As the popularity of Bulgarian Stock Exchange increases, more and more companies are deciding to go public.

A reason for this interest are the investment intermediaries (including the work of front office, back office, brokers, analysts, consultants, procurers, directors etc.), as well as the Stock Exchange itself, which has done a lot in the recent years to increase its popularity and people's awareness of the advantages of raising capital on the stock market (by organizing round tables in different cities, and aiming at direct contact with investors).

The media also has a considerable impact on the rising interest in BSE, in the companies, in collective investment schemes, REITs, asset management funds etc.

Since the beginning of the year two banks listed their stock, as well as some companies from the IT sector, from the sectors of industrial minerals, food industry, infrastructural companies etc.

So we are seeing a new competition these days – investments intermediaries are competing in luring new companies to the stock market. This is a process that takes about 4 to 6 months, although professionals make it look easy.

The company has to say how, when and how much, and the intermediary does everything else for them. In 2007 First Financial Brokerage House organized two IPOs – that of Bianor and First Investment Bank, while BenchMark was underwriter of one (Todoroff) and co-underwriter of another (Lomsko Pivo).

Bulbank, UBB, Capman, Elana Trading, Bulgarian Post Bank and Somoni International all underwrote one. According to Profit.bg the business of investment intermediation is about to expand. Some investment intermediaries have already teamed up a special unit to carry out that sort of business, which seems to be a big advantage on their part.