The Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE”) is pleased to announce record results in all key performance categories for the year ended December 31, 2014, reflecting success in achieving the exchange’s goal of reducing the cost of capital for Canadian public companies. For 2015, the CSE expects growth to remain strong as it maintains existing activities and introduces several new initiatives to further strengthen competitiveness.

CSE Enjoys Record Year in 2014 – Key Stats

• The CSE finished 2014 with a total of 244 listed companies, a 35% increase compared to the previous year;
• CSE companies conducted 211 financings, raising a total of $155 million, or $76 million more than in 2013;
• Aggregate trading volume for the year was 2.3 billion shares, up 165%;
• Aggregate trading value was $498 million, up 315%.

Companies from a wide range of business sectors sought listing status on the CSE in 2014, including pharmaceutical, health care, technology, mining, clean tech, oil and gas and financial services. Approximately half of new listings came in the form of public companies transitioning to the CSE from other exchanges.

The CSE enters 2015 with a strong applications pipeline and a fresh set of objectives to further enhance trading and market access.

Over 100 companies raised capital on the CSE during the year, averaging $1.4 million per issuer. Premier Diagnostic Health Services Inc. (CSE:PDH), Tier One Capital Limited Partnership (CSE:TLP.UN), Pivotal Therapeutics Inc. (CSE:PVO) and Helius Medical Technologies Inc. (CSE:HSM) each raised more than $7 million. Novo Resources Corp. (CSE:NVO) and Supreme Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE:SL) were among others that completed significant financings. Supreme was also an exchange volume leader in 2014, alongside other companies in the medical marijuana sector such as Abattis Bioceuticals Corp. (CSE:ATT) and Affinor Growers Inc. (CSE:AFI).

“Technology was a standout on the financing front, with issuers in the sector accounting for around half of all capital raised on the CSE in 2014,” said CSE Chief Executive Officer Richard Carleton. “But fundraising challenges remain and this makes our operating model attractive for companies at the early to mid stages of development. With no immediate relief on the horizon, our low-cost, highly efficient listing model will remain an important incentive for fast growing companies to work with us.”

The CSE enters 2015 with a strong applications pipeline and a fresh set of objectives to further enhance trading and market access. These include a new market making program designed to enhance issuer liquidity; new order routing, compliance and risk management tools to assist dealers; and more resources for the exchange’s marketing team to support existing issuers and attract new ones.

Plans also call for a broader foreign markets strategy, particularly in light of the benefits many issuers realized after the CSE became a designated exchange with the leading operator of over-the-counter markets in the United States early in 2014. Tighter bid/offer spreads and greater trading liquidity resulted for many companies as US investors gained access to CSE stocks through domestic broker platforms newly able to provide quotes denominated in US dollars. The CSE will explore this model with exchanges in the European Union and United Kingdom in the current year.

“We put a lot of effort into raising our profile with key segments of the public finance community in Canada and internationally in 2014,” said Carleton. “Our goal is to build on those achievements throughout the current year, ensuring easier market access to enhance liquidity, reaching out to institutional investors to explain the merits of the CSE and show them examples of highly successful companies on our exchange, and continuing to address the micro and macro needs of our growing issuer base.”