The U.S. dollar dominated the list of the most traded currencies in 2022, being involved in the vast majority of any currency trades. This is according to a ranking that looks at trading regardless of pairs. The most common forex transaction by pair in that year was the euro and the U.S. dollar, which accounted for almost ** percent of the average daily turnover of all currency exchanges in April 2022.

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Foreign Exchange Market Size 2025-2029

The foreign exchange market size is forecast to increase by USD 582 billion, at a CAGR of 10.6% between 2024 and 2029.

The Foreign Exchange Market is segmented by type (reporting dealers, financial institutions, non-financial customers), trade finance instruments (currency swaps, outright forward and FX swaps, FX options), trading platforms (electronic trading, over-the-counter (OTC), mobile trading), and geography (North America: US, Canada; Europe: Germany, Switzerland, UK; Middle East and Africa: UAE; APAC: China, India, Japan; South America: Brazil; Rest of World). This segmentation reflects the market's global dynamics, driven by institutional trading, increasing digital adoption through electronic trading and mobile trading, and regional economic activities, with APAC markets like India and China showing significant growth alongside traditional hubs like the US and UK.
The market is experiencing significant shifts driven by the escalating trends of urbanization and digitalization. These forces are creating 24x7 trading opportunities, enabling greater accessibility and convenience for market participants. However, the market's dynamics are not without challenges. The uncertainty of future exchange rates poses a formidable obstacle for businesses and investors alike, necessitating robust risk management strategies. As urbanization continues to expand and digital technologies reshape the trading landscape, market players must adapt to remain competitive. One significant trend is the increasing use of money transfer agencies, venture capital investments, and mutual funds in foreign exchange transactions. Companies seeking to capitalize on these opportunities must navigate the challenges effectively, ensuring they stay abreast of exchange rate fluctuations and implement agile strategies to mitigate risk.
The ability to adapt and respond to these market shifts will be crucial for success in the evolving market.

What will be the Size of the Foreign Exchange Market during the forecast period?

Explore in-depth regional segment analysis with market size data - historical 2019-2023 and forecasts 2025-2029 - in the full report.
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In the dynamic and intricate realm of the market, entities such as algorithmic trading, order book, order management systems, and liquidity risk intertwine, shaping the ever-evolving market landscape. The market's continuous unfolding is characterized by the integration of various components, including sentiment analysis, Fibonacci retracement, mobile trading, and good-for-the-day orders. Market activities are influenced by factors like political stability, monetary policy, and market liquidity, which in turn impact economic growth and trade settlement. Technical analysis, with its focus on chart patterns and moving averages, plays a crucial role in informing trading decisions. The market's complexity is further amplified by the presence of entities like credit risk, counterparty risk, and operational risk.

Central bank intervention, order execution, clearing and settlement, and trade confirmation are essential components of the market's infrastructure, ensuring a seamless exchange of currencies. Geopolitical risk, currency correlation, and inflation rates contribute to currency volatility, necessitating hedging strategies and risk management. Market risk, interest rate differentials, and commodity currencies influence trading strategies, while cross-border payments and brokerage services facilitate international trade. The ongoing evolution of the market is marked by the emergence of advanced trading platforms, automated trading, and real-time data feeds, enabling traders to make informed decisions in an increasingly interconnected and complex global economy.

How is this Foreign Exchange Industry segmented?

The foreign exchange industry research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD billion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

Type

  Reporting dealers
  Financial institutions
  Non-financial customers


Trade Finance Instruments

  Currency swaps
  Outright forward and FX swaps
  FX options


Trading Platforms

  Electronic Trading
  Over-the-Counter (OTC)
  Mobile Trading


Geography

  North America

    US
    Canada


  Europe

    Germany
    Switzerland
    UK


  Middle East and Africa

    UAE


  APAC

    China
    India
    Japan


  South America

    Brazil


  Rest of World (ROW)

By Type Insights

The reporting dealers segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

The market is a dynamic and complex ecosystem where various entities interplay to manage currency risks and facilitate international trade. Reporting dealers, as key participants,

