The FT reports that six Asian stock exchanges are working on plans to develop an integrated platform for display and execution of trades for the largest 180 companies in the region.
The plan is being elaborated by the stock exchanges of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines, says the FT, which quotes Thai exchange chairman Pakorn Malakul Na Ayudhya.
"What you see beginning to develop is the integration of stock exchanges in this part of the world," he told the paper, pointing to recent initiatives by the mature bourses of Thailand and Korea to help set up fledgling stock market trading systems in Laos and Cambodia.
Collaboration between the six bigger exchanges would entail each bourse adding its 30 leading companies to a linked electronic trading platform, giving domestic investors in each country direct access via their local brokerage to a portfolio of 150 foreign companies.
The report does not go into detail on technology options available to the participating exchanges, although both Nyse Euronext and Nasdaq OMX are active in the regions, supplying trading systems to Malaysia and SGX respectively.