Speaking at an event hosted by MCX, Pandey reportedly said strengthening the commodity market is a key priority. He added that SEBI is in talks with the government to permit banks, insurers and pension funds to trade in commodities, a move that could expand institutional participation and improve liquidity.
The regulator is also examining a proposal to allow foreign portfolio investors (FPIs) to trade in non-cash settled, non-agricultural contracts. Currently, FPIs are restricted to cash-settled products such as crude oil and natural gas. Broader access to bullion and base metals, analysts say, could boost activity on domestic exchanges like MCX.
Pandey further said commodity brokers will be brought under Samuhik Prativedan Manch, a unified compliance reporting framework, by December 2025. He added SEBI is also working with the government to address GST-related hurdles in physical delivery of commodities.
MCX is India's first listed electronic exchange with pan India presence. MCX is India’s leading commodity derivatives exchange with a market share of about 98.80% in terms of the value of commodity futures contracts traded in Q1 FY2025-26 (April 2025 – June 2025).
On a consolidated basis, MCX's net profit for Q1FY26 came in at Rs 203.19 crore, marking an 83% year-on-year (YoY) rise from the same quarter last year. On a sequential basis, profit rose 50% over Q4FY25. Income from operations jumped to Rs 373.21 crore, up 59% YoY and 28% QoQ.