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Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE)

CIK: 0001571949. SIC: 6200 Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services. Latest 10-K as of: 2026-02-05.

SIC breadcrumb: Finance, Insurance, And Real Estate > Security And Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges, And Services > SIC 6200 Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services

SEC company page: https://www.sec.gov/edgar/browse/?CIK=1571949. Latest filing source: 0001571949-26-000004.

Informational only - descriptive public-record data, not investment advice.

Selected Fundamentals

MetricValueUnitFYFiled
Revenue12,640,000,000USD20252026-02-05
Net income3,315,000,000USD20252026-02-05
Assets136,887,000,000USD20252026-02-05

Financials

Annual standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-02-05. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001571949.json. Derived margins, ratios, and free cash flow are computed from the extracted annual SEC facts.

Flow metrics use full-year FY periods from 10-K/10-K/A filings; balance-sheet metrics use FY-end instants. Free cash flow = operating cash flow - capital expenditures. Missing metrics are omitted rather than fabricated.

Metric20122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Revenue5,971,000,0005,843,000,0006,276,000,0006,547,000,0008,244,000,0009,168,000,0009,636,000,0009,903,000,00011,761,000,00012,640,000,000
Net income1,430,000,0002,526,000,0001,988,000,0001,933,000,0002,089,000,0004,058,000,0001,446,000,0002,368,000,0002,754,000,0003,315,000,000
Operating income2,172,000,0002,379,000,0002,583,000,0002,673,000,0003,033,000,0003,449,000,0003,638,000,0003,694,000,0004,309,000,0004,929,000,000
Diluted EPS2.394.253.433.423.777.182.584.194.785.77
Operating cash flow2,149,000,0002,085,000,0002,533,000,0002,659,000,0002,881,000,0003,123,000,0003,554,000,0003,542,000,0004,609,000,0004,662,000,000
Capital expenditures250,000,000220,000,000134,000,000153,000,000207,000,000179,000,000225,000,000190,000,000406,000,000373,000,000
Dividends paid409,000,000476,000,000555,000,000621,000,000669,000,000747,000,000853,000,000955,000,0001,039,000,0001,105,000,000
Share buybacks50,000,000949,000,0001,198,000,0001,460,000,0001,247,000,000250,000,000632,000,0000.000.001,294,000,000
Assets82,003,000,00078,264,000,00092,791,000,00094,493,000,000126,200,000,000193,502,000,000194,338,000,000136,084,000,000139,428,000,000136,887,000,000
Liabilities66,213,000,00061,279,000,00075,489,000,00077,129,000,000106,573,000,000170,754,000,000171,577,000,000110,298,000,000111,708,000,000107,896,000,000
Stockholders' equity15,717,000,00016,957,000,00017,201,000,00017,255,000,00019,498,000,00022,709,000,00022,706,000,00025,717,000,00027,647,000,00028,915,000,000
Cash and cash equivalents961,000,000961,000,0001,278,000,0001,547,000,0001,350,000,0001,568,000,0001,799,000,000899,000,000844,000,000837,000,000
Free cash flow1,899,000,0001,865,000,0002,399,000,0002,506,000,0002,674,000,0002,944,000,0003,329,000,0003,352,000,0004,203,000,0004,289,000,000

Ratios

ROE and ROA use period-end equity/assets. Liabilities / equity uses total liabilities divided by stockholders' equity. Current ratio uses current assets divided by current liabilities when both are reported.

Metric20122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Net margin23.95%43.23%31.68%29.52%25.34%44.26%15.01%23.91%23.42%26.23%
Operating margin36.38%40.72%41.16%40.83%36.79%37.62%37.75%37.30%36.64%39.00%
Return on equity9.10%14.90%11.56%11.20%10.71%17.87%6.37%9.21%9.96%11.46%
Return on assets1.74%3.23%2.14%2.05%1.66%2.10%0.74%1.74%1.98%2.42%
Liabilities / equity4.213.614.394.475.477.527.564.294.043.73
Current ratio0.970.991.010.990.991.011.051.000.991.02

Financial Charts

Quarterly

Quarterly standardized facts from SEC companyfacts as of latest extracted filing date 2026-04-30. Source: https://data.sec.gov/api/xbrl/companyfacts/CIK0001571949.json.

Flow metrics use discrete quarter-length periods from 10-Q/10-Q/A filings. Q4 revenue and net income are derived only when annual FY and nine-month YTD facts exist for the same fiscal year; derived Q4 values are labeled. EPS Q4 is not derived.

QuarterEnd DateRevenueNet IncomeDiluted EPSMethod
2022-Q22022-06-300.99reported discrete quarter
2022-Q32022-09-30-0.34reported discrete quarter
2023-Q12023-03-311.17reported discrete quarter
2023-Q22023-06-302,336,000,000799,000,0001.42reported discrete quarter
2023-Q32023-09-302,429,000,000541,000,0000.96reported discrete quarter
2023-Q42023-12-312,666,000,000373,000,000derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD
2024-Q12024-03-312,801,000,000767,000,0001.33reported discrete quarter
2024-Q22024-06-302,897,000,000632,000,0001.10reported discrete quarter
2024-Q32024-09-303,033,000,000657,000,0001.14reported discrete quarter
2024-Q42024-12-313,030,000,000698,000,000derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD
2025-Q12025-03-313,229,000,000797,000,0001.38reported discrete quarter
2025-Q22025-06-303,262,000,000851,000,0001.48reported discrete quarter
2025-Q32025-09-303,007,000,000816,000,0001.42reported discrete quarter
2025-Q42025-12-313,142,000,000851,000,000derived Q4 = FY annual - nine-month YTD
2026-Q12026-03-313,666,000,0001,413,000,0002.48reported discrete quarter

Quarterly Charts

Macro Cross-References

Latest quarter (10-Q)

Latest 10-Q source: 0001571949-26-000007.

Extracted structurally from real Item 2 body heading to real Item 3/4 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2026-04-30. Report date: 2026-03-31.

ITEM 2.    MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

In this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, or this Quarterly Report, and unless otherwise indicated, the terms “Intercontinental Exchange,” “ICE,” “we,” “us,” “our,” “our company” and “our business” refer to Intercontinental Exchange, Inc., together with its consolidated subsidiaries. All references to “options” or “options contracts” in the context of our futures products refer to options on futures contracts. Solely for convenience, references in this Quarterly Report to any trademarks, service marks and trade names owned by ICE are listed without the ®, ™ and © symbols, but we will assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights to these trademarks, service marks and trade names.

We also include references to third-party trademarks, such as FTSE® and MSCI®, trade names and service marks in this Quarterly Report. Except as otherwise expressly noted, our use or display of any such trademarks, trade names or service marks is not an endorsement or sponsorship and does not indicate any relationship between us and the parties that own such marks and names. FTSE® and the FTSE Indexes are trademarks and service marks of the London Stock Exchange plc and the London Stock Exchange Group Holdings Limited and are used under license. MSCI® and the MSCI Indexes are trademarks and service marks of MSCI, Inc. or its affiliates and are used under license.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report. Figures in the tables presented may not recalculate or sum exactly due to rounding. Percentage changes are calculated based on unrounded numbers.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report, including the sections entitled “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements,” “Legal Proceedings” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains “forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements.

These forward-looking statements relate to future events or our future financial performance and are based on our present beliefs and assumptions as well as the information currently available to us. They involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our results, levels of activity, performance, cash flows, financial position or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these statements.

Forward-looking statements may be introduced by or contain terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “targets,” “goal,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” or the antonyms of these terms or other comparable terminology. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance, cash flows, financial position or achievements. Accordingly, we caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements we may make.

Factors that may affect our performance and the accuracy of any forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those listed below:

•conditions in global financial markets and domestic and international economic and social conditions, including inflation, changes to international trade policies and tariffs, risk of recession, political uncertainty and discord, prolonged U.S. government shutdowns, geopolitical events and conflicts (including the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East and the events in Venezuela) and sanctions laws;

•global political conditions;

•volatility in commodity prices and equity prices, and price volatility of financial benchmarks and instruments such as interest rates, credit spreads, equity indices, foreign exchange rates, and mortgage industry trends;

•the business environment in which we operate and trends in our industries, including trading volumes, prevalence of clearing, demand for data services, mortgage lending and servicing activity, mortgage delinquencies, fees, changing regulations, competition (including from entrants or non-traditional competitors) and consolidation;

•our ability to minimize the risks associated with operating clearing houses in multiple jurisdictions;

•the global impact of the introduction of, or any changes to, laws, regulations, rules, government policies or tax or accounting requirements with respect to, among other things, financial markets and climate-related risks, as well as increased regulatory scrutiny or enforcement actions;

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•our exchanges’ and clearing houses' compliance with their respective regulatory and oversight responsibilities;

•the resilience of our electronic platforms and soundness of our business continuity and disaster recovery plans, including in the event of cyberattacks, cyberterrorism or other disruptions;

•our ability to effectively pursue, implement and realize the anticipated cost savings, growth opportunities and synergies and other benefits from our past or future acquisitions and strategic investments within the expected time frame;

•the impacts of computer and communications systems failures and delays, inclusive of the performance and reliability of our trading, clearing, data services and mortgage technologies and those of third-party service providers;

•our ability to keep pace with technological developments and client preferences, including with regard to our emerging technology initiatives and the use of artificial intelligence in certain of our existing products;

•our ability to ensure that the technology we utilize is not vulnerable to cyberattacks, hacking and other cybersecurity risks or other disruptive events or to minimize the impact of any such events;

•the impact of climate-related risks and the impact of, and uncertainty related to, the transition to renewable energy, including regulatory and legislative changes;

•our ability to keep information and data relating to the customers of the users of the software and services provided by our ICE Mortgage Technology business confidential;

•the impacts of a public health emergency or pandemic on our business, results of operations and financial condition, as well as the broader business environment;

•our ability to identify trends and adjust our business to benefit from such trends, including trends in the U.S. mortgage industry such as inflation rates, interest rates, new home purchases, refinancing activity, servicing activity, delinquencies and home builder and buyer sentiment, among others;

•our ability to evolve our benchmarks and indices in a manner that maintains or enhances their reliability and relevance;

•the accuracy of our cost and other financial estimates and our belief that cash flows from operations will be sufficient to service our debt and to fund our operational and capital expenditure needs;

•our ability to incur additional debt and pay off our existing debt in a timely manner;

•our ability to declare and pay dividends and repurchase shares of our common stock;

•our ability to maintain existing market participants and data and mortgage technology customers, and to attract new ones;

•our ability to offer additional products and services, leverage our risk management capabilities and enhance our technology in a timely and cost-effective fashion;

•our ability to attract, develop and retain key talent;

•our ability to protect our intellectual property rights and to operate our business without violating the intellectual property rights of others; and

•potential adverse results of threatened or pending litigation and regulatory actions and proceedings.

These risks and other factors include, among others, those set forth in Part 1, Item 1(A) under the caption “Risk Factors” in our 2025 Form 10-K, as filed with the SEC on February 5, 2026. Due to the uncertain nature of these factors, management cannot assess the impact of each factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and we undertake no obligation to update any of these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this Quarterly Report. New factors may emerge, and it is not possible to predict all factors that may affect our business and prospects.

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Overview

We are a leading global provider of technology and data to a broad range of customers including financial institutions, corporations and government entities. Our products, which span major asset classes including futures, equities, fixed income and U.S. residential mortgages, provide our customers with access to mission critical tools that are designed to increase asset class transparency and workflow efficiency. Although we report our results in three reportable business segments, we operate as one business, leveraging the collective expertise, particularly in data services and technology, that exists across our platforms to inform and enhance our operations. Our segments are as follows:

•Exchanges: We operate regulated marketplace technology for the listing, trading and clearing of a broad array of derivatives contracts and financial securities as well as data and connectivity services related to our exchanges and clearing houses.

•Fixed Income and Data Services: We provide fixed income pricing, reference data, indices, analytics and execution services as well as global CDS clearing and multi-asset class data delivery technology.

•Mortgage Technology: We provide a technology platform that offers customers comprehensive, digital workflow tools that aim to address inefficiencies and mitigate risks that exist in the U.S. residential mortgage market life cycle, from application through closing, servicing and the secondary market.

Recent Developments

Global Market Conditions

Our results of operations are affected by global economic conditions, including macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical events and conflicts. Recent macroeconomic conditions, including changes in interest rates, inflation and significant market volatility, changes in tariffs and trade policies along with geopolitical concerns, have created ongoing uncertainty and volatility in the global economy and resulted in a dynamic operating environment.

Our business has been impacted positively and negatively by these global economic conditions. For instance, due to market and interest rate volatility, including market volatility during the first three months of 2026, we have seen increased trading across a number of our products, such as energy, interest rate and equity futures, credit default swaps and bonds. Conversely, increases in mortgage interest rates over the past several years have resulted in reduced consumer and investor demand for mortgages and adversely impacted the transaction-based revenues in our Mortgage Technology segment. If mortgage rates further increase, or if mortgage lending practices change, our Mortgage Technology segment revenues may be further impacted. In addition, higher interest rates have resulted, and may continue to result, in higher interest rates for our debt instruments as we refinance our existing indebtedness.

From an operational perspective, our businesses, including our exchanges, clearing houses, listings venues, data services businesses and mortgage platforms, have not suffered a material negative impact as a result of the events in Ukraine and the Middle East and surrounding regions.

We expect the macroeconomic environment

[Excerpt truncated for page length; source filing is linked above.]

Latest 10-K MD&A

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2026-02-05. Report date: 2025-12-31.

ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements for many reasons. See the factors set forth under the heading “Forward Looking Statements” at the beginning of Part 1 of this Annual Report and in Item 1(A) under the heading “Risk Factors.” For discussion related to the results of operations and changes in financial condition for 2024 compared to 2023 refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2024 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 6, 2025.

Overview

We are a leading global provider of technology and data to a broad range of customers including financial institutions, corporations and government entities. Our products, which span major asset classes including futures, equities, fixed income and U.S. residential mortgages, provide our customers with access to mission critical tools that are designed to increase asset class transparency and workflow efficiency. The majority of our identifiable assets are located in the U.S. and U.K. We report our results in the following three segments:

•Exchanges: We operate regulated marketplace technology for the listing, trading and clearing of a broad array of derivatives contracts and financial securities as well as data and connectivity services related to our exchanges and clearing houses.

•Fixed Income and Data Services: We provide fixed income pricing, reference data, indices, analytics and execution services as well as global CDS clearing and multi-asset class data delivery technology.

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•Mortgage Technology: We provide a technology platform that offers customers comprehensive, digital workflow tools that aim to address inefficiencies and mitigate risks that exist in the U.S. residential mortgage market life cycle from application through closing, servicing and the secondary market.

Recent Developments

Global Market Conditions

Our results of operations are affected by global economic conditions, including macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical events and conflicts. Recent macroeconomic conditions, including changes in interest rates, inflation and significant market volatility, changes in tariffs and trade policies along with geopolitical concerns, have created ongoing uncertainty and volatility in the global economy and resulted in a dynamic operating environment.

Our business has been impacted positively and negatively by these global economic conditions. For instance, due to market and interest rate volatility, including market volatility during 2025, we have seen increased trading across a number of our products, such as energy, interest rate and equity futures, credit default swaps and bonds. Conversely, increases in mortgage interest rates over the past several years have resulted in reduced consumer and investor demand for mortgages and adversely impacted the transaction-based revenues in our Mortgage Technology segment. If mortgage rates further increase, or if mortgage lending practices change, our Mortgage Technology segment revenues may be further impacted. In addition, higher interest rates have resulted, and may continue to result, in higher interest rates for our debt instruments as we refinance our existing indebtedness.

From an operational perspective, our businesses, including our exchanges, clearing houses, listings venues, data services businesses and mortgage platforms, have not suffered a material negative impact as a result of the events in Ukraine, the Middle East and surrounding regions and Venezuela.

We expect the macroeconomic environment to remain dynamic in the near-term, and we continue to monitor macroeconomic conditions, including interest rates, inflation rates, changes in tariffs and trade policies, market volatility, prolonged U.S. government shutdowns, geopolitical events and military conflicts and repercussions from, and the impact that, any of the foregoing may have on the global economy and on our business. We also continue to closely monitor credit worthiness of our counterparties, clearing members and our financial service providers and take risk management measures in line with established risk management frameworks.

Tax Policy Changes

On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or OBBBA, was enacted into law. The OBBBA includes significant changes to U.S. federal and international tax provisions. The application of the OBBBA tax provisions did not result in material changes to our total effective tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2025. The composition of the income tax provision, however, reflects a decrease in current income tax expenses, offset by an increase in deferred income tax expenses, primarily due to immediate expensing of current year domestic research and development costs and certain capital expenditures, and an election to accelerate deductions of previously capitalized domestic R&D expenditures under the OBBBA. We intend to make certain elections under the OBBBA for the 2025 tax year returns and we have reflected the impact of these elections in our financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025.

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Consolidated Financial Highlights

The following summarizes our results and significant changes in our consolidated financial performance for the periods presented (dollars in millions, except per share amounts):

(1)    Operating income/(loss) from our Mortgage Technology segment was $14 million, $(170) million and $(276) million in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

(2)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our cash operations or core business performance. Adjusted net income attributable to ICE is presented net of taxes. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or U.S. GAAP. See “—Non-GAAP Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change20242023Change
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$9,931$9,2797%$9,279$7,98816%
Recurring revenues(1)$5,056$4,8295%$4,829$4,13817%
Transaction revenues, net(1)$4,875$4,45010%$4,450$3,85016%
Operating expenses$5,002$4,9701%$4,970$4,29416%
Adjusted operating expenses(2)$3,939$3,8103%$3,810$3,26017%
Operating income$4,929$4,30914%$4,309$3,69417%
Adjusted operating income(2)$5,992$5,46910%$5,469$4,72816%
Operating margin50%46%4 pts46%46%
Adjusted operating margin(2)60%59%1 pt59%59%
Other income/(expense), net$(583)$(681)(14)%$(681)$(800)(15)%
Income tax expense$976$82618%$826$45681%
Effective tax rate22%23%(1 pt)23%16%7 pts
Net income attributable to ICE$3,315$2,75420%$2,754$2,36816%
Adjusted net income attributable to ICE(2)$3,993$3,49714%$3,497$3,17710%
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$5.77$4.7821%$4.78$4.1914%
Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders(2)$6.95$6.0714%$6.07$5.628%
Cash flows from operating activities$4,662$4,6091%$4,609$3,54230%
Free cash flow(3)$3,871$3,857$3,857$3,05326%
Adjusted free cash flow(3)$4,187$3,62016%$3,620$3,19713%

(1)    We define recurring revenues as the portion of our revenues that are generally predictable, stable, and can be expected to occur at regular intervals in the future with a relatively high degree of certainty and visibility. We define transaction revenues as those associated with a more specific point-in-time service, such as a trade execution. Management evaluates recurring revenues and transaction revenues, net when making financial and operating decisions and believes they are a useful metric in evaluating our business performance. The definitions of recurring revenues and transaction revenues are not uniform, and therefore the revenues we consider recurring versus transaction may differ from those of other companies. Recurring and transaction revenues are operating metrics and do not necessarily reflect the pattern of revenue recognition in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered a substitute for GAAP revenue.

(2)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our cash operations or core business performance. Adjusted net income attributable to ICE and adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders are presented net of taxes. These adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Measures” below.

(3)    We believe these non-GAAP liquidity measures provide useful information to management and investors to analyze cash resources generated from our operations. We believe that free cash flow is useful as one of the bases for comparing our performance with our competitors and demonstrates our ability to convert the reinvestment of capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs required to maintain and grow our business. We believe that adjusted free cash flow eliminates the impact of timing differences related to the payment of Section 31 fees. These figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “—Non-GAAP Liquidity Measures” below.

•Revenues, less transaction-based expenses, increased $652 million in 2025 from 2024. The increase in revenues includes $54 million in favorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2025 as compared to 2024.

•Revenues, less transaction-based expenses, increased $1.3 billion in 2024 from 2023. The increase in revenues includes $18 million in favorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2024 as compared to 2023.

•Operating expenses increased $32 million in 2025 from 2024. The increase in operating expenses includes $14 million in unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2025 as compared to 2024.

•Operating expenses increased $676 million in 2024 from 2023. The increase in operating expenses includes $8 million in unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2024 as compared to 2023.

•Other income/(expense), net, in 2025 primarily includes interest income of $119 million, interest expense of $803 million, equity earnings in our equity method investees of $79 million, a net gain of $55 million related to fair value adjustments and other income from our equity investments, FX remeasurement losses of $18 million and pension and postretirement plan expense of $15 million.

•Other income/(expense), net, in 2024 primarily includes interest income of $141 million, interest expense of $910 million, our equity earnings in OCC of $25 million, estimated equity losses in our investment in Bakkt of $83

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million, a gain of $160 million related to the PennyMac arbitration final award payment, a gain of $6 million related to the sale of certain fixed assets and FX remeasurement losses of $15 million.

Business Environment and Market Trends

Our business environment has been characterized by:

•globalization of marketplaces, customers and competitors;

•growing customer demand for workflow efficiency and automation;

•commodity, interest rate, inflation rate and financial markets volatility and uncertainty;

•growing demand for data to inform customers' risk management and investment decisions;

•evolving, increasing and disparate regulation across multiple jurisdictions;

•price volatility increasing customers' demand for risk management services;

•increasing focus on capital and cost efficiencies;

•customers' preference to manage risk in markets demonstrating the greatest depth of liquidity and product diversity;

•the evolution of existing products and new product innovation to serve emerging customer needs and changing industry agreements;

•emerging technology initiatives and offerings in our markets, including the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning;

•rising demand for speed, data, data capacity and connectivity by market participants, necessitating increased investment in technology; and

•consolidation and increasing competition among global markets for trading, clearing and listings.

Recent changes with regard to global financial reform have emphasized the importance of transparent markets, centralized clearing and access to data, all of which are important aspects of our product offering. However, some of the proposed rules have yet to be implemented and some rules that have already been partially implemented are being reconsidered, have been stayed or are subject to challenges in court. In addition, some of the global regulations have not been fully harmonized and several non-U.S. regulations are inconsistent with U.S. rules. As the evolution continues, legislative and regulatory actions may change the way we conduct our business and may create uncertainty for market participants, which could affect trading volumes or demand for market data. As a result, it is difficult to predict all of the effects that the legislation and its implementing regulations will have on us. As discussed more fully in Item 1 “- Business - Regulation” included in this Annual Report, Brexit, MiFID II and other regulations have resulted in operational, regulatory and/or business risk.

We have diversified our business so that we are not dependent on volatility or transaction activity in any one asset class. In addition, we have increased our portion of recurring revenues from 34% in 2014 to 51% in 2025. These recurring revenues include data services, listings and various mortgage technology solutions.

Many of the data products we sell and services we provide are required for our clients’ business operations regardless of market volatility or shifts in business profitability levels. We anticipate that there will continue to be growth in the financial information services sector driven by a number of global trends, including the following:

•increasing or evolving global regulatory demands;

•greater use of fair value accounting standards and reliance on independent valuations;

•greater emphasis on risk management;

•market fragmentation driven by regulatory changes;

•the move to passive investing and indexation;

•ongoing growth in the size and diversity of financial markets;

•increased automation of fixed income, mortgage and other less automated markets;

•the development of new data products;

•greater use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning;

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•the demand for greater data capacity and connectivity;

•new entrants; and

•increasing demand for outsourced services by financial institutions.

We continue to focus on our strategy to grow each of our revenue streams, and prudently manage expenses, in order to mitigate these uncertainties and to build on our growth opportunities by leveraging our proprietary data, clearing, markets and technology solutions.

Segment Results

Our business is conducted through three reportable business segments: Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services and Mortgage Technology. Segments are discussed more in detail in "Item 1- Business". While revenues are recorded specifically in the segment in which they are earned or to which they relate, a significant portion of our operating expenses are not solely related to a specific segment because the expenses serve functions that are necessary for the operation of more than one segment. We directly allocate expenses when reasonably possible to do so. Otherwise, we use a pro-rata revenue approach as the allocation method for the expenses that do not relate solely to one segment and serve functions that are necessary for the operation of all segments. Our segments do not engage in intersegment transactions.

For details on trends in recent prior-year periods, refer to our 2024 and 2023 Annual Reports on Form 10-K.

Exchanges Segment

The following presents selected statements of income data for our Exchanges segment (dollars in millions):

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(1)    The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations or core business performance. As a result, these adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Measures” below.

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change*20242023Change*
Revenues:
Energy futures and options$2,182$1,87616%$1,876$1,49825%
Agricultural and metals futures and options233257(10)257271(5)
Financial futures and options608559955946022
Futures and options3,0232,692122,6922,22921
Cash equities and equity options3,1762,91392,9132,29827
OTC and other395400(1)400398
Transaction and clearing, net6,5946,005106,0054,92522
Data and connectivity services1,03194799479332
Listings4954891489497(2)
Revenues8,1207,44197,4416,35517
Transaction-based expenses(1)2,7092,48292,4821,91530
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses5,4114,95994,9594,44012
Other operating expenses1,1721,063101,0631,0333
Depreciation and amortization255260(2)2602485
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs2n/an/a
Operating expenses1,4291,32381,3231,2813
Operating income$3,982$3,63610%$3,636$3,15915%
Recurring revenues$1,526$1,4366%$1,436$1,430%
Transaction revenues, net$3,885$3,52310%$3,523$3,01017%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

(1)    Transaction-based expenses are largely attributable to our cash equities and options business.

Exchanges Revenues

Our Exchanges segment includes transaction and clearing revenues from our futures and NYSE exchanges, related data and connectivity services, and our listings business. Transaction and clearing revenues consist of fees collected from derivatives, cash equities and equity options trading and derivatives clearing, and are reported on a net basis, except for the NYSE transaction-based expenses discussed below. Rates per-contract, or RPC, are driven by the number of contracts or securities traded and the fees charged per contract, net of certain rebates. Our per-contract transaction and clearing revenues will depend upon many factors, including, but not limited to, market conditions, transaction and clearing volume, product mix, pricing, applicable revenue sharing and market making agreements, and new product introductions.

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Transaction and clearing revenues are generally assessed on a per-contract basis and revenues and profitability fluctuate with changes in contract volume and product mix. We consider data and connectivity services revenues and listings revenues to be recurring revenues. Our data and connectivity services revenues are recurring subscription fees related to the services that we provide which are directly attributable to our exchange venues. Our listings revenues are also recurring subscription fees that we earn for the provision of NYSE listings services for public companies and ETFs, and related corporate actions for listed companies.

In 2025 and 2024, 24% and 23%, respectively, of our Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were billed in pounds sterling or euros. Due to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro compared to the U.S. dollar, our Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were higher by $45 million in 2025 from 2024.

Our exchange transaction and clearing revenues are presented net of rebates. We recorded rebates of $1.6 billion and $1.3 billion in 2025 and 2024, respectively. We offer rebates in certain of our markets primarily to support market liquidity and trading volume by providing qualified participants in those markets a discount to the applicable commission rate. Such rebates are calculated based on volumes traded. The increase in rebates is primarily due to higher volumes traded in certain asset classes as compared to 2024.

•Energy Futures and Options: Total volume in our energy futures and options markets increased 14% and revenues increased 16% in 2025 from 2024.

–Oil futures and options volume increased 12% in 2025 from 2024, in part, due to global geopolitical risk and uncertainty regarding oil supply and demand dynamics.

–Global natural gas futures and options volume increased 18% in 2025 from 2024. The increase in North American gas volumes was driven by heightened market volatility stemming from geopolitical tensions, while continued expansion in our TTF complex reflected ongoing supply-disruption risks and broader geopolitical uncertainty.

–Environmentals and other futures and options volume increased 12% in 2025 from 2024, primarily due to higher power volumes and continued strength in environmental products.

•Agricultural and Metals Futures and Options: Total volume in our agricultural and metals futures and options markets decreased 9% and revenues decreased 10% in 2025 from 2024.

–Sugar futures and options volumes increased 1% in 2025 from 2024 with the first half of the year increasing due to volatility stemming from shifting global supply-demand dynamics and supply-driven deficits, which was partially offset with a decline in the second half of the year due to the impact of geopolitical risks on sugar markets.

–Other agricultural and metal futures and options volumes decreased 15% in 2025 from 2024 primarily driven by sustained supply constraints, elevated prices, and shifting demand across cocoa and coffee markets, with geopolitical risks further contributing to lower activity.

•Financial Futures and Options: Total volume in our financial futures and options markets increased 16% and revenues increased 9% in 2025 from 2024, including the impacts of foreign exchange effects.

–Interest rate futures and options volume increased 18% and revenue increased 12% in 2025 from 2024 driven by elevated volatility stemming from diverging central bank rate paths and ongoing uncertainty surrounding U.S. and global trade policies.

–Other financial futures and options volume, which includes our MSCI®, FTSE® and NYSE FANG+ equity indices, decreased 5% and revenue increased 1% in 2025 from 2024 primarily due to lower equity market volatility compared to the prior year.

•Cash Equities and Equity Options: Cash equities volume increased 40% in 2025 from 2024 due to higher industry volumes driven by heightened geopolitical risks and increased retail participation. Cash equities revenues, net of transaction-based expenses, were $313 million and $307 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. The increase was primarily due to higher industry volumes partially offset by lower overall matched market share and lower capture rate.

Equity options volume increased 13% in 2025 from 2024 and revenues, net of transaction-based expenses, were $154 million and $124 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. The increase was primarily due to higher industry volumes.

•OTC and Other: OTC and other transactions include revenues from our OTC energy business and other trade confirmation services, as well as net interest income and fees on certain clearing margin deposits, regulatory penalties and fines, fees for use of our facilities, regulatory fees charged to member organizations of our U.S.

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securities exchanges, designated market maker service fees, exchange membership fees and agricultural grading and certification fees. Our OTC and other revenues decreased 1% in 2025 compared to 2024 primarily due to lower net interest income on collateral balances.

•Data and Connectivity Services: Our data and connectivity services revenues increased 9% in 2025 from 2024. The increase in revenue was driven by strong customer retention, new customer additions and increased spending by existing customers.

•Listings Revenues: Through NYSE, NYSE American, NYSE Arca and NYSE Texas, we generate listings revenue related to the provision of listings services for public companies and ETFs, and related corporate actions for listed companies. Listings revenues increased 1% in 2025 from 2024, primarily due to new listings. All listings fees are billed upfront and the identified performance obligations are satisfied over time.

Selected Operating Data

Volume of contracts traded, futures and options rate per contract and open interest are measures that we use in analyzing the performance of our futures and options contracts. Handled volume, matched volume and cash equities and equity options rate per contract are measures that we use in analyzing our NYSE cash equities and equity options performance. We believe each of these measures provides useful information for management and investors in understanding our performance. Management considers these metrics when making financial and operating decisions. Our calculation of these metrics may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

The following charts and tables present trading activity in our futures and options markets by commodity type based on the total number of contracts traded, as well as futures and options rate per contract (in millions, except for percentages and rate per contract amounts):

Volume and Rate per Contract

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change20242023Change
Number of contracts traded (in millions):
Energy futures and options1,2561,09914%1,09988325%
Agricultural and metals futures and options106116(9)%116118(2)%
Financial futures and options98385116%85164632%
Total2,3452,06613%2,0661,64726%
Average daily volume of contracts traded (in thousands):
Energy futures and options5,0034,36115%4,3613,53024%
Agricultural and metals futures and options423462(8)%462474(3)%
Financial futures and options3,8353,30916%3,3092,53231%
Total9,2618,13214%8,1326,53624%
Rate per contract:
Energy futures and options$1.74$1.712%$1.71$1.701%
Agricultural and metals futures and options$2.19$2.21(1)%$2.21$2.29(3)%
Financial futures and options$0.61$0.65(6)%$0.65$0.70(8)%

Open interest is the aggregate number of contracts (long or short) that clearing members hold either for their own account or on behalf of their clients. Open interest refers to the total number of contracts that are currently “open,” in other words, contracts that have been entered into but not yet liquidated by either an offsetting trade, exercise, expiration or assignment. Open interest is also a measure that we believe is useful for management and investors in understanding future activity remaining to be closed out in terms of the number of contracts that members and their clients continue to hold in the particular contract and by the number of contracts held for each contract month listed by the exchange. The following charts and table present our year-end open interest for our futures and options contracts (in thousands, except for percentages):

As of December 31,As of December 31,
20252024Change20242023Change
Open interest — in thousands of contracts:
Energy futures and options62,77658,9736%58,97351,55614%
Agricultural and metals futures and options3,4703,503(1)%3,5034,855(28)%
Financial futures and options36,40624,98746%24,98722,38012%
Total102,65287,46317%87,46378,79111%

The following charts and tables present selected cash and equity options trading data. All trading volume below is presented as average net daily trading volume, or ADV, and is single counted:

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change20242023Change
NYSE cash equities (shares in millions):
Total cash handled volume (ADV)3,4012,43640%2,4362,2319%
Total cash market share matched19.0%19.7%(0.7 pts)19.7%19.9%(0.2 pts)
NYSE equity options (contracts in thousands):
NYSE equity options volume (ADV)10,5569,37513%9,3757,90019%
Total equity options volume (ADV)55,79844,36026%44,36040,36910%
NYSE share of total equity options18.9%21.1%(2.2 pts)21.1%19.6%1.5 pts
Revenue capture or rate per contract:
Cash equities rate per contract (per 100 shares)$0.037$0.050(26)%$0.050$0.0484%
Equity options rate per contract$0.06$0.0511%$0.05$0.06(10)%

Handled volume represents the total number of shares of equity securities, ETFs and crossing session activity internally matched on our exchanges or routed to and executed on an external market center. Matched volume represents the total number of shares of equity securities, ETFs and crossing session activity executed on our exchanges.

Transaction-Based Expenses

Our equities and equity options markets pay fees to the SEC pursuant to Section 31 of the Exchange Act. Section 31 fees are recorded on a gross basis as a component of exchanges revenue. These Section 31 fees are assessed to recover the government’s costs of supervising and regulating the securities markets and professionals and are subject to change. We, in turn, collect corresponding activity assessment fees from member organizations clearing or settling trades on the equities and options exchanges, and recognize these amounts in our exchanges revenues when invoiced. The activity assessment fees are designed to equal the Section 31 fees. As a result, activity assessment fees and the corresponding Section 31 fees do not have an impact on our net income, although the timing of payment by us will vary from collections. Section 31 fees were $412 million and $679 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. The decrease in Section 31 fees was primarily due to lower rates, partially offset by an increase in volumes. The fees we collect are included in cash at the time of receipt and we remit the amounts to the SEC semi-annually as required.

In May 2025, the SEC announced that it had ceased collecting Section 31 fees from self-regulatory organizations due to the expectation that the entire fiscal year 2025 appropriation would be collected before the date of the announcement. There were no Section 31 fees payable as of December 31, 2025.

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We make liquidity payments to cash and options trading customers, as well as routing charges made to other exchanges which are included in transaction-based expenses. We incur routing charges when we do not have the best bid or offer in the market for a security that a customer is trying to buy or sell on one of our securities exchanges. In that case, we route the customer’s order to the external market center that displays the best bid or offer. The external market center charges us a fee per share (denominated in tenths of a cent per share) for routing to its system. We record routing charges on a gross basis as a component of transaction and clearing fee revenue. Cash liquidity payments, routing and clearing fees were $2.3 billion and $1.8 billion in 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Exchanges segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Exchanges Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change20242023Change
Operating expenses$1,429$1,3238%$1,323$1,2813%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,361$1,24010%$1,240$1,1993%
Operating income$3,982$3,63610%$3,636$3,15915%
Adjusted operating income(1)$4,050$3,7199%$3,719$3,24115%
Operating margin74%73%1 pt73%71%2 pts
Adjusted operating margin(1)75%75%75%73%2 pts

(1)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our cash operations or core business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Measures” below.

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Fixed Income and Data Services Segment

The following charts and table present our selected statements of income data for our Fixed Income and Data Services segment (dollars in millions):

(1)    The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations or core business performance. As a result, these adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change*20242023Change*
Revenues:
Fixed income execution$125$1178%$117$124(6)%
CDS clearing338343(1)343360(5)
Fixed income data and analytics1,2341,17751,1771,1185
Fixed income and credit1,6971,63741,6371,6022
Data and network technology72266196616295
Revenues2,4192,29852,2982,2313
Other operating expenses1,1401,12911,1291,0795
Depreciation and amortization3443265326341(4)
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs2n/an/a
Operating expenses1,4861,45521,4551,4202
Operating income$933$84311%$843$8114%
Recurring revenues$1,956$1,8386%$1,838$1,7475%
Transaction revenues$463$4601%$460$484(5)%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

In the table above, we consider fixed income data and analytics revenues and data and network technology revenues to be recurring revenues.

In 2025, we changed the caption of a disaggregated revenue line item in our Fixed Income and Data Services segment previously presented as "other data and network services" to "data and network technology" within the table above. This name change was made to better reflect the nature of these revenues and did not impact the measurement or classification of revenue included in this classification.

In 2025 and 2024, 10% and 11%, respectively, of our Fixed Income and Data Services segment revenues were billed in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly. Due to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro compared to the U.S. dollar during 2025, our Fixed Income and Data Services revenues were higher by $9 million in 2025 than in 2024.

Fixed Income and Data Services Revenues

Our Fixed Income and Data Services revenues increased 5% in 2025 from 2024 primarily due to strength in our fixed income data and analytics products and our data and network technology.

•Fixed Income Execution: Fixed income execution includes revenues from ICE Bonds. Execution fees are reported net of rebates, which were $8 million and $7 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. Our fixed income execution revenues increased 8% in 2025 from 2024 driven by market volatility related to geopolitical and macroeconomic uncertainty, network expansion and continued expansion of platform functionality across institutional and wealth networks.

•CDS Clearing: CDS clearing revenues decreased 1% in 2025 from 2024. Clearing fees are reported net of rebates, which were $10 million in 2025. The notional value of CDS cleared, including index options, was $24.9 trillion and $19.8 trillion in 2025 and 2024, respectively. The overall decrease in revenues was primarily due to lower net interest income on collateral balances due to lower rates.

•Fixed Income Data and Analytics: Our fixed income data and analytics revenues increased 5% in 2025 from 2024 primarily due to growth in our pricing and reference data business driven by demand and strength in our index business driven by AUM growth.

•Data and Network Technology: Our data and network technology revenues increased 9% in 2025 from 2024 primarily driven by growth in our ICE Global Network offering, coupled with strength in our consolidated feeds, desktop and derivative analytics revenues. The increased demand for data and capacity is due to our continued strategic investments in our data center infrastructure.

Annual Subscription Value, or ASV, represents, at a point in time, the data services revenues, which include fixed income data and analytics as well as data and network technology, subscribed for the succeeding 12 months. ASV does not include new sales, contract terminations or price changes that may occur during that 12-month period. However, while it is

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an indicative forward-looking metric, it does not provide a precise growth forecast of the next 12 months of data services revenues. Management considers ASV metrics when making financial and operating decisions and believes ASV is useful for management and investors in understanding our data services business performance.

As of December 31, 2025, ASV was $1.990 billion, which increased 8.3% compared to the ASV as of December 31, 2024. ASV represents nearly 100% of total data services revenues for this segment. This does not adjust for year-over-year foreign exchange fluctuations.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Fixed Income and Data Services segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Fixed Income and Data Services Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change20242023Change
Operating expenses$1,486$1,4552%$1,455$1,4202%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,336$1,2725%$1,272$1,2522%
Operating income$933$84311%$843$8114%
Adjusted operating income(1)$1,083$1,0266%$1,026$9795%
Operating margin39%37%2 pts37%36%1 pt
Adjusted operating margin(1)45%45%45%44%1 pt

(1)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our cash operations or core business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Measures” below.

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Mortgage Technology Segment

The following charts and table present our selected statements of income data for our Mortgage Technology segment (dollars in millions):

(1)    The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations or core business performance. As a result, these adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change*20242023Change
Revenues:
Origination technology$7387134%7136943%
Closing solutions2232021020217913
Servicing software8718483848288194
Data and analytics269259425915666
Revenues2,1012,02242,0221,31754
Other operating expenses1,0601,137(7)1,13769863
Depreciation and amortization961951195162652
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs66104(36)104269(61)
Operating expenses2,0872,192(5)2,1921,59338
Operating income/(loss)$14$(170)n/a$(170)$(276)(38)%
Recurring revenues$1,574$1,5551%$1,555$96162%
Transaction revenues$527$46713%$467$35631%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

In the table above, we consider subscription fees and certain other revenues to be recurring revenues. Each revenue classification above contains a mix of recurring and transaction revenues, based on the various service offerings described in more detail below.

Mortgage Technology Revenues

Our mortgage technology revenues are derived from our comprehensive, end-to-end U.S. residential mortgage platform. Our mortgage technology business is intended to enable greater workflow efficiency and mitigate risks for customers throughout the mortgage life cycle. Mortgage technology revenues increased 4% in 2025 from 2024 primarily due to higher origination volumes, contractual price increases, new client implementations and higher default transactions.

•Origination technology: Our origination technology revenues increased 4% in 2025 from 2024 driven by origination volumes impacting Encompass and Encompass Network revenues, partially offset by client attrition. Our origination technology acts as a system of record for the mortgage transaction, automating the gathering, reviewing, and verifying of mortgage-related information and enabling automated enforcement of rules and business practices designed to help ensure that each completed loan transaction is of high quality and adheres to secondary market standards. These revenues are based on recurring Software as a Service, or SaaS, subscription fees, with an additive transaction-based or success-based pricing fee as lenders exceed the number of loans closed that are included with their monthly base subscription, as well as professional services.

In addition, the ICE Mortgage Technology network provides originators connectivity to the mortgage supply chain and facilitates the secure exchange of information between our customers and a broad ecosystem of third-party service providers, as well as lenders and investors that are critical to consummating the millions of loan transactions that occur on our origination network each year. Revenue from the ICE Mortgage Technology network is largely transaction-based.

•Closing solutions: Our closing solutions revenues increased 10% in 2025 from 2024 primarily driven by higher industry volume impacting MERS and Simplifile. Our closing solutions connect key participants, such as lenders, title and settlement agents and individual county recorders, to digitize the closing and recording process. Closing solutions also include revenues from our MERS database, which provides a system of record for recording and tracking changes, servicing rights and beneficial ownership interests in loans secured by U.S. residential real estate. Revenues from closing solutions are largely transaction-based and are based on the volume of loans closed.

•Servicing software: Our servicing software revenues increased 3% in 2025 from 2024 driven by MSP new client implementations, contractual price increases, renewal expansions and default management revenues, primarily driven by higher foreclosure transactions and loss mitigation revenue. Our servicing software revenues include integrated mortgage servicing solutions, which help automate all areas of the servicing process, from loan boarding to final payment or default, to help lower costs, reduce risk and improve financial performance. Our servicing solutions support first lien mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit on a single platform to manage all servicing processes, including loan setup and maintenance, escrow administration, investor reporting, and regulatory requirements. We also provide solutions that provide consumers with access to customized, timely

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information about their mortgages and allow our clients’ customer service representatives to access the same customer information, which is key to increasing borrower retention. Another servicing solution provides clients, third-party providers and their developers access to our growing catalog of APIs across the mortgage life cycle. Revenues from servicing solutions are largely subscription-based and recurring in nature based on number of loans serviced.

Our default servicing solutions help simplify the complex process for loans that move into default, while supporting servicers with their compliance requirements and facilitating more efficient loss mitigation processes. We also offer advanced technology to support the bankruptcy and foreclosure process, and more efficiently manage claims related to properties in foreclosure, as well as tools to support loss analysis, to help servicers make the right decisions at the right time. Revenues from default servicing solutions are largely transaction-based and are based on foreclosure volume.

•Data and analytics: Our Data and Analytics revenues increased 4% in 2025 from 2024 driven by continued adoption of data solutions and increased purchases by existing customers. Data and Analytics revenues include those related to ICE Mortgage Technology's Data & Document Automation and Mortgage Analyzer solutions, or Analyzer, which offers customers greater efficiency by streamlining data collection and validation through our automated document recognition and data extraction capabilities. Analyzer revenues can be both recurring and transaction-based in nature. In addition, our data offerings include real-time industry and peer benchmarking tools, which provide originators a granular view into the real-time trends of the U.S. residential mortgage market, as well as credit and prepayment models, custom and proprietary analytics, valuation, and MLS solutions. We also provide de-identified mortgage origination data for lenders and industry participants to access industry data and origination information. Revenues related to our data products are largely subscription-based and recurring in nature. The data and insights from these solutions inform, support and enhance our other solutions to help lenders and servicers make more informed decisions, improve performance, identify and predict risk and generate more qualified leads. Revenues related to our data products are largely subscription-based and recurring in nature.

Our data and analytics offerings include property ownership data, lien data, servicing data, automated valuation models and collateral risk scores, among others, provided to clients in the mortgage, real estate and capital markets verticals.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income/(Loss) and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Mortgage Technology segment's operating expenses, operating income/(loss) and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Mortgage Technology Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change*20242023Change
Operating expenses$2,087$2,192(5)%$2,192$1,59338%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,242$1,298(4)%$1,298$80960%
Operating income/(loss)$14$(170)n/a$(170)$(276)(38)%
Adjusted operating income(1)$859$72418%$724$50843%
Operating margin1%(8)%9 pts(8)%(21)%13 pts
Adjusted operating margin(1)41%36%5 pts36%39%(3 pts)

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

(1)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our cash operations or core business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Measures” below.

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Consolidated Operating Expenses

The following presents our consolidated operating expenses (dollars in millions):

Year EndedDecember 31,Year EndedDecember 31,
20252024Change20242023Change
Compensation and benefits$1,963$1,9093%$1,909$1,59520%
Professional services158154215412325
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs70104(33)104269(61)
Technology and communication870848384873416
Rent and occupancy88111(21)1119221
Selling, general and administrative293307(5)30726615
Depreciation and amortization1,5601,53721,5371,21527
Total operating expenses$5,002$4,9701%$4,970$4,29416%

The majority of our operating expenses do not vary directly with changes in our volume and revenues, except for certain technology and communication expenses, including data acquisition costs, licensing and other fee-related arrangements and a portion of our compensation expense that is tied directly to data and mortgage technology sales commissions or overall financial performance.

We expect our operating expenses to increase in absolute terms in future periods in connection with the growth of our business, and to vary from year-to-year based on the type and level of our acquisitions, integration of acquisitions, and other investments.

In 2025 and 2024, 9% and 8%, respectively, of our operating expenses were billed in pounds sterling or euros. Due to fluctuations in the U.S. dollar compared to the pound sterling and euro, our consolidated operating expenses were $14 million higher in 2025 than in 2024. See Item 7(A) “- Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk” below for additional information.

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Compensation and Benefits Expenses

Compensation and benefits expense is our most significant operating expense and includes non-capitalized employee wages, bonuses, non-cash or stock compensation, certain severance costs, benefits and employer taxes. The bonus and stock compensation components of our compensation and benefits expense are based on both our financial performance and individual employee performance. Therefore, our compensation and benefits expense will vary year-to-year based on our financial performance and fluctuations in our number of employees. Our employee headcount at the end of each period is included in the table below:

Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change
Employee headcount12,84412,920(1)%

Employee headcount slightly decreased in 2025 from 2024 due to headcount reductions in conjunction with realizing synergies from the Black Knight acquisition. Compensation and benefits expense increased $54 million in 2025 from 2024 primarily due to the impact of merit-related pay increases, increased medical claim activity, and an increase in our bonus accrual, partially offset by higher capitalized labor.

Professional Services Expenses

Professional services expense includes fees for consulting services received on strategic and technology initiatives, temporary labor, as well as regulatory, legal and accounting fees, and may fluctuate as a result of changes in our use of these services in our business.

Professional services expenses increased $4 million in 2025 from 2024 primarily due to higher general legal expenses on certain corporate matters offset by a decrease in NYSE regulatory consulting fees.

Acquisition-Related Transaction and Integration Costs

In 2025 and 2024, we incurred $70 million and $104 million, respectively, in acquisition-related transaction and integration costs primarily due to integration expenses related to Black Knight.

We expect to continue to explore and pursue various potential acquisitions and other strategic opportunities to strengthen our competitive position and support our growth. As a result, we may incur acquisition-related transaction costs in future periods.

Technology and Communication Expenses

Technology support services consist of costs for running our wholly-owned and leased data centers, hosting costs paid to third-party data centers, and maintenance of our computer hardware and software required to support our technology and cybersecurity. These costs are driven by system capacity, functionality and redundancy requirements. Communication expenses consist of costs for network connections for our electronic platforms and telecommunications costs.

Technology and communications expense also includes fees paid for access to external market data, licensing and other fee agreement expenses. Technology and communications expenses may be impacted by growth in electronic contract volume, our capacity requirements, changes in the number of telecommunications hubs and connections with customers to access our electronic platforms directly.

Technology and communications expenses increased by $22 million in 2025 from 2024, primarily due to increases in hosting, security and customer network costs combined with an increase in our revenue share license expense. This was partially offset by a decrease in data services costs.

Rent and Occupancy Expenses

Rent and occupancy expense relates to leased and owned property and includes rent, maintenance, real estate taxes, utilities and other related costs. We have significant operations located in the U.S., U.K., and India, with smaller offices located throughout the world.

Rent and occupancy expenses decreased $23 million in 2025 from 2024, primarily due to duplicate rent during the consolidation of, and exit from, certain of our London and New York leased offices in 2024.

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Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses include marketing, advertising, public relations, insurance, bank service charges, dues and subscriptions, travel and entertainment, non-income taxes and other general and administrative costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased $14 million in 2025 from 2024, primarily due to a decrease in credit loss expense and one-time charges in 2024 including a net $10 million expense for valid claims made following an equity trading issue at NYSE that occurred in June 2024 net of insurance proceeds and $15 million of regulatory matter accruals. This was partially offset by a regulatory accrual in 2025 of $4 million and increases in travel costs, marketing and customer acquisition costs at NYSE.

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses

Depreciation and amortization expense results from depreciation of long-lived assets such as buildings, leasehold improvements, aircraft, hardware and networking equipment, purchased software, internally-developed software, furniture, fixtures and equipment over their estimated useful lives. This expense includes amortization of intangible assets obtained in our acquisitions of businesses over their estimated useful lives. Intangible assets subject to amortization consist primarily of customer relationships, technology, data and databases, trademarks and trade names, and trading products.

We recorded amortization expenses on intangible assets acquired as part of our acquisitions, as well as on other intangible assets, of $994 million and $1.0 billion in 2025 and 2024, respectively. The decrease was primarily related to certain intangibles from our Ellie Mae acquisition becoming fully amortized during the year.

We recorded depreciation expenses on our fixed assets of $566 million and $525 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. The increase in 2025 over 2024 was primarily due to increases in internally developed software assets and network equipment.

Consolidated Non-Operating Income/(Expense)

Income and expenses incurred through activities outside of our core operations are considered non-operating. The following tables present our non-operating income/(expenses) (dollars in millions):

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20252024Change20242023Change*
Other income/(expense):
Interest income$119$141(16)%$141$319(56)%
Interest expense(803)(910)(12)(910)(808)13
Other income/(expense), net101881588(311)n/a
Total other income/(expense), net$(583)$(681)(14)%$(681)$(800)(15)%
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests$(55)$(48)14%$(48)$(70)(31)%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

Interest Income

Interest income decreased in 2025 from 2024 primarily due to lower interest rates.

•Our clearinghouses earned interest income of $80 million and $93 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to lower interest rates.

•In 2024, we invested $500 million of the net proceeds from the senior notes issued in May 2024 in short term investments which we used to repay a portion of the aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes at maturity in May 2025. We earned $10 million in interest income on those investments in 2025 compared to $18 million in 2024.

•The remainder of our interest income primarily relates to interest earned on various unrestricted and restricted cash balances held within our group entities.

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Interest Expense

Interest expense decreased in 2025 from 2024 primarily due to decreased borrowings as we continued to pay down debt following the Black Knight acquisition.

•Interest expense incurred on our senior notes in 2025 and 2024 was $749 million and $763 million, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to the reduction in the amount of outstanding senior notes in the current year.

•Interest expense incurred on borrowings under our Commercial Paper program in 2025 and 2024 was $39 million and $94 million, respectively. The decrease was primarily due to lower outstanding commercial paper borrowings in the current year.

•We previously had a term loan that we fully repaid in the second quarter of 2024, therefore, we did not incur any interest expense on the term loan during 2025. We incurred $39 million of interest expense under our term loan obligations in 2024.

•The remainder primarily relates to the interest incurred on maintaining our Credit Facility and other facilities within our group entities.

Other Income/(Expense), net

Equity and Equity Method Investments

Our equity method investments include OCC and Bakkt, among others. We recognized income of $79 million and losses of $62 million during 2025 and 2024, respectively, of our share of estimated equity method investment income and losses, net. The estimated income during 2025 is primarily related to our share of net income of OCC. The estimated losses during 2024 are primarily related to our investment in Bakkt, partially offset by the estimated income related to our investment in OCC.

In 2025, we recorded a net gain of $19 million related to the tax receivable agreement settlement from the Bakkt reorganization and other share activity.

For our equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values, in 2025 we recorded $36 million of fair value gains on our investments related to identifying observable price changes in our investments and equity investments measured using the net asset value per share, or NAV, practical expedient. In 2024, we recorded a net $1 million fair value loss for our equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values.

Legal & regulatory

In 2024, we recorded a gain of $160 million related to the Penny Mac arbitration final award payment.

Other

In 2024, we recorded a $6 million gain on a sale of property and equipment.

We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $18 million and $15 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. This was primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are recorded in other income/(expense), net, when the settlement of foreign currency assets, liabilities and payables occur in non-functional currencies and there is an increase or decrease in the period-end foreign currency exchange rates between periods. See Item 7A “- Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk -Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk” included elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information on these items.

We recognized the other components of net benefit cost of our defined benefit plans in the income statement as non-operating income. The combined net periodic impact of these plans was a $15 million expense and a $1 million expense in 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Non-Controlling Interests

For consolidated subsidiaries in which our ownership is less than 100%, and for which we have control over the assets, liabilities and management of the entity, the outside stockholders’ interests are shown as non-controlling interests. As of December 31, 2025, our non-controlling interests included those related to the non-ICE limited partners' interest in our CDS clearing subsidiaries and non-controlling interest in ICE Futures Abu Dhabi.

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As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, we also had a redeemable non-controlling interest, reflected in temporary equity within our consolidated balance sheet, related to a put right held by non-ICE members to require us to purchase their interests in an entity acquired by us in 2024.

Consolidated Income Tax Provision

Our consolidated income tax expense was $976 million and $826 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively. The increase in our consolidated income tax expense between years is primarily due to higher pre-tax income.

Our effective tax rate was 22% and 23% in 2025 and 2024, respectively.

Generally, our effective tax rate tends to be higher than the U.S. statutory federal income tax rate due to state and local income taxes and higher tax rates in the U.K., our most material non-U.S. jurisdiction, partially offset by benefits from foreign-derived intangible income and tax credits. Discrete events in each year can change the general trend in either direction such as federal, state and international tax law changes, movements in unrecognized tax benefits, and tax impacts from significant acquisitions, dispositions, and other business changes.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, Global Anti-Base Erosion Pillar Two minimum tax rules, or Pillar Two, which generally provide for a minimum effective tax rate of 15%, are intended to apply to tax years beginning in 2024. The EU member states and many other countries, including the U.K., have committed to implement or have already enacted legislation adopting the Pillar Two rules. In July 2023, the U.K. enacted the U.K. Finance Act 2023, effective as of January 1, 2024, which included provisions to implement certain portions of the Pillar Two minimum tax rules and included an election to apply a transitional safe harbor to extend certain effective dates to accounting periods commencing on or before December 31, 2026 and ending on or before June 30, 2028. These Pillar Two rules, including those in the U.K., did not have a material impact on our income tax provision as of December 31, 2025 or 2024.

