EGM Securities, an online  Forex  Forex Foreign exchange or forex is the act of converting one nation’s currency into another nation’s currency (that possesses a different currency); for example, the converting of British Pounds into US Dollars, and vice versa. The exchange of currencies can be done over a physical counter, such as at a Bureau de Change, or over the internet via broker platforms, where currency speculation takes place, known as forex trading.The foreign exchange market, by its very nature, is the world’s largest trading market by volume. According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) latest survey, the Forex market now turns over in excess of $5 trillion every day, with the most exchanges occurring between the US Dollar and the Euro (EUR/USD), followed by the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), then the US Dollar and Pound Sterling (GBP/USD). Ultimately, it is the very exchanging between currencies which causes a country’s currency to fluctuate in value in relation to another currency – this is known as the exchange rate. With regards to freely floating currencies, this is determined by supply and demand, such as imports and exports, and currency traders, such as banks and hedge funds. Emphasis on Retail Trading for ForexTrading the forex market for the purpose of financial gain was once the exclusive realm of financial institutions.But thanks to the invention of the internet and advances in financial technology from the 1990’s, almost anyone can now start trading this huge market. All one needs is a computer, an internet connection, and an account with a forex broker. Of course, before one starts to trade currencies, a certain level of knowledge and practice is essential. Once can gain some practice using demonstration accounts, i.e. place trades using demo money, before moving on to some real trading after attaining confidence. The main two fields of trading are known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis refers to using mathematical tools and certain patterns to help decide whether to buy or sell a currency pair, and fundamental analysis refers to gauging the national and international events which may potentially affect a country’s currency value. Foreign exchange or forex is the act of converting one nation’s currency into another nation’s currency (that possesses a different currency); for example, the converting of British Pounds into US Dollars, and vice versa. The exchange of currencies can be done over a physical counter, such as at a Bureau de Change, or over the internet via broker platforms, where currency speculation takes place, known as forex trading.The foreign exchange market, by its very nature, is the world’s largest trading market by volume. According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) latest survey, the Forex market now turns over in excess of $5 trillion every day, with the most exchanges occurring between the US Dollar and the Euro (EUR/USD), followed by the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), then the US Dollar and Pound Sterling (GBP/USD). Ultimately, it is the very exchanging between currencies which causes a country’s currency to fluctuate in value in relation to another currency – this is known as the exchange rate. With regards to freely floating currencies, this is determined by supply and demand, such as imports and exports, and currency traders, such as banks and hedge funds. Emphasis on Retail Trading for ForexTrading the forex market for the purpose of financial gain was once the exclusive realm of financial institutions.But thanks to the invention of the internet and advances in financial technology from the 1990’s, almost anyone can now start trading this huge market. All one needs is a computer, an internet connection, and an account with a forex broker. Of course, before one starts to trade currencies, a certain level of knowledge and practice is essential. Once can gain some practice using demonstration accounts, i.e. place trades using demo money, before moving on to some real trading after attaining confidence. The main two fields of trading are known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis refers to using mathematical tools and certain patterns to help decide whether to buy or sell a currency pair, and fundamental analysis refers to gauging the national and international events which may potentially affect a country’s currency value. Read this Term broker, has announced today that it has launched the first and only online regulated non-dealing online  Forex Broker  Forex Broker In the forex space, a broker is any company that can provide traders with access to a platform that permits the buying and selling of multiple currencies.The retail forex industry has grown over the past two decades to include every major jurisdiction, which in turn has necessitated new regulatory oversight. Relative to the institutional sector, retail brokers are rather small portion of the greater forex market. However, traders can rely on brokers for leveraged trading in a 24-hour-a-day market.What Differentiates Forex Brokers?Forex brokers vary across the board in terms of trading platforms, currency pairs supported, leverage, and spreads, among other attributes. The most commonly supported trading platforms used by forex brokers include MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MT5.Many forex brokers also offer contracts-for-difference (CFDs) and exposure to commodities such as precious metals. Another element that has seen a high degree of improvement in recent years is education and customer service gains. This has taken the shape of online portals designed to promote proper forex trading techniques.Webinars, encyclopedias, trading tools, and other techniques have helped educate retail traders, many of which lose money trading forex historically.Forex brokers are located around the world but are bound by their service offerings in many instances. In most jurisdictions, these entities require licenses from regulatory authorities to trade forex.Over the past few years, retail brokers have dealt with a wide range of challenges that has redefined the playing field.This includes new regulation, leverage restrictions, compliance costs, payment processing challenges, and more. Brokers have consistently had to deal with an increasingly competitive environment for clients as well. In the forex space, a broker is any company that can provide traders with access to a platform that permits the buying and selling of multiple currencies.The retail forex industry has grown over the past two decades to include every major jurisdiction, which in turn has necessitated new regulatory oversight. Relative to the institutional sector, retail brokers are rather small portion of the greater forex market. However, traders can rely on brokers for leveraged trading in a 24-hour-a-day market.What Differentiates Forex Brokers?Forex brokers vary across the board in terms of trading platforms, currency pairs supported, leverage, and spreads, among other attributes. The most commonly supported trading platforms used by forex brokers include MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MT5.Many forex brokers also offer contracts-for-difference (CFDs) and exposure to commodities such as precious metals. Another element that has seen a high degree of improvement in recent years is education and customer service gains. This has taken the shape of online portals designed to promote proper forex trading techniques.Webinars, encyclopedias, trading tools, and other techniques have helped educate retail traders, many of which lose money trading forex historically.Forex brokers are located around the world but are bound by their service offerings in many instances. In most jurisdictions, these entities require licenses from regulatory authorities to trade forex.Over the past few years, retail brokers have dealt with a wide range of challenges that has redefined the playing field.This includes new regulation, leverage restrictions, compliance costs, payment processing challenges, and more. Brokers have consistently had to deal with an increasingly competitive environment for clients as well. Read this Term in East Africa. The subsidiary of Equiti Group will allow traders to invest in global macro opportunities such as foreign exchange, oil, gold, other precious metals and commodities.

