Reuters: Britain's gas trading crown at risk as euro boosts Dutch appeal

Britain's dominance in European natural gas trading is under threat from a Dutch trading hub where volumes are soaring, buoyed in part by Europe's utility companies who prefer to hedge their deals in euros.

Britain has been the region's leading gas trading hub since North Sea oil and gas discoveries in the 1970s made it Europe's main producer. This position was cemented when it liberalised its energy markets in the 1990s, meaning much of its gas was sold and exported in pounds.

However, gas trading now faces similar challenges to the ones Britain faces in finance: London is at odds with the European Union over banking and financial markets regulation and some foreign banks are concerned about the UK leaving the union.
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