A discussion about accelerating the development of natural gas financial market in China

Exerting the financial impact on energy development will be an essential part in the process of natural gas market reform in China. In addition to those globally-known natural gas hubs being referred to, the establishment of Shanghai Oil & Gas Trade Center lays a robust foundation for determining natural gas prices and launching gas-related financial products. For the realization of such goals as energy revolution, energy marketilization and supply-side reform, it is significant to make an analysis, based on the natural gas market financialization and its functions, on the present status of natural gas financial market development in China and the existing problems in terms of international finance, equity trading, pricing, investment, consumption, and so on. It was suggested that in the construction of a modern natural gas market system, financial market development should be speeded up, industry and finance be integrated, and gas market reform be developed both in scope and in depth. Some other proposals were also presented here including the highlight on the government-domination of financial management, timely establishment of natural gas futures market, diversified combination of natural gas industry and finance, intensification of trading rules and risk control, innovation of transnational cooperation ways, and so on, in order to further promote the natural gas financial market development in China. © 2016, Natural Gas Industry Journal Agency. All right reserved.