Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) has announced the introduction of FTSE South Korea RIC Capped Index Futures (FTSE Korea futures), a new CFTC-approved contract designed to provide international investors with efficient access to South Korea’s equity market.
Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE:ICE), a global provider of technology and data, developed the new contract in collaboration with FTSE Russell and the Korea Exchange Inc. (KRX). The FTSE Korea futures (contract code: SKO) integrate FTSE Russell’s RIC Capped methodology, which is designed to support regulatory alignment and limit single-name concentration, with KRX’s market expertise and ICE’s global futures platform. The USD-denominated contract supports effective portfolio and risk management, enabling international investors, including U.
S.-based market participants, to engage with South Korean equity markets.
Caterina Caramaschi, Vice President of Financial Derivatives at ICE, stated, “By partnering with FTSE Russell and KRX, we are introducing a CFTC-approved futures contract designed to expand global access to the Korean equity market. This new product reflects ICE’s continued focus on creating transparent, efficient markets for our customers, supported by deep liquidity across our international suite of equity index derivatives.” Jan Thorwirth, Head of Asia Derivatives and Partnerships at FTSE Russell, added, “This launch underscores FTSE Russell’s commitment to delivering robust, investable benchmarks that support efficient global market access. By combining our RIC-capped index methodology with ICE’s global futures platform, and in partnership with KRX, we are enabling international investors to manage South Korea equity exposure with greater transparency, consistency and capital efficiency.”
The FTSE Korea futures enhance ICE’s existing FTSE Index derivatives franchise, which includes highly liquid tools for managing U.
K. equity risk such as FTSE 100, FTSE 250 futures and options, and FTSE 100 Dividend futures. Trading FTSE Korea futures at ICE allows participants to utilize margin offsets across ICE’s U.
S. Equity Index futures, which can improve capital utilization and enhance overall portfolio efficiency.
