Austria’s stock exchange Wiener Borse has expressed intentions to participate in the expected privatisation tender for 44% of the Bulgarian Stock Exchange (BSE) as part of its south-eastern expansion strategy. The Austrians offer to raise BSE liquidity by attracting international investors through the implementation of its experience and high quality trade platforms. About 95% of the companies listed at the main Wiener Borse index ATX are operating in the region, according to Wiener Borse executive director. BSE-Sofia traded volume in 2006 reached EUR 1.7bn. The total market capitalisation amounted to EUR 7.8bn. For comparison, Wiener Borse trade reached EUR 13.7bn last year on market capitalisation of EUR 146.2bn. The finance ministry is expected to sell out its 44% stake in the BSE–Sofia by the end of the year. The privatisation strategy should be presented to the cabinet by mid-April. The other candidates that have expressed interest so far are: Scandinavia’s OMX, Greece’s Hellenic Exchanges, Germany’s Deutsche Boerse, Borsa Italiana, Prague Stock Exchange, the Warsaw stock exchange, and the New York Stock Exchange. Wiener Borse co-owns the majority stake in the Budapest stock exchange and is interested in the Slovenian stock exchange too.