Although the bank recognized that it could be a source flow, senior management were wary of the reputational risk that facilitating access to the vast FX market carried. Now, though, the launch of FX on Barx by sister company Barclays Stockbrokers suggests that the bank has made a U-turn.
It is hard to ascertain just how big retail FX now is. According to US regulator, the National Futures Association, there are 25 registered forex dealer members in its jurisdiction, and there are probably as many again in each of the UK, Japan and Switzerland. Saxo, one of the leading players in retail FX, has more than 100 white-label partnerships. So data from the 2008 Euromoney FX poll suggesting that there...
