Nasdaq is looking at emerging opportunities in the Indian stock markets with a view of integrating an India trading room with its global 24-hours 5-day-week trading cycle.
"India is ideally located to be the trading room between our Tokyo trading platform and the Nasdaq London market in terms of geographical location and depth of markets and expertise", according to Patrick Sutch, Nasdaq's vice-president and managing director, Asia-Pacific.
However, the exchange was not looking at setting up its own independent operations in the country, nor was it keen on gobbling up exchanges.
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"It is possible that Nasdaq would take a strategic stake in an exchange that is run on a platform and system familiar to US investors", said Sutch.
The National Stock Exchange was the only exchange which met these requirements, but Sutch refused to comment on the identity of the bourses. "Nasdaq's vice-chairman has held a series of meetings in Mumbai on his recent visit and several options and proposals were under study", he remarked.
Any decision would have to be first cleared by the Nasdaq board, as the exchange was a widely held company.
The exchange, which has 4,200 listed companies including 500 technology companies, "has a long term commitment to India reflected in the south Asia office operating out of Bangalore, but further participation will have to wait till the currency becomes convertible", said Sutch.
Being a widely held company such as the Australian or London bourses, Nasdaq stakeholders were very aware of the need to maximise benefits to listed companies. "Each listed company is vital to Nasdaq and the marketmakers and Indian companies are not neglected on Nasdaq unlike some other global exchanges", Sutch pointed out.
The benefits include mandatory liquidity support for 18 months after listing and permitting companies in emerging areas such as bio-technology to raise funds even though they were yet to report profits. US laws permit pension funds and other major investor interests to invest in such companies as well.
The drive to expand the Nasdaq network has become sharper ever since the exchange sold off 70 per cent of its equity to companies listed on the exchange and marketmakers operating on it. "The exchange is choosy about companies which are part of the system because its rapid growth and credibility depend on ability to protect investors within the framework laid down by Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC)", said Sutch. The fact that Enron failed on another exchange for example in a way proved that several exchanges ran on systems where incomplete disclosures were possible.