CBA to use Fenics FX for options trading on worldwide basis

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) has employed New York-headquartered GFI Group’s Fenics FX system as its global standard foreign exchange options pricing and analysis tool. The bank will deploy the system as the standard interface in all of its FX options trading and sales activities.

“We’re committed to the provision of market-competitive systems across our entire markets business,” said Peter Coad, head of trading and product management at CBA in Sydney. “FX risk management is a core activity, our clients expect fast and accurate pricing, with specialist risk management products and value-added advice," Coad added. "Identifying a risk management and pricing environment designed to allow efficient delivery across these key requirements was critical to maintaining a leading market position.”

Over the past few weeks, the bank made a number of initiatives as part of its programme of systems upgrades and development in its global market division, including the purchase of the complete Kamakura Risk Manager enterprise risk management software suite. It is also going live with SunGard/Front’s eGlobalTrader, a browser-based dealer distribution system for front-office deal capture of foreign exchange and money markets.

“It is part of an overall integrated upgrade of our entire global markets risk and product management systems,” said Coad. “They are relatively large investments and it does demonstrate a high degree of our commitment to the product sets and the markets we’re covering.” He added there is also work taking place in the commodities area, cash and fixed-income products, and this could involve a third-party vendor.