LONDON (ShareCast) - (Sharecast News) - Shares in the London Stock Exchange came under pressure on Wednesday, after fears emerged that its multi-billion pound takeover of Refinitiv could be subject to a longer-than-expected probe by regulators.
The LSE is set to pay $27bn for the data and technology group. The transformative deal, first announced in August, will mark a dramatic shift for the LSE, as it goes from a traditional trading business to becoming one of the world's largest financial and trading data companies and a key rival to Bloomberg.

Both companies had indicated the deal would close in the second half of 2020.

But on Wednesday, the Financial Times reported that even before regulators have been officially informed, the deal is facing intense scrutiny in Brussels.

According to sources which the FT said had direct knowledge of the discussions, there has been unexpected scrutiny in the so-called pre-notification phase. This period affords both regulators and companies a chance to identify any potential issues and concerns before formal probes begin.

Both the LSE and Refinitiv are now girded for a protracted legal battle, the FT said.

The LSE's shares have jumped in recent months on the back of the deal. But on Wednesday, they had fallen by more than 2% to 7,870.0p by 1400 GMT.

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