Gielda Papierow Wartosciowych w Wrszw : Warsaw bourse flags $25 million dividend, upholds payout policy

WARSAW (Reuters) - Eastern and central Europe's largest equity market, the Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW), said it will pay a dividend of 2.36 zlotys per share and plans to keep paying out more than 60 percent of annual profits.

GPW's dividend payout, slightly lower than 2.4 zlotys per share a year earlier, amounts to more than 99 million zlotys (17 million pounds) or 80.11 percent of the group's 2015 net profit, the group said in a statement late on Friday.

The state-controlled company, which underwent management changes under Poland's new conservative government earlier this year, is seeking to lure new investors and boost volumes after its main WIG20 <.WIG20> index fell by a fifth last year.

The bourse, which has a combined market capitalisation of its listed companies of 132 billion euros ($148 billion), booked a first-quarter net profit drop of 32 percent to 26.3 million zlotys due to one-off items as well as lower investor activity.

(Reporting by Adrian Krajewski; Editing by Alexander Smith)