Gulf Mercantile Exchange (GME), the leading international energy futures and commodities exchange in the Middle East, and the Shanghai Futures Exchange (SHFE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a framework for strategic cooperation between the Middle East and China’s derivatives markets.
The MoU aims to enhance collaboration in key areas including product cooperation, exchange of market development insights, research support, and investor education initiatives. The agreement reflects a shared commitment to enhance market transparency and support the evolution of regionally relevant commodities benchmarks.
Raid Al-Salami, Managing Director, GME, said: “We value our cooperation with Shanghai Futures Exchange. This MoU is an important step in building greater alignment between China and the Gulf in the commodities trading space. By sharing knowledge, expertise, and vision, we can pave the way for more regionally relevant benchmarks, greater market transparency, and stronger investor engagement across both regions.”
The agreement outlines several areas of cooperation, including:
• product cooperation
• Sharing knowledge on market development, infrastructure, and regulation
• Providing support for studies and research relevant to each other’s market
• Exchanging personnel to deepen cross-market understanding
• Co-developing educational programs for market participants in both regions
This partnership supports GME’s ongoing efforts to position the Gulf as a global commodities hub and aligns with SHFE’s internationalization strategy to connect with key markets across the world.