See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements and related notes, which are included in this Annual Report, for additional information on these tax items.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Below are charts that reflect our outstanding debt and capital allocation. The acquisition and integration costs in the chart below include cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired and cash received for divestitures, if any, cash paid for equity and equity method investments, and acquisition-related transaction and integration costs, in each year.

(1)    2023 acquisition and integration costs, net of divestitures, excludes $187 million of proceeds from the sale of our Dun & Bradstreet investment.

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We have financed our operations, growth and cash needs primarily through income from operations and borrowings under our various debt facilities. Our principal capital requirements have been to fund capital expenditures, working capital, strategic acquisitions and investments, stock repurchases, dividends and the development of our technology platforms. We believe that our cash on hand and cash flows from operations will be sufficient to repay our outstanding debt, but we may also incur additional debt or issue additional equity securities in the future. See “- Future Capital Requirements” below.

See “- Cash Flow” below for a discussion of our capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs.

Consolidated cash and cash equivalents were $837 million and $844 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. We had $1.0 billion and $1.5 billion in short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. We had $770 million and $596 million in short-term and long-term restricted investments as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. We had $76.8 billion and $82.1 billion of cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.

As of December 31, 2025, the amount of unrestricted cash held by our non-U.S. subsidiaries was $368 million. Due to the application of Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income as of January 1, 2018, the majority of our foreign earnings for the period from January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2022 have been subject to immediate U.S. income taxation, and can be distributed to the U.S. in the future with no material additional U.S. income tax consequences. We made and intend to apply the high tax exception to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income in 2023, 2024 and 2025, thus the majority of our foreign earnings in 2023, 2024 and 2025 are not expected to be subject to immediate U.S. income taxation. These foreign earnings can generally be distributed to the U.S. with no material additional U.S. income tax consequences, primarily due to the availability of dividend received deductions.

Our cash and cash equivalents and financial investments are managed as a global treasury portfolio of non-speculative financial instruments that are readily convertible into cash, such as overnight deposits, term deposits, money market funds, mutual funds for treasury investments, short duration fixed income investments and other money market instruments, thus ensuring high liquidity of financial assets. We may invest a portion of our cash in excess of short-term operating needs in investment-grade marketable debt securities, including government or government-sponsored agencies and corporate debt securities.

Cash Flow

The following table presents the major components of net changes in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents, and cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds (in millions):

Year Ended December 31,
202520242023
Net cash provided by/(used in):
Operating activities$4,662$4,609$3,542
Investing activities(4,249)(921)(8,797)
Financing activities(6,334)79(64,345)
Effect of exchange rate changes32(14)7
Net increase/(decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents, and cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds$(5,889)$3,753$(69,593)

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities primarily consists of net income adjusted for certain non-cash items, including depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes, stock-based compensation, and the effects of changes in working capital.

The $53 million increase in net cash provided by operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2025 from the comparable period in 2024 was primarily driven by the following:

•An increase in net income of $568 million which was primarily driven by higher Exchange segment revenue partially offset by the $160 million gain related to the PennyMac arbitration final award payment received during 2024;

•An increase in non-cash adjustments to net income of $52 million primarily due to the deferred tax expense incurred during 2025 from the application of the OBBBA tax provisions compared to the deferred tax benefit incurred during 2024 and an increase in depreciation and amortization. This was partially offset by our share of

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net income from our equity method investees during 2025 compared to our share of net losses primarily driven by Bakkt in 2024 and an increase in non-cash fair value gains of our equity investments; and

•A decrease in changes in working capital accounts of $567 million primarily due to timing of payments and cash receipts and the impact of the SEC announcing in May 2025 that it had ceased collecting Section 31 fees from self-regulatory organizations due to the expectation that the entire fiscal year 2025 appropriation would be collected before the date of the announcement.

Investing Activities

The $3.3 billion increase in cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2025 from the comparable period in 2024 was primarily driven by the following:

•In 2025, we had net purchases of $2.3 billion from the invested margin deposit activity compared to net purchases of $294 million during 2024. These amounts fluctuate based on clearinghouse treasury investment activity related to collateral and liquidity management;

•In 2025, we had cash paid for equity and equity method investments of $1.0 billion primarily driven by our investment in Polymarket. In 2024, we paid $29 million for equity investments;

•In 2025, we had net purchases of restricted investments of $169 million compared to net proceeds of $103 million in 2024. These amounts also fluctuate based on treasury investment activity related to securing our cash restricted for regulatory requirements or our skin in the game contributions;

•Proceeds of $75 million that we received from the sale of the Promissory Note during 2024;

•Capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs increased $39 million driven by increased capitalized software development costs; and

•A decrease in cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, of $19 million.

Financing Activities

The $6.4 billion change in financing cash flows from cash used in financing activities in 2024 to cash provided by financing activities in 2025 was primarily driven by the following:

•The change in cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty fund liability decreased $6.6 billion;

•In 2025, we resumed share repurchases and repurchased $1.3 billion of shares with cash during the calendar year;

•In 2025, we had net repayments of senior notes of $1.3 billion, primarily due to the repayment of senior notes that matured in May and December of 2025 for a total of $2.5 billion, partially offset by the issuance of new senior notes due 2028 and 2031 for $1.2 billion. In 2024, we had net repayments of debt of $861 million primarily due to the repayment of a term loan of $1.6 billion, partially offset by the issuance of new senior notes due 2031 for $750 million;

•In 2025, we had net drawdowns of commercial paper of $506 million as compared to net redemptions of $1.4 billion in 2024. The reduction in 2024 was due to the paydown of commercial paper following the Black Knight acquisition in 2023. The increase in 2025 was primarily due to funding the Polymarket investment; and

•Dividends paid to stockholders increased $66 million primarily due to the increase in the dividend per share in 2025 as compared to 2024.

Debt

As of December 31, 2025, we had $19.6 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $18.6 billion of senior notes and $1 billion under our Commercial Paper Program. As of December 31, 2025, our senior notes of $18.6 billion had a weighted average maturity of 14 years and a weighted average cost of 3.7% per annum. As of December 31, 2025, our Commercial Paper notes outstanding had original maturities ranging from 2 to 28 days with a weighted average interest rate of 4.0% per annum, and a weighted average remaining maturity of 22 days.

As of December 31, 2024, we had $20.4 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $19.8 billion of senior notes and $529 million under our Commercial Paper Program. As of December 31, 2024, our senior notes of $19.8 billion had a weighted

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average maturity of 13 years and a weighted average cost of 3.7% per annum. As of December 31, 2024, our Commercial Paper notes outstanding had original maturities ranging from 6 to 20 days with a weighted average interest rate of 4.6% per annum, and a weighted average remaining maturity of 14 days.

Credit Facilities

We have a $3.9 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility, or the Credit Facility, with a maturity date of May 31, 2029. As of December 31, 2025, of the $3.9 billion that was available for borrowing under the Credit Facility, $1.0 billion was required to backstop the amount outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program and $168 million was required to support certain broker-dealer and other subsidiary commitments. Amounts required to backstop notes outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program will fluctuate as we increase or decrease our commercial paper borrowings. The remaining $2.7 billion is available for working capital and general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, acting as a backstop to future increases in the amounts outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program.

We previously had a $2.4 billion two-year Term Loan that we entered into on May 25, 2022. The proceeds from borrowings under the Term Loan were used to fund a portion of the purchase price for the Black Knight acquisition. During the second quarter of 2024, we fully repaid our outstanding obligations under the Term Loan and debt issuance costs incurred related to the Term Loan were fully amortized at the time of repayment.

Senior Notes Activity

On May 13, 2024, we issued $750 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.25% senior notes due 2031. We used $500 million of the net proceeds from the offering to repay a portion of the aggregate principal amount of the senior notes that matured in May 2025, or the 2025 Notes. The net proceeds used to repay the 2025 Notes were invested and recorded as short-term restricted investments in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. We used the remaining net proceeds to assist with the repayments of the outstanding borrowings under the senior unsecured delayed draw term loan facility, or the Term Loan.

On June 5, 2024, we completed a private offer to exchange the $1 billion aggregate principal amount of the outstanding 3.625% senior notes due 2028 issued by Black Knight InfoServ, LLC, or the Black Knight Notes, for new senior notes issued by ICE. As a result of the settlement of the private exchange offer, approximately $998 million in aggregate principal amount of outstanding Black Knight Notes were cancelled, and ICE issued approximately $998 million in aggregate principal amount of new senior notes, or the ICE Original Exchange Notes, with the same interest payment, maturity dates and interest rate as the Black Knight Notes.

On September 10, 2024, we completed a registered exchange offer in which virtually all previously outstanding ICE Original Exchange Notes were exchanged for identical new senior notes that were registered under the Securities Act of 1933, or the ICE Registered Exchange Notes, and thereby became freely transferable, subject to certain restrictions applicable to affiliates and broker dealers.

On November 17, 2025, we issued $1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of new fixed rate senior notes, comprised of the following:

•$600 million in aggregate principal amount of 3.95% senior notes due in 2028; and

•$650 million in aggregate principal amount of 4.20% senior notes due in 2031, or collectively, the Notes.

We used the net proceeds from the offering of the Notes to redeem $1.25 billion aggregate principal amount of the 3.75% senior notes that matured December 1, 2025.

Commercial Paper Program

Our Commercial Paper Program enables us to borrow efficiently at reasonable short-term interest rates and provides us with the flexibility to de-lever using our strong annual cash flows from operating activities whenever our leverage becomes elevated as a result of investment or acquisition activities.

Upon maturity of our commercial paper and to the extent old issuances are not repaid by cash on hand, we are exposed to the rollover risk of not being able to issue new commercial paper. To mitigate this risk, we maintain the Credit Facility for an aggregate amount which meets or exceeds the amount issued under our Commercial Paper Program at any time. If we were not able to issue new commercial paper, we have the option of drawing on the backstop revolving facility. However, electing to do so would result in higher interest expense.

For additional details of our debt instruments, refer to Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

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Capital Return

In December 2025, our Board approved an aggregate of $3.0 billion for future repurchases of our common stock with no fixed expiration date that became effective January 1, 2026. The $3.0 billion replaced the previous $3.2 billion approved by the Board in December 2021 of which $1.2 billion remained outstanding as of December 31, 2025. The approval of our Board for stock repurchases does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of our common stock. In addition, our Board may increase or decrease the amount available for repurchases from time to time. Shares repurchased are held in treasury stock.

We did not have any share repurchases in 2023 and 2024. In February 2025, we entered into a new Rule 10b5-1 trading plan that became effective on February 21, 2025. During 2025, we repurchased 7.7 million shares of our outstanding common stock at a cost of $1.3 billion.

Repurchases may be made from time to time on the open market, through established trading plans, in privately-negotiated transactions or otherwise, in accordance with all applicable securities laws, rules and regulations. We may begin or discontinue stock repurchases at any time and may enter into, amend or terminate a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan at any time, subject to applicable rules. From time to time, we have entered, and in the future may enter, into Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, as authorized by our Board, to govern some or all of the repurchases of our shares of common stock. We expect funding for any stock repurchases to come from our operating cash flow or borrowings under our Commercial Paper Program or our debt facilities. The timing and extent of future repurchases that are not made pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan will be at our discretion and will depend upon many conditions. In making a determination regarding any stock repurchases, management considers multiple factors, including overall stock market conditions, our common stock price performance, the remaining amount authorized for repurchases by our Board, the potential impact of a stock repurchase program on our corporate debt ratings, our expected free cash flow and working capital needs, our current and future planned strategic growth initiatives, and other potential uses of our cash and capital resources.

During 2025, we paid cash dividends of $1.92 per share of our common stock in the aggregate, including quarterly dividends of $0.48 per share, for an aggregate payout of $1.1 billion, which includes the payment of dividend equivalents on unvested employee restricted stock units. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report, for details on the amounts of our quarterly dividend payouts for the last three years.

Future Capital Requirements

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the rate of growth across our segments, strategic plans and acquisitions, available sources for financing activities, required and discretionary technology and clearing initiatives, regulatory requirements, the timing and introduction of new products and enhancements to existing products, the geographic mix of our business and potential stock repurchases.

We currently expect to incur capital expenditures (including operational and real estate capital expenditures) and to incur software development costs that are eligible for capitalization ranging in the aggregate between $740 million and $790 million in 2026, which we believe will support the enhancement of our technology, business integration and the continued growth of our businesses.

In December 2025, our Board approved an aggregate of $3.0 billion for future repurchases of our common stock with no fixed expiration date that became effective January 1, 2026. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report, for additional details on our stock repurchase program.

Our Board has adopted a quarterly dividend policy providing that dividends will be approved quarterly by the Board or the Audit Committee taking into account factors such as our evolving business model, prevailing business conditions, our current and future planned strategic growth initiatives and our financial results and capital requirements, without a predetermined net income payout ratio. On February 5, 2026, we announced a $0.52 per share dividend for the first quarter of 2026 payable on March 31, 2026 to stockholders of record as of March 17, 2026.

In conjunction with our investment in Polymarket, we have the potential to purchase up to an additional $1.0 billion of shares from Polymarket employees and investors, subject to certain conditions.

Other than the facilities for the ICE Clearing Houses, our Credit Facility and our Commercial Paper Program are currently the only significant agreements or arrangements that we have for liquidity and capital resources with third parties. See Notes 10 and 14 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for further discussion. In the event of any strategic acquisitions, mergers or investments, or if we are required to raise capital for any reason or desire to return capital to our stockholders, we may incur additional debt, issue additional equity to raise necessary funds, repurchase additional shares of our common stock or pay a dividend. However, we cannot provide assurance that such

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financing or transactions will be favorable to us. See “-Risk Factors" and Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

Non-GAAP Measures

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We use certain financial measures internally to evaluate our performance and make financial and operational decisions that are presented in a manner that adjusts from their equivalent GAAP measures or that supplement the information provided by our GAAP measures. We use these adjusted results because we believe they more clearly highlight trends in our business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on GAAP financial measures, since these measures eliminate from our results specific financial items that have less bearing on our core operating performance.

We use these measures in communicating certain aspects of our results and performance, including in this Annual Report, and believe that these measures, when viewed in conjunction with our GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliation, can provide investors with greater transparency and a greater understanding of factors affecting our financial condition and results of operations than GAAP measures alone. In addition, we believe the presentation of these measures is useful to investors for making period-to-period comparisons of results because the adjustments to GAAP are not reflective of our core business performance.

These financial measures are not presented in accordance with, or as an alternative to, GAAP financial measures and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. We encourage investors to review the GAAP financial measures included in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements, to aid in their analysis and understanding of our performance and in making comparisons.

The table below outlines our adjusted operating expenses, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income attributable to ICE and adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders, which are non-GAAP measures that are calculated by making adjustments for items we view as not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. These measures, including the adjustments and their related income tax effect and other tax adjustments (in millions, except for percentages and per share amounts), are as follows:

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Exchanges SegmentFixed Income and Data Services SegmentMortgage Technology SegmentConsolidated
Year Ended December 31,
Operating income adjustments:202520242023202520242023202520242023202520242023
Total revenues, less transaction-based expenses$5,411$4,959$4,440$2,419$2,298$2,231$2,101$2,022$1,317$9,931$9,279$7,988
Operating expenses1,4291,3231,2811,4861,4551,4202,0872,1921,5935,0024,9704,294
Less: Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles6467651501521687797925159931,011748
Less: Transaction and integration costs6610226966102269
Less: Regulatory matters45111041511
Less: Other11621326
Adjusted operating expenses$1,361$1,240$1,199$1,336$1,272$1,252$1,242$1,298$809$3,939$3,810$3,260
Operating income/(loss)$3,982$3,636$3,159$933$843$811$14$(170)$(276)$4,929$4,309$3,694
Adjusted operating income$4,050$3,719$3,241$1,083$1,026$979$859$724$508$5,992$5,469$4,728
Operating margin74%73%71%39%37%36%1%(8)%(21)%50%46%46%
Adjusted operating margin75%75%73%45%45%44%41%36%39%60%59%59%
Net income adjustments:
Net income attributable to ICE$3,315$2,754$2,368
Add: Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles9931,011748
Add: Transaction and integration costs66102269
Add/(Less): Litigation and regulatory matters4(145)11
(Less)/Add: Net (income)/loss from unconsolidated investees(79)62122
(Less)/Add: Fair value adjustments of equity investments(55)13
Less: Net interest income on pre-acquisition-related debt(12)
Add: Other1526182
Less: Net income tax effect for the above items(268)(268)(309)
Add/(Less): Deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles38(43)(126)
Less: Other tax adjustments(36)(3)(79)
Adjusted net income attributable to ICE$3,993$3,497$3,177
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$5.77$4.78$4.19
Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$6.95$6.07$5.62
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding575576565

Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles are included in non-GAAP adjustments as excluding these non-cash expenses provides greater clarity regarding our financial strength and stability of cash operating results. In 2024 and 2023, amortization of acquisition-related intangibles includes a $3 million impairment charge related to developed technology within our Exchanges Segment and a $7 million impairment charge related to a trademark intangible within our Mortgage Technology Segment, respectively.

Transaction and integration costs are included as part of our core business expenses, except for those that are directly related to the announcement, closing, financing or termination of a transaction. However, we adjust for the acquisition-related transaction and integration costs for acquisitions such as Black Knight and Ellie Mae given the magnitude of the $11.8 and $11.4 billion, respectively, purchase prices of the acquisitions.

Litigation and regulatory matters include the following as we do not consider events of this type to be reflective of our core business:

•In 2025, a $4 million accrual related to a regulatory matter;

•In 2024, a $160 million gain related to the PennyMac arbitration award resolution and payment received. Separately in 2024, regulatory accruals of $15 million; and

•In 2023, an accrual related to a regulatory settlement of $11 million.

Our investments are not considered to be a part of our core business operations and the impacts of changes in our investments are often non-cash in nature. We adjust for our share of net income or loss related to our equity method investments, which primarily include OCC and Bakkt. The following non-GAAP adjustments are reported in the table above related to fair value and other adjustments of our equity investments:

•In 2025, we recorded $36 million of fair value gains on our investments related to identifying observable price changes in our investments and equity investments measured using the NAV practical expedient. Also, in 2025, we recorded a net gain of $19 million related to the tax receivable agreement settlement from the Bakkt reorganization and other share activity.

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•In 2024, we excluded a net $1 million fair value loss on our equity investments without readily determinable fair values; and

•In 2023, we excluded the realized loss of $3 million related to our sale of the Dun & Bradstreet investment, net of dividends.

We adjust for certain items related to our debt. Certain debt activities, such as the early termination of notes, pre-acquisition interest and expense and accelerated amortization of debt costs are not considered to be a part of our core business operations and the impacts of changes in our investments are often non-cash in nature. The following non-GAAP adjustment is reported in the table above related to our debt:

•In 2023, we excluded $12 million of net interest income on pre-acquisition-related debt from our May 2022 debt refinancing related to the Black Knight acquisition. This consisted of $170 million of interest income earned on investments from the pre-acquisition debt proceeds net of $158 million of interest expense on pre-acquisition-related debt.

Other adjustments not considered to be a part of our core business operations include:

•In 2025, a one-time cumulative actuarial adjustment of $15 million to our NYSE Other Post Employment Benefit plan.

•In 2024, duplicate rent expense of $22 million related to our new London and New York leased office space. We took possession of the new London and New York leases during the 2023 and 2024, respectively. Both the London and New York office transitions were completed in 2024. We view these duplicate non-cash rent expenses during the transitions to be incremental, non-recurring, and not related to our normal operations;

•In 2024, a net $10 million expense for valid claims made following an equity trading issue at NYSE in June 2024. This includes $30 million of expense related to these claims, net of $20 million in insurance proceeds received;

•In 2024, a $6 million gain related to the sale of certain of our property and equipment;

•In 2023, a fair value loss of $160 million related to the Black Knight Promissory Note;

•In 2023, a $6 million expense for claims made following a NYSE system outage that occurred in January 2023; and

•In 2023, an impairment related to our CAT loan receivable of $16 million. The CAT was approved by the SEC in 2016 to improve regulators’ ability to monitor trading activity.

Non-GAAP tax adjustments include the tax impacts of the pre-tax non-GAAP adjustments, deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles and other tax adjustments. Deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles include the impact of tax law changes and apportionment updates resulting in a deferred tax expense of $38 million, a deferred tax benefit of $43 million and a deferred tax benefit of $126 million in 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

The $36 million other tax adjustments in 2025 include $28 million of tax benefits from statutes of limitations expirations for certain pre-acquisition periods and $8 million benefits from favorable audit settlements related to previously recognized transaction gains that were excluded from non-GAAP.

The $3 million other tax adjustments in 2024 were primarily related to pre-acquisition tax matters, including releases of historical unrecognized tax benefits due to statutes of limitations expirations, mostly offset by valuation allowances of certain deferred tax assets that are not realizable in the foreseeable future.

The $79 million other tax adjustments in 2023 were primarily related to audit settlements for pre-acquisition tax matters as well as state apportionment charges in prior years.

For additional information on these items, refer to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report and “- Recent Developments,” “- Consolidated Operating Expenses”, “- Consolidated Non-Operating Income/(Expense)” and “-Consolidated Income Tax Provision” above.

Non-GAAP Liquidity Measures

We consider free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow to be non-GAAP liquidity measures that provide useful information to management and investors to analyze cash resources generated from our operations. We believe that free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are useful as the bases for comparing our performance with our competitors and demonstrate our ability to convert the reinvestment of capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs required to maintain and grow our business, as well as adjust for timing differences related to the payment of Section 31 fees. These non-GAAP liquidity measures are not presented in accordance with, or as an alternative to, GAAP liquidity measures and

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may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. Free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow, including the related adjustments are as follows (in millions):

Year Ended December 31,
202520242023
Net cash provided by operating activities$4,662$4,609$3,542
Less: Capital expenditures(373)(406)(190)
Less: Capitalized software development costs(418)(346)(299)
Free cash flow$3,871$3,857$3,053
Add/(Less): Section 31 fees, net316(237)144
Adjusted free cash flow$4,187$3,620$3,197

For additional information on these items, refer to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report and “—Consolidated Operating Expenses” above.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As described in Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report, certain clearing house collateral is reported off-balance sheet. We do not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities.

Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

We intend to fund our contractual obligations and commercial commitments from existing cash and cash flow from operations. As of December 31, 2025, our primary cash requirements include the following contractual and other obligations.

As of December 31, 2025, we had $19.6 billion in outstanding debt, including $1.0 billion of short-term debt. Our outstanding debt consists of $18.6 billion of fixed rate senior notes and $1.0 billion in commercial paper.

Our operating leases primarily relate to our leased office space and data center facilities, and as of December 31, 2025, we had fixed lease payment obligations of $965 million, with $71 million payable within one year.

We have other purchase obligations to purchase various goods and services that we believe are enforceable and legally binding.

In addition, we have $81.2 billion in cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts payable and unsettled variation margin. Clearing members of our clearing houses are required to deposit original margin and variation margin and to make deposits to a guaranty fund. The cash and cash equivalent deposits made to these margin accounts and to the guaranty fund are recorded in the consolidated balance sheets as current assets with corresponding current liabilities to the clearing members that deposited them. ICE NGX administers the physical delivery of energy trading contracts. It has an equal and offsetting claim to and from its respective participants on opposite sides of the physically-settled contract, each of which is reflected as a delivery contract receivable with an offsetting delivery contract payable. See Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional information on our clearing houses and the margin deposits, guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts payable and unsettled variation margin.

We also have unrecognized tax benefits, or UTBs. As of December 31, 2025, our cumulative UTBs were $206 million, and accrued interest and penalties related to UTBs were $42 million. We are under examination by various tax authorities. We are unable to make a reasonable estimate of the periods of cash settlement because it is not possible to reasonably predict the amount of tax, interest and penalties, if any, that might be assessed by a tax authority or the timing of an assessment or payment. It is also not possible to reasonably predict whether or not the applicable statutes of limitations might expire without us being examined by any particular tax authority. See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our UTBs.

As of December 31, 2025, we, through NYSE, have net obligations of $65 million related to our pension and other benefit programs. The date of payment under these net obligations cannot be determined. See Note 17 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our pension and other benefit programs.

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New and Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for information on the new and recently adopted accounting pronouncements that are applicable to us.

Critical Accounting Estimates

We have identified the estimates and policies below as critical to our business operations and the understanding of our results of operations. The impact of, and any associated risks related to, these policies on our business operations is discussed throughout “- Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” For a detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with these accounting principles requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

We base our estimates and judgments on our historical experience and other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances when we make these estimates and judgments and re-evaluate them on a periodic basis. Based on these factors, we make estimates and judgments about, among other things, the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from market prices or other independent sources and about the recognition and characterization of our revenues and expenses. The values and results based on these estimates and judgments could differ significantly under different assumptions or conditions and could change materially in the future.

We believe that the following critical accounting estimates and policies, among others, affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements and could materially increase or decrease our reported results, assets and liabilities.

Business Combinations

We account for business combinations using the acquisition method of accounting. Assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with our acquisitions are recorded at their estimated fair values. We recognize specifically identifiable intangibles if the intangible is either contractual or separable, and we estimate the useful life of the intangible asset based on the estimated period over which the asset is expected to contribute directly or indirectly to future cash flows. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired company over the fair value of its identifiable net assets, including identified intangible assets. Our determination of fair value requires us to make significant estimates and assumptions, especially with respect to intangible assets. Significant estimates in valuing certain intangible assets include, but are not limited to, forecasted future cash flows, revenue and margin growth rates, customer attrition rates and discount rates that are unobservable and require judgment. The resulting fair value calculations and estimates on assigning useful lives affect our future amortization expense, as acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized over their useful lives, whereas any indefinite lived intangible assets, including goodwill, are not amortized.

At the acquisition date, a preliminary allocation of the purchase price is recorded based upon a preliminary valuation performed with the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist. We continue to review and assess our estimates, assumptions and valuation methodologies during the measurement period provided by GAAP, which ends as soon as we receive the information about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date or we learn that more information is not obtainable, which usually does not exceed one year from the date of acquisition. Accordingly, these estimates and assumptions are subject to change, which could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Estimation uncertainty may exist due to the sensitivity of the respective fair value to underlying assumptions about the future performance of an acquired business in our discounted cash flow models.

There were no material business combinations individually or in aggregate in 2025 and 2024 subject to the critical accounting estimates described above. In 2023, we acquired Black Knight which is described in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements. The measurement period for the Black Knight business combination ended in 2024.

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Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets Impairment Assessment

Goodwill

Our goodwill is evaluated for impairment annually in our fiscal fourth quarter or more frequently if conditions exist that indicate that the value may be impaired. We test our goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, and we have identified four reporting units. Our reporting units identified for our goodwill testing are the NYSE, Other Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services, and Mortgage Technology reporting units.

For our goodwill impairment testing, we have elected to bypass the qualitative assessment and apply the quantitative approach. The current year goodwill impairment test was performed with the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist.

Application of the impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, and determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. We determined the fair value of our reporting units based on an equally weighted income and market approach. For the discounted cash flow income approach, estimates and assumptions include revenue and expense growth rates used to calculate projected future cash flows, cost of capital assumptions, and long term growth rates, among others. For the guideline public company market approach, estimates and assumptions include the determination of comparable public companies for each reporting unit and the selection and weighting of market multiples. These estimates and assumptions require management’s judgment, and changes to these estimates and assumptions, as a result of changing economic and competitive conditions, could materially affect the determination of fair value and/or impairment.

As a result of our goodwill impairment tests, we did not record any impairments in 2025, 2024 or 2023.

Indefinite-lived Intangible Assets

Our indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment annually in our fiscal fourth quarter or more frequently if conditions exist that indicate that the value may be impaired. For our testing of indefinite-lived intangible assets, we apply qualitative and quantitative approaches. For the indefinite-lived intangible assets subject to the quantitative approach, we utilize an income approach to estimate the fair value of the intangible. Estimates and assumptions include determining the amount and timing of future cash flows and the selection of appropriate discount rates, royalty rates and long-term growth rate assumptions. Changes in these estimates and assumptions could materially affect the determination of fair value and/or impairment. For the indefinite-lived intangible assets subject to the qualitative approach, we assess all relevant events and circumstances that could affect the significant inputs used to determine the fair value of the intangible including both internal and external factors.

As a result of our indefinite-lived intangible asset impairment tests, we did not record any impairments in 2025, 2024 or 2023.

Finite-lived Intangible Assets

We are also required to evaluate other finite-lived intangible assets for impairment by first determining whether events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of these assets to be held and used may not be recoverable. If impairment indicators are present, then an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows produced by these long-lived assets is compared to the carrying value of those assets to determine if the asset is recoverable. If an asset is not recoverable, the loss is measured as the difference between fair value and carrying value of the impaired asset. Fair value of these assets is based on various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis, which are assessed and conducted in accordance with our internal impairment analysis policies. Other than impairments in 2024 and 2023 of developed technology and certain trademark intangible assets, respectively, we did not record any additional impairments in 2025, 2024 or 2023 as a result of our finite-lived impairment asset testing.

Equity Investments Without Readily Determinable Fair Values

We hold certain material investments in privately held companies in the form of equity securities without readily determinable fair values and in which we do not have a controlling interest or significant influence. Investments in equity securities without readily determinable fair values are initially recorded at cost and are subsequently adjusted to fair value for impairments and price changes from observable transactions in the same or a similar security from the same issuer.

We assess our investment portfolio quarterly for impairment and to identify observable price changes. Investments in privately held equity securities are valued using significant unobservable inputs or data in inactive markets. This valuation requires judgment due to the absence of market prices and inherent lack of liquidity. In determining the estimated fair value of our investments in privately held companies, we utilize the most recent data available including observed

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transactions such as equity financing transactions of the investees and sales of the existing shares of the investees’ securities. The determination of whether an observed transaction is similar to the equity securities held by us requires significant management judgment based on the rights and preferences of the securities.

The impairment analysis for investments in equity securities includes a qualitative analysis of factors including the investee’s financial performance, industry and market conditions, and other relevant factors. If an equity investment is considered to be impaired, we will establish a new carrying value for the investment and recognize an impairment in our consolidated statements of income.

Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S., U.K. and other foreign jurisdictions where we operate. The determination of our provision for income taxes and related accruals, deferred tax assets and liabilities requires the use of significant judgment, estimates, and the interpretation and application of complex tax laws. We recognize a current tax liability or tax asset for the estimated taxes payable or refundable on tax returns for the current year. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of our assets and liabilities. We establish valuation allowances if we believe that it is more likely than not that some or all of our deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using current enacted tax rates in effect for the years in which those temporary differences and carryforwards are expected to reverse.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Staff has provided additional guidance to address the accounting for the effects of the provisions related to the taxation of Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income noting that companies should make an accounting policy election to recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse in future years or to include the tax expense in the year it is incurred. We have made a policy election to recognize such taxes as current period expenses when incurred.

We do not recognize a tax benefit unless we conclude that it is more likely than not that the benefit will be sustained on audit by the taxing authority based solely on the technical merits of the associated tax position. If the recognition threshold is met, we recognize a tax benefit measured at the largest amount of the tax benefit that, in our judgment, is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized. We recognize accrued interest and penalties related to uncertain income tax positions as income tax expense in the consolidated statements of income.

We operate within multiple domestic and foreign taxing jurisdictions and are subject to audit in these jurisdictions by domestic and foreign tax authorities. These audits include questions regarding our tax filing positions, including the timing and amount of deductions taken and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. We record accruals for the estimated outcomes of these audits, and the accruals may change in the future due to new developments in each matter. At any point in time, many tax years are subject to or in the process of being audited by various taxing authorities. To the extent our estimates of settlements change or the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts recorded, such differences will impact the income tax provision in the period in which such determinations are made. Our income tax expense includes changes in our estimated liability for exposures associated with our various tax filing positions. Determining the income tax expense for these potential assessments requires management to make assumptions that are subject to factors such as proposed assessments by tax authorities, changes in facts and circumstances, issuance of new regulations, and resolution of tax audits.

We believe the judgments and estimates discussed above are reasonable. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.

ITEM 7 (A).    QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

As a result of our operating and financing activities, we are exposed to market risks such as interest rate risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk and credit risk. We have implemented policies and procedures designed to measure, manage, monitor and report risk exposures, which are regularly reviewed by the appropriate management and supervisory bodies.

Interest Rate Risk

We have exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relating to our cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments and indebtedness. As of December 31, 2025 and 2024, our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash

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equivalents and investments were $2.6 billion and $3.0 billion, respectively. We do not use our investment portfolio for trading or other speculative purposes. A hypothetical 100 basis points decrease in short-term interest rates would decrease our annual interest income by $28 million as of December 31, 2025, assuming no change in the amount or composition of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents and investments.

As of December 31, 2025, we had $19.6 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $18.6 billion of unsecured senior notes and $1.0 billion in commercial paper. See Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Debt," and Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

The interest rates on our Commercial Paper Program are currently evaluated based upon current maturities and market conditions. The weighted average interest rate on notes outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program was 4.0% and 4.6% as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. The effective interest rate of issuances under our Commercial Paper Program will continue to fluctuate based on the movement in short-term interest rates along with shifts in supply and demand within the commercial paper market.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk

As an international business, we are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk. We may experience gains or losses from foreign currency transactions in the future given that a significant part of our assets and liabilities are recorded in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars or euros, and a significant portion of our revenues and expenses are recorded in pounds sterling or euros. Certain assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of foreign subsidiaries are denominated in the local functional currency of such subsidiaries. Our exposure to foreign denominated earnings in 2025 and 2024 is presented by primary foreign currency in the following table (dollars in millions, except exchange rates):

Year Ended December 31, 2025Year Ended December 31, 2024
Pound SterlingEuroPound SterlingEuro
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the current year$1.3187$1.1299$1.2781$1.0820
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the prior year$1.2781$1.0820$1.2438$1.0817
Average exchange rate increase/(decrease)3%4%3%0%
Foreign denominated percentage of:
Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction based expenses11%13%11%12%
Fixed income and data services segment revenue5565
Mortgage technology segment revenues
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses7%8%7%8%
Operating expenses7%2%6%2%
Operating income8%15%8%15%
Impact of the currency fluctuations(1) on:
Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction based expenses$17$28$15$
Fixed income and data services segment revenue453
Mortgage technology segment revenues
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$21$33$18$
Operating expenses$11$3$8$
Operating income$10$30$10$

(1)    Represents the impact of currency fluctuation for the year compared to the same period in the prior year.

We have a significant part of our assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses recorded in pounds sterling or euros. In both 2025 and 2024, 15% of our consolidated revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were denominated in pounds sterling or euros, and in 2025 and 2024, 9% and 8%, respectively, of our consolidated operating expenses were denominated in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly.

Foreign currency transaction risk related to the settlement of foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables occurs through our operations, which are received in or paid in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars, or euros, due to the increase or decrease in the foreign currency exchange rates between periods. We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $18 million and $15 million in 2025 and 2024, respectively, inclusive of the impact of foreign currency hedging transactions. The foreign currency transaction losses were primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. A 10% adverse change in the underlying foreign currency exchange rates as of

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December 31, 2025, assuming no change in the composition of the foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables and assuming no hedging activity, would result in a foreign currency loss of $14 million.

We entered into foreign currency hedging transactions during 2025 and 2024 as economic hedges to help mitigate a portion of our foreign exchange risk exposure and may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future to help mitigate our foreign exchange risk exposure. Although we may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future, these hedging arrangements may not be effective, particularly in the event of imprecise forecasts of the levels of our non-U.S. denominated assets and liabilities.

We have foreign currency translation risk equal to our net investment in our foreign subsidiaries. The financial statements of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using a current rate of exchange, with gains or losses included in the cumulative translation adjustment account, a component of equity. Our exposure to the net investment in foreign currencies is presented by primary foreign currencies in the table below (in millions):

As of December 31, 2025
Position in pounds sterlingPosition in Canadian dollarsPosition in euros
Assets£734$2,828199
of which goodwill represents49838392
Liabilities1432,37432
Net currency position£591$454167
Net currency position, in $USD$797$331$197
Negative impact on consolidated equity of a 10% decrease in foreign currency exchange rates$80$33$20

Foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) within our balance sheet. See the table below for the portion of equity attributable to foreign currency translation adjustments as well as the activity by year included within our statement of other comprehensive income. The impact of the foreign currency exchange rate differences in the table below were primarily driven by fluctuations of the pound sterling as compared to the U.S. dollar which were 1.3474, 1.2514 and 1.2732 as of December 31, 2025, 2024, and 2023, respectively.

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/ (Loss) from Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments (in millions)
Balance, as of January 1, 2023$(278)
Net current period other comprehensive income48
Balance, as of December 31, 2023(230)
Net current period other comprehensive loss(55)
Balance, as of December 31, 2024(285)
Net current period other comprehensive income99
Balance, as of December 31, 2025$(186)

Credit Risk

We are exposed to credit risk in our operations in the event of a counterparty default. We limit our exposure to credit risk by rigorously selecting the counterparties with which we make our investments, monitoring them on an ongoing basis and executing agreements to protect our interests.

Clearing House Cash Deposit Risks

The ICE Clearing Houses hold material amounts of clearing member margin deposits which are held or invested primarily to provide security of capital while minimizing credit, market and liquidity risks. Refer to Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements for more information on the ICE Clearing Houses' cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts receivable and unsettled variation margin which were $81.2 billion as of December 31, 2025. While we seek to achieve a reasonable rate of return which may generate interest income for our clearing members, we are primarily concerned with preservation of capital and managing the risks associated with these

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deposits. As the ICE Clearing Houses may pass on interest revenues (minus costs) to the clearing members, this could include negative or reduced yield due to market conditions. The following is a summary of the risks associated with these deposits and how these risks are mitigated:

•Credit Risk: When a clearing house has the ability to hold cash collateral at a central bank, the clearing house utilizes its access to the central bank system to minimize credit risk exposures. Credit risk is managed by using exposure limits depending on the credit profile of the counterparty as well as the nature and maturity of transactions. Our investment objective is to invest in securities that preserve principal while maximizing yields, without significantly increasing risk. We seek to substantially mitigate the credit risk associated with investments by placing them with governments, well-capitalized financial institutions and other creditworthy counterparties.

An ongoing review is performed to evaluate changes in the financial status of counterparties. In addition to the intrinsic creditworthiness of counterparties, our policies require diversification of counterparties (banks, financial institutions, bond issuers and funds) so as to avoid a concentration of risk.

•Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk is the risk a clearing house may not be able to meet its payment obligations in the right currency, in the right place and at the right time. To mitigate this risk, the clearing houses monitor liquidity requirements closely and maintain funds and assets in a manner which minimizes the risk of loss or delay in the access by the clearing house to such funds and assets. For example, holding funds with a central bank where possible or making only short term investments such as overnight reverse repurchase agreements serves to reduce liquidity risks.

•Interest Rate Risk: Interest rate risk is the risk that interest rates rise and cause the value of securities we hold or invest in to decline. If we were required to sell securities prior to maturity, and interest rates had risen, the sale might be made at a loss relative to the carrying value. Our clearing houses seek to manage this risk by making short term investments. For example, where possible and in accordance with regulatory requirements, the clearing houses invest cash pursuant to overnight reverse repurchase agreements or term reverse repurchase agreements with short dated maturities. In addition, the clearing house investment guidelines allow for direct purchases of high-quality sovereign debt (for example, U.S. Treasury securities) and supranational debt instruments (Euro cash deposits only) with short dated maturities.

•Security Issuer Risk: Security issuer risk is the risk that an issuer of a security defaults on the payment when the security matures or debt is serviced. This risk is mitigated by limiting allowable investments under the reverse repurchase agreements to high-quality sovereign or government agency debt and limiting any direct investments to high-quality sovereign debt instruments.

•Investment Counterparty Risk: Investment counterparty risk is the risk that a reverse repurchase agreement counterparty might become insolvent and, thus, fail to meet its obligations to our clearing houses. We mitigate this risk by only engaging in transactions with high credit quality counterparties and by limiting the acceptable collateral to securities of high-quality issuers. When engaging in reverse repurchase agreements, our clearing houses take delivery of the securities underlying the reverse repurchase arrangement in custody accounts under clearing house control. Additionally, the securities purchased subject to reverse repurchase have a market value greater than the reverse repurchase amount. Thus, in the event that a reverse repurchase counterparty defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying reverse repurchase securities, our clearing house will have possession of a security with a value potentially greater than the counterparty’s obligation.

The ICE Clearing Houses may use third-party investment advisors who make investments subject to the guidelines provided by each clearing house. Clearing house property is held in custody accounts under clearing house control with credit worthy custodians. The ICE Clearing Houses employ (or may employ) multiple investment advisors and custodians to ensure that in the event a single advisor or custodian is unable to fulfill its role, additional advisors or custodians are available as alternatives.

•Cross-Currency Margin Deposit Risk: Each of the ICE Clearing Houses may permit posting of cross-currency collateral to satisfy margin requirements (for example, accepting margin deposits denominated in U.S. dollars to secure a Euro margin obligation). The ICE Clearing Houses mitigate the risk of a currency value exposure by applying a “haircut” to the currency posted as margin at a level viewed as sufficient to provide financial protection during periods of currency volatility. Cross-currency balances are marked-to-market on a daily basis. Should the currency posted to satisfy margin requirements decline in value, the clearing member is required to increase its margin deposit on a same-day basis.

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Impact of Inflation

We have not been materially adversely affected by inflation as technological advances and competition have generally caused prices for the hardware and software that we use for our electronic platforms to remain constant. In the event of continued or increased inflation, we believe that we will be able to pass on any price increases to our participants, as the prices that we charge are not governed by long-term contracts.

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MD&A history

Prior-year 10-K MD&A spans are extracted from SEC filings with the same bounded parser used for the latest filing. The latest 10-K appears above; prior years are below.

FY 2024 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0001571949-25-000003.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2025-02-06. Report date: 2024-12-31.

ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements for many reasons. See the factors set forth under the heading “Forward Looking Statements” at the beginning of Part 1 of this Annual Report and in Item 1(A) under the heading “Risk Factors.” For discussion related to the results of operations and changes in financial condition for 2023 compared to 2022 refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 8, 2024.

Overview

We are a leading global provider of technology and data to a broad range of customers including financial institutions, corporations and government entities. Our products, which span major asset classes including futures, equities, fixed income and U.S. residential mortgages, provide our customers with access to mission critical tools that are designed to increase asset class transparency and workflow efficiency. The majority of our identifiable assets are located in the U.S. and U.K. We report our results in the following three segments:

•Exchanges: We operate regulated marketplace technology for the listing, trading and clearing of a broad array of derivatives contracts and financial securities as well as data and connectivity services related to our exchanges and clearing houses.

•Fixed Income and Data Services: We provide fixed income pricing, reference data, indices, analytics and execution services as well as global CDS clearing and multi-asset class data delivery technology.

•Mortgage Technology: We provide a technology platform that offers customers comprehensive, digital workflow tools that aim to address inefficiencies and mitigate risks that exist in the U.S. residential mortgage market life cycle from application through closing, servicing and the secondary market.

Recent Developments

Global Market Conditions

Our results of operations are affected by global economic conditions, including macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical events and conflicts. Since 2022, macroeconomic conditions, including changes in interest rates, inflation and significant market volatility, along with geopolitical concerns, have created ongoing uncertainty and volatility in the global economy and resulted in a dynamic operating environment.

Our business has been impacted positively and negatively by these global economic conditions. For instance, due to market and interest rate volatility, we have seen increased trading across a number of our products, such as interest rate and equity futures, credit default swaps and bonds. Conversely, increases in mortgage interest rates in 2023 and to a

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lesser extent, 2024, have resulted in reduced consumer and investor demand for mortgages and adversely impacted the transaction-based revenues in our Mortgage Technology segment. If mortgage rates remain high or further increase, or if mortgage lending practices change, our Mortgage Technology segment revenues may be further impacted. In addition, higher interest rates have resulted, and may continue to result, in higher interest rates for our debt instruments as we refinance our existing indebtedness.

From an operational perspective, our businesses, including our exchanges, clearing houses, listings venues, data services businesses and mortgage platforms, have not suffered a material negative impact as a result of the events in Ukraine and the Middle East and surrounding regions.

We expect the macroeconomic environment to remain dynamic in the near-term, and we continue to monitor macroeconomic conditions, including interest rates, inflation rates, geopolitical events and military conflicts, including repercussions from the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and the impact that any of the foregoing may have on the global economy and on our business. We also continue to closely monitor credit worthiness of our counterparties, clearing members and our financial service providers and take risk management measures in line with established risk management frameworks.

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Consolidated Financial Highlights

The following summarizes our results and significant changes in our consolidated financial performance for the periods presented (dollars in millions, except per share amounts):

(1)    Operating income/(loss) from our Mortgage Technology segment was $(170) million, $(276) million and $57 million in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

(2)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. Adjusted net income attributable to ICE is presented net of taxes. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or U.S. GAAP. See “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change20232022Change
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$9,279$7,98816%$7,988$7,29210%
Recurring revenues(1)$4,829$4,13817%$4,138$3,72111%
Transaction revenues, net(1)$4,450$3,85016%$3,850$3,5718%
Operating expenses$4,970$4,29416%$4,294$3,65418%
Adjusted operating expenses(2)$3,810$3,26017%$3,260$2,95310%
Operating income$4,309$3,69417%$3,694$3,6382%
Adjusted operating income(2)$5,469$4,72816%$4,728$4,3399%
Operating margin46%46%46%50%(4 pts)
Adjusted operating margin(2)59%59%59%59%
Other income/(expense), net$(681)$(800)(15)%$(800)$(1,830)(56)%
Income tax expense$826$45681%$456$31047%
Effective tax rate23%16%7 pts16%17%(1 pt)
Net income attributable to ICE$2,754$2,36816%$2,368$1,44664%
Adjusted net income attributable to ICE(2)$3,497$3,17710%$3,177$2,9747%
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$4.78$4.1914%$4.19$2.5862%
Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders(2)$6.07$5.628%$5.62$5.306%
Cash flows from operating activities$4,609$3,54230%$3,542$3,554%
Free cash flow(3)$3,857$3,05326%$3,053$3,072(1)%
Adjusted free cash flow(3)$3,620$3,19713%$3,197$2,90610%

(1)    We define recurring revenues as the portion of our revenues that are generally predictable, stable, and can be expected to occur at regular intervals in the future with a relatively high degree of certainty and visibility. We define transaction revenues as those associated with a more specific point-in-time service, such as a trade execution.

(2)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. Adjusted net income attributable to ICE and adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders are presented net of taxes. These adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

(3)    We believe these non-GAAP liquidity measures provide useful information to management and investors to analyze cash resources generated from our operations. We believe that free cash flow is useful as one of the bases for comparing our performance with our competitors and demonstrates our ability to convert the reinvestment of capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs required to maintain and grow our business. We believe that adjusted free cash flow eliminates the impact of timing differences related to the payment of Section 31 fees. These figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “—Non-GAAP Liquidity Measures” below.

•Revenues, less transaction-based expenses, increased $1.3 billion in 2024 from 2023. The increase in revenues includes $18 million in favorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2024 as compared to 2023.

•Revenues, less transaction-based expenses, increased $696 million in 2023 from 2022. The increase in revenues includes $17 million in favorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2023 as compared to 2022.

•Operating expenses increased $676 million in 2024 from 2023. The increase in operating expenses includes $8 million in unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2024 as compared to 2023.

•Operating expenses increased $640 million in 2023 from 2022. The increase in operating expenses includes $4 million in unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2023 as compared to 2022.

•Other income/(expense), net, in 2024 primarily includes interest income of $141 million, interest expense of $910 million, our equity earnings in OCC of $25 million, estimated equity losses in our investment in Bakkt of $83 million, a gain of $160 million related to the PennyMac arbitration final award payment, a gain of $6 million related to the sale of certain fixed assets and FX remeasurement losses of $15 million.

•Other income/(expense), net, in 2023 primarily includes interest income of $319 million, interest expense of $808 million, our equity earnings in OCC of $16 million, estimated equity losses in our investment in Bakkt of $135 million, a fair value loss of $160 million related to the Black Knight Promissory Note, an impairment related to our CAT loan receivable of $16 million, FX remeasurement losses of $12 million, and a loss on the sale of the Dun & Bradstreet investment of $3 million, net of dividends received, that we acquired through the acquisition of Black Knight.

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•The 23% effective tax rate in 2024 was above the statutory federal income tax rate primarily due to state and local income taxes, including the impacts of recording valuation allowances on certain state deferred tax assets, partially offset by favorable state apportionment changes and statutes of limitations expirations.

•The 16% effective tax rate in 2023 was below the statutory federal income tax rate primarily driven by the following factors: favorable audit settlements for historical years, favorable state apportionment changes, and the application of the high-tax exception to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income. These benefits were partially offset by the impact of the U.K. corporate income tax increase from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023, and the tax impact of certain non-deductible Black Knight acquisition costs.

•The 17% effective tax rate in 2022 was below the statutory federal income tax rate primarily driven by the deferred income tax benefit from the impairment of our equity investment in Bakkt.

Business Environment and Market Trends

Our business environment has been characterized by:

•globalization of marketplaces, customers and competitors;

•growing customer demand for workflow efficiency and automation;

•commodity, interest rate, inflation rate and financial markets volatility and uncertainty;

•growing demand for data to inform customers' risk management and investment decisions;

•evolving, increasing and disparate regulation across multiple jurisdictions;

•price volatility increasing customers' demand for risk management services;

•increasing focus on capital and cost efficiencies;

•customers' preference to manage risk in markets demonstrating the greatest depth of liquidity and product diversity;

•the evolution of existing products and new product innovation to serve emerging customer needs and changing industry agreements;

•emerging technology initiatives and offerings in our markets, including the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning;

•rising demand for speed, data, data capacity and connectivity by market participants, necessitating increased investment in technology; and

•consolidation and increasing competition among global markets for trading, clearing and listings.

Recent changes with regard to global financial reform have emphasized the importance of transparent markets, centralized clearing and access to data, all of which are important aspects of our product offering. However, some of the proposed rules have yet to be implemented and some rules that have already been partially implemented are being reconsidered, have been stayed or are subject to challenges in court. In addition, some of the global regulations have not been fully harmonized and several non-U.S. regulations are inconsistent with U.S. rules. As the evolution continues, legislative and regulatory actions may change the way we conduct our business and may create uncertainty for market participants, which could affect trading volumes or demand for market data. As a result, it is difficult to predict all of the effects that the legislation and its implementing regulations will have on us. As discussed more fully in Item 1 “- Business - Regulation” included in this Annual Report, Brexit, MiFID II and other regulations have resulted in operational, regulatory and/or business risk.

We have diversified our business so that we are not dependent on volatility or transaction activity in any one asset class. In addition, we have increased our portion of recurring revenues from 34% in 2014 to 52% in 2024. These recurring revenues include data services, listings and various mortgage technology solutions.

Many of the data products we sell and services we provide are required for our clients’ business operations regardless of market volatility or shifts in business profitability levels. We anticipate that there will continue to be growth in the financial information services sector driven by a number of global trends, including the following:

•increasing or evolving global regulatory demands;

•greater use of fair value accounting standards and reliance on independent valuations;

•greater emphasis on risk management;

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•market fragmentation driven by regulatory changes;

•the move to passive investing and indexation;

•ongoing growth in the size and diversity of financial markets;

•increased automation of fixed income, mortgage and other less automated markets;

•the development of new data products;

•greater use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and machine learning;

•the demand for greater data capacity and connectivity;

•new entrants; and

•increasing demand for outsourced services by financial institutions.

We continue to focus on our strategy to grow each of our revenue streams, and prudently manage expenses, in order to mitigate these uncertainties and to build on our growth opportunities by leveraging our proprietary data, clearing, markets and technology solutions.

Segment Results

Our business is conducted through three reportable business segments: Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services and Mortgage Technology. Segments are discussed more in detail in "Item 1- Business". While revenues are recorded specifically in the segment in which they are earned or to which they relate, a significant portion of our operating expenses are not solely related to a specific segment because the expenses serve functions that are necessary for the operation of more than one segment. We directly allocate expenses when reasonably possible to do so. Otherwise, we use a pro-rata revenue approach as the allocation method for the expenses that do not relate solely to one segment and serve functions that are necessary for the operation of all segments. Our segments do not engage in intersegment transactions.

For details on trends in recent prior-year periods, refer to our 2023 and 2022 Annual Reports on Form 10-K.

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Exchanges Segment

The following presents selected statements of income data for our Exchanges segment (dollars in millions):

(1)    The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. As a result, these adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change20232022Change
Revenues:
Energy futures and options$1,876$1,49825%$1,498$1,16229%
Agricultural and metals futures and options257271(5)27123515
Financial futures and options55946022460475(3)
Futures and options2,6922,229212,2291,87219
Cash equities and equity options2,9132,298272,2982,722(16)
OTC and other400398398429(7)
Transaction and clearing, net6,0054,925224,9255,023(2)
Data and connectivity services94793329338776
Listings489497(2)497515(4)
Revenues7,4416,355176,3556,415(1)
Transaction-based expenses(1)2,4821,915301,9152,344(18)
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses4,9594,440124,4404,0719
Other operating expenses1,0631,03331,0339687
Depreciation and amortization26024852482403
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costsn/a1n/a
Operating expenses1,3231,28131,2811,2096
Operating income$3,636$3,15915%$3,159$2,86210%
Recurring revenues$1,436$1,430%$1,430$1,3923%
Transaction revenues, net$3,523$3,01017%$3,010$2,67912%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

(1)    Transaction-based expenses are largely attributable to our cash equities and options business.

Exchanges Revenues

Our Exchanges segment includes transaction and clearing revenues from our futures and NYSE exchanges, related data and connectivity services, and our listings business. Transaction and clearing revenues consist of fees collected from derivatives, cash equities and equity options trading and derivatives clearing, and are reported on a net basis, except for the NYSE transaction-based expenses discussed below. Rates per-contract, or RPC, are driven by the number of contracts or securities traded and the fees charged per contract, net of certain rebates. Our per-contract transaction and clearing revenues will depend upon many factors, including, but not limited to, market conditions, transaction and clearing volume, product mix, pricing, applicable revenue sharing and market making agreements, and new product introductions.

Transaction and clearing revenues are generally assessed on a per-contract basis and revenues and profitability fluctuate with changes in contract volume and product mix. We consider data and connectivity services revenues and listings revenues to be recurring revenues. Our data and connectivity services revenues are recurring subscription fees related to the various data and connectivity services that we provide which are directly attributable to our exchange venues. Our listings revenues are also recurring subscription fees that we earn for the provision of NYSE listings services for public companies and ETFs, and related corporate actions for listed companies.

In 2024 and 2023, 23% and 20%, respectively, of our Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were billed in pounds sterling or euros. Due to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro compared to the U.S. dollar, our Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were higher by $15 million in 2024 from 2023.

