FX options from three perspectives
FX options are one of the most versatile tools in the currency market — and one of the most misused. We work on options from three very different angles, depending on who sits across the table.
From the buyer’s perspective (corporate treasury, PE house, asset manager): which structure covers the risk, what does it really cost, and which banks should I ask for pricing? Here our value is often to put bank pitches in context — and to reject exotic structures that are overkill for the actual task.
From the bank’s perspective (sales and structuring): how do we structure products that deliver real value to clients, rather than marketing stories? How does the pricing engine quote consistently across the vol surface? How does the options book integrate with spot and forward in risk management?
From the infrastructure perspective (platform, technology): how do I build an architecture that prices and hedges vanilla to exotic consistently? Which components do I buy, which do I build? This overlaps with our eTrading mandates.
Typical topics
Vanilla hedging strategies. Plain calls and puts, collars, risk reversals — the bread-and-butter structures that are the right answer in 80 percent of cases. We help with strike selection, tenor structuring and the “option vs. forward” question.
Structured solutions. Target forwards, accumulators, KIKOs, TARNs, dual-currency notes — when client needs genuinely go beyond. We help with structuring, pricing verification and risk disclosure to the end client (importantly: suitability is often the biggest risk here).
Volatility topics. Volatility surface, smile dynamics, term structure, correct Greeks calculation. Relevant for banks running their own pricing engines and for investors with volatility strategies.
Balance sheet and IFRS topics. Hedge accounting (IAS 39 / IFRS 9), cash flow vs. fair value hedges, effectiveness testing, disclosure requirements. We don’t deliver audit work, but we know the typical pitfalls.
What matters to us
Options often get presented in sales as more complicated than they need to be. Complexity creates margin — for the bank. For the client, it’s usually a disadvantage. Our advisory is geared towards finding the simplest structure that covers the actual risk — and only getting complex where it is demonstrably better.