FEATURE


Standing out


Nicholas Pratt explores what it takes to rise to the top of FX e-commerce league tables and whether differentiation in e-FX can be more successfully achieved by delivering more client focused and less product focused products and services.


T


he FX e-commerce market is a crowded and competitive place, especially in the single dealer platform division. If there was a league table for the banks in this space there would be at least nine of them in the top three. Tis does raise the issue of how banks are able to differentiate their offerings. In theory e-commerce platforms should present the opportunity to showcase innovation and compete on the best use of technology. Te concern would be that


36 | july 2012 e-FOREX


from a crowd - how are FX e-commerce services being differentiated?


the various platforms are a simple extension of the banks traditional FX business and the majority of FX traders choose the bank rather than the platform. But given the level of investment that the top FX banks have put into their e-commerce efforts, they are of increasing importance.


Meeting client needs


BARX FX is the foreign exchange component of Barclays’ multi-asset electronic trading platform BARX. According to Marek Robertson, global head of FX electronic distribution at Barclays, there are three factors integral to having a competitive FX e-commerce platform – investment, innovation and service. “It is not enough to just spend money, you have to get some product out there that satisfies clients’ needs. And as the business grows, you also


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