News
New Fimat platform targets exchange clients
PARIS -- Fimat Group, the brokerage arm of French investment bank SG, will launch an online FX dealing platform this week in a bid to snare clients from major futures exchanges.
Barclays merges FX/FI prime brokerage
LONDON -- Barclays Capital will complete the merger of its FX and fixed-income prime brokerage businesses by the end of March, a senior official told FX Week .
JP Morgan signs 20th CLS client
NEW YORK -- JP Morgan Treasury Services announced last week that it has signed up the 20th client for its Continuous-Linked Settlement (CLS) service. Madrid-based Banco Popular Español now joins Israel’s Bank Leumi and Danish bank Sydbank as clients of…
Mystery vendor asks $29,000 for FX Connect domain name
LONDON -- The internet domain name FXconnect.com was briefly up for sale last week -- but confusion reigns over who may have bought it.
Market stumped on BoJ plans to replace governor
TOKYO -- Masaru Hayami, governor of the Bank of Japan (BoJ), completes his four-year tenure at the start of April, but candidates to replace him in one of the most prestigious jobs in central banking are few.
Venezuela eyes fixed rate for the bolivar
CARACAS -- Venezuelan foreign exchange markets were closed last week, but a plan has been hatched to stabilise the bolivar.
Bank Julius Baer reshuffles for cross-product FX drive
ZURICH -- Bank Julius Baer reorganised its trading and sales businesses in January to foster greater cross product co-operation, Mark Linnan, global head of trading at the bank in Zurich, told FX Week .
Amex Bank’s FX revenues rising
BOSTON -- American Express Bank last week announced an uptick in its FX revenues for 2002. Amex reported foreign exchange income and other, undefined, trading revenues for full-year 2002 of $170 million, up 18% from $144 million in 2001.
Shift in risk sentiment shores up Australian options market
SYDNEY -- A change in risk sentiment, coupled with major underlying spot moves in local currencies, is bringing extra FX options business to Australia, according to local dealers.
Egypt floats pound
CAIRO -- The Egyptian pound remained stable last week at 5.41 per dollar after it was freely floated for the first time last Wednesday (January 29).
TD Securities sets up London options desk
LONDON -- Toronto Dominion Securities has bucked a trend among Canadian banks by setting up a European options trading desk in London. The bank completed a restructure of its FX options business to focus on European clients from the City, said Cliff…
Tech briefs
New FXall interface
Intervention risk looms
LONDON -- As the US prepares to invade Iraq, FX dealers could soon be facing their own battle against central banks.
Trading places
Commerz names head of options
New US laws could hit retail market
NEW YORK -- New laws being drawn up by US regulators could hit volumes in the US retail FX market, officials said last week.
Hungary: when the funds go marching in
The Hungarian forint’s peg should be scrapped before another speculative attack on the currency, say Marios Maratheftis and David Mann, economists at Standard Chartered Bank in London
Merrill looks to new vendor
NEW YORK -- Merrill Lynch is seeking to install new bank-to-customer (B2C) forex trading technology, according to one source close to the bank. Although Merrill has not yet signed any agreements, the un-named source said Reuters-owned AVT Technologies is…
Japan to sign Indonesia FX swap deal
TOKYO -- The Japanese Ministry of Finance (MoF) and the central Bank of Indonesia will sign a delayed FX swap deal in mid-February, the MoF said last week.
360T targets more price providers
FRANKFURT -- Multi-bank, multi-asset trading platform 360T expects to have 30 banks connected to its system by year-end, a senior official at the Frankfurt-based firm told FX Week .
Forex safe in Tullett sale
LONDON -- Inter-dealer broker Tullett’s global forex division will remain unscathed by equity broker Collins Stewart’s purchase of the firm, according to Collins’ chief executive in London Terry Smith.
Reorg brings ABN derivatives joy
LONDON -- Officials at ABN Amro last week pointed to a recent reorganisation to explain its success as FX Week sister publication Risk ’s currency derivatives house of the year.
360T targets more price providers
FRANKFURT -- Multi-bank, multi-asset trading platform 360T expects to have 30 banks connected to its system by year-end, a senior official at the Frankfurt-based firm told FX Week .
India considers rupee options for corporates
MUMBAI -- The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) could allow banks to offer foreign currency-rupee options to corporate clients by April, according to a bank official.
BNP Paribas sets up sales desk in Zurich
ZURICH -- French bank BNP Paribas has set up a forex sales desk in Zurich with three staff from its offices in Paris and Basel.