The membership process starts with the filing of a membership application with OMX Nordic Exchange. The exchange is contacted by the bank or investment firm (referred to as the firm in the following text), or the firm is contacted by OMX Nordic Exchange. The firm is informed of the products, membership requirements, trading rules, costs etc. The firm should be informed of all fees relating to the membership, what an exchange membership entails and which steps need to be taken before the firm can start to trade.

The application and the appendices attached is reviewed and additional information may be requested. The supervisory authority in the country of domicile and the local FSA is contacted in parallel with the internal review process. The custodian bank and local CSD are contacted as well, to ensure that the processes at the bank and the CSD and at the Nordic Exchange are coordinated.

While the application is being reviewed, the personnel who are intended to use the systems on OMX Nordic Exchange attend an authorization course, and the Nordic Exchange’s IT department orders the circuits, routers and servers for the firm. The estimated delivery time for the circuits, etc. is 4 weeks for Denmark, Finland and Sweden, and 6-8 weeks for Europe. At the start of a membership process a Technical Account Manager (TAM) is also appointed for each member, who assists with IT issues related to being a member.

When it can be establish that the membership requirements of the Nordic Exchange are fulfilled, the applying firm is presented to the management of OMX Nordic Exchange. Because the exchanges are separate legal entities, each exchange has to approve the membership. After approval, the date for the trading start can be decided and information on the admission of a new member can be made public. At the stage, a Key Account Manager is appointed to the member to assist in all kinds of issues related to trading on the Nordic Exchange.