European regulators have blocked the proposed merger between Deutsche Börse and the London Stock Exchange Group.
The EU Commission says the deal would create a “de facto monopoly” for certain financial services, despite remedial measures offered by both companies to alleviate the competition concerns.
Deutsche Börse says it regrets the decision taken by the European Commission.
Joachim Faber, chairman of the supervisory board of Deutsche Börse AG, says: “The prohibition is a setback for Europe, the Capital Markets Union and the bridge between continental Europe and Great Britain. A rare opportunity to create a global market infrastructure provider based in Europe and to strengthen the global competitiveness of Europe’s financial markets has been missed.”
Carsten Kengeter (pictured), CEO of Deutsche Börse, adds: “Deutsche Börse is well-positioned on a standalone basis to compete at a global level with other market infrastructure players. We will continue to pursue our growth strategy, to strengthen our innovation capabilities and to even better serve market and customer needs. Through this strategic approach we want to create added value for our clients and shareholders and contribute to the positive development of Frankfurt as financial centre.”
