Derivs - FX

A new report from the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) and the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) has set out the governance of key over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives data elements.

The US Federal Reserve has given its final approval to amendments of the Volcker Rule, joining four other US regulatory agencies in backing relaxations of prop trading restrictions.

TP ICAP Data & Analytics has launched a new data package covering African OTC markets, a move the interdealer broker claimed would bring increased transparency to Africa’s capital markets.

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission has ordered interdealer brokers BGC Financial LP and GFI Securities LLC to pay $25m to settle allegations of FX options market fraud.

MUFG has hired a new head of its derivatives solutions group in EMEA from HSBC.

Société Générale’s new Hedge to Pledge initiative has been two years in the making. By tapping into existing flows of FX trading, it will raise funds for a variety of good causes in partnership with Epic Foundation, an innovation that could embed charitable donation into routine financial practice, and therefore wins GlobalCapital’s industry initiative of the year.

Nomura has hired Kate Massey as vice president to help work on the expansion of its foreign exchange electronic trading platform.

BGC has taken advantage of volatile market conditions and its rivals’ merger distractions to win market share, enlarge its electronic footprint and grow its top line. This has been the year it has all come together for the firm, making it GlobalCapital’s Interdealer Broker of the Year.

Credit Suisse’s differentiated approach to clearing has been much praised by clients this year. It combines the responsiveness of a boutique with the platform capabilities that allow its clients to scale. It has become a European champion in a business in danger of being dominated by US banks and is GlobalCapital’s Global Clearing Bank of the Year.

It has been a year of strong expansion for JCRA with the firm spreading its influence and now regularly working with top tier funds and companies. It has also successfully moved into the FX hedging advisory sector, bulking up around its core offering on interest rates, and using that expertise to benefit UK housing associations and the renewable energy sector, among others. For that, it is GlobalCapital’s Risk Management Advisory Firm of the Year.

Mayer Brown is GlobalCapital’s Global Law Firm of the Year after an impressive 12 months that comprised working closely with ISDA on new regulations, having a seat on nearly every bank’s legal panel and making a number of key hires in the US.

Strength across the board, top positions in rates and FX and smart strategic decisions around the structure of its business mean that Bank of America Merrill Lynch is GlobalCapital’s Global Derivatives House of the Year for 2019. The bank also picked up the Interest Rate Derivatives House of the Year and FX Derivatives House of the Year awards.