Euronext In Negotiations To Acquire CompanynewsGroup

Euronext, the pan-European exchange, is in negotiations to acquire CompanynewsGroup, a leading corporate news distributor in Europe. Now in the final stages, the acquisition is expected to be completed towards the end of the first quarter, subject to all relevant regulatory consents and required communications with employee representatives have been completed.

Euronext intends to develop its presence in the market for corporate news distribution, thus broadening its range of services to listed companies. The services to be provided through the Information Services SBU should benefit from the new financial information requirements established under the European Transparency Directive to be introduced in 2007.

CompanynewsGroup offers a comprehensive range of services enabling listed companies to comply with market regulations through simultaneous distribution of their full-text financial communications to key financial information relays. The group, which has 25 employees, also sets up financial information tools in compliance with best practices in investor and shareholder relations.

By combining the close relationship between Euronext and the companies listed on its markets with the recognised expertise of CompanynewsGroup in broadcasting information to the market on behalf of issuers, Euronext expects to cross-fertilize its know-how with CompanynewsGroup to fuel future expansion.

Since CompanynewsGroup’s current client base of listed companies is located mainly in France, Italy and Spain, Euronext plans to offer this new service in the Netherlands and Portugal, while continuing to develop business in Belgium.

About Euronext Information Services

Euronext's Information Services SBU manages and operates Euronext's data feeds and other information products and services. It distributes and sells market information such as prices, transaction data, orderbook data and other information products including news-related services. The SBU also compiles and manages Euronext indices through subsidiary Euronext Indices BV. Its clients include data vendors, listed companies and financial institutions.