The commission’s investigation showed that new competitors would be unlikely to enter the market successfully enough to pose a credible competitive threat to the merged company.
Commission vice president in charge of competition policy Joaquin Almunia said that the merger between Deutsche Borse and NYSE Euronext would have led to a near-monopoly in European financial derivatives worldwide.
"These markets are at the heart of the financial system and it is crucial for the whole European economy that they remain competitive. We tried to find a solution, but the remedies offered fell far short of resolving the concerns," added Almunia.
NYSE said that the two companies are now discussing terminating the merger agreement and it plans to return $550m to shareholders through a share repurchase program and to seek to grow its derivatives business.
