Cboe Global Markets is set to sell its Australian and Canadian markets businesses, Cboe Australia and Cboe Canada, as the firm looks to bolster its core derivatives offering globally.
Chris Isaacson
The move will see Cboe offloading its equities and listings businesses in both regions, spanning both corporate and ETF offerings, to reflect the firm’s “global strategic shift” and a realignment of its portfolio of businesses.
“Our Australian and Canadian equities businesses have consistently performed well and earned a reputation for innovation, reliability, and customer service. We believe these businesses are well positioned for future growth under new ownership,” said Chris Isaacson, Cboe Global Markets executive vice president and chief operating officer.
“Cboe Australia and Cboe Canada have benefited greatly from a supportive regulatory environment, and we’re grateful to these regulators for fostering competition.”
Cboe has also said that the decision does not reflect the performance of Cboe Australia, and the firm will work closely with regulators and customers in Australia and Canada to ensure the successful transition of the businesses.
The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) will also work alongside Cboe to find a suitable buyer for transaction.
Currently, Cboe Australia’s operations are scheduled to continue running as usual.
The firm’s Australian business spans a suite of trading, ETF and corporate listings and data services, and received regulatory approval on 7 October 2025 from ASIC to operate a corporate listings market, lining the business up to become a full-service exchange.
Craig Donohue, Cboe Global Markets chief executive, said: “This strategic realignment of our business portfolio and human capital ensures Cboe is well positioned to succeed in a dynamic and evolving market and supports our long-term vision to be a global derivatives leader.”
Cboe acquired the Australian business, known at the time as Chi-X, in June 2021, to further expand its reach into Asia-Pacific and provide a single point of access into the Australian equity markets.
Currently, Cboe Australia is responsible for 20% of the region’s cash equities market, as well as more than 30% of ETF trading.
The transition also follows news in August that Cboe had disbanded its Japanese equities business and suspended the operations of its Cboe Japan proprietary trading system and Cboe BIDS Japan block trading platform.
The exchange said that it will maintain its global derivatives and Cboe data vantage businesses in Japan, and the removal of its Japanese equities business will not have a significant impact on growth and expenses.