Bats Global, the Kansas-headquartered stock exchange operator, is "seriously" exploring a move into foreign exchange and is hoping to push into the European retail market, as it looks to diversify beyond its core institutional equities business.

Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, Mark Hemsley, chief executive of Bats Chi-X Europe, the company's European subsidiary, said the $4 trillion-a day FX market is a key area of potential growth for Bats Global, which currently provides trading in US and European cash equities, exchange-traded funds and US equity options.