Kittiratt refuted rumours that the system to support TFEX trading will not be ready when it commences operations next week. He said the system was ready enough to run even if it meant that only one broker would be able to trade at the onset. The TFEX is a wholly owned subsidiary of the SET.

"We've been waiting for this derivatives market to open for 31 years, so April 28 is the day. There will never be a starting point if we keep postponing it. Everything is not perfect right now but I can guarantee that it's good enough to start," Kittiratt said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has already granted derivatives trading licenses to 20 brokers including Kim Eng Securities (Thailand), KGI Securities (Thailand), DBS Vickers Securities

(Thailand), Capital Nomura Securities, Asia Plus Securities and Phatra Securities.

"The TFEX is ready. But if the brokers are not ready, it's their responsibility. As far as I've been informed, more than 10 brokers are ready to start trading," he said.

The TFEX has already delayed its start once. It postponed its inauguration from last year because its trading system was not ready.

Contrary rumours might surface because an involved party keeps changing things all the time, Kittiratt said without providing further details. He added that by the middle of this week, no one may ask for any more changes.

He added that if there were a problem that impeded TFEX trading next week, he would take responsibility for the failure.

The first product to be traded on the TFEX will be the SET50 index. Kittiratt said that TFEX's performance would be assessed in one year.

The TFEX will launch a second product, government bond futures, in about a year.

Piyarat Setthasiriphaiboon, The Nation