Mergers of Asian stock exchanges unlikely: HKEx chief

Hong Kong

CHIEF of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEx) Charles Li does not see mergers of stock exchanges in Asia, given sovereignty issues that dog acquisitions, but the bourse, as the new owner of London Metal Exchange (LME), aims to lift barriers to competition by building the Asian derivatives exchanges for commodity traders in three to five years' time.

"Every country, no matter how small you are, usually has a stock exchange. That equity exchange ... feels very important in the local community, and with the local government," he said at the Credit Suisse Asian Investment Conference on Tuesday.