WASHINGTON, DC, September 12, 2024 – The Foreign Exchange Professionals Association (FXPA) has published a white paper entitled Regulated FX Derivatives Trading Venues: Promoting Fair and Orderly Markets. The paper is the outcome of several months’ work by FXPA’s Trading Platforms Working Group and explores the potential risks posed by the current, uneven playing field that exists between regulated and unregulated trading venues operating in over-the-counter FX derivatives markets.

The paper focuses on the varying structures of trading venues, the potential impacts on market integrity, and the benefits of regulatory oversight for these venues. “While unregulated FX derivatives trading venues may, in some cases, offer higher leverage, lower deposit requirements to trade, lower fees for customers and less onerous onboarding requirements, when compared to regulated FX derivatives trading venues, those benefits may come at the expense of reduced customer protections resulting from lack of comprehensive regulatory oversight,” the report states.

“The presence of unregulated FX derivatives trading venues also introduces the possibility of regulatory arbitrage for FX markets. These dynamics raise concerns about fairness and market integrity around the operation of unregulated FX derivatives trading venues. Market participants should be aware of the regulatory status (or lack thereof) and attendant protections and risks of the platforms on which they decide to trade. The presence or absence of regulatory oversight can impact a range of issues, including the role of affiliated market makers, permitted trading practices, market surveillance, and overall market integrity,” the paper further states.

With the publication of this paper, FXPA aims to provide regulators, policymakers, and market participants with helpful insights into the industry, and promote informed decision-making.

–END–

Since 2014, the Foreign Exchange Professionals Association (FXPA) has been representing the collective interests of the institutional FX market to advance a sound, liquid, transparent, and competitive global currency market to policymakers and the marketplace through education, research, and advocacy.