If the French government will have its way, it wants that a consortium composed of banks and insurers in the country to buy around 34 percent of the Euronext stock exchange.
Sources said that the government has approached financial institutions to form a consortium and buy Euronext, which is due for public offering, to stop the exchange from falling into foreign hands. The banks, however, are not inclined to cooperate as a result of the government's capital rules.
Since Euronext also includes the Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels and Lisbon stock exchanges, the French government has also enjoined financial institutions from these countries to participate.
An alternative to a stock offering would be the selling of Euronext, the sources said. Among the potential European owners for Euronext include Deutsche Boerse and the London Stock Exchange Group, sources said.
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