Our exchange transaction and clearing revenues are presented net of rebates. We recorded rebates of $1.3 billion and $989 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. We offer rebates in certain of our markets primarily to support market liquidity and trading volume by providing qualified participants in those markets a discount to the applicable commission rate. Such rebates are calculated based on volumes traded. The increase in rebates is primarily due to higher volumes traded as compared to 2023.

•Energy Futures and Options: Total volume in our energy futures and options markets increased 25% and revenues increased 25% in 2024 from 2023.

–Oil futures and options volume increased 21% in 2024 from 2023, in part, due to geopolitical risk in the Middle East and uncertainty regarding oil supply and demand dynamics.

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–Global natural gas futures and options volume increased 30% in 2024 from 2023. The volume increase in our North American gas products was driven by increased volatility related to shifting weather and fundamentals. In addition, growth in our TTF and Asian JKM gas complexes was driven by the continued globalization of the commodity, coupled with price volatility related to geopolitical risks and supply and demand dynamics.

–Environmentals and other futures and options volume increased 38% in 2024 from 2023, due to record environmental volumes driven by price volatility related to geopolitical risk in the Middle East, continued demand for market-based mechanisms to price climate risk and help enable greenhouse gas reduction goals, and higher power volumes driven by increased volatility as compared to the prior year.

•Agricultural and Metals Futures and Options: Total volume in our agricultural and metals futures and options markets decreased 2% and revenues decreased 5% in 2024 from 2023. The overall decrease in agricultural volumes was due to reduced market volatility impacting our Sugar markets following an El Niño year, as well as a global supply shortage impacting our Cocoa markets, with Cocoa prices reaching an all-time high in 2024.

–Sugar futures and options volumes decreased 9% in 2024 from 2023.

–Other agricultural and metal futures and options volumes increased 4% in 2024 from 2023.

•Financial Futures and Options: Total volume in our financial futures and options markets increased 32% and revenues increased 22% in 2024 from 2023, including the impacts of foreign exchange effects.

–Interest rate futures and options volume increased 39% and revenue increased 33% in 2024 from 2023 driven by interest rate volatility and divergence of rate paths by central banks. Interest rate futures and options revenues were $399 million and $299 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

–Other financial futures and options volume, which includes our MSCI®, FTSE® and NYSE FANG+ equity index products, decreased 6% and revenue decreased 1% in 2024 from 2023. Other financial futures and options volume decreased due to overall lower equity market volatility than in the prior year. Other financial futures and options revenues were $160 million and $161 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

•Cash Equities and Equity Options: Cash equities volume increased 9% in 2024 from 2023 due to increased participation in U.S. equity markets. Cash equities revenues, net of transaction-based expenses, were $307 million and $268 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Equity options volume increased 19% in 2024 from 2023 driven by increased participation and higher market share. Equity options revenues, net of transaction-based expenses, were $124 million and $115 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

•OTC and Other: OTC and other transactions include revenues from our OTC energy business and other trade confirmation services, as well as net interest income and fees on certain clearing margin deposits, regulatory penalties and fines, fees for use of our facilities, regulatory fees charged to member organizations of our U.S. securities exchanges, designated market maker service fees, exchange membership fees and agricultural grading and certification fees. Our OTC and other revenues were flat in 2024 compared to 2023.

•Data and Connectivity Services: Our data and connectivity services revenues increased 2% in 2024 from 2023. The increase in revenue was driven by the strong retention rate of existing customers, the addition of new customers and increased purchases by existing customers.

•Listings Revenues: Through NYSE, NYSE American and NYSE Arca, we generate listings revenue related to the provision of listings services for public companies and ETFs, and related corporate actions for listed companies. Listings revenues decreased 2% in 2024 from 2023, due to the continued roll-off of initial listing fees from the strong initial public offerings, or IPO, market in 2021 and special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, delistings. All listings fees are billed upfront and the identified performance obligations are satisfied over time.

Selected Operating Data

Volume of contracts traded, futures and options rate per contract and open interest are measures that we use in analyzing the performance of our futures and options contracts. Handled volume, matched volume and cash equities and equity options rate per contract are measures that we use in analyzing our NYSE cash equities and equity options performance. We believe each of these measures provides useful information for management and investors in understanding our performance. Management considers these metrics when making financial and operating decisions. Our calculation of these metrics may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

The following charts and tables present trading activity in our futures and options markets by commodity type based on the total number of contracts traded, as well as futures and options rate per contract (in millions, except for percentages and rate per contract amounts):

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Volume and Rate per Contract

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change20232022Change
Number of contracts traded (in millions):
Energy futures and options1,09988325%88375317%
Agricultural and metals futures and options116118(2)%11810216%
Financial futures and options85164632%646646%
Total2,0661,64726%1,6471,50110%
Average Daily Volume of contracts traded (in thousands):
Energy futures and options4,3613,53024%3,5303,00018%
Agricultural and metals futures and options462474(3)%47440716%
Financial futures and options3,3092,53231%2,5322,524%
Total8,1326,53624%6,5365,93110%
Rate per contract:
Energy futures and options$1.71$1.701%$1.70$1.5410%
Agricultural and metals futures and options$2.21$2.29(3)%$2.29$2.30%
Financial futures and options$0.65$0.70(8)%$0.70$0.73(3)%

Open interest is the aggregate number of contracts (long or short) that clearing members hold either for their own account or on behalf of their clients. Open interest refers to the total number of contracts that are currently “open,” – in other words, contracts that have been entered into but not yet liquidated by either an offsetting trade, exercise, expiration or assignment. Open interest is also a measure of the future activity remaining to be closed out in terms of the number of contracts that members and their clients continue to hold in the particular contract and by the number of contracts held for each contract month listed by the exchange. The following charts and table present our year-end open interest for our futures and options contracts (in thousands, except for percentages):

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As of December 31,As of December 31,
20242023Change20232022Change
Open interest — in thousands of contracts:
Energy futures and options58,97351,55614%51,55642,52421%
Agricultural and metals futures and options3,5034,855(28)%4,8553,88125%
Financial futures and options24,98722,38012%22,38020,34210%
Total87,46378,79111%78,79166,74718%

The following charts and tables present selected cash and equity options trading data. All trading volume below is presented as average net daily trading volume, or ADV, and is single counted:

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change20232022Change
NYSE cash equities (shares in millions):
Total cash handled volume2,4362,2319%2,2312,409(7)%
Total cash market share matched19.7%19.9%(0.2 pts)19.9%19.9%
NYSE equity options (contracts in thousands):
NYSE equity options volume (ADV)9,3757,90019%7,9007,6214%
Total equity options volume (ADV)44,36040,36910%40,36938,2446%
NYSE share of total equity options21.1%19.6%1.5 pts19.6%19.9%(0.3 pts)
Revenue capture or rate per contract:
Cash equities rate per contract (per 100 shares)$0.050$0.0484%$0.048$0.0456%
Equity options rate per contract$0.05$0.06(10)%$0.06$0.057%

Handled volume represents the total number of shares of equity securities, ETFs and crossing session activity internally matched on our exchanges or routed to and executed on an external market center. Matched volume represents the total number of shares of equity securities, ETFs and crossing session activity executed on our exchanges.

Transaction-Based Expenses

Our equities and equity options markets pay fees to the SEC pursuant to Section 31 of the Exchange Act. Section 31 fees are recorded on a gross basis as a component of transaction and clearing fee revenue. These Section 31 fees are

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assessed to recover the government’s costs of supervising and regulating the securities markets and professionals and are subject to change. We, in turn, collect corresponding activity assessment fees from member organizations clearing or settling trades on the equities and options exchanges, and recognize these amounts in our transaction and clearing revenues when invoiced. The activity assessment fees are designed to equal the Section 31 fees. As a result, activity assessment fees and the corresponding Section 31 fees do not have an impact on our net income, although the timing of payment by us will vary from collections. Section 31 fees were $679 million and $293 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The increase in Section 31 fees was primarily due to an increase in rates and volumes. The fees we collect are included in cash at the time of receipt and we remit the amounts to the SEC semi-annually as required. The total amount is included in current liabilities and was $316 million as of December 31, 2024.

We make liquidity payments to cash and options trading customers, as well as routing charges made to other exchanges which are included in transaction-based expenses. We incur routing charges when we do not have the best bid or offer in the market for a security that a customer is trying to buy or sell on one of our securities exchanges. In that case, we route the customer’s order to the external market center that displays the best bid or offer. The external market center charges us a fee per share (denominated in tenths of a cent per share) for routing to its system. We record routing charges on a gross basis as a component of transaction and clearing fee revenue. Cash liquidity payments, routing and clearing fees were $1.8 billion and $1.6 billion in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Exchanges segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Exchanges Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change20232022Change
Operating expenses$1,323$1,2813%$1,281$1,2096%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,240$1,1993%$1,199$1,1425%
Operating income$3,636$3,15915%$3,159$2,86210%
Adjusted operating income(1)$3,719$3,24115%$3,241$2,92911%
Operating margin73%71%2 pts71%70%1 pt
Adjusted operating margin(1)75%73%2 pts73%72%1 pt

(1)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Fixed Income and Data Services Segment

The following charts and table present our selected statements of income data for our Fixed Income and Data Services segment (dollars in millions):

(1)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change20232022Change
Revenues:
Fixed income execution$117$124(6)%$124$10123%
CDS clearing343360(5)36030518
Fixed income data and analytics1,1771,11851,1181,0982
Fixed income and credit1,6371,60221,6021,5047
Other data and network services66162956295887
Revenues2,2982,23132,2312,0927
Other operating expenses1,1291,07951,0791,0235
Depreciation and amortization326341(4)341349(2)
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs1(95)
Operating expenses1,4551,42021,4201,3733
Operating income$843$8114%$811$71913%
Recurring revenues$1,838$1,7475%$1,747$1,6864%
Transaction revenues$460$484(5)%$484$40620%

In the table above, we consider fixed income data and analytics revenues and other data and network services revenues to be recurring revenues.

In both 2024 and 2023, 11% of our Fixed Income and Data Services segment revenues were billed in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly. Due to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro compared to the U.S. dollar during 2024, our Fixed Income and Data Services revenues were higher by $3 million in 2024 than in 2023.

Fixed Income and Data Services Revenues

Our Fixed Income and Data Services revenues increased 3% in 2024 from 2023 primarily due to strength in our fixed income data and analytics products and our other data and network services.

•Fixed Income Execution: Fixed income execution includes revenues from ICE Bonds. Execution fees are reported net of rebates, which were $7 million and $5 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. Our fixed income execution revenues decreased 6% in 2024 from 2023 as higher revenues from record corporate and municipal bond trading were more than offset by lower levels of U.S. treasury activity.

•CDS Clearing: CDS clearing revenues decreased 5% in 2024 from 2023. The notional value of CDS cleared, including index options, was $19.8 trillion and $19.0 trillion in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The overall decrease in revenues was primarily due to lower net interest income on collateral balances.

•Fixed Income Data and Analytics: Our fixed income data and analytics revenues increased 5% in 2024 from 2023 primarily due to growth in our pricing and reference data business and strength in our index business.

•Other Data and Network Services: Our other data and network services revenues increased 5% in 2024 from 2023. The increase in revenues was primarily driven by growth in our ICE Global Network offering, coupled with strength in our consolidated feeds and desktop revenues.

Annual Subscription Value, or ASV, represents, at a point in time, the data services revenues, which includes Fixed Income Data and Analytics as well as Other Data and Network Services, subscribed for the succeeding 12 months. ASV does not include new sales, contract terminations or price changes that may occur during that 12-month period. However, while it is an indicative forward-looking metric, it does not provide a precise growth forecast of the next 12 months of data services revenues. Management considers ASV metrics when making financial and operating decisions and believes ASV is useful for management and investors in understanding our data services business performance.

As of December 31, 2024, ASV was $1.838 billion, which increased 4.9% compared to the ASV as of December 31, 2023. ASV represents nearly 100% of total data services revenues for this segment. This does not adjust for year-over-year foreign exchange fluctuations.

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Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Fixed Income and Data Services segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Fixed Income and Data Services Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change20232022Change
Operating expenses$1,455$1,4202%$1,420$1,3733%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,272$1,2522%$1,252$1,1935%
Operating income$843$8114%$811$71913%
Adjusted operating income(1)$1,026$9795%$979$8999%
Operating margin37%36%1 pt36%34%2 pts
Adjusted operating margin(1)45%44%1 pt44%43%1 pt

(1)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Mortgage Technology Segment

The following charts and table present our selected statements of income data for our Mortgage Technology segment (dollars in millions):

(1)    Servicing Software was a new revenue category beginning in 2023 following completion of the Black Knight acquisition.

(2)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change20232022Change
Revenues:
Origination technology$7136943%694798(13)%
Closing solutions20217913179239(25)
Servicing software848288194288n/a
Data and analytics259156661569269
Revenues2,0221,317541,3171,12917
Other operating expenses1,1376986369853930
Depreciation and amortization9516265262644241
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs104269(61)26991194
Operating expenses2,1921,593381,5931,07249
Operating income/(loss)$(170)$(276)(38)%$(276)$57n/a
Recurring revenues$1,555$96162%$961$64350%
Transaction revenues$467$35631%$356$486(27)%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

In the table above, we consider subscription fee and certain other revenues to be recurring revenues. Each revenue classification above contains a mix of recurring and transaction revenues, based on the various service offerings described in more detail below.

Mortgage Technology Revenues

Our mortgage technology revenues are derived from our comprehensive, end-to-end U.S. residential mortgage platform. Our mortgage technology business is intended to enable greater workflow efficiency and mitigate risks for customers throughout the mortgage life cycle. Black Knight contributed $1.1 billion and $363 million of revenues in 2024 and 2023, respectively, following completion of the acquisition.

•Origination technology: Our origination technology revenues increased 3% in 2024 from 2023 primarily due to incremental origination technology revenue contributed by Black Knight following completion of our acquisition in September 2023. Our origination technology acts as a system of record for the mortgage transaction, automating the gathering, reviewing, and verifying of mortgage-related information and enabling automated enforcement of rules and business practices designed to help ensure that each completed loan transaction is of high quality and adheres to secondary market standards. These revenues are based on recurring Software as a Service, or SaaS, subscription fees, with an additive transaction-based or success-based pricing fee as lenders exceed the number of loans closed that are included with their monthly base subscription, as well as professional services.

In addition, the ICE Mortgage Technology network provides originators connectivity to the mortgage supply chain and facilitates the secure exchange of information between our customers and a broad ecosystem of third-party service providers, as well as lenders and investors that are critical to consummating the millions of loan transactions that occur on our origination network each year. Revenue from the ICE Mortgage Technology network is largely transaction-based.

•Closing solutions: Our closing solutions revenues increased 13% in 2024 from 2023 primarily driven by increased market share and continued adoption of digital solutions. Our closing solutions connect key participants, such as lenders, title and settlement agents and individual county recorders, to digitize the closing and recording process. Closing solutions also include revenues from our MERSCORP Holdings, Inc., or MERS database, which provides a system of record for recording and tracking changes, servicing rights and beneficial ownership interests in loans secured by U.S. residential real estate. Revenues from closing solutions are largely transaction-based and are based on the volume of loans closed.

•Servicing software: Our servicing software revenues increased $560 million in 2024 from 2023 due to a full year of servicing software revenue contributed by Black Knight following completion of our acquisition in September 2023. Our servicing software revenues include integrated mortgage servicing solutions, which help automate all areas of the servicing process, from loan boarding to final payment or default, to help lower costs, reduce risk and improve financial performance. Our servicing solutions support first lien mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit on a single platform to manage all servicing processes, including loan setup and maintenance, escrow administration, investor reporting, and regulatory requirements. We also provide solutions that provide consumers with access to customized, timely information about their mortgages and allow our clients’ customer service representatives to access the same customer information, which is key to increasing borrower retention. Another

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servicing solution provides clients, third-party providers and their developers access to our growing catalog of APIs across the mortgage life cycle. Revenues from servicing solutions are largely subscription-based and recurring in nature based on number of loans serviced.

Our default servicing solutions help simplify the complex process for loans that move into default, while supporting servicers with their compliance requirements and to facilitate more efficient loss mitigation processes.

We also offer advanced technology to support the bankruptcy and foreclosure process, and more efficiently manage claims related to properties in foreclosure, as well as tools to support loss analysis, to help servicers make the right decisions at the right time. Revenues from default servicing solutions are largely transaction-based and are based on number of foreclosures.

•Data and Analytics: Our Data and Analytics revenues increased 66% in 2024 from 2023 primarily due to the incremental revenue contributed by Black Knight following completion of our acquisition in September 2023. Data and Analytics revenues include those related to ICE Mortgage Technology's Data & Document Automation and Mortgage Analyzer solutions, or Analyzer, which offers customers greater efficiency by streamlining data collection and validation through our automated document recognition and data extraction capabilities. Analyzer revenues can be both recurring and transaction-based in nature. In addition, our data offerings include real-time industry and peer benchmarking tools, which provide originators a granular view into the real-time trends of the U.S. residential mortgage market, as well as credit and prepayment models, custom and proprietary analytics, valuation, and MLS solutions. We also provide de-identified mortgage origination data for lenders and industry participants to access industry data and origination information. Revenues related to our data products are largely subscription-based and recurring in nature. The data and insights from these solutions inform, support and enhance our other solutions to help lenders and servicers make more informed decisions, improve performance, identify and predict risk and generate more qualified leads.

Our data and analytics offerings include property ownership data, lien data, servicing data, automated valuation models and collateral risk scores, among others, provided to clients in the mortgage, real estate and capital markets verticals.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Mortgage Technology segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). The primary driver of the increase in operating expenses is related to the impact of the Black Knight acquisition and the corresponding Black Knight related operating expenses. The resulting operating losses and negative margins are primarily related to the acquisition-related transaction and integration costs incurred during the years presented. See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Mortgage Technology Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change*20232022Change
Operating expenses$2,192$1,59338%$1,593$1,07249%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,298$80960%$809$61831%
Operating income/(loss)$(170)$(276)(38)%$(276)$57n/a
Adjusted operating income(1)$724$50843%$508$511(1)%
Operating margin(8)%(21)%13 pts(21)%5%(26 pts)
Adjusted operating margin(1)36%39%(3 pts)39%45%(6 pts)

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

(1)    The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Consolidated Operating Expenses

The following presents our consolidated operating expenses (dollars in millions):

Year EndedDecember 31,Year EndedDecember 31,
20242023Change20232022Change
Compensation and benefits$1,909$1,59520%$1,595$1,40713%
Professional services15412325%123131(6)
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs104269(61)%26993189
Technology and communication84873416%7346838
Rent and occupancy1119221%928310
Selling, general and administrative30726615%26622617
Depreciation and amortization1,5371,21527%1,2151,03118
Total operating expenses$4,970$4,29416%$4,294$3,65418%

The majority of our operating expenses do not vary directly with changes in our volume and revenues, except for certain technology and communication expenses, including data acquisition costs, licensing and other fee-related arrangements and a portion of our compensation expense that is tied directly to our data sales or overall financial performance.

We expect our operating expenses to increase in absolute terms in future periods in connection with the growth of our business, and to vary from year-to-year based on the type and level of our acquisitions, integration of acquisitions, and other investments.

In 2024 and 2023, 8% and 9%, respectively, of our operating expenses were billed in pounds sterling or euros. Due to fluctuations in the U.S. dollar compared to the pound sterling and euro, our consolidated operating expenses were $8 million higher in 2024 than in 2023. See Item 7(A) “- Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk” below for additional information.

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Compensation and Benefits Expenses

Compensation and benefits expense is our most significant operating expense and includes non-capitalized employee wages, bonuses, non-cash or stock compensation, certain severance costs, benefits and employer payroll taxes. The bonus and stock compensation components of our compensation and benefits expense are based on both our financial performance and individual employee performance. Therefore, our compensation and benefits expense will vary year-to-year based on our financial performance and fluctuations in our number of employees. The below chart summarizes the significant drivers of our compensation and benefits expense results for the periods presented (dollars in millions, except employee headcount).

Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change
Employee headcount12,92013,046(1)%
Stock-based compensation expenses$212$1978%

Compensation and benefits expense increased $314 million in 2024 from 2023 primarily due to incremental expense of $269 million attributable to our acquisition of Black Knight and higher payroll, bonus and noncash performance-based restricted stock compensation expenses due to merit and performance, partially offset by higher capitalized labor. The stock-based compensation expenses in the table above relate to employee stock option and restricted stock awards and exclude stock-based compensation related to acquisition-related transaction and integration costs.

Professional Services Expenses

Professional services expense includes fees for consulting services received on strategic and technology initiatives, temporary labor, as well as regulatory, legal and accounting fees, and may fluctuate as a result of changes in our use of these services in our business.

Professional services expenses increased $31 million in 2024 from 2023 primarily due to $6 million in incremental expense attributable to our acquisition of Black Knight, combined with increases in NYSE regulatory consulting and general legal matter expenses.

Acquisition-Related Transaction and Integration Costs

In 2024, we incurred $104 million in acquisition-related transaction and integration costs primarily due to integration expenses related to Black Knight. In 2023, we incurred $269 million in acquisition-related transaction and integration costs primarily due to legal, banker, consulting and integration expenses related to our acquisition and integration of Black Knight and our integration of Ellie Mae. Included in the acquisition-related transaction and integration costs in 2023 were $55 million of Black Knight replacement restricted stock awards that accelerated due to the Divestitures and certain terminations.

We expect to continue to explore and pursue various potential acquisitions and other strategic opportunities to strengthen our competitive position and support our growth. As a result, we may incur acquisition-related transaction costs in future periods.

Technology and Communication Expenses

Technology support services consist of costs for running our wholly-owned data centers, hosting costs paid to third-party data centers, and maintenance of our computer hardware and software required to support our technology and cybersecurity. These costs are driven by system capacity, functionality and redundancy requirements. Communication expenses consist of costs for network connections for our electronic platforms and telecommunications costs.

Technology and communications expense also includes fees paid for access to external market data, licensing and other fee agreement expenses. Technology and communications expenses may be impacted by growth in electronic contract volume, our capacity requirements, changes in the number of telecommunications hubs and connections with customers to access our electronic platforms directly.

Technology and communications expenses increased by $114 million in 2024 from 2023, primarily due to hardware and software support costs and data services expenses, mainly at Black Knight, combined with rising revenues on certain products causing an increase in our revenue share.

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Rent and Occupancy Expenses

Rent and occupancy expense relates to leased and owned property and includes rent, maintenance, real estate taxes, utilities and other related costs. We have significant operations located in the U.S., U.K., and India, with smaller offices located throughout the world.

Rent and occupancy expenses increased $19 million in 2024 from 2023, primarily due to duplicate rent expenses related to our London and New York leased offices and incremental increases attributable to Black Knight offices. See Item 2 “- Properties” above for additional information regarding our leased and owned property.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses include marketing, advertising, public relations, insurance, bank service charges, dues and subscriptions, travel and entertainment, non-income taxes and other general and administrative costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $41 million in 2024 from 2023, primarily due to $20 million in incremental costs attributable to Black Knight and increases in other underlying costs, including customer acquisition costs from higher IPO activity, marketing, travel and entertainment. In addition, we also incurred a $10 million expense in 2024 for valid claims made following an equity trading issue at NYSE that occurred in June 2024, which is net of insurance proceeds, and $15 million of accruals related to a regulatory matters. These increases were partially offset by 2023 expenses, including a $6 million expense for claims made following a NYSE system outage in January 2023, and an $11 million regulatory matter expense.

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses

Depreciation and amortization expense results from depreciation of long-lived assets such as buildings, leasehold improvements, aircraft, hardware and networking equipment, purchased software, internally-developed software, furniture, fixtures and equipment over their estimated useful lives. This expense includes amortization of intangible assets obtained in our acquisitions of businesses over their estimated useful lives. Intangible assets subject to amortization consist primarily of customer relationships, technology, data and databases and trademarks and trade names.

We recorded amortization expenses on intangible assets acquired as part of our acquisitions, as well as on other intangible assets, of $1.0 billion and $749 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. During 2024, $427 million in amortization expense was related to intangible assets acquired in connection with our Black Knight acquisition, as compared to $141 million in 2023. Amortization expense includes a $3 million impairment charge related to developed technology and a $7 million impairment charge related to a trademark intangible for 2024 and 2023, respectively.

We recorded depreciation expenses on our fixed assets of $525 million and $466 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The increase in 2024 over 2023 was primarily due to depreciation of fixed assets in connection with our Black Knight acquisition of $37 million in 2024, as compared to $9 million in 2023, and increases in internally developed software and leasehold improvements.

Consolidated Non-Operating Income/(Expense)

Income and expenses incurred through activities outside of our core operations are considered non-operating. The following tables present our non-operating income/(expenses) (dollars in millions):

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20242023Change20232022Change*
Other income/(expense):
Interest income$141$319(56)%$319$108195%
Interest expense(910)(808)13(808)(616)31
Other income/(expense), net88(311)n/a(311)(1,322)(76)
Total other income/(expense), net$(681)$(800)(15)%$(800)$(1,830)(56)%
Net income attributable to non-controlling interests$(48)$(70)(31)%$(70)$(52)35%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

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Interest Income

During 2024 and 2023 we earned interest income of $141 million and $319 million, respectively. Interest income decreased in 2024 from 2023 primarily due to decreased investment balances following the Black Knight acquisition.

In 2024 we earned $18 million in interest income on short term investments related to $500 million of the net proceeds from the 2031 Notes which we intend to use to repay a portion of the aggregate principal amount of the 2025 Notes at their maturity.

In 2023 we earned $213 million in interest income on the short-term investments related to the $5.0 billion of senior notes issued in connection with, and the operating cash accumulated for, the Black Knight acquisition.

In addition, our clearing houses also earned interest income of $93 million in 2024 and $88 million in 2023. The remainder primarily relates to interest earned on various unrestricted and restricted cash balances held within our other group entities.

Interest Expense

In 2024 and 2023, we incurred interest expense of $910 million and $808 million, respectively. Interest expense increased primarily due to increased borrowings raised to fund the Black Knight acquisition. In 2024 and 2023, we incurred Interest expense of $763 million and $703 million, respectively, on our senior notes. In 2024 and 2023, we incurred interest expense of $132 million and $88 million, respectively, on borrowings under our Commercial Paper Program and Term Loan facility (each as defined in "Liquidity and Capital Resources—Debt"), both of which partially funded the Black Knight acquisition. The remainder primarily relates to fees incurred on maintaining our revolving credit facility and other facilities within our group entities. See “— Debt” below.

Other Income/(Expense), net

Equity investments and equity method investments

Our equity method investments include OCC and Bakkt, among others. We recognized losses of $62 million and $122 million during 2024 and 2023, respectively, of our share of estimated equity method investment losses, net, which are included in other income/(expense), net. The estimated losses during 2024 and 2023 are primarily related to our investment in Bakkt, partially offset by the estimated profits related to our investment in OCC. Both 2024 and 2023 include adjustments to reflect the difference between reported prior period actual results from our original estimates.

For our equity investments that do not have readily determinable fair values, in 2024 we recorded a net $1 million fair value loss.

In connection with our acquisition of Black Knight, we acquired an investment in Dun & Bradstreet, which we classified as an equity investment. Subsequent to the Black Knight acquisition and prior to December 31, 2023, we sold the entire investment for a total of $187 million and realized a total loss of $3 million on the sales, net of dividends received, which is included in other income/(expense), net, in 2023.

Legal & regulatory

In 2024, we recorded a gain of $160 million related to the Penny Mac arbitration final award payment.

Other

In connection with our sale of Black Knight’s Optimal Blue and Empower LOS businesses we received a Promissory Note as part of the sale proceeds that was originally valued at $235 million on the Divestiture Date. As we elected the fair value option for the Promissory Note, we were required to mark the asset to fair value each reporting period. For subsequent measurement as of December 31, 2023, we wrote down the value of the Promissory Note, resulting in a fair value loss of $160 million, which was included in other income/(expense), net, in 2023.

In 2023, we recorded an impairment related to our CAT loan receivable of $16 million.

In 2024, we recorded a $6 million gain on a sale of property and equipment.

We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $15 million and $12 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. This was primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are recorded in other income/(expense), net, when the settlement of foreign currency assets, liabilities and payables occur in non-functional currencies and there is an increase or decrease in the period-end foreign

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currency exchange rates between periods. See Item 7A “- Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk -Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk” included elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information on these items.

We recognized the other components of net benefit cost of our defined benefit plans in the income statement as non-operating income. The combined net periodic impact of these plans was a $1 million expense and a $2 million benefit in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Non-Controlling Interests

For consolidated subsidiaries in which our ownership is less than 100%, and for which we have control over the assets, liabilities and management of the entity, the outside stockholders’ interests are shown as non-controlling interests. As of December 31, 2024, our non-controlling interests include those related to the non-ICE limited partners' interest in our CDS clearing subsidiaries and non-controlling interest in ICE Futures Abu Dhabi.

As of December 31, 2024, we also had redeemable non-controlling interests, reflected in temporary equity within our consolidated balance sheet, related to a put right held by non-ICE members to require us to purchase their interests in an entity acquired by us in 2024.

Consolidated Income Tax Provision

Consolidated income tax expense was $826 million and $456 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The increase in our consolidated income tax expense between years is primarily due to higher pre-tax income and a higher effective tax rate.

Our effective tax rate was 23% and 16% in 2024 and 2023, respectively. The 23% effective tax rate in 2024 was above the statutory federal income tax rate primarily due to state and local income taxes, including the impacts of recording valuation allowances on certain state deferred tax assets, partially offset by favorable state apportionment changes and statutes of limitations expirations.

The 16% effective tax rate in 2023 was below the statutory federal income tax rate primarily driven by the following factors: favorable audit settlements for historical years, favorable state apportionment changes and the application of the high-tax exception to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income. These benefits were partially offset by the impact of the U.K. corporate income tax increase from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023, and the tax impact of certain non-deductible Black Knight acquisition costs.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, Global Anti-Base Erosion Pillar Two minimum tax rules, or Pillar Two, which generally provide for a minimum effective tax rate of 15%, are intended to apply to tax years beginning in 2024. The EU member states and many other countries, including the U.K., our most significant non-U.S. jurisdiction, have committed to implement or have already enacted legislation adopting the Pillar Two rules. In July 2023, the U.K. enacted the U.K. Finance Act 2023, effective as of January 1, 2024, which included provisions to implement certain portions of the OECD Global Anti-Base Erosion Pillar Two minimum tax rules and included an election to apply a transitional safe harbor to extend certain effective dates to accounting periods commencing on or before December 31, 2026 and ending on or before June 30, 2028. These Pillar Two rules, including those in the U.K., did not have a material impact on our income tax provision as of December 31, 2024 or 2023.

See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements and related notes, which are included in this Annual Report, for additional information on these tax items.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Below are charts that reflect our outstanding debt and capital allocation. The acquisition and integration costs in the chart below include cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired and cash received for divestitures, cash paid for equity and equity method investments, and acquisition-related transaction and integration costs, in each year.

(1)    2022 and 2023 acquisition and integration costs, net of divestitures excludes $741 million and $187 million of proceeds from sales of our Euroclear and Dun & Bradstreet investments, respectively.

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We have financed our operations, growth and cash needs primarily through income from operations and borrowings under our various debt facilities. Our principal capital requirements have been to fund capital expenditures, working capital, strategic acquisitions and investments, stock repurchases, dividends and the development of our technology platforms. We believe that our cash on hand and cash flows from operations will be sufficient to repay our outstanding debt, but we may also incur additional debt or issue additional equity securities in the future. See “- Future Capital Requirements” below.

See “- Cash Flow” below for a discussion of our capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs.

Consolidated cash and cash equivalents were $844 million and $899 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We had $1.5 billion and $871 million in short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We had $594 million and $680 million in short-term restricted investments as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We had $82.1 billion and $79.0 billion of cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

As of December 31, 2024, the amount of unrestricted cash held by our non-U.S. subsidiaries was $370 million. Due to the application of Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income as of January 1, 2018, the majority of our foreign earnings for the period January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2022 have been subject to immediate U.S. income taxation, and can be distributed to the U.S. in the future with no material additional U.S. income tax consequences. We made and intend to apply the high tax exception to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income in 2023 and 2024, respectively, and thus the majority of our foreign earnings in 2023 and 2024 are not expected to be subject to immediate U.S. income taxation. However, these foreign earnings can also generally be distributed to the U.S. with no material additional U.S. income tax consequences, primarily due to the availability of dividend received deductions.

Our cash and cash equivalents and financial investments are managed as a global treasury portfolio of non-speculative financial instruments that are readily convertible into cash, such as overnight deposits, term deposits, money market funds, mutual funds for treasury investments, short duration fixed income investments and other money market instruments, thus ensuring high liquidity of financial assets. We may invest a portion of our cash in excess of short-term operating needs in investment-grade marketable debt securities, including government or government-sponsored agencies and corporate debt securities.

Cash Flow

The following table presents the major components of net changes in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents (in millions):

Year Ended December 31,
202420232022
Net cash provided by/(used in):
Operating activities$4,609$3,542$3,554
Investing activities(921)(8,797)677
Financing activities79(64,345)(1,841)
Effect of exchange rate changes(14)7(23)
Net increase/(decrease) in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents, and cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds$3,753$(69,593)$2,367

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities primarily consists of net income adjusted for certain non-cash items, including depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes, stock-based compensation and the effects of changes in working capital.

The $1.1 billion increase in net cash provided by operating activities during the year ended December 31, 2024 from the comparable period in 2023 was primarily driven by the following:

•An increase in net income, excluding depreciation and amortization, of $686 million which is primarily related to the full period impact of the Black Knight acquisition combined with increases in operating income from the Exchanges segment.

•An increase in changes in working capital accounts of $451 million, including the following:

◦A change of $381 million related to the timing of the Section 31 fee rate changes and payments; and

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◦A net increase of $70 million related to changes in other underlying working capital accounts, primarily due to timing of payments and receipts.

Investing Activities

The $7.9 billion decrease in cash used in investing activities during the year ended December 31, 2024 from the comparable period in 2023 was primarily driven by the following:

•A decrease in cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, of $10.2 billion primarily related to the Black Knight acquisition in September 2023;

•Net proceeds from our restricted investments of $103 million during the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to net purchases of $671 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. The net purchases of $671 million during the year ended December 31, 2023 primarily consisted of short-term restricted investments purchased by ICE Clear Europe for regulatory capital requirements of which $680 million matured during the year ended December 31, 2024. This was partially offset by the $500 million of net proceeds from the offering of our 2031 Notes during the year ended December 31, 2024 that have been invested and will be used to repay our senior notes maturing in May 2025;

•Proceeds of $75 million that we received from the sale of the Promissory Note during the year ended December 31, 2024;

•Capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs increased $263 million driven by full period Black Knight activity combined with leasehold improvements and build-out of our new offices and one of our existing data centers;

•During the year ended December 31, 2024, we had purchases of equity and equity method investments of $29 million as compared to net proceeds of $179 million during the year ended December 31, 2023. The net proceeds were due to the sale of our Dun & Bradstreet investment for $187 million, partially offset by equity investment purchases; and

•During the year ended December 31, 2024, we had net purchases of $294 million from the invested margin deposit activity compared to net proceeds of $2.4 billion during the year ended December 31, 2023. These amounts fluctuate based on clearinghouse treasury investment activity related to collateral and liquidity management.

Financing Activities

The $64.4 billion change in financing cash flows from cash used in financing activities in 2023 to cash provided by financing activities in 2024 was primarily driven by the following:

•The change in cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty fund liability of $68.9 billion due to reduced volatility from 2022 to 2023 which impacted the prior year change;

•During the year ended December 31, 2024, we had net repayments of debt of $861 million, primarily due to the repayment of the Term Loan, partially offset by the issuance of the 2031 Notes. During the year ended December 31, 2023, we had net proceeds from debt issuances of $114 million primarily due to funding of the Black Knight acquisition;

•During the year ended December 31, 2024, we had net redemptions of commercial paper of $1.4 billion as compared to net proceeds of $2.0 billion during the year ended December 31, 2023. Our commercial paper issuances and subsequent redemptions were related to financing the Black Knight acquisition; and

•Dividends paid to stockholders increased $84 million primarily due to the increase in the dividend per share for the year ended December 31, 2024 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2023.

Debt

As of December 31, 2024, we had $20.4 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $19.8 billion of senior notes and $529 million under our Commercial Paper Program. As of December 31, 2024, our senior notes of $19.8 billion had a weighted average maturity of 13 years and a weighted average cost of 3.7% per annum. As of December 31, 2024, our Commercial Paper notes outstanding had original maturities ranging from 6 to 20 days with a weighted average interest rate of 4.6% per annum, and a weighted average remaining maturity of 14 days.

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As of December 31, 2023, we had $22.6 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $19.0 billion of senior notes, $2.0 billion under our Commercial Paper Program and $1.6 billion under our Term Loan. As of December 31, 2023, our senior notes of $19.0 billion had a weighted average maturity of 15 years and a weighted average cost of 3.6% per annum. This included the $1.0 billion principal amount of Black Knight InfoServ LLC's 3.625% senior notes due 2028, or the Black Knight Notes, that became part of ICE's consolidated long-term debt on the acquisition date of September 5, 2023 and remained outstanding as of December 31, 2023. Our Commercial Paper notes had original maturities of 4 to 45 days, with a weighted average interest rate of 5.70% per annum and a weighted average maturity of 32 days. Our Term Loan had a maturity date of August 31, 2025 and bore interest at a rate of 6.3% as of December 31, 2023.

We have a $3.9 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility, or the Credit Facility, with a maturity date of May 31, 2029. As of December 31, 2024, of the $3.9 billion that was available for borrowing under the Credit Facility, $529 million was required to backstop the amount outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program and $172 million was required to support certain broker-dealer and other subsidiary commitments. Amounts required to backstop notes outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program will fluctuate as we increase or decrease our commercial paper borrowings. The remaining $3.2 billion is available for working capital and general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, acting as a backstop to future increases in the amounts outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program.

On May 23, 2022, we issued $8.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of new senior notes, comprised of the following:

•$1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 3.65% senior notes due in 2025, or the 2025 Notes;

•$1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.00% senior notes due in 2027, or the 2027 Notes;

•$1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.35% senior notes due in 2029, or the 2029 Notes;

•$1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.60% senior notes due in 2033, or the 2033 Notes;

•$1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.95% senior notes due in 2052, or the 2052 Notes; and

•$1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of 5.20% senior notes due in 2062, or the 2062 Notes.

We used the net proceeds of our senior notes due in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2062, or collectively, the Notes, together with the issuance of commercial paper, cash on hand and borrowings under the Term Loan, to finance the cash portion of the purchase price for Black Knight. For additional information regarding this transaction, refer to Note 3 to our consolidated unaudited financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

We used the $3.0 billion of net proceeds from the offering of the 2033 Notes and the 2052 Notes to redeem $2.7 billion aggregate principal amount of four series of senior notes that would have matured in 2022 and 2023. The balance of the net proceeds was used for general corporate purposes, which included paying down a portion of the amounts outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program. We recorded $30 million in costs associated with the extinguishment and re-financing of our existing debt in connection with our May 2022 debt refinancing. These costs are included in interest expense in our consolidated statements of income for 2022. For additional information regarding this transaction, refer to Note 3 to our consolidated unaudited financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

On June 5, 2024, we completed a private offer to exchange the $1 billion aggregate principal amount of the outstanding 3.625% senior notes due 2028 issued by Black Knight InfoServ, LLC, or the Black Knight Notes, for new senior notes issued by ICE. As a result of the settlement of the private exchange offer, approximately $998 million in aggregate principal amount of outstanding Black Knight Notes were cancelled, and ICE issued approximately $998 million in aggregate principal amount of new senior notes, or the ICE Original Exchange Notes, with the same interest payment, maturity dates and interest rate as the Black Knight Notes.

On September 10, 2024, we completed a registered exchange offer in which virtually all previously outstanding ICE Original Exchange Notes were exchanged for identical new senior notes that were registered under the Securities Act of 1933, or the ICE Registered Exchange Notes, and thereby became freely transferable, subject to certain restrictions applicable to affiliates and broker dealers.

On May 13, 2024, we issued $750 million in aggregate principal amount of 5.25% senior notes due 2031, or the 2031 Notes. We intend to use $500 million of the net proceeds from the offering of the 2031 Notes to repay a portion of the aggregate principal amount of the senior notes maturing in May 2025, or the 2025 Notes. The net proceeds intended to repay the 2025 Notes have been invested and recorded as short-term restricted investments in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. We used the remaining net proceeds to assist with the repayments of the outstanding borrowings under the senior unsecured delayed draw term loan facility, or the Term Loan.

We previously had a $2.4 billion two-year Term Loan, that we entered into on May 25, 2022. Draws under the Term Loan bore interest on the principal amount outstanding at either (a) Term Secured Overnight Financing Rate, or Term SOFR,

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plus an applicable margin of 87.5 basis points plus a credit spread adjustment of 10 basis points or (b) a "base rate" plus an applicable margin. The applicable margin ranged from 0.625% to 1.125% for Term SOFR loans and from 0.000% to 0.125% for base rate loans, in each case, based on a ratings-based pricing grid. The proceeds from borrowings under the Term Loan were used to fund a portion of the purchase price for the Black Knight acquisition. During the second quarter of 2024, we fully repaid our outstanding obligations under the Term Loan and debt issuance costs incurred related to the Term Loan were fully amortized at the time of repayment.

Our Commercial Paper Program enables us to borrow efficiently at reasonable short-term interest rates and provides us with the flexibility to de-lever using our strong annual cash flows from operating activities whenever our leverage becomes elevated as a result of investment or acquisition activities.

Upon maturity of our commercial paper and to the extent old issuances are not repaid by cash on hand, we are exposed to the rollover risk of not being able to issue new commercial paper. To mitigate this risk, we maintain the Credit Facility for an aggregate amount which meets or exceeds the amount issued under our Commercial Paper Program at any time. If we were not able to issue new commercial paper, we have the option of drawing on the backstop revolving facility. However, electing to do so would result in higher interest expense.

For additional details of our debt instruments, refer to Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

Capital Return

In December 2021, our Board approved an aggregate of $3.15 billion for future repurchases of our common stock with no fixed expiration date that became effective January 1, 2022. The approval of our Board for stock repurchases does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of our common stock. In addition, our Board may increase or decrease the amount available for repurchases from time to time. Shares repurchased are held in treasury stock.

In December 2021 we entered into a new Rule 10b5-1 trading plan that became effective in February 2022. In connection with our acquisition of Black Knight, on May 4, 2022, we terminated our Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and suspended share repurchases. Therefore, we did not have any share repurchases in 2024 and 2023. During 2022 we repurchased 5.0 million shares of our outstanding common stock at a cost of $632 million, excluding shares withheld upon vesting of equity awards, including 4.6 million shares at a cost of $582 million under our Rule 10b5-1trading plan and 0.4 million shares at a cost of $50 million on the open market. Open market repurchases are only made during an open trading period. The remaining balance of Board approved funds for future repurchase as of December 31, 2024 was $2.5 billion. In December 2024, our Board reauthorized the remaining balance of $2.5 million for future repurchases.

We may begin or discontinue stock repurchases at any time and may enter into, amend or terminate a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan at any time, subject to applicable rules. From time to time, we have entered, and in the future may enter, into Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, as authorized by our Board, to govern some or all of the repurchases of our shares of common stock. We expect funding for any stock repurchases to come from our operating cash flow or borrowings under our Commercial Paper Program or our debt facilities. The timing and extent of future repurchases that are not made pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan will be at our discretion and will depend upon many conditions. In making a determination regarding any stock repurchases, management considers multiple factors, including overall stock market conditions, our common stock price performance, the remaining amount authorized for repurchases by our Board, the potential impact of a stock repurchase program on our corporate debt ratings, our expected free cash flow and working capital needs, our current and future planned strategic growth initiatives, and other potential uses of our cash and capital resources.

During 2024, we paid cash dividends of $1.80 per share of our common stock in the aggregate, including quarterly dividends of $0.45 per share, for an aggregate payout of $1.0 billion, which includes the payment of dividend equivalents on unvested employee restricted stock units. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report, for details on the amounts of our quarterly dividend payouts for the last three years.

Future Capital Requirements

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the rate of growth across our segments, strategic plans and acquisitions, available sources for financing activities, required and discretionary technology and clearing initiatives, regulatory requirements, the timing and introduction of new products and enhancements to existing products, the geographic mix of our business and potential stock repurchases.

We currently expect to incur capital expenditures (including operational and real estate capital expenditures) and to incur software development costs that are eligible for capitalization ranging in the aggregate between $730 million and

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$780 million in 2025, which we believe will support the enhancement of our technology, business integration and the continued growth of our businesses.

As of December 31, 2024, we had $2.5 billion authorized for future repurchases of our common stock, which amount was reauthorized by our board in December 2024. We expect to resume repurchases of our common stock in the first quarter of 2025. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional details on our stock repurchase program.

Our Board has adopted a quarterly dividend policy providing that dividends will be approved quarterly by the Board or the Audit Committee taking into account factors such as our evolving business model, prevailing business conditions, our current and future planned strategic growth initiatives and our financial results and capital requirements, without a predetermined net income payout ratio. On February 6, 2025, we announced a $0.48 per share dividend for the first quarter of 2025 payable on March 31, 2025 to stockholders of record as of March 17, 2025.

Other than the facilities for the ICE Clearing Houses, our Credit Facility and our Commercial Paper Program are currently the only significant agreements or arrangements that we have for liquidity and capital resources with third parties. See Notes 10 and 14 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion. In the event of any strategic acquisitions, mergers or investments, or if we are required to raise capital for any reason or desire to return capital to our stockholders, we may incur additional debt, issue additional equity to raise necessary funds, repurchase additional shares of our common stock or pay a dividend. However, we cannot provide assurance that such financing or transactions will be favorable to us. See “-Risk Factors" and Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

Non-GAAP Measures

We use certain financial measures internally to evaluate our performance and make financial and operational decisions that are presented in a manner that adjusts from their equivalent GAAP measures or that supplement the information provided by our GAAP measures. We use these adjusted results because we believe they more clearly highlight trends in our business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on GAAP financial measures, since these measures eliminate from our results specific financial items that have less bearing on our core operating performance.

We use these measures in communicating certain aspects of our results and performance, including in this Annual Report, and believe that these measures, when viewed in conjunction with our GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliation, can provide investors with greater transparency and a greater understanding of factors affecting our financial condition and results of operations than GAAP measures alone. In addition, we believe the presentation of these measures is useful to investors for making period-to-period comparisons of results because the adjustments to GAAP are not reflective of our core business performance.

These financial measures are not presented in accordance with, or as an alternative to, GAAP financial measures and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. We encourage investors to review the GAAP financial measures included in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements, to aid in their analysis and understanding of our performance and in making comparisons.

The table below outlines our adjusted operating expenses, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income attributable to ICE and adjusted diluted earnings per share, which are non-GAAP measures that are calculated by making adjustments for items we view as not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. These measures, including the adjustments and their related income tax effect and other tax adjustments (in millions, except for percentages and per share amounts), are as follows:

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Exchanges SegmentFixed Income and Data Services SegmentMortgage Technology SegmentConsolidated
Year Ended December 31,
Operating income adjustments:202420232022202420232022202420232022202420232022
Total revenues, less transaction-based expenses$4,959$4,440$4,071$2,298$2,231$2,092$2,022$1,317$1,129$9,279$7,988$7,292
Operating expenses1,3231,2811,2091,4551,4201,3732,1921,5931,0724,9704,2943,654
Less: Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles6765671521681807925153631,011748610
Less: Transaction and integration costs1022699110226991
Less: Regulatory matters511101511
Less: Other11621326
Adjusted operating expenses$1,240$1,199$1,142$1,272$1,252$1,193$1,298$809$618$3,810$3,260$2,953
Operating income/(loss)$3,636$3,159$2,862$843$811$719$(170)$(276)$57$4,309$3,694$3,638
Adjusted operating income$3,719$3,241$2,929$1,026$979$899$724$508$511$5,469$4,728$4,339
Operating margin73%71%70%37%36%34%(8)%(21)%5%46%46%50%
Adjusted operating margin75%73%72%45%44%43%36%39%45%59%59%59%
Net income adjustments:
Net income attributable to ICE$2,754$2,368$1,446
Add: Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles1,011748610
Add: Transaction and integration costs10226991
(Less)/Add: Litigation and regulatory matters(145)119
Add: Net losses from and impairment of unconsolidated investees621221,340
Add/(Less): Loss/(Gain) on sale and fair value adjustments of equity investments and dividends received13(41)
(Less)/Add: Net interest (income)/expense on pre-acquisition-related debt and debt extinguishment(12)89
Add: Other26182
Less: Net income tax effect for the above items and deferred tax adjustments(268)(309)(579)
(Less)/Add: Deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles(43)(126)9
Less: Other tax adjustments(3)(79)
Adjusted net income attributable to ICE$3,497$3,177$2,974
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$4.78$4.19$2.58
Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$6.07$5.62$5.30
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding576565561

Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles are included in non-GAAP adjustments as excluding these non-cash expenses provides greater clarity regarding our financial strength and stability of cash operating results. In 2024 and 2023, amortization of acquisition-related intangibles includes a $3 million impairment charge related to developed technology within our Exchanges Segment and a $7 million impairment charge related to a trademark intangible within our Mortgage Technology Segment, respectively.

Transaction and integration costs are included as part of our core business expenses, except for those that are directly related to the announcement, closing, financing or termination of a transaction. However, we adjust for the acquisition-related transaction and integration costs for acquisitions such as Black Knight and Ellie Mae given the magnitude of the $11.8 and $11.4 billion, respectively, purchase prices of the acquisitions.

Litigation and regulatory matters include the following as we do not consider events of this type to be reflective of our core business:

•In 2024, a $160 million gain related to the PennyMac arbitration award resolution and payment received. Separately in 2024, regulatory accruals of $15 million;

•In 2023, an accrual related to a regulatory settlement of $11 million; and

•In 2022, an accrual related to legal and regulatory matters of $9 million.

We adjust for our share of net income/(losses) and impairment charges related to our equity method investments, which primarily include OCC and Bakkt. We believe these adjustments provide greater clarity of our performance given that equity method investments are non-cash and not a part of our core operations. Our share of total Bakkt net losses was $83 million, $135 million, and $1.4 billion in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively. During 2022, after recording our share of Bakkt's equity method losses, which included an impairment charge recorded by Bakkt, we recorded an impairment in our investment in Bakkt to its fair value as other expense. Our share of OCC net income was $25 million, $16 million and $15 million in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

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Similarly, and as included in the table above, we adjust for gains and losses on investment transactions and changes in the fair value of our investments. Our investments are not considered to be a part of our core business operations and the impacts of changes in our investments are often non-cash in nature.

The following non-GAAP adjustments are reported in the table above related to investments:

•In 2024, we excluded a net $1 million fair value loss on our equity investments without readily determinable fair values;

•In 2023, we excluded the combined realized loss of $3 million related to our sales of the Dun & Bradstreet investment, net of dividends; and

•In 2022, we excluded the $41 million gain on the sale of our Euroclear investment.

We adjust for certain items related to our debt. Certain debt activities, such as the early termination of notes, pre-acquisition interest and expense and accelerated amortization of debt costs are not considered to be a part of our core business operations and the impacts of changes in our investments are often non-cash in nature. The following non-GAAP adjustments are reported in the table above related to our debt:

•In 2023, we excluded $12 million of net interest income on pre-acquisition-related debt from our May 2022 debt refinancing related to the Black Knight acquisition. This consisted of $170 million of interest income earned on investments from the pre-acquisition debt proceeds net of $158 million of interest expense on pre-acquisition-related debt.

•In 2022, we excluded $59 million of net interest expense on pre-acquisition-related debt from our May 2022 debt refinancing related to the Black Knight acquisition. This consisted of $135 million of interest expense on pre-acquisition-related debt net of $76 million of interest income earned on investments from the pre-acquisition debt proceeds.

•In 2022, we adjusted for costs of $30 million associated with the May and June 2022 extinguishment of four series of senior notes that would have matured in 2022 and 2023 using proceeds from our May 2022 issuance of new senior notes.

Other adjustments not considered to be a part of our core business operations include:

•In 2024, duplicate rent expense of $22 million related to our new London and New York leased office space. We took possession of the new London and New York leases during the 2023 and 2024, respectively. Both the London and New York office transitions were completed in 2024. We view these duplicate non-cash rent expenses during the transitions to be incremental, non-recurring, and not related to our normal operations;

•In 2024, a net $10 million expense for valid claims made following an equity trading issue at NYSE in June 2024. This includes $30 million of expense related to these claims, net of $20 million in insurance proceeds received;

•In 2024, a $6 million gain related to the sale of certain of our property and equipment;

•In 2023, a fair value loss of $160 million related to the Black Knight Promissory Note;

•In 2023, a $6 million expense for claims made following a NYSE system outage that occurred in January 2023; and

•In 2023, an impairment related to our CAT loan receivable of $16 million. The CAT was approved by the SEC in 2016 to improve regulators’ ability to monitor trading activity.

Non-GAAP tax adjustments include the tax impacts of the pre-tax non-GAAP adjustments, deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles and other tax adjustments. Deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles include the impact of tax law changes and apportionment updates resulting in a deferred tax benefit of $43 million, a deferred tax benefit of $126 million and a deferred tax expense of $9 million in 2024, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

The $3 million other tax adjustments in 2024 were primarily related to pre-acquisition tax matters, including releases of historical unrecognized tax benefits due to statutes of limitations expirations, mostly offset by valuation allowances of certain deferred tax assets that are not realizable in the foreseeable future.

The $79 million other tax adjustments in 2023 were primarily related to audit settlements for pre-acquisition tax matters as well as state apportionment charges in prior years.

For additional information on these items, refer to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report and “- Recent Developments,” “- Consolidated Operating Expenses”, “- Consolidated Non-Operating Income/(Expense)” and “-Consolidated Income Tax Provision” above.

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Non-GAAP Liquidity Measures

We consider free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow to be non-GAAP liquidity measures that provide useful information to management and investors to analyze cash resources generated from our operations. We believe that free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are useful as the bases for comparing our performance with our competitors and demonstrate our ability to convert the reinvestment of capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs required to maintain and grow our business, as well as adjust for timing differences related to the payment of Section 31 fees. These non-GAAP liquidity measures are not presented in accordance with, or as an alternative to, GAAP liquidity measures and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. Free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow, including the related adjustments are as follows (in millions):

Year Ended December 31,
202420232022
Net cash provided by operating activities$4,609$3,542$3,554
Less: Capital expenditures(406)(190)(225)
Less: Capitalized software development costs(346)(299)(257)
Free cash flow3,8573,0533,072
(Less)/Add: Section 31 fees, net(237)144(166)
Adjusted free cash flow$3,620$3,197$2,906

For additional information on these items, refer to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report and “—Consolidated Operating Expenses” above.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As described in Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report, certain clearing house collateral is reported off-balance sheet. We do not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities.

Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

We intend to fund our contractual obligations and commercial commitments from existing cash and cash flow from operations. As of December 31, 2024, our primary cash requirements include the following contractual and other obligations.

As of December 31, 2024, we had $20.4 billion in outstanding debt, including $3.0 billion of short-term debt. Our outstanding debt consists of $19.8 billion of fixed rate senior notes and $529 million in commercial paper.

Our operating leases primarily relate to our leased office space and data center facilities, and as of December 31, 2024, we had fixed lease payment obligations of $509 million, with $56 million payable within one-year.

