Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE), a leading operator of global exchanges and clearing houses and provider of mortgage technology, data and listings services, today announced the Exchange Members and Clearing Members approved to directly trade and clear ICE Futures Abu Dhabi (“IFAD”) markets, ICE’s new exchange in Abu Dhabi.
ICE plans to launch IFAD and trading in ICE Murban Crude Oil Futures alongside 18 related cash settled derivatives and inter-commodity spreads, on March 29, 2021. Contracts traded on IFAD will be cleared at ICE Clear Europe, ICE’s leading energy clearing house.
The 24 approved Exchange Members, of which 18 are approved Clearing Members, are listed in full on IFAD’s Membership page here. This includes:
- ABN AMRO Clearing Bank N.V. and ABN AMRO Clearing Chicago LLC
- Advantage Futures LLC
- ADM Investor Services Inc. and ADM Investor Services International Limited
- Banco Santander SA
- BNP Paribas SA
- Citibank Global Markets Limited
- Goldman Sachs & Co LLC and Goldman Sachs International
- G.H. Financials Ltd
- Marex Financial Ltd
- Mizuho Securities USA LLC
- Phillip Capital Inc.
- R.J. O’Brien & Associates
- Societe Generale
“As part of our ongoing commitment to the Middle East, our clients around the world, and our mission to offer access and liquidity to energy markets globally, we are delighted to be working with IFAD at the historic launch of a new futures exchange in Abu Dhabi,” said Joseph Nehorai, Goldman Sachs’ co-head of Global Futures and Options.
“We, along with our clients, are excited for the extraordinary opportunity that the launch of Murban futures presents,” said John Murphy, Global Head of Futures at Mizuho Americas. “This moment signifies a tremendous progression for the oil markets, and we are ready and eager to clear IFAD products.”
“This launch marks an exciting opportunity for the energy markets as customers have communicated their strong interest to trade Murban futures and the related contracts, and consequently we greatly look forward to clearing IFAD products and providing our expertise from the outset,” said Franck Borgel, Global Head of Commodities Agency at Societe Generale.
“With the addition of clearing Murban Crude Oil products on ICE Futures Abu Dhabi, we show commitment and keep investing for our clients. Murban Crude Oil Futures will provide users with an effective hedging instrument for Arab Gulf crude oil and other grades trading into the Asia Pacific Region. ABN AMRO Clearing is excited to be able to support its clients, who showed strong interest. Bringing OTC contracts on exchange makes these better accessible; this fits with our purpose to lead the way to safe and transparent markets.” said James Egan, Chief Commercial Officer Europe at ABN AMRO Clearing Bank.
“Marex is delighted to join ICE Futures Abu Dhabi as a General Clearing Member. Our clients have expressed a strong interest in the Murban Futures and Marex is excited to support them in trading on the IFAD exchange,” said Thomas Texier, Head of Clearing at Marex.
“RJO is excited to be a General Participant Member for the launch of ICE Futures Abu Dhabi. Access to ICE’s global product line is crucial to the growth and success of RJO’s commercial energy clients,” said Gerald Corcoran, Chairman and CEO of R.J. O’Brien & Associates.
“Advantage is excited to be a Clearing Member for the launch of ICE Futures Abu Dhabi. We believe ICE’s newest exchange offers an excellent trading opportunity for our global client base,” said Joe Guinan, CEO of Advantage Futures.
Clearing members will stand behind all trades made through IFAD and cleared by ICE Clear Europe, whether it is for the account of a customer, member, or their own account. ICE is launching IFAD with the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) and nine of the world’s largest energy traders including BP, ENEOS, GS Caltex, INPEX, PetroChina, PTT, Shell, TOTSA (Total) and Vitol.
Murban futures will be open for trading for 22 hours a day, five days a week, with investors from jurisdictions including Abu Dhabi Global Market, the United States, Singapore, Switzerland, the Netherlands, France, Norway, Australia, Japan and South Korea, as well as by and through FCA-regulated entities in the UK, able to trade on IFAD.
For more information on how to clear or trade IFAD markets please contact: Membership-AbuDhabi@theice.com.
