Japanese Binary Options Volumes Record Hike in January

With the release of Japan’s January volumes of the Binary Options market, it is evident that the industry still has some fight left.

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The Financial Futures Association of Japan (FFAJ) released January volumes for the questionable financial product, and the numbers show the market could be on the rise in Japan.

Monthly volumes during January reached $432.38 million (over 46 billion JPY), an increase of 34.7% from December 2017. Comparatively, January volumes improved by 9.77% YoY, from levels of just under $393.87 million (just under 42 billion JPY) during January of last year.

Last year was a very up and down year for Binary Options in Japan. It seemed that there was no clear trend for volumes, as each month would bring unpredictable market participation levels.

For instance, June volumes showed regression, while just two months later in August, volumes were once again on the rise, positing numbers that were indicative of growth.

Meanwhile, the number of active account has also increased from December. January saw 10,677 active accounts, up 9.3% from December when there were just 9,770 active trading accounts.

While the numbers at first appear to indicate a solid bump, there are still fewer active accounts when compared with January 2017, when there were 11,978 active trading accounts.

Binary Options Regulation

In general, the Binary Options industry has been on a tumultuous ride over the past few years. With global regulators clamping down across many geographic markets, with varying levels of regulations in place, market participants have had a very difficult time gaining traction, in the once blooming sector.

There have been numerous regulatory authorities that have stepped up to ban, hinder, or influence the functionality of the market in recent years.

The legitimacy of the industry has been called into question, as a result of high losses accumulated by traders, as well as many scam brokers that have contributed to a very poor reputation for Binary Options.

Regulators from some of the largest financial markets, including the FCA, ASIC, CySEC, and others have all coordinated some level of curbing the growth for the industry.

However, there are legitimate companies that provide investors with a legitimate trading platform and opportunity, by adhering to regulations and inducing a fair marketplace for Binary Options trading. Japan is one of these markets, and it is evident that the industry has yet to vanish in the region.

Is Crypto Regression a Contributing Factor?

The improving numbers could be an indication that the extremely bearish January incurred in the cryptocurrency market has impacted investors’ preferences for investment avenues.

The decline of many virtual coins led to a mass exodus of funds from the crypto market, and this could be one alternative selected by traders.