London Stock Exchange sees profits rise ahead of its merger with Deutsche Börse

The London Stock Exchange (LSE), which has agreed a merger with its German counterpart Deutsche Börse, posted a rise in profit as it works on achieving regulatory approval for the mega-deal.

The LSE, which owns Borsa Italiana, said adjusted operating profit lifted 9% to £333.3m ($443.4m, €398.2m) in the six months to the end of June, buoyed by strong performances at its US listing business and its European clearing operations.

However pre-tax profits slipped 6.8% to £164.1m, due to one-off costs related to the merger.

LSE and Deutsche Börse have both said they intend to pursue the proposed £21bn merger despite Britain's vote to leave the European Union last month.

Shareholders of both group's voted in favour of the deal in July.

LSE chief executive Xavier Rolet said: "During the period, we announced our all-share merger with Deutsche Börse, to create a global markets infrastructure group, anchored in Europe, with substantial revenue and cost synergies benefitting our customers and shareholders.

"We are delighted to have achieved shareholder approvals and are now focused on securing regulatory consents."

The group which has operations in the UK, continental Europe, the US and Asia added it was "well positioned to navigate political and macroeconomic changes".