Bryan, Garnier & Co. Successfully Structures a Liquidity Solution for Assya Capital’s Private Minority stake in Saxo Bank

Paris, January 14th 2010 – Bryan, Garnier & Co, the independent pan-European investment bank focused on growth companies has successfully arranged a Structured Liquidity Solution (SLS*) for investment company Assya Capital (FR0004060234- ALASS), concerning its minority stake in Saxo Bank, the leading international online trading platform. Bryan Garnier was sole advisor to Assya Capital.

Assya Capital is an investment company listed on Alternext Paris and typically invests in listed and private (pre-IPO) mid-sized European companies. The company actively supports the development of pioneering and successful companies. Assya Capital recently invested in companies such as Consors France, Financières de l’Echiquier-EBPF, Adomos, Bourse Direct, and more recently in Motocab and Saxo Bank.

Assya Capital has been a minority shareholder of the company since 2007 when Saxo Bank acquired Synthesis Bank, an investment bank based in Switzerland, through a share and cash deal. Assya Capital held a 20% stake in Synthesis Bank.

With this transaction, Assya Capital further reinforces its financial structure in order to take advantage of future investment opportunities.

Saxo Bank is a private Denmark based group specializing in online trading, founded by Kim Fournais and Lars Seier Christensen. Saxo Bank’s financial expertise is derived from specialised, multinational staff of well over a thousand employees, who are dedicated to serving a client base spread across almost 200 countries.

Through its online trading platforms, the Company enables retail clients, traders, brokers, investors, and institutional clients to trade FX, Futures, CFDs, ETFs, Stocks, Options and other derivatives and offers fund management services.

The company was one of the first financial institutions in the world to develop an internet-based information and investment trading platform. The SaxoWebTrader and other in-house platforms enable Saxo Bank to offer advisory, dealing and market-making services to clients by providing them with direct access to tradable prices and rates across the global capital markets.

In 2008, Saxo Bank generated sales of about €340m and a net profit of €46m.

For more information, please contact:

Virginie Lazès, Managing Partner – Corporate Finance / +33 56 68 75 85 | vlazes@bryangarnier.com
Henri-Pierre Jeancard, Director – Corporate Finance / +33 1 56 68 75 97 | hpjeancard@bryangarnier.com
Vincent Gasné, Vice President – Corporate Finance / +33 1 56 68 75 93 | vgasne@bryangarnier.com

Note
(*) SLS or Structured Liquidity Solution is a derivatives and financing structure engineered by Bryan Garnier to provide clients in the investment community with medium term liquidity in relation to minority ownerships.