Intercontinental Exchange, a leading global provider of technology and data, announced plans to launch MSCI® Equity Index Futures contracts on ICE Futures Abu Dhabi on February 24, 2025, subject to regulatory review.

This launches a new asset class for trading at ICE Futures Abu Dhabi and will include: Micro MSCI GCC Countries Index Futures, Micro MSCI Qatar Index Futures, Micro MSCI UAE Index Futures and Micro MSCI India Index Futures. The contracts, all denominated in US dollars, will provide investors with a way to access Gulf and Indian equity markets and manage equity risk in the region.

“The introduction of the new index futures marks a transformative step in advancing financial markets in the region and strengthening the connectivity with global capital flows,” said Nabeel Albloushi, Head of Markets and Securities Services, HSBC Middle East, North Africa and Turkiye. “These products will support increasing market liquidity, provide hedging solutions and empower clients locally and globally to access and manage risk.”

“The MSCI UAE, Qatar, and GCC Index Futures play a key role in reinforcing the region’s financial infrastructure and allow local and international investors to be part of the journey, while the introduction of the MSCI India Index Future highlights the growing importance of the Middle East-Asia corridor, enabling investors to leverage growth opportunities in one of the largest emerging markets globally,” continued Albloushi.

“We welcome ICE Futures Abu Dhabi’s expansion into regional stock indexes and further development in regional derivatives markets,” said Adam Kamyar, Head of MENA & APAC, Winton Capital. “These new instruments will further support the growing participation of quantitative investment strategies in MENA markets and the development of innovative investment products.”

“We are excited to team up with ICE to introduce equity index futures, leveraging MSCI’s trusted index methodologies and ICE’s leading trading infrastructure,” said George Harrington, Managing Director, MSCI. “This collaboration marks an important step forward in providing the market with innovative tools for equity trading and underscores our commitment to growing markets in the Middle East.”

“ICE is building on its energy offering on ICE Futures Abu Dhabi to serve investor demand for transparent, standardized, and flexible access to regional Gulf equity markets,” said Gary King, President of ICE Futures Abu Dhabi. “With this offering tailored for the Gulf region, ICE is connecting local and global investors, providing enhanced opportunities for strategic trading and risk management in equity markets and broadening ICE Futures Abu Dhabi to this new asset class.”

ICE is already home to the most liquid markets to trade the benchmark MSCI ACWI, MSCI EAFE, MSCI Emerging Markets, MSCI ESG and MSCI Climate indexes with ICE accounting for over 70% of all MSCI Futures trading by volume. In 2024, average daily volume for ICE’s MSCI complex was equal to an estimated $13.6 billion of notional value.

Source: ICE