Feature
The rise of the red-back
Moves to automate the payment process are being matched by interest in RMB trade settlement. Saima Farooqi asks how much progress has been made so far, and talks to those with a yen for yuan
FX trading platforms: Spoilt for choice
Four new FX electronic trading platforms have been unveiled in recent weeks, each boasting unrivalled speed, efficiency and transparency. Can the market support them all?
Offshore renminbi bond market to take off in 2012
A maturing market combined with deregulation is sustaining demand for offshore renminbi bonds in the face of slowing RMB appreciation. Saima Farooqi reports
The year of the dim sum bond
A maturing market combined with deregulation is sustaining demand for offshore renminbi bonds in the face of slowing RMB appreciation. Saima Farooqi reports
Solvency II highlights need for currency risk management
Solvency II is expected to impose a specific capital charge on currency mismatches between assets and liabilities for European insurers and re-insurers, bringing currency risk under the regulatory spotlight for the first time. Although FX managers are…
Single-dealer platforms win out in electronic FX options trading
Forex option volumes and liquidity are increasing on electronic trading platforms, as providers push through the operational and competitive challenges of delivering streaming, executable prices to a diverse customer base. Despite apparent regulatory…
FX Week meets James Kemp, GFMA
The managing director of the GFMA's global FX division talks about the biggest regulatory challenges for the FX industry in 2012
What’s in store for 2012?
At the dawn of a new year, FX Week speaks to senior traders, strategists, technologists and lobbyists about their expectations for 2012. The eurozone crisis, implementation of regulation and technology upgrades top the agenda for many participants…
Review of 2011
As 2011 draws to a close, FX Week looks back on a year in which the decisions of politicians increasingly came to define the direction of major currencies, while the progress of regulatory reform was stunted by missed deadlines and challenging technical…
Euro: Staring into the abyss
As forex market participants prepare for a possible break-up in the eurozone and politicians increase the pressure to save the single currency, Miriam Siers talks to strategists and academics about the likelihood of a split and the implications for the…
FX Week meets Alan Bozian, CLS
During his most recent visit to London in mid-November, Alan Bozian, chief executive of CLS, met with Joel Clark to discuss the transformation agenda he has been pushing since joining CLS in 2010
Unlocking alpha from currency managers through multi-manager platforms
Forex allocations are getting larger for many pension funds and asset managers, but accessing currency funds can be difficult. Two new currency manager platforms hope to grow the investor base by making access easier. By Michael Marray
Seeking a better benchmark for currency manager performance
With more mainstream advisers offering access to managed FX investments, bigger and increasingly sophisticated audiences are driving index providers to upgrade benchmarks and make them investable. However, some managers remain unimpressed by the existing…
CFTC urged to rethink rules that threaten cross-margining
In a world where central clearing and bilateral collateral posting are mandatory, margin efficiency will be a big draw, and one obvious way to achieve it is through cross-product margining. Unfortunately, it is difficult to achieve – and Commodity…
The trick's in the tail
The Cambridge Strategy's focus on tail risk sets it apart from other asset managers. Saima Farooqi talks to its chief investment officer about emerging markets risk and reward
Intervention: friend or foe?
If the trend is your friend, is central bank intervention your enemy? The answer is not so clear cut, say Christopher Cruden and Purnur Schneider, not least because of the breadth of interventions, which challenges attempts at uniform analysis
A new safe haven?
As G-7 economies start to look more volatile than some emerging markets, Nikki Marmery investigates whether the new rash of emerging markets indexes could offer some respite
Buy-side call for algorithmic execution in foreign exchange
The institutional buy side is becoming more sophisticated in the way it executes FX trades, and algo platform providers are accelerating their investment in new technology to keep up with growing demand. By Michael Marray
Electronic FX trading in Asia may switch to multi-dealer platforms
The Asian FX derivatives business is expanding rapidly, driven by increased participation from financial institutions and hedge funds. While single-dealer platforms have increased market share over the past few years, incoming regulation could force FX…
Taking stock of 2011: Technology
Upgrading forex trading systems to prepare for regulatory change or simply keep pace with competitors has been a key trend of 2011 for all participants. In the final part of a series of articles taking stock of the year so far, Miriam Siers and Chiara…
Taking stock of 2011: the buy side
Central bank intervention, volatile markets and forthcoming regulation – hedgers and investors in the FX market continue to face some real challenges. Chiara Albanese and Miriam Siers hear their views
Taking stock of 2011: Regulation and clearing
The Group of 20 meeting in September 2009 laid out a set of requirements on clearing, trading and reporting of OTC derivatives. Two years on, plenty of progress has been made – but a number of outstanding issues remain. By Chiara Albanese, Farah Khalique…
Afme: From advocacy to implementation
Set up in June 2010 as the mouthpiece of the FX industry as regulators reshaped the derivatives landscape, the mandate of Afme’s global FX division is gradually changing from one of pure advocacy to one of implementation. Miriam Siers talks to the…