The US Department of Justice has approved a $9bn merger between the NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Börse contingent on divestitures.

For the deal to be fully permitted by the DOJ, Deutsche Börse will need to divest its 31.5 percent interest in stock exchange operator Direct Edge. It is also still awaiting the approval by the European Union.

Deutsche Börse agreed to acquire NYSE Euronext in February, which will create the world’s biggest stock exchange operator.