The head of Deutsche Boerse said the planned acquisition of NYSE Euronext could be widened to include other players such as the Madrid bourse, a Swiss newspaper reported on Sunday. "The main point of the targeted fusion with NYSE Euronext is that each spot market remains independent," Deutsche Boerse Chief Executive Reto Francioni told Swiss newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. "One could also include Spain or Switzerland."
Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext clinched plans jointly to create the world's largest bourse in February, a deal through which the German operator will own 60 percent of the combined group. The merger is part of a wave of tie-ups in the increasingly competitive and global exchange world.
The merged group would dominate exchange-based European derivatives trading, with operations spanning the United States, Germany, France, Britain, the Netherlands, Portugal and Belgium. Swiss exchange SIX has three joint ventures with Deutsche Boerse: index operator Stoxx, derivates platform Scoach and futures exchange Eurex. The Madrid bourse Bolsas y Mercados is a standalone operation and boasts strong trading turnover, with 70 percent coming from overseas.