Francisco Javier Fernández

As we have already seen, the currency market or exchange rate market is a global decentralized market where currencies are traded and which was born to provide coverage to the monetary flows resulting from international trade.

We have already seen what the foreign exchange market is and how it works, as well as different exchange rate systems. Here, we will analyze the broad range of participants that engage in a market that, in average, churns around 5 trillion dollars on a daily basis.

An exchange rate system, also called a currency system, establishes the way in which the exchange rate is determined, i.e., the value of the domestic currency with respect to other currencies. Choosing the currency system is a pivotal element of the economic policy adopted by a country’s government. The currency system has significant repercussions on the flexibility of the exchange rate and on other instruments of economic policy.

The foreign currency or foreign exchange market is a decentralized worldwide market in which currencies are traded. It was created in order to facilitate the flow of money derived from international trade. Today, it is the world's largest financial market, with an average daily volume of about $5 trillion, and is undergoing an important and growing “electronification.”

A bank’s markets division, also known as its Treasury, is part of its wholesale banking business. It is a highly specialized area that seeks to meet institutional and corporate customers’ investment and risk coverage needs. The retail banking area serves individual customers and also receives support from the markets area to design and manage products and manage the associated risks.