Moscow Exchange extends the main trading session: investors will get an additional hour starting September 14
Starting September 14, 2026, the Moscow Exchange is making significant adjustments to its trading schedule, extending the main trading session by one hour. Trading on the equity, derivatives, currency, and precious metals markets will now begin at 9:00 AM instead of the usual 10:00 AM, expanding the window for active operations to ten hours. This decision opens new horizons for market participants, allowing them to build their strategies more flexibly.
New Regulations: Key Changes
According to the updated schedule, the morning session on the equity and derivatives markets will retain its timeframe from 6:50 AM to 9:00 AM, with the opening auction taking place in the first ten minutes. The main session will now span from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and for securities not admitted to morning trading, the opening auction will be held from 9:00 AM to 9:10 AM. The evening session will remain unchanged — from 7:00 PM to 11:50 PM. The weekend trading mode will also undergo no adjustments: trades will be executed from 9:50 AM to 7:00 PM, with a ten-minute opening auction at the start.
On the currency and precious metals markets, the main session will begin at 8:50 AM and end at 7:00 PM, with the opening auction held before 9:00 AM. The money market will operate on a separate schedule: unsecured lending modes will be available from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and the evening session — from 7:00 PM to 11:50 PM. Particularly notable shifts will affect directed repo transactions, deposits, and loans: their start will be moved from 9:30 AM to 8:30 AM, that is, one hour earlier than the current time.
The Logic Behind the Expansion: Betting on Institutional Investors
The expansion of the trading window is not just a technical tweak but a strategic move driven by investor demands. Chairman of the Board Viktor Zhidkov emphasizes that the additional hour will allow participants to diversify their trading opportunities and provide additional liquidity, primarily through institutional investors, for whom it is important to implement their strategies during the main session. Additionally, clients from Siberia and the Far East will get a more convenient time for trading, which is especially relevant given the country's geographic expanse.
The bet on large players looks justified: it is during the main session that the bulk of orders is concentrated, and the extra hour gives them more room to execute large orders. At the same time, retail investors remain an active force in the market: in July, individuals directed 142.9 billion rubles into securities, and their share of equity trades reached 63.3%. This indicates that the exchange is striving to balance the interests of all categories of participants.
In parallel, the platform continues to develop 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, and starting July 27, it will calculate fixings for 23 foreign securities, including Coinbase and Tesla shares, with plans to launch futures and options linked to them.
My view: The extension of the main session is a signal of the Moscow Exchange's desire to enhance its competitiveness in the fight for liquidity, especially amid growing interest in alternative assets. However, the key success factor will be how effectively the infrastructure copes with the increased load in the first weeks after the new schedule is implemented.