IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) has announced plans to retain its UK data center located in Basildon, Essex. Matching engines for Liffe markets will continue to operate from the site. The company gained ownership of the facility when it bought NYSE Euronext in 2012.

Customers should be able to continue using their existing colocation facilities and SFTI network connections for trading Liffe markets on the ICE platform after transition with no material changes anticipated, the company said.

NYSE launched the Basildon data center in 2010. The same year, first stocks started trading at the company’s new US data center in Mahwah, New Jersey, built in tandem with Basildon.

The transition of Liffe's contracts to ICE Futures Europe involves expanding the functionality of the ICE trading platform to include the pro-rata allocation-based matching algorithm that is an important feature of the short-term interest rate market. The ICE trading platform also offers key improvements such as a comprehensive pre- and post-trade risk management functionality, and innovations such as the Interval Price Limit circuit breaker and high frequency messaging policies, all of which are currently in place across other ICE markets.

All Liffe contracts will be added to ICE's low-cost trading front-end, WebICE, used by thousands of traders around the world.

David Peniket will serve as the president and chief operating office of ICE Futures Europe and Liffe. ICE's existing London offices at Milton Gate, Chiswell Street, will serve as ICE's European headquarters for the combined operations of Liffe and ICE.