The firm's CFO James Parisi confirmed that "we are currently in the process of opening an office in Northern Ireland, which is initially focused on certain technology functions we are augmenting overseas," during a first quarter earnings call.

"Our plan is to initially hire between 80 and 90 employees there, which will eventually allow us to reduce consulting costs," says Parisi.

A spokesman told the Irish Times that the centre would help CME Group meet international demands and "work more closely with employees and customers in the European and Asian time zones".