In the world of foreign exchange, having access to liquidity and ensuring a stable, efficient flow of transactions is crucial. Your success as a forex broker largely depends on your ability to find the right liquidity provider that meets your specific needs. A good liquidity provider should help ensure optimal transaction execution, minimizing your transaction costs, and enhancing your operational efficiency. 

A great partner isn't just providing liquidity, they’re paving your way to success in the forex trading market. But, how to make the right choice? Here's a guideline to steer you in the right direction.

Liquidity refers to the ability to buy or sell a security or an asset in the market quickly without significantly affecting the asset's price. In other words, it is the degree to which a particular asset can be easily converted into cash.
 

High liquidity indicates that there is a high number of buyers and sellers in the market. It suggests that transactions can be executed rapidly and at a price that does not affect the asset's market price too much. Highly liquid markets are typically associated with less risk because it's easy for you to open and close positions without causing a drastic change in the price.

A liquidity provider is a financial institution that ensures that a specific market remains liquid, thereby facilitating consistent trading activities. Essentially, as a broker, you should understand that liquidity providers act like wholesalers. They sell or buy securities and other assets in large quantities, helping to prevent drastic price movements and providing the market with its required liquidity.

 

Consider their Liquidity Package

A key element a broker must scrutinize in a liquidity provider is the liquidity package – meaning, what type of assets and liquidity are offered. Liquidity package offered by your liquidity provider has a direct impact on your brokerage firm's financial success and credibility.

The provision of nominal accounts in various currencies can be advantageous, along with the capacity to process deposits and withdrawals using major currencies, metals, stable tokens or cryptocurrencies. 

With an expansive array of instruments at its disposal, such as Forex, crypto, spot metals, indices, shares, bonds, and futures, UpTrader can aid you in sourcing liquidity. Ensuring that the liquidity provider affords you multi-asset liquidity in conjunction with historical data is crucially significant.

These days, it's crucial for a provider to have access to crypto liquidity. Even with the volatile nature of demand for cryptocurrency trading, having ready access to them is necessary to cope with sudden surges in demand without losing customers. Hence, when selecting a provider, consider their crypto trading conditions.

 

Execution speed and spread width are key indicators by which your clients will determine the profitability of working with you.

• Order execution speed in trading refers to the amount of time it takes for a trade order to be processed once it's been submitted. In a fast-paced trading setting where prices can alter within milliseconds, a broker's capacity to quickly execute orders can significantly influence trade profitability. Swift order execution can assist traders in implementing their trading plans more effectively, particularly in volatile markets.
• A dealing spread, or bid-ask spread, is essentially the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for an asset (bid) and the lowest price a seller is ready to sell it for (ask). The narrower the spread, the more liquidity the market tends to have, which can be advantageous for your clients. This means that the securities can be bought or sold rapidly at predictable prices. Clients who engage in numerous trades are particularly affected by this, as it can have a substantial impact on their overall profitability.
• Impact on Traders: Traders typically aim to have their orders executed at optimal prices with minimal costs. Therefore, brokers offering faster execution and tighter spreads are usually more attractive to traders, especially those engaged in day trading or scalping.
• Overall Competitiveness: The ability to offer fast execution and competitive spreads can significantly enhance a broker's market appeal, attracting more clients and improving their satisfaction and loyalty.
• Technological Aspect: The speed of execution also depends on the broker's technological infrastructure, including server quality, data center locations, and the efficiency of trading platforms.

However, it's important to remember that each instrument has its own liquidity. For example, the EUR/USD pair has very high liquidity as the most demanded instrument, while the IRR/XAF pair is significantly lower. Additionally, different times of the day can also affect liquidity. Therefore, it's not always fair to blame the providers.

 

Have Multiple Liquidity Providers

When it comes to brokerage operations, liquidity is a key factor. The dependency on one liquidity provider leaves brokers vulnerable to potential disruption and unforeseen consequences. Hence, working with multiple providers is crucial for brokers to mitigate such risks.

Partnering with multiple liquidity providers allows you to scan and choose the most competitive rates for your transactions. This way, you can take advantage of price competition among various providers to secure the best deals for your clients, thereby boosting your profitability and competitiveness.

However, it's important to bear in mind that managing too many liquidity providers comes with its own set of challenges. As a broker, you're expected to assure each provider a certain volume of transactions.

Even so, it's essential for you to have access to a minimum number of diverse liquidity providers. You should distribute the provided liquidity based on each liquidity provider's specific strengths, type of asset, specific currency pairs, and customer groups.

Meeting all your clients' needs is the ultimate goal, hence the need for your liquidity providers to have the appropriate technology to meet their needs.

At UpTrader, we're committed to assisting you with connecting to any of your preferred Forex or crypto liquidity providers. Rest assured that all trades are conducted on a dedicated liquidity server.

 

Tier 1, tier 2…etc

 

Liquidity providers can be classified into several categories, namely tier 1, tier 2, tire 3 and so on. Tier 1 providers, also referred to as Prime Brokers, are typically accessible only after meeting their stringent compliance requirements.

