Global Derivatives Conference Concludes in Moscow

May 28, 2014

The 31st annual World Federation of Exchanges/IOMA conference, devoted to the global derivatives market, concluded today in Moscow. The annual conference brings together both the leaders of the world's futures and options markets and global clearing houses, to discuss market and regulatory issues affecting the global derivatives landscape. This year the conference was hosted by Moscow Exchange, Russia's main public markets trading platform.

Alexey Moiseev, Deputy Finance Minister of the Russian Federation, delivered the keynote address on the second day of the conference. In his remarks, Mr. Moiseev highlighted the many measures Moscow has taken in recent years to develop as an international financial center, including the creation of a CSD, opening the bond market to Europe's two main ICSDs and creation of a mega-regulator. He also spoke about Russia's next steps including reforms to allow pension funds to be invested in all traded asset classes and emphasized Russia's commitment to remain fully integrated in the global financial markets.

During the conference, the WFE released a major derivatives market survey that highlighted the recovery of exchange-traded derivatives in 2013. The report found that 21.5 billion exchange-traded derivatives contracts (9.3 billion options and 12.1 billion futures) were traded on exchanges worldwide. This modest increase of 2% reverses the previous year's trend when total on-exchange contracts changing hands decreased 15%.

Panel sessions focused on a number of timely topics including the emergence of new execution venues in the changing regulatory framework, automated trading systems and latency sensitive strategies, as well as the future of FX derivatives.

Participants at the event included CEOs and other senior executives from BM&FBOVESPA, CBOE, CME Group, China Financial Futures Exchange, Eurex, Korea Exchange, MexDer, Moscow Exchange, National Stock Exchange of India, NASDAQ OMX, Singapore Exchange and Taiwan Futures Exchange among others. As it has every year prior, the WFE-IOMA conference also partnered with the Global Association of Central Counterparties (CCP12) to offer a half-day of combined sessions that focus on the new challenges facing the clearing market.

The conference was held at the Ritz-Carlton hotel steps from Red Square in central Moscow.

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