SINGAPORE: Singapore Exchange (SGX) welcomes Haitong International Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., W Capital Markets Pte. Ltd. and Evolve Capital Asia Private Limited to a growing pool of accredited Issue Managers and Catalist Sponsors.[the_ad id=”31605″] Mohamed Nasser Ismail, Head of Equity Capital Markets, SGX, said, “We are glad to see strong interest from market professionals who are eager to tap on the growing opportunities in Singapore’s capital markets. Listing aspirants as well as existing issuers can benefit from a wider range of market participants offering diverse expertise and networks. We look forward to welcoming more players to our ecosystem to keep our marketplace a thriving hub of activity.”

As an accredited Issue Manager, Haitong International Securities (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. can advise companies seeking to list on the SGX Mainboard. It has also been a trading member of SGX’s securities and derivatives markets since 2014.

It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Haitong International Securities Group Limited (Haitong International), which strives to serve as a bridge between Chinese enterprises and international capital markets.

Sean Huang, Global Head of Corporate Finance, Haitong International, said, “Haitong International is very grateful to have obtained the approval from SGX for the Issue Manager status which signifies another major milestone of Haitong International’s corporate finance business and reaffirms our global foothold in Singapore. We believe that the Singapore capital markets have great future potential and niche advantage. We hope to continue our close collaborations with SGX and local partners to promote Singapore’s capital markets which are conducive to attract many China-based businesses planning to raise their capital on SGX in the future.”

As authorised Catalist Full Sponsors, homegrown W Capital Markets and Evolve Capital Asia can advise companies on a Catalist listing and supervise Catalist-listed companies post-listing.

Wayne Lee, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, W Capital Markets, said, “On behalf of my board, we are delighted to be authorised as a Full Sponsor and accredited as an Issue Manager by SGX. Our unique value proposition and positioning is that we are a full-fledged mid-market corporate finance firm that focuses on both M&As and IPOs. Our deal pipeline includes sectors in education, consumer, food and beverage, healthcare, professional services and advanced manufacturing. We would also like to engage with promising companies in the new economy sectors such as those in e-commerce and blockchain. Furthermore, under the Belt & Road Initiative, we are optimistic that our partner, the Nanshan Group, is able to value add as there is immense potential for foreign direct investments flowing from China to ASEAN countries through Singapore. We look forward to being an active contributor to the development and growth of Singapore capital markets, and to inject more vibrancy and sector diversity to the local IPO market.”

Jerry Chua, Chief Executive Officer, Evolve Capital Asia, said, “We are excited to be accredited as an issue manager and to obtain our full sponsor licence on Catalist. This will allow us to assist promising strong growth corporates in this region to gain better access to growth capital using SGX’s platform, in line with our overall strategy to empower Small-Medium Enterprises and assist them to evolve. We look forward to partnering with SGX and to leveraging our expertise, network and capabilities to help further grow the Singapore market.”

SGX has a total of 47 accredited Issue Managers, including 16 Catalist Full Sponsors. There are also 4 Continuing Sponsors.