Generally, securing access to Tier 1 liquidity providers necessitates holding a valid license and being recognized within a white-list jurisdiction. Should these criteria not be met, you might consider exploring other options amongst intermediary providers. These intermediaries act as a bridge, connecting you with liquidity providers even if you don't meet all the necessary compliance requirements.

But is it really that bad to have a tier 2, tier 3, or even tier 4 liquidity provider?

It depends on the type of your business and on the scale of your operation. If you're a broker just starting out in the industry or running a smaller scale operation, working with a Tier 3 or Tier 4 liquidity provider could be suitable for your needs and you’ll be able to provide great trading conditions for your traders. You don't necessarily need to have a Tier 1 or Tier 2 liquidity provider if your business model is geared towards smaller volume trades. We previously discussed how A-Book and B-Book models work, and what benefits each of them and their hybrid model provide. 

 

Consider Your Specific Needs and the Model You Use

In a nutshell, the A-Book model, also known as agency model, is when you, as a broker, pass on all trades directly to liquidity providers. Your income is primarily derived from spreads and commissions. This model completely removes the potential conflict of interest as you won't stand to gain if your trader loses.

The B-Book model involves brokers taking the other side of the traders' transactions. This means you keep the trades on your own book instead of sending them to liquidity providers. Here, brokers might stand to profit if a trader makes a loss. Although it involves a certain degree of risk, this model also offers higher profitability.

Lastly, the Hybrid model is a combination of the A-Book and B-Book model. Using this model, you would handle the less profitable trades using the A-Book model, passing them to liquidity providers. The potentially profitable trades would be kept on the B-Book. Essentially, this model gives you the best of both worlds. You get the higher profitability potential from B-Booking and reduced risk from A-Booking.

Choosing the appropriate model will be contingent on your firm’s trading volume, capitalization, risk tolerance, and overall business strategy.

 

Evaluate Their Transparency and Reputation

Transparency in trading is non-negotiable. Your potential liquidity provider should maintain high levels of integrity, including full disclosure of fees and charges, no hidden terms, and clear communication. Knowing what you're getting into, without any unpleasant surprises, is integral to fostering trust. The best liquidity providers are those who offer transparent pricing, execution, and trade-cost structures. They should also offer you full visibility over your trades.

Please ensure that you take the time to research your potential liquidity providers thoroughly. Their longevity in the market can often serve as a good indicator of their reliability, especially considering the high-speed nature of trading.



Compare Price Competitiveness

In a sector where profitability is closely tied to spreads, getting a liquidity provider that offers the most competitive prices becomes critical. Remember, as a broker, your earnings come from the gap between the spread your liquidity provider sets and the spread for your traders. To ensure you offer compelling conditions to your traders, yet also guarantee your own profitability, it's paramount to opt for a liquidity provider with tight spreads.

With UpTrader, you have the power to set your own spreads. Utilizing the liquidity of crypto and Forex gives you the capacity to lure clients with tight spreads. By determining your own spreads, you can tailor it according to your business model.



Consider Your Target Clientele

For brokers who generate income from spreads, large volume trading is more profitable. Consequently, your provider of choice should be able to attract and serve professionals who are prone to high volume trades, thereby securing better profit margins.

Choosing a liquidity provider shouldn't be rushed, and as highlighted, several criteria are worthy of your consideration. Therefore, analyze, compare, and make the best choice for your business's unique needs. Your right liquidity provider will certainly make your path to success a lot smoother.

 

Take Note of Their Technology

You don't want to fall behind due to outdated technology. Look for liquidity providers who invest in innovative trading technologies that assure efficient transactions, enhanced security, and reduced slippages. Technology and connectivity are key components to an optimal trading environment.

UpTrader utilises two key technologies in its platform; Straight Through Processing (STP) and Electronic Communication Network (ECN). These technologies play vital roles in improving the efficiency, transparency and speed of your transactions, thereby giving you an edge in today's competitive marketplace.

STP allows for seamless processing of trades from order initiation to completion, without any manual intervention. This significantly reduces errors and delays in trade execution, providing you a significant advantage especially during times of high volatility in the market. It allows your brokerage firm to become more productive and responsive to market changes. By reducing human involvement, STP can save time, reduce costs, and most importantly, minimize risk of manual errors. As a broker, this gives you peace of mind and ensures your clients have a smoother, more efficient trading experience.

On the other hand, ECN connects traders directly to liquidity providers like banks, other brokers and market participants over a global network. It is characterized by its high speed of transactions and low spreads. ECN increases the transparency in your transactions as it displays the best bid and offer prices available in the market, with immediate trade execution. This allows you as a broker to provide a fair and transparent trading environment for your clients, where trades are executed instantly and at the most competitive prices. Moreover, by displaying depth of market data, ECN can empower your clients to make informed decisions.

