Exclusive - Big banks may line up to block sale of LME
(Reuters) - Top bank stakeholders of the London Metal Exchange are likely to amass enough support to block a sale they fear would bring a more heavily regulated owner and hurt their lucrative warehousing businesses, senior industry sources say.
The LME said in September that at least 10 parties had expressed interest in buying it, and analysts estimate it could be worth as much as $1 billion. As a member-owned organisation, the exchange requires approval from members holding 75 percent of outstanding ordinary or "A" shares for any sale.
Potential buyers are likely to include CME Group Inc, IntercontinentalExchange and SGX Singapore Exchange. The first two in particular have stricter U.S. regulators, which could threaten members' businesses.
Big banks such as J.P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs have invested heavily in physical metals business since the economic downturn began by buying warehouses and beefing up their trading teams and financing operations.
http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/01/03/uk-lme-banks-idUKTRE8020YE20120103
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