By Mathieu Rosemain
PARIS (Reuters) – The head of Euronext said on Wednesday that the pan-European stock exchange was seeking to further consolidate markets infrastructure assets in Europe, including a potential acquisition of SIX-owned Spanish stock exchange BME.
Euronext is also interested in tie-ups with Euroclear and Nasdaq Nordic, a subsidiary of Nasdaq that includes the exchanges it operates in the Nordic and Baltic regions, Stephane Boujnah said.
Euronext, which runs bourses in Paris, Amsterdam and Dublin among others, was however not in merger talks for now with SIX, Nasdaq, or Euroclear, he added.
“We’re available (for talks),” Boujnah said with reference to BME in particular.
BME declined to comment.
Euronext attempted to buy BME in 2019, but was outbid then by SIX, the Swiss stock exchange operator. Boujnah reiterated that securities settlement house Euroclear made a natural fit for Euronext.
Over the past decade, Euronext has pursued an aggressive expansion strategy, acquiring companies like the Dublin Stock Exchange, Oslo Børs, and Borsa Italiana to consolidate European financial markets, diversify revenue streams, and integrate trading, clearing, and post-trade services.
(Reporting by Mathieu Rosemain; Additional reporting by Jesus Aguado; Writing by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
