SYDNEY, March 3 (Reuters) - Australia's securities regulator set a timetable on Thursday to clear the way for competition among stock exchange operators, which will allow Chi-X, owned by Nomura , to end a two decade monopoly of ASX Group Ltd .
If Chi-X meets all of the conditions set out by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, it will be allowed to begin operation in October or November this year, the commission said.
Competition from electronic trading platforms like Chi-X has spurred a string of exchange mergers around the world, including Deutsche Boerse's bid for NYSE Euronext, London Stock Exchange's bid for Toronto Stock Exchange parent TMX Group Inc and Singapore Exchange's $7.7 billion bid for ASX.
Chi-X, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chi-X Global Inc, got an in-principle market licence in Australia almost 12 months ago, and had targeted a launch date about October 2010 but was delayed by a handover of powers to the regulator and a general election. (Reporting by Adrian Bathgate in Wellington; Editing by Ed Davies)