We have other purchase obligations to purchase various goods and services that we believe are enforceable and legally binding.

In addition, we have $84.3 billion in cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts payable and unsettled variation margin. Clearing members of our clearing houses are required to deposit original margin and variation margin and to make deposits to a guaranty fund. The cash and cash equivalent deposits made to these margin accounts and to the guaranty fund are recorded in the consolidated balance sheets as current assets with corresponding current liabilities to the clearing members that deposited them. ICE NGX administers the physical delivery of energy trading contracts. It has an equal and offsetting claim to and from its respective participants on opposite sides of the physically-settled contract, each of which is reflected as a delivery contract receivable with an offsetting delivery contract payable. See Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional information on our clearing houses and the margin deposits, guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts payable and unsettled variation margin.

We also have unrecognized tax benefits, or UTBs. As of December 31, 2024, our cumulative UTBs were $274 million, and accrued interest and penalties related to UTBs were $47 million. We are under examination by various tax authorities. We are unable to make a reasonable estimate of the periods of cash settlement because it is not possible to reasonably predict the amount of tax, interest and penalties, if any, that might be assessed by a tax authority or the timing of an assessment or payment. It is also not possible to reasonably predict whether or not the applicable statutes of limitations

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might expire without us being examined by any particular tax authority. See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our UTBs.

As of December 31, 2024, we, through NYSE, have net obligations of $82 million related to our pension and other benefit programs. The date of payment under these net obligations cannot be determined. See Note 17 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our pension and other benefit programs.

New and Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for information on the new and recently adopted accounting pronouncements that are applicable to us.

Critical Accounting Policies

We have identified the policies below as critical to our business operations and the understanding of our results of operations. The impact of, and any associated risks related to, these policies on our business operations is discussed throughout “- Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” For a detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with these accounting principles requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

We base our estimates and judgments on our historical experience and other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances when we make these estimates and judgments and re-evaluate them on a periodic basis. Based on these factors, we make estimates and judgments about, among other things, the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from market prices or other independent sources and about the recognition and characterization of our revenues and expenses. The values and results based on these estimates and judgments could differ significantly under different assumptions or conditions and could change materially in the future.

We believe that the following critical accounting policies, among others, affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements and could materially increase or decrease our reported results, assets and liabilities.

Goodwill and Other Identifiable Intangible Assets

Assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with our acquisitions are recorded at their estimated fair values. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired company over the fair value of its identifiable net assets, including identified intangible assets. We recognize specifically identifiable intangibles, such as customer relationships, developed technology, trading products, data and databases, trademarks and trade names, exchange registrations, backlog, and licenses when a specific right or contract is acquired. Our determination of the fair value of the intangible assets and whether or not these assets may be impaired following their acquisition requires us to apply significant judgments and make significant estimates and assumptions regarding future cash flows. If we change our strategy or if market conditions shift, our judgments and estimates may change, which may result in adjustments to recorded asset balances. Intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives whereas goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not.

In performing the allocation of the acquisitions' purchase price to assets and liabilities, we consider, among other factors, the intended use of the acquired assets, analysis of past financial performance and estimates of future performance of the acquired business. At the acquisition date, a preliminary allocation of the purchase price is recorded based upon a preliminary valuation performed with the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist. We continue to review and assess our estimates, assumptions and valuation methodologies during the measurement period provided by GAAP, which ends as soon as we receive the information about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date or we learn that more information is not obtainable, which usually does not exceed one year from the date of acquisition. Accordingly, these estimates and assumptions are subject to change, which could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Estimation uncertainty may exist due to the sensitivity of the respective fair value to underlying assumptions about the future performance of an acquired business in our discounted cash flow models. Significant assumptions

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typically include revenue growth rates and expense synergies that form the basis of the forecasted results and the discount rate.

Our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment annually in our fiscal fourth quarter or more frequently if conditions exist that indicate that the value may be impaired. We test our goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, and we have identified four reporting units. Our reporting units identified for our goodwill testing are the NYSE, Other Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services, and Mortgage Technology reporting units. These impairment evaluations are performed by comparing the carrying value of the goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangibles to its estimated fair value.

In accordance with ASU 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, for both goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible impairment testing, we have the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying amount. Alternatively, we may choose to bypass the qualitative option and perform quantitative testing to determine if the fair value is less than the carrying value. If the fair value of the goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized in earnings in an amount equal to the difference. For our goodwill impairment testing, we have elected to bypass the qualitative assessment and apply the quantitative approach. The current year goodwill impairment test was performed with the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist. For our testing of indefinite-lived intangible assets, we apply qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Application of the impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units, and determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. We have historically determined the fair value of our reporting units based on various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis and a multiple of earnings approach. In assessing whether goodwill and other intangible assets are impaired, we must make estimates and assumptions regarding future cash flows, long-term growth rates of our business, operating margins, discount rates, weighted average cost of capital and other factors to determine the fair value of our assets. These estimates and assumptions require management’s judgment, and changes to these estimates and assumptions, as a result of changing economic and competitive conditions, could materially affect the determination of fair value and/or impairment. We considered potential indicators of impairment to goodwill and other intangible assets for each of our reporting units, which included continued global inflation concerns and changing interest rates, including their effect on our forecasts and discount rates, among other things. We did not record any impairments in 2024, 2023 or 2022 as a result of our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets impairment testing.

We are also required to evaluate other finite-lived intangible assets for impairment by first determining whether events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of these assets to be held and used may not be recoverable. If impairment indicators are present, then an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows produced by these long-lived assets is compared to the carrying value of those assets to determine if the asset is recoverable. If an asset is not recoverable, the loss is measured as the difference between fair value and carrying value of the impaired asset. Fair value of these assets is based on various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis, which are assessed and conducted in accordance with our internal impairment analysis policies. Other than impairments in 2024 and 2023 of developed technology and certain trademark intangible assets, respectively, we did not record any impairments in 2024, 2023 or 2022 as a result of our definite-lived impairment asset testing.

Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S., U.K. and other foreign jurisdictions where we operate. The determination of our provision for income taxes and related accruals, deferred tax assets and liabilities requires the use of significant judgment, estimates, and the interpretation and application of complex tax laws. We recognize a current tax liability or tax asset for the estimated taxes payable or refundable on tax returns for the current year. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of our assets and liabilities. We establish valuation allowances if we believe that it is more likely than not that some or all of our deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using current enacted tax rates in effect for the years in which those temporary differences and carryforwards are expected to reverse.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Staff has provided additional guidance to address the accounting for the effects of the provisions related to the taxation of Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income noting that companies should make an accounting policy election to recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse in future years or to include the tax expense in the year it is incurred. We have made a policy election to recognize such taxes as current period expenses when incurred.

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We do not recognize a tax benefit unless we conclude that it is more likely than not that the benefit will be sustained on audit by the taxing authority based solely on the technical merits of the associated tax position. If the recognition threshold is met, we recognize a tax benefit measured at the largest amount of the tax benefit that, in our judgment, is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized. We recognize accrued interest and penalties related to uncertain income tax positions as income tax expense in the consolidated statements of income.

We operate within multiple domestic and foreign taxing jurisdictions and are subject to audit in these jurisdictions by domestic and foreign tax authorities. These audits include questions regarding our tax filing positions, including the timing and amount of deductions taken and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. We record accruals for the estimated outcomes of these audits, and the accruals may change in the future due to new developments in each matter. At any point in time, many tax years are subject to or in the process of being audited by various taxing authorities. To the extent our estimates of settlements change or the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts recorded, such differences will impact the income tax provision in the period in which such determinations are made. Our income tax expense includes changes in our estimated liability for exposures associated with our various tax filing positions. Determining the income tax expense for these potential assessments requires management to make assumptions that are subject to factors such as proposed assessments by tax authorities, changes in facts and circumstances, issuance of new regulations, and resolution of tax audits.

We believe the judgments and estimates discussed above are reasonable. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.

ITEM 7 (A).    QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

As a result of our operating and financing activities, we are exposed to market risks such as interest rate risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk and credit risk. We have implemented policies and procedures designed to measure, manage, monitor and report risk exposures, which are regularly reviewed by the appropriate management and supervisory bodies.

Interest Rate Risk

We have exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relating to our cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments and indebtedness. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents and investments were $3.0 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively. We do not use our investment portfolio for trading or other speculative purposes. A hypothetical 100 basis points decrease in short-term interest rates would decrease our annual interest income by $25 million as of December 31, 2024, assuming no change in the amount or composition of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents.

As of December 31, 2024, we had $20.4 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $19.8 billion of unsecured senior notes and $529 million in commercial paper. See Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Debt," and Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

The interest rates on our Commercial Paper Program are currently evaluated based upon current maturities and market conditions. The weighted average interest rate on notes outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program was 4.6% and 5.7% as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively. The effective interest rate of issuances under our Commercial Paper Program will continue to fluctuate based on the movement in short-term interest rates along with shifts in supply and demand within the commercial paper market.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk

As an international business, we are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk. We may experience gains or losses from foreign currency transactions in the future given that a significant part of our assets and liabilities are recorded in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars or euros, and a significant portion of our revenues and expenses are recorded in pounds sterling or euros. Certain assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of foreign subsidiaries are denominated in the local functional currency of such subsidiaries. Our exposure to foreign denominated earnings in 2024 and 2023 is presented by primary foreign currency in the following table (dollars in millions, except exchange rates):

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Year Ended December 31, 2024Year Ended December 31, 2023
Pound SterlingEuroPound SterlingEuro
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the current year$1.2781$1.0820$1.2438$1.0817
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the prior year$1.2438$1.0817$1.2376$1.0540
Average exchange rate increase/(decrease)3%%1%3%
Foreign denominated percentage of:
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses7%8%7%7%
Operating expenses6%2%7%2%
Operating income8%15%7%14%
Impact of the currency fluctuations(1) on:
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$18$$1$16
Operating expenses$8$$2$2
Operating income$10$$(1)$14

(1)    Represents the impact of currency fluctuation for the year compared to the same period in the prior year.

We have a significant part of our assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses recorded in pounds sterling or euros. In 2024 and 2023, 15% and 14%, respectively, of our consolidated revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were denominated in pounds sterling or euros, and in 2024 and 2023, 8% and 9%, respectively, of our consolidated operating expenses were denominated in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly.

Foreign currency transaction risk related to the settlement of foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables occurs through our operations, which are received in or paid in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars, or euros, due to the increase or decrease in the foreign currency exchange rates between periods. We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $15 million and $12 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively, inclusive of the impact of foreign currency hedging transactions. The foreign currency transaction losses were primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. A 10% adverse change in the underlying foreign currency exchange rates as of December 31, 2024, assuming no change in the composition of the foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables and assuming no hedging activity, would result in a foreign currency loss of $9 million.

We entered into foreign currency hedging transactions during 2024 and 2023 as economic hedges to help mitigate a portion of our foreign exchange risk exposure and may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future to help mitigate our foreign exchange risk exposure. Although we may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future, these hedging arrangements may not be effective, particularly in the event of imprecise forecasts of the levels of our non-U.S. denominated assets and liabilities.

We have foreign currency translation risk equal to our net investment in our foreign subsidiaries. The financial statements of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using a current rate of exchange, with gains or losses included in the cumulative translation adjustment account, a component of equity. Our exposure to the net investment in foreign currencies is presented by primary foreign currencies in the table below (in millions):

As of December 31, 2024
Position in pounds sterlingPosition in Canadian dollarsPosition in euros
Assets£758C$2,904192
of which goodwill represents51838792
Liabilities1492,45948
Net currency position£609C$445144
Net currency position, in $USD$761$310$150
Negative impact on consolidated equity of a 10% decrease in foreign currency exchange rates$76$31$15

Foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) within our balance sheet. See the table below for the portion of equity attributable to foreign currency translation adjustments as well as the activity by year included within our statement of other comprehensive income. The impact of the foreign currency exchange rate differences in the table below were primarily driven by fluctuations of the pound sterling as compared to the U.S. dollar which were 1.2514, 1.2732 and 1.2093 as of December 31, 2024, 2023, and 2022,

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respectively.

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/ (Loss) from Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments (in millions)
Balance, as of January 1, 2022$(150)
Net current period other comprehensive loss(128)
Balance, as of December 31, 2022(278)
Net current period other comprehensive income48
Balance, as of December 31, 2023(230)
Net current period other comprehensive loss(55)
Balance, as of December 31, 2024$(285)

The future impact on our business relating to the U.K. leaving the EU and the corresponding regulatory changes are uncertain at this time, including future impacts on currency exchange rates.

Credit Risk

We are exposed to credit risk in our operations in the event of a counterparty default. We limit our exposure to credit risk by rigorously selecting the counterparties with which we make our investments, monitoring them on an ongoing basis and executing agreements to protect our interests.

Clearing House Cash Deposit Risks

The ICE Clearing Houses hold material amounts of clearing member margin deposits which are held or invested primarily to provide security of capital while minimizing credit, market and liquidity risks. Refer to Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements for more information on the ICE Clearing Houses' cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts receivable and unsettled variation margin which were $84.3 billion as of December 31, 2024. While we seek to achieve a reasonable rate of return which may generate interest income for our clearing members, we are primarily concerned with preservation of capital and managing the risks associated with these deposits. As the ICE Clearing Houses may pass on interest revenues (minus costs) to the clearing members, this could include negative or reduced yield due to market conditions. The following is a summary of the risks associated with these deposits and how these risks are mitigated:

•Credit Risk: When a clearing house has the ability to hold cash collateral at a central bank, the clearing house utilizes its access to the central bank system to minimize credit risk exposures. Credit risk is managed by using exposure limits depending on the credit profile of the counterparty as well as the nature and maturity of transactions. Our investment objective is to invest in securities that preserve principal while maximizing yields, without significantly increasing risk. We seek to substantially mitigate the credit risk associated with investments by placing them with governments, well-capitalized financial institutions and other creditworthy counterparties.

An ongoing review is performed to evaluate changes in the financial status of counterparties. In addition to the intrinsic creditworthiness of counterparties, our policies require diversification of counterparties (banks, financial institutions, bond issuers and funds) so as to avoid a concentration of risk.

•Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk is the risk a clearing house may not be able to meet its payment obligations in the right currency, in the right place and at the right time. To mitigate this risk, the clearing houses monitor liquidity requirements closely and maintain funds and assets in a manner which minimizes the risk of loss or delay in the access by the clearing house to such funds and assets. For example, holding funds with a central bank where possible or making only short term investments such as overnight reverse repurchase agreements serves to reduce liquidity risks.

•Interest Rate Risk: Interest rate risk is the risk that interest rates rise and cause the value of securities we hold or invest in to decline. If we were required to sell securities prior to maturity, and interest rates had risen, the sale might be made at a loss relative to the carrying value. Our clearing houses seek to manage this risk by making short term investments. For example, where possible and in accordance with regulatory requirements, the clearing houses invest cash pursuant to overnight reverse repurchase agreements or term reverse repurchase agreements with short dated maturities. In addition, the clearing house investment guidelines allow for direct purchases of high quality sovereign debt (for example, U.S. Treasury securities) and supranational debt instruments (Euro cash deposits only) with short dated maturities.

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•Security Issuer Risk: Security issuer risk is the risk that an issuer of a security defaults on the payment when the security matures or debt is serviced. This risk is mitigated by limiting allowable investments under the reverse repurchase agreements to high quality sovereign or government agency debt and limiting any direct investments to high quality sovereign debt instruments.

•Investment Counterparty Risk: Investment counterparty risk is the risk that a reverse repurchase agreement counterparty might become insolvent and, thus, fail to meet its obligations to our clearing houses. We mitigate this risk by only engaging in transactions with high credit quality counterparties and by limiting the acceptable collateral to securities of high quality issuers. When engaging in reverse repurchase agreements, our clearing houses take delivery of the securities underlying the reverse repurchase arrangement in custody accounts under clearing house control. Additionally, the securities purchased subject to reverse repurchase have a market value greater than the reverse repurchase amount. Thus, in the event that a reverse repurchase counterparty defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying reverse repurchase securities, our clearing house will have possession of a security with a value potentially greater than the counterparty’s obligation.

The ICE Clearing Houses may use third-party investment advisors who make investments subject to the guidelines provided by each clearing house. Clearing house property is held in custody accounts under clearing house control with credit worthy custodians. The ICE Clearing Houses employ (or may employ) multiple investment advisors and custodians to ensure that in the event a single advisor or custodian is unable to fulfill its role, additional advisors or custodians are available as alternatives.

•Cross-Currency Margin Deposit Risk: Each of the ICE Clearing Houses may permit posting of cross-currency collateral to satisfy margin requirements (for example, accepting margin deposits denominated in U.S. dollars to secure a Euro margin obligation). The ICE Clearing Houses mitigate the risk of a currency value exposure by applying a “haircut” to the currency posted as margin at a level viewed as sufficient to provide financial protection during periods of currency volatility. Cross-currency balances are marked-to-market on a daily basis. Should the currency posted to satisfy margin requirements decline in value, the clearing member is required to increase its margin deposit on a same-day basis.

Impact of Inflation

We have not been materially adversely affected by inflation as technological advances and competition have generally caused prices for the hardware and software that we use for our electronic platforms to remain constant. In the event of continued or increased inflation, we believe that we will be able to pass on any price increases to our participants, as the prices that we charge are not governed by long-term contracts.

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FY 2023 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0001571949-24-000007.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2024-02-08. Report date: 2023-12-31.

ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements for many reasons. See the factors set forth under the heading “Forward Looking Statements” at the beginning of Part 1 of this Annual Report and in Item 1(A) under the heading “Risk Factors.” For discussion related to the results of operations and changes in financial condition for 2022 compared to 2021 refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2022 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 2, 2023.

Overview

We are a leading global provider of technology and data to a broad range of customers including financial institutions, corporations and government entities. These products, which span major asset classes including futures, equities, fixed income and U.S. residential mortgages, provide our customers with access to mission critical tools that are designed to increase asset class transparency and workflow efficiency. The majority of our identifiable assets are located in the U.S. and U.K. We report our results in the following three segments:

•Exchanges: We operate regulated marketplace technology for the listing, trading and clearing of a broad array of derivatives contracts and financial securities as well as data and connectivity services related to those venues.

•Fixed Income and Data Services: We provide fixed income pricing, reference data, indices, analytics and execution services as well as global CDS clearing and multi-asset class data delivery technology.

•Mortgage Technology: We provide a technology platform that offers customers comprehensive, digital workflow tools that aim to address inefficiencies and mitigate risks that exist in the U.S. residential mortgage market life cycle from application through closing, servicing and the secondary market.

Recent Developments

Acquisition of Black Knight, Inc.

On September 5, 2023, we acquired Black Knight, Inc., or Black Knight, a software, data and analytics company that serves the housing finance continuum, including real estate data, mortgage lending and servicing, as well as the secondary markets. Pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 4, 2022, among ICE, Sand Merger Sub Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of ICE, or Sub, and Black Knight, which we refer to as the “merger

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agreement,” Sub merged with and into Black Knight, which we refer to as the “merger,” with Black Knight surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of ICE.

The aggregate transaction consideration was approximately $11.8 billion, or $76 per share of Black Knight common stock, with cash comprising 90% of the value of the aggregate transaction consideration and shares of our common stock comprising 10% of the value of the aggregate transaction consideration. The aggregate cash component of the transaction consideration was $10.5 billion, and the number of our shares issued was based on the market price of our common stock and the average of the volume weighted averages of the trading prices of our common stock on each of the ten consecutive trading days ending three trading days prior to the closing of the merger. We expect that this transaction will build on our position as a provider of end-to-end electronic workflow solutions for the rapidly evolving U.S. residential mortgage industry. We believe the Black Knight ecosystem adds value for clients of all sizes across the mortgage and real estate lifecycles by helping organizations lower costs, increase efficiencies, grow their businesses, and reduce risk.

On September 14, 2023, or the Divestiture Date, in connection with the merger agreement, we sold Black Knight’s Optimal Blue and Empower loan origination system, or LOS, businesses, or the Divestitures, to subsidiaries of Constellation Software, Inc. The cash proceeds from the Divestitures were $241 million. The structure of the Optimal Blue transaction also included a Promissory Note with a face value of $500 million issued by the purchaser to Black Knight, as a subsidiary of ICE, at the closing of the transaction. As described in Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report, the Promissory Note was valued at $235 million on the Divestiture Date. Pursuant to the Agreement Containing Consent Orders entered into between the FTC and ICE and Black Knight, the Promissory Note was required to be sold within six months of the Divestiture Date. On February 7, 2024, the FTC approved the buyer of the Promissory Note and the proceeds of the Promissory Note sale will be paid to Black Knight in the near future. As we elected the fair value option for the Promissory Note, we are required to mark the asset to fair value each reporting period. For subsequent measurement as of December 31, 2023, we wrote down the value of the Promissory Note, resulting in a fair value loss of $160 million.

Global Market Conditions

Our results of operations are affected by global economic conditions, including macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical events or conflicts. Since 2022, macroeconomic conditions, including rising interest rates, inflation and significant market volatility, along with geopolitical concerns, including the conflicts in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, have created ongoing uncertainty and volatility in the global economy and resulted in a dynamic operating environment.

Our business has been impacted positively and negatively by these global economic conditions. For instance, due to market volatility and rising interest rates, we have seen increased trading across a number of our products, such as interest rate and equity futures, credit default swaps and bonds. Conversely, increases in mortgage interest rates in 2022 and 2023 have resulted in reduced consumer and investor demand for mortgages and adversely impacted the transaction-based revenues in our Mortgage Technology segment. If mortgage rates remain high or further increase, or if banks change their mortgage lending practices, our Mortgage Technology segment revenues may be further impacted.

From an operational perspective, our businesses, including our exchanges, clearing houses, listings venues, data services businesses and mortgage platforms, have not suffered a material negative impact as a result of these events in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and surrounding regions.

We expect the macroeconomic environment to remain dynamic in the near-term, and we continue to monitor macroeconomic conditions, including interest rates, the inflationary environment, geopolitical events and military conflicts, including repercussions from the conflicts in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza and the impact that any of the foregoing may have on the global economy and on our business. Throughout 2023, we have closely monitored the credit worthiness of our counterparties and investment agents during the recent banking sector events, scrutinized counterparties directly impacted and monitored for any potential contagion. We did not suffer any material negative impact from the banking sector events that occurred in early 2023. In light of the current and expected macroeconomic environment we will continue to closely monitor credit worthiness of our counterparties, clearing members and our financial service providers and take risk management measures in line with established risk management frameworks.

Tax Policy Changes

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, Global Anti-Base Erosion Pillar Two minimum tax rules, or Pillar Two, which generally provide for a minimum effective tax rate of 15%, are intended to apply to tax years beginning in 2024. In 2023, the OECD issued administrative guidance providing transitional safe harbor rules concerning the implementation of the Pillar Two framework, which will apply to fiscal years ending on or before December 31, 2026. The EU member states and many other countries, including the U.K., have committed to implement or have already

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enacted legislation adopting the Pillar Two rules. We are monitoring developments and evaluating the impacts of these new rules on our tax rate, including our ability to qualify for the safe harbor rules as implemented by each jurisdiction, however, we do not expect a material impact to our effective tax rate given our current tax profile.

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Consolidated Financial Highlights

The following summarizes our results and significant changes in our consolidated financial performance for the periods presented (dollars in millions, except per share amounts):

(1) Operating income/(loss) from our Mortgage Technology segment was ($276 million) and $57 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

(2) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. Adjusted net income attributable to ICE is presented net of taxes. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “—Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$7,988$7,29210%$7,292$7,1462%
Recurring revenues(1)$4,138$3,72111%$3,721$3,5096%
Transaction revenues, net(1)$3,850$3,5718%$3,571$3,637(2)%
Operating expenses$4,294$3,65418%$3,654$3,697(1)%
Adjusted operating expenses(2)$3,260$2,95310%$2,953$2,977(1)%
Operating income$3,694$3,6382%$3,638$3,4495%
Adjusted operating income(2)$4,728$4,3399%$4,339$4,1694%
Operating margin46%50%(4 pts)50%48%2 pts
Adjusted operating margin(2)59%59%— pts59%58%1 pt
Other income/(expense), net$(800)$(1,830)(56)%$(1,830)$2,249n/a
Income tax expense$456$31047%$310$1,629(81)%
Effective tax rate16%17%(1 pt)17%29%(12 pts)
Net income attributable to ICE$2,368$1,44664%$1,446$4,058(64)%
Adjusted net income attributable to ICE(2)$3,177$2,9747%$2,974$2,8634%
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$4.19$2.5862%$2.58$7.18(64)%
Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders(2)$5.62$5.306%$5.30$5.065%
Cash flows from operating activities$3,542$3,554%$3,554$3,12314%
Free cash flow(3)$3,053$3,072(1)%$3,072$2,67115%
Adjusted free cash flow(3)$3,197$2,90610%$2,906$2,8213%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

(1) We define recurring revenues as the portion of our revenues that are generally predictable, stable, and can be expected to occur at regular intervals in the future with a relatively high degree of certainty and visibility. We define transaction revenues as those associated with a more specific point-in-time service, such as a trade execution.

(2) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. Adjusted net income attributable to ICE and adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders are presented net of taxes. These adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

(3) We believe these non-GAAP liquidity measures provide useful information to management and investors to analyze cash resources generated from our operations. We believe that free cash flow is useful as one of the bases for comparing our performance with our competitors and demonstrates our ability to convert the reinvestment of capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs required to maintain and grow our business. We believe that adjusted free cash flow eliminates the impact of timing differences related to the payment of Section 31 fees. These figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “—Non-GAAP Liquidity Measures” below.

•Revenues, less transaction-based expenses, increased $696 million in 2023 from 2022. The increase in revenues includes $17 million in favorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2023 as compared to 2022.

•Revenues, less transaction-based expenses, increased $146 million in 2022 from 2021. The increase in revenues includes $115 million in unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2022 as compared to 2021.

•Operating expenses increased $640 million in 2023 from 2022. The increase in operating expenses includes $4 million in unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2023 as compared to 2022.

•Operating expenses decreased $43 million in 2022 from 2021. The decrease in operating expenses includes $38 million in favorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations in the U.S. dollar in 2022 as compared to 2021.

•Other income/(expense), net, in 2023 primarily includes interest income of $319 million, interest expense of $808 million, our equity earnings in OCC of $16 million, estimated equity losses in our investment in Bakkt of $135 million, a fair value loss of $160 million related to the Black Knight Promissory Note, an impairment related to our CAT loan receivable of $16 million, FX remeasurement losses of $12 million, and a loss on the sale of the Dun &

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Bradstreet investment of $3 million, net of dividends received, that we acquired through the acquisition of Black Knight.

•Other income/(expense), net, in 2022 primarily includes interest income of $108 million, interest expense of $616 million, our share of estimated equity method investment losses and an impairment charge on our investment in Bakkt to its fair value of $1.4 billion, a net gain on the sale of our Euroclear plc, or Euroclear, stake of $41 million, our equity earnings in OCC of $15 million, and FX remeasurement losses of $9 million.

•The 16% effective tax rate in 2023 was below the U.S. corporate income tax rate primarily driven by the following factors: favorable audit settlements for historical years, favorable state apportionment changes, and the application of the high-tax exception to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income. These benefits were partially offset by the impact of the U.K. corporate income tax increase from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023, and the tax impact of certain non-deductible Black Knight acquisition costs.

•The 17% effective tax rate in 2022 was below the U.S. corporate income tax rate primarily driven by the deferred income tax benefit from the impairment of our equity method investment in Bakkt.

•The 29% effective tax rate in 2021 is significantly above the U.S corporate income tax rate primarily due to the deferred income tax expense resulting from the U.K. tax law changes enacted in 2021. In 2021, the U.K. enacted a corporate income tax rate increase from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023.

Business Environment and Market Trends

Our business environment has been characterized by:

•globalization of marketplaces, customers and competitors;

•growing customer demand for workflow efficiency and automation;

•commodity, interest rate, inflation rate and financial markets volatility and uncertainty;

•growing demand for data to inform customers' risk management and investment decisions;

•evolving, increasing and disparate regulation across multiple jurisdictions;

•price volatility increasing customers' demand for risk management services;

•increasing focus on capital and cost efficiencies;

•customers' preference to manage risk in markets demonstrating the greatest depth of liquidity and product diversity;

•the evolution of existing products and new product innovation to serve emerging customer needs and changing industry agreements;

•rising demand for speed, data, data capacity and connectivity by market participants, necessitating increased investment in technology; and

•consolidation and increasing competition among global markets for trading, clearing and listings.

Recent changes with regard to global financial reform have emphasized the importance of transparent markets, centralized clearing and access to data, all of which are important aspects of our product offering. However, some of the proposed rules have yet to be implemented and some rules that have already been partially implemented are being reconsidered. In addition, some of the global regulations have not been fully harmonized and several non-U.S. regulations are inconsistent with U.S. rules. As the evolution continues, legislative and regulatory actions may change the way we conduct our business and may create uncertainty for market participants, which could affect trading volumes or demand for market data. As a result, it is difficult to predict all of the effects that the legislation and its implementing regulations will have on us. As discussed more fully in Item 1 “- Business - Regulation” included in this Annual Report, Brexit, MiFID II and other regulations have resulted in operational, regulatory and/or business risk.

We have diversified our business so that we are not dependent on volatility or transaction activity in any one asset class. In addition, we have increased our portion of recurring revenues from 34% in 2014 to 52% in 2023. These recurring revenues include data services, listings and various mortgage technology solutions.

Many of the data products we sell and services we provide are required for our clients’ business operations regardless of market volatility or shifts in business profitability levels. We anticipate that there will continue to be growth in the financial information services sector driven by a number of global trends, including the following:

•increasing global regulatory demands;

•greater use of fair value accounting standards and reliance on independent valuations;

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•greater emphasis on risk management;

•market fragmentation driven by regulatory changes;

•the move to passive investing and indexation;

•ongoing growth in the size and diversity of financial markets;

•increased automation of fixed income, mortgage and other less automated markets;

•the development of new data products;

•the demand for greater data capacity and connectivity;

•new entrants; and

•increasing demand for outsourced services by financial institutions.

We continue to focus on our strategy to grow each of our revenue streams, and prudently manage expenses, in order to mitigate these uncertainties and to build on our growth opportunities by leveraging our proprietary data, clearing, markets and technology solutions.

Segment Results

Our business is conducted through three reportable business segments: Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services and Mortgage Technology. Segments are discussed more in detail in "Item 1- Business". While revenues are recorded specifically in the segment in which they are earned or to which they relate, a significant portion of our operating expenses are not solely related to a specific segment because the expenses serve functions that are necessary for the operation of more than one segment. We directly allocate expenses when reasonably possible to do so. Otherwise, we use a pro-rata revenue approach as the allocation method for the expenses that do not relate solely to one segment and serve functions that are necessary for the operation of all segments. Our segments do not engage in intersegment transactions.

For details on trends in recent prior-year periods, refer to our 2022 and 2021 Annual Reports on Form 10-K.

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Exchanges Segment

The following presents selected statements of income data for our Exchanges segment (dollars in millions):

(1) The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. As a result, these adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
Revenues:
Energy futures and options$1,498$1,16229%$1,162$1,236(6)%
Agricultural and metals futures and options271235152352283
Financial futures and options460475(3)47539421
Futures and options2,2291,872191,8721,8581
Cash equities and equity options2,2982,722(16)2,7222,37715
OTC and other398429(7)42932631
Transaction and clearing, net4,9255,023(2)5,0234,56110
Data and connectivity services93387768778385
Listings497515(4)5154797
Revenues6,3556,415(1)6,4155,8789
Transaction-based expenses(1)1,9152,344(18)2,3442,02216
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses4,4404,07194,0713,8566
Other operating expenses1,03396879681,028(6)
Depreciation and amortization2482403240244(2)
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs1(90)161(99)
Operating expenses1,2811,20961,2091,333(9)
Operating income$3,159$2,86210%$2,862$2,52313%
Recurring revenues$1,430$1,3923%$1,392$1,3176%
Transaction revenues, net$3,010$2,67912%$2,679$2,5396%

(1) Transaction-based expenses are largely attributable to our cash equities and options business.

Exchanges Revenues

Our Exchanges segment includes transaction and clearing revenues from our futures and NYSE exchanges, related data and connectivity services, and our listings business. Transaction and clearing revenues consist of fees collected from derivatives, cash equities and equity options trading and derivatives clearing, and are reported on a net basis, except for the NYSE transaction-based expenses discussed below. Rates per-contract, or RPC, are driven by the number of contracts or securities traded and the fees charged per contract, net of certain rebates. Our per-contract transaction and clearing revenues will depend upon many factors, including, but not limited to, market conditions, transaction and clearing volume, product mix, pricing, applicable revenue sharing and market making agreements, and new product introductions.

Transaction and clearing revenues are generally assessed on a per-contract basis and revenues and profitability fluctuate with changes in contract volume and product mix. We consider data and connectivity services revenues and listings revenues to be recurring revenues. Our data and connectivity services revenues are recurring subscription fees related to the various data and connectivity services that we provide which are directly attributable to our exchange venues. Our listings revenues are also recurring subscription fees that we earn for the provision of NYSE listings services for public companies and ETFs, and related corporate actions for listed companies.

In 2023 and 2022, 20% and 18%, respectively, of our Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were billed in pounds sterling or euros. Due to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro compared to the U.S. dollar, our Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were higher by $14 million in 2023 from 2022.

Our exchange transaction and clearing revenues are presented net of rebates. We recorded rebates of $989 million and $869 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. We offer rebates in certain of our markets primarily to support market liquidity and trading volume by providing qualified participants in those markets a discount to the applicable commission rate. Such rebates are calculated based on volumes traded. The increase in rebates is primarily due to higher volumes traded as compared to 2022.

•Energy Futures and Options: Total energy volume increased 17% and revenues increased 29% in 2023 from 2022.

–Total oil futures and options volume increased 19% in 2023 from 2022 driven, in part, by price volatility related to oil supply/demand dynamics and geopolitical risk, coupled with increased focus on Brent with Midland WTI now deliverable into the Brent Basket, providing additional physical liquidity and exposure.

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–Our global natural gas futures and options volume increased 16% in 2023 from 2022 primarily due to strength in our Dutch TTF complex as natural gas continues to globalize, coupled with price volatility related to geopolitical events in late 2023.

–Our environmentals and other futures and options volume were flat in 2023 from 2022.

•Agricultural and Metals Futures and Options: Total volume in our agricultural and metals futures and options markets increased 16% and revenues increased 15% in 2023 from 2022. The overall increase in agricultural volumes was primarily due to 2023 benefiting from elevated price volatility as a result of weather-related supply and demand dynamics, such as El Nino, driving an increased need to manage risk across our commodity markets.

–Sugar futures and options volumes increased 20% in 2023 from 2022.

–Other agricultural and metal futures and options volumes increased 13% in 2023 from 2022.

•Financial Futures and Options: Total volume in our financial futures and options markets was flat and revenues decreased 3% in 2023 from 2022, including the impacts of foreign exchange effects.

–Interest rate futures and options volume increased 4% and revenue increased 2% in 2023 from 2022 driven by interest rate volatility and speculation regarding central bank activity in late 2023. Interest rate futures and options revenues were $299 million and $292 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

–Other financial futures and options volume, which includes our MSCI®, FTSE® and NYSE FANG+ equity index products, decreased 15% and revenue decreased 12% in 2023 from 2022. Other financial futures and options volume decreased as 2022 benefited from elevated volatility across global equity markets driven by geopolitical events, central bank activity and inflationary concerns. Other financial futures and options revenues were $161 million and $183 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

•Cash Equities and Equity Options: Cash equities volume decreased 7% in 2023 from 2022 due to lower total market volumes as 2022 benefited from elevated volatility related to inflationary, recessionary and geopolitical concerns. Cash equities revenues, net of transaction-based expenses, were $268 million and $275 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. Equity options volume increased 4% in 2023 from 2022 driven by increased participation. Equity options revenues, net of transaction-based expenses, were $115 million and $103 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

•OTC and Other: OTC and other transactions include revenues from our OTC energy business and other trade confirmation services, as well as interest income on certain clearing margin deposits, regulatory penalties and fines, fees for use of our facilities, regulatory fees charged to member organizations of our U.S. securities exchanges, designated market maker service fees, exchange membership fees and agricultural grading and certification fees. Our OTC and other revenues decreased 7% in 2023 from 2022 primarily due to a decrease in interest income on clearing margin deposits.

•Data and Connectivity Services: Our data and connectivity services revenues increased 6% in 2023 from 2022. The increase in revenue was driven by the strong retention rate of existing customers, the addition of new customers and increased purchases by existing customers.

•Listings Revenues: Through NYSE, NYSE American and NYSE Arca, we generate listings revenue related to the provision of listings services for public companies and ETFs, and related corporate actions for listed companies. Listings revenues decreased 4% in 2023 from 2022, driven by market volatility causing delays in initial public offerings, or IPOs.

Listings revenues in our securities markets arise from fees applicable to companies listed on our cash equities exchanges– original listing fees and annual listing fees. Original listing fees consist of two components: initial listing fees and fees related to corporate actions. Initial listing fees, subject to a minimum and maximum amount, are based on the number of shares that a company initially lists. All listings fees are billed upfront and the identified performance obligations are satisfied over time. Revenue related to the investor relations performance obligation is recognized ratably over the period these services are provided, with the remaining revenue recognized ratably over time as customers continue to list on our exchanges.

In addition, we earn corporate actions-related listing fees in connection with actions involving the issuance of new shares, such as stock splits, rights issues and sales of additional securities, as well as mergers and acquisitions.

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Listings fees related to other corporate actions are considered contract modifications of our listing contracts and are recognized ratably over time as customers continue to list on our exchanges.

Additionally, in 2023, NYSE reported 32 listing transfers from competing exchanges, the second-highest total since 2002, bringing $120 billion in new market capitalization to the exchange and also listed two of the year's three largest IPOs.

Selected Operating Data

Volume of contracts traded, futures and options rate per contract and open interest are measures that we use in analyzing the performance of our futures and options contracts. Handled volume, matched volume and cash equities and equity options rate per contract are measures that we use in analyzing our NYSE cash equities and equity options performance. We believe each of these measures provides useful information for management and investors in understanding our performance. Management considers these metrics when making financial and operating decisions. Our calculation of these metrics may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

The following charts and tables present trading activity in our futures and options markets by commodity type based on the total number of contracts traded, as well as futures and options rate per contract (in millions, except for percentages and rate per contract amounts):

Volume and Rate per Contract

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
Number of contracts traded (in millions):
Energy futures and options88375317%753782(4)%
Agricultural and metals futures and options11810216%102985%
Financial futures and options646646%6466342%
Total1,6471,50110%1,5011,514(1)%
Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
Average Daily Volume of contracts traded (in thousands):
Energy futures and options3,5303,00018%3,0003,103(3)%
Agricultural and metals futures and options47440716%4073885%
Financial futures and options2,5322,524%2,5242,4752%
Total6,5365,93110%5,9315,966(1)%
Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
Rate per contract:20232022Change20222021Change
Energy futures and options$1.70$1.5410%$1.54$1.58(2)%
Agricultural and metals futures and options$2.29$2.30%$2.30$2.34(2)%
Financial futures and options$0.70$0.73(3)%$0.73$0.6119%

Open interest is the aggregate number of contracts (long or short) that clearing members hold either for their own account or on behalf of their clients. Open interest refers to the total number of contracts that are currently “open,” – in other words, contracts that have been entered into but not yet liquidated by either an offsetting trade, exercise, expiration or assignment. Open interest is also a measure of the future activity remaining to be closed out in terms of the number of contracts that members and their clients continue to hold in the particular contract and by the number of contracts held for each contract month listed by the exchange. The following charts and table present our year-end open interest for our futures and options contracts (in thousands, except for percentages):

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As of December 31,As of December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
Open interest — in thousands of contracts:
Energy futures and options51,55642,52421%42,52440,3175%
Agricultural and metals futures and options4,8553,88125%3,8813,7633%
Financial futures and options22,38020,34210%20,34223,942(15)%
Total78,79166,74718%66,74768,022(2)%

The following charts and tables present selected cash and equity options trading data. All trading volume below is presented as average net daily trading volume, or ADV, and is single counted:

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
NYSE cash equities (shares in millions):
Total cash handled volume2,2312,409(7)%2,4092,3174%
Total cash market share matched19.9%19.9%19.9%19.9%
NYSE equity options (contracts in thousands):
NYSE equity options volume7,9007,6214%7,6217,1626%
Total equity options volume40,36938,2446%38,24437,1703%
NYSE share of total equity options19.6%19.9%(0.3 pts)19.9%19.3%0.6 pts
Revenue capture or rate per contract:
Cash equities rate per contract (per 100 shares)$0.048$0.0456%$0.045$0.0428%
Equity options rate per contract$0.06$0.057%$0.05$0.06(9)%

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Handled volume represents the total number of shares of equity securities, ETFs and crossing session activity internally matched on our exchanges or routed to and executed on an external market center. Matched volume represents the total number of shares of equity securities, ETFs and crossing session activity executed on our exchanges.

Transaction-Based Expenses

Our equities and equity options markets pay fees to the SEC pursuant to Section 31 of the Exchange Act. Section 31 fees are recorded on a gross basis as a component of transaction and clearing fee revenue. These Section 31 fees are assessed to recover the government’s costs of supervising and regulating the securities markets and professionals and are subject to change. We, in turn, collect corresponding activity assessment fees from member organizations clearing or settling trades on the equities and options exchanges, and recognize these amounts in our transaction and clearing revenues when invoiced. The activity assessment fees are designed to equal the Section 31 fees. As a result, activity assessment fees and the corresponding Section 31 fees do not have an impact on our net income, although the timing of payment by us will vary from collections. Section 31 fees were $293 million and $499 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease in Section 31 fees was primarily due to a decrease in rates. The fees we collect are included in cash at the time of receipt and we remit the amounts to the SEC semi-annually as required. The total amount is included in current liabilities and was $79 million as of December 31, 2023.

We make liquidity payments to cash and options trading customers, as well as routing charges made to other exchanges which are included in transaction-based expenses. We incur routing charges when we do not have the best bid or offer in the market for a security that a customer is trying to buy or sell on one of our securities exchanges. In that case, we route the customer’s order to the external market center that displays the best bid or offer. The external market center charges us a fee per share (denominated in tenths of a cent per share) for routing to its system. We record routing charges on a gross basis as a component of transaction and clearing fee revenue. Cash liquidity payments, routing and clearing fees were $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Exchanges segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Exchanges Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
Operating expenses$1,281$1,2096%$1,209$1,333(9)%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,199$1,1425%$1,142$1,201(5)%
Operating income$3,159$2,86210%$2,862$2,52313%
Adjusted operating income(1)$3,241$2,92911%$2,929$2,65510%
Operating margin71%70%1 pt70%65%5 pts
Adjusted operating margin(1)73%72%1 pt72%69%3 pts

(1) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Fixed Income and Data Services Segment

The following charts and table present our selected statements of income data for our Fixed Income and Data Services segment (dollars in millions):

(1) The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. As a result, these adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
Revenues:
Fixed income execution$124$10123%$101$5296%
CDS clearing3603051830519259
Fixed income data and analytics1,1181,09821,0981,0821
Fixed income and credit1,6021,50471,5041,32613
Other data and network services62958875885576
Revenues2,2312,09272,0921,88311
Other operating expenses1,0791,02351,0231,0121
Depreciation and amortization341349(2)3493412
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs1(95)11(20)
Operating expenses1,4201,37331,3731,3541
Operating income$811$71913%$719$52936%
Recurring revenues$1,747$1,6864%$1,686$1,6393%
Transaction revenues$484$40620%$406$24466%

In the table above, we consider fixed income data and analytics revenues and other data and network services revenues to be recurring revenues.

In both 2023 and 2022, 11%, of our Fixed Income and Data Services segment revenues were billed in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly. Due to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro compared to the U.S. dollar during 2023, our Fixed Income and Data Services revenues were higher by $3 million in 2023 than in 2022.

Fixed Income and Data Services Revenues

Our Fixed Income and Data Services revenues increased 7% in 2023 from 2022 due to growth in our other data and network services and our fixed income data and analytics products, coupled with strength in CDS clearing.

•Fixed Income Execution: Fixed income execution includes revenues from ICE Bonds. Execution fees are reported net of rebates, which were nominal in 2023 and 2022. Our fixed income execution revenues increased 23% in 2023 from 2022 due to increased activity as a result of continued interest rate volatility.

•CDS Clearing: CDS clearing revenues increased 18% in 2023 from 2022. The notional value of CDS cleared was $18.8 trillion and $23.8 trillion in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in revenues was primarily due to net interest income on collateral balances.

•Fixed Income Data and Analytics: Our fixed income data and analytics revenues increased 2% in 2023 from 2022 primarily due to strength in our index business and growth in our pricing and reference data business.

•Other Data and Network Services: Our other data and network services revenues increased 7% in 2023 from 2022. The increase in revenues was driven by growth in our ICE Global Network offering, coupled with strength in our desktops, feeds and derivatives analytics revenues.

Annual Subscription Value, or ASV, represents, at a point in time, the data services revenues, which includes Fixed Income Data and Analytics as well as Other Data and Network Services, subscribed for the succeeding 12 months. ASV does not include new sales, contract terminations or price changes that may occur during that 12-month period. However, while it is an indicative forward-looking metric, it does not provide a precise growth forecast of the next 12 months of data services revenues. Management considers ASV metrics when making financial and operating decisions, and believes ASV is useful for management and investors in understanding our data services business performance.

As of December 31, 2023, ASV was $1.752 billion, which increased 4.2% compared to the ASV as of December 31, 2022. ASV represents nearly 100% of total data services revenues for this segment. This does not adjust for year-over-year foreign exchange fluctuations.

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Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Fixed Income and Data Services segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Fixed Income and Data Services Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
Operating expenses$1,420$1,3733%$1,373$1,3541%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,252$1,1935%$1,193$1,1742%
Operating income$811$71913%$719$52936%
Adjusted operating income(1)$979$8999%$899$70927%
Operating margin36%34%2 pts34%28%6 pts
Adjusted operating margin(1)44%43%1 pt43%38%5 pts

(1) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Mortgage Technology Segment

The following charts and table present our selected statements of income data for our Mortgage Technology segment (dollars in millions):

(1) Servicing Software is a new revenue category following completion of the Black Knight acquisition.

(2) The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. As a result, these adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
Revenues:
Origination technology694798(13)%7981,012(21)%
Closing solutions179239(25)239319(25)
Servicing software288n/a
Data and analytics1569269927622
Revenues1,3171,129171,1291,407(20)
Other operating expenses69853930539546(1)
Depreciation and amortization626442414424244
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs269911949140130
Operating expenses1,5931,072491,0721,0106
Operating income/(loss)$(276)$57n/a$57$397(86)%
%
Recurring revenues$961$64350%$643$55316%
Transaction revenues$356$486(27)%$486$854(43)%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

In the table above, we consider subscription fee and certain other revenues to be recurring revenues. Each revenue classification above contains a mix of recurring and transaction revenues, based on the various service offerings described in more detail below.

During 2023, we reclassified certain revenues within our Mortgage Technology segment that were previously included in other revenues to closing solutions, origination technology and data and analytics revenues. Closing solutions revenues now include membership dues, and origination technology revenues and data and analytics revenues now include mortgage-related professional services revenues. As of December 31, 2023, other revenues are no longer separately presented. We believe this is a more accurate reflection of the nature of these revenues. The impact of this change was not material, and the prior year periods have been adjusted for comparability. Additionally, following the acquisition of Black Knight and beginning in the third quarter of 2023, we have added servicing software to our Mortgage Technology segment revenues. The comparable periods in 2022 results do not include a contribution from the Black Knight acquisition.

Mortgage Technology Revenues

Our mortgage technology revenues are derived from our comprehensive, end-to-end U.S. residential mortgage platform. Our mortgage technology business is intended to enable greater workflow efficiency and mitigate risks for customers throughout the mortgage life cycle. Black Knight contributed $363 million of revenues in 2023 following completion of the acquisition. Excluding the revenue contributed by Black Knight, mortgage technology revenues decreased $175 million or 15% in 2023 from 2022, primarily due to lower mortgage origination volumes driven by rising interest rates.

•Origination technology: Our origination technology revenues decreased 13% in 2023 from 2022 due to lower transaction-based revenues as mortgage origination volumes declined during 2023, offset by $11 million of origination technology revenue from Black Knight following completion of our acquisition in September 2023. Our origination technology acts as a system of record for the mortgage transaction, automating the gathering, reviewing, and verifying of mortgage-related information and enabling automated enforcement of rules and business practices designed to help ensure that each completed loan transaction is of high quality and adheres to secondary market standards. These revenues are based on recurring Software as a Service, or SaaS, subscription fees, with an additive transaction-based or success-based pricing fee as lenders exceed the number of loans closed that are included with their monthly base subscription, as well as professional services.

In addition, the ICE Mortgage Technology network provides originators connectivity to the mortgage supply chain and facilitates the secure exchange of information between our customers and a broad ecosystem of third-party service providers, as well as lenders and investors that are critical to consummating the millions of loan transactions that occur on our origination network each year. Revenue from the ICE Mortgage Technology network is largely transaction-based.

•Closing solutions: Our closing solutions revenues decreased 25% in 2023 from 2022 due to lower mortgage origination volumes. Our closing solutions connect key participants, such as lenders, title and settlement agents and

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individual county recorders, to digitize the closing and recording process. Closing solutions also include revenues from our MERSCORP Holdings, Inc., or MERS database, which provides a system of record for recording and tracking changes, servicing rights and beneficial ownership interests in loans secured by U.S. residential real estate. Revenues from closing solutions are largely transaction-based and are based on the volume of loans closed.

•Servicing software: Our servicing software revenues include integrated mortgage servicing solutions, which help automate all areas of the servicing process, from loan boarding to final payment or default, to help lower costs, reduce risk and improve financial performance. Our servicing solutions support first lien mortgages, home equity loans and lines of credit on a single platform to manage all servicing processes, including loan setup and maintenance, escrow administration, investor reporting, and regulatory requirements. We also provide solutions that provide consumers with access to customized, timely information about their mortgages and allow our clients’ customer service representatives to access the same customer information, which is key to increasing borrower retention. Another servicing solution provides clients, third-party providers and their developers access to our growing catalog of APIs across the mortgage life cycle.

Our default servicing solutions help simplify the complex process for loans that move into default, while supporting servicers with their compliance requirements and to facilitate more efficient loss mitigation processes.

We also offer advanced technology to support the bankruptcy and foreclosure process, and more efficiently manage claims related to properties in foreclosure, as well as tools to support loss analysis, to help servicers make the right decisions at the right time.

•Data and Analytics: Our Data and Analytics revenues increased 69% in 2023 from 2022 primarily due to $63 million of revenue from Black Knight following completion of our acquisition in September 2023. Data and Analytics revenues include those related to ICE Mortgage Technology's Data & Document Automation and Mortgage Analyzer solutions, or Analyzer (formerly known as AIQ), which offers customers greater efficiency by streamlining data collection and validation through our automated document recognition and data extraction capabilities. Analyzer revenues can be both recurring and transaction-based in nature. In addition, our data offerings include near real-time industry and peer benchmarking tools, which provide originators a granular view into the real-time trends of the U.S. residential mortgage market, as well as credit and prepayment models, custom and proprietary analytics, valuation, and MLS solutions. We also provide a Data as a Service, or DaaS, for lenders and industry participants to access industry data and origination information. The data and insights from these solutions inform, support and enhance our other solutions to help lenders and servicers make more informed decisions, improve performance, identify and predict risk and generate more qualified leads. Revenues related to our data products are largely subscription-based and recurring in nature.

Our data and analytics offerings include property ownership data, lien data, servicing data, automated valuation models and collateral risk scores, among others, provided to clients in the mortgage, real estate and capital markets verticals.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Mortgage Technology segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). The primary driver of the increase in operating expenses is related to the impact of the Black Knight acquisition and the corresponding Black Knight related operating expenses. The resulting operating loss and negative margin is primarily related to the acquisition-related transaction and integration costs incurred during the year. See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Mortgage Technology Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change*20222021Change
Operating expenses$1,593$1,07249%$1,072$1,0106%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$809$61831%$618$6023%
Operating income/(loss)$(276)$57n/a$57$397(86)%
Adjusted operating income(1)$508$511(1)%$511$805(37)%
Operating margin(21)%5%(26 pts)5%28%(23 pts)
Adjusted operating margin(1)39%45%(6 pts)45%57%(12 pts)

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

(1) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures”

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Consolidated Operating Expenses

The following presents our consolidated operating expenses (dollars in millions):

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change
Compensation and benefits$1,595$1,40713%$1,407$1,462(4)%
Professional services123131(6)131159(17)
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs2699318993102(9)
Technology and communication73468386836662
Rent and occupancy9283108384(1)
Selling, general and administrative266226172262155
Depreciation and amortization1,2151,031181,0311,0092
Total operating expenses$4,294$3,65418%$3,654$3,697(1)%

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The majority of our operating expenses do not vary directly with changes in our volume and revenues, except for certain technology and communication expenses, including data acquisition costs, licensing and other fee-related arrangements and a portion of our compensation expense that is tied directly to our data sales or overall financial performance.

We expect our operating expenses to increase in absolute terms in future periods in connection with the growth of our business, and to vary from year-to-year based on the type and level of our acquisitions, integration of acquisitions, and other investments.

In both 2023 and 2022, 9% of our operating expenses were billed in pounds sterling or euros. Due to fluctuations in the U.S. dollar compared to the pound sterling and euro, our consolidated operating expenses were $4 million higher in 2023 than in 2022. See Item 7(A) “- Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk” below for additional information.

Compensation and Benefits Expenses

Compensation and benefits expense is our most significant operating expense and includes non-capitalized employee wages, bonuses, non-cash or stock compensation, certain severance costs, benefits and employer taxes. The bonus component of our compensation and benefits expense is based on both our financial performance and individual employee performance. The performance-based restricted stock compensation expense is also based on our financial performance. Therefore, our compensation and benefits expense will vary year-to-year based on our financial performance and fluctuations in our number of employees. The below chart summarizes the significant drivers of our compensation and benefits expense results for the periods presented (dollars in millions, except employee headcount).

Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change
Employee headcount13,2228,91148%
Stock-based compensation expenses$197$14932%

Employee headcount increased in 2023 from 2022 primarily due to our acquisition of Black Knight.

Compensation and benefits expense increased $188 million in 2023 from 2022 primarily due to $155 million attributable to our acquisition of Black Knight and an increase in our bonus and noncash performance-based restricted stock compensation accruals, partially offset by higher capitalized labor and lower payroll. The stock-based compensation expenses in the table above relate to employee stock option and restricted stock awards and exclude stock-based compensation related to acquisition-related transaction and integration costs.

Professional Services Expenses

Professional services expense includes fees for consulting services received on strategic and technology initiatives, temporary labor, as well as regulatory, legal and accounting fees, and may fluctuate as a result of changes in our use of these services in our business.

Professional services expenses decreased $8 million in 2023 from 2022 primarily due to lower consulting expenses related to bringing certain mortgage technology-related costs in-house, partially offset by higher legal expenses primarily related to the Black Knight acquisition.

