The formal request to approve ATS Brasil for trading in 2014 also includes provisions for the admission of new liquidity providers to the joint venture.

Additionally, experienced Latin American industry veteran Alan Gandelman has been announced as CEO of ATS Brasil. He will be responsible for leading the launch of the exchange as well as its development and strategic direction. ATG holds the controlling interest and operational management of ATS Brasil while NYSE Euronext has a minority interest in the company. ATS Brasil will operate using trading solutions developed and installed by NYSE Technologies, the technology unit of NYSE Euronext.

"The entry of ATS Brasil will be very positive for the evolution of the Brazilian stock market by adding another important trading platform to the region that will encourage growth and increase access to our markets," states Alan Gandelman, CEO of ATS Brasil. "The entry of ATS Brasil would represent a new cycle in the Brazilian exchange market offering greater innovation, liquidity and trading activity. It is intended to support meaningful cost reduction while offering significant efficiency gains to investors, further positioning Brazil amongst the world's most attractive markets."

NYSE Technologies has already completed the customization of the core trading technology for ATS Brasil and is now testing the platform functionality and global connectivity capabilities. ATS Brasil is built on the Universal Trading Platform (UTP), a world-class trading engine used by NYSE Euronext's stock and derivatives exchanges worldwide.

"Now in the testing phase for ATS Brasil, the Universal Trading Platform has been optimized to meet the specific needs of the Brazilian marketplace, its market participants and future global customers. This proven trading technology will provide a high quality trading experience with exceptional performance and reliability, which are key features of NYSE Euronext's trading platfg platforms trusted by firms around the world. We believe that ATS Brasil will be well received by Brazilian market participants and will offer more choice, liquidity and global access to customers trading in Brazil," said Martin Koopman, Senior Vice President, NYSE Euronext and ATS Brasil Board Director.

ATS Brasil Board Director and ATG's COO Arthur Pinheiro Machado, explains that ATS Brasil will operate in the market as a new stock exchange focused on the trading of equities and it may expand to other products in the future.

"This new stock exchange is a natural evolution of the market. Since the announcement of the formation of ATS Brasil, we have had great acceptance and interest from many institutions and we believe that the Brazilian market has enormous development potential. Our goal is to increase the number of national and international stakeholders, as well as facilitate more growth in order flow."

ATS Brasil is scheduled to begin operations in 2014, pending the approval of Brazilian regulatory authorities.