TFEX and The Options Industry Council Announce Agreement on Cooperative Educational Initiatives

The Thailand Futures Exchange (TFEX) and The Options Industry Council (OIC), a world leader in options education based in Chicago, announced today that they have signed an agreement to cooperate on efforts to educate Thai investors about equity options and cultivate the growth of the options market in Thailand.

"TFEX is very honored to have the agreement with OIC. We believe that working with OIC in promoting equity options would be a substantial advantage for Thai investors," said Kesara Manchusree, Managing Director, Thailand Futures Exchange Plc. "We are also confident that OIC's effort and experiences in options education would play a key role in driving the growth of options trading in the Thai market."

"Over the last 15 years, OIC has successfully carried out its mission of promoting the responsible use of equity options through investor education. Consequently, the options market has experienced tremendous volume growth," said Gina McFadden, President of The Options Industry Council. "We very much look forward to working with the Thailand Futures Exchange as we expand our educational efforts in today's global marketplace."

TFEX and OIC are planning information sharing and co-branding efforts aimed at equipping Thai investors with important options educational tools. Many key pages on the OIC website will be translated into Thai, providing easy access to information on a variety of options strategies. The Options Investigator CD, one of the most popular pieces of educational material from OIC, will be distributed with both the TFEX and OIC brand. Additionally, video of presentations by OIC instructors in Thailand will be made available to individual investors and market professionals on the TFEX website.

About The Thailand Futures Exchange

The Thailand Futures Exchange Plc (TFEX), a subsidiary of The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), is a fully electronic derivatives exchange with an integrated trading and clearing platform. TFEX commenced operation in 2006, launching the SET50 Index Futures as its first product. In 2007, TFEX launched SET50 Index Options. It is expected that single stock futures will be introduced in Q4 2008, followed by individual equity options in 2009. For more information about the Thailand Futures Exchange, please visit http://www.tfex.co.th/en/index.html.

About The Options Industry Council

OIC is an industry cooperative funded by the American Stock Exchange, Boston Options Exchange, Chicago Board Options Exchange, International Securities Exchange, NASDAQ Options Market, NASDAQ OMX PHLX, NYSE Arca, and The Options Clearing Corporation. OIC's resources include: The Options Industry Services Help Desk at 1-888-OPTIONS, educational Web sites at www.optionseducation.org and www.OICoptions.com, evening seminars throughout the continental United States and Canada, instructional DVDs and educational literature and software.