Over the last 12 months, the marketing team at CMC Markets have been working on the launch of our new Institutional brand, CMC Markets Connect. By now you will have already started seeing the new logo appearing, either on our website, in various online advertising campaigns- or failing that at the top of this very page. It’s a progression that we know comes with huge potential not just for CMC Markets but also for our institutional clients and partners, too. We have always taken pride in our ability to consistently adapt to changing markets, building tailored products and services to meet clients’ needs; from providing cost-effective, multi-asset liquidity to building bespoke white-label trading platforms. It’s this technology, combined with our depth of knowledge and global reach which now enables us to offer a new wave in trading solutions. A series of product innovations will follow over the next 12-18 months as we strive to become your counterparty of choice.
Corporate update
CMC Markets published interim results back in November, with a record first half performance. Pre-tax profits surged 369% and net operating income rose by 126%. Chief Executive Officer, Peter Cruddas noted “the significant increase in net trading revenues across all areas of the business in H1 2021 was a result of the group’s unwavering focus on our strategic initiatives.” A shorter Q3 trading update published in January added that business performance had remained strong and the Board was confident that full year results would be at the upper end of current market consensus.
Market insights & trends
Despite the disputed US Presidential election - which ended in a rather unbelievable storming of Congress – markets have continued their general bull run over the last quarter. Volatility has largely continued to ebb away, but the one stand out here has been in cryptocurrencies. Not only has one month volatility remained elevated, but the benchmark Bitcoin (BTC/USD) saw some exaggerated movement in the days after Donald Trump appeared to concede defeat. Between the 15th of December and the 8th of January, the asset doubled in value - before promptly staging a 25% sell off.
Events
Despite social distancing and the new ways of working continuing to hamper a return to the usual events calendar, the CMC Connect team will be hosting a Women in Fintech virtual roundtable, led by Camilla Boldracchi on Thursday, March 11th. Timed to coincide with International Women’s Week, the forum will debate the subject of ‘Blockchain and the future of digital settlements.’ The event will be chaired by Katie Pilbeam of Proactive Investors and panellists will include; Alessandra Sollberger - founder of Top Tier Impact & Blockchain Mavericks, Lavinia Osbourne - founder of Women in Blockchain Talks and other experts from this field to be announced. If you would like to join the event, please register here.
Award wins
The Finance Magnates Annual London Summit may have taken a virtual format at the end of 2020 but voting for the event’s awards continued unabated. CMC Markets was heralded as Best CFD Broker and provider of the Best White Label Solution by industry participants.
White paper
Last November, CMC Markets Connect sponsored TradeTech FX, Europe’s biggest Buy Side FX Conference. We used this event as the launch platform for our first white paper, covering the subject of ‘Does retail flow matter in the financial world?’. The paper highlighted the disparate views held industry-wide as to the support which non-bank liquidity providers can deliver - despite the volatile markets of early 2020 illustrating the benefits first-hand. Click here to download and read the white paper.
Publications
In December, Tim Wilbraham, Quant Trading Manager at CMC Markets, spoke to e-forex magazine to discuss what counts in the quest for great liquidity when so many counterparties continue to just champion technology. Read the full article here.
The same month, Richard Elston, Group Head of CMC Connect, appeared in FX Markets Magazine, discussing some of the key themes he saw as likely to dominate the non-bank FX community in 2021. Themes of the FX Global Code, Liquidity and Regulation all made an appearance, with a copy of the article available here.
Finally, Andrew Wood, Head of CMC Connect in the CMC Markets’ Sydney office, was interviewed by The Industry Spread. Although CMC Markets is continuing to expand its institutional footprint, the company’s retail heritage delivers a myriad of benefits for B2B clients. You can find the full interview here.
Charity
CMC Markets often participates in charitable ventures for a range of worthy causes. One initiative which seems particularly timely as much of the world finds itself in another lockdown is the company’s £600,000 commitment to three charities over the next three years. Working with Action for Children, Yes Futures and Making the Leap, the ‘Education and Employment Intervention Programme’ is designed to ensure computer literacy for all, ensuring that the children of today are ready for the workplace of tomorrow.
