The US$8.2 billion purchase by Intercontinental Exchange of NYSE Euronext would be examined by European Union antitrust regulators. This was requested by both exchange operators to clarify any issues on the merger.
The deal would provide ICE, the commodities and energy index, control over the Europe's next largest derivatives market operator. This would strengthen the company against competitors such as CME and Nasdaq's OMX Group.
This is ICE's second go at acquiring the NYSE owner after a joint bid with Nasdaq failed last year. In previous regulatory findings, ICE had requested EU regulators review the merger instead of leaving it to regulators in select countries such as Portugal, Spain and the UK.
According to Antoine Colombani, the spokesman for the Commission's competition policy regulator, "We are the competent authority to examine this transaction. They (national regulators) did not oppose the fact that the Commission would be competent to review the merger as the parties requested."
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