The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) has reported impressive results for the first half of 2025, with total contracts traded surpassing one million by the end of June. This marks a significant increase of 30% in average daily trading volumes compared to the same period last year. These results reflect a growing demand for financial hedging tools amid the fluctuations seen in global markets, with gold contracts and Indian Rupee futures leading in trading activity.
The Sharia-compliant gold futures contract (DGSG) stood out as the top performer during this timeframe, with trading values soaring from $15.6 million in the first half of 2024 to $46.8 million in the first half of 2025. This represents an exceptional year-on-year growth of 199.84% in traded value. Moreover, the trading volumes for gold futures increased by 118% over the last twelve months, underscoring growing confidence in this investment tool.
The Indian Rupee futures contract (INR Quanto), a complex offering that allows global market participants to hedge against fluctuations in the Indian Rupee against the US Dollar without direct access to Indian domestic markets, has continued to attract strong interest from traders and financial institutions. This heightened interest signifies the importance of this instrument as an effective regional tool for risk management amidst ongoing volatility in foreign exchange markets.
On this occasion, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of DGCX, stated: “The exchange has experienced exceptional momentum in the first half of this year, with the trading value through the gold futures contract alone reaching approximately $47 million—an annual increase of 200%. Daily trading volumes have risen by 30%, driven by robust demand for Sharia-compliant gold futures and Indian Rupee futures.”
This outstanding performance serves as a strong indicator that the exchange is on track not only to surpass its results from 2024 but also to reinforce its role as a fundamental pillar in the region’s financial infrastructure.
As global market conditions become increasingly complex, the rising interest in our platforms from both Sharia-compliant investors and financial institutions highlights the growing demand and wide appeal of advanced, safe, and transparent hedging tools. We anticipate that this central role will continue to strengthen as we work to establish Dubai as a leading global hub for commodity and derivative trading.”
The DGCX plays a pivotal role within the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), which supports the precious metals industry, by enhancing Dubai’s position as one of the world’s largest gold trading hubs. With over 1,500 registered companies operating in the precious metals sector within the DMCC free zone, the exchange complements this leading international ecosystem by providing integrated infrastructure for both physical and financial trading.
The strong performance in the first half of 2025 builds on the exceptional results achieved by the exchange in 2024, which saw a total of 1.56 million contracts traded with a notional value exceeding $37 billion. The exchange is on a steady path to surpass this figure in 2025, solidifying its leading position as the foremost derivatives market in the region.