ICEX, WORLD’S FIRST DIAMOND DERIVATIVES EXCHANGE, GOES LIVE

COMMENCES OPERATIONS WITH THE LAUNCH OF DIAMOND FUTURES CONTRACTS

ICEX TO PROVIDE FAIR PRICE DISCOVERY AND PRICE HEDGING PLATFORM FOR THE DIAMOND INDUSTRY

NATIONWIDE TRADE PARTICIPATION SHALL LEAD TO EFFICIENT PRICE DISCOVERY BASED ON DEMAND AND SUPPLY FUNDAMENTALS

ICEX IS POWERED BY TECHNOLOGY FROM MILLENNIUM IT (MIT),PART OF THE LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE GROUP

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF DIAMOND GRADING & RESEARCH (IIDGR), PART OF DE BEERS GROUP, TO CERTIFY DIAMONDS FOR THE EXCHANGE DELIVERY

MALCA-AMIT, A GLOBAL VAULTING AGENCY FOR DIAMONDS, SHALL HANDLE VAULTING AND LOGISTICS

August 28, 2017, Mumbai: Adding a new leaf to the history of India’s commodity markets, Indian Commodity Exchange Limited (ICEX), a screen-based online derivatives exchange for commodities, went live today. ICEX commenced operations with the launch of Diamond Futures, which will be the world’s first derivatives contracts in diamonds.

The exchange was formally inaugurated at a function held in Mumbai today. The event was graced by several prominent dignitaries from the diamond industry and the exchange industry ecosystem, including Mr. Praveen Shankar Pandya, Chairman, Gems & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, who served as the chief guest. Also present were, Mr. V N Kaul, Ex-Comptroller and Auditor General of India and Independent Director of Reliance Capital, which is one of the prominent shareholders of ICEX, and Mr. Anoop Mehta, President, Bharat Diamond Bourse (BDB).

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Pandya said, “I congratulate ICEX for the launch. I am sure the new exchange will be able to make a meaningful contribution towards further development of India’s commodity markets.”

Mr. Ashok Sinha, Chairman, ICEX added, “The vision behind ICEX has been to establish a world-class platform that offers de-risking avenues against the price vagaries in not only the Indian manufacturing sector but also in the agricultural sector. We want to see that the benefit of One India-One Price helps even small farmers.”

Highlighting the importance of the exchange, Mr. V N Kaul said, “Launch of ICEX will give a further fillip to Indian trade and commerce and help in harnessing the true potential of the Indian commodity derivatives market.”

Mr. Sanjit Prasad, MD & CEO of ICEX, said: “ICEX shall offer a fair, transparent and nationwide market, bringing in large market participation into diamond trade. It shall result in efficient price discovery and provide an effective hedging platform for all stakeholders of the diamond industry. ICEX brings together the best technology in terms of trading platform from MIT, renowned vaulting services offered by MALCA-AMIT and credible grading certification by IIDGR. This will fulfill the objectives and standards as set up by the Regulator and the Government of India.”

The diamond contracts launched by ICEX initially is in size of 1 carat with compulsory delivery. This will create an entirely new market for the diamond industry players where the sellers can deliver their certified quality diamonds to different set of buyers from across the country.

The launch of Diamond Futures trading on ICEX will lead to efficient price discovery based on demand and supply fundamentals and a nationwide market participation. Till date, 100+ members and around 4,000 clients have registered with the exchange.