Singapore Exchange (SGX) is buying MaxxTrader, an FX trading platform, in its latest effort to become not only a multi-asset exchange but the continent’s leading foreign exchange derivatives marketplace.
The $125 million acquisition from FlexTrade Systems follows the purchase of BidFX last year. Where BidFX has a buyside customer base, MaxxTrader is stronger on the sell-side. In combination, these two deals position SGX firmly in the over-the-counter FX space to go alongside its existing strength in on-exchange currency derivatives.
There are good reasons for seeking to be in this flow. The global OTC FX market was worth $6.6 trillion in 2019, according to SGX data citing the Bank for International Settlements, having grown by a compound annual growth rate of 9% since 2004.
SGX says that 29% of the global FX market, or $1.8 trillion, is addressable for electronic FX trading through multi-dealer platforms and electronic communications networks.
Additionally, Asian FX is growing much faster than G8 currencies – 10% annually since 2007, versus 6% for G8, according to the SGX – and the exchange claims already to be a leading Asian FX hub, ranked first in the Asia-Pacific region and third globally.