In a nutshell, the combination of STP and ECN technologies brings an unparalleled level of efficiency and transparency to your brokerage operations, delivering better customer service and driving the success of your brokerage firm in the long run.

 

Financial Instruments

At UpTrader, we offer an extensive portfolio of over 700 financial instruments across 7 distinct asset classes that you, as a broker, can take advantage of. 

We offer you exposure to the highly dynamic FOREX market which deals with the exchange of global currencies. Indices trading can provide you access to a group of stocks representing a particular market sector or economy. You also have the opportunity to deal in company shares, allowing you to tap into the potential profits from various corporate enterprises. 

Our precious metals asset class provides the opportunity to diversify your investments with secure and tangible commodities like gold and silver. For those interested in the energy sector, we offer energy assets, covering products such as oil and gas. 

Lastly, cryptocurrencies have grown significantly in popularity, becoming an indispensable part of the financial world. Our cryptocurrency assets present an innovative avenue for potentially high returns in this evolving market. 

Leveraging our solid reputation, in-depth understanding of financial markets and access to the best solutions, UpTrader aims to offer you a robust and comprehensive trading platform. Trust us to guide your financial journey.

 

Market depth

Market depth is essentially a real-time list showing the quantity of buy and sell orders for a particular asset, typically at different price points. In the trading environment, you can see this information as an electronic list of buy and sell orders, structured by price level.

As a broker, it is important for you to understand market depth because it gives you a snapshot of both the liquidity and depth for a specific security at any given time. A market with good depth is one that will not experience a drastic price shift with significant orders. If a market has good depth, it can absorb order flow without significant impact on the price level.

The significance of market depth comes into play when choosing a liquidity provider. A provider with good market depth allows you to have plenty of room to make trades without worrying about a massive impact on prices, while one with poor market depth may not be able to absorb larger trades. The liquidity provider should be able to supply adequate liquidity to maintain smooth operation of the markets without creating excessive volatility.

Moreover, having a liquidity provider with significant market depth gives you more flexibility to execute trades, whether small or large, at any given time. It also enables you to provide better services to your clients as their trades are likely to be executed swiftly and efficiently without excessive price slippage.

Therefore, in your decision-making process about which liquidity provider to partner with, consider their market depth. By doing so, you ensure a smooth trading experience for yourself and your clients.

 

Data flows

Data flows are streams of information that pass between two points in a system. These data are crucial in financial trading as they reflect a vast array of metrics and information that traders and brokers use to make informed decisions. Data flows can include price information, transaction histories, liquidity availability, order execution times, and more. Essentially, data flows make the backbone of trading as they connect all market participants together and provide necessary data for informed decision-making.



Now, let's talk about why data flows matter when you, as a broker, are choosing a liquidity provider.

1. Accurate pricing: High-quality data flows from liquidity providers ensure that you have the most accurate, real-time pricing data. This helps you provide competitive and reliable prices to your clients, increasing their satisfaction and trust in your services.

2. Swift transactions: Timely and smooth data flows also guarantee swift order executions. If data flows are inefficient or delayed, it can lead to slow transaction times which can ultimately result in slippage - a cost your clients would want to avoid.

3. Real-time risk management: With up-to-the-second data flow, you can offer real-time risk management solutions, providing your clients with necessary precautions to minimize losses.

4. Transparency: Consistent data flow ensures transparency. It lets you provide your clients with immediate updates and access to important trading information, thus increasing their trust in your operations.

5. Strategic decision-making: The more quality data you have access to, the more informed decisions you can make on behalf of your clients. Reliable data flows allow you to analyze the market more effectively and formulate the best trading strategies.

 

So, considering the importance of these factors, it's clear that when you're choosing a liquidity provider, the quality and reliability of their data flows should be at the forefront of your evaluation. You want to ensure your liquidity provider can deliver robust, reliable and real-time data that can assist in every aspect of your trading operations and meet your clients' expectations.

Reporting requirements

Reporting in brokerage refers to the act of creating and maintaining a detailed record of all your trading activities. It involves compiling comprehensive, well-documented reports that reflect various aspects of your trading activities. This is crucial for managing operations effectively, making strategic decisions, adhering to regulatory compliance, and providing transparency to your clients.

 

The variety of reports includes trade reports, FIX bridge reports, swap and rollover reports, and order book access.

1. Trade Reports: As a broker, these give you detailed insights into executed trades, enabling you to manage your transactions efficiently and measure their effectiveness. They provide you with essential information like trading volumes, assets traded, the profitability of each trade, time of trades, and so on.

2. FIX Bridge Reports: FIX (Financial Information eXchange) bridge reports involve tracking and monitoring FIX messaging activities between you, the broker, and your liquidity providers or exchanges. This is vital to ensure a smooth, effective, and secure transmission of your trading orders.

3. Swap and Rollover Reports: As a broker, swap or rollover reports are crucial for your operation, as they provide you with insights on interest fees that you've either received or paid for keeping positions open overnight. This helps you analyze the cost-effectiveness of keeping trades open beyond the trading day and decide on suitable trading strategies.

