Infrastructure
Reuters cuts EM options brokerage fees in half
LONDON – Reuters' decision to revamp its FX options matching system has increased competition for e-broking of options, with the prospect of slashed brokerage fees.
LiquidityHub hires chief executive, pooling banks' resources
Robert MacLeod has been made chief executive of London-based LiquidityHub, a venture that aims to electronically pool the fixed-income liquidity of 11 investment banks.
TwoFour connects to FXall
Technology vendor TwoFour Systems last week teamed up with multi-bank portal FXall to offer its clients access to prices directly through its own trading platform.
ASIA PACIFIC NEWS: ABN Amro pays $4.5m settlement in Vietnam forex trading case
HANOI – Dutch bank ABN Amro has paid $4.5 million to police to settle a dispute over allegations by the Vietnamese government that its traders broke FX trading regulations.
FXall in ruble push
MOSCOW – Multibank platform FXall has added five liquidity providing banks to bolster trading in the Russian ruble.
Proportionate regulation is the key
The move by the US and UK regulators to work in closer co-operation can only be a good thing for the market as a whole.
US and UK regulators sign MoU to improve market surveillance
LONDON & WASHINGTON DC – The UK Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen market communication oversight last week.
Citi forms FICC group
NEW YORK – Citigroup has merged its global fixed income and emerging markets businesses to establish a new global fixed income, currencies and commodities (FICC) group.
Icap should get the options ball rolling
The FX Week Europe Congress was the biggest and best yet. The brightest star among many was Michael Spencer, chief executive of Icap, who explained his plans to expand his business into electronic FX options.
NFA expels Spencer Financial
NEW YORK – The National Futures Association (NFA) has expelled forex dealer member Spencer Financial from NFA membership following its failure to implement an adequate anti-money laundering regime.
Sovereign Bank live on Sierra platform
PHILADELPHIA – Sovereign Bank is using an FNX Solutions web-based Sierra platform for the its FX operations, the treasury and capital markets technology provider announced last week.
FXPB: a growing divide
LONDON – Foreign exchange prime brokers (FXPB) have started to split into full-service providers and those targeting niche markets, according to panelists at the FX Week Europe Congress last week.
Malaysia sets up payment-versus-payment system
HONG KONG & KUALA LUMPUR – The Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Malaysia's central bank (Bank Negara Malaysia) launched a cross-border payment-versus-payment (PvP) settlement system last week.
Staying a step ahead of the pack
Icap's move to shift the emphasis of its voice-broking capabilities to emerging markets is indicative of how the company has achieved its current dominant position as a global force in money broking.
Currenex develops Fix spin-off
LONDON – Currenex is launching an open standard Fix-based straight-through processing (STP) protocol for FX, money markets and precious metals this week.
Fimat expands in Hong Kong
SYDNEY & HONG KONG – Fimat's decision to open a bank branch in Hong Kong will enable it to substantially increase its FX operations, the Société Générale-owned broker said.
Citigroup extends into Cyprus
NICOSIA – Citigroup has extended its forex settlement capabilities to Cyprus with the extension of its direct custody and clearing (DCC) network to the country. The move comes as part of a wider move into Cyprus. It will see the bank offering…
FXall posts record daily volumes in October
NEW YORK – Multibank platform FXall last month reported record volumes at $64 billion in a single day, on Tuesday October 31.
Hedging ahead of takeover activity
Stephane Knauf, Global Head of FX Structuring at Citigroup in New York, proposes deal-contingent forwards and options to hedge risks ahead of a potential cross-border acquisition
Grupo Santander goes live with SuperDerivatives platform
MADRID – Grupo Santander has licensed SuperDerivatives' commodities and energy real-time pricing and analytics platform SD-CM, as it expands its European and Latin American energy and metals derivatives business.
RBS veteran McHugh retires
LONDON – Cian McHugh, global head of FX services, last week retired from the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) in the latest in a series of senior departures.
How to play gravity-defying USD/JPY
Peter Luxton, Global Markets Adviser and Shant Movsesian, Senior Options Analyst at Informa Global Markets advise taking dollar bulls into account when trading on potential weakness
Banca Aletti takes Risque approach
PARIS – Banca Aletti is going live with technology vendor Sophis' Risque front- to back-office system for its FX derivatives business.