Trading
Does Your Foreign Exchange Advisor Have Global Reach?
Published by Gbaf News
Posted on May 17, 2011
6 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Global Banking and Finance Review
Company
Published by Gbaf News
Posted on May 17, 2011
6 min readLast updated: January 22, 2026
Jamie Thorsen
Your global # decisions are integral to the success of your business. When it comes to maximizing the impact of your foreign exchange transactions, you need a financial partner who has the expertise, insight and worldly experience to give you thorough advice and flawless execution. BMO Capital Markets, the investment and corporate # arm of BMO Financial Group (NYSE, TSX: BMO) can help.
Our Foreign Exchange group is an award-winning team of nearly 100 professionals based in nine cities around the world from Toronto to Hong Kong. Top-ranked by large global investors and multinationals for institutional liquidity and pricing capacity, we are a 24-hour market maker who deals in all majors and most emerging pairs and their crosses. We offer clients a wide range of capabilities, from Canadian-dollar market making to structured risk-management solutions, including derivatives, swaps and options.
With BMO advisors in Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, New York, London, Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Guangzhou, our truly global presence allows us to offer our North American client base access to Europe and China; and our global clients access to the North American market.
In structuring large-scale international transactions, you need a partner who knows the local landscape, can help you develop the right hedging strategy early in the planning stages, and execute the deal.
North American Expertise & European Capabilities
BMO Capital Markets is building a reputation as a leader in the North American market. We recently won Global # & Finance Review’s Best Forex Provider North America, 2011 and garnered the top 2 rankings for the Canadian-dollar in the FX Week survey for the last two years, as well as Most Improved Overall Market Share in the Euromoney survey for 2010.
Our dominant position in the Canadian-dollar foreign exchange market gives us a superior view of one of the best-known commodity currencies in the world. Our longstanding US presence gives us significant insight into cross-border transactions and opportunities in the ever-changing North American landscape. Our unique position allows us to react quickly to market changes and to concentrate on supporting the evolving needs of the North American market.
There has been a growing interest in the Canadian dollar in Europe and the Middle East since the 2008 economic crisis. Augmenting our significant UK operation with a full service FX desk ahead of the crisis has proven very successful for our London operation. Our presence in Europe has grown quickly and we are gaining more ground there every day.
A Strong, Growing Presence in China
We have a thriving presence in China that is continually recognized inside and outside of the country. BMO recently won Global # & Finance Review’s Best Forex Provider in China, 2011, and our work with the regulators on market development and providing market liquidity and support for clients has resulted in BMO being named one of China’s Most Popular Market Makers and Best Non-USD Market Maker by the China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS), for the fourth consecutive year.
And it’s no surprise, considering BMO Financial Group is the only Canadian bank incorporated in China, with branches in Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Hong Kong. It is the only foreign financial institution headquartered in Beijing. BMO also has a representative office in Taipei, Taiwan and an Investment # representative office in Beijing.
In September 2010, BMO officially opened its new incorporated subsidiary, Bank of Montreal (China) Co. Ltd. (BMO ChinaCo), allowing us the flexibility to expand our product and service offerings for North American and Chinese clients. In addition, BMO recently became the first Canadian bank to offer North American commercial clients the ability to make payments directly to Chinese companies in the Chinese Yuan (CNY).
In April 2011, BMO Capital Markets opened a new foreign exchange office in Hong Kong, expanding our existing presence in the Pan Asian market. In addition, BMO expanded its financial products and debt products capabilities in Hong Kong. A team of sales and trading specialists have been put in place, doubling the size of the Hong Kong office.
Most recently, BMO has begun trading FX options in CNY, having received the license approval from the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (SAFE) early in May 2011. This is a significant milestone in our history with China.
“BMO is the first Canadian bank to have the license to trade CNY options in China and one of only two North American banks to have this market access. BMO is also the first Canadian bank to provide cross-border CNY payment service for its North American client base. As a full-suite participant in China’s onshore FX market, BMO is uniquely equipped to provide comprehensive yuan market information to our global client base to help them with their yuan exposures and payment requests,” said Jamie Thorsen, Executive Managing Director & Head of Foreign Exchange and China Capital Markets, BMO Capital Markets.
“We’ve been building relationships in China since 1818, for almost as long as the bank has been in business. Bolstering our service capabilities in the Asian market is a key part of our growth strategy that will deliver significant benefits to our clients over time,” added Ms. Thorsen.
Global Teamwork, Global Solutions
We pride ourselves on partnering with our non-foreign exchange product lines within the bank to offer clients a wide range of capabilities as needed. Our team can help you through complicated investment # deals and M&A opportunities, no matter where in the world they occur.
Our investor advisory services include active and passive strategies and execution. For our corporate clients we can offer cash flow or project hedging, intra-firm capital transfers, raising capital or borrowing in foreign markets, and cross-border M&A deals.
With an average level of experience of between 15 to 18 years, BMO Capital Markets FX advisors are trusted in corporate and investor circles alike for their expertise in foreign exchange. Our clients range from governments to hedge funds, to multinational corporations, to local corporations and small businesses.
Contact Us
Whatever your business ambitions and wherever they lead you, BMO Capital Markets Foreign Exchange can help you achieve them.
Jamie Thorsen, Executive Managing Director, Foreign Exchange & China Capital Markets
416-359-8081
Firas Askari, Managing Director, Foreign Exchange Trading, Canada and UK
416-359-8272
C.J. Gavsie, Managing Director, Corporate & Institutional Foreign Exchange, Canadian Sales
416-359-8681
Simon Watkins, Managing Director Foreign Exchange, UK
011-44-207-248-0424
Debbie Rechter, Managing Director, Corporate & Institutional Foreign Exchange, US Sales
312-845-4080
John McAuliffe, Managing Director, US Trading & Foreign Exchange Options
312-845-4084
Jolway Li, Director, Head, FX Asia
852-3406-0670
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