The Moscow Exchange is expanding its trading session: starting at 9:00 and new opportunities for investors from September 14
The Moscow Exchange is preparing a significant update to its trading schedule. Starting September 14, 2026, the main trading session will begin an hour earlier—at 9:00 instead of 10:00. This will extend continuous trading to 10 hours, affecting the stock, derivatives, currency markets, and the precious metals market.
Calculation and publication of the platform's key indices will also be launched from 9:00. Currently, market participants can execute trades 17 hours a day and 103 hours a week, but the new regulations will significantly increase the share of main trading time, when maximum liquidity is formed.
New trading regulations
The morning session on the stock and derivatives markets will retain its current framework—from 6:50 to 9:00, with the opening auction taking place in the first ten minutes. The main session will span from 9:00 to 19:00, and for securities not admitted to morning trading, the opening auction will be held from 9:00 to 9:10. The evening session will remain unchanged—from 19:00 to 23:50. The weekend schedule does not change: trades are executed from 9:50 to 19:00, with the first ten minutes allocated to the opening auction.
On the currency market and the precious metals market, the main session will start at 8:50 and end at 19:00, with the opening auction running until 9:00. The money market operates on a separate schedule: non-cash modes will be available from 10:00 to 19:00, and the evening session—from 19:00 to 23:50. The most noticeable shift will affect directed repo transactions, deposits, and loans—their start will be moved from 9:30 to 8:30, that is, an hour earlier than the current time.
Why the exchange needs an extra hour
The expansion of the schedule is a direct response to investor requests. According to the Chairman of the Board, Viktor Zhidkov, extending the main session will allow participants to diversify trading strategies and provide additional liquidity, primarily through institutional investors, for whom it is important to implement their strategies during main trading hours. In addition, clients in Siberia and the Far East will get an extra hour to trade at a convenient time for them.
The focus on institutional players looks logical: large asset managers typically operate during the main session, where the bulk of orders is concentrated, and the extra hour gives them more room to execute large orders. Retail investors remain active on the Russian market—private investors directed 142.9 billion rubles into securities in July, and their share of stock trades reached 63.3%.
The platform is simultaneously developing its infrastructure and product line. Recently, the exchange entrusted the verification of software code to neural networks, building a chain of AI agents to search for vulnerabilities. The set of tools for betting on foreign assets is also expanding: since July 27, the platform has been calculating fixings for 23 foreign securities, including Coinbase and Tesla shares, and plans to issue futures and options linked to them.
My view: the extra hour of the main session is not just a technical change, but a signal of market maturity. For crypto investors accustomed to 24/7 trading, this is a reminder that traditional platforms are adapting to the demand for flexibility. However, the real effect will only be visible after assessing volume growth in the first weeks following implementation.