Senior currency trader says Bank officials condoned information sharing between traders under investigation
The Bank of England has launched an internal inquiry into allegations that its officials endorsed sharing of information between traders in the foreign exchange market, the central bank's deputy governor told MPs.
The inquiry will examine claims that at a meeting between Bank officials and senior currency traders last April the officials said it was permissible for traders in different banks to share information about clients' positions ahead of the setting of a benchmark rate in the foreign exchange market.
Andrew Bailey told the Treasury select committee: "The governors of the Bank have taken the claims about the meeting with the Bank's officials extremely seriously since we first heard about these allegations. Just so you know, we first heard about them in October.
"The governors immediately initiated a full review into it led by the Bank of England's legal counsel but also supported by external legal counsel and also in close collaboration with the FCA [financial conduct authority]."
Bailey, who is in charge of supervising financial firms, said the Bank had found no evidence that officials had endorsed sharing of information but added: "We do not regard that review as over."
Bloomberg News reported last week that a senior currency trader had informed the financial conduct authority that Bank staff at the April meeting had condoned information sharing. Alleged collusion in setting benchmark rates in the foreign exchange market is at the centre of allegations of market manipulation that could be as big as the Libor scandal.
Bailey said the Bank's inquiry had not yet seen the anonymous trader's notes from the meeting.
Bailey agreed with committee member Pat McFadden that if true the allegations would be "extremely damaging" to the Bank's reputation.
"I agree with you on that. That is why we have set up this investigation and this process," Bailey said. "The governors take the whole question of the reputation and integrity of the central bank extremely seriously. It's the most important thing we have."
The benchmark in question is used to price a wide variety of financial products and is the subject of regulators' attention amid allegations that traders at rival banks were sharing information about their orders from clients to manipulate the price.
A record of the April meeting released by the Bank showed it was chaired by Martin Mallett, its chief currency dealer, and included an entry entitled "extra item". The record says: "Processes around fixes. There was a brief discussion on extra levels of compliance that many bank trading desks were subject to when managing client risks around the main set-piece benchmark fixings."
Martin Wheatley, chief executive of the FCA, which is in charge of stamping out market abuse, told MPs last week that the allegations were "every bit as bad" as those surrounding Libor. Banks have been fined billions of pounds over the Libor scandal.
The meeting was between senior traders at investment banks and a subcommittee of the Bank's foreign exchange standing committee. Bloomberg was told that during a 15-minute conversation about currency benchmarks traders said they used chat rooms to match buyers and sellers ahead of the one-minute period when rates were fixed to avoid trading at a volatile time.
The officials are alleged to have said the practice might benefit markets because it made them more stable.
Azure Global’s vision is to be widely recognized as a reputed firm of financial business advisors, achieving real growth for ambitious companies and to become the first choice for F&A outsourcing for accountancy practices and businesses alike for more info visit our site Azure Global and join us also On Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment