Amsterdam, Brussels, London - 7 October 2014 – Euronext today announced that, following consultation with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, it has received new class no-action relief for Foreign Options Markets, enabling it to offer Dutch and Belgian equity options to certain eligible US investors. The no-action relief applies to a broad suite of equity and equity index options. In addition, an extension to the current arrangements on equity option contracts available for trading on Euronext Paris has been agreed. This initiative is complementary to the existing ability of qualifying investors in the US to trade index futures on the AEX®, CAC40®, BEL 20® and all Euronext commodity products.
Adam Rose, Head of Financial Derivatives, said, “Our client base in the US, particularly in Chicago, has always been strong in futures and we are delighted to add options to this offering. This initiative will build even more liquidity for our existing clients and is yet another example of how Euronext is taking rapid and decisive action in its derivatives business to differentiate and pull away from the competition.”