The euro and U.S. dollar made up more than ***** of 10 SWIFT payments worldwide in 2025, outperforming many other currencies. This is according to a monthly report meant to track the market share of China's yuan renminbi within the international bank transfer system SWIFT. Although China holds the largest forex reserves in the world, the yuan ranked as the ******-used currency in international payments. The figures concern customer-initiated and institutional payments and exclude trade. Discussions on the potential weakening role of the U.S. dollar especially touch world trade and forex. For example, the share of the USD in forex reserves declined visibly against the euro and Japanese yen in 2024. What sparked this de-dollarization trend, and will it continue? Trade sanctions and de-dollarization De-dollarization in 2024 is mentioned mostly alongside trade and the BRICS countries - an informal name given to Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. The combined GDP of BRICS is about ** percent of the world's economy. After the start of the Ukraine war and Russia received economic sanctions, the BRICS slowly evolved into a trading bloc. The group increasingly wanted its own currency to settle payments within the trade bloc, to avoid using the U.S. dollar. In August 2024, BRICS will gather in South Africa to discuss the creation of such a new joint currency. Additionally, ** countries - including Argentina, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Yemen - expressed interest in joining the BRICS group. CBDC, or projects into a digital payment settlement A factor of future uncertainty for the U.S. dollar is how central bank digital currencies (CBDC) develop in emerging countries. Several projects exist between individual countries that specifically target cross-border interbank payments. A cooperation between Thailand and Hong Kong, Inthanon-Lionrock, ranks as the most advanced of these projects. CBDC does not require the U.S. dollar to function. Tangible such as commodities or gold can back them. The value of transactions processed with CBDC is to grow by ******* percent between 2024 and 2030.

Average daily turnover of the U.S. dollar on global foreign exchange (forex) markets increased more than **** fold from 2001 to 2022. In total - covering both spot transactions and forex derivatives like swaps, forwards and options - the average daily turnover of the U.S. dollar as of ********** amounted to *** trillion U.S. dollars. The forex - or foreign exchange market - turnover per day is a figure that is not often measured, only once every three years. No figures are available for 2020, for instance.

The DXY exchange rate rose to 97.3823 on July 24, 2025, up 0.17% from the previous session. Over the past month, the United States Dollar has weakened 0.30%, and is down by 6.67% over the last 12 months. United States Dollar - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Forex daily volume was nearly *** billion U.S. dollars for the USD currency, an amount ***** times higher than for the euro (EUR). The forex - or foreign exchange market - turnover per day is a figure that is not often measured, only once every three years. No figures are available for 2020, for instance. What figures are available, however, indicate that the USD currency far outweighs that of many other currencies all over the world. What is the forex market? The forex market is based on the fluctuations in the value of currency interest rates. For example, the U.S. dollar performs differently against other major currencies. If one can properly predict these fluctuations, they can buy a weaker currency with a stronger one. After the currencies rebalance, the original currency will be worth more in terms of the exchange rate, giving the investor a profit. There are many foreign exchange trading services, including many multinational banks which already work in multiple currencies. Other currency trading functions Countries and central banks typically hold foreign currencies. These international reserves help facilitate the transactions in international trade, which is one reason China’s foreign reserves are so high. Countries can buy and sell foreign currencies to maintain a particular exchange rate. This is necessary for currencies which are pegged to another currency, such as the U.S. dollar. However, some countries are accused of exchange rate manipulation to make their exports seem more attractive. Finally, certain currencies are considered safer. Citizens and firms in a country with an unstable currency will buy these currencies to avoid volatility, or even hyperinflation, in their home currency.

Global foreign exchange (net - net), for currency swaps, total (all currencies), us dollar, total (all maturities), reporting dealers, All countries (total), All countries (total), total (all ratings), total (all sectors), total (all methods), outstanding - gross market values

Prices for DXY Dollar Index including live quotes, historical charts and news. DXY Dollar Index was last updated by Trading Economics this July 24 of 2025.

