Dubai launches region’s first-ever regulated Gold Spot T+0 Contract

Dubai: The Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX) will launch its Gold Spot T+0 Contract on Monday 22nd June, introducing the first same-day physically settled spot gold product on a regulated exchange in the GCC and positioning Dubai among a limited number of international markets offering such functionality.

The contract has been developed to address growing demand for faster settlement, improved price certainty and greater operational efficiency in physical gold trading.

By integrating exchange execution, central counterparty clearing and physical delivery within a single framework, the product provides market participants with a regulated alternative to traditional over-the-counter transactions.

The launch reflects broader changes in global bullion markets, where participants are increasingly seeking settlement mechanisms that align more closely with the speed of physical trading activity.

While many exchange-traded products continue to operate on next-day or longer settlement cycles, the new contract enables market participants to execute, clear and settle physical gold on the same day, reducing operational friction and improving the efficiency of capital deployment.

The Gold Spot T+0 Contract is based on 1kg UAE Good Delivery gold and settled in UAE dirhams. All transactions are cleared through the Dubai Commodities Clearing Corporation (DCCC), providing counterparty risk management and settlement certainty, while physical delivery takes place through approved vault infrastructure.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of DGCX, said, “Dubai is one of the world’s leading hubs for physical gold trade, handling significant bullion flows between East and West. As the market continues to expand, participants increasingly need faster, more efficient, and more transparent ways to trade and settle physical gold.

The launch of the DGCX Gold Spot T+0 Contract marks an important step in strengthening Dubai’s gold market infrastructure. By bringing exchange trading, central clearing, and same-day physical settlement together within a regulated framework, we are providing market participants with greater certainty, improved efficiency, and direct access to physical delivery. This contract reinforces Dubai’s position at the centre of the global gold market while deepening liquidity, strengthening price discovery, and establishing a more robust benchmark for physical gold in the UAE.”

The launch represents the latest step in DGCX's continued evolution as a provider of market-led infrastructure supporting the precious metals sector. It expands the exchange's precious metals offering with a product directly linked to physical delivery, reinforcing DGCX's role as a provider of regulated, transparent and efficient market infrastructure.

The contract has been developed specifically for bullion dealers, refineries, brokers, clearing members and institutional market participants. Through integration with approved vault infrastructure, it creates a direct connection between trading activity and physical delivery while reducing friction associated with legacy settlement cycles.

The launch comes amid strong momentum for DGCX. In 2025, total traded volumes rose 30 per cent year-on-year to 2,048,556 lots, with the total value of contracts traded reaching US$46.96 billion. Average daily volumes increased to 7,940 lots, while average open interest reached 13,015 lots, underlining the continued depth and resilience of DGCX markets.