The Society for Worldwide InterbankFinancial Telecommunication (SWIFT) network, which was founded in Belgium in 1973, handles about half of the world’s cross-border fund transfers. As international commerce has grown, the SWIFT network has grown commensurately. It handled about 2.5 million daily transactions in 1995 and more than ten times that many in 2015.

But SWIFT is not a bank. It does not even touch the money which passes along its network. Instead, SWIFT sends payment orders to correspondent accounts at member banks. As such, SWIFT is strictly a bank-to-bank transfer service.

If you’re sending a money transfer with a bank, you’ll become acquainted with the SWIFT system. But is it the best channel to send your money through? We’re not so sure.

What does the SWIFT system mean for you and your money transfers?

• Added fees. In order to be members and transfer through the SWIFT system, banks are charged SWIFT fees. To counter this, both the recipient and the correspondent bank usually add fees to SWIFT transfers. Somebody, either the sender or the recipient or a combination of both, must pay them.

• Bad exchange rates. There are some hidden currency transfer costs, at least in most cases. Currency exchange rates vary in different markets and at different times. Banks routinely choose the worst possible currency exchange rate. Then, they quickly move the money to another marketplace and pocket the difference.

• Long transfer times. As mentioned above, SWIFT completes “most” of its transactions within thirty minutes. In this case, “most” means about half. Some transactions could take several days to process. Other delays, such as large transfer amounts or first-time users, could delay the process even more.

How does the SWIFT network work?

Today, SWIFT connects about 10,000 financial institutions in about 200 countries. That sounds sweeping and impressive. But most of its transfers go through fewer than two hundred banks, brokers, clearinghouses, and corporations.

Furthermore, SWIFT is the industry standard for linguistics and code, even for non-SWIFT institutions like Xe. SWIFT works with various international organizations to set content and format standards for messages and transactions. In other words, the network infrastructure usually handles codes as opposed to account numbers and other sensitive information. That’s one reason SWIFT is so secure.

Another reason the network is secure is that its three data centers in the United States, Switzerland, and the Netherlands communicate with each other via subterranean or submerged cables. These communications channels are difficult to hack.

SWIFT upgraded its network infrastructure in 2001 and again in 2008. Not coincidentally, 2008 was also the year international funds transfer prices went up significantly. As part of the upgrade, SWIFT required all member institutions to replace their bilateral key exchange encryption hardware with a Relationship Management Application. Member banks gladly passed these costs along to consumers.

How secure is the SWIFT system?

2008 was a long time ago in technological terms. The smartphone you had back then, assuming you had one, probably looked like one of those World War I field telephones compared to the one you have now. Yet 2008 was also the last time SWIFT did any major security upgrades.

The network paid the price in April 2016. Hackers used malware to steal about $81 million from the central bank in Bangladesh. The malware intercepted the supposedly unbreakable SWIFT codes and also covered the hacker’s tracks. Perhaps most disturbingly, SWIFT admitted that these thieves, or ones similarly equipped, had tried this before.

A few months later, an Ecuadorian bank sued Wells Fargo after the latter allegedly honored a $12 million fraudulent transfer. Hackers obtained canceled transaction requests, altered the amounts, and submitted them.

Questions continue about the network’s security. Some banks claimed they have lost money to hackers in much the same way. These allegations are under investigation.

Can you make money transfers without using the SWIFT system?

Yes, you can! Many banks and providers utilize the SWIFT system to send their money transfers due to its security, efficiency, and well-established reputation, but some providers instead opt to use other channels (or even create their own channels) to send money transfers.

Do you want an example of one such provider? Well, now that you mention it…

Sending money with Xe

SWIFT might be the largest international funds transfer platform in the world. But in terms of security, efficiency, privacy, and a few other areas, it falls short.

So, if you need a reliable and affordable way to send money overseas to family or friends, give Xe a try. We send money through our own money transfer channels, which means that we aren’t on the hook for additional SWIFT system fees and delays—and neither are you.

