The Montreal Climate Exchange is Established

Montreal, Canada and Chicago (ots/PRNewswire) -

- A Partnership Between the Montreal Exchange and the Chicago
Climate Exchange(R)

The Montreal Exchange (MX) and the Chicago Climate Exchange
(CCX(R)) announced today the establishment of the Montreal Climate
Exchange (MCeX), the first environmental products market in Canada.
The new exchange combines the special expertise of the MX, Canada's
financial derivatives exchange, with that of CCX, which operates the
only global greenhouse gas emissions trading system. CCX is a world
leader in building and operating environmental markets.

The two exchanges have finalised the preliminary agreement
announced in Montreal on December 7 2005, during the landmark 1st
meeting of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC, MOP-1).

"The Montreal Climate Exchange will accelerate the development of
a structured environmental market in Canada," said Mr. Luc Bertrand,
President and CEO of MX. "Since our first announcement, last
December, we have received a multitude of requests for information.
There is no doubt that people are interested. The Canadian industrial
and financial communities are ready to welcome market-based
solutions, and the Montreal Climate Exchange will provide those
solutions."

MX will bring to the new climate exchange its expertise in
leading-edge trading systems, clearing, market regulation and
financial risk management. CCX will contribute its experience in
operating the Chicago Climate Exchange, the first and only exchange
of its kind in North America and now the second largest live market
in the world, as well as its subsidiary, the European Climate
Exchange (ECX), now the largest exchange operating in the European
Union emissions trading system. The Chicago Climate Exchange, and its
founder Dr. Richard L. Sandor, are widely recognised as pioneers in
the field of financial innovation and in development of emissions
trading and other environmental financial products.

"Establishing the Montreal Climate Exchange will place Canada in a
strong position to confront environmental challenges in a
cost-effective market-based manner. MCeX is a significant advance in
the global integration and expansion of environmental markets," said
Dr. Richard L. Sandor, Chairman and CEO of CCX. "This new Exchange
will combine the environmental and financial expertise of Chicago and
Montreal to offer an attractive suite of environmental financial
products and services to the Canadian market."

The mission of the Montreal Climate Exchange is to offer price
transparency, environmental integrity, low cost, wide access and
reliability to the many sectors of the Canadian economy involved in
air quality and climate change concerns.

Mr. Bertrand pointed out that the Montreal Climate Exchange looks
forward to emerging plans in Canada with regard to greenhouse gas
emissions reduction, including the federal Government plan, expected
in the fall. In this regard, he noted: "We are confident that our
approach offers the wide flexibility and quality required to advance
a variety of ideas and regulatory frameworks. Our partner, CCX, has
already developed systems that operate in the disparate regulatory
environments of the US and Europe. We feel we are well prepared to
help develop a uniquely Canadian approach to benefit Canada as a
nation and the world generally."

About Montreal Exchange

The Montreal Exchange is Canada's oldest exchange and continues to
be the leader in derivative products. The Montreal Exchange offers
individual and institutional investors, both in Canada and abroad, a
wide range of risk management products for protecting their
investments and ensuring growth. The Montreal Exchange is fully
electronic and its services include: trading, training, market
information, market operations and regulations as well as information
technology solutions. The Montreal Exchange, through its wholly-
owned subsidiary, the Canadian Derivatives Clearing Corporation
("CDCC"), provides central counter-party clearing services for
Montreal Exchange listed products. The Montreal Exchange is also a
significant shareholder of the Boston Options Exchange (BOX), a US
automated equity options exchange whose technical operations are
ensured by the Montreal Exchange. For more information, please visit
www.m-x.ca.

About Chicago Climate Exchange, Inc.

CCX is North America's only, and the world's first, legally
binding multi-sectoral, rule-based and integrated greenhouse gas
emission registry, reduction and trading system CCX members reflect a
cross-section of major public and private sector North American
entities, including Abitibi- Consolidated, Manitoba Hydro, Ford
Motor, International Paper, IBM, DuPont, American Electric Power,
cities such as Chicago, Oakland, California; Boulder, Colorado,
Portland, Oregon and the State of New Mexico as well as non-
industrial environmental innovators such as World Resources
Institute, and the Rocky Mountain Institute. CCX now has members
globally, including, Beijing Shenwu Thermal Company, a leading
Chinese provider of energy reduction technologies. Emissions
reductions achieved through the CCX market are significant in scale
and impact. CCX Members gain practical experience by building an
efficient emissions management and monitoring system, while also
acquiring cutting edge measurement and trading skills that will be
needed in short and long term as the world comes to terms with the
climate change challenge. European Climate Exchange (ECX) a
wholly-owned subsidiary of CCX, manages the sales and marketing for
ECX Carbon Financial Instruments (ECX CFI contracts) in the European
Union Emissions Trading Scheme system. The Chairman and CEO of CCX is
economist and financial innovator Dr. Richard L. Sandor, who was
named a Hero of the Planet by Time magazine for his work in founding
CCX, as well as one of the Top 100 Influential persons in finance by
Treasury and Risk Management magazine.

ots Originaltext: Montreal Exchange and the Chicago Climate Exchange
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
For further information: For the Chicago Climate Exchange: Rafael
Marques, +1-312-554-3384, marques@chicagoclimateexchange.com; For the
Montreal Exchange: Jean Charles Robillard, +1-514-871-3551,
jcrobillard@m-x.ca