Financial exchanges operator Bats Global Markets Inc (BATS:BATS) has announced plans to acquire Javelin SEF, LLC (Javelin), a Swap Execution Facility (SEF).
The deal is intended to accelerate Bats’ plans to offer trading of non-deliverable forwards (NDFs) for the foreign exchange market. Javelin currently offers trade execution for swaps through a combination of an anonymous Limit Order Book and a Request for Quote model.
Dodd Frank provisions mandate that certain market participants trade NDFs on SEFs. The market is regulated by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission(CFTC).
Chris Concannon, Bats
Chris Concannon, CEO of Bats Global Markets, said:
Our acquisition of Javelin underlines our commitment to the FX market and is an acceleration of our FX product rollout plans. The transaction will enable us to broaden the instruments available to trade on Bats Hotspot, adding to the platform’s existing product line-up.”
NDFs are currency contracts that enable investors to hedge against exposure to restricted foreign currencies, like the Brazilian real, Chinese renminbi, and Indian rupee, against freely traded currencies, like the U.S. dollar. At settlement, differences between the NDF price and prevailing spot price are paid out in the freely traded currency.
According to the latest Bank for International Settlements (BIS) triennial survey, total NDF daily turnover was $127bn as of 2014, and accounted for 19% of all forward currency trading globally.
The transaction is pending regulatory approval, at which point Javelin will be integrated into Bats Hotspot. Deal terms will not be disclosed.