Key Observations from the iFX Expo in Hong Kong

In recent years, the Asian market has a backbone of the global economy. As opposed to years past, several recent reports show that the United States has fallen from the rankings of the most innovative countries in the world.

Its place has instead been taken by several Asian countries including China, South Korea, and Japan, among others. In addition, the IMF recently attributed a resurgence in global growth partly to the US tax reform, and partly to the Asian economies as well.

I attended the recent IFX Expo in Hong Kong in January 2018 to connect with brokers, investors and fund managers on behalf of my company Tradesocio. The annual event brought together more than 1,000 global companies specializing in the financial markets. Some of the biggest brokers, payment solution providers and banking professionals were exhibiting with many more in attendance.

In addition, during the forum, exhibitors were able to meet more than 30,000 potential clients who passed by the booths. The meeting was very important for companies in the financial markets to meet their global peers and exchange notes especially during a period of increasing global complexities.

For example, the expo came weeks after the European Union’s European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) started implementing the sweeping Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MIFID II). It also came a few weeks before the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) started implementing its policies on negative balance protections.

The expo also came at a time when the world is grappling to understand the current trends in Cryptocurrencies . Last year, the Blockchain industry was the best performing ‘asset class’ with currencies gaining by more than 1000 percent as a whole.

During the forum’s panel sessions, over seventy speakers with several decades of experience in the financial markets took part in discussions. The workshops, seminars, and panels revolved around the current regulatory issues, the future of international finance, the future of cryptocurrencies, and how market participants need to adopt to a changing world.

At the expo, we held discussions with hundreds of firms eager to sign up as our clients and partners. We also interacted with thousands of participants who wanted to learn more about our services.

TradeSocio’s Alpha 2017 product, provides brokers, investors, fund managers, investment bankers, and business introducers with a unified platform to aid their operations. Our products have become particularly useful at a time when EU-regulated companies are having a challenge recruiting Introducing Brokers (IBs) because of the new strict MIFID II regulations.

The Tradesocio team spent several days networking with existing and potential clients and showcasing the tools available on the Alpha Suite. One visitor to our booth, who had travelled from Australia to attend, commented: “This is a tool that’s going to revolutionise the way brokers do business. The FX industry needs Alpha Suite!”

While potential partners hastily gathered Tradesocio brochures to show to others around the expo hall, others were delighted to learn just how easy it is to become a partner. One newly signed up partner noted that; “This is a fintech product that actually makes a difference. There are so many great tools out there, but this is one that will really help investors and fund managers.”

We are excited about the Asian market and the business contacts we established during the expo. We believe that this is a space which will continue to grow especially with its educated, curious and energetic population coupled with friendly regulations. I would like to thank the organizers of the expo for facilitating a great event that once again brought together fintech and financial services. If you would like to learn more about Tradesocio or become a partner, please visit our site for more details.

Wael Salem is an established thought leader within the Fintech and Investment scenes. CTO at TradeSocio, speaker and serial technology entrepreneur, Wael is passionate about innovation, simplifying complex problems and creating equal opportunities within the tech & investment scene.

At the expo, we held discussions with hundreds of firms eager to sign up as our clients and partners. We also interacted with thousands of participants who wanted to learn more about our services.