Acquisition-Related Transaction and Integration Costs

In 2023, we incurred $269 million in acquisition-related transaction and integration costs primarily due to legal, consulting and integration expenses related to our acquisition and integration of Black Knight and our integration of Ellie Mae. Included in the acquisition-related transaction and integration costs was $55 million of Black Knight replacement restricted stock awards that accelerated due to the Divestitures and certain terminations.

We expect to continue to explore and pursue various potential acquisitions and other strategic opportunities to strengthen our competitive position and support our growth. As a result, we may incur acquisition-related transaction costs in future periods.

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Technology and Communication Expenses

Technology support services consist of costs for running our wholly-owned data centers, hosting costs paid to third-party data centers, and maintenance of our computer hardware and software required to support our technology and cybersecurity. These costs are driven by system capacity, functionality and redundancy requirements. Communication expenses consist of costs for network connections for our electronic platforms and telecommunications costs.

Technology and communications expense also includes fees paid for access to external market data, licensing and other fee agreement expenses. Technology and communications expenses may be impacted by growth in electronic contract volume, our capacity requirements, changes in the number of telecommunications hubs and connections with customers to access our electronic platforms directly.

Technology and communications expenses increased by $51 million in 2023 from 2022, primarily due to $40 million related to Black Knight and increased hardware and software support costs, partially offset by a decrease in license expense.

Rent and Occupancy Expenses

Rent and occupancy expense relates to leased and owned property and includes rent, maintenance, real estate taxes, utilities and other related costs. We have significant operations located in the U.S., U.K., and India, with smaller offices located throughout the world.

Rent and occupancy expenses increased $9 million in 2023 from 2022, primarily due to $5 million related to Black Knight and other increases in rent and utility costs. See Item 2 “- Properties” above for additional information regarding our leased and owned property.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses include marketing, advertising, public relations, insurance, bank service charges, dues and subscriptions, travel and entertainment, non-income taxes and other general and administrative costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $40 million in 2023 from 2022, primarily due to $8 million attributable to Black Knight, payments of claims made following a NYSE system outage that occurred in January 2023, accruals for regulatory matters, an increase in travel and entertainment expenses and increased bad debt expense.

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses

Depreciation and amortization expense results from depreciation of long-lived assets such as buildings, leasehold improvements, aircraft, hardware and networking equipment, software, furniture, fixtures and equipment over their estimated useful lives. This expense includes amortization of intangible assets obtained in our acquisitions of businesses, as well as on various licensing agreements, over their estimated useful lives. Intangible assets subject to amortization consist primarily of customer relationships, trading products with finite lives and technology. This expense also includes amortization of internally-developed and purchased software over its estimated useful life.

We recorded amortization expenses on intangible assets acquired as part of our acquisitions, as well as on other intangible assets, of $749 million and $610 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. During 2023, $141 million in amortization expense was related to intangible assets acquired in connection with our Black Knight acquisition.

We recorded depreciation expenses on our fixed assets of $466 million and $421 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The increase in 2023 over 2022 was primarily due to an increase in internally developed software assets in our Mortgage Technology segment.

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Consolidated Non-Operating Income/(Expense)

Income and expenses incurred through activities outside of our core operations are considered non-operating. The following tables present our non-operating income/(expenses) (dollars in millions):

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20232022Change20222021Change*
Other income/(expense):
Interest income$319$108195%$108$1n/a
Interest expense(808)(616)31(616)(423)46
Other income/(expense), net(311)(1,322)(76)(1,322)2,671n/a
Total other income/(expense), net$(800)$(1,830)(56)%$(1,830)$2,249n/a
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest$(70)$(52)35%$(52)$(11)383%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

Interest Income

Interest income increased in 2023 from 2022 primarily due to an increase in short-term interest rates combined with larger investment balances. Interest income primarily represents interest earned on our short-term investments, and in 2023 and 2022 included $213 million and $83 million, respectively, in interest income recognized in connection with the short-term investments related to both the $5 billion of the Notes (as defined in "Liquidity and Capital Resources— Debt") issued and the operating cash accumulated for the Black Knight acquisition. In addition, our clearing houses also earned interest income of $88 million in 2023 and $22 million in 2022. The remainder primarily relates to interest earned on various unrestricted and restricted cash balances held within our group entities.

Interest Expense

Interest expense on our outstanding debt increased $192 million in 2023 driven primarily by the debt raised to fund the Black Knight acquisition. Interest expense on the $5 billion of Senior Notes issued in May 2022 to partially fund the Black Knight acquisition resulted in an incremental increase in interest expense of $87 million. In addition, in 2023 we incurred interest expense of $88 million on borrowings under our Term Loan facility and issuances under our Commercial Paper Program (each as defined in "Liquidity and Capital Resources—Debt"), both of which partially funded the Black Knight acquisition. We also assumed a $1 billion Senior Note in connection with our Black Knight acquisition which resulted in $17 million of interest expense during 2023. See “— Debt” below.

Other income/(expense), net

Our equity method investments include OCC and Bakkt, among others. We recognized losses of $122 million and $1.3 billion during 2023 and 2022, respectively, of our share of estimated equity method investment losses, net, and impairment charges, which are included in other income/(expense), net. The estimated losses and impairment during 2023 and 2022 are primarily related to our investment in Bakkt. These are partially offset by the estimated profits related to our investment in OCC. Both 2023 and 2022 include adjustments to reflect the difference between reported prior period actual results from our original estimates.

In 2022, after recording our share of Bakkt's equity method losses, which included Bakkt's impairment charge, we recorded an impairment charge on our investment in Bakkt to its fair value as other expense. This was based on what we consider to be an other-than-temporary decline in fair value as a result of several factors, including consideration of the impairment charge recorded by Bakkt (see Notes 3 and 4 to our consolidated financial statements).

In connection with our acquisition of Black Knight, we acquired an investment in Dun & Bradstreet, which we classified as an equity investment. Subsequent to the Black Knight acquisition and prior to December 31, 2023, we sold the entire investment for a total of $187 million and realized a total loss of $3 million on the sales, net of dividends received, which is included in other income/(expense), net in 2023.

In connection with our sale of Black Knight’s Optimal Blue and Empower LOS businesses we received a Promissory Note as part of the sale proceeds that was originally valued at $235 million on the Divestiture Date. As we elected the fair value option for the Promissory Note, we are required to mark the asset to fair value each reporting period. For subsequent measurement as of December 31, 2023, we wrote down the value of the Promissory Note, resulting in a fair value loss of $160 million, which is included in other income/(expense), net in 2023.

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During 2023, we recorded an impairment related to our CAT loan receivable of $16 million. During 2022, we recorded a $9 million accrual for legal settlements.

We completed the sale of our Euroclear stake on May 20, 2022. The carrying value of our investment was $700 million at the time of the sale. We recorded a net gain of $41 million on the sale, which was included in other income during 2022. We did not receive a Euroclear dividend during the 2022 prior to the sale of our investment.

We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $12 million and $9 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. This was primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are recorded in other income/(expense), net, when the settlement of foreign currency assets, liabilities and payables occur in non-functional currencies and there is an increase or decrease in the period-end foreign currency exchange rates between periods. See Item 7A “- Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk -Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk” included elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information on these items.

In connection with Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2017-07, Compensation Retirement Benefits: Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, or ASU 2017-07, we are recognizing the other components of net benefit cost of our defined benefit plans in the income statement as non-operating income on a full retrospective basis. The combined net periodic expense/(benefit) of these plans was ($2 million) and $2 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively.

Non-controlling Interest

For consolidated subsidiaries in which our ownership is less than 100%, and for which we have control over the assets, liabilities and management of the entity, the outside stockholders’ interests are shown as non-controlling interests. As of December 31, 2023, our non-controlling interests include those related to the non-ICE limited partners' interest in our CDS clearing subsidiaries and non-controlling interest in ICE Futures Abu Dhabi.

Consolidated Income Tax Provision

Consolidated income tax expense was $456 million and $310 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The change in consolidated income tax expense between years is primarily due to the tax impact of changes in our pre-tax income and the changes in our effective tax rate.

Our effective tax rate was 16% and 17% in 2023 and 2022, respectively. The 16% effective tax rate for the current year was below the statutory U.S. federal corporate income tax rate primarily driven by the following factors: favorable audit settlements for historical years, favorable state apportionment changes and the application of the high-tax exception to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income. These 2023 tax benefits were partially offset by the impact of the U.K. corporate income tax increase from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023 and the tax impact of certain non-deductible Black Knight acquisition costs. In conjunction with the increase in the U.K. corporate income tax rate in 2023, we intend to elect the high-tax exception to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income in 2023 in our federal income tax return to be filed in 2024. Our 2023 tax provision includes the impacts of this election. The 17% effective tax rate for 2022 was below the statutory U.S. federal corporate income tax rate as well, primarily driven by the deferred income tax benefit from the impairment to our equity investment in Bakkt in 2022.

The OECD Global Anti-Base Erosion Pillar Two minimum tax rules, or Pillar Two, which generally provide for a minimum effective tax rate of 15%, are intended to apply to tax years beginning in 2024. The EU member states and many other countries, including the U.K., our most significant non-US jurisdiction, have committed to implement or have already enacted legislation adopting the Pillar Two rules. In July 2023, the U.K. enacted the U.K. Finance Act 2023, effective as of January 1, 2024, which included provisions to implement certain portions of the OECD Global Anti-Base Erosion Pillar Two minimum tax rules and included an election to apply a transitional safe harbor to extend certain effective dates to accounting periods ending on or before June 30, 2028. These new U.K. Pillar Two rules did not have a material impact on our income tax provision as of December 31, 2023.

See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements and related notes, which are included in this Annual Report, for additional information on these tax items.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Below are charts that reflect our outstanding debt and capital allocation. The acquisition and integration costs in the chart below include cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired and cash received for divestitures, cash paid for equity and equity method investments, and acquisition-related transaction and integration costs, in each year.

(1) 2021, 2022, and 2023 acquisition and integration costs, net of divestitures excludes $1.2 billion, $741 million, and $187 million of proceeds from sales of our Coinbase, Euroclear, and Dun & Bradstreet investments, respectively.

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We have financed our operations, growth and cash needs primarily through income from operations and borrowings under our various debt facilities. Our principal capital requirements have been to fund capital expenditures, working capital, strategic acquisitions and investments, stock repurchases, dividends and the development of our technology platforms. We believe that our cash on hand and cash flows from operations will be sufficient to repay our outstanding debt, but we may also incur additional debt or issue additional equity securities in the future to satisfy our liquidity needs. See “- Future Capital Requirements” below.

See “- Cash Flow” below for a discussion of our capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs.

Consolidated cash and cash equivalents were $899 million and $1.8 billion as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We had $871 million and $6.6 billion in short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. We had $680 million in restricted short-term investments as of December 31, 2023. We had $79.0 billion and $142.0 billion of cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively.

As of December 31, 2023, the amount of unrestricted cash held by our non-U.S. subsidiaries was $374 million. Due to the application of Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income as of January 1, 2018, the majority of our foreign earnings for the period January 1, 2018 through December 31, 2022 have been subject to immediate U.S. income taxation, and can be distributed to the U.S. in the future with no material additional U.S. income tax consequences. We intend to apply the high tax exception to Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income in 2023, and thus the majority of our foreign earnings in the current year are not expected to be subject to immediate U.S. income taxation. However, these foreign earnings can also generally be distributed to the U.S. with no additional U.S. income tax consequences.

Our cash and cash equivalents and financial investments are managed as a global treasury portfolio of non-speculative financial instruments that are readily convertible into cash, such as overnight deposits, term deposits, money market funds, mutual funds for treasury investments, short duration fixed income investments and other money market instruments, thus ensuring high liquidity of financial assets. We may invest a portion of our cash in excess of short-term operating needs in investment-grade marketable debt securities, including government or government-sponsored agencies and corporate debt securities.

Cash Flow

The following table presents the major components of net changes in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents (in millions):

Year Ended December 31,
202320222021
Net cash provided by/(used in):
Operating activities$3,542$3,554$3,123
Investing activities(8,797)677(786)
Financing activities(64,345)(1,841)62,026
Effect of exchange rate changes7(23)(6)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents, and cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds$(69,593)$2,367$64,357

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities primarily consists of net income adjusted for certain items, including depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes, stock-based compensation and the effects of changes in working capital. Net cash provided by operating activities was substantially similar in 2023 and 2022. Net cash provided by operating activities in 2023 is primarily related to $2.4 billion of net income, $1.5 billion of non cash adjustments to net income including $1.2 billion of depreciation and amortization, $257 million of stock-based compensation, $122 million of net losses from our equity method investments, $160 million of the fair value loss on the Promissory Note, offset by $329 million of deferred tax benefit for the year. This was also offset by $389 million of cash used in operating activities related to changes in working capital.

Net cash provided by operating activities in 2022 is primarily related to $1.5 billion of net income, $1.9 billion of non cash adjustments to net income including $1.0 billion of depreciation and amortization, $155 million of stock-based compensation, $1.3 billion of net losses from our equity method investments, offset by $593 million of deferred tax benefit for the year. In addition, there was also $123 million of cash provided by operating activities related to changes in working capital.

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Investing Activities

Consolidated net cash used in investing activities in 2023 primarily relates to $10.2 billion paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, $1.6 billion of purchases of invested margin deposits, $1.3 billion for purchases of restricted investments primarily related to debt securities purchased by certain clearing houses for purposes of meeting regulatory capital requirements, $190 million of capitalized expenditures, and $299 million of software development costs, partially offset by $4.0 billion of proceeds from the sale of invested margin deposits, $641 million of proceeds from restricted investments related to the debt securities mentioned above, and $187 million of net proceeds from the sale of certain equity investments.

Consolidated net cash provided by investing activities in 2022 primarily relates to $7.5 billion of proceeds from the sale of invested margin deposits and $741 million in proceeds from the sale of our Euroclear investment, partially offset by $6.9 billion purchases of invested margin deposits, $225 million of capitalized expenditures, $257 million of capitalized software development costs, $73 million for the purchases of investments and $59 million cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired.

The capital expenditures primarily relate to hardware and software purchases to continue the development and expansion of our electronic platforms, data services and clearing houses and leasehold improvements. The software development expenditures primarily relate to the development and expansion of our electronic trading platforms, data services, mortgage services and clearing houses.

Financing Activities

Consolidated net cash used in financing activities in 2023 primarily relates to a $65.4 billion decrease in our cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty fund liability balances due to lower commodity prices and reduced volatility, $2.3 billion repayments of debt, $955 million in dividend payments to our stockholders and $78 million in cash payments related to treasury shares received for restricted stock tax payments and stock options exercises, partially offset by $2.0 billion in proceeds from net issuances under our Commercial Paper Program and $2.4 billion in net proceeds from our debt offerings.

Consolidated net cash used in financing activities in 2022 primarily relates to a $4.5 billion change in our cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty fund liability balances, $2.7 billion in repayments of debt, $1.0 billion in net repayments under our Commercial Paper Program, $632 million in repurchases of common stock, $853 million in dividend payments to our stockholders and $73 million in cash payments related to treasury shares received for restricted stock tax payments and stock options exercises, partially offset by $7.9 billion in net proceeds from our debt offerings.

Debt

As of December 31, 2023, we had $22.6 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $19.0 billion of senior notes, $2.0 billion under our Commercial Paper Program and $1.6 billion under our Term Loan. As of December 31, 2023, our senior notes of $19.0 billion had a weighted average maturity of 15 years and a weighted average cost of 3.6% per annum. This included the $1.0 billion principal amount of Black Knight InfoServ LLC's 3.625% senior notes due 2028, or the Black Knight Notes, that became part of ICE's consolidated long-term debt on the acquisition date of September 5, 2023 and remained outstanding as of December 31, 2023. Our Commercial Paper notes had original maturities of 4 to 45 days, with a weighted average interest rate of 5.70% per annum and a weighted average maturity of 32 days. Our Term Loan has a maturity date of August 31, 2025 and bears interest at a rate of 6.3% as of December 31, 2023.

As of December 31, 2022, we had $18.1 billion in outstanding debt, all of which related to our senior notes. We also had $4.0 million outstanding under credit lines at our ICE India subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2022, our senior notes had a weighted average maturity of 16 years and a weighted average cost of 3.6% per annum. We did not have any commercial paper notes or Term Loan balances outstanding as of December 31, 2022.

We have a $3.9 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility, or the Credit Facility, with a maturity date of May 25, 2027. As of December 31, 2023, of the $3.9 billion that was available for borrowing under the Credit Facility, $2.0 billion was required to backstop the amount outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program and $172 million was required to support certain broker-dealer and other subsidiary commitments. Amounts required to backstop notes outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program will fluctuate as we increase or decrease our commercial paper borrowings. The remaining $1.8 billion is available for working capital and general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, acting as a backstop to future increases in the amounts outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program.

On May 23, 2022, we issued $8.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of new senior notes, comprised of the following:

•$1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 3.65% senior notes due in 2025, or the 2025 Notes;

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•$1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.00% senior notes due in 2027, or the 2027 Notes;

•$1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.35% senior notes due in 2029, or the 2029 Notes;

•$1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.60% senior notes due in 2033, or the 2033 Notes;

•$1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.95% senior notes due in 2052, or the 2052 Notes; and

•$1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of 5.20% senior notes due in 2062, or the 2062 Notes.

We used the net proceeds of our senior notes due in 2025, 2027, 2029 and 2062, or collectively, the Notes, together with the issuance of commercial paper, cash on hand and borrowings under the Term Loan, to finance the cash portion of the purchase price for Black Knight. For additional information regarding this transaction, refer to Note 3 to our consolidated unaudited financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

We used the $3.0 billion of net proceeds from the offering of the 2033 Notes and the 2052 Notes to redeem $2.7 billion aggregate principal amount of four series of senior notes that would have matured in 2022 and 2023. The balance of the net proceeds was used for general corporate purposes, which included paying down a portion of the amounts outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program. We recorded $30 million in costs associated with the extinguishment and re-financing of our existing debt in connection with our May 2022 debt refinancing. These costs are included in interest expense in our consolidated statements of income for 2022. For additional information regarding this transaction, refer to Note 3 to our consolidated unaudited financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

In November 2023, we commenced a private exchange offer and related consent solicitation with respect to the outstanding Black Knight Notes, pursuant to which we offered to issue, in a private offering to eligible holders, new notes in exchange for any and all of the Black Knight Notes held by eligible holders. We also solicited consents from eligible holders to amend the Black Knight Notes and the related indenture under which they were issued to eliminate certain of the covenants, restrictive provisions and events of default from such indenture. The private exchange offer and related consent solicitation expired in December 2023 as the condition that ICE receive the consents of the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Black Knight Notes to adopt certain proposed amendments to the Black Knight Notes and the related indenture under which they were issued was not satisfied. In the future, we may consider alternatives to restructure the Black Knight Notes, which may include one or more consent solicitations and private exchange offers with eligible holders. However, we are not required to restructure the Black Knight Notes and may or may not pursue any alternatives to do so. Any such transaction will only be made in compliance with applicable laws.

On May 25, 2022, we entered into a $2.4 billion two-year senior unsecured delayed draw term loan facility, or the Term Loan. We drew down on the Term Loan in full on August 31, 2023 in connection with the closing of the Black Knight acquisition. On both September 29, 2023 and December 29, 2023, we repaid $400 million, reducing the principal outstanding balance at December 31, 2023, to $1.6 billion. Draws under the Term Loan bear interest on the principal amount outstanding at Term SOFR plus an applicable margin, currently 5.46%, plus a credit spread adjustment. The proceeds from borrowings under the Term Loan were used to fund a portion of the purchase price for the Black Knight acquisition. We have the option to prepay outstanding amounts under the Term Loan in whole or in part at any time.

Our Commercial Paper Program enables us to borrow efficiently at reasonable short-term interest rates and provides us with the flexibility to de-lever using our strong annual cash flows from operating activities whenever our leverage becomes elevated as a result of investment or acquisition activities.

Upon maturity of our commercial paper and to the extent old issuances are not repaid by cash on hand, we are exposed to the rollover risk of not being able to issue new commercial paper. To mitigate this risk, we maintain the Credit Facility for an aggregate amount which meets or exceeds the amount issued under our Commercial Paper Program at any time. If we were not able to issue new commercial paper, we have the option of drawing on the backstop revolving facility. However, electing to do so would result in higher interest expense.

For additional details of our debt instruments, refer to Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

Capital Return

In December 2021, our Board approved an aggregate of $3.15 billion for future repurchases of our common stock with no fixed expiration date that became effective January 1, 2022. The approval of our Board for stock repurchases does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of our common stock. In addition, our Board may increase or decrease the amount available for repurchases from time to time.

We did not have any share repurchases in 2023. During 2022, we repurchased 5.0 million shares of our outstanding common stock at a cost of $632 million, including 4.6 million shares at a cost of $582 million under our Rule 10b5-1

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trading plan and 0.4 million shares at a cost of $50 million on the open market. Open market repurchases are only made during an open trading period and all shares repurchased are held in treasury stock.

We discontinued stock repurchases and terminated our Rule 10b5-1 trading plan in August 2020 in connection with our Ellie Mae acquisition and in November 2021, we resumed repurchases. In December 2021, we entered into a new Rule 10b5-1 trading plan that became effective in February 2022. In connection with our acquisition of Black Knight, on May 4, 2022, we terminated our Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and suspended share repurchases. The remaining balance of Board approved funds for future repurchases as of December 31, 2023 was $2.5 billion.

From time to time, we enter into Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, as authorized by our Board, to govern some or all of the repurchases of our shares of common stock. We may discontinue stock repurchases at any time and may amend or terminate a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan at any time, subject to applicable rules. We expect funding for any stock repurchases to come from our operating cash flow or borrowings under our Commercial Paper Program or our debt facilities. The timing and extent of future repurchases that are not made pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan will be at our discretion and will depend upon many conditions. In making a determination regarding any stock repurchases, management considers multiple factors, including overall stock market conditions, our common stock price performance, the remaining amount authorized for repurchases by our Board, the potential impact of a stock repurchase program on our corporate debt ratings, our expected free cash flow and working capital needs, our current and future planned strategic growth initiatives, and other potential uses of our cash and capital resources.

During 2023, we paid cash dividends of $1.68 per share of our common stock in the aggregate, including quarterly dividends of $0.42 per share, for an aggregate payout of $955 million, which includes the payment of dividend equivalents on unvested employee restricted stock units. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report, for details on the amounts of our quarterly dividend payouts for the last three years.

Future Capital Requirements

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the rate of growth across our segments, strategic plans and acquisitions, available sources for financing activities, required and discretionary technology and clearing initiatives, regulatory requirements, the timing and introduction of new products and enhancements to existing products, the geographic mix of our business and potential stock repurchases.

We currently expect to incur capital expenditures (including operational and real estate capital expenditures) and to incur software development costs that are eligible for capitalization ranging in the aggregate between $600 million and $650 million in 2024, which we believe will support the enhancement of our technology, business integration and the continued growth of our businesses.

As of December 31, 2023, we had $2.5 billion authorized for future repurchases of our common stock. We may resume repurchases of our common stock subject to achieving certain debt leverage ratio targets. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional details on our stock repurchase program.

Our Board has adopted a quarterly dividend policy providing that dividends will be approved quarterly by the Board or the Audit Committee taking into account factors such as our evolving business model, prevailing business conditions, our current and future planned strategic growth initiatives and our financial results and capital requirements, without a predetermined net income payout ratio. On February 8, 2024, we announced a $0.45 per share dividend for the first quarter of 2024 payable on March 29, 2024 to stockholders of record as of March 15, 2024.

Other than the facilities for the ICE Clearing Houses, our Credit Facility, our Term Loan and our Commercial Paper Program are currently the only significant agreements or arrangements that we have for liquidity and capital resources with third parties. See Notes 10 and 14 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion. In the event of any strategic acquisitions, mergers or investments, or if we are required to raise capital for any reason or desire to return capital to our stockholders, we may incur additional debt, issue additional equity to raise necessary funds, repurchase additional shares of our common stock or pay a dividend. However, we cannot provide assurance that such financing or transactions will be available or successful, or that the terms of such financing or transactions will be favorable to us. See “-Risk Factors" and Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

Non-GAAP Measures

We use certain financial measures internally to evaluate our performance and make financial and operational decisions that are presented in a manner that adjusts from their equivalent GAAP measures or that supplement the information provided by our GAAP measures. We use these adjusted results because we believe they more clearly highlight trends in

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our business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on GAAP financial measures, since these measures eliminate from our results specific financial items that have less bearing on our core operating performance.

We use these measures in communicating certain aspects of our results and performance, including in this Annual Report, and believe that these measures, when viewed in conjunction with our GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliation, can provide investors with greater transparency and a greater understanding of factors affecting our financial condition and results of operations than GAAP measures alone. In addition, we believe the presentation of these measures is useful to investors for making period-to-period comparisons of results because the adjustments to GAAP are not reflective of our core business performance.

These financial measures are not presented in accordance with, or as an alternative to, GAAP financial measures and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. We encourage investors to review the GAAP financial measures included in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements, to aid in their analysis and understanding of our performance and in making comparisons.

The table below outlines our adjusted operating expenses, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income attributable to ICE common stockholders and adjusted diluted earnings per share, which are non-GAAP measures that are calculated by making adjustments for items we view as not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. These measures, including the adjustments and their related income tax effect and other tax adjustments (in millions, except for percentages and per share amounts), are as follows:

Exchanges SegmentFixed Income and Data Services SegmentMortgage Technology SegmentConsolidated
Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
Operating income adjustments:202320222021202320222021202320222021202320222021
Total revenues, less transaction-based expenses$4,440$4,071$3,856$2,231$2,092$1,883$1,317$1,129$1,407$7,988$7,292$7,146
Operating expenses1,2811,2091,3331,4201,3731,3541,5931,0721,0104,2943,6543,697
Less: Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles656773168180180515363369748610622
Less: Transaction and integration costs5926991392699198
Less: Other1717
Adjusted operating expenses$1,199$1,142$1,201$1,252$1,193$1,174$809$618$602$3,260$2,953$2,977
Operating income/(loss)$3,159$2,862$2,523$811$719$529$(276)$57$397$3,694$3,638$3,449
Adjusted operating income$3,241$2,929$2,655$979$899$709$508$511$805$4,728$4,339$4,169
Operating margin71%70%65%36%34%28%(21)%5%28%46%50%48%
Adjusted operating margin73%72%69%44%43%38%39%45%57%59%59%58%
Non-operating income adjustments:
Net income attributable to ICE common stockholders$2,368$1,446$4,058
Add: Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles748610622
Add: Transaction and integration costs2699198
Less: Gain on sale and fair value adjustment of equity investments and dividends received, net(41)(1,321)
Less: Gain on deconsolidation of Bakkt(1,419)
Add: Net losses from and impairment of unconsolidated investees1221,34042
Add/(Less): Net interest (income)/expense on pre-acquisition-related debt and debt extinguishment(12)894
Add: Other19699
Add/(Less): Net income tax effect for the above items and deferred tax adjustments(309)(579)587
Add/(Less): Deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles(126)9183
Less: Other tax adjustments$(79)$$
Adjusted net income attributable to ICE common stockholders$3,177$2,974$2,863
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$4.19$2.58$7.18
Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$5.62$5.30$5.06
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding565561565

Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles are included in non-GAAP adjustments as excluding these non-cash expenses provides greater clarity regarding our financial strength and stability of cash operating results.

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Transaction and integration costs are included as part of our core business expenses, except for those that are directly related to the announcement, closing, financing or termination of a transaction. However, we adjust for the acquisition-related transaction and integration costs relating to acquisitions such as Black Knight and Ellie Mae given the magnitude of the $11.8 and $11.4 billion, respectively, purchase prices of the acquisitions. We also adjusted for the acquisition-related transaction costs related to the merger of Bakkt and VIH in 2021 due to the significance of the transaction.

We adjust for gains and losses on investment transactions and changes in the fair value of our investments. Our investments are not considered to be a part of our core business operations and the impacts of changes in our investments are often non-cash in nature.

The following non-GAAP adjustments are reported in the table above related to investments:

•During 2023, we excluded the combined realized loss of $3 million related to our sales of the Dun & Bradstreet investment, net of dividends;

•During 2022, we excluded the $41 million gain on the sale of our Euroclear investment;

•During 2021, we excluded a $34 million fair value gain on our Euroclear equity investment and Euroclear dividends received of $60 million;

•In 2021, we excluded the $1.4 billion gain on the deconsolidation of Bakkt and the $1.2 billion gain on the sale of our Coinbase equity investment.

Similarly, and as included in the table above, we adjust for our share of net income/(losses) and impairment charges related to our equity method investments, which primarily include OCC and Bakkt. Our share of 2021 net losses from unconsolidated investees includes the period from the Bakkt merger on October 15, 2021 through December 31, 2021. In 2023, our share of total Bakkt net losses was $135 million and our share of OCC net income was $16 million. During 2022, after recording our share of Bakkt's equity method losses, which included an impairment charge recorded by Bakkt, we recorded an impairment in our investment in Bakkt to its fair value as other expense. In 2022, the total Bakkt net losses and impairment was $1.4 billion and our share of OCC net income was $15 million. In 2021, our share of Bakkt losses was $92 million and our share of OCC income was $51 million. We believe these adjustments provide greater clarity of our performance given that equity method investments are non-cash and not a part of our core operations.

We adjust for certain items related to our debt. Certain debt activities, such as the early termination of notes, pre-acquisition interest and expense and accelerated amortization of debt costs are not considered to be a part of our core business operations and the impacts of changes in our investments are often non-cash in nature. The following non-GAAP adjustments are reported in the table above related to our debt:

•In 2023, we excluded $170 million of interest income earned on investments from the pre-acquisition debt proceeds. This adjustment was net of $158 million of interest expense on pre-acquisition-related debt from our May 2022 debt refinancing related to the Black Knight acquisition.

•In 2022, we excluded $59 million of net interest expense on pre-acquisition-related debt from our May 2022 debt refinancing related to the Black Knight acquisition. This adjustment was net of interest income earnings on investments from the pre-acquisition debt proceeds.

•In 2022, we adjusted for costs of $30 million associated with the May and June 2022 extinguishment of four series of senior notes that would have matured in 2022 and 2023 using proceeds from our May 2022 issuance of new senior notes.

•In 2021, we adjusted for the acceleration of unamortized costs of $4 million related to the September 2021 early redemption of our Floating Rate Notes.

Other adjustments not considered to be a part of our core business operations include:

•We adjust for the 2023 fair value loss of $160 million related to the Black Knight Promissory Note as this not believed to be part of our core operations.

•A $6 million expense for claims made following a NYSE system outage that occurred in January 2023;

•2023 accruals related to regulatory matters of $11 million;

•The 2023 impairment related to our CAT loan receivable of $16 million. The CAT was approved by the SEC in 2016 to improve regulators’ ability to monitor trading activity;

•A 2022 accrual related to legal and regulatory matters; and

•In 2021 we excluded a gain of $7 million related to the settlement of an acquisition-related indemnification claim and $16 million related to a legal settlement.

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Non-GAAP tax adjustments include the tax impacts of the pre-tax non-GAAP adjustments, deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles and other tax adjustments. Other tax adjustments of $79 million in 2023 are primarily related to audit settlements for pre-acquisition tax matters as well as state apportionment changes in prior years. Deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles include the impact of tax law changes and apportionment updates resulting in deferred tax (benefit)/expense of ($126 million), $9 million and $183 million in 2023, 2022 and 2021, respectively, related to the following:

•Deferred tax adjustments in in 2023 and 2022 related primarily to U.S. state apportionment changes; and

•Deferred tax adjustments in 2021 related primarily to the U.K. tax law changes enacted in June 2021, which increased the U.K. corporate income tax rate from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023.

•Other tax adjustments in 2023 are primarily related to audit settlements for pre-acquisition tax matters as well as state apportionment charges in prior years.

For additional information on these items, refer to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report and “- Recent Developments,” “- Consolidated Operating Expenses”, “- Consolidated Non-Operating Income/(Expense)” and “-Consolidated Income Tax Provision” above.

Non-GAAP Liquidity Measures

We consider free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow to be non-GAAP liquidity measures that provide useful information to management and investors to analyze cash resources generated from our operations. We believe that free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow are useful as the bases for comparing our performance with our competitors and demonstrate our ability to convert the reinvestment of capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs required to maintain and grow our business, as well as adjust for timing differences related to the payment of Section 31 fees. These non-GAAP liquidity measures are not presented in accordance with, or as an alternative to, GAAP liquidity measures and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. Free cash flow and adjusted free cash flow, including the related adjustments are as follows (in millions):

Year Ended December 31,
202320222021
Net cash provided by operating activities$3,542$3,554$3,123
Less: Capital expenditures(190)(225)(179)
Less: Capitalized software development costs(299)(257)(273)
Free cash flow3,0533,0722,671
Add/(less): Section 31 fees, net144(166)150
Adjusted free cash flow$3,197$2,906$2,821

For additional information on these items, refer to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report and “—Consolidated Operating Expenses” above.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As described in Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report, certain clearing house collateral is reported off-balance sheet. We do not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities.

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Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

We intend to fund our contractual obligations and commercial commitments from existing cash and cash flow from operations. As of December 31, 2023, our primary cash requirements include the following contractual and other obligations.

As of December 31, 2023, we had $22.6 billion in outstanding debt, including $2.0 billion of short-term debt. Our outstanding debt consists of $19.0 billion of fixed rate senior notes, $1.6 billion under our Term Loan and $2.0 billion in commercial paper.

Our operating leases primarily relate to our leased office space and data center facilities, and as of December 31, 2023, we had fixed lease payment obligations of $442 million, with $73 million payable within one-year.

We have other purchase obligations to purchase various goods and services that we believe are enforceable and legally binding.

In addition, we have $80.8 billion in cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts payable and unsettled variation margin. Clearing members of our clearing houses are required to deposit original margin and variation margin and to make deposits to a guaranty fund. The cash and cash equivalent deposits made to these margin accounts and to the guaranty fund are recorded in the consolidated balance sheets as current assets with corresponding current liabilities to the clearing members that deposited them. ICE NGX administers the physical delivery of energy trading contracts. It has an equal and offsetting claim to and from its respective participants on opposite sides of the physically-settled contract, each of which is reflected as a delivery contract receivable with an offsetting delivery contract payable. See Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional information on our clearing houses and the margin deposits, guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts payable and unsettled variation margin.

We also have unrecognized tax benefits, or UTBs. As of December 31, 2023, our cumulative UTBs were $268 million, and accrued interest and penalties related to UTBs were $32 million. We are under examination by various tax authorities. We are unable to make a reasonable estimate of the periods of cash settlement because it is not possible to reasonably predict the amount of tax, interest and penalties, if any, that might be assessed by a tax authority or the timing of an assessment or payment. It is also not possible to reasonably predict whether or not the applicable statutes of limitations might expire without us being examined by any particular tax authority. See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our UTBs.

As of December 31, 2023, we, through NYSE, have net obligations of $102 million related to our pension and other benefit programs. The date of payment under these net obligations cannot be determined. See Note 17 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our pension and other benefit programs.

In addition, the future funding of the implementation and operation of the CAT is ultimately expected to be provided by both the SROs and broker-dealers. To date, however, funding has been provided solely by the SROs, and future funding is expected to be repaid if industry member fees are approved by the SEC and subsequently collected by industry members.

New and Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for information on the new and recently adopted accounting pronouncements that are applicable to us.

Critical Accounting Policies

We have identified the policies below as critical to our business operations and the understanding of our results of operations. The impact of, and any associated risks related to, these policies on our business operations is discussed throughout “- Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” For a detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with these accounting principles requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of our financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

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We base our estimates and judgments on our historical experience and other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances when we make these estimates and judgments and re-evaluate them on a periodic basis. Based on these factors, we make estimates and judgments about, among other things, the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from market prices or other independent sources and about the recognition and characterization of our revenues and expenses. The values and results based on these estimates and judgments could differ significantly under different assumptions or conditions and could change materially in the future.

We believe that the following critical accounting policies, among others, affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements and could materially increase or decrease our reported results, assets and liabilities.

Goodwill and Other Identifiable Intangible Assets

Assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with our acquisitions are recorded at their estimated fair values. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired company over the fair value of its identifiable net assets, including identified intangible assets. We recognize specifically identifiable intangibles, such as customer relationships, trademarks, technology, trading products, data, exchange registrations, backlog, trade names and licenses when a specific right or contract is acquired. Our determination of the fair value of the intangible assets and whether or not these assets may be impaired following their acquisition requires us to apply significant judgments and make significant estimates and assumptions regarding future cash flows. If we change our strategy or if market conditions shift, our judgments and estimates may change, which may result in adjustments to recorded asset balances. Intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives whereas goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not.

In performing the allocation of the acquisitions' purchase price to assets and liabilities, we consider, among other factors, the intended use of the acquired assets, analysis of past financial performance and estimates of future performance of the acquired business. At the acquisition date, a preliminary allocation of the purchase price is recorded based upon a preliminary valuation performed with the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist. We continue to review and assess our estimates, assumptions and valuation methodologies during the measurement period provided by GAAP, which ends as soon as we receive the information about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date or we learn that more information is not obtainable, which usually does not exceed one year from the date of acquisition. Accordingly, these estimates and assumptions are subject to change, which could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Estimation uncertainty may exist due to the sensitivity of the respective fair value to underlying assumptions about the future performance of an acquired business in our discounted cash flow models. Significant assumptions typically include revenue growth rates and expense synergies that form the basis of the forecasted results and the discount rate.

Our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment annually in our fiscal fourth quarter or more frequently if conditions exist that indicate that the value may be impaired. We test our goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, and we have identified four reporting units. Our reporting units identified for our goodwill testing are the NYSE, Other Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services, and Mortgage Technology reporting units. These impairment evaluations are performed by comparing the carrying value of the goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangibles to its estimated fair value.

In accordance with ASU 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, for both goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible impairment testing, we have the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying amount. If the fair value of the goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized in earnings in an amount equal to the difference. Alternatively, we may choose to bypass the qualitative option and perform quantitative testing to determine if the fair value is less than the carrying value. For our goodwill impairment testing, we have elected to bypass the qualitative assessment and apply the quantitative approach. For our testing of indefinite-lived intangible assets, we apply qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Application of the impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units, and determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. We have historically determined the fair value of our reporting units based on various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis and a multiple of earnings approach. In assessing whether goodwill and other intangible assets are impaired, we must make estimates and assumptions regarding future cash flows, long-term growth rates of our business, operating margins, discount rates, weighted average cost of capital and other factors to determine the fair value of our assets. These estimates and assumptions require management’s judgment, and changes to these estimates and assumptions, as a result of changing economic and competitive conditions, could materially affect the

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determination of fair value and/or impairment. We considered potential indicators of impairment to goodwill and other intangible assets for each of our reporting units, which included continued global inflation concerns and changing interest rates, including their effect on our forecasts and discount rates, among other things. Other than an impairment in 2023 of certain trademark intangible assets, we did not record any impairments in 2023, 2022 or 2021 as a result of our goodwill or indefinite-lived impairment testing.

We are also required to evaluate other finite-lived intangible assets for impairment by first determining whether events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of these assets to be held and used may not be recoverable. If impairment indicators are present, then an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows produced by these long-lived assets is compared to the carrying value of those assets to determine if the asset is recoverable. If an asset is not recoverable, the loss is measured as the difference between fair value and carrying value of the impaired asset. Fair value of these assets is based on various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis, which are assessed and conducted in accordance with our internal impairment analysis policies.

Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S., U.K. and other foreign jurisdictions where we operate. The determination of our provision for income taxes and related accruals, deferred tax assets and liabilities requires the use of significant judgment, estimates, and the interpretation and application of complex tax laws. We recognize a current tax liability or tax asset for the estimated taxes payable or refundable on tax returns for the current year. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of our assets and liabilities. We establish valuation allowances if we believe that it is more likely than not that some or all of our deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using current enacted tax rates in effect for the years in which those temporary differences and carryforwards are expected to reverse.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Staff has provided additional guidance to address the accounting for the effects of the provisions related to the taxation of Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income noting that companies should make an accounting policy election to recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse in future years or to include the tax expense in the year it is incurred. We have made a policy election to recognize such taxes as current period expenses when incurred.

We do not recognize a tax benefit unless we conclude that it is more likely than not that the benefit will be sustained on audit by the taxing authority based solely on the technical merits of the associated tax position. If the recognition threshold is met, we recognize a tax benefit measured at the largest amount of the tax benefit that, in our judgment, is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized. We recognize accrued interest and penalties related to uncertain income tax positions as income tax expense in the consolidated statements of income.

We operate within multiple domestic and foreign taxing jurisdictions and are subject to audit in these jurisdictions by domestic and foreign tax authorities. These audits include questions regarding our tax filing positions, including the timing and amount of deductions taken and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. We record accruals for the estimated outcomes of these audits, and the accruals may change in the future due to new developments in each matter. At any point in time, many tax years are subject to or in the process of being audited by various taxing authorities. To the extent our estimates of settlements change or the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts recorded, such differences will impact the income tax provision in the period in which such determinations are made. Our income tax expense includes changes in our estimated liability for exposures associated with our various tax filing positions. Determining the income tax expense for these potential assessments requires management to make assumptions that are subject to factors such as proposed assessments by tax authorities, changes in facts and circumstances, issuance of new regulations, and resolution of tax audits.

We believe the judgments and estimates discussed above are reasonable. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.

ITEM 7 (A).     QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

As a result of our operating and financing activities, we are exposed to market risks such as interest rate risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk and credit risk. We have implemented policies and procedures designed to measure, manage, monitor and report risk exposures, which are regularly reviewed by the appropriate management and supervisory bodies.

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Interest Rate Risk

We have exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relating to our cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments and indebtedness. As of December 31, 2023 and 2022, our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents and investments were $2.5 billion and $8.4 billion, respectively, of which $270 million and $346 million, respectively, were denominated in pounds sterling, euros or Canadian dollars, and the remaining amounts are denominated in U.S. dollars. We do not use our investment portfolio for trading or other speculative purposes. A hypothetical 50% decrease in short-term interest rates would decrease our annual pre-tax earnings by $15 million as of December 31, 2023, assuming no change in the amount or composition of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents.

As of December 31, 2023, we had $22.6 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $19.0 billion related to our senior notes, $1.6 billion under our term loan and $2.0 billion in commercial paper. See Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Debt," and Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

The interest rates on our Commercial Paper Program are currently evaluated based upon current maturities and market conditions. The weighted average interest rate on notes outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program was 5.70% as of December 31, 2023, and we did not have any notes outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program as of December 31, 2022. The effective interest rate of issuances under our Commercial Paper Program will continue to fluctuate based on the movement in short-term interest rates along with shifts in supply and demand within the commercial paper market.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk

As an international business, we are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk. We may experience gains or losses from foreign currency transactions in the future given that a significant part of our assets and liabilities are recorded in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars or euros, and a significant portion of our revenues and expenses are recorded in pounds sterling or euros. Certain assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of foreign subsidiaries are denominated in the local functional currency of such subsidiaries. Our exposure to foreign denominated earnings in 2023 and 2022 is presented by primary foreign currency in the following table (dollars in millions, except exchange rates):

Year Ended December 31, 2023Year Ended December 31, 2022
Pound SterlingEuroPound SterlingEuro
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the current year$1.2438$1.0817$1.2376$1.0540
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the prior year$1.2376$1.0540$1.3762$1.1835
Average exchange rate increase/(decrease)1%3%(10)%(11)%
Foreign denominated percentage of:
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses7%7%7%6%
Operating expenses7%2%7%2%
Operating income7%14%7%11%
Impact of the currency fluctuations (1) on:
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$1$16$(59)$(56)
Operating expenses$2$2$(30)$(8)
Operating income$(1)$14$(29)$(48)

(1)    Represents the impact of currency fluctuation for the year compared to the same period in the prior year.

We have a significant part of our assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses recorded in pounds sterling or euros. In 2023 and 2022, 14% and 13%, respectively, of our consolidated revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were denominated in pounds sterling or euros, and in both 2023 and 2022, 9% of our consolidated operating expenses were denominated in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly.

Foreign currency transaction risk related to the settlement of foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables occurs through our operations, which are received in or paid in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars, or euros, due to the increase or decrease in the foreign currency exchange rates between periods. We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $12 million and $9 million in 2023 and 2022, respectively, inclusive of the impact of foreign currency hedging transactions. The foreign currency transaction losses were primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling

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and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. A 10% adverse change in the underlying foreign currency exchange rates as of December 31, 2023, assuming no change in the composition of the foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables and assuming no hedging activity, would result in a foreign currency loss of $1 million.

We entered into foreign currency hedging transactions during 2023 and 2022 as economic hedges to help mitigate a portion of our foreign exchange risk exposure and may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future to help mitigate our foreign exchange risk exposure. Although we may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future, these hedging arrangements may not be effective, particularly in the event of imprecise forecasts of the levels of our non-U.S. denominated assets and liabilities.

We have foreign currency translation risk equal to our net investment in our foreign subsidiaries. The financial statements of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using a current rate of exchange, with gains or losses included in the cumulative translation adjustment account, a component of equity. Our exposure to the net investment in foreign currencies is presented by primary foreign currencies in the table below (in millions):

As of December 31, 2023
Position in pounds sterlingPosition in Canadian dollarsPosition in euros
Assets£741$2,635183
of which goodwill represents53939092
Liabilities1402,18754
Net currency position£601$448129
Net currency position, in $USD$765$338$143
Negative impact on consolidated equity of a 10% decrease in foreign currency exchange rates$76$34$14

Foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) within our balance sheet. See the table below for the portion of equity attributable to foreign currency translation adjustments as well as the activity by year included within our statement of other comprehensive income. The impact of the foreign currency exchange rate differences in the table below were primarily driven by fluctuations of the pound sterling as compared to the U.S. dollar which were 1.2732, 1.2093 and 1.3524 as of December 31, 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively.

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/ (Loss) from Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments (in millions)
Balance, as of January 1, 2021$(134)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss)(16)
Balance, as of December 31, 2021(150)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss)(128)
Balance, as of December 31, 2022(278)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss)48
Balance, as of December 31, 2023$(230)

The future impact on our business relating to the U.K. leaving the EU and the corresponding regulatory changes are uncertain at this time, including future impacts on currency exchange rates.

Credit Risk

We are exposed to credit risk in our operations in the event of a counterparty default. We limit our exposure to credit risk by rigorously selecting the counterparties with which we make our investments, monitoring them on an ongoing basis and executing agreements to protect our interests.

Clearing House Cash Deposit Risks

The ICE Clearing Houses hold material amounts of clearing member margin deposits which are held or invested primarily to provide security of capital while minimizing credit, market and liquidity risks. Refer to Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements for more information on the ICE Clearing Houses' cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and

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guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts receivable and unsettled variation margin which were $80.8 billion as of December 31, 2023. While we seek to achieve a reasonable rate of return which may generate interest income for our clearing members, we are primarily concerned with preservation of capital and managing the risks associated with these deposits. As the ICE Clearing Houses may pass on interest revenues (minus costs) to the clearing members, this could include negative or reduced yield due to market conditions. The following is a summary of the risks associated with these deposits and how these risks are mitigated:

•Credit Risk: When a clearing house has the ability to hold cash collateral at a central bank, the clearing house utilizes its access to the central bank system to minimize credit risk exposures. Credit risk is managed by using exposure limits depending on the credit profile of the counterparty as well as the nature and maturity of transactions. Our investment objective is to invest in securities that preserve principal while maximizing yields, without significantly increasing risk. We seek to substantially mitigate the credit risk associated with investments by placing them with governments, well-capitalized financial institutions and other creditworthy counterparties.

An ongoing review is performed to evaluate changes in the financial status of counterparties. In addition to the intrinsic creditworthiness of counterparties, our policies require diversification of counterparties (banks, financial institutions, bond issuers and funds) so as to avoid a concentration of risk.

•Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk is the risk a clearing house may not be able to meet its payment obligations in the right currency, in the right place and at the right time. To mitigate this risk, the clearing houses monitor liquidity requirements closely and maintain funds and assets in a manner which minimizes the risk of loss or delay in the access by the clearing house to such funds and assets. For example, holding funds with a central bank where possible or making only short term investments such as overnight reverse repurchase agreements serves to reduce liquidity risks.

•Interest Rate Risk: Interest rate risk is the risk that interest rates rise and cause the value of securities we hold or invest in to decline. If we were required to sell securities prior to maturity, and interest rates had risen, the sale might be made at a loss relative to the carrying value. Our clearing houses seek to manage this risk by making short term investments. For example, where possible and in accordance with regulatory requirements, the clearing houses invest cash pursuant to overnight reverse repurchase agreements or term reverse repurchase agreements with short dated maturities. In addition, the clearing house investment guidelines allow for direct purchases of high quality sovereign debt (for example, U.S. Treasury securities) and supranational debt instruments (Euro cash deposits only) with short dated maturities.

•Security Issuer Risk: Security issuer risk is the risk that an issuer of a security defaults on the payment when the security matures or debt is serviced. This risk is mitigated by limiting allowable investments under the reverse repurchase agreements to high quality sovereign or government agency debt and limiting any direct investments to high quality sovereign debt instruments.

•Investment Counterparty Risk: Investment counterparty risk is the risk that a reverse repurchase agreement counterparty might become insolvent and, thus, fail to meet its obligations to our clearing houses. We mitigate this risk by only engaging in transactions with high credit quality counterparties and by limiting the acceptable collateral to securities of high quality issuers. When engaging in reverse repurchase agreements, our clearing houses take delivery of the securities underlying the reverse repurchase arrangement in custody accounts under clearing house control. Additionally, the securities purchased subject to reverse repurchase have a market value greater than the reverse repurchase amount. Thus, in the event that a reverse repurchase counterparty defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying reverse repurchase securities, our clearing house will have possession of a security with a value potentially greater than the counterparty’s obligation.

The ICE Clearing Houses may use third-party investment advisors who make investments subject to the guidelines provided by each clearing house. Clearing house property is held in custody accounts under clearing house control with credit worthy custodians. The ICE Clearing Houses employ (or may employ) multiple investment advisors and custodians to ensure that in the event a single advisor or custodian is unable to fulfill its role, additional advisors or custodians are available as alternatives.

•Cross-Currency Margin Deposit Risk: Each of the ICE Clearing Houses may permit posting of cross-currency collateral to satisfy margin requirements (for example, accepting margin deposits denominated in U.S. dollars to secure a Euro margin obligation). The ICE Clearing Houses mitigate the risk of a currency value exposure by applying a “haircut” to the currency posted as margin at a level viewed as sufficient to provide financial protection during periods of currency volatility. Cross-currency balances are marked-to-market on a daily basis. Should the currency posted to satisfy margin requirements decline in value, the clearing member is required to increase its margin deposit on a same-day basis.

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Impact of Inflation

We have not been materially adversely affected by inflation as technological advances and competition have generally caused prices for the hardware and software that we use for our electronic platforms to remain constant. In the event of continued inflation, we believe that we will be able to pass on any price increases to our participants, as the prices that we charge are not governed by long-term contracts.

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FY 2022 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0001571949-23-000006.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2023-02-02. Report date: 2022-12-31.

ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements for many reasons. See the factors set forth under the heading “Forward Looking Statements” at the beginning of Part 1 of this Annual Report and in Item 1(A) under the heading “Risk Factors.” For discussion related to the results of operations and changes in financial condition for 2021 compared to 2020 refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 3, 2022.

Overview

We are a provider of market infrastructure, data services and technology solutions to a broad range of customers including financial institutions, corporations and government entities. These products, which span major asset classes including futures, equities, fixed income and U.S. residential mortgages, provide our customers with access to mission critical tools that are designed to increase asset class transparency and workflow efficiency. The majority of our identifiable assets are located in the U.S. and U.K. We report our results in the following three segments:

•Exchanges: We operate regulated marketplaces for the listing, trading and clearing of a broad array of derivatives contracts and financial securities.

•Fixed Income and Data Services: We provide fixed income pricing, reference data, indices, analytics and execution services as well as global CDS clearing and multi-asset class data delivery solutions.

•Mortgage Technology: We provide a technology platform that offers customers comprehensive, digital workflow tools that aim to address the inefficiencies that exist in the U.S. residential mortgage market, from application through closing and the secondary market.

Recent Developments

Pending Acquisition of Black Knight, Inc.

On May 4, 2022, we announced that we had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Black Knight, Inc., or Black Knight, a software, data and analytics company that serves the housing finance continuum, including real estate data, mortgage lending and servicing, as well as the secondary markets. Pursuant to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May 4, 2022, among ICE, Sand Merger Sub Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of ICE, or Sub, and Black Knight, which we refer to as the “merger agreement,” Sub will merge with and into Black Knight, which we refer to as the “merger,” with Black Knight surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of ICE. As of May 4, 2022, the transaction was valued at approximately $13.1 billion, or $85 per share of Black Knight common stock, with cash comprising 80% of the value of the aggregate transaction consideration and shares of our common stock comprising 20% of the value of the

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aggregate transaction consideration at that time. The aggregate cash component of the transaction consideration is fixed at $10.5 billion, and the value of the aggregate stock component of the transaction consideration will fluctuate with the market price of our common stock and will be determined based on the average of the volume weighted averages of the trading prices of our common stock on each of the ten consecutive trading days ending three trading days prior to the closing of the merger. This transaction builds on our position as a provider of electronic workflow solutions for the rapidly evolving U.S. residential mortgage industry.

Black Knight provides a comprehensive and integrated ecosystem of software, data and analytics solutions serving the real estate and housing finance markets. We believe the Black Knight ecosystem adds value for clients of all sizes across the mortgage and real estate lifecycles by helping organizations lower costs, increase efficiencies, grow their businesses, and reduce risk.

On August 19, 2022, our preliminary proxy statement/prospectus on Form S-4 was declared effective by the SEC, and on September 21, 2022, Black Knight stockholders approved the transaction. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2023 following the receipt of regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Global Market Conditions

Our results of operations are affected by global economic conditions, including macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical events or conflicts. During 2022, macroeconomic conditions, including rising interest rates, recent spikes in inflation rates and market volatility, along with geopolitical concerns, including the war in Ukraine and the sanctions and other measures that have been and continue to be imposed in response to the war, created uncertainty and volatility in the global economy and resulted in a dynamic operating environment.

Our business has been impacted positively and negatively by these global economic conditions. For instance, due to market volatility and rising interest rates, we have seen increased trading across a number of our products, such as interest rate and equity futures, credit default swaps and bonds. Conversely, increases in mortgage interest rates in 2022 have resulted in reduced consumer and investor demand for mortgages and adversely impacted the transaction-based revenues in our Mortgage Technology segment.

We have suspended all services in Russia except for limited offerings to non-sanctioned entities. From an operational perspective, our businesses, including our exchanges, clearing houses, listings venues, data services businesses and mortgage platforms, have not suffered a material negative impact as a result of these events in Ukraine and the surrounding region.

We expect the macro environment to remain dynamic in the near-term, and we continue to monitor macroeconomic conditions, including interest rates and inflation rates, as well as the uncertainty surrounding the extent and duration of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and the impact that any of the foregoing may have on the global economy and on our business.

Tax Policy Changes

In July and August 2022, the CHIPS and Science Act, or CHIPS, and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, or IRA, were signed into law. The IRA introduced a 15% corporate alternative minimum tax, or CAMT, on adjusted financial statement income for corporations with profits in excess of $1 billion, effective for tax years after December 31, 2022. While further guidance on the implementation of the CAMT is expected, we do not expect it will have a material impact to our 2023 effective tax rate. We also do not expect that CHIPS will have a material impact. The IRA also includes a stock buyback excise tax of 1% on share repurchases, which will apply to net stock buybacks after December 31, 2022. We do not expect this to have a material impact once share repurchases are resumed.

