The NYSE parent is tapping investment-grade debt markets to finance its biggest bet yet on electronifying the massive global bond trading industry. Intercontinental Exchange, the company that owns the New York Stock Exchange, has kicked off a multi-tranche US investment-grade bond offering to bankroll its roughly $6 billion acquisition of MarketAxess. Inside the dealICE announced on July 30 that it would acquire MarketAxess Holdings in an all-cash transaction at $167 per share. It has carved out a niche as the go-to platform for electronic corporate bond trading, particularly in investment-grade credit. The bond sale in contextBy going to the investment-grade bond market rather than relying on a bridge loan, ICE is locking in longer-term financing.