NSE receives SEBI NOC to introduce Corporate Bond Index Futures

The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) has received a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to introduce futures contracts on a Corporate Bond Index.

The proposed product will provide market participants with an exchange-traded instrument to manage corporate bond market risk and is aimed at supporting the development of the corporate bond derivatives ecosystem in India.

Corporate Bond Index Futures are expected to provide an additional avenue for risk management, portfolio hedging and price discovery. The product could also support market making by allowing participants to manage market risks arising from their corporate bond portfolios.

The introduction of the product is subject to the requisite approval from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

NSE said the initiative is part of its efforts to deepen India's fixed-income markets and expand the range of exchange-traded risk-management products available to market participants.

Sriram Krishnan, chief business development officer, NSE, said the SEBI NOC marks an important milestone in the development of India's fixed-income markets. He said a developed derivatives ecosystem can strengthen the underlying corporate bond market by enabling more efficient risk transfer and supporting greater institutional participation.