Saxo Bank

Saxo Bank is a Danish investment bank that was founded in 1992 as a brokerage firm called Midas Fondsmæglerselskab. Its founders, Lars Seier Christensen, Kim Fournais, and Marc Hauschildt, established the company with the aim of providing online trading and investment services. In 2001, after obtaining a banking license, the company changed its name to Saxo Bank.

Saxo Bank specializes in online trading and offers a wide range of financial instruments through its online platforms. Traders can access Forex, stocks, CFDs, futures, funds, bonds, and futures spreads. While Saxo Bank operates as an online broker with a banking license, it does not provide traditional banking products. The bank has established partnerships with institutional trading partners, with approximately half of its activities deriving from these collaborations. More than 100 financial institutions globally offer Saxo Bank's platforms to their clients under a white-label arrangement.

Headquartered in Copenhagen, Saxo Bank has expanded its presence to key financial centers worldwide. It has offices in cities such as London, Paris, Zurich, Dubai, Singapore, India, and Tokyo. The bank serves clients in 180 countries and boasts a significant daily average turnover of around US$12 billion.

Saxo Bank has positioned itself as a leading provider of financial technology solutions. It powers over 200 banks and brokers and works with more than 400 financial intermediaries. The bank's OpenAPI platform handles over 200 million requests per day, demonstrating its robust technological infrastructure.

In terms of ownership, Saxo Bank is privately held. Geely Financials Denmark A/S, a subsidiary of the Chinese automotive company Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co., Ltd, owns a majority stake of 50.89%. Kim Fournais, the founder and CEO of Saxo Bank, holds 27.53% of the shares, while Sampo Group owns 19.43%. The remaining shares are held by minority shareholders, including current and former employees.

Saxo Bank has also formed notable white-label partnerships with various banks, including Standard Bank, Old Mutual Wealth, Banco Carregosa, and Banco Best. These collaborations allow Saxo Bank to leverage its technology and expertise to deliver its trading platforms to a broader client base and expand its market reach.

Saxo Bank is a Danish investment bank founded in 1992 by Lars Seier Christensen and Kim Fournais in Copenhagen. The two founders were introduced to each other in London in the early 1990s and formed Midas Fondsmæglerselskab. The company acquired its license and launched its first internet product in 1997. The platform called MITS, later replaced by SaxoTrader, was designed for trading currencies. The company renamed itself as Saxo Bank and obtained its new banking license in 2001. The company then expanded its online presence and moved its headquarters to Gentofte, a suburb of Copenhagen.

In 1998, Saxo Bank launched its first digital platform, opening up the stock markets to private investors. In 2001, the bank partnered with its first white-label client, Portugal's Banco Carregosa, a wealth management specialist who wanted to leverage Saxo's back-end technology while offering state-of-the-art trading platforms under their own brand.

Saxo Bank launched its products and services in Europe during the early 2000s. In September 2004, it launched its first US white-label product. Following the launch of Citigroup's CitiFX Pro, an online foreign exchange trading platform developed by Saxo, in November 2008, the bank focused entirely on its institutional clients in the US.

In 2006, Saxo Bank ventured beyond Denmark and established its international presence by opening up offices in London and Singapore. In September 2007, Saxo announced the acquisition of its Swiss white-label client, Synthesis Bank. In late May, Saxo bought a French brokerage, Cambiste, that was later renamed Saxo Banque France. During 2009, Saxo opened offices in Milan, Prague, and Dubai. By year-end, Saxo Bank had around 13–14 foreign sales offices, up from eight the year before.

Saxo has since been growing through add-on acquisitions and startups and has built an asset management department, Saxo Asset Management, legally segregated from the rest of the bank, through acquisitions. In 2009, Saxo acquired Sirius Kapitalforvaltning and purchased the full share capital of Capital Four Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A/S and 51% of the share capital of Global Evolution Fondsmaeglerselskab A/S, providing expertise for Danish bond & equity instruments.

