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Acquisitions and Divestitures
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2022
Business Combination and Asset Acquisition [Abstract]  
Acquisitions and Divestitures Acquisitions and Divestitures
Acquisitions and Divestitures
CompanyTransaction DatePrimary SegmentDescription
Bakkt Holdings, LLC, or BakktDeconsolidated on 10/15/2021Exchanges
Bakkt is a business with an integrated platform that enables consumers and institutions to transact in digital assets. The Bakkt platform consists of three complementary aspects: a digital asset marketplace, loyalty redemption services and an alternative payment method.

In 2021, Bakkt completed its merger with VPC Impact Acquisition Holdings, or VIH, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by Victory Park Capital, or VPC. Following the closing, as a consequence of our inability to meet the power criterion through our variable interest and because of holding a minority voting interest in the combined company, during the fourth quarter of 2021 we deconsolidated Bakkt upon loss of control and prospectively treat it as an equity method investment within our financial statements.
Ellie Mae Intermediate Holdings I, Inc., and its indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Ellie Mae, Inc. (collectively, Ellie Mae)Acquired on 9/4/2020Mortgage Technology
Ellie Mae is a cloud-based technology solution provider for the mortgage finance industry, and expanded our ICE Mortgage Technology portfolio. Through its digital lending platform, Ellie Mae provides technology solutions to participants in the mortgage supply chain, including over 3,000 customers and thousands of partners and investors who participate on its open network. Originators rely on Ellie Mae to securely manage the exchange of data across the mortgage ecosystem to enable the origination of mortgages while adhering to various local, state and federal compliance requirements. See below for the Ellie Mae purchase price allocation and supplemental pro forma financial information.
During 2022 and 2021, we acquired multiple companies which were not material to our operations.
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 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.
Ellie Mae Acquisition
On September 4, 2020, we acquired Ellie Mae for aggregate consideration of $11.4 billion from private equity firm Thoma Bravo. The purchase price consisted of $9.5 billion in cash, as adjusted for $335 million of cash and cash equivalents held by Ellie Mae on the date of acquisition, and approximately $1.9 billion, or approximately 18.4 million shares of our common stock, based on our stock price on the acquisition date. ICE funded the cash portion of the purchase price with net proceeds from our offering of new senior notes in August 2020, together with the issuance of commercial paper and borrowings under a new senior unsecured term loan facility (see Note 10). We have evaluated the impact of this acquisition and related disclosures under ASC 805- Business Combinations.
The purchase price has been allocated to the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets and liabilities based on the respective estimated fair values on the date of acquisition, as determined with the assistance of a third-party valuation specialist. The excess of purchase price over the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets has been recorded as goodwill. Goodwill represents potential revenue synergies related to new product development, various expense synergies and opportunities to enter new markets. The purchase price allocation is as follows (in millions):
 Purchase Price Allocation
Cash and cash equivalents$335 
Property and equipment125 
Goodwill7,731 
Identifiable intangibles4,442 
Other assets and liabilities, net48 
Deferred tax liabilities on identifiable intangibles(1,253)
Total purchase price allocation$11,428 

In performing the purchase price allocation, we considered, among other factors, the intended future use of acquired assets, analysis of historical financial performance and estimates of future performance of the Ellie Mae business.
The following table sets forth the components of the intangible assets associated with the acquisition as of December 31, 2022 (in millions, except years):
Acquisition-Date Fair ValueAccumulated AmortizationNet Book ValueUseful Life (Years)
Customer relationships$3,136 $(377)$2,759 
10 to 20
Backlog300 (139)161 
5
Trademark/Tradenames200 (25)175 
5 to 20
 Developed Technology739 (262)477 
7
 In-process Research & Development67 — 67 N/A
Total $4,442 $(803)$3,639 
From the acquisition date through December 31, 2020, Ellie Mae revenues of $351 million, were included in our mortgage technology revenues, and operating expenses of $250 million were recorded in our consolidated income statement.
The financial information in the table below summarizes the combined results of operations of ICE and Ellie Mae, on a pro forma basis, as though the companies had been combined as of the beginning of the period presented. The unaudited pro forma financial information is presented for informational purposes only and is not indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved if the acquisition had taken place at the beginning of the period presented. Such
unaudited pro forma financial information is based on the historical financial statements of ICE and Ellie Mae. This unaudited pro forma financial information is based on estimates and assumptions that have been made solely for purposes of developing such unaudited pro forma information, including, without limitation, purchase accounting adjustments, interest expense on debt issued to finance the purchase price, acquisition-related transaction costs, the removal of historical Ellie Mae intangible asset amortization and the addition of intangible asset amortization related to this acquisition. The unaudited pro forma financial information does not reflect any synergies or operating cost reductions that have been and may be achieved from the combined operations. The unaudited pro forma financial information combines the historical results for us and Ellie Mae for 2020 in the following table (in millions).
Year Ended December 31, 2020
Total revenues, less transaction-based expenses$6,644 
Net income attributable to ICE$2,193 
Transaction-based expenses included within revenues, less transaction-based expenses in the table above, were not impacted by pro forma adjustments and agree to the amounts presented historically in our consolidated income statements as they relate solely to ICE and not to Ellie Mae.

