Euronext shareholders vote in favour of €10bn merger

EURONEXT shareholders yesterday approved overwhelmingly a $14 billion (€10.63bn) plan to merge the multinational European exchange operator with the New York Stock Exchange and form the first transatlantic bourse.

Around 98.2% of shareholders present or represented at the meeting backed the merger, a margin that surprised even Euronext chief executive Jean-Francois Theodore after several shareholders voiced opposition to the deal in recent weeks.

Mr Theodore told Reuters after the meeting: “This is an important step, but it (the deal) won’t be completed before March.”