(Reuters) - More miners from the land of Genghis Khan may soon be listing abroad.

Mongolian owned and operated resources firms -- from coal to copper to iron ore companies -- are actively searching for foreign investors and hope to list in markets such as Hong Kong this year, the top executive of an Ulan Bator-based financial services firm told the Reuters Global Mining and Steel Summit.

"Mongolian miners are interested in listing in Hong Kong and London toward the second part of the year," Masa Igata, Founder and CEO of Frontier Securities said in an interview in Hong Kong.

"We keep our connections with the local miners because we never know when they will want to sell some of their assets or stakes abroad."

Mineral rich and landlocked Mongolia -- which has a population of roughly 3 million -- is attracting more attention from global investors after it sealed a deal in October with Ivanhoe Mines (IVN.TO) and Rio Tinto (RIO.AX) (RIO.L) to develop the USD3 billion Oyu Tolgoi mine, one of the world's biggest untapped copper and gold deposits.

In January, Mongolia-focused coal miner SouthGobi Energy Resources Ltd (1878.HK)(SGQ.TO) -- 80 percent owned by Ivanhoe -- raised USD439 million in its Hong Kong IPO, which attracted high-profile cornerstone investors such as sovereign wealth funds China Investment Corp CIC.UL and Singapore's Temasek Holdings TEM.UL.

Mongolian coal firm Energy Resources is also eyeing a Hong Kong or London IPO, although no bankers have been hired, previous media reports have said.

As more Mongolian companies -- both foreign and domestic owned -- seek listings abroad, major investment banks will become more involved in the sector. Frontier Securities aims to piggyback on those deals to build a name for itself as the go-to Mongolia-based advisory firm.

"The first ambition is to cooperate with investment banks, and share the fees with the investment banks," Igata said, adding that he spends a lot of time in Hong Kong meeting with bankers and trying to drum up business for his young firm.

"We know the local companies better than the foreign investment banks do."

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Frontier, founded in 2007, says it is the first local Mongolian securities firm with a global network and international expertise.

Igata holds a law degree from Kyoto University and established the first IR advisory division in Japan at Nikko Citigroup. He started visiting Mongolia in 2005 and was quickly seduced by the country's investment potential.

Frontier has less than 20 employees and is still loss making, but there is a chance business will turn around as the Mongolian resources story gains traction both domestically and among international investors, Igata said.

Most of the firm's business is still concentrated on working with domestic companies in the country of windswept grasslands.

"At the current stage, we are helping 15-20 private companies," Igata said, declining to name the firms who are seeking overseas deals.

"They pay a retainer fee for capital raising, advisory and a success fee after the actual deal," Igata said. "We also do equity research, as we fight for a share of underwriting fees when miners list overseas."

Frontier's position as a foreign-owned financial services firm distinguishes it from domestic competitors who may not be exposed to international accounting and transparency standards, Igata said.

"We know about the outside world, what drives markets, what drives Mongolian company valuations, and all our staff speaks English."

(Additional reporting by Alison Leung and Ronnie Koo; Editing by Jonathan Hopfner)