Bakkt Transaction
On October 15, 2021, Bakkt completed its merger with VPC Impact Acquisition Holdings, or VIH, a special purpose acquisition company sponsored by Victory Park Capital, or VPC. 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 through a retained variable interest in Bakkt 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 equity of the combined company.
Following completion of the business combination, we held an approximate 68% economic interest, which includes both our variable interest and PIPE investment. As a result of limitations on ICE from the Bakkt voting agreement entered into in connection with the transaction, we hold 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 our inability to meet the power criterion through our variable interest and because of holding a minority voting interest in the combined company, during the fourth quarter of 2021 we deconsolidated Bakkt upon loss of control and prospectively treat it as an equity method investment within our financial statements. We recorded a pre-tax 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. The pre-tax gain is a result of recording an equity method investment value of $1.7 billion plus the removal of our redeemable non-controlling interest liability of $107 million, partially offset by the deconsolidation of Bakkt net assets of $295 million and our additional PIPE contribution of $47 million.
The merger of Bakkt and VIH triggered a market condition event on the Bakkt equity incentive awards. As a result, during 2021, we incurred a $31 million non-cash compensation expense related to these awards which we recorded as an acquisition-related cost prior to deconsolidating Bakkt (see Note 11).

Bridge2 Solutions Acquisition Considerations
Bridge2 Solutions is a leading provider of loyalty solutions for merchants and consumers. Subsequent to its acquisition by us in February 2020, Bridge2 Solutions was contributed to Bakkt in combination with its capital call. To fund the acquisition of Bridge2 Solutions, Bakkt completed a capital call for $300 million in funding by ICE and the minority investors. This acquisition-related capital call triggered a market condition of certain Bakkt equity incentive awards, and as a result, we incurred a $10 million non-cash compensation expense in 2020 related to these awards which was recorded as an acquisition-related cost (see Note 11).
The following summarizes our purchase price allocation for Bridge2 Solutions to the respective net tangible and identifiable intangible assets and liabilities based on the respective estimated fair values on the date of acquisition. The excess of the purchase price over the net tangible and identifiable intangible assets has been recorded as goodwill. Revenues and expenses were not material to the periods presented.
Acquisition Purchase Price Allocation
(dollars in millions)
Bridge2 SolutionsUseful Life
(Years)
Customer relationship intangibles
$54 12
Developed technology intangibles
12 7
Trade name intangibles
— 1
Total identifiable intangible assets
$66 
Goodwill
217 
Other working capital adjustments
(22)
Total purchase price cash consideration
$261 

As of October 15, 2021, following the Bakkt transaction discussed above, we no longer consolidate Bridge2 Solutions in our financial statements.
Non-Controlling Interest
During 2020, we received a contribution from a group of minority investors for a non-controlling interest in ICE Futures Abu Dhabi.
Minority investors hold a net profit sharing interest in our CDS clearing subsidiaries of 26.7% ownership interest as of December 31, 2022.
In December 2018, Bakkt was capitalized with $183 million in initial funding with ICE as the majority owner, along with a group of other minority investors, and in March 2020, an additional $300 million in funding occurred with ICE maintaining its majority ownership. We held a call option over these interests subject to certain terms. Similarly, the non-ICE partners in Bakkt held a put option to require us to repurchase their interests subject to certain terms. These minority interests were reflected as redeemable non-controlling interests in temporary equity within our consolidated balance sheet. Following the October 2021 Bakkt merger discussed above, we no longer consolidate Bakkt and therefore did not record a redeemable non-controlling interest in Bakkt as of December 31, 2022 or 2021.