Banking institutions mark-up their rates of exchange (for SME business clients) by an average of 2.4%, with the worst offenders incorporating a fee of as much as 3.68%.
They 'bake' this mark-up into the rate of exchange which can often mask how much money they are making for the performance of what is a simple and costed action.
Prime Cap's aim is to strike a balance between competition and sustainability.
We genuinely attempt to work with our client to arrive at a mark-up or fee that our client is content to pay and that sufficiently undercuts our competitors enough to propagate and fortify our reputation as the foremost private client non-bank broker for property-related transactions.
On request, and if they prefer, we are content to provide clients with a standalone fee for an exchange rather than a quote which incorporates a margin.
This methodology is particularly useful if we are competing against online payment providers like TransferWise who offer the so-called 'real exchange rate' but then charge a fixed fee.
One of the benefits of a fixed fee approach is that the client can simply use the online inter-bank rate (the sort of rate they might see published on Google or Bloomberg) for any immediate or quick calculations. They do not have to attempt to estimate what rate they might get.
When (and if) we offer you the same style of fee calculation as other companies, we simply deduct the agreed fee from the amount of currency you wish to exchange.
All you need to do is ask us to calculate the exchange in this way and we will take care of the rest.
If you would like to get a flavour of our margins then please give us a ring on +44(0)203 4175781.