ELX Futures received regulatory approval May 27, 2009 from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to become a Designated Contract Market.

Neal Wolkoff, Chief Executive Officer of ELX Futures, said, "This is a significant milestone for everyone involved in ELX Futures. All the hard work, commitment and dedication from our Operating Committee, Founding Partners, staff and the technology team at BGC Partners is greatly appreciated. It gives me tremendous pride today in announcing a launch date to become a compelling alternative for market participants in the futures space. We plan to compete aggressively and offer our customers the best in service, technology and fees."

ELX Futures' initial suite of products will offer trading in U.S. Treasury futures contracts, but intentions are to move into other major asset classes. Earlier this month, ELX Futures announced its competitive fee structure, which will represent a large reduction in costs for almost all market participants.

Tom Rubio, Non-Executive Chairman of ELX Futures, said, "We started the ambitious process of launching a new electronics futures exchange with a great deal of optimism and patience, and we personally couldn't be happier with the end result. We will launch ELX Futures during a time when the financial futures market needs meaningful competition, and we are confident that ELX Futures will make a substantial impact and provide new opportunities for market participants trading futures contracts globally."