The European Commission said it will review plans by IntercontinentalExchange Inc. to purchase NYSE Euronext after national regulators didn’t object to it taking the lead.
Antoine Colombani, a spokesman for the European Union’s Brussels-based antitrust authority, said it now has jurisdiction over the deal, which has yet to be formally notified by the companies.
ICE, the energy and commodity futures bourse, said in March that it sought an EU review of its acquisition to avoid separate probes in the U.K., Spain and Portugal.
ICE agreed on Dec. 21 to acquire NYSE Euronext for cash and stock totaling $8.2 billion at the time. EU regulators blocked Deutsche Boerse AG’s purchase of NYSE last year, citing concern over competition in derivatives and clearing.
Brookly McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for Atlanta-based ICE, didn’t respond to a phone call for comment before office hours. Caroline Tourrier, a spokeswoman for NYSE Euronext in Paris, said the company has no comment.
