NYSE Euronext Friday announced the signing of a binding agreement with several leading global banks and liquidity providers to sell an equity interest its’ futures exchange, the NYSE Liffe U.S.

The firms, Citadel Securities, GETCO, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and UBS, join NYSE Euronext, which will remain the largest shareholder and will continue to manage the day-to-day operations of the exchange. The transaction is expected to close shortly, subject to regulatory approval.

“NYSE Liffe U.S. will effectively compete in the U.S. futures market by delivering innovative products and services, and by leveraging the market leading technology of NYSE Euronext. I am thrilled that this group of distinguished market leaders shares our vision for innovation and efficiency, and we look forward to working with them to accelerate the growth of NYSE Liffe U.S,” said the exchange’s chief executive, Thomas Callahan.

Duncan Niederauer, chief executive of NYSE Euronext, said, “Today’s announcement marks an important step in achieving our goal of establishing NYSE Liffe U.S. as a highly competitive, global multi-asset exchange.”

NYSE Liffe U.S. launched trading in September 2008 as a fully electronic, liquid market for gold and silver futures and options, and it has since expanded into equity index futures, and plans to further expand into futures on other asset classes, including U.S. interest rate products.

IE