4. Order Book Access: This refers to a record of all pending orders for a specific financial instrument. By having access to this, you get an understanding of the market depth and the supply and demand of various assets. It assists in decision-making, as it gives real-time information about other market participants’ trading actions and their possible impact on prices.



When choosing a liquidity provider, reporting is a critical factor to consider as it can directly impact the efficiency and profitability of your trades. Good reporting allows for an efficient, streamlined operation, improves the ability to make strategic decisions, helps to identify any irregularities or discrepancies early, ensures regulatory compliance, and increases overall transparency for your clients.

As a broker, accurate and detailed reporting should be a priority. The right reports help in decision-making, can influence trading strategies, help you keep track of all your trades and ultimately enable you to run your brokerage business efficiently and profitably. It can provide insights that could be the key to your success in the brokerage world.



Customer service

There are several reasons why customer service is important for you as a broker:

1. Fast Problem Resolution: Financial markets operate at lightning speed, so any technical issue, delay or error in data feed can translate into a significant loss. When problems occur, a good customer service department is instrumental in getting things sorted quickly, thereby reducing potential financial risks.

2. Reliable Support: Being able to contact your liquidity provider quickly and easily when needed is crucial. It allows you to solve any problems that arise, clarify uncertainties, and receive immediate advice about optimal service use.

3. Increased Trust: Consistent and reliable customer service increases your trust in the liquidity provider. In a sector where massive financial transactions take place daily, trust and reliability are key. The better the customer service, the more confidence you will have in your liquidity provider.

4. Optimizing Service Use: High-quality customer service can help you understand how to make the most of the products and services provided, making your operations more efficient and profitable.

5. Retaining Competitive Edge: A liquidity provider with great customer service helps you meet your client’s expectations more efficiently, ensuring you keep your competitive edge in the marketplace. In a fast-paced environment where quick decision-making is critical, you need all the support you can get to maintain the performance level of your operations.

 

Hence, while considering a liquidity provider, you shouldn't underestimate the value of excellent customer service.

UpTrader is a trustful liquidity provider
 

At UpTrader, we provide forex brokers with top-tier liquidity solutions, offering advanced access to market liquidity, essential infrastructure, and diverse connectivity options. Our solutions are tailored to seamlessly integrate with even the most sophisticated HFT systems. Leveraging our extensive experience and state-of-the-art technology, we deliver tailor-made liquidity solutions, meticulously crafted to meet the specific needs of each of our clients.
 

By partnering with UpTrader, our clients gain access to:

• Marginal requirements: 1%
• Non-stop trading: 24 hours a day, 5 days a week
• Entry to 7 markets with over 700 trading instruments
• Competitive STP pricing for Forex pairs and a variety of other trading instruments and asset classes

Learn more about liquidity options in UpTrader:

https://uptrader.io/en/news/162/enrich-your-trading-conditions-with-crypto-cfd-liq

https://uptrader.io/en/news/163/best-forex-liquidity-your-brokerage

 

Contact us for more details via live chat or email at [email protected]

Your UpTrader Team

 

Understanding the concept of liquidity is essential for individuals who engage in Forex trading. As such, we'll provide you with comprehensive information about liquidity, how it works, and why it is an essential component in Forex trading.

 

 

Liquidity in Simple Terms: a box of chocolates

Think about the market like a box of chocolates. Each chocolate in the box represents a different commodity, and each chocolate has its popularity or demand, like how a dark chocolate might have higher demand compared to other flavors. In the context of the market, liquidity can be defined as how quickly a commodity or an asset can be bought or sold in the market without affecting its price.

 

Market Liquidity

Market liquidity is a financial term that refers to the ability to promptly buy or sell securities or assets without triggering a severe change in the asset's price. High levels of market liquidity suggest that transactions can be executed rapidly and at low costs, while low market liquidity may imply slow execution and high transaction costs.

 

High market liquidity examples

1. Foreign Exchange Market: With a daily turnover of more than 6 trillion USD, the Forex market is one of the most liquid markets in the world. It is easy for traders to enter and exit positions at the market price due to the high volume of currency trades conducted globally.

2. U.S. Treasury Bonds: These are considered some of the most liquid investments in the world. They can be sold for cash almost instantly, and the risk of loss in their value is extremely low.

3. Stock Market: Stocks of large corporations such as Apple, Microsoft, and Google are highly liquid due to the large number of buyers and sellers trading them daily.

4. Real Estate: In high-demand locations like New York or San Francisco, properties are known to be sold almost instantly after being listed on the market. These properties have high market liquidity.

5. Mutual Funds: Most mutual funds, especially those managed by large fund houses, are easily sold due to their broad market and active secondary markets.

6. Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs): These assets can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like stocks, thus making them highly liquid.

7. Gold: It's a highly liquid asset since it can be converted into cash quickly and has a globally accepted value.

 

Low market liquidity examples

1. Small Cap Stocks: Small-cap stocks, those with a market capitalization of under $2 billion, often suffer from low liquidity. They aren't as popular or heavily traded as their larger counterparts, so finding a buyer or seller may take more time.

