LSE Plan Was Meant to Preempt U.S. Bid, Deutsche Boerse CEO Says

Deutsche Boerse AG Chief Executive Officer Carsten Kengeter said he embarked on a merger plan with London Stock Exchange Group Plc despite uncertainty about Britain’s future in the European Union to preempt a potential U.S. suitor from pouncing on its U.K. peer.

“It’s widely known that LSE had aroused interest from the U.S.,” Kengeter said in a discussion in Frankfurt late on Tuesday. “This interest would have become more concrete within a short space of time. As a result, waiting off was not an option for us, although it would have saved us a lot of questions.”