FXCM, also known as Forex Capital Markets, is a retail foreign exchange broker for trading on the foreign exchange market. FXCM allows people to speculate on the foreign exchange market and provides trading in contract for difference (CFDs) on major indices and commodities such as gold and crude oil. It is based in London.
The company was banned from United States markets for defrauding its customers. Its former parent company, Global Brokerage, Inc. filed for bankruptcy on December 11, 2017. The operating company, known as FXCM Group, is now owned by Jefferies Financial Group, which changed its name from Leucadia National Corporation in 2018. Global Brokerage shareholders lost over 98% of their investment since January 2015.
On February 6, 2017, the firm agreed to pay a $7 million penalty to settle a suit from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) involving fraudulent misrepresentation by FXCM to its customers and to regulators. FXCM withdrew its CFTC registration and agreed not to re-register in the future, effectively banning it from trading in the United States. Three top managers resigned under regulatory pressure and the majority owner of the firm changed its name to Global Brokerage Inc., effective January 27, 2017.
Global Brokerage filed for bankruptcy in November 2017, but officially reorganized in February 2018. While the company technically owns a 51% equity stake in FXCM Group, its agreement with Leucadia (now Jefferies Financial Group) and FXCM about future distributions of cash flows places its real economic interest in FXCM at 10 to 50%. Jefferies Financial Group remains the de facto parent company of the FXCM Group.
A Managing Director of Jefferies Financial Group, which before the bankruptcy held a 49.9% equity stake in the operating company, was appointed chairman of the FXCM Group board. Its U.S. accounts were sold to Gain Capital. About 40,000 customer accounts were sold at about $375 each.
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