Tag: FCA

FCA

FCA Officially Bans Retail-Orientated Binary Options

Posted on March 31, 2019 by Colin Lambert

Following consultation feedback, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has confirmed all firms acting in or from the UK are prohibited from selling, marketing or distributing binary options to retail consumers.
The FCA aired its concern about the products in late 2017, before issuing a consultation paper in late 2018 seeking industry feedback, It now says that following that feedback it will officially introduce new rules on April 2, 2019, “to tackle widespread concerns about the inherent risks of these products, and the poor conduct of the firms selling them”. It adds, “This has led to consumer harm in the UK and internationally through large and unexpected trading losses.”

B2C2 Gets Green Light for Crypto CFDs

Posted on January 31, 2019 by Galen Stops

B2C2, an OTC cryptocurrency liquidity provider, has been authorised by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to arrange and deal in Contracts for Difference (CFDs) with eligible counterparties and professional clients. The FCA authorisation will allow B2C2’s clients to gain exposure to cryptocurrency markets via the firm’s CFDs.Max Boonen, founder and CEO, says: “We are excited to have received authorisation from the FCA to introduce a cryptocurrency CFD product. Eligible counterparties and professional clients can now gain derivative exposure to the cryptocurrency markets, benefiting from the competitive pricing and liquidity they’re accustomed to receiving from B2C2, while avoiding the risks associated with crypto custody.”

FCA Seeks to Cement CFD, Binary Options Rules

Posted on December 11, 2018 by Colin Lambert

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has issued two consultation papers ahead of the imposition of rules to address what it terms “harm to retail consumers from the sale of certain complex derivative products”, specifically retail –orientated contracts for difference (CFDs) and binary options.
The proposed rules would apply to firms acting in or from the UK and ban the sale, marketing and distribution of binary options, as well as restrict the sale, marketing and distribution of CFDs and similar products to retail customers.

UK Gets New Libor Transition Head

Posted on November 21, 2018 by Colin Lambert

The Bank of England and the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) have announced the appointment of Tushar Morzaria as the new chair of the Sterling Risk Free Reference Rates Working Group.
The group was established in 2015 to implement the Financial Stability Board’s recommendation to develop alternative risk-free rates (RFRs) for use instead of Libor-style reference rates. In April 2017, the Working Group recommended the Sonia benchmark as their preferred RFR and since then has been focused on how to transition to using Sonia across sterling markets.

In the FICC of It

Posted on June 16, 2018 by Colin Lambert

In this week’s In the FICC of It podcast, P&L’s editor Galen Stops tries to rein in a punchy managing editor Colin Lambert. So to find out what is a “social experiment” and what report “is a propaganda exercise” listen in. Along the way there will be more considered opinion and insight on the changing dynamic of the LP-client relationship, including a quick way to identify changing LP behaviour, as well as a look at what is, at face value, a surprising deal involving FXall and 360T.

FCA Paper Claims to Throw New Light on Sterling Flash Crash

Posted on June 14, 2018 by Colin Lambert

A new paper published by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) claims to throw new light on events surrounding the sterling flash crash of October 2016 by being the first paper to use trade reports to the FCA under EMIR to analyse how different market participants react in times of market stress and their impact on the liquidity dry-up in a flash crash.
The paper has, however, triggered some confusion amongst market participants thanks to ambiguous terminology, mainly the constant reference to “OTC derivatives”, without specifying exactly what products it is talking about.

FCA Outlines Plans for Wholesale Financial Markets

Posted on April 11, 2018 by Colin Lambert

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has outlined its plans for whole financial markets in its 2018-19 Business Plan, which was published this week.
The FCA notes that wholesale financial markets are “complex” and have undergone large-scale and complex regulatory change, including the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID II) and the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR). It adds that technology and innovation are affecting markets’ business models and their users have different levels of sophistication. It highlights insider trading, market manipulation and other forms of market abuse as activities of interest.

Former Deutsche Trader Fined over Libor

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Colin Lambert

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has fined Guillaume Adolph £180,000 and banned him from performing any function in relation to any regulated financial activity. Adolph formerly worked at Deutsche Bank as a short-term interest rate derivatives trader, trading products referenced to CHF and JPY Libor and for a period of time, acted as the primary JPY Libor submitter for Deutsche. Adolph was initially charged by the FCA in January 2014, however proceedings were stayed due to the ongoing criminal investigation of the UK’s Serious Fraud Office into certain individuals who formerly worked at the bank.

And Finally…

Posted on February 19, 2018 by Colin Lambert

The FX industry has been caught out by the advance of technology before, so although the report looks at the issue across broader markets, the FCA’s study on algorithmic trading should be essential reading for anyone senior in the industry. What concerned me reading the report was further evidence of a lack of understanding about the potential impact and risks associated with using algos at the highest level. Of course, whilst highlighting these themes I have grabbed the opportunity to suggest silly names for algo strategies!

FCA Approves New Change as FX Benchmark Administrator

Posted on January 22, 2018 by Galen Stops

New Change FX (NCFX) has been approved by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the first benchmark administrator for live FX spot markets under EU Benchmark Regulation 2016/1011.

NCFX produces live, consolidated, registered spot benchmarks for FX market customers.

“The introduction of the NCFX benchmarks means that live FX execution can now be benchmarked against a recognised rate. FX deals can therefore be executed and benchmarked as they arise, rather than waiting for fixing windows. This gives freedom and flexibility to investors and their executing banks. NCFX benchmark rates are calculated 20 times a second so market users can act in the market whenever they choose, rather than being constrained by benchmarks that are calculated infrequently,” says NCFX in a release issued today.