But don’t worry: our channels are still completely secure. We adhere to regulatory standards in every country that we do business in, with bank-grade security measures to ensure that your money and information are completely safe

When looking to partner with an FX provider, your first priority should be to evaluate the payments your business has made previously in order to get a better idea of the FX products and services that will best fit your business’ needs. And, when selecting a provider, make sure they understand your industry and the jurisdictions you are making payments to.

1. Frequency

How often are you making (or will you make) international payments? Making overseas payments costs more per transaction. The more payments you make, the more critical it is to get the cost per transaction right.

2. Amounts

The amounts you transfer affects the overall cost. Smaller amounts will have a higher margin added, therefore it’s worth determining whether you can bundle your payments to sharpen the margin you attract.

3. Timing

With exchange rates constantly fluctuating, the timing of your payments will have an impact on your overall profitability. If you do business in areas where currency valuations are highly volatile, an FX provider which can effectively advise you about the risks and opportunities of short or long-term foreign exchange contracts is ideal.

4. Industry

Each industry is different when it comes to the three factors above. Therefore, selecting a provider that understands your industry can make a big difference, as they’ll often be able to suggest the best foreign exchange service offering for your type of business.

Your business is as unique as you are. Don’t settle for generic money transfer services which treat your business as a number on a spreadsheet.

5. Geography

Finally, when selecting an FX provider, make sure they understand any regional nuances particular to the jurisdictions you are sending your money to – this will ensure your payments go through smoothly, and in a timely manner.

Taking the time to understand these five factors is the first step in taking control of your business’s FX requirements and will put you in good stead when selecting the right FX provider for your business.

Ready to learn more?

Download our essential FX Guide for Aussie and Kiwi businesses.

1. Perform due diligence

Following on from what we said above, before you expand overseas, it’s crucial that you understand the marketplace, competition and the risks. The best way to do this is to perform a deep dive due diligence. This should involve:

• A market segmentation analysis to determine if your product will be well received in the local market

• A product gap analysis when compared with other local goods or services
  Competitor analysis

• Your market opportunity/sizing

• How you’ll need to grow/adapt your team to cater for your international expansion

By doing so, you can determine whether this is going to be the right move for your business and your workforce whilst weighing up the risks and rewards.

2. Put together a detailed strategy and business plan

As with any new business decision – especially one of this size – a detailed strategy and business plan need to be created. This needs to take into account the specific economic, cultural, governmental and market conditions in the local area.

Your strategy should include your short, medium and long-term goals, and it should set out your metrics for measuring success. It’s also important to create a budget, tactical plan, key dates and marketing strategy.

By putting together a localised strategy in this way, you can stay on the path to success whilst ensuring that your move overseas stays in line with the overall business goals and objectives.

3. Create a frontline team

When moving your business overseas, it can be tempting to quickly try and build a local team from scratch. This can be extremely time-consuming, risky and means your expansion is not going to get off to the best start.

Instead, you should consider relocating some of your key senior staff, even if the move is just temporary. By relocating proven and talented members of your team to your overseas location, you can hit the ground running.

After all, they already know the business, so they can get things set up. They can then help with the recruiting process to ensure that you employ local people who fit with the company culture and can continue to drive the business forward. This will obviously take a bit of work and lots of incentives to have staff members be willing to relocate but taking most of the stress out of it with luggage shipping and providing temporary housing is a good start.

4. Make sure your goods or services are prepared

Your gap analysis should have highlighted any areas of weakness, so you need to take the necessary steps to get your goods or services ready for the new local marketplace. This means:

• Making changes to ensure your goods or services stand out from existing offerings

• Determining whether you need to localise your goods or services. For example, does the name translate OK into the local language or does it need changing?

• Getting a patent and trademark review to ensure your ideas cannot be duplicated by another local provider

• Conducting tests and quality assurance to ensure your goods or services are up to local standards

• Starting to build a local logistics and distribution network

5. Determine your organisational readiness

A one size fits all approach will not work when it comes to moving your business overseas. This is because the different languages, regulations, laws, customs and cultures will impact how you implement business policies and procedures.

Therefore, you need to make sure that your business can be flexible and accommodate these differences. You also need to evaluate your current structure and whether this will work in another country.

Not only this, but you need to decide on the average salaries, compensation packages and types of benefit programs you’ll be able to offer to your workforce. Remember, if you want to attract talented local professionals, you need to offer competitive packages.