2. Rare Art or Collectibles: Assets like fine art or rare collectibles may have few interested buyers, making these assets less liquid.

3. Real Estate Market: Can also be illiquid. Depending on the market conditions, it can take a significant amount of time to buy or sell property, particularly for commercial real estate. During economic downturns, this liquidity can further decrease.

4. Certain Bond Markets: Certain types of bonds, especially junk bonds or bonds from emerging markets, have fewer buyers and sellers which results in low market liquidity

5. Non-Publicly Traded Companies: Stocks from privately-held companies, also known as private equity, are considered illiquid because they aren't publicly traded and thus are not easy to sell.

6. Illiquid Exchange-Traded Funds: ETFs that track less popular indexes or have few assets tend to have low liquidity because they're not as widely traded.

7. Exotic Derivatives: Financial products like exotic options or swaps are not widely traded, so selling them can be difficult. This makes them a prime example of assets with low market liquidity.

8. Certain Cryptocurrencies: While some cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are relatively liquid, others have fewer buyers and sellers which leads to low market liquidity.

9. Start-up Investments: Investments in start-ups can be illiquid because they might not have an established secondary market. Until the company either goes public or is acquired, investors may find it challenging to sell their shares.

10. Specific Forex Pairs: Although the foreign exchange market is the most liquid market globally, some currency pairs are traded less frequently and, thus, have lower liquidity.

 

Liquidity for Brokers

Liquidity is crucial for brokers as they need to provide seamless services to their traders, and it determines their potential to fulfill trading orders. They typically rely on liquidity providers and market makers to ensure their transactions are completed in a smooth and prompt manner.

 

Market Makers and Liquidity providers - similarities and differences

Market makers and liquidity providers are two fundamental entities in the financial market. They both help maintain liquidity and efficiency in the market, yet their roles and responsibilities are distinctly different.

Similarities:

1. Provide Liquidity: Both market makers and liquidity providers serve to maintain and increase the liquidity of financial markets, which facilitates transactions and reduces costs.

2. Facilitate Trading: Both are pivotal in helping buyers and sellers to complete their transactions by offering to buy or sell financial instruments.

3. Help Reduce Volatility: Both play roles in ensuring that the markets are stable and that there isn't an excess of price volatility.

 

Differences:

1. Role: Market makers essentially set the bid and ask prices and ensure that trades can be made at any given time by standing ready to buy or sell on their account. Liquidity providers, on the other hand, don't set prices but offer a pool of liquidity in the market to ensure transactions can be smoothly executed.

2. Obligations: Market makers are obliged to provide continuous bid and ask quotes for specific securities and stand ready to buy or sell them, while liquidity providers have no such obligations.

3. Relationship with Exchange: Market makers often have formal agreements with exchanges to provide liquidity in return for trading fee rebates or other benefits. Liquidity providers typically do not have these types of agreements.

4. Risk: Market makers inherently take on more risk, as they're obliged to buy when no one else is buying and sell when no one else is selling. Liquidity providers simply make offers in the market without the obligation to hold securities.

5. Strategy: Market makers earn their income from the bid-ask spread of the securities they cover. On the other hand, liquidity providers can potentially make profits from placing trades that are more advantageous in terms of price movement.

6. Example: Banks, brokerage firms usually act as Market Makers whereas High-frequency trading (HFT) firms, institutional investors often serve as liquidity providers.

Overall, while they may seem similar, market makers and liquidity providers perform different, yet complementary, roles within the marketplace. Both are vital to maintaining a healthy and efficient market.

 

Liquidity pool

A liquidity pool is a collection of funds locked in a smart contract, used to facilitate decentralized trading and lending on various cryptocurrency platforms. It helps to create markets that are resistant to manipulation by providing a reserve of tokens that can be traded at prices set by a smart contract algorithm, rather than an individual or market-maker. These pools provide liquidity to decentralized exchanges and are often funded by users who earn trading fees based on the amount of liquidity they provide.

 

Liquidity and Compliance

Regulatory bodies often require brokers to have a certain level of liquidity, also known as net capital requirements, to ensure they have sufficient capital to absorb losses. This aids in minimizing potential disruptions and protects consumers from sudden bankruptcies.

 

A-Book, B-Book and hybrid Models

The A-Book model involves brokers transferring all client orders to the interbank market or liquidity providers, such as banks, other brokers, or hedge funds. This approach minimizes the broker's risk, as they profit through commissions or spread instead of trade outcomes.

The B-Book model, also known as the Dealing Desk model, sees brokers keeping client orders internally and acting as the counterparty to trades. While this could raise concerns about conflicts of interest, a reputable broker can offer significant advantages in this model. These include lower spreads, instant execution, and attractive bonus programs, especially beneficial for clients with smaller deposits. In this scenario, the broker must pay out profits to winning clients, which can potentially lead to conflicts of interest, especially in the case of large sums. Therefore, adept brokers employ robust risk management and a hybrid model, directing high-risk or large trades to the A-Book to hedge the company's risks.

