The Warsaw Stock Exchange selected 16 issuers which after the trading session of 31 March were admitted to the NewConnect LEAD segment. The group included Read-Gene. The objective behind creation of the segment was to recognize the biggest and most liquid companies which are most likely to meet the criteria for admission to the main trading floor.

The criteria to qualify for the NewConnect LEAD, which were published on 16 March, included quantitative parameters (e.g. capitalization, liquidity, time as a public company) and qualitative parameters referring to the application of Good Practices and compliance with disclosure requirements.

The need to launch the NewConnect LEAD segment is reflected in the growing number of companies which have already been transferred to the main trading floor: Fast Finance on 30 March, and, earlier, MW Trade (floated on the main market on 19 December 2008) and Centrum Klima (floated on the main market on 6 January 2009).

The composition of NC LEAD changes and will be updated once a quarter. Once the last trading session in March, June, September and December each year is over, the Stock Exchange will verify individual ratios to decide whether the issuer’s share qualify for the NewConnect Lead. The periodic verification will apply to the figures for the last six months of the operations of the company listed on NewConnect.

mab