Which Way to Pay For Foreign Exchange

By Xenia Rainey

When transferring a large amount of currency you need to be careful were you do it to get the best rates. Most people might think the obvious choice would be to go with the traditional high street bank at which they already have their main accounts, but in fact they could end up costing themselves a lot of money by doing this. So let's say you're looking at investing a large amount of money in buying a property abroad, so you're going to be needing to make a frequent amount of foreign transfers. Think before you act...

Choose Specialists

If you are a business or private individual wanting to move large amounts of money abroad, and you are therefore looking to make a purchase of a big amount foreign currency, think before you go looking at the high street bank as your only route to getting that large amount of foreign cash. Think about using a Commercial Foreign Exchange specialist bank. This is because a Commercial Foreign Exchange (CFX) specialist can get you a much better exchange rate and commission free transfers. Their sole focus is on the currency exchange market, and the way they make their profit is through the difference between the rate at which they buy currency and the price at which they sell to you, the client. They will also get you a rate lower than the Interbank rate.

Interbank Rates Explained

Interbank is the high-level foreign exchange market where thousands of banks can exchange different currencies. The banks can either deal with one another directly, or through electronic brokering platforms. Foreign exchange brokers and high street banks buy their currency at wholesale exchange rates close to the Interbank rate and make most of their profit from the difference between the Interbank exchange rate and the rate they offer to their customers.

Are they Regulated? When choosing a Foreign Exchange specialist, look out for their guarantee that they are authorised as a money service business by HM Revenue and Customs. That way you get protection and peace of mind when moving large amounts of money around. Note brokers are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) so it really is essential that they are HM Revenue and Customs approved. Compare CFX specialists to find the one which really suits your needs.

Which Contract There are different types of contracts when you join a CFX specialist, one of them being a forward contract. This is a useful contract in that if the exchange rate is good, the broker can fix that rate for a longer period of time (for example up to two years) even if you don't want to use that money for a while. Great if you're making plans to buy foreign property but can't guarantee when you will be making the final payment.