August 06, 2013 BY Gerald Segal

AvaTrade introduces Bitcoin trading on MT4

Bitcoin trading will be available with up to 5x leverage on both AvaTrader and AvaTrade's MT4. With Bitcoin prices settling into a much more normal trading range since wild daily Bitcoin price swings of 50%+ were the norm back in April, more forex and binary options brokers are adding Bitcoin trading, feeling comfortable in their…

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August 06, 2013 BY Gerald Segal

Will SEF rules drive Forex ECN volumes to single dealer platforms?

Multi-dealer platforms (like ECNs) have to register as SEFs -- but clients could choose to use other venues and avoid extra legal work. An interesting article in Risk Magazine provides a good overview of the concerns several of the leading Forex ECNs have as Dodd-Frank SEF rules come into effect this October. Essentially, multi-dealer platform operators…

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August 06, 2013 BY Gerald Segal

Monex Group forex volumes drop 38% in July to $26 billion

Third month in a row of volume decreases for Monex, after a fast start to the year. In Japan, it seems as though the large are getting larger, while the small are struggling in the forex industry. Retail forex broker Monex has reported its July volumes, and they are down 38% from June. Monex July…

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August 05, 2013 BY Gerald Segal

Mt Gox plans print marketing campaign to encourage Bitcoin commerce

Mt Gox would like to increase the acceptance of Bitcoins as payment by 'regular' merchants. LeapRate Exclusive... LeapRate has learned that Bitcoin exchange Mt Gox is about to launch a major ad campaign to promote Bitcoin as a 'regular' form of currency for merchants, both online and offline. The campaign will revolve around showing how…

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August 05, 2013 BY Gerald Segal

ICAP EBS July Forex volumes are lowest since 2005

Is EBS losing market share to Thomson Reuters, FXall and Hotspot FX in the Forex ECN market? It doesn't always work this way, but it does appear as though institutional forex traders are on vacation this summer, while retail traders have remained at their screens this year. The question for EBS -- which after a…

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August 05, 2013 BY Gerald Segal

Integral files SEF application with the CFTC

Will allow Integral to offer a regulatory-compliant FX trading platform, delivered as a service. Forex trading solutions and services provider Integral has announced that it has filed an application with the CFTC to launch a Swap Execution Facility (SEF) under the CFTC's recently announced SEF rules issued pursuant to the U.S. Dodd-Frank Act. Pending approval, Integral will…

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August 02, 2013 BY Gerald Segal

CySEC warns investors against CF Invest Ltd.

CF Invest is apparently 'using' the rightful license granted to properly-regulated CFI Markets. Cyprus financial regulator CySEC has sent out a release warning investors against CF Invest Ltd., and their website www.cfinvestltd.com, stating that they are not and have never been licensed by CySEC. From a quick visit to the CF Invest website, it appears…

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August 02, 2013 BY Gerald Segal

Dukascopy receives a Swiss Securities Dealers License

Following in the footsteps of its larger Swiss rivals, Swissquote and MIG Bank, Dukascopy will launch CFDs. As first reported at ForexBrokerz.com.... Swiss forex broker Dukascopy has announced that it has received a Securities Dealers License from the Swiss financial regulator FINMA. It has similarly announced that it will shortly be launching a new platform…

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August 02, 2013 BY Gerald Segal

CME Group July forex volumes drop 33%

Summer slowdown, or forex market shift? We'll actually attribute this one to the summer doldrums. After seeing a steady rise in trading volumes as 2013 progressed, culminating with its second-ever month for forex volumes in June, the CME Group reported that July FX volumes dropped by a whopping 33% to average 807 million contracts per…

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