DIFX launches 'DIFX TraX' platform with 14 new structured products from three investment banks

DIFX TraX is the only structured products platform to be created by an exchange in the GCC region. TraX products listed today include securities that give exposure to shares listed on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and the Abu Dhabi Securities Market (ADSM), as well as securities linked to commodities such as oil and sugar.

Hamed Ali, Executive Officer of the DIFX, said: "DIFX TraX fills a glaring gap in the capital markets, offering for the first time structured products that are based on regional assets and are listed in the region.

"The DIFX aims to build TraX into a major platform, serving its region with a wide variety of structured products in the same way that other international financial exchanges serve their regions."

Executives of Deutsche Bank, Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley took part in a conference held today at the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) to welcome the listings and discuss the launch the DIFX TraX platform.

Three regional brokers - EFG-Hermes, Mashreq and Mubasher - also took part.

Mohammad Jamal, Sales and Marketing Manager of Direct Broker for Financial Services, which is part of Mubasher, said: "It is easy for investors to trade structured products on the DIFX, including through online trading. It can be done just like trading shares. I believe structured products have a significant role to play in the portfolio of many regional investors."

Seif Fikry, Head of Brokerage, UAE, EFG-Hermes, said: "It is exciting to see the DIFX taking bold steps with the various products being listed today, many of which we anticipate appealing to individual investors. As a broker on the exchange, we look forward to being part of Dubai's establishment as a key structured products market."

Khaled Kurdieh, Chief Executive of Mashreq Securities, said: "The role of the DIFX will expand as the GCC becomes more attractive to global investors. The DIFX is the most tightly regulated market in the Middle East ensuring the ability to meet the demands of global institutions looking for investment opportunities. In terms of retail offering, Mashreq Securities offers the best infrastructure for access to the DIFX markets."

The DIFX intends to build DIFX TraX into a platform serving investors outside the region as well as inside it.

The 14 structured products listed on the DIFX today are:

Name-Issuer
10 Year Certificates linked to Dubai Investable Index, Merrill Lynch
X-pert Certificates on the db Abu Dhabi Index, Deutsche Bank
X-pert Certificates on the db Dubai Index, Deutsche Bank
X-pert Certificates on the db Pan-GCC Index, Deutsche Bank
X-pert Certificates on the db Qatar Index, Deutsche Bank
100% Capital Protected Notes Linked to a Basket of Commodities and UAE Indices, Deutsche Bank
100% Capital Protected Notes Linked To CROCI Basket, Deutsche Bank
Outperformance Note on the Smart Money Equity Index and S&P 500 Index (5Y), Morgan Stanley
Equity and Commodity Index (3Y), Morgan Stanley
Outperformance Note on the World Target Equity Index and the MSCI World Index (4Y), Morgan Stanley
Trend Optimiser (3Y), Morgan Stanley
Discount Certificates on the db Abu Dhabi Index, Deutsche Bank
Discount Certificates on the db Dubai Index, Deutsche Bank
1 Year Reverse Convertible Certificate Linked to the Dubai Investable Index, Merrill Lynch