NYSE Euronext exploring stake in Warsaw

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York Stock Exchange parent NYSE Euronext (NYX.PA)(NYX.N) is exploring a stake in the Warsaw Bourse with a particular eye on finding technology synergies, an executive said on Thursday, confirming statements by the Polish government.

Michael Geltzeiler, chief financial officer, said in an interview NYSE Euronext's interest in Warsaw is in the "exploratory stage." Poland's treasury ministry last week named NYSE Euronext and three other exchange operators on the short list for a controlling stake in the state-owned market.

"It's an interesting exchange, and we are obviously a likely company that they'd be interested in partnering with," Geltzeiler told Reuters. "At this stage we're exploring that, as is everyone else."

Deutsche Boerse (DB1Gn.DE), London Stock Exchange (LSE.L) and Nasdaq OMX (NDAQ.O) are the others that made preliminary offers last month, the government ministry said.

The exchanges have mostly been mum on their participation in bidding for up to 73.8 percent control of the Warsaw Bourse in the first stage of privatization, and another 25 percent in two to three years.

"It's clearly the leading market in the Eastern European area, it's a listing venue for some small businesses in that arena as well, it's got nice profitability," Geltzeiler said. "They utilize our technology today, and we think there are some synergies on the technology side as well."

Warsaw competes with Austria's Wiener Boerse in Central and Eastern Europe. It lists some 375 companies with a combined market capitalization of 570 billion zlotys ($190 billion).

(Reporting by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Tim Dobbyn)