Moscow Exchange expands trading session: from September 14, markets will operate one hour longer
The Moscow Exchange has announced a significant update to its trading schedule, which will take effect on September 14, 2026. The main trading session will start an hour earlier—at 9:00 AM instead of the usual 10:00—extending its duration to 10 hours. The changes will affect key market segments: equities, derivatives, foreign exchange, and the precious metals market.
The new regulations stipulate that the calculation and publication of the exchange's main indices will also begin at 9:00. This is an important step toward data synchronization and increased transparency. Currently, market participants can execute trades for 17 hours a day and 103 hours a week, but the new schedule significantly expands the window for active operations during the main trading phase.
Details of the new schedule
On the equities and derivatives markets, the morning session will retain its previous timeframe—from 6:50 to 9:00—with the opening auction taking place in the first ten minutes. The main session will run from 9:00 to 19:00. For securities not admitted to morning trading, the opening auction will be held from 9:00 to 9:10. The evening session remains 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 foreign exchange and precious metals markets, the main session will start at 8:50 and end at 19:00. The opening auction here will take place before 9:00. The money market operates on a separate schedule: unsecured modes will be available from 10:00 to 19:00, and the evening session—from 19:00 to 23:50. The most notable shift will affect negotiated repo, deposit, and loan transactions: their start will be moved from 9:30 to 8:30, an hour earlier than the current time.
The logic behind the changes
The expansion of the schedule is directly linked to requests from investors. Extending the main session will allow participants to diversify their trading strategies and gain additional liquidity, primarily through institutional players for whom executing large orders during the main trading phase is critical. Additionally, clients from Siberia and the Far East will gain an extra hour to trade at a convenient time for them.
The focus on institutional investors looks logical: major asset management companies concentrate the bulk of their orders during the main session, and the extra hour gives them more room to maneuver. Retail investors on the Russian market remain extremely active. In July, private investors directed 142.9 billion rubles into securities, and their share of equity trades reached 63.3%.
In parallel, the exchange continues to develop its infrastructure and product lineup. Recently, the exchange entrusted the verification of software code to neural networks, building a chain of AI agents to search for vulnerabilities. The range of tools for betting on foreign assets is also expanding: since July 27, the exchange 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: This decision is a long-overdue step that enhances the Moscow Exchange's competitiveness in the context of global trading. However, success will depend on how quickly participants adapt their algorithms and operational processes to the new schedule. For retail investors, the extra hour is more of a convenience than a revolution, but for institutional players, it could be a decisive factor when choosing a platform.