SEBI Releases Consultation Paper on Measures to Strengthen Index Derivatives Framework | Current Affairs | Vision IAS
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SEBI Releases Consultation Paper on Measures to Strengthen Index Derivatives Framework

Posted 31 Jul 2024

2 min read

Consultation paper seeks to introduce measures to enhance investor protection and promote market stability in derivative markets while ensuring sustained capital formation.

About Index derivatives 

  • Derivatives are financial contracts that draw their value from an underlying asset (commodity, security, currency, or index).
  • Futures and Options (F&O) are common types of derivatives (refer to the box). 

Need for Strengthening Index Derivatives Framework

  • Excessive speculative trading: ₹50,000–₹60,000 crore of household savings lost through derivatives trading.
  • Increased retail participation in equity derivatives: Index options rose from 2% of individual trades in FY 2018 to 41% in FY 2024.

Key Changes Proposed

  • Increase in Minimum Contract Value from current current size is ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh to ₹15 lakh to ₹20 lakh which could increase to up to ₹30 lakh after six months. 
  • Limiting Strike Prices to 50 strikes for an index derivatives contract at launch to prevent scattering of trading activity and liquidity.
    • The strike price is the pre-determined price at which the buyer and seller of an option agree on a contract or exercise a valid and unexpired option.
  • Members to collect option premiums upfront from clients.

About F&O 

  • Futures Contract: A contract wherein the buyer has the right to buy or sell pre-defined quantities of an instrument at a specified price and time.
    • Examples are stock futures, index futures, currency and interest futures.
  • Options Contract: It offers the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to buy or sell a security at an agreed-upon price during a certain period on a specific date.
    • Call Options and Put Options are the major option contracts. 
  • Tags :
  • Derivatives Trading
  • F&O trading
  • Speculative Trading
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