London and New York, 16 February 2012 – NYSE Euronext today announced an agreement to subscribe for shares in Fixnetix Limited, a leading service provider of ultra-low latency data provision, co-location, trading services and risk controls for more than 50 markets worldwide. NYSE Euronext has commenced a tender offer to acquire approximately 25% of the outstanding shares in Fixnetix and is pleased to announce that more than 90% of Fixnetix's shareholders have already accepted the offer. This agreement, which includes an option for NYSE Euronext to acquire the remainder of Fixnetix at any time over the next three years, complements key areas of NYSE Technologies’ diverse product portfolio to offer customers integrated multi-asset market access and managed services.
The transaction positions NYSE Technologies’ extensive global reach and technology solutions alongside Fixnetix’s low latency market data and trading infrastructure services to present customers a unique combined offering of core managed services delivered to markets and market participants around the world. Building on NYSE Technologies on-going deployment of Global Liquidity Centres that already include the U.S., Europe, Tokyo and Toronto, this strategic investment will allow both companies to offer their industry-leading trading and market information services to global customers with greater integration, scale and ease.
“This strategic shareholder interest in Fixnetix aligns with our mission to build a global capital markets community supported by world-class technology, broad connectivity and diverse customer participation that yields greater liquidity and market innovation,” said Stanley Young, CEO of NYSE Technologies. “With our collective experience in delivering customer-driven technology solutions that facilitate global multi-asset trading, we will create an even more compelling value proposition for market participants trading anywhere in the world.”
Michael Geltzeiler, Group Executive Vice President and CFO of NYSE Euronext added, “Today’s announcement further demonstrates NYSE Euronext’s commitment to using our strong capital position to create immediate strategic value that delivers greater opportunities for the company, our diverse global customers and the broader marketplace. Acquiring this strategic interest in Fixnetix allows us to better leverage our combined technology presence to reach more customers in more locations.”
“We at Fixnetix are thrilled with the investment from NYSE Euronext as this will enable us to expand our U.S. coverage and expand into Asia,” said Hugh Hughes, Chief Executive of Fixnetix. “Fixnetix and NYSE Technologies share common philosophies of working with our customer base to increase efficiency and reduce costs.”
Although the companies will continue to operate independently, where appropriate NYSE Technologies and Fixnetix will work together to offer customers integrated market access to highly attractive liquidity venues in Europe, the Americas and Asia. Clients can choose from a broader portfolio of targeted trading solutions delivered with a lower time to market as a single solution through the integration of the best-in-class technologies from these market leaders. The investment enables both parties to streamline the process for designing and installing various elements of complex global trading infrastructures while maintaining the proven performance and reliability of NYSE Technologies and Fixnetix products alongside other third-party vendors.