Comparison: LSE and Deutsche Börse

In a special meeting of the London Stock Exchange on Monday, 98.9 percent of shareholders voted in favour of the by now long-awaited merger between LSE and Deutsche Börse. It is however another vote which is raising question marks as to if and how such a merger could work. In the wake of the UK vote in favour of Brexit, analysts have questioned the feasibility of basing such an exchange in London.

"Without doubt... it is hard to imagine that the most important exchange venue in the eurozone would be steered from a headquarters outside the EU,".

Felix Hufeld, President of Bafin firmly stated. LSE of course have their own take, saying the following:

"Whether the UK is just European or a member of the EU, the merger will create a globally competitive, industry defining market infrastructure group at the service of European industry,".

Given these differences, there could well be some hard negotiations ahead. The chart below compares LSE and Deutsche Börse on some key 2015 figures.