Norway stocks higher at close of trade; Oslo OBX up 1.80%

European equities traded in the US as American depositary receipts were moving higher late Thursday morning, rising 0.89% to 1,323.86 on the S&P Europe Select ADR Index.

From continental Europe, the gainers were led by biopharmaceutical company Grifols and petroleum refiner Equinor , which rose 6% and 3.9% respectively. They were followed by lender Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria and biotech firm BioNTech , which were up 2.7% and 1.7% respectively.

The decliners from continental Europe were led by biopharmaceutical companies Genfit and Cellectis , which fell 9.7% and 4% respectively. They were followed by biopharmaceutical company DBV Technologies and medical device maker EDAP TMS , which dropped 2.9% and 2.1% respectively.

From the UK and Ireland, the gainers were led by biopharmaceutical company Akari Therapeutics and insurance provider Prudential , which increased 7.1% and 2.5% respectively. They were followed by communications company WPP and cruise line operator Carnival , which rose 1.6% and 1.4% respectively.

The decliners from the UK and Ireland were led by biopharmaceutical company Adaptimmune Therapeutics and biotech firm Trinity Biotech , which tumbled 13% and 10% respectively. They were followed by software firm Endava and biopharmaceutical company Amarin , which lost 4.4% and 3.9% respectively.

Nokia Corporation NOK recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of Rapid’s API technology assets for an undisclosed amount. Rapid’s industry-leading API technology includes the world's largest application programming interface (API) hub, which enables businesses to securely design, test and share APIs within their organization and with external associates. In addition, Rapid’s public API marketplace, boasting an extensive developer base worldwide, allows users to list and monetize their APIs while giving access to a wide array of third-party APIs.

Significance of Network APIs

Network APIs act as bridges through which developers can tap into different functionalities of the telecommunication network, such as location services, latency control, network slicing and bandwidth management. The process streamlines the application development process for developers and enables them to drive innovation without requiring any deep expertise in underlying network infrastructure.

For telecom operators who have heavily invested in building 4G and 5G infrastructure, network APIs allow them to sell the various network capabilities to businesses and developers and create new revenue streams. For instance, operators can sell real-time location data to businesses creating location-based services; it can also monetize the network’s low latency features for video streaming apps.

Will This Buyout Drive NOK Share Performance?

Nokia’s Network as Code platform, launched in 2023, is designed to make network capabilities easily accessible through APIs for developers. Since its introduction, the solution has witnessed healthy market traction from major enterprises worldwide, including Google Cloud, Telefonica, Telecom Argentina, DISH and more.

The integration of Rapid’s industry-leading API technology and R&D unit will strengthen NOK’s Network as Code platform, creating a robust API infrastructure. This advanced API ecosystem will enhance API lifecycle management, allowing operators to control API usage and exposure. It is likely to drive Nokia’s commercial expansion in the network API space.

The telecom industry is looking to unlock new avenues of monetization following massive 5G investments. By expanding the capabilities of its Network as a Code platform, Nokia is aiming to capitalize on these emerging market trends. This strategic buyout will accelerate network API-related product development and empower operators to derive a sustainable return against their 5G investment by engaging the broader global developer community.

NOK’s Stock Price Movement

Shares of Nokia have gained 24.3% over the past year compared with the industry's growth of 43.6%.