The hybrid model combines elements of both A-Book and B-Book models, allocating trades based on risk assessments and other criteria. This method is often unnoticeable to the client in case of serious and well-managed brokerage firms, which focus on efficient fund management rather than opposing clients. Concerns typically arise with brokers who retrospectively alter quotes, cancel trades, or offer implausibly favorable trading conditions, practices that can quickly tarnish a broker's reputation.

 

What Kills Liquidity 

Extreme market volatility, economic uncertainty, and unforeseen disasters are among the factors that can affect liquidity negatively. For instance, during the 2008 financial crisis, there was a massive drop in liquidity as many investors preferred to hold on to their cash rather than invest it.

 

Crypto Liquidity

Crypto liquidity refers to the ease and speed at which cryptocurrencies can be bought and sold without impacting the overall market price. Inefficient crypto liquidity can lead to high slippage, slow order fulfillment, and price manipulation.

 

Forex brokers

They assist individuals and companies in executing foreign exchange transactions. They provide access to a trading platform where clients can buy and sell currencies, and offer advice on forex market trends and strategies.

 

Forex Liquidity

Forex liquidity refers to a currency pair's capacity to be bought or sold without causing significant price movements. Currencies like the USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, and others, have high liquidity as they are frequently traded worldwide.

 

The Importance of Liquidity in Forex Trade

High liquidity ensures low bid-ask spreads and swift order execution. It means trades can be completed at lower costs and quickly, which is beneficial for both traders and brokers. This promotes price stability and prevents large fluctuations in exchange rates.

 

Factors Affecting Liquidity in Forex Trade

Just like market liquidity in general the level of liquidity in forex markets can be influenced by a variety of factors, including market volatility, political events, economic reports, and time of the day. It is worth noting that during trading hours of large markets like the U.S. or London, the Forex market generally experiences higher liquidity.

 

How UpTrader Ensures Liquidity

UpTrader.io ensures uninterrupted liquidity by providing a range of liquidity management solutions for brokerage firms, including forex CRM and sales interface solutions that help to optimize operations and enhance customer retention.

Want to dominate forex? Join UpTrader.io and unleash game-changing solutions, including an unrivaled Forex CRM and marketing support. Let's trade!

In the previous article, we wrote that UpTrader Forex CRM has a useful system for controlling fund deposit and withdrawal. In short, it allows you to flexibly configure the approval settings for withdrawal requests though a variety of parameters. The system lets you control the requested amount, the departments that approve the withdrawal, which managers are allowed to approve the requests, whether account details are mandatory, whether or not the CEO approves the requests and many more. All these settings are extremely useful and allow the broker to protect themselves from many unpleasant situations. Only a few of our clients take advantage of these features, while they are available in UpTrader Forex CRM completely free of charge. We highly recommend using them! As an illustration, we would like to share with you a recent case from one of our clients’ operations. Thanks to a well-configured withdrawal control system, the broker team noticed that something was wrong, quickly reacted to an unusual situation, and prevented a large-scale case of fraud.

The company asked us to change the names of the client and the manager and not to mention their own name, but allowed us to tell their story in detail.

 

Hacker attack

John is a professional trader who regularly withdraws profits from Company X. That is why no one was surprised when he sent another request to withdraw his profit for the previous month. The finance department was ready to approve it, but the withdrawal control system was set in a way that all large requests over $10,000 must also be approved by the client's personal manager.

When Casper, John's personal manager, contacted him, he immediately suspected that something was wrong. John's voice sounded unusual. Casper always builds relationships with each client, so he started the conversation with small talk and asked how John's children were doing. John replied that everything was okay and that they were at school. But Casper knew perfectly well that John's youngest child was born only a few months ago, which meant that he was talking to somebody else!

A few days later, it turned out that the hackers were able to create a duplicate of John's SIM card and used it to hack into his account. Thanks to the fact that his broker used the UpTrader withdrawal control system, John was able to keep his monthly profit, and the company prevented reputation losses. It allowed the company to maintain a trusting relationship with their clients and to ensure the safety of their funds.

 

"The Planet of Vogons"

In this user case, we will talk about a medium-sized Ukrainian broker who has been working in forex for many years, has an extensive departmental network and a complex withdrawal control system. Before adopting the UpTrader withdrawal control system, the company processes were barely automated.

The broker N started working on the Ukrainian market many years ago. At that time, the broker only had clients from Ukraine and the CIS. The withdrawal approval was coordinated by two people: the dealer and the CFO. The process was manual but smooth and fast. Then the broker began to grow, got foreign clients, then foreign partners, and launched several types of affiliate programs.

