Conference at Burj Al Arab brings together leaders in the currency and commodity brokerage industry

Dubai, 1 July 2012:  Alpari ME DMCC, part of the Alpari group, a leading online currency and commodity broker, hosted a seminar by MetaQuotes on automated and algorithmic trading at Dubai's iconic Burj Al Arab, alongside the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange (DGCX). The event was attended by interested companies and individuals from registered trading entities on the DGCX, gold traders, Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) owners, High Net Worth Individuals, Financial brokers, proprietary trading houses, Retail and Institutional Investors.

Iskandar Najjar, Alpari's regional CEO, started proceedings with a welcome speech, giving an introduction to Alpari ME DMCC and the Group. Gaurav Kashyap, Alpari's head of the DGCX desk, followed with ideas on trading strategies to look out for and how to take advantage of the current state of currency and commodity markets regionally and globally, focusing on particular currencies, such as the Indian Rupee and commodities such as copper. Alpari's introduction preceded a talk by representatives from the DGCX and an insight into Algorithmic trading from MetaQuotes through their revolutionary MetaTrader 5 technology.  

Algorithmic Trading is a trading system that utilises very advanced mathematical models for making transaction decisions in the financial markets. The rules built into the model attempt to determine the optimal time for an order to be placed that will cause the least amount of impact on an underlying asset's price. Algorithmic trading is most commonly used by investors due to the large amount of assets they purchase every day and the complex algorithms allow these investors to obtain the best possible price without significantly affecting the asset's price and increasing purchasing costs.

Iskandar Najjar, CEO of Alpari ME DMCC, said: "The fact that such a seminar, bringing together heavyweights from our industry, is being held in Dubai is an indication of the growing appetite for currency and commodity trading in the region. Over the last year we've seen that trading in the region is more popular than ever and in a relatively short space of time has established itself as a viable alternative to the equity and bond markets in the region."

Najjar continued, "Technology such as MetaTrader 5 has enabled the currency and commodity brokerage industry to continue to flourish on leading exchanges such as the DGCX. We operate in a millisecond industry where every moment is crucial; with technology as advanced as it is currently, we can be safe in the knowledge that traders using Alpari's platforms will have the best possible tools at their disposal."

Gaies Chreis, COO of MetaQuotes Software Corp., said, "We have successfully created an interface that can connect the global broking and trading community to an international exchange like DGCX. With interest in the Middle East and in particular in the Arabian Gulf increasing by the day, our brokers as well as end users of the MetaTrader 5 Platform are now able to trade commodities and derivatives offered by DGCX. MetaQuotes is focused on enhancing global connectivity, improving product diversification and creating new asset classes to meet market expectations and requirements. It is an honour that Alpari ME DMCC is the first broker to offer such trading facilities with an exchange in the Arab World. "

Alpari ME DMCC was recently awarded full broker membership by the DGCX, offering its clients a wider range of tradable assets including currency and commodity futures. In 2011 alone, the Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange registered record growth of 110% year on year, of which currency contracts accounted for 88% of total contracts, valued at $185.13 billion. Precious metals accounted for the rest. Alpari ME DMCC is the first broker to offer MetaQuotes' MT5 on DGCX, allowing its client base to seamlessly communicate with commodity future exchanges.  

About Alpari ME DMCC
Alpari ME DMCC, based in Dubai, is part of the Alpari group of companies. The company offers support for individuals and institutions seeking to trade in Forex or commodities across any of the Alpari group of companies' platforms and exchanges.

About the Alpari Group
With a history dating back to 1998, the Alpari group are among the world's fastest growing providers of online Forex trading services. Alpari provides cutting edge technology, low-cost trading, comprehensive market research tools, advanced educational programmes and world-class customer service.

Alpari have more than 50 offices in cities in over 20 countries, including London, New York, Shanghai, Dubai, Moscow, Mumbai and Frankfurt. Combined, they look after over 200,000 active trading accounts, generating monthly trading volumes in excess of $210 billion, and employ over 630 people worldwide.*

*All figures May 2011

Media contact
James Hawksworth
Capital MSL
Tel: +971 4 367 6158
Email: james.hawksworth@capitalmsl.com

Maram Alkadhi
Capital MSL
Tel: +971 4 367 6160
Email: maram.alkadhi@capitalmsl.com
Tony Philip
Alpari ME DMCC, part of the Alpari group of companies
Email: tphilip@alpari.ae

© Press Release 2012