GFT to expand in Japan amid unfavorable regulatory climate

Amid latest Japan FSA' s leverage restrictions and tougher regulation Global Forex Trading, a division of U.S. foreign exchange brokerage Global Futures & Forex Ltd., will sharply expand its margin trading operations in Japan, increasing its local staff by 50% to around 70 over the next two years. Nikkei reports.

The company, also known as GFT, both takes orders directly from individual investors and relays orders from customers of domestic securities firms to the interbank market. It also boasts an 80% share of the Japanese market for CFDs.

Japan introduced tougher leverage regulations this summer and will impose additional caps next summer. Despite the new rules, GFT is bullish that Japan's forex margin trading market will keep growing. Chief Executive Officer Gary Tilkin noted that currency margin trades can be carried out around the clock, offering greater convenience than other financial products.