In March 2010, Saxo Bank launched a new equity platform able to trade in over 11,000 stocks and other products listed on 23 major exchanges worldwide. Saxo Bank was named the Best White Label Solution Provider in the world at the World Finance Foreign Exchange Awards 2010. In the same month, the bank was also awarded Best re-labelling platform for 2010 by industry magazine Profit & Loss.

In 2015, Saxo Bank invested in financial technology firm, Saxo Payments. The business was sold by Saxo Bank in July 2018 to investment firm EQT for $300M after Saxo Payments relaunched as Banking Circle.

In 2019, Saxo completed the acquisition of BinckBank. The bank turned its focus to expanding its offering and technical prowess. SaxoTraderGo was launched in 2015, SaxoTraderPro in 2018, SaxoInvestor in 2019, and SaxoPartnerConnect in 2022.

The mission of Saxo Bank is to enable individuals and institutions to trade and invest in global financial markets with ease, transparency, and control. The bank aims to provide its clients with cutting-edge technology, innovative trading platforms, and access to a wide range of financial instruments.

Saxo Bank's mission is centered around empowering clients to make informed investment decisions and take advantage of market opportunities. The bank strives to deliver reliable, efficient, and user-friendly trading solutions that meet the diverse needs of its clients, whether they are individual investors, financial institutions, or white-label partners.

Saxo Bank is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and security. The bank emphasizes the importance of building long-term relationships with its clients and partners based on trust and mutual success. It places a strong emphasis on regulatory compliance and risk management to ensure the safety of client funds and data.

The vision of Saxo Bank is to be a leading global provider of innovative financial solutions, revolutionizing the way people trade and invest in financial markets. The bank envisions a future where individuals and institutions have seamless access to global markets, advanced trading tools, and a wealth of investment opportunities.

Saxo Bank's vision revolves around embracing technological advancements and staying at the forefront of digital innovation in the financial industry. The bank aims to leverage cutting-edge technology to deliver intuitive and user-friendly trading platforms that empower clients to take control of their investments and make informed decisions.

Central to Saxo Bank's vision is the belief in democratizing access to financial markets. The bank seeks to break down barriers and create equal opportunities for all, regardless of their geographic location or financial background. By providing a range of trading instruments and educational resources, Saxo Bank aims to empower individuals to participate in global markets and grow their wealth.

Saxo Bank offers a wide range of products and services to cater to the needs of both retail and institutional clients. As a facilitator in financial markets, Saxo Bank ensures liquidity and connectivity to various exchanges and banks, enabling clients to access a diverse array of financial instruments.

For trading in listed equities, Saxo Bank provides connectivity to major stock exchanges, ensuring clients can trade in stocks with ease. The bank also offers liquidity for online margin trading in non-listed products by collaborating with over 15 large banks, ensuring competitive pricing and access to a broad range of investment opportunities.

Saxo Bank's trading platforms cater to both retail and institutional clients, offering a comprehensive suite of financial instruments. Clients can trade Forex, stocks, CFDs (Contracts for Difference), futures, funds, bonds, and futures spreads, allowing them to diversify their portfolios and capitalize on market opportunities across different asset classes.

The bank serves a wide range of clients, including retail clients and institutional entities such as banks, brokers, fund managers, money managers, family offices, and private banks. Saxo Bank's services extend to individuals and organizations seeking investment solutions, trading capabilities, and wealth management services.

In terms of investment products, Saxo Bank offers a variety of options, including stocks, ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds), bonds, mutual funds, Crypto ETPs (Exchange-Traded Products), and managed portfolios. This allows clients to access a broad range of asset classes and investment strategies to suit their financial goals and risk preferences.

Saxo Bank also provides leveraged products for those looking for amplified trading opportunities. Clients can engage in leveraged trading of futures, Forex (foreign exchange), Crypto FX (cryptocurrency), CFDs, and commodities, providing potential for higher returns while managing risk.