“It’s All About Ensuring You Face Safe Counterparties”: What Will Be the Future of FX?

The FX industry is evolving rapidly, with trading desks, brokers, and technology providers navigating shifting market dynamics and increasing client demands. Dealers Connect 4.0, held in Limassol in December 2024, brought together key industry players to discuss the latest trends, challenges, and innovations shaping the sector. From risk management strategies to the rise of mobile-first trading platforms, the event highlighted how firms are adapting to stay competitive.

Roman Garanin, CEO and Co-Founder of Yourfintech, and I also had the pleasure of hosting two very interesting panel discussions. The discussions offered a platform for the industry experts to share their expertise and look at smart solutions to common challenges.

Trading Trends and Challenges

In the first panel discussion, we brought together Miroslav Georgiev (Taurex & Zenfinex), Michalis Neofytou (ATFX & ATFX Connect), and Lochlan White (Scope Prime) to discuss how trading desks have moved forward in 2024. Some of the key challenges included managing swap-free accounts, handling one-directional gold exposures, and catering to the trading preferences of clients in growing markets like Latin America.

Miroslav addressed issues with swap and bonus abusers, noting, "We monitor constantly...and compare the generated swap and commission with the saved swap." Michalis shared how ATFX adapted to volatile gold markets with dynamic margin and spread adjustments, explaining, "We developed technologies that adjust the margin and spreads according to market conditions." Lochlan emphasized the importance of working with reliable counterparties, stating, "It’s all about ensuring you face safe counterparties...checking balance sheets and licenses."

The panelists also discussed tools that help counteract arising challenges. Miroslav described a well rounded in-house risk management system, while Michalis introduced AI based hedging tools and a latency management system to prevent arbitrage. "We’ve implemented features like dynamic engine pricing for tighter spreads even in volatile markets," he shared. Lochlan also highlighted the importance of monitoring systems to quickly detect and manage abusive trading patterns.

Trading Platforms for the Future

For the second panel we invited Alexis Droussiotis (Match-Trade Technologies), and Elena Gorbacheva, (Devexperts). We spoke about trading platforms as well as what the future holds.

One of the standout points was the increasing demand for user-friendly platforms designed to meet the preferences of younger traders. “They're looking for a trading platform which is more user friendly (...) they prefer more fluid and straightforward platforms where you remove the complexity elements (...) they want to keep all the tools and all the functionality but then they want it to to be simple,” Alexis noted. Both Alexis and Elena agreed on the importance of mobile-first platforms, as mobile trading now accounts for 70–80% of user activity in some markets.

Personalization, scalability, and automation were also prominent topics in our talk. Elena spoke of the benefits of software-as-a-service (SaaS) models for startups, allowing them to scale during market surges without the operational hassles of maintaining infrastructure. “It takes the load off their maintenance and tech teams, allowing them to focus on marketing and servicing their clients (...) they can scale in seconds and really don’t even notice how it happens,” she explained.

Technology, Front and Center

The longer I listened to our guest speakers it became clear that technology has become the backbone of modern trading operations. From AI-based risk management systems, systems that classify clients by trading behaviour and experience level, tools that detect abusive patterns like latency arbitrage, cloud solutions, and mobile first trading apps - everyone has something new, faster, smarter they’re either working on or already offering/supporting.

Collaboration is Key

What stood out most during the discussions was the shared understanding that resilience in the FX industry requires collaboration. Brokers, liquidity providers, and technology partners must work together to create a sustainable trading environment, as well as to ensure proper integration between systems. By pooling expertise and resources, the industry can better overcome challenges and deliver value to clients.

Dealers Connect 4.0 wasn’t only business. It provided a relaxed social atmosphere where attendees had a chance to unwind, connect, and start new partnerships. The event was a reminder of the incredible innovation, resilience, and camaraderie within the FX community. As we look toward the rest of 2025, we aim to continue these essential gatherings and aid in the collective growth of our community.