Switzerland's stock exchange was sanctioned by antitrust authorities for exploiting its dominant market position. The ensuing fine is to be paid by the French payments giant which recently acquired the unit.
The payment terminals at Swiss retailers were replaced in 2005, Switzerland's stock exchange used the opportunity to withhold a key interface from its rivals – resulting in a huge competitive advance. The move violated antitrust rules, a Swiss court ruled 13 years later, hitting the stock exchange with a 7 million Swiss franc ($6.9 million) fine.
SIX, the stock exchange operator, doesn't have to cough up the fine itself: it sold the payments division to French rival Worldline for about 2.3 billion euros ($2.6 billion) last year. Worldline can appeal the judgment to Switzerland's highest court.
