CBOE Holdings plans to open its first international business development office in London in July. The new office – headed by Matthew McFarland, director of global client services – will enable CBOE to increase its presence in the region and allow its business development team to more directly engage with European-based clients and potential new customers, as well as the exchange's strategic partners.
"We are pleased to establish our first international business development office in London, a key European financial centre,” says Andy Lowenthal (pictured), Senior Vice President of Business Development at CBOE. "The opening of this office is the result of years of concerted and successful international outreach efforts and reflects CBOE's increasingly global customer base. We look forward to more directly promoting our diverse suite of products, particularly our growing global index complex, to European institutional investors."
CBOE's London office will be located in the Leadenhall Building at 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AB, United Kingdom.
The opening of a London office is the direct result of CBOE's effort to expand its global reach and is expected to help CBOE build upon several recent initiatives that cater to a growing international customer base.
In March 2015, CBOE introduced extended trading hours for CBOE Volatility Index (VIX Index) and S&P 500 Index (SPX) options. The session, which runs from 2:00am to 8:15am CT, aligns with the market open in London, making it easier for overseas investors to access and trade CBOE's premium products. This extended trading session for SPX and VIX options follows the successful implementation of nearly 24-hour trading in VIX futures last year.
The VIX Index is widely considered to be the world's premier barometer of equity market volatility. In response to growing worldwide interest in VIX trading, CBOE began disseminating overnight values of the VIX Index in April 2016. Beginning at 2:15am CT, VIX Index values are now published every 15 seconds during the extended hours session. Expanded VIX Index dissemination provides real-time volatility information when news breaks overnight and allows overseas investors to reference the VIX Index during their regular trading hours.
CBOE's highly-acclaimed Risk Management Conferences (RMC) are premier financial industry forums for institutional users of equity derivatives and volatility products. To educate new and existing international customers about the utility of CBOE's unique and expanding product set, CBOE brought its conference to Europe in 2012. Last year's conference drew a record number of attendees and this September, CBOE will host its fifth annual CBOE RMC Europe in Ireland.
CBOE also expects that its London office will enable it to work more closely with its partners at the London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG), owner of FTSE Russell indexes, and MSCI Inc. CBOE's recent licensing agreements with LSEG and MSCI to be the sole US provider of options on major FTSE Russell and MSCI indexes have brought a significant international dimension to CBOE's index options franchise.
Additionally, in October 2015, CBOE, LSEG and major dealer banks formed CurveGlobal, a new interest rate venue that will trade on the LSE Derivatives Market and clear through LCH.Clearnet. CurveGlobal is expected to launch in 2016 with trading in futures based on major European interest rates.
