Reason for this visit

South Africa's financial market is said to be the most developed and organized financial market in Africa, consisting of large institutions such as Standard Bank, Barclays Africa Group (ABSA), First National Bank (FNB), FirstRand, Nedbank and the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).  And JSE is the largest stock market in Africa with a daily trading volume of R23.7 billion. As a result, the potential for retail FX in South Africa is emerging.

The local financial ecosystem in South Africa is often compared to developed economies such as the US, UK and Australia. On the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, investors can trade stocks of African companies, commodities and invest in futures and options on major international and continental currencies.

In terms of daily trading volume, the South African Rand is the most traded currency in Africa and one of the 20 most traded currencies in the world. The Rand (ZAR) is traded outside of South Africa in excess of the local foreign exchange market. Data showed that the Rand's overseas trading volume was about $60 billion in 2017, while domestic trading volume was about $21.4 billion during the same period.

It is estimated that around 190,000 FX investors in South Africa regularly trade or invest in foreign exchange and related instruments. According to 2019 data from trading analytics firm CPattern, South African traders have the highest average monthly deposit in Africa at $740/trader. To help investors or practitioners have a more comprehensive understanding of the forex dealer in South Africa, the survey team went to the country for field visits.

Office Building

This time the survey team visited the dealer FBK Markets in South Africa, with the specific address at BLOCK C, EAGLE CANYON OFFICE PARK CNR CGRISTIAAN DE WET RANDPARK RIDGE JOHANNESBURG 2154.  

On-site visit

According to the above address, the surveyors arrived at the destination of this survey. FBK Markets' office was located in the Eagle Valley Office Park off the South African highway. The building's exterior was plastered with the Logo of the company inside, but the surveyors didn't find one for dealer FBK Markets.

The entire building was empty and there was only one security guard on duty in the lobby. The man told the surveyors that since the pandemic, the employees in the building have been working remotely from home. Therefore, he was not sure if there was such a company. To confirm the existence of the dealer's office, the surveyors decided to go upstairs for further visits.

The office that the surveyors found on the corresponding floor did not belong to the dealer FBK Markets, but to a company called RCG. As the security guard in the lobby said, no one was working in that office either. In the end, the surveyor confirmed that the dealer FBK Markets did not have an office here.

Conclusion

The survey team went to South Africa, to visit the the dealer FBK Markets and found no office at its business address. It was supposed that the dealer might just use that address to register its company, or there was no offline exhibition place. Please be prudent when trading with this broker.

Disclaimer

The content is for informational purpose only, and shall not be taken as final order for making choice.