e-Forex Magazine April 2015

 

Why FX needs better policy synchronisation and trading transparency

Leader

Uncertainty over the future course of regulation and whether more trading malpractice may come to light are continuing to cloud the foreign exchange market. Which is why better policy synchronisation and improved trading transparency are demanding attention....show more

 

Multi-Dealer Platforms to gain ground in 2015

e-FX Industry Report

Foreign-exchange users and dealers can expect a significant shift in trading activity to multi-dealer platforms from telephone voice execution and, potentially, from single-dealer systems. ...show more

 

The road away from perdition, and the end of “Constructive Ambiguity”

Foreword

As I travel to meet senior bankers and regulators around the world, the conversation often turns personal. Yes, the agenda can be to discuss how to fix the industry, and providing industry-wide, global solutions to the FICC conduct challenges. The pros and cons of “hard legislation” in response to recent misdemeanours that have occurred is often discussed, but so is an acknowledgement that, despite the best efforts of regulators, the discrepancies and lack of harmonisation in rules is leading to unintended consequences and unclear expectations regarding behaviour and ethics. Thankfully, the industry is coalescing around a few central frameworks....show more

 

EUR on the top of ME traders List

Currency Clips

By Noureldeen Al Hammoury Chief Market Strategist at ADS Securities...show more

 

Latam currencies - domestic factors to determine winners and losers

Currency Clips

By Simon Smith Chief Economist at FxPro...show more

 

A weaker Euro to save Europe

Currency Clips

By Peter Rosenstreich Head of Market Strategy at Swissquote...show more

 

A Look at the Malaysian Ringgit

Currency Clips

By Kwah Wee Hong Forex Dealer, Phillip Futures...show more

 

Catching Up With Seabury FXone

Provider Profile

With Rosario M. Ingargiola, President and Chief Executive Officer of Seabury FXone ...show more

 

Access and regulation

CryptoCurrencies

New York-based LedgerX is currently awaiting regulatory approval from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to operate the first US-regulated exchange and clearing house for trading bitcoin options. Paul Chou, CEO, LedgerX, spoke to William Essex about the company’s plans. ...show more

 

Block-chain, side-chain, FX-chain

CryptoCurrencies

An email conversation with the team at start-up Blockstream (“We transform global systems of value exchange that, by design, make it possible to trust anyone;” see www.blockstream.com) brought this fascinating account of how “side-chains” can be applied to physical asset transfers and the foreign exchange market....show more

 

Is Bitcoin really such a big deal? Weighing up the evidence

CryptoCurrencies

When you buy a bitcoin, you are buying a record of the fact that you own a bitcoin. Nothing more, nor less, than that. The bitcoin itself is an inalienable record of its own existence (see the box: How are bitcoins stolen?). In the long, cumulative record that is the Bitcoin block-chain, your bitcoin has made its mark – or, if we’re being scrupulously literal-minded, the act of “mining” (generating) your bitcoin was the act of scratching the long-playing record, since its mark will remain in place, through successive iterations of the block-chain, for as long as that globally distributed network endures....show more

 

Avoiding investment regret – assessing potential alternatives to PIT execution strategies in FX

Special Report

Following the recent recommendations from the Financial Stability Board, Frances Faulds looks at the perceived benefits and drawbacks of using the Fix, and what is most likely the way forward for the FX industry....show more

 

Delivering a more compelling user-centric experience with next generation SDP’s

FX e-Commerce and Platforms

Single Dealer Platforms are being re-engineered to position clients at the centre of a simpler, more precise and integrated cross-asset class trading environment. Frances Faulds talks to some of those behind these next generation systems....show more

 

Trust, Technology, Liquidity, Credit and Clearing power – what is happening to the building blocks of FX Prime Brokerage

FX Brokerage Operations

After years of struggling to adjust to the upheaval suffered during the global financial crisis, FX prime brokers are now facing another seismic shift after the SNB’s surprise move in January. But, for the best-of-breed players out there, this debacle has proved an opportunity. Caroline Henshaw investigates....show more

 

After the storm – what role did technology play in the SNB event?

