The Dutch government is threatening to block a possible sale of the derivative business in Amsterdam, a move that Deutsche Boerse (DB1.XE) and NYSE Euronext (NYX) are proposing to get approval for their merger, a person familiar with the matter said Thursday.

The Dutch government is concerned that a sale of the business could hurt the position of the Netherlands as a financial hub, as Amsterdam is home to one of Europe's biggest option exchange in Europe, the person added.

The Amsterdam exchange, which is owned by NYSE Euronext, is one of the oldest stock markets in the world and generates a large part of its revenue from the trade in derivative instruments like options and futures.

The Dutch government has said previously that it doesn't have any principal objections to the merger between Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext, which would be incorporated in the Netherlands. However, in a letter to lawmakers in April, Finance Minister Jan Kees de Jager warned that the loss of the Amsterdam exchange would be "undesirable."

It comes amid increasing doubts on whether the tie-up between Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext will go through. The exchange operators Wednesday failed to offer enough concessions to assuage European Union antitrust concerns, another person familiar with the matter said.

EU competition officials opened an in-depth probe of the exchange deal in early August and formally outlined their reservations in October. Their deadline for ruling on the matter has twice been pushed back and currently is set for Feb. 9, 2012.

-By Maarten van Tartwijk; Dow Jones Newswires; +31 20 571 5201; maarten.vantartwijk@dowjones.com

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