The Fair Trade Commission said Friday it has launched a second round antimonopoly screening of the planned merger between Tokyo Stock Exchange Group Inc. and Osaka Securities Exchange Co.
The first round of screening started Jan. 4 and lasted 30 days, but the antimonopoly watchdog decided further assessments are necessary to determine if the merger would undermine fair competition.
In the second screening, the FTC will receive reports from the two bourses and examine them for up to 90 days before deciding whether to approve the merger. It will also solicit public comments through March 5.
The the Tokyo- and Osaka-based entities plan to merge into Japan Exchange Group Inc. next January.