Working Group : WG1 (Assisting Markets)

Convenor: Uwe Meyer

The past year was mainly a year of consolidation. With the exception of two new partners (Azerbaijan and Central Africa acting as NNA for several countries) no further applications for ANNA Partnership have been received and accepted by ANNA.

In November the ANNA Board was kindly invited by AMEDA (African and Middle East Depositories Association) to present ANNA at its meeting. Several countries from that region - even countries having not a relation with ANNA yet - participated and we hope to support them in establishing numbering agencies and introducing ISIN in their countries soon.

But a new development with regards to either changing status from Partner to full membership or applying immediately for becoming ANNA member was noted. The Malta Stock Exchange as ANNA Partner applied for full membership as well as DECEVAL, the CSD from Colombia at the Extraordinary General Meeting in Argentina bringing the number of full members to 69 at the end of 2006. This development will continue also in 2007 since membership applications have been received from Lithuania and Macedonia (ANNA Partners) as well as Montenegro and Saudi Arabia.

In connection with the Ordinary General Meeting in Vienna celebrating also ANNAs 15th anniversary a workshop for ANNA Partners and potential members will be organized. Invitations have been well received and we are looking forward to welcome delegates from 13 countries incl. some new contacts (Bosnia-Herzegovina, Libya, Nigeria and Oman) which are not Partners or Members yet which proves the continuous interest and awareness of the importance of international standards especially ISIN.

The 19 ANNA Partners representing 30 countries are:
• Algeria
• Azerbaijan
• Bangladesh
• Botswana
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Central Africa (representing Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Republic of Central Africa)
• El Salvador
• Ghana
• Honduras
• Kenya
• Mauritius
• Nicaragua
• Swaziland
• Tanzania
• UEMOA (representing Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d΄Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal, Togo)
• Uganda
• Zambia
• Zimbabwe


Organizations from these countries being appointed by as National Numbering Agencies are mainly Central Securities Depositories (CSDs) or Stock Exchanges.