BEIJING, April 21 (Xinhuanet) -- The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) announced on Wednesday that it would become a for-profit, publicly traded company by merging with all-electronic rival Archipelago Holdings, USA Today said.

    The bold move promises to transform the 212-year-old Big Board into a multi-product, high-technology company with international ambitions.

    The merger, likely to get regulators' approval late this year, could trigger further consolidation as Nasdaq weighs a tie-up with Instinet, a rival electronic marketplace that parent Reuters put up for sale last year, according to the newspaper.

    Archipelago Holdings Inc. was a Chicago-based electronic exchange, which handled about 25 percent of the Nasdaq listed stocks, but it had made little impact in handling NYSE stocks. Enditem