Based in Kenya, the launch of the platform means, for the first time, residents of the country will be able to participate in the largest financial market in the world in a regulated environment. Consumers can use multiple payment channels for the platform, including M-Pesa, a mobile phone-based money transfer by Vodafone.

Major leap for Kenya’s financial market

According to the CEO of EGM Securities, Kenya was the obvious point of entry into East Africa. This is because the country has the most advanced economy in Central and East Africa and it is renowned for being the leading financial hub on the continent. Furthermore, Kenya has the most proactive and innovative regulator in the region, he said.

Commenting on the launch of the new platform, Kevin Ng’ang’a, CEO of EGM Securities, said: “Increased access to global forex markets and innovative financial offerings for Kenya’s investment community is a major leap forward for the country to advancing its financial markets depth and economic growth. We are very excited at the prospect that lies ahead for the financial markets in Kenya.

“We realised there was an opportunity as many Kenyans were trading with foreign entities, which are not regulated by Kenya’s Central Markets Authority, and do not provide investor protection as these are offshore entities. Being licensed by the Capital Markets Authority of Kenya, investors are afforded the provision of legitimate online Forex services.”

The platform offers private investors access to forex, CFDs, and equities asset classes. In addition, corporate and institutional investors will benefit from a Partnership Programme.

EGM Securities was the first, and only, broker of its kind to receive a licence by the government capital markets regulator. The broker received the licence earlier this year following a lengthy and rigorous application process.

Well-known and influential financial professional, Aly-Khan Satchu, added: “Kenya is honoured that EGM Securities chose Kenya as the first country on the African continent to launch this innovative offering. It is a vote of confidence for Kenya’s financial and capital markets and regulatory environment.”