Foreign exchange
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
EBS sterling push prospers
LONDON -- EBS’s recently launched sterling package has resulted in a 30% increase in new counterparties to the system, an official at the spot broker in London told FX Week.
Malaysia leads the way in the Far East
KUALA LUMPUR -- The Middle East is not the only region in which Islamic banking is undergoing development. The Asia-Pacific region has a thriving Islamic finance industry, based chiefly in Malaysia, which is home to the Islamic Financial Services Board …
Prime broker fees "too low"
LONDON – Pricing credit risk has come under scrutiny from central bankers in London, as increased competition for prime brokerage business has brought service fees crashing down.
Prime broker fees "too low"
LONDON – Pricing credit risk has come under scrutiny from central bankers in London, as increased competition for prime brokerage business has brought service fees crashing down.
Dual deposits reap high-yield rewards
Ray Franzi, head of FX structuring at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein in London, offers an opportunity for customers to achieve high Japanese yen deposit rates
FX futures contribute to surge in managed assets
LOS ANGELES – The managed futures industry has experienced record-breaking growth over recent months, and currency futures form a "very significant" part of that, according to a report from US-based specialist research firm The Barclay Group last week.
Scandinavia beckons FX fund managers
LONDON – Low interest rates and relaxed legislation in Scandinavia and continental Europe could make institutional investors in those regions key prospects for currency fund managers.
Report reveals overlay lag
LONDON – Institutional investors in Europe remain unconvinced of the merits of currency overlay, according to a report out last week.
STP break puts banks at risk
NEW YORK -- Third-party banks using the continuous-linked settlement (CLS) service may be subject to increasing operational risk as a result of a breakdown in straight-through processing (STP), according to one STP vendor.
UBS FX down despite strong Q2
ZURICH -- UBS last week reported an 11% year-on-year drop in its FX trading income for the first half of the year, to Sfr789 million ($584 million), from Sfr885 million in H1, 2002.
Deutsche bridges private banking and forex
LONDON -- Deutsche Bank is seeing increased forex business from its private clients following the recent appointment of David Bee in London. Bee is working with Jim Turley, global head of FX in London, and several members of the senior management in…
Continuity plans pass outage test
NEW YORK -- Contingency business plans put in place after September 11 passed the test posed by North America's massive power cut last week, market participants reported.
ACI moves forward to Beirut
BEIRUT -- 'Moving forward' is the theme of forex industry body ACI's global congress, due to be held in Beirut on September 10--14.
'Click and deal' key for funds
LONDON -- Providing clients with the ability to trade FX directly from live streaming prices could prove key for banks targeting a range of clients, said e-FX officials speaking last week.
FXTV to launch in September
NEW YORK -- A dedicated FX video news service, Forex Television, is set for launch on September 1, said an official at joint owner eTV-Media, a provider of streaming media services.
'Click and deal' key for funds
LONDON -- Providing clients with the ability to trade FX directly from live streaming prices could prove key for banks targeting a range of clients, said e-FX officials speaking last week.
UK banks profit on volatility
LONDON -- Active and volatile currency markets helped UK banks to increase profits from foreign exchange dealing, according to interim results announced last week.
Participating in rupee options
Following the launch of rupee options trading in India in July, Arun Khurana, head of financial markets distribution & derivatives marketing at ABN Amro in Mumbai, proposes a zero-cost 'participating forward' solution for an Indian client wanting to…
Bomb fails to blast rupiah
JAKARTA -- Last week's bomb blast outside a hotel in Jakarta will have a minimal long-term impact on the Indonesian rupiah, say local market participants.
HSBC issues remittances challenge to Citi
LONDON -- HSBC last week issued a challenge to Citigroup by declaring its intention to target the $10 billion a year US/Mexican remittances market.
Amex Bank results jump
American Express Bank last week reported year-on-year growth of 30% in revenues from FX trading for the first half of 2003.
PaR signals return of FX risk specialists
LONDON -- Growing interest from hedge funds in banks’ FX services have been a marked feature of the markets in the past 18 months. But that relationship can work both ways, reports one new currency fund, which has seen a wave of interest from banks…
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.