Britain sees sharp drop in bank charges since December, but are still 3x charges of currency specialists, finds the latest International Money Transfer Index

PRESS RELEASE UNDER EMBARGO:
00.01 Tuesday 22 March, 2016

- UK banks’ costs down by as much as 22% compared to December 2015
- But banks are still charging three times more than money transfer companies
- Bank charges on £1,000 transfers near double those on £10,000 transfers

Bank charges levied on international money transfers have seen a sharp fall since the inception of the International Money Transfer Index™ (IMTI™) from intelligence and comparison service FXcompared.com, yet they still offer very poor value for individuals and businesses moving money overseas.

On its first anniversary, the unique IMTI™ – which has now become recognised as the industry standard in monitoring banking costs for currency transactions - shows that UK banks are charging customers 4.8% on transactions of £1,000 when taking into account both fees and their currency spread. This is down from 6.1% in the IMTI data for December 2015 - a fall of almost 22% - but is still three times the 1.6% charged by non-bank money transfer providers for the equivalent transaction.

In monetary terms, someone using a bank to make this transfer rather than a non-bank money transfer provider is losing £32 on each transaction at this level made via a bank, and if this transaction is made monthly that means a loss of £384 a year.

On a £10,000 transaction, the banks charge 2.8% including fees and spread, down from 3.5% in the December 2015 data – a fall of nearly 20% - with currency brokers charging just 0.9%, so banks are still charging more than three times as much as a broker. On this transaction, you would pay an extra £190 by using a bank, giving a total loss of £2,280 over the year if these transactions are made every month.

Daniel Webber, co-founder and Managing Director of FXcompared, said: “It is good to see the bank fees are coming down, but there is still a very big difference between what you pay to a bank for moving money overseas compared to what you would pay a broker.

“The data is clear that you are literally paying a bank three times more for the same transaction, yet people are still losing out significantly by thinking the bank is the better bet. Individuals and companies can save significant amounts by using a broker instead, and it seems that the message is starting to get through.

“We cannot say for sure, but it is likely the reason we have seen such a sharp drop in the amounts banks are charging is down to competition from currency brokers, because when we look at other data sets across the first full year of the IMTI™, there is no direct correlation between currency movements and costs to suggest otherwise.”

The IMTI™ was specifically designed for individuals and businesses who want to understand the costs of transferring money overseas. It is also of value to banks, non-bank money transfer providers, corporates, consultancies and other companies who operate in the international payments space.

Gary Pitt, head of marketing and Currencies Direct, said: “Currencies Direct have been driving for greater transparency within the money transfer industry and welcomes the International Money Transfer Index (IMTI™) index compiled by FXcompared Intelligence.

"Over the last year they have created an industry standard, giving people the information they need to make the right decision when transferring money overseas.”


ENDS

Notes to editors:

The full IMTI™ report with additional the methodology and data sets is available from FXcompared by going to: www.fxcompared.com/imti

For more information, please call:
Daniel Webber FXcompared: +44 (0) 207 871 5565


About FXcompared

FXcompared is an independent online service that enables individuals and SMEs to compare international money transfer companies. FXcompared also provides white-label services to publishers and partners worldwide. FXcompared is privately owned with offices in London and New York.

FXcompared Intelligence provides industry leading insight, analysis and data on the foreign exchange markets and also produces the International Money Transfer Index™ (IMTI™).

About Currencies Direct

Currencies Direct (www.currenciesdirect.com) is a leading non-bank provider of international payment services. Since its formation in 1996, Currencies Direct has helped more than 150,000 people and businesses send money overseas, transferring more than £4bn in payments and saving clients more than £105 million, compared to using their bank, each year.

Headquartered in Canary Wharf, London (United Kingdom) with operations in Europe, Africa, America, Australasia and Asia, Currencies Direct is jointly owned by private equity investors Corsair Capital and Palamon Capital Partners.

www.currenciesdirect.com/