with David Axtell & Luigi Rondanini
with David Axtell & Luigi Rondanini
Two practitioners. Seven decades of experience. 60+ countries. One mission: bridging textbook theory and trading floor reality.
Co-authors David Axtell and Luigi Rondanini share real stories, real mistakes, and hard-won lessons from institutional FX markets—from Saudi Riyal derivatives and Qatari capital markets through to the uniqueness of the African currency markets, from bank trading desks to corporate treasury consulting. Plus bonus episodes featuring traders, treasurers, and practitioners from leading institutions.
More platforms coming soon
Latest Episodes
David Axtell introduces The Trading Floor—the gap between textbook theory and trading floor reality, and the book that started it all.
The Authors
Podcast Host & Co-Author
David Axtell has spent thirty-five years in treasury and foreign exchange markets across four continents. He started at NatWest in London in the mid-1980s before being seconded to Saudi Arabia in 1988, where he ran the Saudi Riyal book at United Saudi Commercial Bank and helped establish the official Saudi Riyal IBOR fixing—becoming the first person to make a market in Saudi Riyal FRAs and interest rate swaps.
His career spans HSBC Dubai as Head of Interest Rate Risk, eight years at Qatar National Bank rising to Assistant General Manager of Treasury, and SHUAA Capital where he built the treasury function from scratch. At Crown Agents Bank, he built nostro networks across 120 currencies with deep expertise in African markets including Nigerian Naira, Kenyan Shilling, and the CFA franc zones.
Three people David has mentored have gone on to become bank CEOs. This podcast continues that mission—passing institutional knowledge to the next generation of practitioners.
LinkedIn: daveaxtell
X: DavidAxtell1
YouTube: @DavidAxrtell-m4w
What You'll Learn
How spot trading actually works beyond the textbook. Forward pricing in the real world—when theory breaks down and relationships matter more than formulas.
The most traded instrument in FX that most people outside the industry have never heard of. Funding, liquidity management, and what the screens don't tell you.
Managing exposure when currencies aren't freely convertible. Trading in illiquid markets where normal rules don't apply—Africa, Middle East, and beyond.
What happens when your nostro bank can't settle. Real stories of settlement failures and how experienced practitioners manage counterparty exposure.
From policy writing to ALCO committees. How to build institutional infrastructure from scratch—lessons from Dubai, Doha, and Riyadh.
From telephone-based dealing rooms to algorithmic execution. What's been gained, what's been lost, and how practitioners must adapt.