Source: MTS Spain
MTS Spain is pleased to announce that seven Spanish dealers and one inter-dealer broker have joined the system during 2005, an expansion of membership that takes the total number of participants to 31.
This represents a 35% increase compared with 2004 and serves to reinforce MTS Spain's premier position in the Spanish fixed-income market.
Among the new entrants, Banco Santander, Banesto and La Caixa joined MTS Spain as "market makers", while Banco Urquijo, Caixa Catalunya, Caixa Galicia and CECA (Confederación Española de Cajas de Ahorros) joined as "market takers". In addition, Capital Markets S.A. joined the system as a "broker", a category introduced by MTS Spain last year. A broker offers medium sized market makers and market takers access to the MTS market by providing order routing and the necessary infrastructure. Such brokers are a feature of the Spanish bond market and do not trade in their own name.
Carlos San Basilio, CEO of MTS Spain, commented: "We are delighted with the significant growth achieved by MTS Spain during 2005. Turnover has inevitably benefited from the influx of new dealers and, with two more market makers expected to join by the year-end, we anticipate a continuation of this favourable trend."
Volumes on MTS Spain have expanded to a daily average of €450 million, up from a comparable figure of €380 million last year. MTS Spain currently accounts for 57% of the total turnover of Spain's wholesale electronic government bond market, significantly in excess of the 40% share applicable in 2004. Meanwhile, the MTS Group's overall share of the Spanish electronic market, taking into account the combined turnover of MTS Spain and the Spanish benchmark segment of EuroMTS, amounts to 65%.