NASDAQ NAMES FORTIS EMCF AS CLEARING SERVICES PROVIDER FOR PAN EUROPEAN MARKET

Posted May 19, 2008

LONDON -- The Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (symbol: NDAQ) has chosen the European Multilateral Clearing Facility (EMCF), a subsidiary of international financial services provider Fortis, to deliver clearing services for the Nasdaq OMX Pan European Market, which is scheduled to open in September, with trading about 300 of the most actively traded European blue chip shares.

“Our relationship with EMCF is an important step in our plan to leverage the growth opportunities before us in this post-MiFID environment. It will enable us to offer not only faster and better executions, but a highly reliable, seamless post-trade experience,” says Chris Concannon, Executive Vice President of Transactions Services, Nasdaq OMX.

The Pan European Market will handle settlements domestically in its underlying settlement system, and will have settlement fungibility with trades on the primary market.

“From the start of the European Multilateral Clearing Facility, we have shown a strong determination to substantially grow the clearing businesses,” says Jan Booij, Managing Director of EMCF. “Our strategy is based on the simple principles of reliability, price competition and quality of service. Servicing the Nasdaq OMX Pan European Market will bring the benefits of netted settlements and margins based on netted positions to our customers [who are] active on multiple trading venues.”