Middle East & Africa

ITG, an agency broker and technology company, has added Turkish and Israeli equities to its POSIT dark pool.

Dubai Financial Market, the exchange subsidiary of government holding company Borse Dubai, is to collaborate with the Egyptian Exchange to set up a comprehensive framework that will pave the way for listed companies, specifically those with significant operations in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, to dually list their shares.

Turmoil in Bahrain has refocussed the question of which GCC nation will become the Middle East's premier financial hub, according to Rebecca Healey, senior analyst at research provider TABB Group, symbolised by the delayed launch of the Bahrain Financial Exchange, which had been due to begin trading on 28 April.

South Africa's Johannesburg Stock Exchange is to offer co-location services to its members and their clients.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange has appointed a new committee to help revitalise the Africa Board, its platform for cross-listing stocks from companies listed elsewhere on the African continent.

Qatar Exchange has issued the new rules and operational procedures for its upcoming delivery versus payment implementation that remove the need for a dual account structure for securities.

The value of equities traded on Middle Eastern trading venue Nasdaq Dubai reached US$71 million in February 2011, up 50% from US$47.1 million in January but down 46.77% year-on-year from US$133.4 million in February 2010.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange has launched any-day expiry foreign exchange contracts on its derivatives market, allowing institutions to hedge their currency risk more accurately.

The Johannesburg Stock Exchange has reached an agreement with MillenniumIT, the technology company owned by the London Stock Exchange, to implement a new trading platform in the first half of 2012.

United Arab Emirates broker Al Ramz Securities has joined the connectivity network of trading technology provider Fidessa.