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD/G20, has proposed the introduction of a global minimum tax rate at 15%. Consultations are ongoing and while we expect increased tax compliance requirements, we do not expect a material impact to our effective tax rate given our current tax profile.

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Consolidated Financial Highlights

The following summarizes our results and significant changes in our consolidated financial performance for the periods presented (dollars in millions, except per share amounts):

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$7,292$7,1462%$7,146$6,03618%
Recurring revenues(1)$3,721$3,5096%$3,509$2,92320%
Transaction revenues, net(1)$3,571$3,637(2)%$3,637$3,11317%
Operating expenses$3,654$3,697(1)%$3,697$3,00323%
Adjusted operating expenses(2)$2,953$2,977(1)%$2,977$2,49519%
Operating income$3,638$3,4495%$3,449$3,03314%
Adjusted operating income(2)$4,339$4,1694%$4,169$3,54118%
Operating margin50%48%2 pts48%50%(2 pts)
Adjusted operating margin(2)59%58%1 pt58%59%(1 pt)
Other income/(expense), net$(1,830)$2,249n/a$2,249$(267)n/a
Income tax expense$310$1,629(81)%$1,629$658148%
Effective tax rate17%29%(12 pts)29%24%5 pts
Net income attributable to ICE$1,446$4,058(64)%$4,058$2,08994%
Adjusted net income attributable to ICE(2)$2,974$2,8634%$2,863$2,44917%
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$2.58$7.18(64)%$7.18$3.7790%
Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders(2)$5.30$5.065%$5.06$4.4115%
Cash flows from operating activities$3,554$3,12314%$3,123$2,8818%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

(1) We define recurring revenues as the portion of our revenues that are generally predictable, stable, and can be expected to occur at regular intervals in the future with a relatively high degree of certainty and visibility. We define transaction revenues as those associated with a more specific point-in-time service, such as trade execution.

(2) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. Adjusted net income attributable to ICE and adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders are presented net of taxes. These adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

•Revenues, less transaction-based expenses, increased $146 million in 2022 from 2021. The increase in revenues includes $115 million in unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from the stronger U.S. dollar in 2022 from 2021.

•Revenues, less transaction-based expenses, increased $1.1 billion in 2021 from 2020. The increase in revenues includes $44 million in favorable foreign exchange effects arising from the weaker U.S. dollar in 2021 from 2020.

•Operating expenses decreased $43 million in 2022 from 2021. The decrease in operating expenses includes $38 million in favorable foreign exchange effects arising from the stronger U.S. dollar in 2022 from 2021.

•Operating expenses increased $694 million in 2021 from 2020. The increase in operating expenses includes $22 million in unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from the weaker U.S. dollar in 2021 from 2020.

•Other income/(expense), net, in 2022 primarily includes our share of estimated equity method investment losses and an impairment charge on our investment in Bakkt to its fair value, of $1.4 billion, a net gain on the sale of our Euroclear plc, or Euroclear, stake of $41 million, interest income of $108 million and interest expense of $616 million.

•Other income/(expense), net, in 2021 primarily includes our gain on the Bakkt transaction of $1.4 billion, our gain on the sale of our Coinbase Global, Inc., or Coinbase, investment of $1.2 billion, equity earnings in OCC of $51 million, estimated equity losses in our investment in Bakkt during the post-merger period of $92 million, dividend income from Euroclear plc, or Euroclear, of $60 million, a fair value adjustment gain on our Euroclear investment of $34 million and interest expense of $423 million.

•The effective tax rate in 2022 was lower than the effective tax rate in 2021 primarily due to the deferred income tax benefit from the impairment to our equity method investment in Bakkt in the current year, and the deferred income tax expense from the U.K. tax law changes in the prior year.

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•The effective tax rate in 2021 was higher than the effective tax rate in 2020 primarily due to the deferred income tax impacts resulting from the U.K. tax law changes. In 2021, the U.K. enacted a corporate income tax rate increase from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023. In 2020, the UK enacted a corporate income tax rate increase from 17% to 19% effective April 1, 2020.

Business Environment and Market Trends

Our business environment has been characterized by:

•globalization of marketplaces, customers and competitors;

•growing customer demand for workflow efficiency and automation;

•commodity, interest rate, inflation rate and financial markets volatility and uncertainty;

•growing demand for data to inform customers' risk management and investment decisions;

•evolving, increasing and disparate regulation across multiple jurisdictions;

•price volatility increasing customers' demand for risk management services;

•increasing focus on capital and cost efficiencies;

•customers' preference to manage risk in markets demonstrating the greatest depth of liquidity and product diversity;

•the evolution of existing products and new product innovation to serve emerging customer needs and changing industry agreements;

•rising demand for speed, data, data capacity and connectivity by market participants, necessitating increased investment in technology; and

•consolidation and increasing competition among global markets for trading, clearing and listings.

Recent changes with regard to global financial reform have emphasized the importance of transparent markets, centralized clearing and access to data, all of which are important aspects of our product offering. However, some of the proposed rules have yet to be implemented and some rules that have already been partially implemented are being reconsidered. In addition, some of the global regulations have not been fully harmonized and several non-U.S. regulations are inconsistent with U.S. rules. As the evolution continues, legislative and regulatory actions may change the way we conduct our business and may create uncertainty for market participants, which could affect trading volumes or demand for market data. As a result, it is difficult to predict all of the effects that the legislation and its implementing regulations will have on us. As discussed more fully in Item 1 “- Business - Regulation” included in this Annual Report, Brexit, MiFID II and other regulations have resulted in operational, regulatory and/or business risk.

We have diversified our business so that we are not dependent on volatility or transaction activity in any one asset class. In addition, we have increased our portion of recurring revenues from 34% in 2014 to 51% in 2022. These recurring revenues include data services, listings and various mortgage technology solutions.

Many of the data products we sell and services we provide are required for our clients’ business operations regardless of market volatility or shifts in business profitability levels. We anticipate that there will continue to be growth in the financial information services sector driven by a number of global trends, including the following:

•increasing global regulatory demands;

•greater use of fair value accounting standards and reliance on independent valuations;

•greater emphasis on risk management;

•market fragmentation driven by regulatory changes;

•the move to passive investing and indexation;

•ongoing growth in the size and diversity of financial markets;

•increased automation of fixed income, mortgage and other less automated markets;

•the development of new data products;

•the demand for greater data capacity and connectivity;

•new entrants; and

•increasing demand for outsourced services by financial institutions.

We continue to focus on our strategy to grow each of our revenue streams, and prudently manage expenses, in order to mitigate these uncertainties and to build on our growth opportunities by leveraging our proprietary data, clearing, markets and technology solutions.

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Segment Results

Our business is conducted through three reportable business segments: Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services and Mortgage Technology. Segments are discussed more in detail in "Item 1- Business". While revenues are recorded specifically in the segment in which they are earned or to which they relate, a significant portion of our operating expenses are not solely related to a specific segment because the expenses serve functions that are necessary for the operation of more than one segment. We directly allocate expenses when reasonably possible to do so. Otherwise, we use a pro-rata revenue approach as the allocation method for the expenses that do not relate solely to one segment and serve functions that are necessary for the operation of all segments. Our segments do not engage in intersegment transactions.

For details on trends in recent prior-year periods, refer to our 2021 and 2020 Annual Reports on Form 10-K.

Exchanges Segment

The following presents selected statements of income data for our Exchanges segment (dollars in millions):

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(1) The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. As a result, these adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Revenues:
Energy futures and options$1,162$1,236(6)%$1,236$1,12010%
Agricultural and metals futures and options2352283228245(7)
Financial futures and options4753942139435710
Futures and options1,8721,85811,8581,7228
Cash equities and equity options2,7222,377152,3772,585(8)
OTC and other4293263132629610
Transaction and clearing, net5,0234,561104,5614,603(1)
Data and connectivity services87783858387906
Listings51547974794467
Revenues6,4155,87895,8785,8391
Transaction-based expenses(1)2,3442,022162,0222,208(8)
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses4,0713,85663,8563,6316
Other operating expenses9681,028(6)1,0289656
Depreciation and amortization240244(2)244261(7)
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs161(99)6116287
Operating expenses1,2091,333(9)1,3331,2427
Operating income$2,862$2,52313%$2,523$2,3896%
Recurring revenues$1,392$1,3176%$1,317$1,2367%
Transaction revenues, net$2,679$2,5396%$2,539$2,3956%

(1)Transaction-based expenses are largely attributable to our cash equities and options business.

Exchanges Revenues

Our Exchanges segment includes transaction and clearing revenues from our futures and NYSE exchanges, related data and connectivity services, and our listings business. Transaction and clearing revenues consist of fees collected from derivatives, cash equities and equity options trading and derivatives clearing, and are reported on a net basis, except for the NYSE transaction-based expenses discussed below. Rates per-contract, or RPC, are driven by the number of contracts or securities traded and the fees charged per contract, net of certain rebates. Our per-contract transaction and clearing revenues will depend upon many factors, including, but not limited to, market conditions, transaction and clearing volume, product mix, pricing, applicable revenue sharing and market making agreements, and new product introductions.

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Transaction and clearing revenues are generally assessed on a per-contract basis and revenues and profitability fluctuate with changes in contract volume and product mix. We consider data and connectivity services revenues and listings revenues to be recurring revenues. Our data and connectivity services revenues are recurring subscription fees related to the various data and connectivity services that we provide which are directly attributable to our exchange venues. Our listings revenues are also recurring subscription fees that we earn for the provision of NYSE listings services for public companies and ETFs, and related corporate actions for listed companies.

In 2022 and 2021, 18% and 17%, respectively, of our Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were billed in pounds sterling or euros. Due to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro compared to the U.S. dollar, our Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were lower by $87 million in 2022 from 2021.

Our exchange transaction and clearing revenues are presented net of rebates. We recorded rebates of $869 million and $1.0 billion in 2022 and 2021, respectively. We offer rebates in certain of our markets primarily to support market liquidity and trading volume by providing qualified participants in those markets a discount to the applicable commission rate. Such rebates are calculated based on volumes traded. The decrease in rebates is primarily due to lower volumes as compared to the prior year and the migration of Sterling futures rebates into the Sterling Overnight Index Average, or SONIA, and a change in the pricing and structure of SONIA products.

•Energy Futures and Options: Total energy volume decreased 4% and revenues decreased 6% in 2022 from 2021.

–Total oil futures and options volume decreased 12% in 2022 from 2021 driven, in part, by lower Gasoil volumes which are impacted by the uncertainty around Russian sanctions and the conflict in Ukraine.

–Our global natural gas futures and options volume increased 16% in 2022 from 2021 as 2022 benefited from elevated price volatility related to geopolitical events, including the conflict in Ukraine.

–Our environmentals and other futures and options volume decreased 12% in 2022 from 2021 with growth in U.S. environmental volumes offset by lower EU environmental volumes.

•Agricultural and Metals Futures and Options: Total volume in our agricultural and metals futures and options markets increased 5% and revenues increased 3% in 2022 from 2021. The overall increase in agricultural volumes was due to 2022 benefiting from elevated price volatility and price inflation driving an increased need to manage risk across our commodity markets.

–Sugar futures and options volumes increased 5% in 2022 from 2021.

–Other agricultural and metal futures and options volumes increased 4% in 2022 from 2021.

•Financial Futures and Options: Total volume increased 2% and revenues increased 21% in our financial futures and options markets in 2022 from 2021. Adjusting for the transition of the LIBOR-based Sterling contract to the alternative rate-based SONIA contract, which is half the notional size of the Sterling contract, total volume in our financial futures and options markets increased 19% in 2022. 2022 benefited from elevated volatility across global markets driven by geopolitical events, central bank activity and inflationary concerns.

–Interest rate futures and options volume decreased 1% and revenue increased 23%, respectively, in 2022 from 2021. Adjusting for the transition of the LIBOR-based Sterling contract to the alternative rate-based SONIA contract, which is half the notional size of the Sterling contract, interest rate volumes increased 20% in 2022 from 2021 driven by interest rate volatility and increased speculation of central bank activity due to inflation concerns. Interest rate futures and options revenues were $292 million and $237 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

–Other financial futures and options volume, which includes our MSCI®, FTSE® and NYSE FANG+ equity index products, increased 15% and revenue increased 16% in 2022 from 2021. 2022 benefited from elevated volatility across global equity markets driven by geopolitical events, central bank activity and inflationary concerns. Other financial futures and options revenues were $183 million and $157 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

•Cash Equities and Equity Options: Cash equities volume increased 4% in 2022 from 2021 due to higher market volumes driven by elevated volatility related to inflationary, recessionary and geopolitical concerns. Cash equities revenues, net of transaction-based expenses, were $275 million and $246 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. Equity options volume increased 6% in 2022 from 2021 driven by increased participation and higher market share.

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Equity options revenues, net of transaction-based expenses, were $103 million and $109 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

•OTC and Other: OTC and other transactions include revenues from our OTC energy business and other trade confirmation services, as well as interest income on certain clearing margin deposits, regulatory penalties and fines, fees for use of our facilities, regulatory fees charged to member organizations of our U.S. securities exchanges, designated market maker service fees, exchange membership fees and agricultural grading and certification fees. Our OTC and other revenues increased 31% in 2022 from 2021 primarily due to an increase in interest income on clearing margin deposits. Following the October 2021 Bakkt transaction, Bakkt revenues are no longer included within our OTC and other revenues.

•Data and Connectivity Services: Our data and connectivity services revenues increased 5% in 2022 from 2021. The increase in revenue was driven by the strong retention rate of existing customers, the addition of new customers and increased purchases by existing customers.

•Listings Revenues: Through NYSE, NYSE American and NYSE Arca, we generate listings revenue related to the provision of listings services for public companies and ETFs, and related corporate actions for listed companies. Listings revenues increased 7% in 2022 from 2021, driven by the full impact of strong equity capital markets activity in 2021.

Listings revenues in our securities markets arise from fees applicable to companies listed on our cash equities exchanges– original listing fees and annual listing fees. Original listing fees consist of two components: initial listing fees and fees related to corporate actions. Initial listing fees, subject to a minimum and maximum amount, are based on the number of shares that a company initially lists. All listings fees are billed upfront and the identified performance obligations are satisfied over time. Revenue related to the investor relations performance obligation is recognized ratably over the period these services are provided, with the remaining revenue recognized ratably over time as customers continue to list on our exchanges.

In addition, we earn corporate actions-related listing fees in connection with actions involving the issuance of new shares, such as stock splits, rights issues and sales of additional securities, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Listings fees related to other corporate actions are considered contract modifications of our listing contracts and are recognized ratably over time as customers continue to list on our exchanges.

In 2022, NYSE listed over $345 billion in total market value from IPOs, including three of the top five operating company IPOs defined by offering proceeds raised, follow-on offerings and over 30 transfers from competing exchanges, an increase of 56% from $221 billion raised in 2021.

Selected Operating Data

Management considers volume metrics when making financial and operating decisions, and believes volumes are useful for management and investors in understanding the performance of our exchanges business. The following charts and tables present trading activity in our futures and options markets by commodity type based on the total number of contracts traded, as well as futures and options rate per contract (in millions, except for percentages and rate per contract amounts):

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Volume and Rate per Contract

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Number of contracts traded (in millions):
Energy futures and options753782(4)%7827731%
Agricultural and metals futures and options102985%98108(10)%
Financial futures and options6466342%6346192%
Total1,5011,514(1)%1,5141,5001%
Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Average Daily Volume of contracts traded (in thousands):
Energy futures and options3,0003,103(3)%3,1033,0542%
Agricultural and metals futures and options4073885%388428(9)%
Financial futures and options2,5242,4752%2,4752,4093%
Total5,9315,966(1)%5,9665,8911%
Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
Rate per contract:20222021Change20212020Change
Energy futures and options$1.54$1.58(2)%$1.58$1.459%
Agricultural and metals futures and options$2.30$2.34(2)%$2.34$2.273%
Financial futures and options$0.73$0.6119%$0.61$0.577%

Open interest is the aggregate number of contracts (long or short) that clearing members hold either for their own account or on behalf of their clients. Open interest refers to the total number of contracts that are currently “open,” – in other words, contracts that have been entered into but not yet liquidated by either an offsetting trade, exercise, expiration or assignment. Open interest is also a measure of the future activity remaining to be closed out in terms of the number of contracts that members and their clients continue to hold in the particular contract and by the number of contracts held for each contract month listed by the exchange. The following charts and table present our year-end open interest for our futures and options contracts (in thousands, except for percentages):

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As of December 31,As of December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Open interest — in thousands of contracts:
Energy futures and options42,52440,3175%40,31740,0731%
Agricultural and metals futures and options3,8813,7633%3,7633,6084%
Financial futures and options20,34223,942(15)%23,94227,535(13)%
Total66,74768,022(2)%68,02271,216(4)%

The following charts and tables present selected cash and equity options trading data. All trading volume below is presented as average net daily trading volume, or ADV, and is single counted:

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
NYSE cash equities (shares in millions):
Total cash handled volume2,4092,3174%2,3172,466(6)%
Total cash market share matched19.9%19.9%19.9%22.1%(2.3) pts
NYSE equity options (contracts in thousands):
NYSE equity options volume7,6217,1626%7,1625,10140%
Total equity options volume38,24437,1703%37,17027,68534%
NYSE share of total equity options19.9%19.3%0.6 pts19.3%18.4%0.8 pts
Revenue capture or rate per contract:
Cash equities rate per contract (per 100 shares)$0.045$0.0428%$0.042$0.044(5)%
Equity options rate per contract$0.05$0.06(9)%$0.06$0.08(23)%

Handled volume represents the total number of shares of equity securities, ETFs and crossing session activity internally matched on our exchanges or routed to and executed on an external market center. Matched volume represents the total number of shares of equity securities, ETFs and crossing session activity executed on our exchanges.

Transaction-Based Expenses

Our equities and equity options markets pay fees to the SEC pursuant to Section 31 of the Exchange Act. Section 31 fees are recorded on a gross basis as a component of transaction and clearing fee revenue. These Section 31 fees are assessed to recover the government’s costs of supervising and regulating the securities markets and professionals and are subject to change. We, in turn, collect corresponding activity assessment fees from member organizations clearing or settling trades on the equities and options exchanges, and recognize these amounts in our transaction and clearing revenues when invoiced. The activity assessment fees are designed to equal the Section 31 fees. As a result, activity assessment fees and the corresponding Section 31 fees do not have an impact on our net income, although the timing of payment by us will vary from collections. Section 31 fees were $499 million and $248 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in Section 31 fees was primarily due to an increase in rates. The fees we collect are included in cash at the time of receipt and we remit the amounts to the SEC semi-annually as required. The total amount is included in accrued liabilities and was $223 million as of December 31, 2022.

We make liquidity payments to cash and options trading customers, as well as routing charges made to other exchanges which are included in transaction-based expenses. We incur routing charges when we do not have the best bid or offer in the market for a security that a customer is trying to buy or sell on one of our securities exchanges. In that case, we route the customer’s order to the external market center that displays the best bid or offer. The external market center charges us a fee per share (denominated in tenths of a cent per share) for routing to its system. We record routing charges on a gross basis as a component of transaction and clearing fee revenue. Cash liquidity payments, routing and clearing fees were $1.8 billion in both 2022 and 2021.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Exchanges segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Exchanges Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Operating expenses$1,209$1,333(9)%$1,333$1,2427%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,142$1,201(5)%$1,201$1,1455%
Operating income$2,862$2,52313%$2,523$2,3896%
Adjusted operating income(1)$2,929$2,65510%$2,655$2,4867%
Operating margin70%65%5 pts65%66%(1 pt)
Adjusted operating margin(1)72%69%3 pts69%68%1 pt

(1) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Fixed Income and Data Services Segment

The following charts and table present our selected statements of income data for our Fixed Income and Data Services segment (dollars in millions):

(1) The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. As a result, these adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Revenues:
Fixed income execution$101$5296%$52$70(25)%
CDS clearing30519259192208(8)
Fixed income data and analytics1,0981,08211,0821,0186
Fixed income and credit1,5041,326131,3261,2962
Other data and network services58855765575148
Revenues2,0921,883111,8831,8104
Other operating expenses1,0231,01211,0129675
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs11(20)1195
Depreciation and amortization3493412341351(3)
Operating expenses1,3731,35411,3541,3183
Operating income$719$52936%$529$4927%
Recurring revenues$1,686$1,6393%$1,639$1,5327%
Transaction revenues$406$24466%$244$278(12)%

In the table above, we consider fixed income data and analytics revenues and other data and network services revenues to be recurring revenues.

In 2022 and 2021, 11% and 14%, respectively, of our Fixed Income and Data Services segment revenues were billed in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly. Due to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro compared to the U.S. dollar during 2022, our Fixed Income and Data Services revenues were lower by $28 million in 2022 than in 2021.

Fixed Income and Data Services Revenues

Our Fixed Income and Data Services revenues increased 11% in 2022 from 2021 primarily due to strength in our fixed income execution and CDS clearing businesses due to elevated volatility across global markets driven by geopolitical events, central bank activity and inflationary concerns.

•Fixed Income Execution: Fixed income execution includes revenues from ICE Bonds. Execution fees are reported net of rebates, which were nominal in 2022 and 2021. Our fixed income execution revenues increased 96% in 2022 from 2021 due to elevated volatility across global markets driven by geopolitical events, central bank activity and inflationary concerns.

•CDS Clearing: CDS clearing revenues increased 59% in 2022 from 2021. The notional value of CDS cleared was $23.8 trillion and $17.0 trillion in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increases in the notional value of CDS cleared were primarily driven by heightened volatility related to geopolitical events and inflationary concerns.

•Fixed Income Data and Analytics: Our fixed income data and analytics revenues increased 1% in 2022 from 2021. The increase in revenues was due to strength in our index business during the first half of 2022 and continued growth in our pricing and reference data business driven by the strong retention rate of existing customers, the addition of new customers, and increased purchases by existing customers. This was partially offset by unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from fluctuations of the U.S. dollar as compared to 2021.

•Other Data and Network Services: Our other data and network services revenues increased 6% in 2022 from 2021. The increase in revenues was driven primarily by growth in our ICE Global Network offering, coupled with increased demand and strong retention in our consolidated feeds business, and strength in our derivatives analytics and desktop revenues.

Annual Subscription Value, or ASV, represents, at a point in time, the data services revenues, which includes Fixed Income Data and Analytics as well as other data and network services, subscribed for the succeeding 12 months. ASV does not include new sales, contract terminations or price changes that may occur during that 12-month period. However, while it is an indicative forward-looking metric, it does not provide a precise growth forecast of the next 12 months of data

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services revenues. Management considers ASV metrics when making financial and operating decisions, and believes ASV is useful for management and investors in understanding our data services business performance.

As of December 31, 2022, ASV was $1.682 billion, which increased 2.2% compared to the ASV as of December 31, 2021. ASV represents nearly 100% of total data services revenues for this segment. This does not adjust for year-over-year foreign exchange fluctuations.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Fixed Income and Data Services segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Fixed Income and Data Services Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Operating expenses$1,373$1,3541%$1,354$1,3183%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,193$1,1742%$1,174$1,1195%
Operating income$719$52936%$529$4927%
Adjusted operating income(1)$899$70927%$709$6913%
Operating margin34%28%6 pts28%27%1 pt
Adjusted operating margin(1)43%38%5 pts38%38%

(1) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Mortgage Technology Segment

The following charts and table present our selected statements of income data for our Mortgage Technology segment (dollars in millions):

*Other revenues were $19 million and data and analytics revenues were $22 million in 2020.

(1) The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. As a result, these adjusted figures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Revenues:
Origination technology758971(22)%971316208%
Closing solutions229310(26)31023830
Data and analytics9073247322226
Other5253(3)5319185
Revenues1,1291,407(20)1,407595137
Other operating expenses539546(1)546215154
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs91401304089(56)
Depreciation and amortization4424244424139205
Operating expenses1,0721,01061,010443128
Operating income$57$397(86)%$397$152162%
Recurring revenues$643$55316%$553$155256%
Transaction revenues$486$854(43)%$854$44094%

In the table above, we consider subscription fee and certain other revenues to be recurring revenues. Each revenue classification above contains a mix of recurring and transaction revenues, based on the various service offerings described in more detail below.

Mortgage Technology Revenues

Our mortgage technology revenues are derived from our comprehensive U.S. residential mortgage platform. Our mortgage technology business is intended to enable greater workflow efficiency for customers focused on originating U.S. residential mortgage loans. Mortgage technology revenues decreased $278 million or 20% in 2022 from 2021 primarily due to lower mortgage origination volumes driven by rising interest rates.

•Origination technology: Our origination technology revenues decreased 22% in 2022 from 2021 due to lower transaction-based revenues as mortgage origination volumes declined during 2022. Our origination technology acts as a system of record for the mortgage transaction, automating the gathering, reviewing, and verifying of mortgage-related information and enabling automated enforcement of rules and business practices designed to help ensure that each completed loan transaction is of high quality and adheres to secondary market standards. These revenues are based on recurring Software as a Service, or SaaS, subscription fees, with an additive transaction-based or success-based pricing fee as lenders exceed the number of loans closed that are included with their monthly base subscription.

In addition, the ICE Mortgage Technology network provides originators connectivity to the mortgage supply chain and facilitates the secure exchange of information between our customers and a broad ecosystem of third-party service providers, as well as lenders and investors that are critical to consummating the millions of loan transactions that occur on our origination network each year. Revenue from the ICE Mortgage Technology network is largely transaction-based.

•Closing solutions: Our closing solutions revenues decreased 26% in 2022 from 2021 due to lower mortgage origination volumes. Our closing solutions connect key participants, such as lenders, title and settlement agents and individual county recorders, to digitize the closing and recording process. Closing solutions also include revenues from our MERSCORP Holdings, Inc., or MERS database, which provides a system of record for recording and tracking changes and servicing rights and beneficial ownership interests in loans secured by U.S. residential real estate. Revenues from closing solutions are largely transaction-based and are based on the volume of loans closed.

•Data and Analytics: Our Data and Analytics revenues increased 24% in 2022 from 2021 due to the addition of new customers in our Automation, Intelligence, Quality, or AIQ, and data businesses. Revenues include those related to ICE Mortgage Technology’s AIQ offering, which applies machine learning to the entire loan origination process, offering customers greater efficiency by streamlining data collection and validation through our automated document recognition and data extraction capabilities. AIQ revenues can be both recurring and transaction-based in nature. In addition, our data offerings include real-time industry and peer benchmarking tools, which provide originators a granular view into the real-time trends of the U.S. residential mortgage market. We also provide a Data as a Service, or DaaS, offering through private data clouds for lenders to access their own data and origination information. Revenues related to our data products are largely subscription-based and recurring in nature.

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•Other: Other revenues decreased 3% in 2022 from 2021 due to lower professional services and non-mortgage consumer engagement revenue. Other revenues include professional services fees, as well as revenues from ancillary products. Other revenues can be both recurring and transaction-based in nature.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Mortgage Technology segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Mortgage Technology Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Operating expenses$1,072$1,0106%$1,010$443128%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$618$6023%$602$231160%
Operating income$57$397(86)%$397$152162%
Adjusted operating income(1)$511$805(37)%$805$364122%
Operating margin5%28%(23 pts)28%25%3 pts
Adjusted operating margin(1)45%57%(12 pts)57%61%(4 pts)

(1) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures”

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Consolidated Operating Expenses

The following presents our consolidated operating expenses (dollars in millions):

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Compensation and benefits$1,407$1,462(4)%$1,462$1,18823%
Professional services131159(17)15914410
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs93102(9)102105(3)
Technology and communication683666266654921
Rent and occupancy8384(1)84813
Selling, general and administrative226215521518516
Depreciation and amortization1,0311,00921,00975134
Total operating expenses$3,654$3,697(1)%$3,697$3,00323%

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The majority of our operating expenses do not vary directly with changes in our volume and revenues, except for certain technology and communication expenses, including data acquisition costs, licensing and other fee-related arrangements and a portion of our compensation expense that is tied directly to our data sales or overall financial performance.

We expect our operating expenses to increase in absolute terms in future periods in connection with the growth of our business, and to vary from year-to-year based on the type and level of our acquisitions, integration of acquisitions, and other investments.

In 2022 and 2021, 9% and 10%, respectively, of our operating expenses were incurred in pounds sterling or euros. Due to fluctuations in the U.S. dollar compared to the pound sterling and euro, our consolidated operating expenses were $38 million lower in 2022 than in 2021. See Item 7(A) “- Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk” below for additional information.

Compensation and Benefits Expenses

Compensation and benefits expense is our most significant operating expense and includes non-capitalized employee wages, bonuses, non-cash or stock compensation, certain severance costs, benefits and employer taxes. The bonus component of our compensation and benefits expense is based on both our financial performance and individual employee performance. The performance-based restricted stock compensation expense is also based on our financial performance. Therefore, our compensation and benefits expense will vary year-to-year based on our financial performance and fluctuations in our number of employees. The below chart summarizes the significant drivers of our compensation and benefits expense results for the periods presented (dollars in millions, except employee headcount).

Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change
Employee headcount8,9118,8581%
Stock-based compensation expenses$149$155(4)%

Employee headcount increased in 2022 from 2021 primarily due to recent acquisitions and a shift to move certain costs in-house, primarily in India.

Compensation and benefits expense decreased $55 million in 2022 from 2021 primarily due to $54 million in expenses related to Bakkt prior to deconsolidation in 2021. Compensation expense includes higher costs from increased headcount, annual merit increases and other related costs, offset by lower bonus expense in 2022 due to lower target performance as compared to the above-target performance in 2021. Stock-based compensation expenses decreased in 2022 due to the deconsolidation of Bakkt and lower target performance in 2022 as compared to the above-target performance in 2021.

Professional Services Expenses

Professional services expense includes fees for consulting services received on strategic and technology initiatives, temporary labor, as well as regulatory, legal and accounting fees, and may fluctuate as a result of changes in our use of these services in our business.

Professional services expenses decreased $28 million in 2022 from 2021 primarily due to lower regulatory and litigation expenses, lower consulting expenses related to bringing certain mortgage technology-related costs in-house, and $13 million in expenses recorded at Bakkt in 2021 prior to deconsolidation.

Acquisition-Related Transaction and Integration Costs

In 2022, we incurred $93 million in acquisition-related transaction costs primarily due legal and consulting expenses related to our pending acquisition of Black Knight and our integration of Ellie Mae.

We expect to continue to explore and pursue various potential acquisitions and other strategic opportunities to strengthen our competitive position and support our growth. As a result, we may incur acquisition-related transaction costs in future periods.

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Technology and Communication Expenses

Technology support services consist of costs for running our wholly-owned data centers, hosting costs paid to third-party data centers, and maintenance of our computer hardware and software required to support our technology and cybersecurity. These costs are driven by system capacity, functionality and redundancy requirements. Communication expenses consist of costs for network connections for our electronic platforms and telecommunications costs.

Technology and communications expense also includes fees paid for access to external market data, licensing and other fee agreement expenses. Technology and communications expenses may be impacted by growth in electronic contract volume, our capacity requirements, changes in the number of telecommunications hubs and connections with customers to access our electronic platforms directly.

Technology and communications expenses increased by $17 million in 2022 from 2021, primarily due to increased hardware and software support costs, increased hosting costs and increased data services costs, partially offset by $11 million in expenses in 2021 related to Bakkt prior to deconsolidation.

Rent and Occupancy Expenses

Rent and occupancy expense relates to leased and owned property and includes rent, maintenance, real estate taxes, utilities and other related costs. We have significant operations located in the U.S., U.K., and India, with smaller offices located throughout the world.

Rent and occupancy expenses included decreased rent expense in 2022 from 2021 due to office closures, and expenses in 2021 related to Bakkt prior to deconsolidation. These costs were partially offset by higher costs related to utilities, repairs and maintenance as more employees returned to the office. See Item 2 “- Properties” above for additional information regarding our leased and owned property.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses include marketing, advertising, public relations, insurance, bank service charges, dues and subscriptions, travel and entertainment, non-income taxes and other general and administrative costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased in 2022 from 2021, primarily due to increased marketing expenses related to additional branding efforts and increased travel and entertainment expenses compared to suppressed travel demand in 2021 as a result of COVID-19. These were partially offset by $19 million in expenses related to Bakkt in 2021 prior to deconsolidation.

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses

Depreciation and amortization expense results from depreciation of long-lived assets such as buildings, leasehold improvements, aircraft, hardware and networking equipment, software, furniture, fixtures and equipment over their estimated useful lives. This expense includes amortization of intangible assets obtained in our acquisitions of businesses, as well as on various licensing agreements, over their estimated useful lives. Intangible assets subject to amortization consist primarily of customer relationships, trading products with finite lives and technology. This expense also includes amortization of internally-developed and purchased software over its estimated useful life.

We recorded amortization expenses on intangible assets acquired as part of our acquisitions, as well as on other intangible assets, of $610 million and $622 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

We recorded depreciation expenses on our fixed assets of $421 million and $387 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The increase in 2022 over 2021 was primarily due to an increase in internally developed software assets at ICE Mortgage Technology.

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Consolidated Non-Operating Income/(Expense)

Income and expenses incurred through activities outside of our core operations are considered non-operating. The following tables present our non-operating income/(expenses) (dollars in millions):

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20222021Change20212020Change
Other income/(expense):
Interest income$108$1n/a$1$10(93)%
Interest expense(616)(423)46(423)(357)19
Other income/(expense), net(1,322)2,671n/a2,67180n/a
Total other income/(expense), net$(1,830)$2,249n/a$2,249$(267)n/a
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest$(52)$(11)383%$(11)$(19)(44)%

Interest Income

Interest income increased in 2022 from 2021 primarily due to an increase in short-term interest rates combined with larger investment balances. Interest income in 2022 includes $76 million in interest income recognized in connection with the short-term investments related to the $5.0 billion of SMR Notes (as defined in "Liquidity and Capital Resources— Debt") for the Black Knight acquisition and the remainder primarily relates to interest on the restricted cash balances held within our regulated entities.

Interest Expense

Interest expense increased in 2022 from 2021 primarily due to $135 million in interest expense in 2022 related to the Black Knight acquisition-related-debt, $30 million in costs associated with our May 2022 debt refinancing as well as higher bond coupons associated with the re-financing of our existing debt. See “— Debt” below.

Other income/(expense), net

Our equity method investments include OCC and Bakkt, among others. We recognized ($1.3 billion) and ($42 million) during 2022 and 2021, respectively, of our share of estimated equity method investment losses, net, and impairment charges, which are included in other income/(expense). In 2022, after recording our share of Bakkt's equity method losses, which included Bakkt's impairment charge, we recorded an impairment charge on our investment in Bakkt to its fair value as other expense. This was based on what we consider to be an other-than-temporary decline in fair value as a result of several factors, including consideration of the impairment charge recorded by Bakkt (see Notes 3 and 4 to our consolidated financial statements). The estimated losses and impairment during 2022 and 2021 are primarily related to our investment in Bakkt. These are partially offset by the estimated profits related to our investment in OCC. Both 2022 and 2021 include adjustments to reflect the difference between reported prior period actual results from our original estimates.

During 2021, Bakkt completed its merger with VIH, as a result of which we retained an approximate 68% economic interest in Bakkt, and we recorded a gain of $1.4 billion as other income upon our deconsolidation of Bakkt. Following the merger, we show our economic interest share of estimated Bakkt profits/(losses) as equity earnings, which are also included in other income (expense), net. We recorded other expense of ($92 million) related to our Bakkt investment for the post-merger period during 2021.

During 2021, Coinbase completed an IPO and we sold our investment in Coinbase for $1.2 billion, and recorded a gain of $1.2 billion as other income.

During 2022, we recorded a $9 million accrual for legal settlements as other expense. During 2021, we recorded a gain of $7 million related to the settlement of an acquisition-related indemnification claim from a prior acquisition as other income. In addition, we accrued approximately $16 million related to a legal settlement.

We completed the sale of our Euroclear stake on May 20, 2022. The carrying value of our investment was $700 million at the time of the sale. We recorded a net gain of $41 million on the sale, which is included in other income during 2022. We did not receive a Euroclear dividend during the 2022 prior to the sale of our investment.

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We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $9 million and $13 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively. This was primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are recorded in other income/(expense), net, when the settlement of foreign currency assets, liabilities and payables occur in non-functional currencies and there is an increase or decrease in the period-end foreign currency exchange rates between periods. See Item 7A “- Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk -Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk” included elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information on these items.

In connection with Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2017-07, Compensation Retirement Benefits: Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, or ASU 2017-07, we are recognizing the other components of net benefit cost of our defined benefit plans in the income statement as non-operating income on a full retrospective basis. The combined net periodic expense of these plans was $2 million and $3 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Non-controlling Interest

For consolidated subsidiaries in which our ownership is less than 100%, and for which we have control over the assets, liabilities and management of the entity, the outside stockholders’ interests are shown as non-controlling interests. As of December 31, 2022, our non-controlling interests include those related to the non-ICE limited partners' interest in our CDS clearing subsidiaries and non-controlling interest in ICE Futures Abu Dhabi. During 2021 we received a contribution from a group of minority investors for a non-controlling interest in ICE Futures Abu Dhabi. Prior to completion of the Bakkt transaction on October 15, 2021, our non-controlling interest also included the redeemable non-controlling interest of the non-ICE partners in Bakkt. On October 15, 2021, Bakkt completed its merger with VIH and as of December 31, 2021, we no longer held redeemable non-controlling interest related to Bakkt. Refer to Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements contained elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Consolidated Income Tax Provision

Consolidated income tax expense was $310 million and $1.6 billion in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The change in consolidated income tax expense between years is primarily due to the tax impact of changes in our pre-tax income and the changes in our effective tax rate. The consolidated income tax expense for 2021 was elevated due to the tax expense associated with the gains resulting from our Coinbase and Bakkt transactions.

Our effective tax rate was 17% and 29% in 2022 and 2021, respectively. The effective tax rate for 2022 is lower than the effective tax rate for 2021 primarily due to the deferred income tax benefit from the impairment to our equity method investment in Bakkt in 2022 and deferred income tax expenses from the U.K. tax law changes in 2021. In 2021, the U.K. enacted a corporate income tax rate increase from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023.

See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements and related notes, which are included in this Annual Report, for additional information on these tax items.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Below are charts that reflect our outstanding debt and capital allocation. The acquisition and integration costs in the chart below include cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash received for divestitures, cash paid for equity and equity method investments, cash paid for non-controlling interest and redeemable non-controlling interest, and acquisition-related transaction and integration costs, in each year.

We have financed our operations, growth and cash needs primarily through income from operations and borrowings under our various debt facilities. Our principal capital requirements have been to fund capital expenditures, working capital, strategic acquisitions and investments, stock repurchases, dividends and the development of our technology platforms. We believe that our cash on hand and cash flows from operations will be sufficient to repay our outstanding debt, but we

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may also need to incur additional debt or issue additional equity securities in the future. See “- Future Capital Requirements” below.

See “- Cash Flow” below for a discussion of our capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs.

Consolidated cash and cash equivalents were $1.8 billion and $607 million as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. We had $6.6 billion and $1.4 billion in short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, the increase of which is related to the restricted $5.0 billion of SMR Notes intended to be used to finance the Black Knight acquisition. We had $142.0 billion and $145.9 billion of cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds as of December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

As of December 31, 2022, the amount of unrestricted cash held by our non-U.S. subsidiaries was $502 million. Due to U.S. tax reform, the majority of our foreign earnings since January 1, 2018 have been subject to immediate U.S. income taxation, and the existing non-U.S. unrestricted cash balance can be distributed to the U.S. in the future with no material additional income tax consequences.

Our cash and cash equivalents and financial investments are managed as a global treasury portfolio of non-speculative financial instruments that are readily convertible into cash, such as overnight deposits, term deposits, money market funds, mutual funds for treasury investments, short duration fixed income investments and other money market instruments, thus ensuring high liquidity of financial assets. We may invest a portion of our cash in excess of short-term operating needs in investment-grade marketable debt securities, including government or government-sponsored agencies and corporate debt securities. As of December 31, 2022, we held $1 million of unrestricted cash that was set aside for legal, regulatory and surveillance operations at NYSE.

Cash Flow

The following table presents the major components of net changes in cash and cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents (in millions):

Year Ended December 31,
202220212020
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities$3,554$3,123$2,881
Investing activities677(786)(10,361)
Financing activities(1,841)62,02626,000
Effect of exchange rate changes(23)(6)8
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents, and cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds$2,367$64,357$18,528

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities primarily consists of net income adjusted for certain items, including depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes, stock-based compensation and the effects of changes in working capital. The $431 million increase in net cash provided by operating activities in 2022 from 2021 was driven by a $220 million increase in net income, adjusted for certain noncash operating activities. In 2022, these adjustments also include the gain on the sale of our Euroclear investment and the net losses and impairment of our unconsolidated investees. During 2021, these adjustments also included the gains on the sale of our Coinbase investment and our deconsolidation of Bakkt. Net income increased in 2022 from 2021 due to higher revenues of $146 million, driven by our Exchanges and Fixed Income and Data Services segments, as well as lower expenses, primarily due to the deconsolidation of Bakkt.

The remaining $211 million increase is due to changes in our working capital and the timing of various payments and receipts. These changes include higher Section 31 fees payable of $316 million due to the rate changes determined by the SEC, offset primarily by timing of various payments and receipts, including higher interest receivable/payable on the cash and collateral held at our clearinghouses.

Investing Activities

Consolidated net cash provided by investing activities in 2022 primarily relates to $7.5 billion of proceeds from the sale of invested margin deposits and $741 million in proceeds from the sale of our Euroclear investment, partially offset by $6.9 billion purchases of invested margin deposits, $225 million of capitalized expenditures, $257 million of software development costs, $73 million for purchases of equity and equity method investments and $59 million cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired.

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Consolidated net cash used in investing activities in 2021 relates to $5.1 billion purchases of invested margin deposits, $179 million of capitalized expenditures, $273 million of capitalized software development costs, $117 million for the purchase of an equity method investment and $66 million cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, partially offset by $3.7 billion of proceeds from the sale of invested margin deposits and $1.2 billion in proceeds from the sale of our Coinbase investment.

The capital expenditures primarily relate to hardware and software purchases to continue the development and expansion of our electronic platforms, data services and clearing houses and leasehold improvements. The software development expenditures primarily relate to the development and expansion of our electronic trading platforms, data services, mortgage services and clearing houses.

Financing Activities

Consolidated net cash used in financing activities in 2022 primarily relates to a $4.5 billion change in our cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty fund balances, $2.7 billion in repayments of debt, $1.0 billion in net repayments under our Commercial Paper Program, $632 million in repurchases of common stock, $853 million in dividend payments to our stockholders and $73 million in cash payments related to treasury shares received for restricted stock tax payments and stock options exercises, partially offset by $7.9 billion in net proceeds from our debt offerings.

Consolidated net cash provided by financing activities in 2021 primarily relates to an increase in our cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty fund balances of $65.7 billion, partially offset by $1.2 billion in repayments of debt, $1.4 billion in net repayments under our Commercial Paper Program, $250 million in repurchases of common stock, $747 million in dividend payments to stockholders and $70 million in cash payments related to treasury shares received for restricted stock tax payments and stock options exercises.

Debt

As of December 31, 2022, we had $18.1 billion in outstanding debt, all of which relates to our senior notes. We also have $4 million outstanding under credit lines at our ICE India subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2022, our senior notes of $18.1 billion had a weighted average maturity of 16 years and a weighted average cost of 3.6% per annum. We did not have any commercial paper notes outstanding as of December 31, 2022.

As of December 31, 2021, we had $13.9 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $12.9 billion of senior notes, $1.0 billion under our U.S. dollar commercial paper program, or the Commercial Paper Program, and $10 million under credit lines at our ICE India subsidiaries. As of December 31, 2021, our senior notes of $12.9 billion had a weighted average maturity of 15 years and a weighted average cost of 2.9% per annum. The commercial paper notes had original maturities ranging from three to 73 days as of December 31, 2021, with a weighted average interest rate of 0.33% per annum, and a weighted average remaining maturity of 26 days.

In September 2021, we used the proceeds from commercial paper issuances and cash on hand to fund the redemption of $1.25 billion aggregate principal amount of senior floating rate notes due in June 2023, or the Floating Rate Notes. We delivered a notice of redemption of the Floating Rate Notes to Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee, under the indenture governing the Floating Rate Notes, which was delivered to the holders of the Floating Rate Notes on September 17, 2021, and they were subsequently redeemed on September 27, 2021. In connection with this redemption, we recorded $4 million in accelerated unamortized deferred loan costs, which are included in interest expense in our consolidated statements of income for 2021.

We have a $3.9 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility, or the Credit Facility, pursuant to a credit agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as primary administrative agent, issuing lender and swing-line lender, Bank of America, N.A., as syndication agent, backup administrative agent and swing-line lender, and the lenders party thereto. On October 15, 2021, we agreed with the lenders to extend the maturity date of the Credit Facility to October 15, 2026, among other items. On May 25, 2022, we agreed with the lenders to extend the maturity date of the Credit Facility from October 15, 2026, to May 25, 2027, among other items. As of December 31, 2022, of the $3.9 billion that is currently available for borrowing under the Credit Facility, $171 million was required to support certain broker-dealer and other subsidiary commitments. We did not have any notes outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program, as of December 31, 2022. Therefore, there was not a required amount to backstop the Commercial Paper Program. Amounts required to backstop notes outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program will fluctuate as we increase or decrease our commercial paper borrowings. The remaining $3.7 billion is available for working capital and general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, acting as a backstop to future increases in the amounts outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program.

On May 23, 2022, we issued $8.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of new senior notes, comprised of the following:

•$1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 3.65% senior notes due in 2025, or the 2025 Notes;

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•$1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.00% senior notes due in 2027, or the 2027 Notes;

•$1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.35% senior notes due in 2029, or the 2029 Notes;

•$1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.60% senior notes due in 2033, or the 2033 Notes;

•$1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 4.95% senior notes due in 2052, or the 2052 Notes; and

•$1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of 5.20% senior notes due in 2062, or the 2062 Notes, collectively, the Notes.

We intend to use the net proceeds of $4.9 billion from the offering of the 2025 Notes, the 2027 Notes, the 2029 Notes and the 2062 Notes, or collectively, the SMR Notes, together with the issuance of commercial paper and/or borrowings under the Credit Facility, cash on hand or other immediately available funds and borrowings under the Term Loan, discussed below, to finance the cash portion of the purchase price for Black Knight. The SMR Notes are subject to a special mandatory redemption feature pursuant to which we will be required to redeem all of the outstanding SMR Notes at a redemption price equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amount of the SMR Notes, plus accrued and unpaid interest, in the event that the Black Knight acquisition is not consummated on or prior to May 4, 2023 subject to two automatic extensions of three months each, to August 4, 2023 and to November 4, 2023, respectively, if clearance under the HSR Act (or a restraint under U.S. antitrust laws) remains outstanding and all other conditions to closing are satisfied (or in the case of conditions that by their terms are to be satisfied at the closing, are capable of being satisfied if the closing were to occur on such date) at each extension date, or if the Black Knight merger agreement is terminated at any time prior to such date. ICE would then need to secure new financing to close the transaction. There can be no assurance that the new financing could be secured and if it is secured, the terms of the new financing may be more expensive to ICE when compared to the existing financing terms for the $5.0 billion of outstanding notes. The $4.9 billion of net proceeds from the SMR Notes are separately invested and recorded as short-term restricted cash and cash equivalents in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2022.

We used the $3.0 billion of net proceeds from the offering of the 2033 Notes and the 2052 Notes to redeem $2.7 billion aggregate principal amount of four series of senior notes that would have matured in 2022 and 2023. The balance of the net proceeds was used for general corporate purposes, which included paying down a portion of the amounts outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program. We recorded $30 million in costs associated with the extinguishment and re-financing of our existing debt in connection with our May 2022 debt refinancing. These costs are included in interest expense in our consolidated statements of income for 2022. For additional information regarding this transaction, refer to Note 3 to our consolidated unaudited financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

On May 4, 2022, we entered into a 364-day senior unsecured bridge facility in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $14.0 billion, or the Bridge Facility. The commitments that the Company obtained for the Bridge Facility were permanently reduced from $14.0 billion and there were no amounts outstanding as of December 31, 2022 as a result of (i) the amendment and extension of the Credit Facility, (ii) the issuance by the Company of certain senior unsecured notes on May 23, 2022, (iii) Euroclear divestment proceeds, (iv) the generation of cash internally by the Company, and (v) the effectiveness of our term loan facility.

On May 25, 2022, we entered into a $2.4 billion two-year senior unsecured delayed draw term loan facility, or the Term Loan. Draws under the Term Loan bear interest on the principal amount outstanding at either (a) Term SOFR plus an applicable margin plus a credit spread adjustment of 10 basis points or (b) a "base rate" plus an applicable margin. The applicable margin ranges from 0.625% to 1.125% for Term SOFR loans and from 0.000% to 0.125% for base rate loans, in each case, based on a ratings-based pricing grid. The proceeds from borrowings under the Term Loan will be used to fund a portion of the purchase price for the Black Knight acquisition. We have the option to prepay outstanding amounts under the Term Loan in whole or in part at any time. No amounts were outstanding under the Term Loan as of December 31, 2022.

Our Commercial Paper Program enables us to borrow efficiently at reasonable short-term interest rates and provides us with the flexibility to de-lever using our strong annual cash flows from operating activities whenever our leverage becomes elevated as a result of investment or acquisition activities. We had net repayments of $1.0 billion under our Commercial Paper Program during 2022, and did not have any notes outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program as of December 31, 2022.

Upon maturity of our commercial paper and to the extent old issuances are not repaid by cash on hand, we are exposed to the rollover risk of not being able to issue new commercial paper. To mitigate this risk, we maintain the Credit Facility for an aggregate amount which meets or exceeds the amount issued under our Commercial Paper Program at any time. If we were not able to issue new commercial paper, we have the option of drawing on the backstop revolving facility. However, electing to do so would result in higher interest expense.

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For additional details of our debt instruments, refer to Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

Capital Return

In December 2021, our Board approved an aggregate of $3.15 billion for future repurchases of our common stock with no fixed expiration date that became effective January 1, 2022. The $3.15 billion replaced the previous amount approved by the Board. The approval of our Board for stock repurchases does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of our common stock. In addition, our Board may increase or decrease the amount available for repurchases from time to time.

During 2022, we repurchased 5.0 million shares of our outstanding common stock at a cost of $632 million, including 4.6 million shares at a cost of $582 million under our Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and 0.4 million shares at a cost of $50 million on the open market. During 2021, we repurchased 1.8 million shares of our outstanding common stock at a cost of $250 million on the open market. Open market repurchases are only made during an open trading period and all shares repurchased are held in treasury stock.

We discontinued stock repurchases and terminated our Rule 10b5-1 trading plan in August 2020 in connection with our Ellie Mae acquisition and in November 2021, we resumed repurchases. In December 2021, we entered into a new Rule 10b5-1 trading plan that became effective in February 2022. In connection with our pending acquisition of Black Knight, on May 4, 2022, we terminated our Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and suspended share repurchases. The remaining balance of Board approved funds for future repurchases as of December 31, 2022 was $2.5 billion.

From time to time, we enter into Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, as authorized by our Board, to govern some or all of the repurchases of our shares of common stock. We may discontinue stock repurchases at any time and may amend or terminate a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan at any time, subject to applicable rules. We expect funding for any stock repurchases to come from our operating cash flow or borrowings under our Commercial Paper Program or our debt facilities. The timing and extent of future repurchases that are not made pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan will be at our discretion and will depend upon many conditions. In making a determination regarding any stock repurchases, management considers multiple factors, including overall stock market conditions, our common stock price performance, the remaining amount authorized for repurchases by our Board, the potential impact of a stock repurchase program on our corporate debt ratings, our expected free cash flow and working capital needs, our current and future planned strategic growth initiatives, and other potential uses of our cash and capital resources.

During 2022, we paid cash dividends of $1.52 per share of our common stock in the aggregate, including quarterly dividends of $0.38 per share, for an aggregate payout of $853 million, which includes the payment of dividend equivalents on unvested employee restricted stock units. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report, for details on the amounts of our quarterly dividend payouts for the last three years.

Future Capital Requirements

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the rate of growth across our segments, strategic plans and acquisitions, available sources for financing activities, required and discretionary technology and clearing initiatives, regulatory requirements, the timing and introduction of new products and enhancements to existing products, the geographic mix of our business and potential stock repurchases.

We currently expect to incur capital expenditures (including operational and real estate capital expenditures) and to incur software development costs that are eligible for capitalization ranging in the aggregate between $450 million and $500 million in 2023, which we believe will support the enhancement of our technology, business integration and the continued growth of our businesses.

As of December 31, 2022, we had $2.5 billion authorized for future repurchases of our common stock. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional details on our stock repurchase program.

Our Board has adopted a quarterly dividend policy providing that dividends will be approved quarterly by the Board or the Audit Committee taking into account factors such as our evolving business model, prevailing business conditions, our current and future planned strategic growth initiatives and our financial results and capital requirements, without a predetermined net income payout ratio. On February 2, 2023, we announced a $0.42 per share dividend for the first quarter of 2023 payable on March 31, 2023 to stockholders of record as of March 17, 2023.

Other than the facilities for the ICE Clearing Houses, our Credit Facility and our Commercial Paper Program are currently the only significant agreements or arrangements that we have for liquidity and capital resources with third parties. See

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Notes 10 and 14 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion. In the event of any strategic acquisitions, mergers or investments, or if we are required to raise capital for any reason or desire to return capital to our stockholders, we may incur additional debt, issue additional equity to raise necessary funds, repurchase additional shares of our common stock or pay a dividend. However, we cannot provide assurance that such financing or transactions will be available or successful, or that the terms of such financing or transactions will be favorable to us. See “-Risk Factors" and Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

Non-GAAP Measures

We use certain financial measures internally to evaluate our performance and make financial and operational decisions that are presented in a manner that adjusts from their equivalent GAAP measures or that supplement the information provided by our GAAP measures. We use these adjusted results because we believe they more clearly highlight trends in our business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on GAAP financial measures, since these measures eliminate from our results specific financial items that have less bearing on our core operating performance.

We use these measures in communicating certain aspects of our results and performance, including in this Annual Report, and believe that these measures, when viewed in conjunction with our GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliation, can provide investors with greater transparency and a greater understanding of factors affecting our financial condition and results of operations than GAAP measures alone. In addition, we believe the presentation of these measures is useful to investors for making period-to-period comparisons of results because the adjustments to GAAP are not reflective of our core business performance.

These financial measures are not presented in accordance with, or as an alternative to, GAAP financial measures and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. We encourage investors to review the GAAP financial measures included in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements, to aid in their analysis and understanding of our performance and in making comparisons.

