customers. SEB has local presence in the Nordic and Baltic countries, Germany, the Ukraine and Russia. Approximately half of SEB's customers use the internet for their banking transactions. On 30 June 2006, the Group's total assets amounted to SEK 1,986bn while its assets under management totalled SEK 1,086bn. The Group is represented in some 20 countries around the world and has a staff of about 20,000.
Read more about SEB at www.sebgroup.com.
For further information, please contact:
John Abrahamson, Global Head of SEB Enskilda Corporate Finance, +46-8-52229651
Elisabeth Lennhede, Communications Manager, Merchant Banking, +46-8-7639916
