Regulators grant early end to antitrust wait for Intercontinental Exchange's MarketAxess deal

The remaining condition is a MarketAxess stockholder vote at a special meeting on October 29, 2026.

The US Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission have granted early termination of the waiting period under Hart-Scott-Rodino, the US premerger antitrust review, for the planned purchase of MarketAxess by Intercontinental Exchange. The early termination took effect on October 21, 2026, and clears the antitrust condition in the deal.

Under the merger, MarketAxess would become a wholly owned subsidiary of Intercontinental Exchange through Igloo Merger Sub II. MarketAxess said each of its shares would be converted into the right to receive $167.00 in cash, without interest. The merger agreement was signed on July 29, 2026. The MarketAxess board has unanimously approved it and recommends that stockholders adopt it. Closing requires holders of a majority of MarketAxess's outstanding common shares to adopt the agreement, along with other customary conditions. The special meeting is set for October 29, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern, and will be held virtually only.

The Globe and Mail reported that the companies withdrew their first Hart-Scott-Rodino filings when the initial waiting period ended on September 25, 2026, to give the Justice Department more time. They refiled on September 29, 2026, which reset the waiting period to expire on October 29. That refiling was a procedural step, not a sign of substantive objection. The early grant shows that antitrust was never the obstacle the September delay appeared to suggest.

With the antitrust review cleared, the path to closing now runs through the stockholder vote rather than further review by the Justice Department. Investing.com reported that the companies expect the merger to close in the first half of 2027. Upon completion, MarketAxess shares are expected to stop being listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.