General FAQ         Technical FAQ

How Does ACM make money?

Since they do not charge commissions or any administration fees the question of how ACM clears a profit eventually arises.

What happens to my position once I have entered the market with ACM?
Once you have undertaken a position, ACM will proceed in one of the following manners:

• STP (Straight Through Processing): The majority of the trading volume goes directly to their multiple liquidity providers. This means that when you are trading with ACM your trades are automatically laid off with their liquidity partner banks. These liquidity providers are, in the case of ACM the largest banks participating in the foreign exchange market. This, among other benefits, guarantees you correct pricing and constant liquidity at all times.
• ACM also builds up an overall position (deal book) of all its customers' transactions in different currencies and in different directions. ACM can therefore also "match" client orders and positions between themselves.
• ACM can also build up its market position and gradually hedge any risk that position exposes them to with institutional counter-parties. In that respect ACM operates very much like the dealing and treasury department of a large institutional bank.

So how does ACM clear a profit while offering a spread of only 3 pips?
Simply, ACM acts like a wholesaler. As you would go to a supermarket to get better prices than at your local grocery shop, ACM works very much in the same way. ACM regroups; thousands of clients therefore creating a huge amount of trading capital and volume. With this trading capital and volume, ACM is able to negotiate excellent interbank conditions with its liquidity providers. The result is that if ACM can offer 3 pips to its clients it means that its liquidity providers are offering ACM less than 3 pips. These conditions are achievable only by guarantying Billions in monthly volumes to our counter parties.

ACM has, by its policy, decided to attract a greater amount of clients wishing to take advantage of ACM's exceptional trading conditions. ACM therefore prefers to earn less per each individual transaction and to compensate by a larger market share and higher volumes.

What is money laundering?
Criminals have to find a way of making the money they get from their criminal activities "clean". They try to launder their illicit funds by getting them into the financial system without detection or arousing suspicion. If they can get their funds into the financial system they can then transfer it between different bank accounts or financial products across the world, or use it to buy goods and services. The idea is to make the illicit funds look like they have come from a legitimate source. Criminals try to make it as hard as possible for the authorities to connect the money with its criminal past. The "clean" money is often used to fund further crimes, including acts of terrorism.

Why must I prove my identity to ACM?
Criminals won't use their real name or address to buy financial products or services or open a bank account - it would be too easy to trace the money back to them. So, they use false identities and addresses. They may even try to buy a product or open an account using your identity. This is why financial services firms like ACM have the responsibility to check to make sure they know their customer before they agree to open an account or allow you to buy their financial products or services.

What kind of identification and information do I need to provide to ACM?
You will need to show that you are who you say you are and that you live where you say you live. Additionally you must clearly specify on the customer agreement where your transfer will be coming from (which bank, account number etc.). You must also clearly specify on the customer agreement from which activity your funds originate.

• An Original certified copy of an ID or passport (or driver's licence in the US ). (You can obtain certification at your local town hall, police station or public notary).
• Your photograph and your signature must be clearly visible so that ACM may compare it with the signature on your customer agreement.
• You must clearly specify on the ACM customer agreement which bank your transfer will be coming from, your account number and beneficiary name, (the account beneficiary must match the name on your customer agreement, namely: your own. Additionally, any profits and/or original remaining funds you wish to repatriate must go back to the same account number and especially the same beneficiary name, again: your own.
• You must also clearly specify on the customer agreement from which activity your funds originate.

Official certification is required because they are more difficult to forge. Please remember though, Swiss money laundering regulations require ACM to verify your identity and to keep copies of the documentation you give them. If it is not possible to verify your identity, then by law ACM will not be able to provide you with its products or services.

ACM TECHNICAL SUPPORT

I cannot login to my trading account. I keep getting a red box with an error message about my user id/password, what should I do?
This means that you account is locked. You must contact ACM's dealing desk to unlock your account. You can do this either by email, Live Support (if available) or phone +41 (22) 319 22 02. Phone is the recommended method as there may be a time delay in responding to your email.

Accounts are locked when the trader close their web browser without first using the "logout" feature of the trading platform. This is a security feature to protect the account holder. To ensure that your account is not locked, always log yourself out of your account before closing your web browser or shutting down your computer.

Problems with the dealing software
The WYCIWYG online dealing software is made to work on the greatest number of systems available. In fact, WYCIWYG is the online dealing software to our knowledge that works not only on a Windows based environment but also on MAC and LINUX.

If you are experiencing problems with WYCIWYG, first compare the following minimum requirements with your system:

Minimum requirements:

PC with windows NT or 98 Mac or Linux
Explorer 4 / Netscape 4
56k modem connection
Pentium 2 / 400 Mhz or equivalent
128 MB RAM
Screen resolution of 800 x 600 optimal: 1024 x 768

If your system does not meet the above requirements you should try upgrading some of the applications and/or hardware.

• Try downloading the latest version of macromedia flash player.
• On your browser menu bar click on: 'Tools', 'Internet Options.' and in the 'Temporary Internet Files' section click on the button 'Delete Files.'
• Download Internet explorer 6 or later version Internet explorer.
• Check with your internet provider if you have periodic interruptions with your connection.
• Both our website and platform are best viewed with the following screen resolution: 1024 x 768.
• On most computers upon booting, many applications are loaded like anti-virus applications and other software. On a slow system this can create problems because these applications take up a lot of memory. To liberate memory, deactivate any superfluous applications by clicking on your toolbar and closing them. You can also press Ctrl-Alt-Delete simultaneously and deactivate them from there.
• When the WYCIWYG demo and/or live are running in your browser you should try and keep only that window open and avoid opening any additional browsers, as this can also be a memory drain.
• For optimal performance, please use the "Logout" function when exiting WYCIWYG.
• We recommend that you Logout from WYCIWYG every 4 to 6 hours to avoid cash memory overload. Please use the "Logout" function to leave the platform, close your browser, then re-open your browser and login again.

E-mail tech support if you encounter any further complications: techsupport@ac-markets.com.