With only a dozen or so days left to the introduction of new regulations prepared by the European Securities and Markets Authority that reduce the maximum level of leverage, Royal is getting more and more popular in the Polish forex industry. We have had an opportunity to pose a few questions to the company’s CEO, Andrew Taylor.
It seems that Royal is quite a new brand on the Polish market. Could you please tell us more about the company?
Royal was founded in 2006 and is among the world’s fastest-growing global providers to the financial markets. Our success to date has been attributed to our foundation that is built on trust, transparency and ethics, along with a solid financial backbone.
Our technology is best-in-class, which allows us to deliver carefully-integrated solutions for all clients, regardless of their size and type. We keep investing heavily in our technology and trading resources, as we believe having best-tailored solutions is key to a successful, long-term trading partnership.
We work closely with our retail, partner, and institutional clients and adopt a flexible approach to business, while also providing the highest levels of service via our 100+ industry professionals.
Royal fully complies with international regulatory standards and is licensed and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) and Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
What would be the best part of Royal Financial Trading’s offer if you were to choose one?
When considering an answer to this question, I feel like trying to choose my favourite child. I immediately thought about our strengths in terms of product spreads, leverage, and execution. And that led me to the technology behind it, which provides the reliability we know our clients love. Then, the fact we have Tier 1 Licences and Banks that give comfort to our clients as a key desire. But really, behind it all, it’s the wonderful bunch of talented and dedicated individuals among our staff, with a passion for what they do – they really bring it all together.
The way we see it, it’s not only about having a good product, but also the little things that Royal Family members do to turn that good product into a highly sought-after trading solution for our clients.
You are regulated by independent entities – known in Europe as CySEC and in Australian as ASIC. Are you active internationally or focusing on individual markets?
Fortunately, Royal has a very good reputation that has been built over a long period of time. We find that our current clients are the best advocates for passing on the good word. Which translates into Clients and Partners coming to us from all over the globe. So, we don’t necessarily focus on individual markets as a group; instead, clients seem to be finding us all the times, which is great.
We have also seen some markets prosper more than others. So, when this occurs, our first action is to hire staff from that region to provide quality support in their native tongue. The Polish market is no exception to this.
New ESMA’s regulations are due to be implemented in August. We already know traders’ opinion on this subject. I was wondering what brokers think about limiting the maximum level of leverage?
The way I see this as a broker is this: our primary purpose is to provide the best possible solutions in which our clients can trade on the financial markets. Whether leverage is 1:1 or 1000:1, our goal remains the same – regardless of any changes the ESMA, or any other regulator for that matter, may choose to enforce.
Does Royal fear new ESMA rules?
No, not at all. Royal was only ever built as a long-term sustainable business with the client experience and their successes as a key factor to all of our decisions. It’s obvious that Royal hasn’t been around for 12 years by accident. It’s our well-thought-out, long-term plans, regardless of any outside factors, that enable us to succeed, especially in the ever-changing regulatory landscape.
As a business, you cannot rely on a specific market condition to become successful. Brokerages that operate this way tend to have short life spans. But when you build a successful business with client experience and success in mind, you’d end up doing the sorts of things that Royal is focused on: investing in high-end technology, sourcing competitive deep liquidity, and hiring experienced and knowledgeable staff. When you take this approach, no matter what regulators enforce tomorrow or in 10 years’ time, your business will feel these effects much less and continue to flourish.
What should we pay attention to when choosing a broker?
That’s a great question, and one that I think will see different answers to for different client types. For me, there are a couple of boxes that I think a potential client needs to tick off when looking for a new broker.
First of all, one should look for brokers with:
- History – how long have they been in the market? Experience in the market counts for so much towards a broker’s ability to execute trades.
- Licence – are they licensed in a well-regarded jurisdiction?
- Support – do they have 24-hour support? Will someone be there for me when I need them most.
Then, there is the product. Ultimately, without a reliable product, the rest is superfluous. Don’t just look at how tight spreads are, test the execution and depth of those spreads. All too often, I hear clients marvel at the tightness of spreads offered by a broker. That is, until they try to trade using them and, all of a sudden, that tight spread doesn’t execute at the price they intended, thus rendering it useless. This is definitely a hot tip for new clients to the Forex market.
On a more personal note, I have always had a soft spot for getting our pricing and liquidity right. I started my Forex career back in 1991 by working in the Interbank market, so it is an area of the business that I know inside out. With that experience, needless to say, I have most definitely leveraged off those long-term relationships to ensure that Royal receives the best genuine liquidity on offer so that our clients can be catered to, no matter how large or small their trades are.
What is your view on Polish traders and/or the Polish forex industry?
Personally, I have always been impressed by the Polish Forex market. I remember, back when it was first starting out, how quickly the market matured compared to the rest of the region. Sure, like many regions, it was a roller coaster ride; but, from Royal’s point of view, we really want to give Polish traders a fresh alternative and an opportunity to experience what it’s like to be a Royal client firsthand.
