Yesterday Cantor Exchange received approval from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the U.S. regulator that oversees futures exchanges. This means Cantor Exchange is now a Designated Contract Market (DCM) and Cantor Clearinghouse is now a Derivatives Clearing Organization (DCO). This is a significant step forward in achieving our ultimate goal, which is to launch a market in Domestic Box Office Receipt Contracts.
As you may know, we have worked very hard over two years to seek regulatory approval to launch such a market. In late March, The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and others raised concerns about the economic purpose of this market and its usefulness as a hedging vehicle.
We are confident that the MPAAs concerns are unfounded. However, we must now repeat much of the hard work we have done to assure a level playing field for all participants. Therefore our tentative launch date of April 22 is delayed until this new regulatory process is complete.
While it is currently unclear how long that process will take, we will continue to work diligently with the CFTC and will launch the market as soon as it clears a path to approval. And, yes, we are still accepting customer funds in anticipation of eventually launching the market.
We will do our best to keep you informed as the process unfolds. In the mean time, we appreciate your patience. Please let us know if you have any questions about this update.