Widgets:
Saxo Bank, a broker I have an ambivalent relationship with as I can't decide whether it is good or bad, just announced that it launched a suite of Forex widgets.
As usual for Saxo when it's coming to technological innovation it is leagues behind other brokers (Dukascopy and eToro for instance) who already provide such tools for a while now. Nonetheless, Saxo launched a Content Sharing program with no less than 7 different Forex widgets:
- Market Call, which delivers streaming video updates from Saxo Bank's Forex analysts
- Forex Quotes List, with live prices for 160 currency crosses
- Currency Converter, offering real-time global exchange rates
- Forex Ticker, with live, scrolling FX bid/ask prices
- Forex Charts, which allows visitors to choose from a variety of real-time chart types and technical analysis studies
- Economic Calendar, displaying the week's important Forex and financial events
- Price Alerts, allowing visitors to set up e-mail trading alerts based on live prices of their favorite Forex currencies
Webmasters can get the widgets for their website or blog by visiting the Saxo Bank website and registering as a Content Sharing Partner. Once sign-up is completed, the customized widgets can be placed on any website within minutes. I'm not a big fan of widget services which require registering as it just makes the process lengthy and cumbersome. Brokers however often require this in order to control which websites display its content - I imagine it has something to do with Regulation or just a precaution.
Growth:
Amid all this, Saxo Bank reports that it's growth is exceeding expectations. In a report in a Danish newspaper Saxo Bank's CEO says that 'the Bank never performed better'.
The management will not reveal precise figures on the Bank's performance before the interim report published in August. But last year's record turnover of 70 billion DKK stands to be beaten.
Kim Fournais Jyllands-Posten explains that growth is broad-based among other things, an 'explosive growth' in Saxo Bank's largest partner Citibank. Trade Turnover in Citibank has increased almost 500 percent during the last six months.
We already know this from reading my previous interview with Citibank's Global Head of retail FX.
