The Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority ("QFCRA"), the body responsible for overseeing regulated activities in the Qatar Financial Centre ("QFC"), recently announced the development and introduction of a new regulatory framework for listed derivatives. The framework has been set out in the new Derivatives Markets and Exchange Rules 2023 ("DMEX"), which was the subject of a three-month public consultation with investors and market stakeholders prior to issuance.
Issuing DMEX effectively establishes a derivatives exchange and a Central Clearing Counterparty to oversee the settlement of trades and management of settlement risk. The launch of DMEX is seen as an important milestone in the development of the Qatar capital markets and its ambition to further develop itself as a regional financial hub, giving investors additional means of diversifying their portfolios. The exchange will permit investors and market participants to trade cash-settled options and futures on individual stock listed on the Qatar Stock Exchange ("QSE"), and the QSE equity index that will be listed on the new exchange.
Earlier, the QFC announced that it will partner with the London Stock Exchange Group to provide new trading, clearing, and monitoring technology.
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