South African Reserve Bank launches FX code register for South Africa, SADC market participants
South Africa's central bank and the South African Foreign Exchange Committee are launching a public register for foreign exchange market participants to publish their Statements of Commitment to the FX Global Code. The platform is designed to widen transparency and support broader adoption of the code in South Africa and across the South African Development Community region.
Highlights
- South African Reserve Bank and SAFXC launched a public register as a central repository for FX market participants' Statements of Commitment in South Africa.
- The SAFXC Public Register covers wholesale FX participants in South Africa and admits compliant foreign participants, integrating with the Global Index of Public Registers for broader visibility.
- The initiative aims to bolster transparency and promote adoption of the FX Global Code across South Africa and the SADC region, impacting regional FX market standards.
Register scope and access arrangements
As reported by South African Reserve Bank, the new public register is created in collaboration with the South African Foreign Exchange Committee, or SAFXC, as a central and publicly accessible repository for Statements of Commitment by FX market participants.The register is primarily aimed at wholesale foreign exchange participants operating in South Africa. Market participants outside South Africa can also request inclusion formally, provided their Statements of Commitment comply with the standard FX Global Code format.
The repository will also be linked to the Global Index of Public Registers, extending its visibility within the broader international FX code framework.
Regional transparency and market implications
The initiative is intended to strengthen transparency standards in the foreign exchange market while encouraging wider use of the FX Global Code in both South Africa and the wider SADC region.For firms seeking to publish their Statements of Commitment on the SAFXC Public Register, the committee secretariat is the contact point through the South African Reserve Bank. Additional information on the SAFXC is available on the SARB website under FX Code Public Register.
Our earlier article on the Dangote refinery IPO highlighted how fragmented regulation and limited distribution channels can restrict cross-border participation in major African capital-market deals. Despite strong interest from investors in countries such as Kenya and Botswana, differing approval processes and the lack of a shared framework meant many buyers outside Nigeria faced delays and eligibility hurdles.