Jordan joined Middle East stock exchanges to discuss the possibility of linking Middle East bourse with Nasdaq.

Nasdaq and 10 overseas stock exchanges opened talks in New York last Monday, to explore the possibility linking fledgling bourses in the Middle East, the Arab Gulf and Greece to the technology-heavy U.S. market. Executive Director of Securities Depository Center Samir Jaradat, who represented Jordan to the meeting said "the concept of merged stock exchange in the region would pose a new challenge to Arab countries that prompts these countries to introduce new global concepts to their bourses methodology and new tools to facilitate openness to other world stock exchanges."

The two-day talks in New York brought together top Nasdaq officials with 30 chiefs or representatives of bourses from Middle East countries including Jordan.

The Bourse officials set no time frame for any of these bourses individually to Nasdaq, but said such steps could help increase liquidity in these regional markets by bringing in U.S. investment more globalization, technology advancement and the telecommunications revolution have made the world a small global village and this makes it imperative on the Arab countries to cope up with these tremendous changes and develop their database particularly in the stock exchange activities.

Jaradat said in a statement to Petra upon his return from New York on Sunday "The wind of change is inevitably coming and we have to be ready to be up to the emerging consequences through taking the necessary steps including the establishment of unified legislation and systems for the Arab world bourses and this is just the first step that puts us on the right track." Jaradat concluded, the bourse officials said that there were no immediate plans for launching cross-trade between the regional bourses together, but noted that the launch of a Middle East stock market was a possibility end.