London Stock Exchange Group plc today reported strong revenue and profit increases for the year ended March 31.

Revenue before exceptional items was up 19% to £291.1 million, and operating profit before exceptional items rose 42% to £120.1 million. Adjusted basic earnings per share gained 55% to 37.4 pence. Including exceptional items, operating profit rose just 1% and EPS gained 15 %.

Total new issues were up 21% to 622, including 409 IPOs, representing 67% of all Western European IPOs. Total money raised by new and further issues increased 81% to £34.1 billion.

“The growing strength of our business underpins the excellent financial performance delivered by the exchange this year – revenue increased 19% and adjusted earnings per share were up 55%. The board has increased the total dividend for the year by 71% to 12 pence per share, reflecting our ongoing confidence in the group’s future growth prospects,” said Chris Gibson-Smith, chairman of the London Stock Exchange. “We remain focused on driving the business forward, while continuing to explore options to create additional value for shareholders and customers.”

Clara Furse, chief executive of the exchange, said, “The exchange has delivered an outstanding result for 2006, increasing value for shareholders and customers. The internationalisation of our market and very strong technology led and derivatives linked growth on SETS reflect our increasing customer focus and efforts to build our growth story around our customers’ rapidly developing global businesses.”

“We have made a very good start to the current financial year. We expect to deliver another very strong performance in 2007 as the secular change in the trading of UK equities continues. Our unique strategic position underpins the step change in our growth prospects,” Furse added.