Each affiliate program has its own conditions for the accrual and payment of affiliate fees. In some cases, additional conditions can exist for different partners within the same program. The broker also allocates bonuses for the deposits. It means, for instance, that if a client came to the broker through a Vietnamese partner who works for the lots, and deposited 5,000 dollars to the account, they get a bonus: + 100% of the deposit for 1,000 dollars. According to the terms of the bonus, for every 100,000 units of currency traded, they kept $3 for themselves. The broker then must pay the bonus for this client to the partner without taking into account the bonus funds and the funds received from the bonus trading, remove excess lots and draw up the balance. Imagine then that such a client requests a withdrawal.

All the numbers were compiled manually. As a result, 6 departments, the secretary and the CEO of the company were engaged in approving requests for the broker. First, the withdrawal had to be approved by the client’s personal manager to make sure that the request was not a scam. Then the request fell in the partner relations department’s lap, because they needed to make sure that extra lots did not get into partner payments. Then, in some cases, they had to contact the dealer to make sure that everything was traded according to the rules. Next, the application went to the compliance department, which may find that the client has not fully completed KYC and that they need to finish the process (the client corrects errors and resubmits the request, and it follows along the same path). Then the application went to the finance department, which once again verified the numbers. And finally, the secretary manually collected problematic requests and took them to the CEO for final approval.

Thus, one request could take 5 days, 10 days, or two weeks to get approved. Needless to say, everyone was tired of it. Not only did this situation take up a lot of time and resources, it still did not prevent the company from making mistakes. Ultimately, the broker adopted the UpTrader withdrawal control system. It helped automate calculations, divide clients into groups, set conditions for calculating an affiliate program for different groups, and automate some of the withdrawals that do not require additional attention. A system of quick notifications pinging the team about new requests was set up, and the request statuses became visible in the CRM.

Now even the most complex requests take 1-2 days to approve. At the same time, the number of errors in calculations decreased significantly. As an additional bonus, the broker was able to take a closer look at the terms of affiliate programs and, in some cases, it became obvious that it was extremely unprofitable for them to continue working under the conditions they previously set themselves. The broker removed all unprofitable programs, freed up a lot of resources, and significantly increased their income from affiliate programs.

 

Launch market analytics feed in your Forex CRM 

Which extra services do you offer your clients? If you think that a trading terminal, fast fund withdrawal, and copy trading services are enough to keep your clients loyal and satisfied, then you may not know your clients very well or have never tried to offer them something else. 

One of the UpTrader brokers broadcasts a daily stock market analytics feed and technical analysis to its clients right in their personal account. Its CEO kindly allowed us to analyse their data for 2021. We considered two client groups: those who read analytics and those who do not. The results speak for themselves.

Numbers

In 2021, customers who read analytics deposited on average 15% more per customer compared to those who did not use this tool. The median bill was 25% higher. At the same time, their trading volume increased by 230%!

Do you want the same results? Easy-peasy!  

Daily up-to-date market analysis available in the trader’s room might increase the trading volumes of your company, resulting in more potential profit. This tool is already integrated into the UpTrader Forex CRM, however, only a few of our clients use it for additional sales.

Every day, market experts collect information, prepare materials, and publish technical and fundamental market analysis used by thousands of traders around the world.

This tool is already available to you in UpTrader Forex CRM. To begin broadcasting the feed, contact our support team, and you will gain access to an excellent tool for increasing sales and loyalty of your customers starting tomorrow.

Withdrawing funds from trading accounts is a very important part of business, because there are plenty of underlying issues that can cause serious reputational consequences for a broker and stress for clients. Fraud, stop-outs, withdrawal requests for a bigger amount than available equity, mismatch of payment details, problems with payment systems, KYC/AML non-compliance and a lot of other problems. 

To avoid these problems and make withdrawals without risks for a broker and fast for a client, it is better to follow a certain procedure, where every step is under control of your departments. Your Forex CRM must have flexible settings of an approval withdrawal system. 

The UpTrader team has developed a flexible withdrawal approval system that is integrated in UpTrader Forex CRM. For example, you can set it up so that your CEO will be making final approval of withdrawal requests of certain big amounts.  You can set up this rule for all requests or only for those that are already approved by lower-ranking staff. It’s up to you. It is very important to verify your client with a KYC check, confirm payment details, to do this just direct all requests through a Compliance department. In some cases you might need requests approved by a phone call, so that you are sure that requests are submitted by a real client, not a scammer, so you can set up obligatory manager calls.  

All these settings can be easily added in UpTrader Forex CRM. 

 

UpTrader Forex CRM has the following settings you can use: 

1. Approval depending on request amount

Withdrawal control is a standard and necessary procedure for financial broker security, but this doesn't have to prevent traders from withdrawing and depositing money quickly. For example, you can allow to withdraw all requests under $100 without additional checks. It means any withdrawal under $100 will occur automatically, but in a case you want to manually approve any amount, you can do it.  

2. Know your client system in your Forex CRM. 

Establish a rule that requests of any amount are directed to a Compliance department to complete KYC procedures.  

