ICAP says not under investigation in FX market probe

LONDON (Reuters) - ICAP , the world's largest interdealer broker, said on Wednesday it is not being investigated as part of a global probe into allegations of manipulation in the $5.3 trillion-a-day currency market.

Six banks were fined a total $4.3 billion by U.S. and UK regulators on Nov.12 for failing to stop their traders from trying to manipulate foreign exchange markets. [ID:nL6N0T14FC]

An independent report released the same day into the Bank of England's role in the global currency market raised questions about the relationship between commercial bank dealers and brokers.

The report included comments from a trader about his concern that banks were not only executing transactions at the fix - a one-minute window at 4:00 pm when global benchmark currency rates are set - for their clients, but also a large number of speculative deals on their own behalf through brokers, suggesting these may not be "genuine".

No brokers were named in the report.

An ICAP (IAP.LO)spokeswoman on Wednesday had no immediate comment on the report, but said the broker is not being investigated in connection with the year-long probe into currency market manipulation.

EBS, ICAP's forex trading platform, has been asked to provide information to regulators, mainly relating to prices, she added.

ICAP earlier reported a 9 percent fall in first-half revenue on a constant currency basis amid fragile market conditions, falling short of expectations. Its shares had fallen by 8 percent by 0702 EST.

(Reporting by Clare Hutchison; Editing by David Holmes)