Foreign exchange
Banks gear up to fight online traders
Last week provided some interesting insight into the insecurities some banks are suffering from vis-à-vis online trading companies.
EBS adds NZ dollar to platform
Interdealer broker Icap is adding the New Zealand dollar to EBS Spot, its spot broking platform, on April 26.
A quick fix for Mifid
Sell-side firms must adopt the FIX protocol or lose out, warns Chris Pickles , chair of the directive's Joint Working Group in London
HSBC hit by departures in FX
LONDON & HONG KONG – HSBC's international FX operations saw the loss of a number of staff last week.
When opportunity comes a-knockin'
In the past few weeks, FX Week has looked at opportunities the retail forex market presents for banks.
Merrill Lynch to boost FXPB
LONDON – Merrill Lynch looks to be building up its foreign exchange prime brokerage (FXPB) capabilities, with the hire of Roger Allen in London.
Wall Street Systems realigns technology profile
NEW YORK & LONDON – Technology vendor Wall Street Systems has repositioned its products in an attempt to target banks in addition to corporates.
WestLB relocates Asian forex hub to Sydney
SYDNEY & Düsseldorf – WestLB is relocating the Asian hub for its 24-hour FX trading business from Singapore to Sydney.
RBS builds macro team
LONDON – The Royal Bank of Scotland Global Banking and Markets has established a new macro proprietary trading team in London.
FXMarketSpace build-up continues with eight hires
LONDON, NEW YORK & CHICAGO – FXMarketSpace, the Reuters and Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) joint-venture platform, has made eight new hires ahead of launch at the end of this quarter.
GFI gains Fenics FX client in Singapore
SINGAPORE – A major Singapore bank, thought to be DBS, is deploying foreign exchange option pricing and risk management software, Fenics FX, from interdealer broker GFI.
Bullish results for US investment banks
LONDON & NEW YORK – US investment banks have continued to report year-on-year growth, in first quarter results released last week.
HSBC hit by departures in FX
LONDON & HONG KONG – HSBC's international FX operations saw the loss of a number of staff last week.
Nordea triples its autoquote limits
COPENHAGEN – Nordea is continuing to develop its e-commerce capabilities, with an almost threefold increase to autoquote limits across all platforms to which it deals.
AIG launches emerging markets FX indexes
NEW YORK – AIG Financial Products last week launched emerging-markets (EM) foreign exchange indexes, to leverage the continued investor interest in the area.
EBS to expand EM capability
SINGAPORE – Spot broker EBS plans to expand its emerging markets capabilities with a number of new currencies set for launch in the coming months.
Gain Capital rolls out web-based platform
BEDMINSTER, NEW JERSEY – Gain Capital has launched a Windows-based margin trading platform for institutional and individual investors.
CFTC stings Pioneer for record-keeping lapses
WASHINGTON, DC – The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has fined futures commission merchant Pioneer Futures $25,000 in civil penalties, for failing to keep up-to-date records.
BarCap loses three in Asia
HONG KONG – Barclays Capital has lost three members of its foreign exchange team in Asia, market sources told FX Week .
BoA hit by spate of forex departures
LONDON & NEW YORK – Gaps are widening within Bank of America's FX operations, with a flood of departures last week.
HSBC names new forex line-up in North America
NEW YORK – HSBC has named two new co-heads of FX for North America.
Bear Stearns poaches senior BNP Paribas staff
PARIS – Bear Stearns has hired two senior FX staff from BNP Paribas, as part of plans to launch its FX business in Paris, market sources say.
The risky business of trading
The case for banks entering the retail market with trading platforms of their own seems to be getting stronger.
EBS to expand EM capability
SINGAPORE – Spot broker EBS plans to expand its emerging markets capabilities with a number of new currencies set for launch in the coming months.