Bangkok: TFEX highlights derivatives for investment risk management and is exploring the possibility of launching crypto futures and other new products. The Managing Director of TFEX stated that the volatility in global financial markets makes risk management more important. Derivatives are highlighted as a tool for hedging risk and creating investment opportunities. TFEX will continue developing new products after launching Mini Gold Online Futures and is currently studying non-equity products, including cryptocurrency futures.
According to Thai News Agency, Mr. Triwit Wangvorawut, Managing Director of the Thailand Futures Exchange Public Company Limited (TFEX), delivered a presentation in the 2026 Advanced Economic Journalists' Capacity Building Program on the topic "Understanding TFEX: A Tool for Managing Uncertainty and Creating Investment Opportunities." He stated that current investment landscape faces increased volatility, with asset prices fluctuating rapidly, making historical data insufficient. Therefore, investors must prioritize risk management alongside return generation.
In Thailand, one legal risk management tool is futures trading, or TFEX. This allows investors to trade assets based on their price direction without needing to physically hold the asset. Investors can use it to both generate returns and hedge their investment portfolios.
Currently, TFEX offers two main types of products: Futures contracts, which are used to lock in prices in advance, both for generating profits and for hedging risk through short selling. The underlying assets include stocks such as SET50 Futures and Stock Futures, as well as other assets such as Gold Futures, Gold Online Futures, Mini Gold Online Futures, Silver Online Futures, Rubber Futures, and USD Futures.
Options contracts are similar to insurance, where investors pay a premium to buy the right to buy or sell an asset at a specified price. This helps limit losses in the event of volatility. Currently, underlying assets include SET50 Options and USD Options.
Before investing in TFEX, investors should understand three important things: contract value to avoid overinvesting; leverage, which increases the potential for returns but also increases risk if prices fluctuate in the wrong direction; and margin management to protect against forced position closures.
TFEX launched trading in Mini Gold Online Futures (MGO) on May 25th, reducing the contract size to 1 troy ounce per contract, or approximately 2 baht of gold, from the previous 10 troy ounces per contract. This results in lower margin requirements, making gold investment more accessible to retail investors. It retains the key features of Gold Online Futures, including the pegging of world gold prices, profit and loss settlement in Thai baht, and a price multiplier of 30 baht for every US$1 price change.
In addition, TFEX is studying the development of new products in the Non-Equity group, such as oil futures and crypto futures, to provide Thai investors with more options for risk management and investment.