CME Group Applies to Create Exchange in UK

By CnAgri2012-08-21 19:26:06 Print

CME Group announced it is in the process of applying to the United Kingdom's Financial Services Authority to create a London-based derivatives exchange. Pending regulatory approval as a Recognized Investment Exchange, CME Europe Ltd will initially begin trading foreign exchange futures products and is expected to launch mid-2013.

"We continue to see an increase in business coming from our diverse set of customers in Europe, with more than 20 percent of our volume now originating from the region," said CME Group Executive Chairman and President Terry Duffy.

"Having an exchange in London that can leverage the central counterparty model of CME Clearing Europe will allow us to align ourselves even more closely with our regional customers in both listed futures and over-the-counter markets, and provide additional opportunities to our expanding non-U.S. customer base."

CME Group Chief Executive Officer Phupinder Gill says the application to establish an exchange in Europe fits within the group's strategy to grow organically and is an important next step to meet the growing regional demand from our customers.

"Launching with a suite of FX products allows us to leverage our 40 years of experience in FX futures for customers in the region who access the futures market during the London business day, but we also plan to look at expanding into additional asset classes," he says.

Robert Ray, currently Managing Director, Products and Services, will become Chief Executive Officer of CME Europe.

CME Globex will be used as the electronic trading platform and CME Clearing Europe Ltd, which launched in May 2011, will provide central counterparty clearing services.