Foreign exchange
Overcharging costs eclipse AIB’s H1 dealing profits
DUBLIN – Allied Irish Banks (AIB) last week announced first half dealing profits of e41 million ($50 million) – less than the amount the bank has set aside to cover costs linked to overcharging for FX deals.
ABN Amro launches IR Mini-Swaps for the risk averse
LONDON – ABN Amro has launched an interest rate hedging tool for clients who do not want to use derivatives to gain exposure to this market.
China and India to halt repatriate flow to US
HONG KONG – Massive investment opportunities in China and India may help Asia withstand a flood of currency repatriation back to the US in the wake of new tax bill the Homeland Investment Act.
Dollar vol could be back
LONDON – The global currency markets could be in for a bout of unseasonal volatility and trading activity if the US dollar breaks through its recent range against the euro, traders said last week.
AIB repays e 26m for overcharging
Customers to be repaid as regulator's report details AIB's "failures" DUBLIN – Allied Irish Banks (AIB) said it is repaying e 26 million ($32 million) it overcharged clients on three million FX deals, after a regulator slammed the bank in a report last…
Billiton transfers forex to Europe
MELBOURNE – Australian banks in the UK could see added flow going through their FX dealing desks later this year, when the world's largest mining company transfers its remaining forex trading from Melbourne to Europe.
Making amends for seasonal trends
Lower volatility and range-bound markets call for capital preservation with enhanced yields during the summer, says Jeffrey Lins, director of quantitative analysis at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen
Industry altered by e-trading
NEW YORK – E-trading has changed the way banks communicate with their clients, agreed panelists in an e-FX debate at the FX Week USA Congress last week.
FXC issues broker points rules
NEW YORK – The Foreign Exchange Committee, a US industry association affiliated to the Federal Reserve, last week issued new guidelines on broker ‘points’ – the issue at the heart of last year’s massive Wall Street forex fraud.
The flight from NAB continues
LONDON – The flood of departures from National Australia Bank (NAB) continued last week as three senior institutional dealers left the bank in London and New York.
US banks still seeing record earnings
NEW YORK – Record earnings from foreign exchange continued into the first half, according to US banks’ financial results published last week. Citigroup, State Street and Bank of America all reported new highs in their FX or trading results, as currency…
Structured euro deposit adds cash as it hedges
A structured deposit denominated in euro can fulfill the twin goals of a European company by hedging its US dollar payables and generating a cash-rich position in its functional currency, says Didier Meyer, FX structurer at SG Corporate and Investment…
JPMC’s merger plans revealed
NEW YORK – JP Morgan Chase’s plans to absorb Bank One’s global foreign exchange trading business became clear last week, following the completion of the US banks’ merger on July 1.
Forex TV moves to Nymex trading floor
NEW YORK – Forex Television is this month moving to a trading floor in the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex) building. The trading floor will be operated by sister firm e-FX Trader, which was set up in March to offer trading services in conjunction…
International Assets buys Global Currencies
FLORIDA – International Assets Holding Corporation (Intl), an emerging market-focused financial services company, last week (July 7) purchased the FX operations of UK-based Global Currencies for $2.4 million. The payment comprised $1 million cash plus…
Rivals gear up for FX clearing
LONDON – The stage is set for a central counterparty clearing (CCP) system for FX as two potential providers moved their plans forward last week.
Korean CLS utility opts for PAYplus
The utility through which Korean banks will use the continuous linked settlement (CLS) service for FX, has selected vendor Fundtech’s PAYplus as its core application, it said last week.
AIG restaffs FX post-merger
LONDON – Banque AIG, a subsidiary of AIG Financial Products, has hired six sales and trading specialists in a bid to upgrade the FX component of its cross-product service.
Hotspot adds market makers
NEW JERSEY – Hotspot FXi has added six banks to its institutional trading marketplace to act as market makers and prime brokers. BNP Paribas, HSBC, HVB Group, Société Générale (SG) and WestLB are now all live on the platform providing streamed prices to…
Refco buys stake in ACM
GENEVA – US brokerage Refco Group bought a majority stake in online FX trading firm AC Markets (ACM) for an undisclosed sum last week. The cash purchase was completed on June 29.
ABN Amro signs half CCIL’s members for CLS
MUMBAI – More than half of the 60+ members of Indian forex settlement service the Clearing Corporation of India (CCIL) will use ABN Amro as their provider for continuous linked settlement (CLS), the Dutch bank said last week.
"What is risk management?" ask Risk USA speakers
BOSTON – The way banks and other financial institutions think about – and sometimes misinterpret – risk management formed the main theme of the opening keynote speeches at FX Week sister publication Risk 's USA conference held last week.
Merrill gets FX licence in South Korea
SEOUL – Merrill Lynch has become the first foreign investment bank to receive an FX licence from the South Korean financial services regulatory body, the Financial Supervisory Commission.