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3-3662

SECTION 240.13—Trading and Operational Standards

(a) Internal rules, procedures, and controls required. A banking institution engaging in retail forex transactions shall establish and implement internal rules, procedures, and controls designed, at a minimum, to:
(1) Ensure, to the extent reasonable, that each order received from a retail forex customer that is executable at or near the price that the banking institution has quoted to the customer is entered for execution before any order in any retail forex transaction for:
(i) A proprietary account;
(ii) An account in which a related person has an interest, or any account for which such a related person may originate orders without the prior specific consent of the account owner, if the related person has gained knowledge of the retail forex customer’s order prior to the transmission of an order for a proprietary account;
(iii) An account in which a related person has an interest, if the related person has gained knowledge of the retail forex customer’s order prior to the transmission of an order for a proprietary account; or
(iv) An account in which a related person may originate orders without the prior specific consent of the account owner, if the related person has gained knowledge of the retail forex customer’s order prior to the transmission of an order for a proprietary account;
(2) Prevent banking institution related persons from placing orders, directly or indirectly, with another person in a manner designed to circumvent the provisions of paragraph (a)(1) of this section; and
(3) Fairly and objectively establish settlement prices for retail forex transactions.
(b) Disclosure of retail forex transactions. No banking institution engaging in retail forex transactions may disclose that an order of another person is being held by the banking institution, unless the disclosure is necessary to the effective execution of such order or the disclosure is made at the request of the Board.
(c) Handling of retail forex accounts of related persons of retail forex counterparties. No banking institution engaging in retail forex transactions shall knowingly handle the retail forex account of any related person of another retail forex counterparty unless the banking institution:
(1) Receives written authorization from a person designated by such other retail forex counterparty with responsibility for the surveillance over such account;
(2) Prepares immediately upon receipt of an order for the account a written record of the order, including the account identification and order number, and records thereon to the nearest minute, by time-stamp or other timing device, the date and time the order is received; and
(3) Transmits on a regular basis to the other retail forex counterparty copies of all statements for the account and of all written records prepared upon the receipt of orders for the account pursuant to paragraph (c)(2) of this section.
(d) Related person of banking institution establishing account at another retail forex counterparty. No related person of a banking institution working in the banking institution’s retail forex business may have an account, directly or indirectly, with another retail forex counterparty unless the other retail forex counterparty:
(1) Receives written authorization to open and maintain the account from a person designated by the banking institution of which it is a related person with responsibility for the surveillance over the account pursuant to paragraph (a)(2) of this section;
(2) Prepares immediately upon receipt of an order for the account a written record of the order, including the account identification and order number, and records thereon to the nearest minute, by time-stamp or other timing device, the date and time the order is received; and
(3) Transmits on a regular basis to the banking institution copies of all statements for the account and of all written records prepared by the other retail forex counterparty upon receipt of orders for such account pursuant to paragraph (d)(2) of this section.
(e) Prohibited trading practices. No banking institution engaging in retail forex transactions may:
(1) Enter into a retail forex transaction, to be executed pursuant to a market or limit order at a price that is not at or near the price at which other retail forex customers, during that same time period, have executed retail forex transactions with the banking institution;
(2) Adjust or alter prices for a retail forex transaction after the transaction has been confirmed to the retail forex customer;
(3) Provide a retail forex customer a new bid price for a retail forex transaction that is higher than its previous bid without providing a new asked price that is also higher than its previous asked price by a similar amount;
(4) Provide a retail forex customer a new bid price for a retail forex transaction that is lower than its previous bid without providing a new asked price that is also lower than its previous asked price by a similar amount; or
(5) Establish a new position for a retail forex customer (except one that offsets an existing position for that retail forex customer) where the banking institution holds outstanding orders of other retail forex customers for the same currency pair at a comparable price.

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