LeapRate Exclusive… LeapRate has learned that FCA regulated Retail FX and CFDs broker Hantec Markets has gone live with a new and redesigned website and client portal.
And, that the broker – which had a great 2016 fiscal year with Revenues up 62% and client assets doubling to £21 million – seems to have improved on that in Fiscal 2017, which closed on June 30.
We’re pleased to speak today with Hantec COO Hayel Abu-Hamdan on the new site, how Hantec Markets is doing, the impact of the FCA’s recently-delayed proposals for new FX and CFD trading rules, and lots more.
LR: Hi Hayel, and thanks for joining us today, I know that you’ve been very busy. Please let us know a little more about the Hantec Markets website redesign, and what is now different.
Hayel Abu-Hamdan, Hantec Markets
Hayel: One of the main changes on the site is that we have simplified the way clients engage with us, by moving all after sale communication to our newly launched Client Portal. Our clients can now easily find all account related information and make deposits and withdrawals in a single, secure location when logged in to the Client Portal.
LR: What were the key factors driving the redesign? Are traders acting differently now than a year or two ago? Did you handle it all internally, or did you work with outside experts?
Hayel: We wanted to create a faster, and more modern, user friendly site. Also, we have merged a number of pages to improve the user experience and the site should now be easier to navigate.
The website redesign and development was performed by a digital agency specialised in user experience.
LR: In 2016 Hantec doubled its client assets and saw Revenues rise by more than 60%. Did you continue your growth spurt in 2017?
Hayel: We were very pleased with our 2016 results. I am happy to report to you that our growth has continued since last year and client assets grew by 36% in the last fiscal year from £21 million to approximately £29 million. More importantly, as a matched principal broker, we saw a good growth in our trading volumes.
LR: We’re still to hear the final word on bonuses and leverage from the FCA, but how do you see the Retail FX industry changing with all the recent regulatory changes in the UK and throughout Europe?
Hayel: This is a very interesting time for the industry, with a level of uncertainty yet increasing growth for UK and European brokers.
With the FCA delaying its final decision on leverage and bonuses until the ESMA final paper is released, it allows brokers additional time to fully prepare for the potential different scenarios and test these changes on the business and clients alike before final decisions are confirmed.
Here at Hantec Markets, we do not offer any form of account opening bonuses to clients so any change in this with have minimal impact to us. We have also kept leverage levels lower than some other brokers to ensure better protection for our clients, so again we don’t expect this to be a major issue to our business.
There is an argument that some clients may choose to look for higher leverage away from the security of the UK and Europe should these changes come into play, but we expect this to be minimal. We believe our client service and product offering will keep the vast majority of our clients with us and in the safe haven of an FCA regulated broker.