The Moscow Exchange was created in 2011 by merging the Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange and Russian Trading System.
The two predecessor markets had different historical strengths. MICEX was particularly important for currency and domestic securities trading, while the Russian Trading System, commonly called RTS, developed an electronic market and a prominent Russian equity index. Their merger combined major parts of Russia’s financial-market infrastructure.
The resulting Moscow Exchange operates markets for equities, bonds, derivatives, foreign exchange, and money-market instruments. Its listed company name is Moscow Exchange MICEX-RTS, reflecting both predecessor institutions.
The exchange is also associated with the MOEX Russia Index, which replaced the MICEX Index name in 2017. The RTS Index continues as a separate dollar-denominated benchmark. These index names can cause confusion, but both developed from the markets brought together by the 2011 merger.