Regulator to speed up opening of futures business

The top Chinese securities regulator is planning to accelerate the opening-up of the futures business to encourage overseas investors to participate in the mainland market, a senior official from the China Securities Regulatory Commission said on Wednesday.

Crude-oil futures may be a pilot product to bring in foreign investments, and related regulations should be released soon, said Zhang Yujun, an assistant to the chairman of the CSRC.

Zhang said that the State Council has approved the trading of glass futures, which will debut on the Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange soon.

The CSRC is also preparing for the launch of crude-oil futures and treasury futures, to diversify the financial products in the mainland capital market and boost the derivatives transactions.

In the first 10 months, 1.15 billion transactions happened in the mainland futures market in total, increased by 32.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the CSRC.

The Shanghai Futures Exchange launched sliver futures in May. Besides, the research on futures of more products, including coking coal, canola oil and eggs, will be accelerate, the commission said.