The London Metal Exchange is in talks with the World Gold Council and five banks about the possibility of introducing futures contracts on gold and standardized central clearing, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The talks are exploratory and there's no time frame for a decision on the contract, which would be for delivery in London, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter has not been made public. The banks are ICBC Standard Bank Plc, Citigroup Inc., Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Societe Generale SA, they said.
The LME, the world's biggest metals bourse, has said for years that it wants to expand into London's gold market.