Our mission: To support open, transparent and competitive markets, protect and enhance the integrity of the financial system, and promote high standards of professional conduct.
Derivatives markets play a critical role for the world economy by discovering prices and allowing businesses to manage risk across the global economy. FIA is the leading global trade organization for futures, options and centrally cleared derivatives markets.
FIA represents a wide array of market participants from around the world that depend on these markets. Our members include client clearing firms, exchanges and clearinghouses, executing brokers, software vendors, legal firms, consultants, and proprietary trading firms. Our membership is corporate, and our work supports the cleared derivatives industry as a whole.
Our purpose is to provide a voice for each of our member firms. We do this by:
Partnering with global regulators: While regulatory structures are fragmented, modern cleared derivatives markets know no boundary. FIA works closely to bring together market participants and policymakers to ensure transparency, competition and open access.
Promoting industry-led best practices: Our members represent both the buy-side and the sell-side, front-office and back-office. FIA brings together this diverse group of market participants to promote efficiency, competition and integrity across every step of the trading lifecycle.
Supporting efficiency and innovation: FIA offers a host of forums to promote thriving cleared derivatives markets by addressing inefficiencies and supporting plans for growth and innovation. These include dozens of internal working groups that are dedicated to specific industry or regulatory issues, as well as broader coalitions and industry-wide events to discuss the foundational concerns for our markets.
Protecting the integrity of derivatives markets: Global cleared derivatives markets offer vital risk-management tools, and both the public and private sector depend on these markets for protection. FIA works both with our members and with the global regulatory community to ensure the safety and soundness of global cleared derivatives markets both now and into the future.
Learn more about FIA's work and how to get involved
Our History
FIA was founded in 1955 in New York as the Association of Commodity Exchange Firms. It was originally established to provide a forum to discuss issues, work with exchanges, represent the public customer, study ways to reduce costs, eliminate the abuse of credit, cooperate on education efforts and protect firms from fraudulent warehouse receipts.
In 1973, the New York association expanded to include Chicago FCMs. In 1978 it was renamed the Futures Industry Association and moved to Washington. FIA broadened its reach again in the mid-1980s when international organizations were invited to become members.
Meanwhile, FIA Europe was founded in 1993 in London as the Futures and Options Association, just over a decade after the birth of financial futures in Europe.
FIA's Asia office was originally set up in 2005 to provide a forum for members to discuss issues relating to the futures and options industry in the Asia-Pacific region, becoming a formal branch – FIA Asia – in Singapore in 2012.
In 2013, FIA, FIA Europe and FIA Asia formed an affiliation strengthening their influence on cross-border issues, substantially increasing the coordination and information flow between regions and providing a powerful global voice to express the views of their members.
In January 2016 the merger of FIA, FIA Europe and FIA Asia into a single organization took effect. The merged organization serves both the global and regional needs of the futures, options and centrally cleared derivatives markets. FIA now operates out of offices in Brussels, London, Singapore and Washington, D.C.
