The Italian government celebrated this Friday that the London Stock Exchange has agreed to sell the Italian Borsa to the pan-European operator Euronext for 4,325 million euros. The country considers that it is a strategic step to strengthen the Italian capital market at the European level.

Roberto Gualtieri, the Minister of Economy, stated that it is a fundamental step in the government’s strategy to strengthen its capital market in the European context. The operation will place Italy in a central position within a leading international group.

The head of the Economy stressed that Italian companies and investors will have the opportunity to access a greater amount of liquidity and new investment and growth opportunities.

Euronext’s purchase of the Italian market is expected to be completed in the first half of 2021. In this way, the pan-European manager, which controls markets in Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin, Lisbon, London, Oslo, and Paris, will become a leading player in Europe’s capital markets with Italy the largest contributor of income to the group.

Besides, Italy will have representatives on the Board of Directors, the Supervisory Board, and the College of Regulators that oversee the pan-European operator’s activities, which will give the country a strategic role.

Borsa Italiana will continue to maintain its current functions, structure, and relationships and be the reference point for listing and trading in Italy.

Gualtieri also pointed out that ELITE, the Italian platform dedicated to companies with strong growth potential that intends to approach the financial markets, will benefit from the group’s new synergies. Thus, it will continue with the important mission of promoting market financing in small and medium-sized Italian companies.

The Italian sovereign bond trading platform MTS will acquire a leadership position at the European level in the negotiation of public debt, with an offer that will cover the entire range of fixed income securities.