ICE's play for LSE could include Borsa Italiana spinoff - source

By Esha Vaish

(Reuters) - New York Stock Exchange owner Intercontinental Exchange Inc's (ICE.N) potential offer for the London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) could include a proposal to spin off the LSE's Italian business and French clearing arm, a person familiar with the matter said.

Atlanta-based ICE might explore divestitures of the French arm of LSE's clearing house LCH.Clearnet and Borsa Italiana as part of its plans to possibly counter Deutsche Boerse's (DB1Gn.DE) potential all-stock merger plan, the person said.

LSE, Borsa Italiana and ICE declined to comment. LSE acquired Borsa Italiana for 1.6 billion euros in 2007.

LSE is already considering spinning off Paris-based Clearnet SA, the Financial Times reported, citing people familiar with the discussions. (http://on.ft.com/1OTpPHA)

ICE said earlier this week that it may make a rival bid for LSE, but added that it had not yet approached LSE and may not pursue a deal at all.

CME Group (CME.O) is also actively considering a bid for the LSE, people familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier this week.

The industry has been trying to consolidate for years amid weaker trading volumes and shrinking margins. Instead of stock trading, the exchanges have focused on more profitable businesses, such as derivatives trading and selling market data.

But regulatory concerns about the concentration of power in the hands of a few exchanges, along with nationalist wrangling, have hindered many cross-border deals.

While Deutsche Boerse is interested in combining with LSE to create a full-service trading powerhouse, analysts said ICE's interest likely relates to two of LSE's businesses: clearing and market data.

(Reporting by Esha Vaish, additional reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru and Paola Arosio in Milan; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)