X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) spectroscopy was employed to investigate the electronic and magnetic structures of the bilayers of a C-60-Co compound and Ni. A few-several nm thick C-60-Co compound layers on the Ni(1 1 1) surface are found to show intense XMCD signals attributed to the localized Co d-spins only with the remanent magnetization of Ni layer. It is suggested that the region of the C-60-Co compound within 3 nm from the interface is ferromagnetically coupled with Ni due to the indirect exchange interaction mediated by C-60, probably relevant to the interlayer charge transfer. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.