London Stock Exchange chief executive Xavier Rolet stood by the terms of its merger with Deutsche Börse, saying today that it was making "good progress" on the deal, as the UK group reported a strong first half for revenues across its main business lines.

The UK exchange group said in an August 4 interim results statement that work was underway on obtaining regulatory consent for its tie-up with Germany's national stock market operator, with both groups having received the backing of their shareholders in July.