Saxo Bank strongly welcomes ESMA’s measures in relation to the provision of CFDs to retail clients

COPENHAGEN, 02-Apr-2018 — /EuropaWire/ — Saxo Bank, the leading fintech specialist focused on multi-asset trading and investing, strongly welcomes ESMA’s recently announced measures  in relation to the provision of CFDs to retail clients. The measures include caps on leverage which Saxo Bank considers fair and proportionate. Saxo Bank expects these measures to be positive for clients and result in a more level playing field among EU providers offering margin trading, which will in turn move the competitive focus away from leverage and towards the quality of platform, price, product and service.

Commenting on ESMA’s measures, Kim Fournais, founder and CEO, Saxo Bank, said:

“Saxo strongly welcomes and supports the measures set forth by ESMA and believes that consistent, harmonised regulation at a European level will be positive for clients and the industry as a whole. Through these measures, ESMA is creating better alignment between leverage levels and market conditions which is very important and we find the proposed caps on leverage fair and proportionate.

We have made a clear strategic decision not to compete on high leverage which puts us in a good position to maintain and grow our business in this new regulatory environment.

CFDs and FX instruments have a number of uses for traders, such as allowing them to trade the full global macro cycle and hedge their market exposure in a flexible and efficient way. However, with excessive leverage, the risks of trading these products can outweigh the benefits. It is important to note that this is a leverage problem – not a product problem. Responsible caps on leverage are therefore key to consumer protection.

Our approach and business model clearly show that running a profitable business and being a responsible market participant are not mutually exclusive. For the benefit of its long-term survival, the industry should welcome the move away from competition on leverage and embrace competition on quality of platform, price, product and service”

“Some argue that more prudent consumer protection will lead to increased activity from unlicensed providers from outside of the EU. Such activities should be the remit of the police and relevant authorities. This is however an entirely separate issue and not in, our opinion, a valid argument against firm and fair regulation” added Fournais.

As one of the first signatories of the FX Global Code of Conduct in 2017, Saxo Bank also decided to publish an Enhanced Disclosure and withdraw from the UK CFD and Association. Saxo Bank’s aim is to continuously be at the forefront of driving transparency, integrity and trust in the sector.

Media enquiries

Steffen Wegner Mortensen
Head of PR and Public Affairs
+45 3977 6343
press@saxobank.com

About Saxo Bank

Saxo Bank Group (Saxo) is a leading Fintech specialist focused on multi-asset trading and investment and delivering ‘Banking-as-a-Service’ to wholesale clients.

For 25 years, Saxo’s mission has been to democratize investment and trading, enabling clients by facilitating their seamless access to global capital markets through technology and expertise.

As a fully licensed and regulated bank, Saxo enables its direct clients to trade multiple asset classes across global financial markets from one single margin account and across multiple devices. Additionally, Saxo provides wholesale institutional clients such as banks and brokers with multi-asset execution, prime brokerage services and trading technology, supporting the full value chain delivering Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS).

Saxo’s award winning trading platforms are available in more than 20 languages and form the technology backbone of more than 100 financial institutions worldwide.

Founded in 1992 and launching its first online trading platform in 1998, Saxo Bank was a Fintech even before the term was created. Headquartered in Copenhagen Saxo today employs more than 1500 people in financial centers around the world including London, Paris, Zurich, Dubai, Singapore, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

SOURCE: SAXO BANK