Business news

23 Jul 2026

BUCE annual trade volume reaches nearly $11bn

An archive photo

MINSK, 23 July (BelTA) - The annual trade of the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE) amounts to approximately $11 billion, Aleksandr Bashliy, Assistant to the Chairman of the BUCE Board, said at a seminar on opportunities for expanding foreign trade cooperation between CIS member states and Georgia, BelTA has learned.

Aleksandr Bashliy noted that the exchange is a full-cycle electronic trading platform where enterprises place bids for sale and purchase, trade, and conclude transactions. In addition, the exchange monitors the execution of exchange contracts, which is equally important. “We provide sellers and buyers with a reliable guarantor, so trading through the exchange is safe. During trading, free market pricing is formed on the platform based on supply and demand, thus creating the foundation for an organized commodity market. The exchange is also an instrument of foreign economic policy, as half of all transactions are conducted with the participation of foreign participants. We are interested not only in Belarusian exports but also in imports, and we are actively working to ensure that products from various countries reach Belarusian enterprises,” he said.

Having operated in the commodity market for 21 years, the exchange facilitates trade in real goods, where all transactions conclude with payment and actual delivery from seller to buyer. BUCE has 35,000 accredited participants, including over 27,000 Belarusian enterprises and around 8,000 foreign companies from 84 countries. “The exchange serves as a convenient entry point to the Belarusian market, providing direct access to enterprises across the country’s entire economy. The platform’s annual turnover is approximately $11 billion, and in the past year alone, over 560,000 transactions were concluded,” he said.

Several key mechanisms are employed during trading. One of these is the anonymous mode, which ensures the confidentiality of the parties until a transaction is concluded, after which contact details are disclosed to negotiate delivery terms. All lots are strictly standardized, which rules out manipulative collusion schemes, and all communication during trading is conducted through an exchange broker. The price corridor mechanism, calculated based on statistical data, limits excessive price fluctuations by rejecting bids that fall outside the established boundaries. Targeted transactions, in turn, allow for the sale of products to a specific, pre-known buyer under certain rules. There is also a market price index mechanism, which serves as an indicator of price levels and trends across commodity segments.

“As an example, consider the mechanism for selling dairy products. Belarusian producers are required to list their products on the exchange, where buyers bid for lots during a trading session, forming a transparent market price. After the trading session, an exchange quotation is published, and the seller who participated in the session may conclude a targeted transaction with their direct client, provided the client is accredited on the exchange. In this case, the offer price cannot be lower than the exchange quotation, and the sales volume cannot exceed three times the volume sold by that seller on the exchange the previous day. There is also the possibility of sales under intergovernmental agreements between countries,” the assistant to the chairman said.

Universal commodity exchanges have seen their greatest development precisely in the CIS region, as they trade in real goods rather than speculative assets, providing tangible support to businesses. “The top five partner countries on BUCE include Russia, China, the UAE, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan, while all CIS countries are among the top ten most active partners. In the first half of 2026, the top export transactions featured dry milk, other dairy products, meat, and timber. I would like to note separately that in 2023, the exchange opened a representative office in China, and today nearly 450 Chinese companies are represented in our trading. International transit transactions are also actively developing, for example, an enterprise from Uzbekistan can sell its products to China and vice versa. There are no restrictions; offerings can be of interest to any buyer present at the trading session, thanks to the transparency and anonymity of our mechanisms,” explained Aleksandr Bashliy.

The seminar on opportunities for expanding foreign trade cooperation between CIS member states and Georgia was organized to inform foreign diplomats about the mechanisms of exchange trading and the joint initiatives of BUCE and the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BelCCI) to promote Belarusian exports and strengthen foreign trade ties between business entities of CIS member states and Georgia.



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