The inaugural China Forex Forum in Shanghai on 8 September was a great success. The Forum attracted over 230 delegates, including corporate treasurers, world-class forex professionals, institutional investors, risk managers and economists. A host of expert speakers filled the day with lively debate and stimulating discussions on the internationalisation of the renminbi and the latest developments in and future forecasts for the forex markets.

Dr Tao Yang from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences opened the conference with a stimulating and insightful presentation on China’s monetary and exchange rate policy. He provided the perfect platform for the first panel of experts who focused their discussion on the internationalisation of the RMB and the challenges and opportunities that this crucial issue presents to both corporates and investors, inside and outside China. Focus then shifted to the movements within emerging market currencies more broadly, in both Asia and Latin America, with economists, FX strategists and asset managers debating the major themes of the day. The dollar and the euro then became the focus of attention, while panellists raised questions over the future of the currencies, the economic health of both the US and the Eurozone, and whether or not investors would be forced to find alternative safe havens in the wake of recent turmoil. After lunch focus shifted from the macroeconomic themes of the day as HSBC presented a workshop on how to hedge FX risk, and a panel of experts discussed how to most effectively trade FX in highly volatile markets. The day closed with an animated debate on future macro challenges, including those presented by high levels of inflation, current account surpluses and capital controls. The day was full of engaging and lively debates, and provided valuable insight into the foreign exchange markets for all those who attended.

Thank you to all our sponsors, speakers and delegates who made this event possible. We look forward to building upon the success of this event next year.