Regulation
NFA suspends California FX firm
CHICAGO -- Regulatory body National Futures Association (NFA) suspended California-based futures commission merchant FX First, effective September 26.
Philippines SEC drafts FX reporting guidelines
PHILIPPINES -- The Philippines’ Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week announced draft guidelines on the preparation of foreign currency-denominated financial statements for corporations in the country.
Portals see record FX volumes
LONDON -- Heightened volatility last Tuesday (September 30) created one of the busiest days in years for FX trading, senior officials told FX Week . Electronic portals proved their worth, with many managing record spot volumes.
IASB favours banks, says Treasury Association Group
LUXEMBOURG -- The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) is favouring the demands of banks and insurance companies over the interests of corporations, the International Group of Treasury Associations (IGTA) said last week.
Italians step up FX use
ROME -- Italian corporates have increased their derivatives use over the past 12 months as companies have honed their risk management skills to battle against currency volatility.
PHLX set to launch cash-settled futures contracts
PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Stock Exchange (PHLX) will launch cash-settled FX futures contracts next month, subject to CFTC approval, a senior PHLX official told FX Week .
Options software boosts exotics appetite
LONDON -- The use of independent FX options pricing software by corporates may have narrowed banks’ margins, but it has given a substantial boost to the exotics market, banks told FX Week .
All eyes on the Middle East
Growing interest in Islamic banking, new technological developments and a wave of freshly repatriated money have put forex trading in the Middle East on the cusp of an exciting new era, reports Nikki Marmery
BoJ still to intervene despite August respite
TOKYO – Analysts expect further intervention in the currency markets from the Bank of Japan (BoJ) in September, following reports that the central bank had already sold yen at the end of last week.
CLS to include Korean won
NEW YORK -- CLS Bank, which operates the continuous-linked settlement service for FX, will today announce its plans to include the Korean won as a CLS-eligible currency.
Banks win a partial reprieve from IAS 39
BRUSSELS -- The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has approved an amendment to rules for macro hedging under the upcoming IAS 39 accounting standard for European banks.
Lehman Brothers continues forex hiring drive in London
LONDON -- Lehman Brothers has hired nine forex staff in London in the past three months as part of its continued FX build-up. Two more -- including global head of FX Grant Whiteside -- have transferred to the City from New York, as the bank pursues a …
Basel may advise banks on outsourcing
BASEL -- The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision may investigate the risks associated with outsourcing trading systems to third parties, a senior Bank for International Settlement (BIS) official told FX Week .
Single currency in west Africa still a long way off
ABUJA -- Efforts to establish a single currency across west Africa continue to falter due to a lack of political commitment and inconsistencies in meeting the convergence criteria, said Joseph Sanusi, governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, speaking in…
Reuters sues Bloomberg
Trading technology rivals’ battle heats up over forex patent claims NEW YORK -- US trading technology firm Bloomberg could be forced to stop using parts of its FX matching and conversational dealing technology, if its UK rival Reuters succeeds in a…
Reuters sues Bloomberg
Trading technology rivals’ battle heats up over forex patent claims NEW YORK -- US trading technology firm Bloomberg could be forced to stop using parts of its FX matching and conversational dealing technology, if its UK rival Reuters succeeds in a…
ING to merge central European back offices
BUDAPEST – ING plans to set up a central European processing centre in Budapest by the second half of 2003, the bank announced last week. The move is part of a global strategy to reduce costs and increase efficiency by consolidating back-office functions…
CFTC continues FX fraud crusade
WASHINGTON – The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has continued its crusade against fraudulent retail FX firms in the US, with three enforcement actions so far in July.
Dealing with yen downside risk
A collapse in the dollar/yen could offer significant trading benefits. How should an FX trader deal with the downside risk? By John Taylor, chairman of FX Concepts in New York
Fimat forex launch in Poland
LONDON – Fimat Group, the brokerage arm of French investment bank SG, is developing new exchange-related FX futures contracts in eastern Europe in a bid to widen the currency product portfolio for its institutional client base, a senior official told FX…
Dollar still top currency for central banks
LONDON – Market speculation that central banks began rebalancing their reserves away from the dollar last year was misled, according to the Bank for International Settlements’ (BIS) annual report released last week.
Banks make headway on IAS 39 macro hedging
LONDON -- The International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) has proposed a new solution to macro hedging for European banks that will adopt the new IAS 39 accounting standards in January 2005.
OCC reports earnings uptick for US banks
WASHINGTON -- US commercial banks' revenues from FX positions increased by $220 million year-on-year, to $1.4 billion in Q1 2003, said the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) last week.
Banks counter IAS39 threat
LONDON -- Banks are developing new structuring models for corporate clients to ensure the IAS39 accounting standards do not result in a reduction of complex FX hedging activity.