OSLO, Norway, May 31, 2010 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. (Nasdaq:NDAQ) today announced that it has received the necessary regulatory approval for the completion of its acquisition of Nord Pool ASA.
Nord Pool ASA holds a Norwegian exchange license and operates the Nordic Power market and the European Carbon market on one trading platform.
Through this acquisition, the NASDAQ OMX Commodities offering now includes the world's largest power derivatives exchange and one of Europe's largest carbon exchanges.
"We are pleased to complete this acquisition as it forms one of the cornerstones in our strategy to become the global leader in the commodity exchange business," said Hans-Ole Jochumsen, Executive Vice President NASDAQ OMX. "The combination of NASDAQ OMX's world class exchange technology and Nord Pool ASA's extensive experience in the Nordic financial power market will put us in a prime position for continued growth in the commodities space."
"This transaction will allow us to further improve our services, offer more efficient solutions and swiftly meet changes and new requirements in the commodities markets. The Nord Pool team will be an important part of NASDAQ OMX Commodities' global ambitions managed from our premises at Lysaker outside Oslo," says Geir Reigstad, Senior Vice President of NASDAQ OMX Commodities.
NASDAQ OMX acquired Nord Pool Clearing ASA and Nord Pool Consulting AS from Nord Pool ASA in October 2008. The new acquisition means that NASDAQ OMX now owns all shares in the previous Nord Pool ASA group.
The acquisition does not comprise the Nordic physical electricity market operated by Nord Pool Spot AS.
About NASDAQ OMX Commodities
NASDAQ OMX Commodities is the brand name for offerings related to commodities within the NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc and is not a legal entity. NASDAQ OMX Commodities provides access to the world's largest power derivatives exchange and one of Europe's largest carbon markets, through Nord Pool ASA. Nord Pool ASA is a commodity derivatives exchange authorised by the Norwegian Ministry of Finance and supervised by the Norwegian Financial Supervisory Authority. NASDAQ OMX Commodities also provides clearing services through NASDAQ OMX Stockholm AB and its Norwegian branch NASDAQ OMX Oslo, acting as an authorised clearinghouse. N2EX is the brand name for NASDAQ OMX Commodities' and Nord Pool Spot AS offering in the UK power market and NASDAQ OMX Stockholm AB is the authorised clearinghouse. NASDAQ OMX Commodities has more than 380 members from 20 countries covering a wide range of energy producers, consumers and financial institutions. For more information about NASDAQ OMX Commodities, visit www.nordpool.com and www.nasdaqomx.com/Commodities
About NASDAQ OMX
The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. is the world's largest exchange company. It delivers trading, exchange technology and public company services across six continents, with more than 3,600 listed companies. NASDAQ OMX offers multiple capital raising solutions to companies around the globe, including its U.S. listings market, NASDAQ OMX Nordic, NASDAQ OMX Baltic, NASDAQ OMX First North, and the U.S. 144A sector. The company offers trading across multiple asset classes including equities, derivatives, debt, commodities, structured products and exchange-traded funds. NASDAQ OMX technology supports the operations of over 70 exchanges, clearing organizations and central securities depositories in more than 50 countries. NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic are not legal entities but describe the common offering from NASDAQ OMX exchanges in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Iceland, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. For more information about NASDAQ OMX, visit http://www.nasdaqomx.com. Please follow NASDAQ OMX on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/nasdaqomx) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/nasdaqomx).
NASDAQ OMX's Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
The matters described herein contain forward-looking statements that are made under the Safe Harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements about NASDAQ OMX's products and offerings. We caution that these statements are not guarantees of future performance. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other factors beyond NASDAQ OMX's control. These factors include, but are not limited to factors detailed in NASDAQ OMX's annual report on Form 10-K, and periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. We undertake no obligation to release any revisions to any forward-looking statements.
NDAQG