"We don't have an international bond market in Asia," Bocker said. "The investors that we meet are looking for quotes that are cross-border. We believe that SGX can play a much stronger role in the fixed-income market."

To strengthen its derivatives business, SGX said last month it will increase technology-related spending by S$20 million ($14.8 million) to as much as S$75 million this year as it accelerates the upgrade of its trading and clearing platform. This would enable the bourse to handle more derivatives transactions and operate on a 24-hour basis by the end of 2016.

The exchange currently trades equity-index and commodities futures for more than 18 hours on weekdays.

"The outlook for derivatives is looking very bright," Benjamin Ong, an analyst at Phillip Securities Pte in Singapore, said by phone. "Demand for China A50 remains strong given the positive interest in China equities."

Trading disruptions

The bourse decided to upgrade its platform after experiencing its second trading disruption in less than a month in December, prompting the Monetary Authority of Singapore to say it will take supervisory action if needed. An independent committee formed to investigate the incident will probably submit its findings in March.

"It's our job to keep the markets open," Bocker said. "Any disruption is very serious for us. We need to really learn from that."