NYSE Euronext, the world's largest stock exchange, has launched a probe into trading of ABN Amro shares by the bank immediately before it revealed it was in takeover talks with Barclays in March.

NYSE Euronext has contacted ABN Amro, which remains at the centre of a bidding battle between Barclays and a consortium of three European banks, requesting information on trading activity prior to the "exclusive preliminary discussions" announcement on March 19, according to the Wall Street Journal, part of the Dow Jones group that owns Financial News.