The table below outlines our adjusted operating expenses, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income attributable to ICE common stockholders and adjusted diluted earnings per share, which are non-GAAP measures that are calculated by making adjustments for items we view as not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. These measures, including the adjustments and their related income tax effect and other tax adjustments (in millions, except for percentages and per share amounts), are as follows:

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Exchanges SegmentFixed Income and Data Services SegmentMortgage Technology SegmentConsolidated
Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
Operating income adjustments:202220212020202220212020202220212020202220212020
Total revenues, less transaction-based expenses$4,071$3,856$3,631$2,092$1,883$1,810$1,129$1,407$595$7,292$7,146$6,036
Operating expenses1,2091,3331,2421,3731,3541,3181,0721,0104433,6543,6973,003
Less: Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles677374180180191363369123610622388
Less: Transaction and integration costs and acquisition-related success fees59129139899198101
Less: Impairment of developed software1111
Less: Accrual relating to a regulatory settlement88
Adjusted operating expenses$1,142$1,201$1,145$1,193$1,174$1,119$618$602$231$2,953$2,977$2,495
Operating income$2,862$2,523$2,389$719$529$492$57$397$152$3,638$3,449$3,033
Adjusted operating income$2,929$2,655$2,486$899$709$691$511$805$364$4,339$4,169$3,541
Operating margin70%65%66%34%28%27%5%28%25%50%48%50%
Adjusted operating margin72%69%68%43%38%38%45%57%61%59%58%59%
Non-operating income adjustments:
Net income attributable to ICE common stockholders$1,446$4,058$2,089
Add: Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles610622388
Add: Transaction and integration costs and acquisition-related success fees9198101
Less: Gain on sale and fair value adjustment of equity investments and dividends received, net(41)(1,321)(55)
Less: Gain on deconsolidation of Bakkt(1,419)
Add/(Less): Net losses/(income) from and impairment of unconsolidated investees1,34042(71)
Add: Net interest expense on pre-acquisition-related debt and debt extinguishment89419
Add: Other9951
Add/(Less): Net income tax effect for the above items and deferred tax adjustments(579)587(109)
Add: Deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles918336
Adjusted net income attributable to ICE common stockholders$2,974$2,863$2,449
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$2.58$7.18$3.77
Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$5.30$5.06$4.41
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding561565555

Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles are included in non-GAAP adjustments as excluding these non-cash expenses provides greater clarity regarding our financial strength and stability of cash operating results.

Transaction and integration costs are included as part of our core business expenses, except for those that are directly related to the announcement, closing, financing or termination of a transaction. However, we adjust for the acquisition-related transaction and integration costs relating to acquisitions such as Ellie Mae given the magnitude of the $11.4 billion purchase price of the acquisition. We also adjust for the acquisition-related transaction costs related to the merger of Bakkt and VIH, and for our pending acquisition of Black Knight, due to the significance of these transactions.

We adjust for gains and losses on investment transactions and changes in the fair value of our investments. Our investments are not considered to be a part of our core business operations and the impacts of changes in our investments are often non-cash in nature.

The following non-GAAP adjustments are reported in the table above related to investments:

•During 2022, we excluded the $41 million gain on the sale of our Euroclear investment;

•During 2021 and 2020, we excluded $34 million and $35 million, respectively, of fair value gains on our Euroclear equity investment and during 2021, we excluded Euroclear dividends received of $60 million;

•In 2021, we excluded the $1.4 billion gain on the deconsolidation of Bakkt and the $1.2 billion gain on the sale of our Coinbase equity investment; and

•In 2020, we excluded the $20 million gain on the sale of our BIDS equity investment.

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Similarly, and as included in the table above, we adjust for our share of net income/(losses) and impairment charges related to our equity method investments, which primarily include OCC and Bakkt. Our share of 2021 net losses from unconsolidated investees includes the period from the Bakkt merger on October 15, 2021 through December 31, 2021. During 2022, after recording our share of Bakkt's equity method losses, which included Bakkt's impairment charge, we recorded an impairment in our investment in Bakkt to its fair value as other expense. In 2022, the total Bakkt net losses and impairment was $1.4 billion and our share of OCC net income was $15 million. In 2021, our share of Bakkt losses was $92 million and our share of OCC income was $51 million. We believe these adjustments provide greater clarity of our performance given that equity method investments are non-cash and not a part of our core operations.

We adjust for certain items related to our debt. Certain debt activities, such as the early termination of notes, pre-acquisition interest and expense and accelerated amortization of debt costs are not considered to be a part of our core business operations and the impacts of changes in our investments are often non-cash in nature. The following non-GAAP adjustments are reported in the table above related to our debt:

•In 2022, we adjusted for costs of $30 million associated with the May and June 2022 extinguishment of four series of senior notes that would have matured in 2022 and 2023 using proceeds from our May 2022 issuance of new senior notes.

•In 2022, we excluded $135 million of interest expense on pre-acquisition-related debt from our May 2022 debt refinancing related to the pending Black Knight acquisition. This adjustment was net of $76 million of interest income earnings on investments from the pre-acquisition debt proceeds.

•In 2021, we adjusted for the acceleration of unamortized costs of $4 million related to the September 2021 early redemption of our Floating Rate Notes.

•In 2020, we adjusted for the extinguishment payment of $14 million related to the June 2020 early redemption of the December 2020 Senior Notes which included both a make-whole redemption payment and duplicative interest, and adjusted for pre-acquisition interest expense of $5 million on the August 2020 debt issued to fund a portion of the purchase price of our Ellie Mae acquisition.

Other adjustments not considered to be a part of our core business operations include:

•Accruals related to legal and regulatory settlements, including settlements related to an acquisition-related indemnification claim;

•A 2020 impairment of software developed at Bakkt when it was our subsidiary, since it related to the build-out of a fundamental software design rather than a recurring upgrade; and

•A 2020 promissory note impairment charge on work performed by the original plan processor on the CAT as non-GAAP adjustments. See additional discussion on the CAT in Item 1(A) "-Risk Factors" in this Annual Report.

Non-GAAP tax adjustments include the tax impacts of the pre-tax non-GAAP adjustments and deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles. Deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles include the impact of U.K. and U.S. state tax law changes and apportionment updates, as well as other foreign tax law changes which resulted in deferred tax expense of $9 million, $183 million and $36 million in 2022, 2021 and 2020, respectively, related to the following:

•Deferred tax adjustments in 2022 related primarily to U.S. state apportionment changes.

•Deferred tax adjustments in 2021 related primarily to the U.K. tax law changes enacted in June 2021, which increased the U.K. corporate income tax rate from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023.

•The deferred tax adjustments in 2020 were due to the tax law changes enacted in July 2020, which increased the U.K. corporate income tax rate from 17% to 19% effective April 1, 2020, as well as impacts of U.S. state apportionment charges.

For additional information on these items, refer to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report and “- Recent Developments,” “- Consolidated Operating Expenses”, “- Consolidated Non-Operating Income (Expenses)” and “-Consolidated Income Tax Provision” above.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As described in Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report, certain clearing house collateral is reported off-balance sheet. We do not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities.

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Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

We intend to fund our contractual obligations and commercial commitments from existing cash and cash flow from operations. As of December 31, 2022, our primary cash requirements include the following contractual and other obligations.

As of December 31, 2022, we had $18.1 billion in outstanding debt, including $4 million of short-term debt. Our outstanding debt consists of $18.1 billion of fixed rate senior notes and $4 million under credit lines at our ICE India subsidiaries.

Our operating leases primarily relate to our leased office space and data center facilities, and as of December 31, 2022, we had fixed lease payment obligations of $342 million, with $73 million payable within one-year.

We have other purchase obligations to purchase various goods and services that we believe are enforceable and legally binding.

In addition, we have $147.4 billion in cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts payable and unsettled variation margin. Clearing members of our clearing houses are required to deposit original margin and variation margin and to make deposits to a guaranty fund. The cash and cash equivalent deposits made to these margin accounts and to the guaranty fund are recorded in the consolidated balance sheets as current assets with corresponding current liabilities to the clearing members that deposited them. ICE NGX administers the physical delivery of energy trading contracts. It has an equal and offsetting claim to and from its respective participants on opposite sides of the physically-settled contract, each of which is reflected as a delivery contract receivable with an offsetting delivery contract payable. See Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional information on our clearing houses and the margin deposits, guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts payable and unsettled variation margin.

We also have unrecognized tax benefits, or UTBs. As of December 31, 2022, our cumulative UTBs were $247 million, and accrued interest and penalties related to UTBs were $61 million. We are under examination by various tax authorities. We are unable to make a reasonable estimate of the periods of cash settlement because it is not possible to reasonably predict the amount of tax, interest and penalties, if any, that might be assessed by a tax authority or the timing of an assessment or payment. It is also not possible to reasonably predict whether or not the applicable statutes of limitations might expire without us being examined by any particular tax authority. See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our UTBs.

As of December 31, 2022, we, through NYSE, have net obligations of $102 million related to our pension and other benefit programs. The date of payment under these net obligations cannot be determined. See Note 17 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our pension and other benefit programs.

In addition, the future funding of the implementation and operation of the CAT is ultimately expected to be provided by both the SROs and broker-dealers. To date, however, funding has been provided solely by the SROs, and future funding is expected to be repaid if industry member fees are approved by the SEC and subsequently collected by industry members.

New and Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for information on the new and recently adopted accounting pronouncements that are applicable to us.

Critical Accounting Policies

We have identified the policies below as critical to our business operations and the understanding of our results of operations. The impact of, and any associated risks related to, these policies on our business operations is discussed throughout “- Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” For a detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with these accounting principles requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of our financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

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We base our estimates and judgments on our historical experience and other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances when we make these estimates and judgments and re-evaluate them on a periodic basis. Based on these factors, we make estimates and judgments about, among other things, the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from market prices or other independent sources and about the recognition and characterization of our revenues and expenses. The values and results based on these estimates and judgments could differ significantly under different assumptions or conditions and could change materially in the future.

We believe that the following critical accounting policies, among others, affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements and could materially increase or decrease our reported results, assets and liabilities.

Goodwill and Other Identifiable Intangible Assets

Assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with our acquisitions are recorded at their estimated fair values. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired company over the fair value of its identifiable net assets, including identified intangible assets. We recognize specifically identifiable intangibles, such as customer relationships, trademarks, technology, trading products, data, exchange registrations, backlog, trade names and licenses when a specific right or contract is acquired. Our determination of the fair value of the intangible assets and whether or not these assets may be impaired following their acquisition requires us to apply significant judgments and make significant estimates and assumptions regarding future cash flows. If we change our strategy or if market conditions shift, our judgments and estimates may change, which may result in adjustments to recorded asset balances. Intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives whereas goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not.

In performing the allocation of the acquisitions' purchase price to assets and liabilities, we consider, among other factors, the intended use of the acquired assets, analysis of past financial performance and estimates of future performance of the acquired business. At the acquisition date, a preliminary allocation of the purchase price is recorded based upon a preliminary valuation performed with the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist. We continue to review and assess our estimates, assumptions and valuation methodologies during the measurement period provided by GAAP, which ends as soon as we receive the information about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date or we learn that more information is not obtainable, which usually does not exceed one year from the date of acquisition. Accordingly, these estimates and assumptions are subject to change, which could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Estimation uncertainty may exist due to the sensitivity of the respective fair value to underlying assumptions about the future performance of an acquired business in our discounted cash flow models. Significant assumptions typically include revenue growth rates and expense synergies that form the basis of the forecasted results and the discount rate.

Our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment annually in our fiscal fourth quarter or more frequently if conditions exist that indicate that the value may be impaired. We test our goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, and we have identified four reporting units. Our reporting units identified for our goodwill testing are the NYSE, Other Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services, and Mortgage Technology reporting units. These impairment evaluations are performed by comparing the carrying value of the goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangibles to its estimated fair value.

In accordance with ASU 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, or ASU-2017, for both goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible impairment testing, we have the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying amount. If the fair value of the goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized in earnings in an amount equal to the difference. Alternatively, we may choose to bypass the qualitative option and perform quantitative testing to determine if the fair value is less than the carrying value. For our goodwill impairment testing, we have elected to bypass the qualitative assessment and apply the quantitative approach. For our testing of indefinite-lived intangible assets, we apply qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Application of the impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units, and determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. We have historically determined the fair value of our reporting units based on various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis and a multiple of earnings approach. In assessing whether goodwill and other intangible assets are impaired, we must make estimates and assumptions regarding future cash flows, long-term growth rates of our business, operating margins, discount rates, weighted average cost of capital and other factors to determine the fair value of our assets. These estimates and assumptions require management’s judgment, and changes to these estimates and assumptions, as a result of changing economic and competitive conditions, could materially affect the

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determination of fair value and/or impairment. We did not record any impairments in 2022, 2021 or 2020 as a result of our goodwill or indefinite-lived impairment testing.

We are also required to evaluate other finite-lived intangible assets for impairment by first determining whether events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of these assets to be held and used may not be recoverable. If impairment indicators are present, then an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows produced by these long-lived assets is compared to the carrying value of those assets to determine if the asset is recoverable. If an asset is not recoverable, the loss is measured as the difference between fair value and carrying value of the impaired asset. Fair value of these assets is based on various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis, which are assessed and conducted in accordance with our internal impairment analysis policies.

Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S., U.K. and other foreign jurisdictions where we operate. The determination of our provision for income taxes and related accruals, deferred tax assets and liabilities requires the use of significant judgment, estimates, and the interpretation and application of complex tax laws. We recognize a current tax liability or tax asset for the estimated taxes payable or refundable on tax returns for the current year. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of our assets and liabilities. We establish valuation allowances if we believe that it is more likely than not that some or all of our deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using current enacted tax rates in effect for the years in which those temporary differences and carryforwards are expected to reverse.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board, or FASB, Staff has provided additional guidance to address the accounting for the effects of the provisions related to the taxation of Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income noting that companies should make an accounting policy election to recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse in future years or to include the tax expense in the year it is incurred. We have made a policy election to recognize such taxes as current period expenses when incurred.

We do not recognize a tax benefit unless we conclude that it is more likely than not that the benefit will be sustained on audit by the taxing authority based solely on the technical merits of the associated tax position. If the recognition threshold is met, we recognize a tax benefit measured at the largest amount of the tax benefit that, in our judgment, is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized. We recognize accrued interest and penalties related to uncertain income tax positions as income tax expense in the consolidated statements of income.

We operate within multiple domestic and foreign taxing jurisdictions and are subject to audit in these jurisdictions by domestic and foreign tax authorities. These audits include questions regarding our tax filing positions, including the timing and amount of deductions taken and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. We record accruals for the estimated outcomes of these audits, and the accruals may change in the future due to new developments in each matter. At any point in time, many tax years are subject to or in the process of being audited by various taxing authorities. To the extent our estimates of settlements change or the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts recorded, such differences will impact the income tax provision in the period in which such determinations are made. Our income tax expense includes changes in our estimated liability for exposures associated with our various tax filing positions. Determining the income tax expense for these potential assessments requires management to make assumptions that are subject to factors such as proposed assessments by tax authorities, changes in facts and circumstances, issuance of new regulations, and resolution of tax audits.

We believe the judgments and estimates discussed above are reasonable. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.

ITEM 7 (A).     QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

As a result of our operating and financing activities, we are exposed to market risks such as interest rate risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk and credit risk. We have implemented policies and procedures designed to measure, manage, monitor and report risk exposures, which are regularly reviewed by the appropriate management and supervisory bodies.

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Interest Rate Risk

We have exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relating to our cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments and indebtedness. As of December 31, 2022 and 2021, our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents were $8.4 billion and $2.0 billion, respectively, of which $346 million and $276 million, respectively, were denominated in pounds sterling, euros or Canadian dollars, and the remaining amounts are denominated in U.S. dollars. We do not use our investment portfolio for trading or other speculative purposes. A hypothetical 50% decrease in short-term interest rates would decrease our annual pre-tax earnings by $21 million as of December 31, 2022, assuming no change in the amount or composition of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents.

As of December 31, 2022, we had $18.1 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $18.1 billion related to our senior notes and $4 million under lines of credit at our India subsidiaries. See Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Debt," and Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

The interest rates on our Commercial Paper Program are currently evaluated based upon current maturities and market conditions. As of December 31, 2022, we did not have any notes outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program. The weighted average interest rate on our Commercial Paper Program was 0.33% as of December 31, 2021. The effective interest rate of commercial paper issuances will continue to fluctuate based on the movement in short-term interest rates along with shifts in supply and demand within the commercial paper market.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk

As an international business, we are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk. We may experience gains or losses from foreign currency transactions in the future given that a significant part of our assets and liabilities are recorded in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars or euros, and a significant portion of our revenues and expenses are recorded in pounds sterling or euros. Certain assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of foreign subsidiaries are denominated in the local functional currency of such subsidiaries. Our exposure to foreign denominated earnings in 2022 and 2021 is presented by primary foreign currency in the following table (dollars in millions, except exchange rates):

Year Ended December 31, 2022Year Ended December 31, 2021
Pound SterlingEuroPound SterlingEuro
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the current year$1.2376$1.0540$1.3762$1.1835
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the prior year$1.3762$1.1835$1.2832$1.1412
Average exchange rate increase/(decrease)(10)%(11)%7%4%
Foreign denominated percentage of:
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses7%6%7%6%
Operating expenses7%2%8%2%
Operating income7%11%6%11%
Impact of the currency fluctuations (1) on:
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$(59)$(56)$31$13
Operating expenses$(30)$(8)$19$3
Operating income$(29)$(48)$12$10

(1)    Represents the impact of currency fluctuation for the year compared to the same period in the prior year.

We have a significant part of our assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses recorded in pounds sterling or euros. In both 2022 and 2021, 13% of our consolidated revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were denominated in pounds sterling or euros, and in 2022 and 2021, 9% and 10%, respectively, of our consolidated operating expenses were denominated in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly.

Foreign currency transaction risk related to the settlement of foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables occurs through our operations, which are received in or paid in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars, or euros, due to the increase or decrease in the foreign currency exchange rates between periods. We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $9 million and $13 million in 2022 and 2021, respectively, inclusive of the impact of foreign currency hedging transactions. The foreign currency transaction losses were primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling

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and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. A 10% adverse change in the underlying foreign currency exchange rates as of December 31, 2022, assuming no change in the composition of the foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables and assuming no hedging activity, would result in a foreign currency loss of $14 million.

We entered into foreign currency hedging transactions during 2022 and 2021 as economic hedges to help mitigate a portion of our foreign exchange risk exposure and may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future to help mitigate our foreign exchange risk exposure. Although we may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future, these hedging arrangements may not be effective, particularly in the event of imprecise forecasts of the levels of our non-U.S. denominated assets and liabilities.

We have foreign currency translation risk equal to our net investment in our foreign subsidiaries. The financial statements of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using a current rate of exchange, with gains or losses included in the cumulative translation adjustment account, a component of equity. Our exposure to the net investment in foreign currencies is presented by primary foreign currencies in the table below (in millions):

As of December 31, 2022
Position in pounds sterlingPosition in Canadian dollarsPosition in euros
Assets£720$4,298171
of which goodwill represents56139492
Liabilities1013,85252
Net currency position£619$446119
Net currency position, in $USD$748$329$127
Negative impact on consolidated equity of a 10% decrease in foreign currency exchange rates$75$33$13

Foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) within our balance sheet. See the table below for the portion of equity attributable to foreign currency translation adjustments as well as the activity by year included within our statement of other comprehensive income. The impact of the foreign currency exchange rate differences in the table below were primarily driven by fluctuations of the pound sterling as compared to the U.S. dollar which were 1.2093, 1.3524 and 1.3665 as of December 31, 2022, 2021, and 2020, respectively.

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/ (Loss) from Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments (in millions)
Balance, as of January 1, 2020$(177)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss)43
Balance, as of December 31, 2020(134)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss)(16)
Balance, as of December 31, 2021(150)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss)(128)
Balance, as of December 31, 2022$(278)

The future impact on our business relating to the U.K. leaving the EU and the corresponding regulatory changes are uncertain at this time, including future impacts on currency exchange rates.

Credit Risk

We are exposed to credit risk in our operations in the event of a counterparty default. We limit our exposure to credit risk by rigorously selecting the counterparties with which we make our investments, monitoring them on an ongoing basis and executing agreements to protect our interests.

Clearing House Cash Deposit Risks

The ICE Clearing Houses hold material amounts of clearing member margin deposits which are held or invested primarily to provide security of capital while minimizing credit, market and liquidity risks. Refer to Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements for more information on the ICE Clearing Houses' cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and

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guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts receivable and unsettled variation margin which were $147.4 billion as of December 31, 2022. While we seek to achieve a reasonable rate of return which may generate interest income for our clearing members, we are primarily concerned with preservation of capital and managing the risks associated with these deposits. As the ICE Clearing Houses may pass on interest revenues (minus costs) to the clearing members, this could include negative or reduced yield due to market conditions. The following is a summary of the risks associated with these deposits and how these risks are mitigated:

•Credit Risk: When a clearing house has the ability to hold cash collateral at a central bank, the clearing house utilizes its access to the central bank system to minimize credit risk exposures. Credit risk is managed by using exposure limits depending on the credit profile of the counterparty as well as the nature and maturity of transactions. Our investment objective is to invest in securities that preserve principal while maximizing yields, without significantly increasing risk. We seek to substantially mitigate the credit risk associated with investments by placing them with governments, well-capitalized financial institutions and other creditworthy counterparties.

An ongoing review is performed to evaluate changes in the financial status of counterparties. In addition to the intrinsic creditworthiness of counterparties, our policies require diversification of counterparties (banks, financial institutions, bond issuers and funds) so as to avoid a concentration of risk.

•Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk is the risk a clearing house may not be able to meet its payment obligations in the right currency, in the right place and at the right time. To mitigate this risk, the clearing houses monitor liquidity requirements closely and maintain funds and assets in a manner which minimizes the risk of loss or delay in the access by the clearing house to such funds and assets. For example, holding funds with a central bank where possible or making only short term investments such as overnight reverse repurchase agreements serves to reduce liquidity risks.

•Interest Rate Risk: Interest rate risk is the risk that interest rates rise and cause the value of securities we hold or invest in to decline. If we were required to sell securities prior to maturity, and interest rates had risen, the sale might be made at a loss relative to the carrying value. Our clearing houses seek to manage this risk by making short term investments. For example, where possible and in accordance with regulatory requirements, the clearing houses invest cash pursuant to overnight reverse repurchase agreements or term reverse repurchase agreements with short dated maturities. In addition, the clearing house investment guidelines allow for direct purchases of high quality sovereign debt (for example, U.S. Treasury securities) and supranational debt instruments (Euro cash deposits only) with short dated maturities.

•Security Issuer Risk: Security issuer risk is the risk that an issuer of a security defaults on the payment when the security matures or debt is serviced. This risk is mitigated by limiting allowable investments under the reverse repurchase agreements to high quality sovereign or government agency debt and limiting any direct investments to high quality sovereign debt instruments.

•Investment Counterparty Risk: Investment counterparty risk is the risk that a reverse repurchase agreement counterparty might become insolvent and, thus, fail to meet its obligations to our clearing houses. We mitigate this risk by only engaging in transactions with high credit quality counterparties and by limiting the acceptable collateral to securities of high quality issuers. When engaging in reverse repurchase agreements, our clearing houses take delivery of the securities underlying the reverse repurchase arrangement in custody accounts under clearing house control. Additionally, the securities purchased subject to reverse repurchase have a market value greater than the reverse repurchase amount. Thus, in the event that a reverse repurchase counterparty defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying reverse repurchase securities, our clearing house will have possession of a security with a value potentially greater than the counterparty’s obligation.

The ICE Clearing Houses may use third-party investment advisors who make investments subject to the guidelines provided by each clearing house. Clearing house property is held in custody accounts under clearing house control with credit worthy custodians. The ICE Clearing Houses employ (or may employ) multiple investment advisors and custodians to ensure that in the event a single advisor or custodian is unable to fulfill its role, additional advisors or custodians are available as alternatives.

•Cross-Currency Margin Deposit Risk: Each of the ICE Clearing Houses may permit posting of cross-currency collateral to satisfy margin requirements (for example, accepting margin deposits denominated in U.S. dollars to secure a Euro margin obligation). The ICE Clearing Houses mitigate the risk of a currency value exposure by applying a “haircut” to the currency posted as margin at a level viewed as sufficient to provide financial protection during periods of currency volatility. Cross-currency balances are marked-to-market on a daily basis. Should the currency posted to satisfy margin requirements decline in value, the clearing member is required to increase its margin deposit on a same-day basis.

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Impact of Inflation

We have not been materially adversely affected by inflation as technological advances and competition have generally caused prices for the hardware and software that we use for our electronic platforms to remain constant. In the event of continued inflation, we believe that we will be able to pass on any price increases to our participants, as the prices that we charge are not governed by long-term contracts.

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FY 2021 10-K MD&A

SEC filing source: 0001571949-22-000006.

Extracted structurally from real Item 7 body heading to real Item 7A/8 boundary. Confidence: high. Filing date: 2022-02-03. Report date: 2021-12-31.

ITEM 7.    MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements for many reasons. See the factors set forth under the heading “Forward Looking Statements” at the beginning of Part 1 of this Annual Report and in Item 1(A) under the heading “Risk Factors.” For discussion related to the results of operations and changes in financial condition for 2020 compared to 2019 refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2020 Annual Report on Form 10-K, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on February 4, 2021.

Overview

We are a provider of market infrastructure, data services and technology solutions to a broad range of customers including financial institutions, corporations and government entities. These products, which span major asset classes including futures, equities, fixed income and U.S. residential mortgages, provide our customers with access to mission critical tools that are designed to increase asset class transparency and workflow efficiency. We report our results in three segments: Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services, and Mortgage Technology. The majority of our identifiable assets are located in the U.S. and U.K.

•In our Exchanges segment, we operate regulated marketplaces for the listing, trading and clearing of a broad array of derivatives contracts and financial securities.

•In our Fixed Income and Data Services segment, we provide fixed income pricing, reference data, indices, analytics and execution services as well as global CDS clearing and multi-asset class data delivery solutions.

•In our Mortgage Technology segment, we provide an end-to-end technology platform that offers customers comprehensive, digital workflow tools that aim to address the inefficiencies that exist in the U.S. residential mortgage market.

Recent Developments

Bakkt Transaction

On October 15, 2021, Bakkt Holdings, LLC, or Bakkt, completed its merger with VPC Impact Acquisition Holdings, or VIH, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by Victory Park Capital, or VPC. Bakkt is an integrated platform that enables customers and consumers to transact in digital assets.

The business combination between Bakkt and VIH resulted in enterprise value of approximately $2.1 billion, including approximately $479 million of cash on the combined company’s balance sheet, reflecting a contribution of up to $123 million of cash held in VIH’s trust account, and a $325 million concurrent private investment in public equity, or PIPE, of Class A common stock of the combined company and $31 million of cash held in Bakkt accounts. The PIPE was priced at $10.00 per share and included a $47 million commitment from us. The newly combined company has been renamed Bakkt Holdings, Inc. and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, or NYSE.

As part of the transaction, Bakkt’s existing equity holders and management rolled 100% of their equity into the combined company, and are subject to a six-month lockup period. Certain shareholders of VIH exercised their redemption rights, and at closing, Bakkt equity holders, including ICE, owned approximately 81% of the combined company, VIH’s public shareholders owned approximately 5%, VPC owned 2%, and PIPE investors (a group that also includes us) owned approximately 12% of the issued and outstanding common stock of the combined company.

Following completion of the business combination, we initially held a 68% economic interest and a minority voting interest in the combined company. Prior to the closing, Bakkt revenues and operating expenses were reported within our consolidated revenues and operating expenses. Following the closing, as a consequence of holding a minority voting interest in the combined company, during the fourth quarter of 2021 we deconsolidated Bakkt and treat it as an equity method investment within our financial statements. We recorded a gain on the transaction of $1.4 billion during the fourth quarter of 2021, which is included in other non-operating income within our consolidated income statement. For the three

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months ended December 31, 2021, we recorded estimated equity losses of ($92 million) related to our investment in Bakkt.

COVID-19

Since March 2020, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has created economic and financial disruptions globally and has led governmental authorities to take unprecedented measures to mitigate the spread of the disease, including travel bans, border closings, business closures, quarantines and shelter-in-place orders, and to take actions designed to stabilize markets and promote economic growth.

From an operational perspective, our businesses, including our exchanges, clearing houses, listing venues, data services businesses, and mortgage platforms, have remained open and we do not have any plans to close any of our business operations as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we have taken preventative measures and implemented contingency plans, and many of our employees are continuing to work remotely. We believe that our global office closures and phased re-opening measures were and continue to be in compliance, as necessary, with local government directives and social distancing directives. We continue to monitor local government mandates in determining our office re-openings, re-closures and work-related travel.

Global health concerns relating to COVID-19 and preventive measures taken to reduce its spread have created significant volatility in financial markets, which has resulted in higher trading volumes for some of our products and increased demand for our services.

The extent of the impact of the pandemic on our business will depend on future developments, including the duration, spread and severity of the outbreak, the effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19 over the long term and against new and emerging variants thereof, and the actions taken to contain the spread of the disease or mitigate its impact. We continue to monitor this dynamic situation, including guidance and regulations issued by U.S. and other governmental authorities. In light of the continually evolving nature of the COVID-19 outbreak, we are not able at this time to estimate the ultimate effect of the pandemic on our business, results of operations or financial condition in the future.

Consolidated Financial Highlights

The following summarizes our results and significant changes in our consolidated financial performance for the periods presented (dollars in millions, except per share amounts):

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$7,146$6,03618%$6,036$5,20216%
Operating expenses$3,697$3,00323%$3,003$2,52919%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$2,977$2,49519%$2,495$2,18914%
Operating income$3,449$3,03314%$3,033$2,67313%
Adjusted operating income(1)$4,169$3,54118%$3,541$3,01318%
Operating margin48%50%(2 pts)50%51%(1 pt)
Adjusted operating margin(1)58%59%(1 pt)59%58%1 pt
Other income (expense), net$2,249$(267)n/a$(267)$(192)39%
Income tax expense$1,629$658148%$658$52126%
Effective tax rate29%24%5 pts24%21%3 pts
Net income attributable to ICE$4,058$2,08994%$2,089$1,9338%
Adjusted net income attributable to ICE(1)$2,910$2,44919%$2,449$2,14214%
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$7.18$3.7790%$3.77$3.4210%
Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders(1)$5.15$4.4117%$4.41$3.7916%
Cash flows from operating activities$3,123$2,8818%$2,881$2,6598%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

(1) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. Adjusted net income attributable to ICE and adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders are presented net of taxes. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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•Revenues, less transaction-based expenses, increased $1.1 billion in 2021 from 2020. The increase in revenues includes $44 million in favorable foreign exchange effects arising from the weaker U.S. dollar in 2021 from 2020.

•Revenues, less transaction-based expenses, increased $834 million in 2020 from 2019. The increase in revenues includes $7 million in favorable foreign exchange effects arising from the weaker U.S. dollar in 2020 from 2019.

•Operating expenses increased $694 million in 2021 from 2020. The increase in operating expenses includes $22 million in unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from the weaker U.S. dollar in 2021 from 2020.

•Operating expenses increased $474 million in 2020 from 2019. The increase in operating expenses includes $2 million in unfavorable foreign exchange effects arising from the weaker U.S. dollar in 2020 from 2019.

•Other income (expense), net, in 2021 primarily includes our gain on the Bakkt transaction of $1.4 billion, our gain on the sale of our Coinbase Global, Inc., or Coinbase, investment of $1.2 billion, equity earnings in OCC of $51 million, estimated equity losses in our investment in Bakkt during the post-merger period of $92 million, dividend income from Euroclear plc, or Euroclear, of $60 million, a fair value adjustment gain on our Euroclear investment of $34 million and interest expense of $423 million.

•Other income (expense), net, in 2020 primarily includes interest expense of $357 million, equity earnings in OCC of $71 million, an accrual for potential legal settlements of $30 million, a fair value adjustment gain on our Euroclear investment of $35 million, and gain on the sale of our BIDS Trading, LP, or BIDS, investment of $20 million.

•The effective tax rate in 2021 is higher than the effective tax rate in 2020 primarily due to the deferred income tax impacts resulting from the U.K. tax law changes as well as the Bakkt transaction. In June 2021, the U.K. enacted a corporate income tax rate increase from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023.

•The effective tax rate in 2020 was higher than the effective tax rate in 2019 primarily due to U.K. tax law changes enacted in July 2020, partially offset by favorable state apportionment changes as a result of our acquisition of Ellie Mae, as well as favorable changes in certain international tax provisions as part of the U.S. Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, in 2019.

Business Environment and Market Trends

Our business environment has been characterized by:

•globalization of marketplaces, customers and competitors;

•growing customer demand for workflow efficiency and automation;

•commodity, interest rate and financial markets uncertainty;

•growing demand for data to inform customers' risk management and investment decisions;

•evolving, increasing and disparate regulation across multiple jurisdictions;

•price volatility increasing customers' demand for risk management services;

•increasing focus on capital and cost efficiencies;

•customers' preference to manage risk in markets demonstrating the greatest depth of liquidity and product diversity;

•the evolution of existing products and new product innovation to serve emerging customer needs and changing industry agreements;

•rising demand for speed, data, data capacity and connectivity by market participants, necessitating increased investment in technology; and

•consolidation and increasing competition among global markets for trading, clearing and listings.

Recent changes with regard to global financial reform have emphasized the importance of transparent markets, centralized clearing and access to data, all of which are important aspects of our product offering. However, some of the proposed rules have yet to be implemented and some rules that have already been partially implemented are being reconsidered. In addition, some of the global regulations have not been fully harmonized and several non-U.S. regulations are inconsistent with U.S. rules. As the evolution continues, legislative and regulatory actions may change the way we conduct our business and may create uncertainty for market participants, which could affect trading volumes or demand for market data. As a result, it is difficult to predict all of the effects that the legislation and its implementing regulations will

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have on us. As discussed more fully in Item 1 “- Business - Regulation” included in this Annual Report, Brexit, the implementation of MiFID II and other regulations may result in operational, regulatory and/or business risk.

We have diversified our business so that we are not dependent on volatility or transaction activity in any one asset class. In addition, we have increased our portion of recurring revenues from 34% in 2014 to 49% in 2021. These recurring revenues include data services, listings and various mortgage technology solutions.

Many of the data products we sell and services we provide are required for our clients’ business operations regardless of market volatility or shifts in business profitability levels. We anticipate that there will continue to be growth in the financial information services sector driven by a number of global trends, including the following:

•increasing global regulatory demands;

•greater use of fair value accounting standards and reliance on independent valuations;

•greater emphasis on risk management;

•market fragmentation driven by regulatory changes;

•the move to passive investing and indexation;

•ongoing growth in the size and diversity of financial markets;

•increased automation of fixed income, mortgage and other less automated markets;

•the development of new data products;

•the demand for greater data capacity and connectivity;

•new entrants; and

•increasing demand for outsourced services by financial institutions.

We continue to focus on our strategy to grow each of our revenue streams, and prudently manage expenses, in order to mitigate these uncertainties and to build on our growth opportunities by leveraging our proprietary data, clearing, markets and technology solutions.

Segment Results

Our business is conducted through three reportable business segments, comprised of the following:

•Our Exchanges segment includes our trade execution and clearing within our global futures network and NYSE businesses, various data and connectivity services that are directly related to those exchange platforms, administration fees and our NYSE listings business. Trade execution and clearing products include energy, agricultural and metals, financial futures and options, cash equities, equity options, OTC and other;

•Our Fixed Income and Data Services segment includes pricing and reference data, analytics, indices, trade execution and clearing within our ICE Bonds and CDS businesses, consolidated feeds and our ICE Global Network businesses; and

•Our Mortgage Technology segment includes origination technology, closing solutions, data and analytics and other mortgage technology businesses.

While revenues are recorded specifically in the segment in which they are earned or to which they relate, a significant portion of our operating expenses are not solely related to a specific segment because the expenses serve functions that are necessary for the operation of more than one segment. We directly allocate expenses when reasonably possible to do so. Otherwise, we use a pro-rata revenue approach as the allocation method for the expenses that do not relate solely to one segment and serve functions that are necessary for the operation of all segments. Our segments do not engage in intersegment transactions.

Beginning in the first quarter of 2021, origination technology revenues include those related to our ICE Mortgage Technology network (previously reported in closing solutions revenues) and closing solutions revenues now include registration revenues related to MERSCORP Holdings, Inc., or MERS, (previously reported in other revenues). We believe these changes more accurately reflect how we operate the business. Prior-year periods have been adjusted to reflect these changes.

For details on trends in recent prior-year periods, refer to our 2020 and 2019 Annual Reports on Form 10-K.

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Exchanges Segment

The following presents selected statements of income data for our Exchanges segment (dollars in millions):

(1) The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. As a result, these adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Revenues:
Energy futures and options$1,236$1,12010%$1,120$99213%
Agricultural and metals futures and options228245(7)245251(2)
Financial futures and options394357103573328
Futures and options1,8581,72281,7221,5759
Cash equities and equity options2,3772,585(8)2,5851,64357
OTC and other3262961029623327
Transaction and clearing, net4,5614,603(1)4,6033,45133
Data and connectivity services83879067907525
Listings4794467446449(1)
Revenues5,8785,83915,8394,65226
Transaction-based expenses(1)2,0222,208(8)2,2081,34564
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses3,8563,63163,6313,30710
Other operating expenses1,028965696587410
Depreciation and amortization244261(7)261265(2)
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs6116287161n/a
Operating expenses1,3331,24271,2421,1409
Operating income$2,523$2,3896%$2,389$2,16710%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

(1)Transaction-based expenses are largely attributable to our cash equities and options business.

Exchanges Revenues

Our Exchanges segment includes transaction and clearing revenues from our futures and NYSE exchanges, related data and connectivity services, and our listings business. Transaction and clearing revenues consist of fees collected from derivatives, cash equities and equity options trading and derivatives clearing, and are reported on a net basis, except for the NYSE transaction-based expenses discussed below. Rates per-contract, or RPC, are driven by the number of contracts or securities traded and the fees charged per contract, net of certain rebates. Our per-contract transaction and clearing revenues will depend upon many factors, including, but not limited to, market conditions, transaction and clearing volume, product mix, pricing, applicable revenue sharing and market making agreements, and new product introductions. Because transaction and clearing revenues are generally assessed on a per-contract basis, revenues and profitability fluctuate with changes in contract volume and product mix. Our data and connectivity services revenues are recurring subscription fees related to the various data and connectivity services that we provide which are directly attributable to our exchange venues. Our listings revenues are also recurring subscription fees that we earn for the provision of NYSE listings services for public companies and ETFs, and related corporate actions for listed companies.

In 2021 and 2020, 17% and 14%, respectively, of our Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were billed in pounds sterling or euros. Due to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro compared to the U.S. dollar, our Exchanges segment revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were higher by $30 million in 2021 from 2020.

Our exchange transaction and clearing revenues are presented net of rebates. We recorded rebates of $1.0 billion and $962 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively. We offer rebates in certain of our markets primarily to support market liquidity and trading volume by providing qualified participants in those markets a discount to the applicable commission rate. Such rebates are calculated based on volumes traded. The increase in rebates is primarily due to the launch of new products, including ICE Murban crude oil futures and the Sterling Overnight Index Average, or SONIA.

•Energy Futures and Options: Total energy volume increased 1% and revenues increased 10% in 2021 from 2020.

–Total oil volume increased 3% in 2021 from 2020 driven by price volatility related to oil supply and demand dynamics and macroeconomic uncertainty in late 2021.

–Our global natural gas futures and options volume decreased 4% in 2021 from 2020 as 2020 benefited from elevated volatility related to COVID-19, partially offset by 2021 continued growth in our TTF and Asian JKM gas complexes driven by the globalization of gas, coupled with heightened price volatility in 2021 related to natural gas supply and demand dynamics in the U.K. and Europe.

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–Our environmentals and other futures and options volume increased 18% to record levels in 2021 from 2020 due to an increase in the price of carbon and continued demand for market-based mechanisms to price climate risk and help enable greenhouse gas reduction goals.

•Agricultural and Metals Futures and Options: Total volume in our agricultural and metals futures and options markets decreased 10% and revenues decreased 7% in 2021 from 2020. The overall decrease in agricultural volumes was due to 2020 benefiting from elevated volatility related to COVID-19 and a sharp decline in oil prices, partially offset by elevated volatility in late 2021 as a result of weather-related supply and demand dynamics impacting our Coffee and Cotton markets as well as geopolitical events impacting our Cocoa markets.

–Sugar futures and options volumes decreased 21% in 2021 from 2020.

–Other agricultural and metal futures and options volumes were flat in 2021 as compared to 2020.

•Financial Futures and Options: Total volume increased 2% and revenues increased 10% in our financial futures and options markets in 2021 from 2020.

–Interest rate futures and options volume and revenue increased 6% and 23% in 2021 from 2020, respectively, driven by interest rate volatility from increased speculation of central bank activity due to post-pandemic global economic re-opening and inflation concerns. Interest rate futures and options revenues were $237 million and $193 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

–Other financial futures and options volume, which includes our MSCI®, FTSE® and NYSE FANG+ equity index products, decreased 12% and revenue decreased 4% in 2021 from 2020. Other financial futures and options volume decreased as 2020 benefited from elevated volatility across global equity markets driven by the emergence of COVID-19. Other financial futures and options revenues were $157 million and $164 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

•Cash Equities and Equity Options: Cash equities volume decreased 6% in 2021 from 2020 as 2020 benefited from elevated volatility across global equity markets driven by the emergence of COVID-19. Cash equities revenues, net of transaction-based expenses, were $246 million and $276 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively. Equity options volume increased 40% in 2021 from 2020 driven by increased participation and higher market share. Equity options revenues, net of transaction-based expenses, were $109 million and $101 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

•OTC and Other: OTC and other transactions include revenues from our OTC energy business and other trade confirmation services, as well as interest income on certain clearing margin deposits, regulatory penalties and fines, fees for use of our facilities, regulatory fees charged to member organizations of our U.S. securities exchanges, designated market maker service fees, exchange membership fees and agricultural grading and certification fees. Our OTC and other revenues increased 10% in 2021 from 2020. Following the October 2021 Bakkt transaction, Bakkt revenues are no longer included within our OTC and other revenues.

•Data and Connectivity Services: Our data and connectivity services revenues increased 6% in 2021 from 2020. The increase in revenue was driven by the strong retention rate of existing customers and increased purchases by existing customers.

•Listings Revenues: Through NYSE, NYSE American and NYSE Arca, we generate listings revenue related to the provision of listings services for public companies and ETFs, and related corporate actions for listed companies. Listings revenues increased 7% in 2021 from 2020, driven by equity capital markets activity, including an increase in demand for special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, listings.

Listings revenues in our securities markets arise from fees applicable to companies listed on our cash equities exchanges– original listing fees and annual listing fees. Original listing fees consist of two components: initial listing fees and fees related to corporate actions. Initial listing fees, subject to a minimum and maximum amount, are based on the number of shares that a company initially lists. All listings fees are billed upfront and the identified performance obligations are satisfied over time. Revenue related to the investor relations performance obligation is recognized ratably over the period these services are provided, with the remaining revenue recognized ratably over time as customers continue to list on our exchanges.

In addition, we earn corporate actions-related listing fees in connection with actions involving the issuance of new shares, such as stock splits, rights issues and sales of additional securities, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Listings fees related to other corporate actions are considered contract modifications of our listing contracts and are recognized ratably over time as customers continue to list on our exchanges.

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In a record year for new issuance, NYSE raised $221 billion in IPOs and follow-on offerings from over 594 transactions, an increase of 20% from $185 billion raised in 2020.

Selected Operating Data

The following charts and tables present trading activity in our futures and options markets by commodity type based on the total number of contracts traded, as well as futures and options rate per contract (in millions, except for percentages and rate per contract amounts):

Volume and Rate per Contract

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Number of contracts traded (in millions):
Energy futures and options7827731%77366915%
Agricultural and metals futures and options98108(10)%108111(3)%
Financial futures and options6346192%619630(2)%
Total1,5141,5001%1,5001,4106%
Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Average Daily Volume of contracts traded (in thousands):
Energy futures and options3,1033,0542%3,0542,65515%
Agricultural and metals futures and options388428(9)%428442(3)%
Financial futures and options2,4752,4093%2,4092,460(2)%
Total5,9665,8911%5,8915,5576%
Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
Rate per contract:20212020Change20202019Change
Energy futures and options$1.58$1.459%$1.45$1.48(2)%
Agricultural and metals futures and options$2.34$2.273%$2.27$2.251%
Financial futures and options$0.61$0.577%$0.57$0.5210%

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Open interest is the aggregate number of contracts (long or short) that clearing members hold either for their own account or on behalf of their clients. Open interest refers to the total number of contracts that are currently “open,” – in other words, contracts that have been entered into but not yet liquidated by either an offsetting trade, exercise, expiration or assignment. Open interest is also a measure of the future activity remaining to be closed out in terms of the number of contracts that members and their clients continue to hold in the particular contract and by the number of contracts held for each contract month listed by the exchange. The following charts and table present our year-end open interest for our futures and options contracts (in thousands, except for percentages):

As of December 31,As of December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Open interest — in thousands of contracts:
Energy futures and options40,31740,0731%40,07337,4337%
Agricultural and metals futures and options3,7633,6084%3,6083,836(6)%
Financial futures and options23,94227,535(13)%27,53529,369(6)%
Total68,02271,216(4)%71,21670,6381%

The following charts and tables present selected cash and equity options trading data. All trading volume below is presented as average net daily trading volume, or ADV, and is single counted:

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
NYSE cash equities (shares in millions):
Total cash handled volume2,3172,466(6)%2,4661,74042%
Total cash market share matched19.9%22.1%(2.3) pts22.1%24.2%(2.1) pts
NYSE equity options (contracts in thousands):
NYSE equity options volume7,1625,10140%5,1013,17261%
Total equity options volume37,17027,68534%27,68517,54258%
NYSE share of total equity options19.3%18.4%0.8 pts18.4%18.1%0.3 pts
Revenue capture or rate per contract:
Cash equities rate per contract (per 100 shares)$0.042$0.044(5)%$0.044$0.046(4)%
Equity options rate per contract$0.06$0.08(23)%$0.08$0.12(34)%

Handled volume represents the total number of shares of equity securities, ETFs and crossing session activity internally matched on our exchanges or routed to and executed on an external market center. Matched volume represents the total number of shares of equity securities, ETFs and crossing session activity executed on our exchanges.

Transaction-Based Expenses

Our equities and equity options markets pay fees to the SEC pursuant to Section 31 of the Exchange Act. Section 31 fees are recorded on a gross basis as a component of transaction and clearing fee revenue. These Section 31 fees are assessed to recover the government’s costs of supervising and regulating the securities markets and professionals and are subject to change. We, in turn, collect corresponding activity assessment fees from member organizations clearing or settling trades on the equities and options exchanges, and recognize these amounts in our transaction and clearing revenues when invoiced. The activity assessment fees are designed to equal the Section 31 fees. As a result, activity assessment fees and the corresponding Section 31 fees do not have an impact on our net income, although the timing of

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payment by us will vary from collections. Section 31 fees were $248 million and $622 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The decrease in Section 31 fees was primarily related to a decline in rates, which were revised in February of both years. The fees we collect are included in cash at the time of receipt and we remit the amounts to the SEC semi-annually as required. The total amount is included in accrued liabilities and was $57 million as of December 31, 2021.

We make liquidity payments to cash and options trading customers, as well as routing charges made to other exchanges which are included in transaction-based expenses. We incur routing charges when we do not have the best bid or offer in the market for a security that a customer is trying to buy or sell on one of our securities exchanges. In that case, we route the customer’s order to the external market center that displays the best bid or offer. The external market center charges us a fee per share (denominated in tenths of a cent per share) for routing to its system. We record routing charges on a gross basis as a component of transaction and clearing fee revenue. Cash liquidity payments, routing and clearing fees were $1.8 billion and $1.6 billion in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Exchanges segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Exchanges Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Operating expenses$1,333$1,2427%$1,242$1,1409%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,201$1,1455%$1,145$1,04110%
Operating income$2,523$2,3896%$2,389$2,16710%
Adjusted operating income(1)$2,655$2,4867%$2,486$2,26610%
Operating margin65%66%(1 pt)66%66%
Adjusted operating margin(1)69%68%1 pt68%69%(1 pt)

(1) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Fixed Income and Data Services Segment

The following charts and table present our selected statements of income data for our Fixed Income and Data Services segment (dollars in millions):

(1) The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. As a result, these adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Revenues:
Fixed income execution$52$70(25)%$70$83(16)%
CDS clearing192208(8)208214(2)
Fixed income data and analytics1,0821,01861,0189695
Fixed income and credit1,3261,29621,2961,2662
Other data and network services55751485144905
Revenues1,8831,81041,8101,7563
Other operating expenses1,01296759679393
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs1195(10)
Depreciation and amortization341351(3)351378(7)
Operating expenses1,3541,31831,3181,317
Operating income$529$4927%$492$43912%

Our Fixed Income and Data Services segment represents fixed income and credit trading and clearing as well as subscription-based, or recurring, revenues related to our fixed income data and analytics offerings as well as other multi-asset class data and network services.

In both 2021 and 2020, 14% of our Fixed Income and Data Services segment revenues were billed in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly. Due to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro compared to the U.S. dollar during 2021, our Fixed Income and Data Services revenues were higher by $14 million in 2021 than in 2020.

Fixed Income and Data Services Revenues

Our Fixed Income and Data Services revenues increased 4% in 2021 from 2020 primarily due to growth in our fixed income data and analytics products and our other data and network services.

•Fixed Income Execution: Fixed income execution includes revenues from ICE Bonds. Execution fees are reported net of rebates, which were nominal in 2021, 2020 and 2019. Our fixed income execution revenues decreased 25% in 2021 from 2020. The decrease in revenue was due to 2020 benefiting from price volatility related to COVID-19, as well as decreased retail activity, particularly in municipal and corporate bonds, as a result of low interest rates.

•CDS Clearing: CDS clearing revenues decreased 8% in 2021 from 2020. The notional value of CDS cleared was $17.0 trillion and $17.9 trillion in 2021 and 2020, respectively. Elevated volatility in 2020 related to COVID-19 benefited 2020 revenues, with volatility and cleared volumes generally returning to more normal levels late in 2021.

•Fixed Income Data and Analytics: Our fixed income data and analytics revenues increased 6% in 2021 from 2020. The increase in revenue was due to strength in our index business and continued growth in our pricing and reference data business driven by the strong retention rate of existing customers, the addition of new customers, and increased purchases by existing customers.

•Other Data and Network Services: Our other data and network services revenues increased 8% in 2021 from 2020. The increase in revenues was driven primarily by growth in our ICE Global Network offering, coupled with strength in our consolidated feeds and desktop revenues.

Annual Subscription Value, or ASV, represents, at a point in time, the data services revenues, which includes Fixed Income Data and Analytics as well as Other Data and Network Services, subscribed for the succeeding 12 months. ASV does not include new sales, contract terminations or price changes that may occur during that 12-month period. However, while it is an indicative forward-looking metric, it does not provide a precise growth forecast of the next 12 months of data services revenues.

As of December 31, 2021, ASV was $1.646 billion, which increased 4.9% compared to the ASV as of December 31, 2020. ASV represents nearly 100% of total data services revenues for this segment. This does not adjust for year-over-year foreign exchange fluctuations.

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Operating Expenses, Operating Income and Operating Margin

The following chart summarizes our Fixed Income and Data Services segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

Fixed Income and Data Services Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Operating expenses$1,354$1,3183%$1,318$1,317%
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$1,174$1,1195%$1,119$1,0923%
Operating income$529$4927%$492$43912%
Adjusted operating income(1)$709$6913%$691$6644%
Operating margin28%27%1 pt27%25%2 pts
Adjusted operating margin(1)38%38%38%38%

(1) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Mortgage Technology Segment

The following charts and table present our selected statements of income data for our Mortgage Technology segment (dollars in millions):

*Other revenues were $4 million in 2019 and $19 million in 2020.

(1) The adjusted figures in the charts above are calculated by excluding items that are not reflective of our cash operations and core business performance. As a result, these adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures” below.

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Revenues:
Origination technology971316208%316n/a
Closing solutions3102383023813576
Data and analytics732222622n/a
Other5319185194n/a
Revenues1,407595137595139n/a
Other operating expenses54621515421552n/a
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs4089(56)891n/a
Depreciation and amortization42413920513919n/a
Operating expenses1,01044312844372n/a
Operating income$397$152162%$152$67124%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful due to the acquisition of Ellie Mae in September 2020.

Mortgage Technology Revenues

Our mortgage technology revenues are derived from our comprehensive, end-to-end U.S. residential mortgage platform. Our mortgage technology business enables greater workflow efficiency for customers focused on originating U.S. residential mortgage loans. Mortgage technology revenues increased $812 million or 137% in 2021 from 2020. Revenues from Ellie Mae following our September 2020 acquisition were $351 million in 2020.

•Origination technology: Our origination technology acts as a system of record for the mortgage transaction, automating the gathering, reviewing, and verifying of mortgage-related information and enabling automated enforcement of rules and business practices designed to help ensure that each completed loan transaction is of high quality and adheres to secondary market standards. These revenues are based on recurring Software as a Service, or SaaS, subscription fees, with an additive transaction-based or Success-Based Pricing fee as lenders exceed the number of loans closed that are included with their monthly base subscription.

In addition, the ICE Mortgage Technology network provides originators connectivity to the mortgage supply chain and facilitates the secure exchange of information between our customers and a broad ecosystem of third-party service providers, as well as lenders and investors that are critical to consummating the millions of loan transactions that occur on our origination network each year. Revenue from the ICE Mortgage Technology network is largely transaction-based.

•Closing solutions: Our closing solutions uniquely connect key participants, such as lenders, title and settlement agents and individual county recorders, to digitize the traditionally manual and paper-based closing and recording process. Our closing solutions also include revenues from the MERS database, a leading system for recording and tracking changes in mortgage servicing rights and beneficial ownership interests in loans secured by U.S. residential real estate. Closing solutions revenues increased in 2021 from 2020 as a result of an increase in residential home sales, market share gains and increased demand and adoption of digital solutions. Revenues from closing solutions are largely transaction-based.

•Data and Analytics: Revenues include those related to ICE Mortgage Technology’s Automation, Intelligence, Quality, or AIQ, offering, which applies machine learning and artificial intelligence, or AI, to the entire loan origination process, offering customers greater efficiency by streamlining data collection and validation through our automated document recognition and data extraction capabilities. AIQ revenues can be both recurring and transaction-based in nature. In addition, our data offerings include real-time industry and peer benchmarking tools, which provide originators a granular view into the real-time trends of nearly half the U.S. residential mortgage market. We also provide a Data as a Service, or DaaS, offering through private data clouds for lenders to access their own data and origination information. Revenues related to our data products are largely subscription-based and recurring in nature.

•Other: Other revenues include professional services fees, as well as revenues from ancillary products. Other revenues can be both recurring and transaction-based in nature.

The following chart summarizes our Mortgage Technology segment's operating expenses, operating income and operating margin (dollars in millions). See “- Consolidated Operating Expenses” below for a discussion of the significant changes in our operating expenses.

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Mortgage Technology Segment:Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Operating expenses$1,010$443128%$443$72n/a
Adjusted operating expenses(1)$602$231160%$231$56n/a
Operating income$397$152162%$152$67124%
Adjusted operating income(1)$805$364122%$364$83n/a
Operating margin28%25%3 pts25%48%(23 pts)
Adjusted operating margin(1)57%61%(4 pts)61%59%2 pts

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful due to the acquisition of Ellie Mae in September 2020.