FX Brokerage Operations

Following the carnage of the SNB event, Nicholas Pratt looks at the technology and the steps that brokers can take to protect themselves and their clients in the future....show more

 

The SNB debacle – testing the metal of retail brokerage business models

Viewpoint

Luis Sanchez CEO of BMFN...show more

 

Fair Execution and Transparency in FX

Viewpoint

Foreign Exchange has been very much in the headlines in the last 12 months and rightly so: Too many problems and irregularities came to the surface, starting with the potential skewing of the 4pm fixing and more recently the lack of liquidity in the market after the SNB decision. Foreign Exchange has – once again – reached a point where the market will demand a better practice. This demand will be to not only access to the best price shown, but more towards the fastest and most reliable price available. Additionally it is also becoming increasingly important from a regulatory perspective to document best execution....show more

 

FX co-location: what’s fuelling the rush?

Networks, Hosting and Connectivity

The demand for co-location services is still booming despite the market’s maturity but, as Dan Barnes discovers, the detonation of the Swiss Franc cap in mid-January has necessitated some emergency packages for firms in trouble. ...show more

 

Year of the Baaaaa - Singapore – London RMB Forum

Recent Events

I’m told in the North – 2015 is the Year of the Sheep, in the West the Year of the Ram and in the South - the Year of the Goat. There’s certainly no shortage of differing perspectives on the zodiac animal itself let alone what’s next for the RMB....show more

 

Global Forex Pros – offering a fully independent service

Product Launch

Matthew Clark, Co-Founder and Director at Global Forex Pros, a forex education and analysis platform provider, talks to e-Forex about the launch of the company’s new website and service offering for FX brokers....show more

 

Further perspectives relating to the SNB crisis

Expert Opinion

Abdelrahman Alimari Managing Director of CommexFX...show more

 

Expert Opinion

Expert Opinion

Jonathan Brewer, Managing Partner of IS Prime talks about FX Prime Brokerage and the evolving Prime of Prime brokerage landscape...show more

JFD – Just Fair & Direct

Broker Profile

By placing client interests at the heart of what they do and by focusing on the quality of service offered JFD see themselves as game-changers in e-FX. Despite only starting up 3 years ago they are already listed by Forex Magnates in the top 15 Largest MT4 Brokers, top 30 Largest Brokers (all categories) and 1st by average volume traded per account. (source: QIR4 2014). e-Forex asks Cyril TABET, Partner & CEO and Lars GOTTWIK, Partner & MD to tell us more about some of the latest developments at the firm....show more

 

CFH Clearing – helping brokers and banks to improve their profitability and efficiency

e-Forex Interview

e-Forex talks to Lars Holst, CEO of CFH Clearing, who explains how the organisation has evolved to be so much more than a leading STP venue for Tier 1 liquidity....show more

 

The liquidity hunter: a conversation with Patrick Fleur

Tradertalk

When you talk about sophisticated traditional buy-side players using algos, one name sticks out in the foreign exchange space. Patrick Fleur, head of trading and execution for Dutch pension fund service provider PGGM, has close relationships with virtually every major bank that’s producing algos for FX trading. He is constantly testing and evaluating them and he has dozens of algos to choose from. So what does Patrick think about the evolution of FX algos and what the key issues are now? Adam Cox reports....show more

 

Ask Tom

Sponsored Statement

In the second in our series of Ask Tom features, we ask Tom Higgins, CEO of Gold-i, to respond to four more questions relating to liquidity bridges, risk management, integration, and hosting and server management – four key areas which are critical to the smooth running of a successful brokerage. Tom is one of the world’s leading experts in the technical aspects of MT4. His responses below highlight how technology can be used to help brokers using MT4 to run their operations more effectively and profitably....show more

 

Slick Operations: Why speed matters

Sponsored Statement

According to James Banister, CEO of FXecosystem, brokerages across the globe are becoming increasingly aware of the competitive advantage they gain from hosting their trading platforms within the same sites as the main liquidity providers. ...show more

 

Executing FX trading strategies and mitigating risk through the Managed Network-as-a-Service model

Sponsored Statement

Ganesh Iyer Director, Global Product Marketing Financial Markets Network, IPC...show more

Banks are waking up to the e-payments revolution

Sponsored Statement

David Woolcock Global Head of Sales & Business Development at Eurobase International...show more