Clessidra mulling LSE bid

Milan-headquartered private equity firm Clessidra Capital Partners is reported to be considering a bid for an 8% stake in the London Stock Exchange (LSE) as part of a financial consortium. The US technology stockmarket NASDAQ has its 31% stake in the LSE up for sale as it looks to acquire OMX, the bourse for the Nordic and Baltic regions.

The favourite for NASDAQ’s stake is the Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign fund which is looking to establish itself as a big hitter on the financial stage. Other interested buyers include Singapore’s sovereign fund Temasek Holdings and the German stock market.