Ownership, governance and compliance

NOS is an independent clearing organisation. The parent company, Imarex ASA, is a Norwegian public limited liability company listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE:IMAREX).

A list of the 40 largest shareholders in Imarex ASA and the members of the board are shown on www.imarexgroup.com.

NOS has a licence as a clearing house from the Norwegian Ministry of Finance according to the Norwegian Securities Trading Act, and is subject to supervision by Finanstilsynet, the Norwegian FSA. This is the public supervisory authority for the Norwegian financial sector. NOS is an acknowledged clearing house by CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission, USA) and the Swiss Banking Commission giving the authorization for US and Swiss citizens to clear contracts through NOS.

NOS has a Control Committee appointed by the general meeting of NOS. The Control Committee reports annually to the Norwegian FSA and the general meeting.

According to the Securities Trading Act, NOS must abide by strict confidentiality requirements regarding client information, as stated in the confidentiality statement.

NOS is a member of the European Association of Central Counterparty Clearing Houses (EACH).

Clearing houses are strictly regulated and supervised by the authorities. NOS, as most clearing houses, are required to file an annual self assessment on compliance with international recommendations defined by the European System of Central Banks (ESCB) and the Committee of Securities Regulators (CESR). See NOS self assessment for 2010.