Shift Forex is hosting the first Latin America forex industry conference in Santiago Chile on December 3.

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Today we’re speaking with Ian McAfee, co-founder of forex consulting firm Shift Forex. While it has been around for a while, Shift Forex has burst onto the scene in recent months — running forex industry conferences, including a first-of-its-kind upcoming FXIC Forex Industry Conference in Latin America in partnership with Forex Magnates and Conversion Pros; partnering with forex app platform company Tradable to help app developers and brokers transition to Tradable’s platform; and as we exclusively reported working behind the scenes with Australian FX broker Pepperstone in a potential sale or IPO.

LeapRate: Hi Ian, and thanks for joining us today. Could you speak a little about the conference?

Shift Forex: Sure, it takes place on December 3rd at the W Hotel in Santiago, Chile. Similar to our conference in New York, and the Forex Magnates Summit and IFX Expos, it will focus on the FX industry and its participants. Brokers, money managers, funds, technology firms, banks, service providers and consultants will all be in attendance. There will panels focusing on relevant topics to the region, an exhibition area, and a reception to follow.

LeapRate: Why did you decide to make your next conference in Latin America? Why Santiago?

Shift Forex: We were happy with the results of our event in NYC and wanted to expand. Latin America is ripe for development, and there is a real desire for an industry-focused event there. We began discussions with Mike and Gal from Magnates and Conversion Pros and realized that we all had ambitions for a show in Latin America. Santiago was a natural fit.

LeapRate: How has the local response to the conference been so far?

Shift Forex: It’s the first event of this kind in the region, so we’re getting a great response from local industry participants and people generally interested in the FX market there. We recently added Roberto Darrigrandi, a popular financial columnist and radio show host to the agenda, which has also helped.

LeapRate: Where are most of the attendees from? Are there a lot of people travelling from outside Latin America?

Shift Forex: It’s approximately two-thirds in favor of Latin America and the rest from outside Latin America. The country with the highest representation is, of course, Chile, but there are attendees coming from all over Latin America, as well as the rest of the world.

LeapRate: How has being in Chile changed the makeup of the conference compared to other locations?

Shift Forex: Being in Latin America and having much of the content in Spanish makes it very easy for people in the region to come to this event. Also, the FX industry isn’t as big in Santiago as places like London or New York, so there are a higher percentage of people coming to learn more about the industry, and ways to get into it. The regional wealth managers, business owners, and financial firms want to see what FX is all about, if they aren’t in it already.

LeapRate: Why should someone in the FX industry make the trip?

Shift Forex: The market there is in an earlier stage, so it is a good place to build longer term growth strategies. The face-to-face aspect of a conference is an important and powerful way to interact with potential clients in the region. Lastly, most of the participants in Latin America will have some sort of presence at the conference, whether it be as a sponsor, speaker, or exhibitor. It’s a good time to meet all of them as potential clients or vendors, whereas if you compete with them you may lose out a bit by not being there.

LeapRate: Any final comments?

Shift Forex: Thanks for the opportunity to discuss the conference and the Latin American market for LeapRate readers. For anyone visiting FXIC, I’d be happy to help them try and get what they want out of the show. Santiago is the second of what we hope are many to come.

For more on the global Forex industry see the LeapRate-Dow Jones Forex Industry Report.