Alpari RU Closes Out 2013 with Record Year, Looks Toward 2014

"The numbers speak for themselves. The company didn’t simply improve on last year’s figures, throughout the year we consistently overturned our own previous records.” Those words were from Boris Shilov, CEO of Alpari Russia, as he spoke to reporters in the broker’s 2013 review press conference held yesterday. Shilov added that, “I would like to point out that this isn't simply good fortune, it is the clear result of the huge amount of work which we completed during the year. The continual improvement in our trading environment, the introduction of new accounts and services to the market and the constant improvement in existing financial products are the reasons for the success of the company."

Throughout the year, Alpari RU has been issuing monthly growth and record volumes. For the year, Alpari stated that its Russian division achieved average monthly trading volumes of $131.2 billion with revenues per million dollars traded of $66.5. The firm added that they had 7.2 million average monthly transactions which was 75% above 2012 figures and amounted to an average order size of about $18,000.

Looking ahead to 2014, Alpari RU referenced its existing sports and chess sponsorship, as well as indicating that it plans on expanding its partnerships this year to include UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup holders, and FC Zenith Saint Petersburg.

In terms of company performance, the broker has had success among its Russian clients with the use of PAMM accounts, according to the company’s filings, around 25% of customers using such managed account services. Among items to watch in 2014 is the uptake of its customers using MetaTrader Trading Signals. During 2013, Alpari became the first major broker to announce that it was ending a partnership with ZuluTrade as it began to feature MetaTrader Trading Signals instead.

Also of interest is the company’s announcement of $65 revenue per million traded. The figure is below results that were announced from both GAIN Capital and FXCM this past year, which were around $120 and $90 respectively. The lower revenues at Alpari may be the result of tighter spreads being offered by the broker as they aim to attract active traders.