CME Group announced it has secured approval from the US antitrust regulator for its US$5.5 billion takeover of Michael Spencer’s NEX Group, moving the world’s biggest derivative exchange closer to securing a new avenue of growth, reported the Financial Times.
The US Department of Justice’s clearance, along with earlier approvals from other regulators in the United States, Germany, Italy, and Sweden, means that CME Group now has six approvals, with just the UK remaining. The exchange operator stated it was optimistic that it would win it soon.
If completed CME, the world’s largest futures exchange operator, will also be the dominant player in the US$500 billion a day market for US government debt.
The deal is now awaiting a formal ruling from the UK’s antitrust authorities, which is due on November 8.
