CHICAGO, May 16, 2012 - The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) and the China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) announced today that they signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which establishes an open channel of communication and lays the foundation for future collaborative efforts between the exchanges. Executives from both exchanges signed the MOU today at a ceremony in Beijing, China.

The MOU creates an avenue for sharing information and resources between the exchanges, including development of educational programs designed to build understanding of the exchanges' respective products, markets, technologies and regulation. The agreement also creates the opportunity for potential future business initiatives, including joint marketing efforts and product development.

"We are pleased to enter into an agreement with CFFEX that formalizes our long-standing friendship and establishes a strategic alliance between our exchanges," said CBOE Chairman and Chief Executive Officer William J. Brodsky. "Options are important investment and risk management tools and will be an essential part of CFFEX's product development efforts. We look forward to collaborating on initiatives that could benefit both exchanges and potentially expand the global reach of options."

"We are excited to partner with CBOE in this endeavor. CBOE is the leading marketplace in the U.S. options industry and has considerable expertise and experience in operating derivatives markets," said CCFEX Chief Executive Officer Zhu Yuchen. "As CFFEX continues building its marketplace and developing new financial products, the opportunity to learn from CBOE's 40 years of options trading experience will prove invaluable to us."

About China Financial Futures Exchange
The all-electronic China Financial Futures Exchange (CFFEX) was jointly founded by the Shanghai Futures Exchange, Zhengzhou Commodity Exchange, Dalian Commodity Exchange, Shanghai Stock Exchange and the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2006. Currently, trading is conducted in the CSI 300 index futures contract.

About CBOE Holdings, Inc.
CBOE Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) is the holding company for Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), C2 Options Exchange and other subsidiaries. CBOE, the largest U.S. options exchange and creator of listed options, continues to set the bar for options trading through product innovation, trading technology and investor education. CBOE offers equity, index and ETF options, including proprietary products, such as S&P 500 options (SPX), the most active U.S. index option, and options on the CBOE Volatility Index (the VIX Index). CBOE is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with all trades cleared by the OCC.

CBOE Media Contacts:
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(312) 786-7123
osten@cboe.com

Gary Compton
(312) 786-7612
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Analyst Contact:
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CBOE-OE

CBOE®, Chicago Board Options Exchange®, CBSX®, CBOE Stock Exchange®, CFE®, CBOEdirect®, FLEX®, Hybrid®, LEAPS®, CBOE Volatility Index® and VIX® are registered trademarks, and BuyWrite(SM), BXM(SM), CBOE Futures Exchange(SM), SPX(SM) and The Options Institute are servicemarks of Chicago Board Options Exchange, Incorporated (CBOE). C2(SM), C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated(SM) and SPXpm(SM) are servicemarks of C2 Options Exchange, Incorporated (C2). Standard & Poor's® , S&P® and S&P 500® are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services, LLC and have been licensed for use by CBOE, C2 and CFE. All other trademarks and servicemarks are the property of their respective owners.


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