Eurex, part of Deutsche Börse Group, today announced the launch of Futures on the MSCI Korea Index.

With this launch Eurex provides efficient and cost-effective access to the Korean equity market, supporting international investors diversifying exposures worldwide on a single venue. Trading will start on July 14, 2025.

Eurex is currently the only derivatives exchange outside of Korea offering access to a Korean equity index. As of June 30, 2025, Korea accounts for 10.73% of the MSCI Emerging Markets (EM) Index, ranking as the fourth-largest country allocation in the index, which captures large- and mid-cap representation across 24 EM countries.

The launch follows the conclusion of the clearing link between Eurex and KRX (Korea Exchange). While previously focused on KOSPI derivatives largely utilized by retail investors and market makers, the new Futures on the MSCI Korea Index cater specifically to the needs of international institutional investors. These are mainly asset managers and asset owners, as well as banks, seeking US-dollar denominated exposure to the Korean market within the MSCI framework, enhancing trading and margin efficiencies.

Ralf Huesmann, heading product design for MSCI Derivatives at Eurex:

“As global leader in MSCI derivatives we now added a last major piece in the puzzle of our MSCI offering with the goal to cover all Developed and Emerging Markets globally. This allows global investors to trade all these markets with the same index methodology, similar contract specifications and bundled in one clearing house to be highly margin efficient.”

George Harrington, Global Head of Fixed Income & Derivatives at MSCI:

“We are pleased to collaborate with Eurex on its launch of the first futures contract linked to the MSCI Korea Index. Designed to represent the performance of large- and mid-cap segments of the Korean market, this index suite is broadly used by institutional investors worldwide as a benchmark for Korean equity exposure. Its integration into index-linked instruments underscores the critical role that transparent and rules-based index methodologies play in supporting informed and efficient global investment decisions.”

Currently, Eurex offers 146 MSCI futures, with approximately half of the trading volume focusing on the Asia-Pacific region. This regional focus is also mirrored in open interest, where 45% of the total open interest worth EUR 135 billion are linked to Asian underlyings.