UPDATE 1-Nasdaq OMX ready to talk to Turquoise, other MTFs

* Nasdaq OMX CEO says MTF market to consolidate

* Says interest in talking with MTFs

* Says new acquisitions helpful but not vital

(Adds background, CEO comment)

STOCKHOLM, Sept 2 (Reuters) - The head of Nasdaq OMX (NDAQ.O) said the exchange had an interest in holding talks with Turquoise or other multilateral trading facilities (MTF) operating in European markets.

Turquoise, a pan-European equity trading venture backed by nine top investment banks, has hired UBS AG (UBSN.VX) to develop strategic options, including seeking potential buyers.

"It would be a fair statement to say we would have an interest in conversations with Turquoise or any other MTF in the European space," Nasdaq OMX chief executive Bob Greifeld told journalists at a briefing on Wednesday.

MTFs, alternative trading platforms which compete with traditional exchanges, have come under increasing financial pressure amid falling trading volumes and many expect consolidation across the industry.

Turquoise, which told Reuters in May it was considering a third round of fundraising, is backed by Citi (C.N), Goldman Sachs (GS.N), Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAC.N), Morgan Stanley (MS.N), UBS (UBS.N)(UBSN.VX), Credit Suisse (CSGN.VX), Deutsche Bank (DBKGn.DE), BNP Paribas (BNPP.PA) and Societe Generale (SOGN.PA).

The trading platform, launched in August 2008, is still loss-making but has a market share of about 7 percent.

Greifeld said that MTFs in general in Europe were not profitable and had excess capacity. After an initial explosion in the number of such platforms, few more were likely to be launched and those that exist are likely to need to merge.

Consolidation is also taking place across the traditional exchange industry.

In June, Nasdaq OMX -- itself a product of the takeover by Nasdaq of Nordic exchange and technology firm OMX -- launched a preliminary offer for a stake in the Warsaw stock exchange.

Greifeld declined to give any update on how talks were going, adding that acquisitions would accelerate Nasdaq OMX's growth, but were not vital.

"I think its important to recognise that we see transactions that we do from this point forward as elective, they are not mandatory for our continued success," he said. (Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)