Merrill Lynch has become a member of the Nouveau Marché in France in a move which will enable it to lead IPOs on the growth company market for the first time. Merrill, which is already a member of the main Paris Bourse, has joined the Nouveau Marché to capitalise on the expected flood of new issues this year in France.

Dominique Leblanc, head of the Nouveau Marché, expects that as many as 100 companies will join the market this year nearly double the number already listed. Merrill joins the likes of ABN Amro Rothschild, Nomura, BancBoston Robertson Stephens and Deutsche Bank as the main international players on the Nouveau Marché.