Market players typically borrow to build short positions in the futures market, with 85-90% coming from banks.
Any such drop in the number of players reduces market liquidity, which can in turn lead to even more volatility and sharper spikes in prices that can hurt even major players.
read moreNorwegian state-owned firm Equinor, Europe's top gas trader, said this month that European energy companies, excluding in Britain, need at least 1.5 trillion euros ($1.5 trillion) to cover the cost of exposure to soaring gas prices.
Doing this, sources familiar with talks said, would help bring participants back into the market and increase liquidity.
The banks have hit or are close to hitting their liquidity risk and counterparty risk levels," a senior banking source involved in commodities finance said.