Zagreb, Croatia - Today, at the invitation of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Republic of Croatia, Marko Primorac, and the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Croatia, finance ministers and senior officials from Slovenia, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, North Macedonia, and Croatia signed a Memorandum of Understanding in respect of their cooperation for capital markets development.
This regional initiative aims to foster joint development of national capital markets of the participating countries through closer cooperation, regulatory alignment, and increased market integration. The ultimate goal is to enhance liquidity and create stronger, more visible, efficient, and competitive capital markets across the region. By leveraging the full potential of capital markets and the broader financial ecosystem, the participating countries seek to strengthen their economies and deepen regional financial cooperation.
This Memorandum builds upon the strategic agreement concluded at the end of 2024 between the stock exchanges of Bratislava, Bucharest, Budapest, Ljubljana, Skopje, Sofia, Warsaw, and Zagreb, alongside the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which continues to support this initiative.
The signatory countries reaffirmed their shared political will and vision to strengthen, modernize, and increase the competitiveness of capital markets in Central and South-Eastern Europe. The Memorandum underscores a commitment to cooperation with an emphasis on the development of capital markets and the importance of implementing concrete actions that will expand market capacity of Central and South-Eastern European countries, improve access to financing, attract investment, and support sustainable economic growth.
Furthermore, the Memorandum is aligned with the European Union’s objectives, particularly its Savings and Investment Union Strategy, which aims to channel household savings and private capital into capital markets in order to stimulate investment, especially in small and medium-sized enterprises, improve cross-border capital flows, and build a deeper, more liquid, and more resilient EU capital market.
Minister Primorac underlined the importance of today’s event, saying that the signing of this Memorandum represents a historic milestone in strengthening cooperation among the participating countries in the area of capital markets, which hold enormous potential. “This initiative also marks a significant step forward for Croatia’s own capital market. Following 15 successful government securities issuances and the adoption of the Strategic Framework for Capital Market Development by 2030 at the end of March, we are now entering a phase of intensive implementation.” stated Minister Primorac. He also added that the cooperation formalized today will boost the competitiveness of all participating countries, make their markets more attractive to international investors, facilitate cross-border trading and investment, and expand access to capital—ultimately fuelling further economic growth across the region.