The currency blog

In what are difficult times for a great many beleaguered homeowners, news that the government has initiated a series of rulings that step up protection of mortgage holders will be eagerly received. Since they affect so many people, Spanish nationals, foreign residents and second homeowners alike, it is important to keep up to date with changes in the laws, and how they affect us.

On Friday July 1^st Deputy Prime Minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba approved several measures aimed at improving the financial situation of mortgage holders. Under the new regulations, the personal income allowable to those involved in embargoes due to foreclosure proceedings increases from 700€ per month to 961€, plus an additional 192€ for each additional member of the household without income, thus creating a small but much-needed extra safety cushion.

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On a beautiful calm sunny evening the last event of the British Chamber of Commerce in Andalucia took place in the stunning surroundings of the Guey Restaurant on June 16th.

Kindly sponsored and supported by Currencies Direct, the event was not just the chance to invite other organisations and Clubs to participate but also to present Sarah Rogers from ACASA with a cheque for the charity.

Jennie Thompson Vice President for the BCC Andalucia said” This event is a fun event and a chance to get out the Ascot hats or the Henley boaters before we close down for the summer. We thank Currencies Direct for sponsoring the event and we also appreciate Sarah being here to receive the cheque for funds raised during our Golf Event.”

The BCC supports not just business here in Spain but also charities and the Raffle which took place during the evening was in aid of L.I.V.E. a charity which supports local children’s causes.

“We are very grateful to the British Chamber of commerce in Andalucia for continuing to support us with their fundraising events” says Keith Spitalnick, Chairman of L.I.V.E and Regional Sales Manager for Currencies Direct. “The children we support have so very little of their own that when the ex pat community contributes something it sends a strong signal to these young boys and girls that despite the difficult financial times we find ourselves in, someone still cares about them”.

Guests were able to network whilst enjoying drinks and a beautiful array of canapés. The BCC events commence again in September with speakers , seminars and also the Christmas cocktail party all on the menu to benefit memebsr and business in Andalucia.

For more information on the Chamber and the benefits of membership please visit the website www.britishchamberspain.com

Thursday the 2nd June saw the Marbella Branch of Currencies Direct, a leading provider of foreign exchange services, hold its second annual charity golf day. The event was held at Antequera Golf, set high in the mountains of inland Malaga and the venue for the 2010 World University Open championship.

36 players took part in a 4-ball Texas Scamble competition, with prizes for Ist & 2nd teams, together with Longest Drive (9th hole) and Nearest the Pin (18th hole) .

Paul Ellis of Currencies Direct opened proceedings by explaining the rules of the competition and order of play, before emphasising that the event was organised for the purpose of raising funds for L.I.V.E. ( Los Internacionales que Viven en España” - ex-pats living in Spain) a nationally registered, Spanish Associacion that supports a range of local children’s charities.

Play started in sunny, but breezy conditions, notwithstanding this however, net birdies were soon to be the order of the day. The eventual winning team came home with an impressive net 61. To give some indication of the quality of play, 2nd place scored a net 62 & third place net 63. All in all, of the 9 four-ball teams, seven came in below net par. Special mention should go to a local club member, John Smith-Jones, who managed to win nearest the pin on the tricky (and over the water) par 3 18th, by being the only player to finish on the green!

The day was concluded with presentations of the prizes and a charity raffle which was very generously supported by all those present.

This summer will see the introduction of The Millionaires’ White Summer Party to Marbella, in conjunction with exclusive jewellers Chopard. This dusk ‘til dawn event will bring the glamour and music of Las Vegas to Marbella and is sure to become an important annual fixture on Marbella’s social calendar.

This glamorous event will take place in the exquisite, jasmine scented gardens of the privately owned Finca la Concepción, just off The Golden Mile, on Saturday 30th July 2011. If tickets are purchased before the end of May, guests will be entered into a
fabulous prize draw. Read the rest of this entry »

 Last month Mr Tiago, from Italy, sold his luxury holiday apartment in Balito, north of Durban. He had previously used Currencies Direct to bring the money into South Africa, so gave us a call and asked for our assistance to make sure he got the most value from his investment in South Africa.

The team were able to assist him obtain the necessary tax and exchange control clearances as well as secure an excellent rate that enabled him to make an additional €6011 (2.3%) on his South African investment. By using Currencies Direct, as opposed to his international bank to do the transfer of funds, the R2.5 million he sent abroad amounted to €255 626. He was quoted an indicative (not guaranteed) rate by his bank which would have seen an amount of €249 615 deposited in his Italian bank account, 2.3% less than he actually secured through Currencies Direct.

To ensure your clients are able to maximise the value of their international transfers, make sure you send all possible leads to our South African offices (capetown@currenciesdirect.com).

If you’ve visited our website recently you’ll notice it’s had a radical facelift. We’ve worked closely with an expert website design company to enhance the navigation and features on the site, based on your feedback. 

Currently there is no affiliate section in the main navigation – that’s because we’re busy building a site especially for you! All the features for affiliates are still available just click ‘affiliates and partners’ located at the bottom of the website. Once you login, you have access to an amazing array of tools that make referrals so simple and add value to your website by providing additional service for your clients. (Don’t worry if you’ve forgotten your login password, we can easily reset it. Just email affiliates@currenciesdirect.com )

What’s on offer? Down-loadable and traceable banners and widgets. These help generate money for you – because when clients browse your site; they see a banner or a FREE widget which will calculate the cost of their purchase in sterling or any other currency. They click through to Currencies Direct and make use of our service – we can always trace where they came from, and you earn the profit share based on the trade, without ever lifting a finger! 

Other features include:

•              Simple Logos and banners

•              Rate watch widgets

•              Mortgage calculation widgets

•              Enquiry forms to download directly on your site

•              FREE exclusively designed landing pages that will seamlessly fit into your look and feel

•              Email campaigns promoting international payments

•              Online reports

•              A user guide on how to make the best of the toolkit

•                     And how to refer clients

For a consultation on how we can work with you to improve your website with credible links and revenue generating services please email your account manager on capetown@currenciesdirect.com.