MOSCOW: The Moscow Exchange plans to more than double the number of foreign shares on offer to over 250 this year, Boris Blokhin, stock department director at the exchange, said on Wednesday.

Russia's largest bourse started trading foreign blue chips in August and offers rouble-denominated shares in 105 foreign companies, including Tesla, Alibaba and Apple.

"This product is in great demand and of course we will develop it ...We are discussing the extension of trading hours and additional services with market participants," Blokhin said at the Moscow Exchange's shareholder day.

In October, CEO Yuri Denisov told Reuters the bourse would increase the overall number of foreign shares it trades to 300 by the end of 2021.