NYSE-ICE Acquisition Proposal Gains Shareholder Approval

Shareholders present at the meeting approved the deal by 99 percent, representing around 64 percent of common shares. In a separate meeting, ICE shareholders also approved the acquisition by a similar amount, representing around 85 percent of common shares.

"Today is an important step toward completing this exciting combination, and ensuring the long-term success of the New York Stock Exchange group, Liffe, and our Euronext platform," says Duncan Niederauer, CEO at NYSE Euronext. "I would like to thank our shareholders for their deliberate consideration and engagement during the last six months, and we now look forward to working with our regulators to secure the remaining approvals required to complete the transaction in the second half of this year."

European regulators, in particular, are looking into the effects on competition that a combined NYSE Euronext-ICE entity will have, given NYSE Liffe's power in the derivatives space and other areas. The European Commission scuppered a previous merger between Deutsche Börse and NYSE Euronext over fears that any merged entity would have a monopoly.