Nasdaq sees major return from derivatives clearing

By Jonathan Spicer

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nasdaq OMX's (NDAQ.O: Quote, Profile, Research) new clearinghouse for interest rate derivatives could yield big returns if it attracts enough users, with one analyst suggesting a jump in the company's 2009 earnings of up to 33 percent

The exchange operator last month bought an 80 percent stake in the International Derivatives Clearing Group, or IDCG, which began clearing swaps based on U.S. dollar interest rates early last week.

Nasdaq is now looking for partners in the venture, which comes as U.S. and European regulators push for more transparency in the vast over-the-counter markets.

"We're in the perfect environment to deliver something massive," said Chris Concannon, executive vice president of Nasdaq transaction services and a member of the International Derivatives Clearinghouse board.

"Down the road, given the size of the asset class ... I can see this as being a major contributor to revenue in the years to come," he told Reuters in an interview.

Worth about $357 trillion, interest rate swap contracts represented 52 percent of total OTC markets worldwide at the end of June, according to the Bank of International Settlements.

"I would expect to start delivering on other currencies this year," Concannon said, adding that the euro is first on Nasdaq's agenda, followed by other G7 currencies.

He said Nasdaq is looking to investment banks and other large market participants such as hedge funds as potential partners in the clearinghouse, which acts as a central counterparty to those buying and selling the contracts.