Vendor selection — methodical, independent
A vendor selection in FX is not something you do on the side. The decision is typically made every five to seven years, costs several million euros in investment budget, and locks in operational processes for the next decade. A wrong choice gets expensive — and it rarely becomes visible within a single quarter.
We bring three things internal teams often lack: current market intelligence on the vendor landscape, methodical structure through the selection process (RFP templates, evaluation matrices, demo scripts), and independence — we receive no commissions and aren’t tied to any vendor.
Typical engagement formats
Full vendor selection. From requirements workshop to contract negotiation, typically 3 to 5 months. We deliver all artefacts (RFP document, long/short list, evaluation matrix, recommendation memo), facilitate workshops and demos, are technical sparring partners and, on request, attend the final commercial negotiation.
Second opinion. You’ve taken the process some way and want external validation of the recommendation. We review the approach, challenge assumptions and deliver a written assessment within 2 to 3 weeks.
Requirements workshop. If the selection process hasn’t started yet, we help structure the requirements cleanly. Two days of workshop often produce a requirements catalogue that makes the entire process more efficient.
Sales optimisation
The second area where we are frequently brought in is the optimisation of the FX sales business. Typical triggers: margin erosion, competition from electronic distribution channels, generational change in the sales team, or M&A-driven restructuring.
We analyse client structure (tier model, profitability), coverage allocation, pricing practice and sales tools. From this come concrete measures to stabilise margins and shift routine business onto electronic channels, so sales can focus on value-adding topics.
Business setup for systematic and crypto-FX firms
In recent years we’ve increasingly worked on mandates that build new trading firms from the ground up — typically in systematic FX, and increasingly in crypto FX. Topics include regulatory setup advisory (licensing, BaFin requirements, EU MiCA), counterparty onboarding with banks and prime brokers, tech stack selection, operating model and initial hiring plan.
Here our bank background pays off twice: we know what counterparties on the other side want to see, and we know the typical friction in onboarding.