3. A withdrawal amount is larger than the client’s deposit 

If you hedge risks and use a hybrid model and a bridge, you probably need to control trading activity especially in an important market news period to control financial risk. 

If you have special needs related to withdrawal approval procedures, write to [email protected] and we will see what we can do for you. 

Every new player in the brokerage business inevitably faces the need to obtain a license, since Forex trading comes with special regulations. No need for panic: the process of applying for and obtaining a Forex license is not as scary as it might seem at first glance. Where to begin with getting a license, how to choose a suitable jurisdiction and how much it will cost you — let’s find out right now.

 

Forex is a very competitive and demanding industry. The right choice of jurisdiction for obtaining a license is one of the key factors that will determine the success of your company, so it must be approached very carefully. Before settling upon a particular region, you need to see which jurisdictions offer the best conditions for doing business, as well as consider the psychology of your future clients.

First thing to remember is that there is no simple path that will magically lead you to become a licensed broker. Legal and regulatory responsibility requires doing a lot of paperwork and signing agreements, but the payback is definitely worth it.

If you want to make your life easier, we are ready to help you with the most common challenges, such as registering a business and choosing a jurisdiction. Depending on the countries you plan to work in, what financial risks you are willing to bear, and what type of broker you want to launch, we will choose the regulator that will not be a hindrance to your operation. UpTrader provides a full range of legal services both as a standalone package, and as part of White Label Meta Trader 4 and Meta Trader 5 offerings.

There are 2 main options: offshore or European licensing. Let's take a closer look at both of them.

 

Offshore license

Offshore licensing are the most common and simplest option in the business. It is popular due to its low cost and fast registration. On average, obtaining an offshore license will cost you $20,000 and will take about 2.5–3 months. Among other benefits, doing business in an offshore jurisdiction allows optimizing the tax burden.

 

The main advantages of having offshore companies:

low taxation

flexible legislation

support of foreign businessmen at all levels

 

All these advantages provide good business opportunities. You will protect your company not only from liquidation attempts, but also against illegal claims.

Unfortunately, not everything is so simple. There are drawbacks to registering an offshore company. For example, the restrictions on the part of many countries. Some states, such as the USA and EU countties, put companies that are registered in such regions under more thorough scrutiny, which will slow down your ability to fulfill financial obligations.

 

Here are the most convenient zones for doing business related to financial services:

1. Belize is an offshore zone with a stable economy and financia sector, which is advantageous for registering a foreign company, including the brokerage niche.

2. Vanuatu is a great place to start a Forex company due to its simple requirements and tax incentives.

3. The British Virgin Islands (BVI), Mauritius, and the Bahamas are popular because of the low taxes, which also applies to licensed activities.

4. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) is one of the most confidential business jurisdictions.

 

European license

A European financial license for your business will undoubtedly ensure a solid reputation and credibility. Clearly, it won’t be cheap (at least $50,000 for the registration), you still have to deposit funds into a bank account for your company's authorized capital. Registration of a company and obtaining a license will take about a year. In European jurisdictions, there are strict accounting and reporting regulations, as well as a local office is also a requirement. Among the Western jurisdictions, New Zealand and Cyprus are the most favorable in terms of taxation, the cost of setting up a company and registration in general. The cost of a license here starts from about $35,000.

As we have already mentioned, when choosing a jurisdiction, it is very important to take into account the region your company’s activities will be focused on, as well as how important it is for potential clients to deal specifically with the European jurisdiction. The key is to determine in which bank you would like to open an account for your company. The  reputation of the bank is in direct ratio totrust of your future clients . For example, it is almost impossible to open an account in a prestigious European bank for a company registered in Belize.

 

Criteria for choosing a jurisdiction

We have already considered the distinctive features and differences of obtaining licenses in offshore and European jurisdictions. Here is some practical advice on choosing the right jurisdiction for your business.

 

1. First of all, pay attention to the registration costs. In some countries, the registration process is quite simple and doesn’t take much time, therefore registration fees and requirements are low.

2. The second point to pay attention to is the conditions of obtaining a brokerage license. The cost of such a license can be quite high, and the time it takes to obtain it varies from a couple of weeks to a year. In some offshore jurisdictions, the activity of Forex brokers isn’t legally regulated, so brokers must make an important decision for themselves whether to do business in countries with a weak legal field, given that this may be negatively perceived by partners, investors, clients, and banks.

3. Political stability in the country also plays an important role. You need to make sure that your chosen zone has a strong legal system, transparent economic policies, and a stable currency without restrictions on investment repatriation. Business processes can be influenced by various political factors, for example, the risk of a new government coming to power and tax relief due to international political pressure.

4. Don’t forget about the peculiarities of the tax regime. Some offshore jurisdictions have lower tax rates, and there are also zones with zero taxation status. However, tax exemption is not always the deciding factor.

 

Finally, we should mention the meaning of the blacklist. This list is regularly updated by the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF). It includes a list of jurisdictions that are not considered for cooperation in the global fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

How to work without license in 2021? Get some hacks here

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