Blackmont Capital Inc. and Oriel Securities Ltd. today announced that they have entered into a strategic venture. Blackmont will work with Oriel in assisting Canadian companies in accessing the UK stock markets through listings and fundraisings on the London Stock Exchange and the Alternative Investment Market (AIM).

Blackmont and Oriel will work together in ensuring that the hcompanies they advise get the very best independent advice in both the UK and Canadian markets. Both Blackmont and Oriel advise companies across all sectors, but the companies said that the venture will be of particular benefit to mining, energy and technology firms seeking to gain access to or improve visibility in the UK markets.

Blackmont and Oriel entered into the venture to service the growing number of Canadian companies wishing to list on UK exchanges to broaden their shareholder base in a favourable regulatory environment. Currently, there are a total of 121 Canadian or North American Companies listed on either the London Stock Exchange or AIM. As of June this year, there were 42 dual listed Canadian companies on AIM, with a market cap of $18.5 billion accounting for 12% of its total value.

“Oriel’s rapid growth since it was founded is testament to the quality of its people and to the advice it gives its clients,” says Gerald Throop, president of Blackmont. “We look forward to our venture with Oriel which will allow us to provide our clients with access to the AIM market-a market that has become increasingly attractive to Canadian companies as both an alternative and addition to the Canadian stock exchanges.”

Blackmont is an independent investment firm with over 650 employees in 11 locations across Canada.

Oriel Securities, founded in 2002, is a London based independent corporate and institutional stockbroking business.