(1) The adjusted figures exclude items that are not reflective of our ongoing core operations and business performance. These adjusted numbers are not calculated in accordance with GAAP. See “- Non-GAAP Financial Measures”

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Consolidated Operating Expenses

The following presents our consolidated operating expenses (dollars in millions):

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Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Compensation and benefits$1,462$1,18823%$1,188$1,04214%
Professional services1591441014412515
Acquisition-related transaction and integration costs102105(3)1052n/a
Technology and communication6665492154946917
Rent and occupancy84813816819
Selling, general and administrative2151851618516115
Depreciation and amortization1,0097513475166213
Total operating expenses$3,697$3,00323%$3,003$2,52919%

*Percentage changes in the table above deemed "n/a" are not meaningful.

The majority of our operating expenses do not vary directly with changes in our volume and revenues, except for certain technology and communication expenses, including data acquisition costs, licensing and other fee-related arrangements and a portion of our compensation expense that is tied directly to our data sales or overall financial performance.

We expect our operating expenses to increase in absolute terms in future periods in connection with the growth of our business, and to vary from year-to-year based on the type and level of our acquisitions, our integrations and other investments.

In 2021 and 2020, 10% and 11%, respectively, of our operating expenses were incurred in pounds sterling or euros. Due to fluctuations in the U.S. dollar compared to the pound sterling and euro, our consolidated operating expenses were $22 million higher in 2021 than in 2020. See Item 7(A) “- Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk” below for additional information.

Compensation and Benefits Expenses

Compensation and benefits expense is our most significant operating expense and includes non-capitalized employee wages, bonuses, non-cash or stock compensation, certain severance costs, benefits and employer taxes. The bonus component of our compensation and benefits expense is based on both our financial performance and individual employee performance. The performance-based restricted stock compensation expense is also based on our financial performance. Therefore, our compensation and benefits expense will vary year-to-year based on our financial performance and fluctuations in our number of employees. The below chart summarizes the significant drivers of our compensation and benefits expense results for the periods presented (dollars in millions, except employee headcount).

Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change
Employee headcount8,8588,890%
Stock-based compensation expenses$155$12722%

Employee headcount decreased in 2021 from 2020 primarily due to the deconsolidation of Bakkt, which was partially offset by increased hiring in 2021. Ellie Mae compensation and benefits expense was $174 million higher in 2021 than in 2020 due to our September 2020 acquisition. Bakkt compensation and benefits expense was $16 million higher in 2021 than in 2020 due to increases in employee headcount prior to deconsolidating Bakkt. In addition, compensation and benefits expense increased $67 million in 2021 from 2020 due to merit pay increases, above target performance-based compensation and higher employee insurance costs than in 2020 due to the impact of COVID-19. The stock-based compensation expenses in the table above relate to employee stock option and restricted stock awards.

Professional Services Expenses

Professional services expense includes fees for consulting services received on strategic and technology initiatives, temporary labor, as well as regulatory, legal and accounting fees, and may fluctuate as a result of changes in our use of these services in our business.

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Professional services expenses increased in 2021 from 2020 primarily due to an increase of $26 million from Ellie Mae which was partially offset by lower legal expenses for 2021.

Acquisition-Related Transaction and Integration Costs

In 2021, we incurred $59 million in acquisition-related transaction costs related to the deconsolidation of Bakkt, which included $31 million non-cash compensation related to a market condition event triggered on the Bakkt equity incentive awards in connection with the merger of Bakkt and VIH. Additionally, we incurred $39 million in integration costs related to Ellie Mae.

We expect to continue to explore and pursue various potential acquisitions and other strategic opportunities to strengthen our competitive position and support our growth. As a result, we may incur acquisition-related transaction costs in future periods.

Technology and Communication Expenses

Technology support services consist of costs for running our wholly-owned data centers, hosting costs paid to third-party data centers, and maintenance of our computer hardware and software required to support our technology and cybersecurity. These costs are driven by system capacity, functionality and redundancy requirements. Communication expenses consist of costs for network connections for our electronic platforms and telecommunications costs.

Technology and communications expense also includes fees paid for access to external market data, licensing and other fee agreement expenses. Technology and communications expenses may be impacted by growth in electronic contract volume, our capacity requirements, changes in the number of telecommunications hubs and connections with customers to access our electronic platforms directly.

Technology and communications expenses increased by $117 million in 2021 from 2020, primarily due to the inclusion of Ellie Mae expenses, which were $87 million higher in 2021 than in 2020. In addition, technology and communications expenses increased by $24 million in 2021 from 2020 due to increased license fees and data acquisition costs.

Rent and Occupancy Expenses

Rent and occupancy expense relates to leased and owned property and includes rent, maintenance, real estate taxes, utilities and other related costs. We have significant operations located in the U.S., U.K., and India, with smaller offices located throughout the world.

Rent and occupancy expenses includes the expenses of Ellie Mae, which increased $6 million in 2021 from 2020. These expenses were partially offset by a reduction in other occupancy expenses in 2021 and the early termination of our NYSE Chicago office lease in 2020. See Item 2 “- Properties” above for additional information regarding our leased and owned property.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses include marketing, advertising, public relations, insurance, bank service charges, dues and subscriptions, travel and entertainment, non-income taxes and other general and administrative costs.

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased in 2021 from 2020, primarily due to the inclusion of $13 million of Ellie Mae expenses and $12 million of Bakkt expenses related to the launch of Bakkt's digital wallet, Bakkt App. In addition, marketing expenses increased $19 million in 2021 from 2020 primarily due to a higher number of NYSE initial public offerings, or IPOs, which were partially offset by a charitable contribution in support of COVID-19 relief efforts of $10 million and an $8 million regulatory settlement accrual in 2020.

Depreciation and Amortization Expenses

Depreciation and amortization expense results from depreciation of long-lived assets such as buildings, leasehold improvements, aircraft, hardware and networking equipment, software, furniture, fixtures and equipment over their estimated useful lives. This expense includes amortization of intangible assets obtained in our acquisitions of

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businesses, as well as on various licensing agreements, over their estimated useful lives. Intangible assets subject to amortization consist primarily of customer relationships, trading products with finite lives and technology. This expense also includes amortization of internally-developed and purchased software over its estimated useful life.

We recorded amortization expenses on intangible assets acquired as part of our acquisitions, as well as on other intangible assets, of $622 million and $388 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in 2021 over 2020 was primarily due to an increase in the amortization of Ellie Mae intangible assets of $246 million.

We recorded depreciation expenses on our fixed assets of $387 million and $363 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The increase in 2021 over 2020 was primarily due to an increase in the depreciation of Ellie Mae fixed assets of $31 million, partially offset by a software impairment charge of $11 million in 2020 related to a portion of customized software developed at Bakkt that was no longer useful.

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Consolidated Non-Operating Income (Expense)

Income and expenses incurred through activities outside of our core operations are considered non-operating. The following tables present our non-operating income (expenses) (dollars in millions):

Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
20212020Change20202019Change
Other income (expense):
Interest income$1$10(93)%$10$35(71)%
Interest expense(423)(357)19(357)(285)25
Other income, net2,67180n/a805838
Total other income (expense), net$2,249$(267)n/a$(267)$(192)39%
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest$(11)$(19)(44)%$(19)$(27)(27)%

Interest Income

Interest income decreased in 2021 from 2020 primarily due to a decrease in short-term interest rates on various investments.

Interest Expense

Interest expense increased in 2021 from 2020 primarily due to the issuance of senior notes in May 2020 to refinance existing debt, the issuance of senior notes in August 2020 related to the Ellie Mae acquisition, and $4 million in accelerated unamortized costs related to the early redemption in September 2021 of the floating rate notes due June 2023, partially offset by a $14 million extinguishment payment we incurred related to the June 2020 early redemption of senior notes with an original maturity of December 1, 2020, or the December 2020 Senior Notes, and $5 million pre-acquisition interest expense on debt issued for Ellie Mae acquisition. See “- Debt” below.

Other income (expense), net

During 2021, Bakkt completed its merger with VIH, which resulted in an initial 68% economic interest, and we recorded a gain of $1.4 billion as other income upon our deconsolidation of Bakkt. Following the merger, we show our economic interest share of estimated Bakkt profits/(losses) as equity earnings, which are also included in other income (expense), net. We recorded other expense of ($92 million) related to our Bakkt investment for the post-merger period during 2021.

During 2021, Coinbase completed an IPO and we sold our investment in Coinbase for $1.2 billion, and recorded a gain of $1.2 billion as other income.

During 2021, we recorded a gain of $7 million related to the settlement of an acquisition-related indemnification claim from a prior acquisition as other income. In addition, we accrued approximately $16 million related to a legal settlement. In 2020, we recorded an accrual for potential legal settlements of $30 million as other income.

We own a 40% interest in the Options Clearing Corporation, or OCC, which we treat as an equity method investment. OCC is regulated by the SEC and the CFTC. We recognized $51 million and $71 million of equity earnings as our share of OCC's estimated profits during 2021 and 2020, respectively, which is included in other income. Refer to Note 4 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report for additional details on our OCC investment.

In connection with our equity investment in Euroclear, we recognized dividend income of $60 million in 2021 and $19 million in 2019, included in other income. As a result of a 2020 European regulation limiting dividend payments, we did not receive a Euroclear dividend in 2020, but we received two dividend payments during 2021. In addition, in both September 2021 and in November 2020 we became aware of observable price changes in orderly transactions of similar Euroclear investments by third parties. The transactions resulted in fair value adjustments of our Euroclear investment, and we recorded gains of $34 million and $35 million in other income in 2021 and 2020, respectively, including the impacts of foreign currency exchange.

We historically held a 9% ownership interest in BIDS, a registered broker-dealer and the operator of the BIDS Alternative Trading System. In December 2020, we sold our investment in BIDS to Cboe and recorded a gain on the sale of $20 million, included in other income.

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We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $13 million and $5 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively. This was primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are recorded in other income (expense), net, when the settlement of foreign currency assets, liabilities and payables occur in non-functional currencies and there is an increase or decrease in the period-end foreign currency exchange rates between periods. See Item 7A “- Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk - Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk” included elsewhere in this Annual Report for more information on these items.

In connection with our adoption of Accounting Standards Update, or ASU, 2017-07, Compensation Retirement Benefits: Improving the Presentation of Net Periodic Pension Cost and Net Periodic Postretirement Benefit Cost, or ASU 2017-07, we are recognizing the other components of net benefit cost of our defined benefit plans in the income statement as non-operating income on a full retrospective basis. The combined net periodic expense of these plans was $3 million and $6 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively.

Non-controlling Interest

For consolidated subsidiaries in which our ownership is less than 100%, and for which we have control over the assets, liabilities and management of the entity, the outside stockholders’ interests are shown as non-controlling interests. As of December 31, 2021, our non-controlling interests include those related to the non-ICE limited partners' interest in our CDS clearing subsidiaries and non-controlling interest in ICE Futures Abu Dhabi. Prior to completion of the Bakkt transaction on October 15, 2021, our non-controlling interest also included the redeemable non-controlling interest of the non-ICE partners in Bakkt, as discussed further below.

The non-ICE limited partners of our CDS clearing subsidiaries hold a 26.7% ownership interest as of December 31, 2021. In addition, during 2020 we received a contribution from a group of minority investors for a non-controlling interest in ICE Futures Abu Dhabi.

As of December 31, 2020, minority interests related to Bakkt were reflected as redeemable non-controlling interests in temporary equity within our consolidated balance sheet. On October 15, 2021, Bakkt completed its merger with VIH and as of December 31, 2021, we no longer hold redeemable non-controlling interest related to Bakkt. Refer to Note 3 to our consolidated financial statements contained elsewhere in this Annual Report.

Consolidated Income Tax Provision

Consolidated income tax expense was $1.6 billion and $658 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The change in consolidated income tax expense between years is primarily due to the tax impact of changes in our pre-tax income and the changes in our effective tax rate. The consolidated income tax expense for 2021 was elevated due to the tax expense associated with the gains resulting from our Coinbase and Bakkt transactions.

Our effective tax rate was 29% and 24% in 2021 and 2020, respectively. The effective tax rate for 2021 is higher than the effective tax rate for 2020 primarily due to the deferred income tax impacts from the U.K. tax law changes as well as the Bakkt transaction. In June 2021, the U.K. enacted a corporate income tax rate increase from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023.

On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was enacted and certain income tax related relief was provided under the CARES Act. On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, was signed into law. The ARPA enacted certain provisions that are relevant to corporate income tax. On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was signed into law. These provisions did not have a material impact on our income tax provision for 2021 or 2020.

See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements and related notes, which are included in this Annual Report, for additional information on these tax items.

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Below are charts that reflect our outstanding debt and capital allocation. The acquisition and integration costs in the chart below include cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash received for divestitures, cash paid for equity and equity method investments, cash paid for non-controlling interest and redeemable non-controlling interest, and acquisition-related transaction and integration costs, in each year.

We have financed our operations, growth and cash needs primarily through income from operations and borrowings under our various debt facilities. Our principal capital requirements have been to fund capital expenditures, working capital, strategic acquisitions and investments, stock repurchases, dividends and the development of our technology platforms. We believe that our cash on hand and cash flows from operations will be sufficient to repay our outstanding debt, but we

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may also need to incur additional debt or issue additional equity securities in the future. See “- Future Capital Requirements” below.

See “- Cash Flow” below for a discussion of our capital expenditures and capitalized software development costs.

Consolidated cash and cash equivalents were $607 million and $583 million as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively. We had $1.4 billion in short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents as of both December 31, 2021 and 2020. We had $145.9 billion and $81.6 billion of cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds as of December 31, 2021 and 2020, respectively.

As of December 31, 2021, the amount of unrestricted cash held by our non-U.S. subsidiaries was $400 million. Due to U.S. tax reform, the majority of our foreign earnings since January 1, 2018 have been subject to immediate U.S. income taxation, and the existing non-U.S. unrestricted cash balance can be distributed to the U.S. in the future with no material additional income tax consequences.

Our cash and cash equivalents and financial investments are managed as a global treasury portfolio of non-speculative financial instruments that are readily convertible into cash, such as overnight deposits, term deposits, money market funds, mutual funds for treasury investments, short duration fixed income investments and other money market instruments, thus ensuring high liquidity of financial assets. We may invest a portion of our cash in excess of short-term operating needs in investment-grade marketable debt securities, including government or government-sponsored agencies and corporate debt securities. As of December 31, 2021, we held $13 million of unrestricted cash that was set aside for legal, regulatory and surveillance operations at NYSE.

Cash Flow

The following table presents the major components of net changes in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents (in millions):

Year Ended December 31,
202120202019
Net cash provided by (used in):
Operating activities$3,123$2,881$2,659
Investing activities(786)(10,361)(1,740)
Financing activities62,02626,000(424)
Effect of exchange rate changes(6)84
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and cash equivalents, and cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds$64,357$18,528$499

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities primarily consists of net income adjusted for certain items, including depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes, stock based compensation and the effects of changes in working capital.

The $242 million increase in net cash provided by operating activities in 2021 from 2020 was driven by an increase of accounts receivable collections of $144 million, primarily due to a prior period COVID-19-related decision to allow customers to defer payment of their 2020 listings invoices. In addition, operating cash increased due to a $2.0 billion increase in net income, adjusted for depreciation and amortization, deferred taxes, the gain from the sale of our Coinbase investment, net of taxes, of $892 million, and the gain from the deconsolidation of Bakkt, of $1.4 billion. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in Section 31 fee collections of $219 million, primarily due to lower rates, which were revised in February of each year. The remaining change is due to fluctuations in our working capital and the timing of various payments such as transaction-related expenses and taxes payable on the sale of our Coinbase investment.

Investing Activities

Consolidated net cash used in investing activities in 2021 primarily relates to $5.1 billion purchases of invested margin deposits, $179 million of capitalized expenditures, $273 million of software development costs, $117 million for the purchase of an equity method investment and $66 million cash paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, partially offset by $3.7 billion of proceeds from the sale of invested margin deposits and $1.2 billion in proceeds from the sale of our Coinbase investment. Consolidated net cash used in investing activities in 2020 relates to $9.4 billion cash paid for acquisitions, primarily Ellie Mae, net of cash acquired, $3.4 billion purchases of invested margin deposits, $207 million of capitalized expenditures and $203 million of software development costs, partially offset by $2.8 billion proceeds from the sale of invested margin deposits.

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The capital expenditures primarily relate to hardware and software purchases to continue the development and expansion of our electronic platforms, data services and clearing houses and leasehold improvements. The software development expenditures primarily relate to the development and expansion of our electronic trading platforms, data services, mortgage services and clearing houses.

Financing Activities

Consolidated net cash provided by financing activities in 2021 primarily relates to an increase in our cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty fund balances of $65.7 billion, partially offset by $1.2 billion in repayments of debt facilities, $1.4 billion in net repayments under our Commercial Paper Program, $250 million in repurchases of common stock, $747 million in dividend payments to our stockholders and $70 million in cash payments related to treasury shares received for restricted stock tax payments and stock options exercises.

Consolidated net cash provided by financing activities in 2020 primarily relates to an increase in our cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty fund balances of $19.3 billion, $9.6 billion in net proceeds from the issuance of the May 2020 Notes and the August 2020 Notes, borrowings under a term loan facility and $1.1 billion in net issuances under our Commercial Paper Program. Cash provided by financing activities was partially offset by repayments of our $1.25 billion December 2020 Senior Notes, and the early payoff of the term loan mentioned above, $1.2 billion in repurchases of common stock, $669 million in dividend payments to stockholders and $74 million in cash payments related to treasury shares received for restricted stock tax payments and stock options exercises.

We have adjusted our historical presentation of opening and ending amounts of cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash and cash equivalents in our consolidated statements of cash flows to include cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds. Changes in these balances are reflected as cash provided by/(used in) financing activities.

See Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

Debt

As of December 31, 2021, we had $13.9 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $12.9 billion of fixed rate senior notes, $1.0 billion under our U.S. dollar commercial paper program, or the Commercial Paper Program and $10 million under credit lines at our ICE India subsidiaries. Our fixed rate senior notes of $12.9 billion have a weighted average maturity of 15 years and a weighted average cost of 2.9% per annum. The commercial paper notes had original maturities ranging from three to 73 days as of December 31, 2021, with a weighted average interest rate of 0.33% per annum, and a weighted average remaining maturity of 26 days.

As of December 31, 2020, we had $16.5 billion in outstanding debt, consisting of $12.9 billion of fixed rate senior notes, $1.2 billion of floating rate senior notes, $2.4 billion under the Commercial Paper Program and $6 million under credit lines at our ICE India subsidiaries. Our fixed rate senior notes of $12.9 billion had a weighted average maturity of 16 years and a weighted average cost of 3.0% per annum. The commercial paper notes had original maturities ranging from four to 266 days as of December 31, 2020, with a weighted average interest rate of 0.40% per annum, and a weighted average remaining maturity of 82 days.

In September 2021, we used the proceeds from commercial paper issuances and cash on hand to fund the redemption of $1.25 billion aggregate principal amount of senior floating rate notes due in June 2023, or the Floating Rate Notes. We delivered a notice of redemption of the Floating Rate Notes to Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as trustee, under the indenture governing the Floating Rate Notes, which was delivered to the holders of the Floating Rate Notes on September 17, 2021, and they were subsequently redeemed on September 27, 2021. In connection with this redemption, we recorded $4 million in accelerated unamortized deferred loan costs, which are included in interest expense in our consolidated statements of income for 2021.

We have a $3.8 billion senior unsecured revolving credit facility, or the Credit Facility, pursuant to a credit agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as primary administrative agent, issuing lender and swing-line lender, Bank of America, N.A., as syndication agent, backup administrative agent and swing-line lender, and the lenders party thereto. As of December 31, 2021, of the $3.8 billion that is currently available for borrowing under the Credit Facility, $1.0 billion is required to back-stop the amount outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program and $171 million is required to support certain broker-dealer and other subsidiary commitments. The amount required to backstop the amounts outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program will fluctuate as we increase or decrease our commercial paper borrowings. The remaining $2.6 billion is available for working capital and general corporate purposes, including, but not limited to, acting as a backstop to future increases in the amounts outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program. On October 15, 2021, we agreed with the lenders to extend the maturity date of the Credit Facility to October 15, 2026, among other items.

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On August 21, 2020, we entered into a $750 million 18-month senior unsecured delayed draw term loan facility with a maturity date of February 21, 2022. We borrowed in full under the facility on September 3, 2020 and the proceeds were used to fund a portion of the purchase price for the Ellie Mae acquisition. We had the option to prepay the facility in whole or in part at any time and paid off the full balance of the loan on December 16, 2020. Interest on borrowings under this term loan facility were based on the principal amount outstanding at LIBOR plus an applicable margin, which was equal to 1.125%.

On August 20, 2020, we issued $6.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of new senior notes, comprised of $1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of floating rate senior notes due in 2023, $1.0 billion in aggregate principal amount of 0.70% senior notes due in 2023, $1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 1.85% senior notes due in 2032, $1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 2.65% senior notes due in 2040, and $1.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of 3.00% senior notes due in 2060. We used the net proceeds from the offering to fund a portion of the purchase price for the Ellie Mae acquisition.

On May 26, 2020, we issued $2.5 billion in aggregate principal amount of new senior notes, comprised of $1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 2.10% senior notes due in 2030 and $1.25 billion in aggregate principal amount of 3.00% senior notes due in 2050. We used the net proceeds from the offering for general corporate purposes, including to fund the redemption of our $1.25 billion aggregate principal amount of 2.75% senior notes due in December 2020 and to pay down a portion of our commercial paper outstanding.

Our Commercial Paper Program enables us to borrow efficiently at reasonable short-term interest rates and provides us with the flexibility to de-lever using our strong annual cash flows from operating activities whenever our leverage becomes elevated as a result of investment or acquisition activities. We had net repayments of $1.4 billion under our Commercial Paper Program during 2021. We used $1.2 billion of proceeds received from the sale of our Coinbase investment to pay down the balance under our Commercial Paper Program.

Upon maturity of our commercial paper and to the extent old issuances are not repaid by cash on hand, we are exposed to the rollover risk of not being able to issue new commercial paper. To mitigate this risk, we maintain the Credit Facility for an aggregate amount which meets or exceeds the amount issued under our Commercial Paper Program at any time. If we were not able to issue new commercial paper, we have the option of drawing on the backstop revolving facility. However, electing to do so would result in higher interest expense.

For additional details of our debt instruments, refer to Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

Capital Return

In December 2019, our Board approved an aggregate of $2.4 billion for future repurchases of our common stock with no fixed expiration date that became effective January 1, 2020.

During 2021, we repurchased 1.8 million shares of our outstanding common stock at a cost of $250 million on the open market. During 2020, we repurchased 13.6 million shares of our outstanding common stock at a cost of $1.2 billion, including 10.4 million shares at a cost of $948 million under our Rule 10b5-1 trading plan and 3.2 million shares at a cost of $299 million on the open market. Shares repurchased are held in treasury stock.

We discontinued stock repurchases and terminated our Rule 10b5-1 trading plan in August 2020 in connection with our Ellie Mae acquisition and in November 2021, we resumed repurchases. The remaining balance of Board approved funds for future repurchases as of December 31, 2021 was $903 million. In December 2021, our Board approved an aggregate of $3.15 billion for future repurchases of our common stock with no fixed expiration date that became effective January 1, 2022. The $3.15 billion replaces the previous amount approved by the Board. In December 2021 we entered into a new Rule 10b5-1 trading plan that will become effective in February 2022. We may discontinue stock repurchases at any time and may amend or terminate a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan at any time. The approval of our Board for the stock repurchases does not obligate us to acquire any particular amount of our common stock. In addition, our Board may increase or decrease the amount available for repurchases from time to time.

From time to time, we enter into Rule 10b5-1 trading plans, as authorized by our Board, to govern some or all of the repurchases of our shares of common stock. We expect funding for any stock repurchases to come from our operating cash flow or borrowings under our Commercial Paper Program or our debt facilities. The timing and extent of future repurchases that are not made pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 trading plan will be at our discretion and will depend upon many conditions. In making a determination regarding any stock repurchases, management considers multiple factors, including overall stock market conditions, our common stock price performance, the remaining amount authorized for repurchases by our Board, the potential impact of a stock repurchase program on our corporate debt ratings, our expected free cash

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flow and working capital needs, our current and future planned strategic growth initiatives, and other potential uses of our cash and capital resources.

During 2021, we paid cash dividends of $1.32 per share of our common stock in the aggregate, including quarterly dividends of $0.33 per share, for an aggregate payout of $747 million, which includes the payment of dividend equivalents on unvested employee restricted stock units. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report, for details on the amounts of our quarterly dividend payouts for the last three years.

Future Capital Requirements

Our future capital requirements will depend on many factors, including the rate of growth across our segments, strategic plans and acquisitions, available sources for financing activities, required and discretionary technology and clearing initiatives, regulatory requirements, the timing and introduction of new products and enhancements to existing products, the geographic mix of our business and potential stock repurchases.

We currently expect to incur capital expenditures (including operational and real estate capital expenditures) and to incur software development costs that are eligible for capitalization ranging in the aggregate between $490 million and $520 million in 2022, which we believe will support the enhancement of our technology, business integration and the continued growth of our businesses.

As of December 31, 2021, we had $903 million authorized for future repurchases of our common stock. Refer to Note 12 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional details on our stock repurchase program.

Our Board has adopted a quarterly dividend policy providing that dividends will be approved quarterly by the Board or the Audit Committee taking into account factors such as our evolving business model, prevailing business conditions, our current and future planned strategic growth initiatives and our financial results and capital requirements, without a predetermined net income payout ratio. For the first quarter of 2022, we announced a $0.38 per share dividend payable on March 31, 2022 to stockholders of record as of March 17, 2022.

Other than the facilities for the ICE Clearing Houses, our Credit Facility and our Commercial Paper Program are currently the only significant agreements or arrangements that we have for liquidity and capital resources with third parties. See Notes 10 and 14 to our consolidated financial statements for further discussion. In the event of any strategic acquisitions, mergers or investments, or if we are required to raise capital for any reason or desire to return capital to our stockholders, we may incur additional debt, issue additional equity to raise necessary funds, repurchase additional shares of our common stock or pay a dividend. However, we cannot provide assurance that such financing or transactions will be available or successful, or that the terms of such financing or transactions will be favorable to us. See “-Risk Factors" and Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

Non-GAAP Measures

We use certain financial measures internally to evaluate our performance and make financial and operational decisions that are presented in a manner that adjusts from their equivalent GAAP measures or that supplement the information provided by our GAAP measures. We use these adjusted results because we believe they more clearly highlight trends in our business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on GAAP financial measures, since these measures eliminate from our results specific financial items that have less bearing on our core operating performance.

We use these measures in communicating certain aspects of our results and performance, including in this Annual Report, and believe that these measures, when viewed in conjunction with our GAAP results and the accompanying reconciliation, can provide investors with greater transparency and a greater understanding of factors affecting our financial condition and results of operations than GAAP measures alone. In addition, we believe the presentation of these measures is useful to investors for making period-to-period comparisons of results because the adjustments to GAAP are not reflective of our core business performance.

These financial measures are not presented in accordance with, or as an alternative to, GAAP financial measures and may be different from non-GAAP measures used by other companies. We encourage investors to review the GAAP financial measures included in this Annual Report, including our consolidated financial statements, to aid in their analysis and understanding of our performance and in making comparisons.

The table below outlines our adjusted operating expenses, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted net income attributable to ICE common stockholders and adjusted earnings per share, which are non-GAAP measures that are calculated by making adjustments for items we view as not reflective of our cash operations and core

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business performance. These measures, including the adjustments and their related income tax effect and other tax adjustments (in millions, except for percentages and per share amounts), are as follows:

Exchanges SegmentFixed Income and Data Services SegmentMortgage Technology SegmentConsolidated
Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
202120202019202120202019202120202019202120202019
Total revenues, less transaction-based expenses$3,856$3,631$3,307$1,883$1,810$1,756$1,407$595$139$7,146$6,036$5,202
Operating expenses1,3331,2421,1401,3541,3181,3171,010443723,6973,0032,529
Less: Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles73746818019122536912316622388309
Less: Transaction and integration costs and acquisition-related success fees5912398998101
Less: Impairment of developed software1111
Less: Impairment of exchange registration intangible assets on ICE Futures Singapore3131
Less: Accrual relating to a regulatory settlement88
Adjusted operating expenses$1,201$1,145$1,041$1,174$1,119$1,092$602$231$56$2,977$2,495$2,189
Operating income$2,523$2,389$2,167$529$492$439$397$152$67$3,449$3,033$2,673
Adjusted operating income$2,655$2,486$2,266$709$691$664$805$364$83$4,169$3,541$3,013
Operating margin65%66%66%28%27%25%28%25%48%48%50%51%
Adjusted operating margin69%68%69%38%38%38%57%61%59%58%59%58%
Net income attributable to ICE common stockholders$4,058$2,089$1,933
Add: Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles622388309
Add: Transaction and integration costs and acquisition-related success fees98101
Less: Gain on value of Euroclear equity investment(34)(35)
Less: Gain on sale of Coinbase equity investment(1,227)
Less: Gain on deconsolidation of Bakkt(1,419)
Less: Gain on sale of BIDS equity investment(20)
Less: Gain related to the settlement of an acquisition-related indemnification claim(7)
Add: Accelerated unamortized costs related to the early payoff of the June 2023 floating rate senior notes4
Add: Extinguishment of December 2020 Senior Notes14
Add: Pre-acquisition interest expense on debt issued for Ellie Mae acquisition5
Add: Impairment of developed software11
Add: Impairment of CAT promissory notes216
Add: Impairment of exchange registration intangible assets on ICE Futures Singapore31
Add: Accrual relating to legal settlement1630
Add: Accrual relating to regulatory settlement8
Add/(Less): Net losses/(income) from unconsolidated investees42(71)(62)
Add/(Less): Income tax effect for the above items574(109)(80)
Add/(Less): Deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles18336(8)
Add: Other tax adjustments3
Adjusted net income attributable to ICE common stockholders$2,910$2,449$2,142
Basic earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$7.22$3.79$3.44
Diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$7.18$3.77$3.42
Adjusted basic earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$5.17$4.44$3.82
Adjusted diluted earnings per share attributable to ICE common stockholders$5.15$4.41$3.79
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding562552561
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding565555565

Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles are included in non-GAAP adjustments as excluding these non-cash expenses provides greater clarity regarding our financial strength and stability of cash operating results.

Transaction and integration costs are included as part of our core business expenses, except for those that are directly related to the announcement, closing, financing or termination of a transaction. However, we adjust for the acquisition-related transaction and integration costs relating to acquisitions such as Ellie Mae given the magnitude of the $11.4 billion

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purchase price of the acquisition. We also adjust for the acquisition-related transaction costs related to the merger of Bakkt and VIH due to the significance of the transaction. In 2020, we also included a $10 million adjustment for Bridge2 Solutions acquisition costs resulting from a Bakkt incentive award market condition estimation adjustment as an acquisition-related success fee. This adjustment was directly related to the March 2020 capital call to fund the acquisition of Bridge2 Solutions and we believe is therefore appropriate since we exclude costs directly related to the success of a transaction.

In 2021, we recorded a $1.2 billion gain on the sale of our Coinbase equity investment and a $1.4 billion gain on the deconsolidation of Bakkt. We do not consider these items to be part of our core business operations.

Effective January 1, 2021, we exclude net income from our unconsolidated equity method investees for purposes of calculating non-GAAP measures and have retroactively restated the prior-year periods for comparability purposes. For 2021, this adjustment includes our share of net income from OCC, BondLink, and Bakkt (from the period of the Bakkt merger on October 15, 2021 through December 31, 2021). This is consistent with how we treat changes in the fair value of our equity investments. We believe these adjustments provide greater clarity of our performance given that equity investments are non-cash and not a part of our core operations.

In addition, we also include the following items as non-GAAP adjustments, as each of these are not considered a part of our core business operations:

•2021: The $34 million gain on the fair value adjustment of our Euroclear equity investment;

•2021: The $7 million gain related to the settlement of an acquisition-related indemnification claim;

•2021: Accrual of $16 million relating to a legal settlement;

•2021: The acceleration of unamortized costs of $4 million related to the September 2021 early redemption of our Floating Rate Notes;

•2020: The $11 million impairment of software developed at Bakkt when it was our subsidiary since it relates to the build-out of a fundamental software design vs. a recurring upgrade;

•2020: Accrual of $30 million relating to a legal settlement;

•2020: Accrual of $8 million relating to a regulatory settlement;

•2020: The $35 million gain on the fair value adjustment of our Euroclear equity investment;

•2020: The extinguishment payment of $14 million related to the June 2020 early redemption of the December 2020 Senior Notes which had an original maturity of December 1, 2020, as a result of our new senior notes offering in May 2020. This included both a make-whole redemption payment and duplicative interest;

•2020: The $20 million gain on the sale of our BIDS equity investment;

•2020: Pre-acquisition interest expense of $5 million on the August 2020 debt issued to fund a portion of the purchase price of our Ellie Mae acquisition;

•2020: Promissory note impairment charges of $2 million on work performed by the original plan processor on the CAT as non-GAAP adjustments (this was in addition to the 2019 accrual of $16 million for the same item). See additional discussion on the CAT in Item 1(A) "-Risk Factors" in this Annual Report;

•2019: Impairment of exchange registration intangible assets of $31 million at ICE Futures Singapore. This non-cash impairment was a result of the estimated fair value of an acquired intangible asset falling below its carrying value. See Note 8 to our consolidated financial statements, included in this Annual Report.

The tax items in non-GAAP adjustments are either the tax impacts of the pre-tax non-GAAP adjustments or tax items as described below that are not in the normal course of business and are not indicative of our core business performance. The following tax-related items are included as non-GAAP adjustments:

•Deferred tax adjustments on acquisition-related intangibles, including the impact of U.K. and U.S. state tax law changes and apportionment updates, as well as other foreign tax law changes which resulted in deferred tax expense/(benefit) of $183 million, $36 million and ($8 million) in 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The deferred tax adjustments in 2021 relate primarily to the U.K. tax law changes enacted in June 2021, which increased the U.K. corporate income tax rate from 19% to 25% effective April 1, 2023. The deferred tax adjustments in 2020 were due to the tax law changes enacted in July 2020, which increased the U.K. corporate income tax rate from 17% to 19% effective April 1, 2020, as well as impacts of U.S. state apportionment charges.

•Other tax adjustments of $3 million in 2019 for audit settlement payments primarily related to pre-acquisition tax matters in connection with our acquisition of NYSE in 2013.

For additional information on these items, refer to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report and “- Recent Developments,” “- Consolidated Operating Expenses”, “- Consolidated Non-Operating Income (Expenses)” and “-Consolidated Income Tax Provision” above.

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Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

As described in Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements, which are included elsewhere in this Annual Report, certain clearing house collateral is reported off-balance sheet. We do not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities.

Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments

We intend to fund our contractual obligations and commercial commitments from existing cash and cash flow from operations. As of December 31, 2021, our primary cash requirements include the following contractual and other obligations.

As of December 31, 2021, we had $13.9 billion in outstanding debt, including $1.5 billion of short-term debt. Our outstanding debt consists of $12.9 billion of fixed rate senior notes, $1.0 billion under our U.S. dollar commercial paper program, or the Commercial Paper Program and $10 million under credit lines at our ICE India subsidiaries.

Our operating leases primarily relate to our leased office space and data center facilities, and as of December 31, 2021, we had fixed lease payment obligations of $350 million, with $82 million payable within one-year.

We have other purchase obligations to purchase various goods and services that we believe are enforceable and legally binding.

In addition, we have $150.4 billion in cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts payable and unsettled variation margin. Clearing members of our clearing houses are required to deposit original margin and variation margin and to make deposits to a guaranty fund. The cash and cash equivalent deposits made to these margin accounts and to the guaranty fund are recorded in the consolidated balance sheet as current assets with corresponding current liabilities to the clearing members that deposited them. ICE NGX administers the physical delivery of energy trading contracts. It has an equal and offsetting claim to and from its respective participants on opposite sides of the physically-settled contract, each of which is reflected as a delivery contract receivable with an offsetting delivery contract payable. See Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for additional information on our clearing houses and the margin deposits, guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts payable and unsettled variation margin.

We also have unrecognized tax benefits, or UTBs. As of December 31, 2021, our cumulative UTBs were $229 million, and accrued interest and penalties related to UTBs were $49 million. We are under examination by various tax authorities. We are unable to make a reasonable estimate of the periods of cash settlement because it is not possible to reasonably predict the amount of tax, interest and penalties, if any, that might be assessed by a tax authority or the timing of an assessment or payment. It is also not possible to reasonably predict whether or not the applicable statutes of limitations might expire without us being examined by any particular tax authority. See Note 13 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our UTBs.

As of December 31, 2021, we, through NYSE, have net obligations of $103 million related to our pension and other benefit programs. The date of payment under these net obligations cannot be determined. See Note 16 to our consolidated financial statements for additional information on our pension and other benefit programs.

In addition, the future funding of the implementation and operation of the CAT is ultimately expected to be provided by both the SROs and broker-dealers. To date, however, funding has been provided solely by the SROs, and future funding is expected to be repaid if industry member fees are approved by the SEC and subsequently collected by industry members. See "- Non-GAAP Measures" above.

New and Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

Refer to Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report for information on the new and recently adopted accounting pronouncements that are applicable to us.

Critical Accounting Policies

We have identified the policies below as critical to our business operations and the understanding of our results of operations. The impact of, and any associated risks related to, these policies on our business operations is discussed throughout “- Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” For a detailed discussion on the application of these and other accounting policies, see Note 2 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

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Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with these accounting principles requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and liabilities, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, at the date of our financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period.

We base our estimates and judgments on our historical experience and other factors that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances when we make these estimates and judgments and re-evaluate them on a periodic basis. Based on these factors, we make estimates and judgments about, among other things, the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from market prices or other independent sources and about the recognition and characterization of our revenues and expenses. The values and results based on these estimates and judgments could differ significantly under different assumptions or conditions and could change materially in the future.

We believe that the following critical accounting policies, among others, affect our more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements and could materially increase or decrease our reported results, assets and liabilities.

Goodwill and Other Identifiable Intangible Assets

Assets acquired and liabilities assumed in connection with our acquisitions are recorded at their estimated fair values. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price of an acquired company over the fair value of its identifiable net assets, including identified intangible assets. We recognize specifically identifiable intangibles, such as customer relationships, trademarks, technology, trading products, data, exchange registrations, backlog, trade names and licenses when a specific right or contract is acquired. Our determination of the fair value of the intangible assets and whether or not these assets may be impaired following their acquisition requires us to apply significant judgments and make significant estimates and assumptions regarding future cash flows. If we change our strategy or if market conditions shift, our judgments and estimates may change, which may result in adjustments to recorded asset balances. Intangible assets with finite useful lives are amortized over their estimated useful lives whereas goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives are not.

In performing the allocation of the acquisitions' purchase price to assets and liabilities, we consider, among other factors, the intended use of the acquired assets, analysis of past financial performance and estimates of future performance of the acquired business. At the acquisition date, a preliminary allocation of the purchase price is recorded based upon a preliminary valuation performed with the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist. We continue to review and assess our estimates, assumptions and valuation methodologies during the measurement period provided by GAAP, which ends as soon as we receive the information about facts and circumstances that existed as of the acquisition date or we learn that more information is not obtainable, which usually does not exceed one year from the date of acquisition. Accordingly, these estimates and assumptions are subject to change, which could have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. Estimation uncertainty may exist due to the sensitivity of the respective fair value to underlying assumptions about the future performance of an acquired business in our discounted cash flow models. Significant assumptions typically include revenue growth rates and expense synergies that form the basis of the forecasted results and the discount rate.

Our goodwill and other indefinite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment annually in our fiscal fourth quarter or more frequently if conditions exist that indicate that the value may be impaired. We test our goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level, and we have identified four reporting units, which were updated in 2020 to reflect our new segment presentation. Our reporting units identified for our goodwill testing are the NYSE, Other Exchanges, Fixed Income and Data Services, and Mortgage Technology reporting units. These impairment evaluations are performed by comparing the carrying value of the goodwill or other indefinite-lived intangibles to its estimated fair value.

In accordance with Accounting Standards Update 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, or ASU-2017, for both goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible impairment testing, we have the option to first perform a qualitative assessment to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit or indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying amount. If the fair value of the goodwill or indefinite-lived intangible asset is less than its carrying value, an impairment loss is recognized in earnings in an amount equal to the difference. Alternatively, we may choose to bypass the qualitative option and perform quantitative testing to determine if the fair value is less than the carrying value. For our goodwill impairment testing, we have elected to bypass the qualitative assessment and apply the quantitative approach. For our testing of indefinite-lived intangible assets, we apply qualitative and quantitative approaches.

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Application of the impairment test requires judgment, including the identification of reporting units, assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units, assignment of goodwill to reporting units, and determination of the fair value of each reporting unit. We have historically determined the fair value of our reporting units based on various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis and a multiple of earnings approach. In assessing whether goodwill and other intangible assets are impaired, we must make estimates and assumptions regarding future cash flows, long-term growth rates of our business, operating margins, discount rates, weighted average cost of capital and other factors to determine the fair value of our assets. These estimates and assumptions require management’s judgment, and changes to these estimates and assumptions, as a result of changing economic and competitive conditions, could materially affect the determination of fair value and/or impairment. During 2019, we recorded an impairment charge of $31 million on the remaining value of exchange registration intangible assets on ICE Futures Singapore as a result of a decrease in fair value determined during our annual impairment testing. We did not record any impairments in 2021 or 2020 as a result of our goodwill or indefinite-lived impairment testing.

We are also required to evaluate other finite-lived intangible assets for impairment by first determining whether events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of these assets to be held and used may not be recoverable. If impairment indicators are present, then an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows produced by these long-lived assets is compared to the carrying value of those assets to determine if the asset is recoverable. If an asset is not recoverable, the loss is measured as the difference between fair value and carrying value of the impaired asset. Fair value of these assets is based on various valuation techniques, including discounted cash flow analysis.

Income Taxes

We are subject to income taxes in the U.S., U.K. and other foreign jurisdictions where we operate. The determination of our provision for income taxes and related accruals, deferred tax assets and liabilities requires the use of significant judgment, estimates, and the interpretation and application of complex tax laws. We recognize a current tax liability or tax asset for the estimated taxes payable or refundable on tax returns for the current year. We recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial statement carrying amounts and the tax bases of our assets and liabilities. We establish valuation allowances if we believe that it is more likely than not that some or all of our deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using current enacted tax rates in effect for the years in which those temporary differences and carryforwards are expected to reverse.

The FASB Staff has provided additional guidance to address the accounting for the effects of the provisions related to the taxation of Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income noting that companies should make an accounting policy election to recognize deferred taxes for temporary basis differences expected to reverse in future years or to include the tax expense in the year it is incurred. We have made a policy election to recognize such taxes as current period expenses when incurred.

We do not recognize a tax benefit unless we conclude that it is more likely than not that the benefit will be sustained on audit by the taxing authority based solely on the technical merits of the associated tax position. If the recognition threshold is met, we recognize a tax benefit measured at the largest amount of the tax benefit that, in our judgment, is greater than 50 percent likely to be realized. We recognize accrued interest and penalties related to uncertain income tax positions as income tax expense in the consolidated statements of income.

We operate within multiple domestic and foreign taxing jurisdictions and are subject to audit in these jurisdictions by domestic and foreign tax authorities. These audits include questions regarding our tax filing positions, including the timing and amount of deductions taken and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. We record accruals for the estimated outcomes of these audits, and the accruals may change in the future due to new developments in each matter. At any point in time, many tax years are subject to or in the process of being audited by various taxing authorities. To the extent our estimates of settlements change or the final tax outcome of these matters is different from the amounts recorded, such differences will impact the income tax provision in the period in which such determinations are made. Our income tax expense includes changes in our estimated liability for exposures associated with our various tax filing positions. Determining the income tax expense for these potential assessments requires management to make assumptions that are subject to factors such as proposed assessments by tax authorities, changes in facts and circumstances, issuance of new regulations, and resolution of tax audits.

We believe the judgments and estimates discussed above are reasonable. However, if actual results are not consistent with our estimates or assumptions, we may be exposed to losses or gains that could be material.

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ITEM 7 (A).     QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

As a result of our operating and financing activities, we are exposed to market risks such as interest rate risk, foreign currency exchange rate risk and credit risk. We have implemented policies and procedures designed to measure, manage, monitor and report risk exposures, which are regularly reviewed by the appropriate management and supervisory bodies.

Interest Rate Risk

We have exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relating to our cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents, short-term and long-term investments and indebtedness. As of December 31, 2021 and 2020, our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents were $2.0 billion for both periods, of which $276 million and $245 million, respectively, were denominated in pounds sterling, euros or Canadian dollars, and the remaining amounts are denominated in U.S. dollars. We do not use our investment portfolio for trading or other speculative purposes. A hypothetical 50% decrease in short-term interest rates would have an immaterial impact on our annual pre-tax earnings as of December 31, 2021, assuming no change in the amount or composition of our cash and cash equivalents and short-term and long-term restricted cash and cash equivalents.

As of December 31, 2021, we had $13.9 billion in outstanding debt, of which $12.9 billion relates to our fixed rate senior notes. The remaining amount outstanding of $1.0 billion relates to $1.0 billion outstanding under our Commercial Paper Program, which bears interest at fluctuating rates, and $10 million under lines of credit at our India subsidiaries. A hypothetical 100 basis point increase in short-term interest rates relating to the amounts under our Commercial Paper Program as of December 31, 2021 would decrease annual pre-tax earnings by $10 million, assuming no change in the volume or composition of our outstanding indebtedness and no hedging activity. See Part II, Item 7, "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations – Debt," and Note 10 to our consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report.

The interest rates on our Commercial Paper Program are currently evaluated based upon current maturities and market conditions. The weighted average interest rate on our Commercial Paper Program decreased from 0.40% as of December 31, 2020 to 0.33% as of December 31, 2021. The effective interest rate of commercial paper issuances will continue to fluctuate based on the movement in short-term interest rates along with shifts in supply and demand within the commercial paper market.

Foreign Currency Exchange Rate Risk

As an international business, we are subject to foreign currency exchange rate risk. We may experience gains or losses from foreign currency transactions in the future given that a significant part of our assets and liabilities are recorded in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars or euros, and a significant portion of our revenues and expenses are recorded in pounds sterling or euros. Certain assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of foreign subsidiaries are denominated in the local functional currency of such subsidiaries. Our exposure to foreign denominated earnings in 2021 and 2020 is presented by primary foreign currency in the following table (dollars in millions, except exchange rates):

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Year Ended December 31, 2021Year Ended December 31, 2020
Pound SterlingEuroPound SterlingEuro
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the current year$1.3762$1.1835$1.2832$1.1412
Average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar in the prior year$1.2832$1.1412$1.2769$1.1195
Average exchange rate increase (decrease)7%4%%2%
Foreign denominated percentage of:
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses7%6%7%6%
Operating expenses8%2%9%2%
Operating income6%11%6%9%
Impact of the currency fluctuations (1) on:
Revenues, less transaction-based expenses$31$13$1$6
Operating expenses$19$3$1$1
Operating income$12$10$$5

(1)    Represents the impact of currency fluctuation for the year compared to the same period in the prior year.

We have a significant part of our assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses recorded in pounds sterling or euros. In both 2021 and 2020, 13% of our consolidated revenues, less transaction-based expenses, were denominated in pounds sterling or euros, and in 2021 and 2020, 10% and 11%, respectively, of our consolidated operating expenses were denominated in pounds sterling or euros. As the pound sterling or euro exchange rate changes, the U.S. equivalent of revenues and expenses denominated in foreign currencies changes accordingly.

Foreign currency transaction risk related to the settlement of foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables occurs through our operations, which are received in or paid in pounds sterling, Canadian dollars, or euros, due to the increase or decrease in the foreign currency exchange rates between periods. We incurred foreign currency transaction losses of $13 million and $5 million in 2021 and 2020, respectively inclusive of the impact of foreign currency hedging transactions. The foreign currency transaction losses were primarily attributable to the fluctuations of the pound sterling and euro relative to the U.S. dollar. A 10% adverse change in the underlying foreign currency exchange rates as of December 31, 2021, assuming no change in the composition of the foreign currency denominated assets, liabilities and payables and assuming no hedging activity, would result in a foreign currency loss of $15 million.

We entered into foreign currency hedging transactions during 2021 and 2020 as economic hedges to help mitigate a portion of our foreign exchange risk exposure and may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future to help mitigate our foreign exchange risk exposure. Although we may enter into additional hedging transactions in the future, these hedging arrangements may not be effective, particularly in the event of imprecise forecasts of the levels of our non-U.S. denominated assets and liabilities.

We have foreign currency translation risk equal to our net investment in our foreign subsidiaries. The financial statements of these subsidiaries are translated into U.S. dollars using a current rate of exchange, with gains or losses included in the cumulative translation adjustment account, a component of equity. Our exposure to the net investment in foreign currencies is presented by primary foreign currencies in the table below (in millions):

As of December 31, 2021
Position in pounds sterlingPosition in Canadian dollarsPosition in euros
Assets£722C$2,245220
of which goodwill represents56639892
Liabilities781,82648
Net currency position£644C$419172
Net currency position, in $USD$871$331$195
Negative impact on consolidated equity of a 10% decrease in foreign currency exchange rates$87$33$20

Foreign currency translation adjustments are included as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income/(loss) within our balance sheet. See the table below for the portion of equity attributable to foreign currency translation adjustments as well as the activity by year included within our statement of other comprehensive income. The impact of

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the foreign currency exchange rate differences in the table below were primarily driven by fluctuations of the pound sterling as compared to the U.S. dollar which were 1.3524, 1.3665 and 1.3260 as of December 31, 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively.

Changes in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income/ (Loss) from Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments (in millions)
Balance, as of January 1, 2019$(227)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss)50
Balance, as of December 31, 2019(177)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss)43
Balance, as of December 31, 2020(134)
Net current period other comprehensive income/(loss)(16)
Balance, as of December 31, 2021$(150)

The future impact on our business relating to the U.K. leaving the EU and the corresponding regulatory changes are uncertain at this time, including future impacts on currency exchange rates.

Credit Risk

We are exposed to credit risk in our operations in the event of a counterparty default. We limit our exposure to credit risk by rigorously selecting the counterparties with which we make our investments, monitoring them on an ongoing basis and executing agreements to protect our interests.

Clearing House Cash Deposit Risks

The ICE Clearing Houses hold material amounts of clearing member margin deposits which are held or invested primarily to provide security of capital while minimizing credit, market and liquidity risks. Refer to Note 14 to our consolidated financial statements for more information on the ICE Clearing Houses' cash and cash equivalent margin deposits and guaranty funds, invested deposits, delivery contracts receivable and unsettled variation margin which were $150.4 billion as of December 31, 2021. While we seek to achieve a reasonable rate of return which may generate interest income for our clearing members, we are primarily concerned with preservation of capital and managing the risks associated with these deposits. As the ICE Clearing Houses may pass on interest revenues (minus costs) to the clearing members, this could include negative or reduced yield due to market conditions. The following is a summary of the risks associated with these deposits and how these risks are mitigated:

•Credit Risk: When a clearing house has the ability to hold cash collateral at a central bank, the clearing house utilizes its access to the central bank system to minimize credit risk exposures. Credit risk is managed by using exposure limits depending on the credit profile of the counterparty as well as the nature and maturity of transactions. Our investment objective is to invest in securities that preserve principal while maximizing yields, without significantly increasing risk. We seek to substantially mitigate the credit risk associated with investments by placing them with governments, well-capitalized financial institutions and other creditworthy counterparties.

An ongoing review is performed to evaluate changes in the financial status of counterparties. In addition to the intrinsic creditworthiness of counterparties, our policies require diversification of counterparties (banks, financial institutions, bond issuers and funds) so as to avoid a concentration of risk.

•Liquidity Risk: Liquidity risk is the risk a clearing house may not be able to meet its payment obligations in the right currency, in the right place and at the right time. To mitigate this risk, the clearing houses monitor liquidity requirements closely and maintain funds and assets in a manner which minimizes the risk of loss or delay in the access by the clearing house to such funds and assets. For example, holding funds with a central bank where possible or making only short term investments such as overnight reverse repurchase agreements serves to reduce liquidity risks.

•Interest Rate Risk: Interest rate risk is the risk that interest rates rise and cause the value of securities we hold or invest in to decline. If we were required to sell securities prior to maturity, and interest rates had risen, the sale might be made at a loss relative to the carrying value. Our clearing houses seek to manage this risk by making short term

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investments. For example, where possible and in accordance with regulatory requirements, the clearing houses invest cash pursuant to overnight reverse repurchase agreements or term reverse repurchase agreements with short dated maturities. In addition, the clearing house investment guidelines allow for direct purchases of high quality sovereign debt (for example, U.S. Treasury securities) and supranational debt instruments (Euro cash deposits only) with short dated maturities.

•Security Issuer Risk: Security issuer risk is the risk that an issuer of a security defaults on the payment when the security matures or debt is serviced. This risk is mitigated by limiting allowable investments under the reverse repurchase agreements to high quality sovereign or government agency debt and limiting any direct investments to high quality sovereign debt instruments.

•Investment Counterparty Risk: Investment counterparty risk is the risk that a reverse repurchase agreement counterparty might become insolvent and, thus, fail to meet its obligations to our clearing houses. We mitigate this risk by only engaging in transactions with high credit quality counterparties and by limiting the acceptable collateral to securities of high quality issuers. When engaging in reverse repurchase agreements, our clearing houses take delivery of the securities underlying the reverse repurchase arrangement in custody accounts under clearing house control. Additionally, the securities purchased subject to reverse repurchase have a market value greater than the reverse repurchase amount. The typical haircut for high quality sovereign debt is 2% of the reverse repurchase amount which provides additional excess collateral. Thus, in the event that a reverse repurchase counterparty defaults on its obligation to repurchase the underlying reverse repurchase securities, our clearing house will have possession of a security with a value potentially greater than the counterparty’s obligation.

The ICE Clearing Houses may use third-party investment advisors who make investments subject to the guidelines provided by each clearing house. Such advisors do not hold clearing member cash or cash equivalent deposits or the underlying investments. Clearing house property is held in custody accounts under clearing house control with credit worthy custodians. The ICE Clearing Houses employ (or may employ) multiple investment advisors and custodians to ensure that in the event a single advisor or custodian is unable to fulfill its role, additional advisors or custodians are available as alternatives.

•Cross-Currency Margin Deposit Risk: Each of the ICE Clearing Houses may permit posting of cross-currency collateral to satisfy margin requirements (for example, accepting margin deposits denominated in U.S. dollars to secure a Euro margin obligation). The ICE Clearing Houses mitigate the risk of a currency value exposure by applying a “haircut” to the currency posted as margin at a level viewed as sufficient to provide financial protection during periods of currency volatility. Cross-currency balances are marked-to-market on a daily basis. Should the currency posted to satisfy margin requirements decline in value, the clearing member is required to increase its margin deposit on a same-day basis.

Impact of Inflation

We have not been adversely affected by inflation as technological advances and competition have generally caused prices for the hardware and software that we use for our electronic platforms to remain constant. In the event of inflation, we believe that we will be able to pass on any price increases to our participants, as the prices that we charge are not governed by long-term contracts.

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