Foreign Exchange

GAZPROM DOUBLES PROFITS AS IT PREPARES FOR “EFFICIENCY” AUDIT   By Kim Iskyan   Gas giant Gazprom reported that net profit doubled in the third quarter of 2012, thanks to forex gains.   The results came just days after the ...

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS: FOREIGN EXCHANGE By Gordon Platt The euro was the star of the major currencies in January, as it soared to a 14-month high against the dollar and a 33-month high against the Japanese yen. Its strength reflects ...

VIVID LANDSCAPE IN FOREST PRODUCTS   By Antonio Guerrero   Despite currency volatility and slowing demand from China and Europe, Brazil, Chile and other key Latin American markets continue to churn out wood pulp for export, and the sector is ...

STAKING ITS CLAIM   By Dan Keeler   A history of stability, a growing middle class and a rapidly expanding economy are among the key assets of this West African gem.   Photo Credits: REUTERS / YAW BIBINI Ghana has ...

MILESTONES: AFRICA   By Alfred Sayila   With member states’ foreign exchange reserves reaching a record $112 billion in 12 years, countries in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa), Africa’s leading trade body, may soon have a cheap new ...

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS: FOREIGN EXCHANGE By Gordon Platt   Central bank policies could create some interesting opportunities in the foreign exchange markets in 2013, despite what could be a slow-growth environment, analysts say.   “We expect the newly elected Japanese ...

RESISTANT TO CHANGE   By Gordon Platt   Saudi Arabia is working hard—and spending heavily—to diversify its economy and create jobs for its expanding population through a broad-ranging series of reforms. But these reforms are ruffling feathers in some quarters. ...

By Gordon Platt BEST FOREIGN EXCHANGE PROVIDERS: REGIONAL WINNER NORTH AMERICA Citi Citi’s foreign exchange operations, CitiFX, had a very good year in 2012, which marked the bank’s 200th anniversary. Its FX volume continued to expand rapidly, and it gained ...

By Gordon Platt BEST ONLINE FOREIGN EXCHANGE TRADING SYSTEMS BANK SYSTEM Deutsche Bank’s Autobahn Deutsche Bank introduced a new version of its Autobahn trading system in July 2012 that allows customers to keep track of all of their trades in ...

By Gordon Platt Best Foreign Exchange Research & Analysis RESEARCH BNY Mellon BNY Mellon, one of the largest foreign exchange dealers in the US, trades more than $42 billion in the FX market on an average day. The bank’s 10 ...

BUILD OR BUY?   By Rebecca Brace   As regulation and competition in the transaction banking space spur higher levels of technology investment, banks and vendors have found new ways of working together.   The demands on global transaction banks ...

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS: FOREIGN EXCHANGE   By Gordon Platt   The yen took a nasty tumble last month, shaking the sleepy foreign exchange market out of a long slumber.   While the attention of market participants was focused on the ...

THE BIG GET BIGGER   By Gordon Platt   The biggest FX banks are increasing their share of a shrinking market, amid low volatility and despite a speed bump for high-frequency traders.   As global interest rates converge at a ...

By Gordon Platt BEST FOREIGN EXCHANGE PROVIDERS: GLOBAL WINNER Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank increased its market-leading FX volume in 2012, at the same time that it reduced value-at-risk and headcount. Crucial to this development has been its investment in technology, ...

MILESTONES: US/GLOBAL   By Gordon Platt   The US Federal Reserve wants foreign banks with large operations in the US to be subject to the same rules on capital and liquidity that apply to big US banks.   Tarullo wants ...

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS: FOREIGN EXCHANGE   By Gordon Platt   A batch of better-than-expected US economic data, including nonfarm payrolls and housing prices, gave the dollar a lift last month.   Analysts said the signs of strength diminished the need ...

UNCHARTED WATERS   By Denise Bedell   At SWIFT’s annual Sibos conference in October, corporates were treated to a range of presentations on topics as diverse as reference data, BPOs and Asian treasury centers.   The corporate stream at Sibos ...

LONG-TERM DEPENDABILITY   By Kathryn Tully   The overall winning bank and many of the regional category winners for foreign exchange have remained consistently strong for over a decade.   Deutsche Bank has been the magazine’s global winner for foreign ...

PROFITING FROM THE BEAUTY PAGEANT   By Laurence Neville   Despite the eurozone’s debt woes, the euro has remained remarkably resilient thanks to a range of factors, including a more credible ECB under Mario Draghi and diversification away from the ...

BARRIERS TO ENTRY   By Antonio Guerrero   Though its economic growth may be stalling, Brazil is still an attractive destination for investors. But the recent imposition of tariffs on certain imports has sparked an international ruckus.   For several ...