6. Create a marketing strategy

When entering a new market, you need to make sure you have a go-to marketing strategy in place to help you effectively sell your goods or services overseas. This requires a strong sales model and methodology, as well as a pricing model that reflects the local market.

You also need to make sure that your branding will be well received by your new international customer base and create a marketing strategy that shouts about this.

7. Consider your legal readiness

Just as with your organisational readiness, you also need to make sure that you have all the necessary legal documentation and regulations in place, especially because some countries can be very litigious. If you’re unsure what you need to do, it might be time to get a professional opinion before spending time and money expanding overseas.

By ensuring that you get all the right local commercial agreements in place, review any local industry regulations and just generally stay proactive, you can mitigate the risks of legal action or problems further down the line.

This also includes getting the proper tax and finance infrastructures set up so that your foreign branch of the business is adhering to all local corporate policies and procedures.

8. Start establishing relationships with local businesses

The final step in this guide is to start establishing relationships with local businesses to give your own business a strong competitive advantage.

In doing so, you can create a supporting ecosystem of complementary products and services by working closely with local providers. For example, this could be manufacturers, shipping and courier services or local banks.

Now you’re finally ready to make the leap; you should be all set up financially, legally and with a team of talented professionals ready to help expand your business.

Most of the world’s currencies are bought and sold based on flexible exchange rates, meaning their prices fluctuate based on the supply and demand in the foreign exchange market. High demand for a currency or a shortage in its supply will cause an increase in price. A currency’s supply and demand are tied to a number of intertwined factors including the country’s monetary policy, the rate of inflation, and political and economic conditions.

Monetary Policy

One way a country may stimulate its economy is through its monetary policy. Many central banks attempt to control the demand for currency by increasing or decreasing the money supply and/or benchmark interest rates.

“With a low interest rate, people and businesses are more willing and able to borrow money”

The money supply is the amount of a currency in circulation. As a country’s money supply increases and the currency becomes more available, the price of borrowing the currency goes down. The interest rate is the price at which money can be borrowed. With a low interest rate, people and businesses are more willing and able to borrow money. As they continually spend this borrowed money, the economy grows. However, if there is too much money in the economy and the supply of goods and services does not increase accordingly, prices may begin to inflate.

Rate of Inflation

Another variable that heavily influences the value of a currency is the inflation rate. The inflation rate is the rate at which the general price of goods and services are increasing. While a small amount of inflation indicates a healthy economy, too much of an increase can cause economic instability, which may ultimately lead to the currency’s depreciation.

A country’s inflation rate and interest rates heavily influence its economy. If the inflation rate gets too high, the central bank may counteract the problem by raising the interest rate. This encourages people to stop spending and instead save their money. It also stimulates foreign investment and increases the amount of capital entering the marketplace, which leads to an increased demand for currency. Therefore, an increase in a country’s interest rate leads to an appreciation of its currency. Similarly, a decrease in an interest rate causes depreciation of the currency.

Political and Economic Conditions

The economic and political conditions of a country can also cause a currency’s value to fluctuate. While investors enjoy high interest rates, they also value the predictability of an investment. This is why currencies from politically stable and economically sound countries generally have higher demand, which, in turn, leads to higher exchange rates.

Markets continually monitor the current and expected future economic conditions of countries. In addition to money supply changes, interest rates, and inflation rates, other key economic indicators include gross domestic product, unemployment rate, housing starts, and trade balance (a country’s total exports less its total imports). If these indicators show a strong and growing economy, its currency will tend to appreciate as demand increases.

Similarly, strong political conditions impact currency values positively. If a country is in the midst of political unrest or global tensions, the currency becomes less attractive and demand falls. On the other hand, if a market sees the introduction of a new government that suggests stability or strong future economic growth, a currency may appreciate as people buy it based on the good news.

Conclusion

There is no single indicator that explains exactly why a currency has fluctuated or predicts with certainty what its price will do. Instead, many factors related to demand and supply affect currency values. What has been shown is that more knowledge and understanding of market conditions and their implications for currency fluctuations leads to more accurate predictions.