Epsilon Net SA, a Greek information services and technology company, will become the first stock to trade on the country’s new alternative market for small and fast-growing companies. Epsilon will begin trading on the bourse, known as EN.A, on Thursday, the Athens Exchange announced yesterday. Bank of Cyprus Pcl helped Epsilon, based in Thessaloniki in northern Greece, sell 560,000 shares at 3 euros apiece, raising 1.7 million euros. EN.A is designed to attract smaller companies that do not meet the stricter criteria for admission and trading in other regulated markets. Epsilon will be joined a week later by Mediterra SA, created in 2002 by the Union of Masticha Producers on the Greek island of Chios to promote masticha products through its network of shops. Envitec SA, which provides waste treatment and energy production solutions, will debut March 3. (Bloomberg)

Interest in the acquisition of satellite television platform Nova was less than expected, with no more than four companies submitting offers last weekend. Bidders include listed telecoms provider Forthnet and British investment company Cantover. Marfin Investment Group eventually stayed out. It remains unknown whether Antenna TV and Providence have tabled an offer. The price will be around 600 million euros and it is only a matter of time before the new owner of Greece’s sole pay-TV provider is known.

The European Union stepped up pressure on Croatia yesterday not to apply a protected fisheries zone to its EU neighbors. The ecological and fisheries zone came into force on January 1, theoretically excluding fishing vessels from Slovenia, which holds the EU presidency, and Italy from Croatian waters. So far Croatia has done nothing to enforce the zone, aimed at preserving fish stocks and limiting pollution. (Reuters)

Turkey’s consumer confidence index fell 1.89 percent month-on-month to 92.12 points in January, the Turkish Statistics Institute said yesterday. In December, the index rose 1.48 percent to 93.89 points. (Reuters)

Bulgaria’s largest steelmaker Kremikovtzi, owned by Indian Global Steel Holdings Ltd (GSHL), cut its net loss by 87 percent in 2007 to 35.9 million levs ($26.97 million), a company report showed yesterday. Revenue at Kremikovtzi, which is eyed by several Ukrainian and US suitors, reached 1.63 billion levs in 2007, while spending was 1.67 billion levs. (Reuters)