A graphic that displays the dollar performance against other currencies reveals that economic developments had mixed results on currency exchanges. The third quarter of 2023 marked a period of disinflation in the euro area, while China's projected growth was projected to go up. The United States economy was said to have a relatively strong performance in Q3 2023, although growing capital market interest rate and the resumption of student loan repayments might dampen this growth at the end of 2023. A relatively weak Japanese yen Q3 2023 saw pressure from investors towards Japanese authorities on how they would respond to the situation surrounding the Japanese yen. The USD/JPY rate was close to ***, whereas analysts suspected it should be around ** given the country's purchase power parity. The main reason for this disparity is said to be the differences in central bank interest rates between the United States, the euro area, and Japan. Any future aggressive changes from, especially the U.S. Fed might lower those differences. Financial markets responded somewhat disappoint when Japan did not announce major plans to tackle the situation. Potential rent decreases in 2024 Central bank rates peak in 2023, although it is expected that some of these will decline in early 2024. That said, analysts expect overall policies will remain restrictive. For example, the Bank of England's interest rate remained unchanged at **** percent in Q3 2023. It is believed the United Kingdom's central bank will ease its interest rate in 2024 but less than either the U.S. Fed or the European Central Bank. This should be a positive development for the pound compared to either the euro or the dollar.

Graph and download economic data for Nominal Broad U.S. Dollar Index (DTWEXBGS) from 2006-01-02 to 2025-07-18 about trade-weighted, broad, exchange rate, currency, goods, services, rate, indexes, and USA.

This report analyses the exchange rate between the Great British pound (GBP) sterling and the US dollar (USD). Figures are quoted in terms of USD ($) per GBP (£), meaning that a rise in the figure represents a stronger comparative pound. The data is sourced from the Bank of England (BoE) in addition to estimates by IBISWorld, with reference to the conditioning assumptions for the sterling effective exchange rate published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The figures represent annual averages for each financial year (i.e., April through March). The spot price of the pound sterling in US dollars is determined by the supply and demand of the two currencies, which is in turn predominantly affected by the relative performance of the two economies and differences is monetary policy (i.e., interest rates) and inflation rates. The GBP/USD currency pair is one of the most frequently traded on global foreign exchange markets and, like all money markets, can be relatively volatile. The US dollar is also seen as a "safe-haven" currency, which can also have a significant bearing on the way it trades against other currencies on the global market.

The EUR/USD exchange rate fell to 1.1735 on July 24, 2025, down 0.33% from the previous session. Over the past month, the Euro US Dollar Exchange Rate - EUR/USD has strengthened 0.44%, and is up by 8.14% over the last 12 months. Euro US Dollar Exchange Rate - EUR/USD - values, historical data, forecasts and news - updated on July of 2025.

Global foreign exchange (gross - gross), for options bought, total (all currencies), us dollar, total (all maturities), reporting dealers, All countries (total), All countries (total), total (all ratings), total (all sectors), total (all methods), outstanding - gross market values

Global foreign exchange (net - net), for outright forwards and fx swaps, total (all currencies), us dollar, total (all maturities), total (all counterparties), All countries (total), All countries (total), total (all ratings), total (all sectors), total (all methods), outstanding - gross market values

Kazakhstan Foreign Exchange Rate: Market Rate: Weighted Average: US Dollar data was reported at 366.900 KZT/USD in Oct 2018. This records a decrease from the previous number of 367.910 KZT/USD for Sep 2018. Kazakhstan Foreign Exchange Rate: Market Rate: Weighted Average: US Dollar data is updated monthly, averaging 149.505 KZT/USD from Jan 2002 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 202 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 367.910 KZT/USD in Sep 2018 and a record low of 118.060 KZT/USD in Jul 2006. Kazakhstan Foreign Exchange Rate: Market Rate: Weighted Average: US Dollar data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by The National Bank of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Kazakhstan – Table KZ.M006: Foreign Exchange Rate.

