CMEGroup, the derivatives marketplace, has entered into an agreement to acquire London-based Elysian Systems Ltd., an independent provider of electronic trading and market technology. CME Group expects closing of the acquisition to occur later today.
By combining Elysian technology with CME ClearPort over-the-counter (OTC) clearing services, CME Group will provide customers with a single interface to aggregate access to diverse energy markets. Currently, customers must search for the best price across a number of markets by comparing quotes offered through various trading and execution platforms. Creating a single interface allows more efficient access to these markets, as well as the added benefits of straight-through-processing and the safety and security of central counterparty clearing.
This new offering will be fully integrated with CME Group clearing services in 2011.
More than 200 banks, brokers and exchanges worldwide currently use Elysian technology to participate in global, electronic markets and receive real-time market data. Elysian’s flagship technology product, the Liquid Trading Platform, facilitates online trading across a range of financial products including energy and agricultural commodities and credit default swaps. This technology complements and increases the liquidity of existing voice-brokered markets by allowing traders and brokers to submit their orders in a global electronic marketplace.
“Our end user customers and inter-dealer broker partners have increasingly been seeking out straight-through-processing and a front-end for trading and execution in global OTC energy markets,” said Joe Raia, CME Group Managing Director, Energy & Metals Products. “By acquiring Elysian and its distribution to over 1,400 screens in over 200 trading companies, CME Group is reaching another important milestone in our efforts to deliver an end-to-end solution direct to customers’ and brokers’ desks. We look forward to expanding this technology to other OTC asset classes and markets to benefit our clients worldwide.”
“Elysian has always been committed to developing technology that facilitates price discovery for global market participants,” said Julian Anstes, former Elysian CEO and now Director, CME Group End-to-End Technology Integration. “By joining CME Group, we will extend the reach of our broker aggregation model and thereby provide global market participants with easier access to the liquidity, transparency and straight-through-processing of CME Group markets.”
Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.
D.C.