Five French banks, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole, Dexia, Societe Generale and Caisse des Depots on Thursday signed a shareholders' pact to defend their interests in any future merger of Euronext and another European exchange.

The five banks hold about 9.7-percent stake of Euronext and also carry out transactions on Euronext, a cross-border exchange with subsidiaries in Belgium, Britain, France, Netherlands and Portugal.

The banks issued a statement saying they wanted "to make their voices heard in the current debate" and to ensure the emergence of a "stock market with significant liquidity, low transaction costs and a reliable (operating) system."

The statement came after Euronext's merger talks with Deutsche Boerse AG, which is seeking a unified exchange in Europe, and after Tuesday's announcement that the U.S. exchange Nasdaq had taken a 15-percent stake in the London Stock Exchange.

Source: Xinhua