Chicago, December 2010

CME Group, the world's leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace, has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire London-based Elysian Systems Ltd., an independent provider of electronic trading and market technology. By combining Elysian technology with CME ClearPort over-the-counter (OTC) clearing services, CME Group will provide customers with a single interface to aggregate access to diverse energy markets.

Currently, customers must search for the best price across a number of markets by comparing quotes offered through various trading and execution platforms. Creating a single interface allows more efficient access to these markets, as well as the added benefits of straight-through-processing and the safety and security of central counterparty clearing.

This new offering will be fully integrated with CME Group clearing services in 2011.

More than 200 banks, brokers and exchanges worldwide currently use Elysian technology to participate in global, electronic markets and receive real-time market data. Elysian's flagship technology product, the Liquid Trading Platform, facilitates online trading across a range of financial products including energy and agricultural commodities and credit default swaps. This technology complements and increases the liquidity of existing voice-brokered markets by allowing traders and brokers to submit their orders in a global electronic marketplace.

"Our end user customers and inter-dealer broker partners have increasingly been seeking out straight-through-processing and a front-end for trading and execution in global OTC energy markets," said Joe Raia, CME Group Managing Director, Energy & Metals Products. "By acquiring Elysian and its distribution to over 1,400 screens in over 200 trading companies, CME Group is reaching another important milestone in our efforts to deliver an end-to-end solution direct to customers' and brokers' desks. We look forward to expanding this technology to other OTC asset classes and markets to benefit our clients worldwide."

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