Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (NYSE:ICE) today announced the launch of FTSE South Korea RIC Capped Index Futures (FTSE Korea futures).

This new CFTC-approved contract (contract code: SKO), created in alignment with FTSE Russell and the Korea Exchange Inc. (KRX), combines FTSE Russell’s RIC Capped methodology – developed to support regulatory alignment and limit single-name concentration – with KRX’s market expertise and ICE’s globally traded, deeply liquid futures platform. The contract is designed to provide international investors with efficient and consistent access to Korea’s equity market.

The contract is USD-denominated and designed to support effective portfolio and risk management needs to help enable international investor’s participation in South Korean equity markets. The new FTSE Korea futures is part of ICE’s Index futures suite and can be traded directly by US-based market participants.

“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,” said Caterina Caramaschi, Vice President of Financial Derivatives at ICE. “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.”

“This launch underscores FTSE Russell’s commitment to delivering robust, investable benchmarks that support efficient global market access,” said Jan Thorwirth, Head of Asia Derivatives and Partnerships at FTSE Russell. “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 contract enhances ICE’s existing FTSE Index derivatives franchise, which offers the broadest suite of highly liquid, cost-effective and margin-efficient tools for accessing and managing U.K. equity risk via ICE’s FTSE 100, FTSE 250 futures and options and FTSE 100 Dividend futures. By trading FTSE Korea futures at ICE, participants can utilize margin offsets across ICE’s U.S. Equity Index futures, improving capital utilization and enhancing overall portfolio efficiency.