NSE drags SGX to court over Indian derivatives products launch

Singapore Exchange (SGX) today said it will list new India equity derivatives products in June despite NSE dragging the overseas bourse to court for an interim injunction on the new products.

The leading Indian bourse is making an effort to stop SGX from launching derivatives which could replace its Nifty 50 index.

"SGX has been notified by the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) of an application made in the Bombay High Court for an interim injunction on our new products," the overseas exchange said in a statement.

"We have full confidence in our legal position and will vigorously defend this action," it added.

SGX also said that it has informed NSE that India needs to maintain liquidity in its offshore equity derivatives market in order to connect international participants to Gujarat International Finance Tech (GIFT) City at International Financial Services Centre (IFSC).

Defending its move, SGX said that its new India futures and options, which have received the relevant regulatory approvals, will list in June 2018 and allow its clients to seamlessly transition their India risk management exposures.

"Our new India equity derivative products are essential to enable institutional investors to maintain their current portfolio risk exposure to the Indian capital markets," said Michael Syn, Head of Derivatives at SGX.

"We remain open to working with NSE and other relevant stakeholders to develop a solution that meets the risk management needs of global market participants," he added.

In April, SGX announced listing of new Indian equity derivatives products in June. Following the development, NSE had said it was examining the SGX announcement and had also sought more details regarding the proposed products from the foreign bourse.

In February, leading stock exchanges BSE, NSE and Metropolitan Stock Exchange of India announced their decision to stop providing data feeds to overseas exchanges as part of a joint effort to stymie migration of liquidity to overseas markets after SGX introduced trading in single-stock futures of Nifty 50 companies.

Prior to the launch by the Singapore exchange, NSE chief Vikram Limaye had said such a move will shift liquidity out of the Indian markets.

Reacting on NSE approaching court to stop SGX from launching alternative products, Harry Parikh, Associate Partner/ Transaction Tax, BDO India said it is important to protect and govern the Indian realm as the country is a significant player within Asia markets and a booming economy.

"India market based derivatives or alternatives traded outside India can diminish the volumes in India, reduce the foreign inflows and also take away its significance from international market.

"The court case is more than just a tug of war between two platforms. It might reshape the entire Indian stock market considering the fact that international investors are key players on NSE," he added.

Suresh Surana, a Chartered Accountant, said that SGX's products may not be under legal territorial jurisdiction because it is not the underlying security that it is offering, it's just that the price of its product is determined in reference to an underlying Indian price. There may be claims of IPR violation, in case they name their products similar to NSE's".