The U.S. dollar was the most common currency in foreign exchange reserves in 2023, comprising more than three times the amount of the euro in global reserves that year. This total peaked in 2015, partly due to the strength of the dollar during the Eurozone crisis. The share of the U.S. dollar has lost since to the Japanese yen and euro, as well as other currencies. Why do foreign exchange reserves matter? When countries with different currencies export goods, they must agree on a currency for payment. As a result, countries hold currency reserves worth trillions of U.S. dollars. After World War II, the U.S. dollar itself became the international currency in the Bretton Woods Agreement and is thus the most common currency for international payments. The United States Treasury is also seen by most as risk-free, giving the country a low-risk premium. For this reason, countries hold U.S. dollars in reserve because the currency holds value relatively well eventually. China and currency reserves Since 2016, the International Monetary Fund has included the Chinese renminbi (yuan) as part of the Special Drawing Rights (SDR) basket. This decision recognized the influence of the renminbi as a reserve currency, particularly in several Asian countries. China also holds significant foreign exchange reserves itself, funded by its large positive trade balance.

Graph and download economic data for Amounts Outstanding of International Money Market Instruments, Commercial Paper in Currency of Issue in US dollar (DISCONTINUED) (IMMICCUSAO) from Q3 1989 to Q2 2015 about instruments, issues, MMMF, commercial paper, currency, and commercial.

The Foreign Exchange Market is Segmented by Instrument Type (Spot Forex, Forex Swaps, Outright Forwards, Currency Swaps, Forex Options, and Other OTC Derivatives), by Counterparty (Reporting Dealers, Other Financial Institutions, and Non-Financial Customers), by Channel (Online and Offline), and by Region (North America, South America, and More). The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).

The foreign exchange (Forex) market is a global decentralized market for the trading of currencies. It is the largest financial market in the world, with an average daily trading volume of over $5 trillion. The market size is expected to reach $84 million by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 5.83% during the forecast period 2025-2033. Key drivers of the Forex market growth include increasing international trade, rising foreign direct investment, and growing demand for hedging and speculation. The market is also being driven by the increasing use of online trading platforms and the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies. The major players in the Forex market include Deutsche Bank, UBS, JP Morgan, State Street, XTX Markets, Jump Trading, Citi, Bank of New York Mellon, Bank America, and Goldman Sachs. The market is segmented by type (spot Forex, currency swap, outright forward, Forex swaps, Forex options, other types), counterparty (reporting dealers, other financial institutions, non-financial customers), and region (North America, South America, Europe, Middle East & Africa, Asia Pacific). Recent developments include: In November 2023, JP Morgan revealed the introduction of novel FX Warrants denominated in Hong Kong dollars in the Hong Kong market, marking its status as the inaugural issuer in Asia to present FX Warrants featuring CNH/HKD (Chinese Renminbi traded outside Mainland China/Hong Kong dollar) and JPY/HKD (Japanese Yen/Hong Kong dollar) as underlying currency pairs. These fresh FX Warrants are set to commence trading on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange., In October 2023, Deutsche Bank AG finalized its purchase of Numis Corporation Plc. The integration of both brands under the name 'Deutsche Numis' underscores their collective influence and standing in the UK and global markets. 'Deutsche Numis' emerges as a prominent entity in UK investment banking and the preferred advisor for UK-listed companies. This acquisition aligns with Deutsche Bank's Global Hausbank strategy, aiming to become the primary partner for clients in financial services and fostering stronger relationships with corporations throughout the United Kingdom., In June 2023, UBS successfully finalized the acquisition of Credit Suisse, marking a significant achievement. Credit Suisse Group AG has merged into UBS Group AG, forming a unified banking entity.. Key drivers for this market are: International Transactions Driven by Growing Tourism Driving Market Demand, Market Liquidity Impacting the Foreign Exchange Market. Potential restraints include: International Transactions Driven by Growing Tourism Driving Market Demand, Market Liquidity Impacting the Foreign Exchange Market. Notable trends are: FX Swaps is leading the market.

US Dollar to National Currency Spot Exchange Rate for the International Monetary Fund was 1.33366 US $ per National Currency Units in January of 2023, according to the United States Federal Reserve. Historically, US Dollar to National Currency Spot Exchange Rate for the International Monetary Fund reached a record high of 1.58274 in January of 2008 and a record low of 1.02274 in January of 1984. Trading Economics provides the current actual value, an historical data chart and related indicators for US Dollar to National Currency Spot Exchange Rate for the International Monetary Fund - last updated from the United States Federal Reserve on June of 2025.