Core Viewpoint - The article outlines the professional standards and regulations that natural person intermediaries must adhere to when engaging in futures-related activities, emphasizing integrity, transparency, and client protection. Group 1: Professional Standards - Natural person intermediaries must comply with professional norms including integrity, legality, fairness, transparency, diligence, confidentiality, and avoidance of conflicts of interest [2][4] - Intermediaries engaging in futures-related business must obtain the necessary qualifications and operate within the legal framework [2][4] - It is prohibited for intermediaries to harm the rights of clients or futures companies and to disrupt market order [4] Group 2: Client Protection - Intermediaries are strictly forbidden from false advertising, promising returns, or misappropriating client funds [4][6] - Intermediaries must inform clients about commission fees through intermediary agreements or futures brokerage contracts to ensure client awareness [6] - Intermediaries are not allowed to handle client margin payments or provide financing for client participation in futures trading [4][6] Group 3: Confidentiality and Obligations - In intermediary activities, if either party requests confidentiality regarding their identity, the intermediary is obligated to maintain this confidentiality [4][6] - Intermediaries must report relevant information truthfully to clients and actively facilitate contract signing or transaction mediation [3][6] - After facilitating a contract, the intermediary is responsible for their own activity costs [3][6]

Core Insights - The number of futures intermediaries has significantly decreased, with only 1,051 remaining as of January 1, 2024, representing a reduction of 4,016 or 79.26% from the end of 2024 [1] Industry Trends - The futures industry has experienced a notable decline in the number of intermediaries over recent years, with a previous report in 2019 indicating over 40,000 natural person intermediaries and more than 6,000 institutional intermediaries [1] - The number of active intermediaries first fell below 4,000 in June 2023, showing a year-on-year decrease of over 40% [1] - By September 2023, the number of active intermediaries further declined to 2,038, with a similar quarter-on-quarter reduction of over 40% [1]