(Yicai Global) June 7 -- The Guangzhou Futures Exchange, southern China's first and the mainland's fifth futures exchange, has revealed a slew of rules ahead of its imminent opening.

The rules, published yesterday, include guidelines for potential traders. The bourse's website has been online since April, but its opening date has not been disclosed.

The GFEX is the first mixed-ownership exchange among China’s five futures trading venues. Its shareholders include four other future exchanges, state-owned enterprises in Guangdong province, private firms, and offshore investors.

Eligible market makers need to have minimum net assets of at least CNY50 million (USD7.5 million) or foreign currency equivalent, per the new rules. Investors with at least CNY100,000 (USD15,003) on account can trade on the exchange.

The products the GFEX plans to trade include carbon credit futures, according to its roadmap, issued earlier, as well as some other new energy-related commodity futures such as for industrial silicon, polysilicon, lithium, rare-earth compounds, platinum, palladium, and electricity.

The exchange is also preparing to list three agricultural commodity futures for coffee, sorghum and indica rice, five index futures, and is also considering to dual list futures with foreign exchanges.

There are two futures trading venue in Shanghai, one in central Zhengzhou, and one in northeastern Dalian. 

Editors: Tang Shihua, Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi