Moscow Exchange's Two-Year Roadmap to Near-24/7 Trading
Moscow Exchange is preparing to move toward a near round-the-clock trading schedule, but the change will be phased over roughly two to two-and-a-half years. Senior Managing Director for Sales and Business Development Boris Blokhin said the exchange still intends to evolve toward a 24/7 model, but the pace will be gradual because the shift affects the entire industry.
The first step will be to stop the regular technical pauses that currently halt weekend trading about once every five weeks for planned releases. After that, MOEX plans to align weekend trading hours with weekday sessions and then extend the trading day from the current early-morning start, in coordination with market participants.
Blokhin said no substantial changes are planned this year. MOEX's stock and derivatives markets currently trade from 06:50 to 23:50 Moscow time on weekdays and from 09:50 to 19:00 on weekends.
What the Trading-Hour Shift Means for MOEX and Market Participants
A deliberately slow industry-wide transition
MOEX is treating the move as more than a schedule change. Blokhin said shifting to near-24/7 trading will affect the entire industry, and the exchange is therefore sequencing the work: first remove weekend shutdowns, then align weekend and weekday hours, then extend the daily session. That phasing gives brokers, clearing members and technology providers time to adapt without forcing an overnight switch.
Weekend maintenance pauses are the first practical barrier to fall
The exchange currently suspends weekend operations about once every five weeks for planned technical releases. Ending those regular halts is the least disruptive first move: it increases available trading days without immediately requiring full overnight staffing or new risk systems. It also signals that MOEX wants to make weekend access more consistent before asking participants to support much longer hours.
Longer hours, not yet full 24/7
Even after the transition, the goal is maximum proximity to a 24/7 regime rather than necessarily a continuous trading day across all products. Extended hours will be expanded in agreement with participants, meaning the pace will depend on the readiness of intermediaries and on demand. For investors, that could mean earlier starts and longer weekend sessions first, with full overnight coverage only later. MOEX's announcement does not specify whether all instruments will move at once or whether some segments will lead.
What Market Participants Should Watch as MOEX Extends Trading
- Brokers should use the current year as a preparation window: MOEX has said there will be no significant moves in 2026, so the immediate requirement is to review systems that depend on the existing weekend maintenance pauses.
- Operations teams can expect the first concrete change to be the removal of regular weekend technical stoppages that now occur about once every five weeks; contingency procedures for those windows should be updated before that change is announced.
- Firms covering MOEX's weekend session should plan for progressive extension of the current 09:50–19:00 Moscow time schedule as weekend hours are aligned with weekday trading.
- Trading desks and clients should not budget for full 24/7 access immediately; the exchange's own timeline is 2–2.5 years, and expansion will be coordinated with market participants.
Risk & Opportunity Assessment
| Commercial Risk | Medium | Brokers and clearing members may face higher operational costs from extended trading and weekend coverage before additional liquidity or fee income is proven. |
| Competitive Risk | Medium | Market participants that adapt faster to longer sessions could capture order flow from less-prepared firms, although MOEX is coordinating the rollout with participants. |
| Regulatory Risk | Medium | The exchange frames the move as industry-wide, meaning timing will depend on coordination with market participants and possibly regulatory alignment not detailed in the announcement. |
| Reputation Risk | Low | A botched transition to near-24/7 trading could undermine confidence in MOEX's operational reliability; the exchange is therefore phasing changes over 2–2.5 years. |
| Technology Disruption | High | Eliminating weekend maintenance windows and aligning weekend-weekday hours will require changes to trading, clearing and risk systems; the exchange says this affects the entire industry. |
| Commercial Opportunity | Medium | Near-24/7 access could attract more trading flow and strengthen MOEX's position as a trading venue, but revenue depends on demand during extended hours. |
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