SWX SIGNS 11 FIRMS AS USERS OF SWISS BLOCK SERVICE TO DEBUT IN AUGUST

Posted July 21, 2008

ZURICH – SWX Europe has signed 11 major firms to be the first users of its SWX Swiss Block service, scheduled to launch in August.

Those signed to participate are ABN AMRO Bank NV (owned by a consortium comprising The Royal Bank of Scotland Group, Fortis and Banco Santander), Bank Vontobel, Citi, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, Instinet Europe, Lehman Brothers, JPMorgan, Merrill Lynch, NYFIX International and UBS

“We are excited to welcome these prestigious firms to SWX Swiss Block and believe that the service will offer our users significant benefits in terms of price improvement,” says Lee Hodgkinson, Chief Executive Officer, SWX Europe. “SWX Europe is committed to engaging with its users and providing innovative services, and we are confident that the launch of SWX Swiss Block, along with our tariff reduction program and the revitalization of our technology, will fortify our position as the home market for Swiss equities trading.”

SWX Swiss Block will execute wholesale trades of Swiss equities anonymously, without displaying liquidity, and with reduced market impact. The service will clear its trades through the existing SWX Europe clearing and settlement infrastructure. NYFIX Euro Millennium, a European dark pool venue, will power SWX Swiss Block.