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We are Meridian Solutions. Currency and treasury specialists with a difference. Our vision is to set a new direction for foreign exchange and international business solutions by combining advanced technology with a fully bespoke personal service.

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The story behind our name.

The establishment of the meridian lines set the precedent for time-keeping and orientation. Sailors have reliably used them for centuries to navigate to destinations safely and efficiently. They remain central to GPS technology to this day.

Like the meridian lines, we successfully help our clients navigate the complex world of currency and international business; helping them plan, time and deliver their global transactions effectively and efficiently.

About Meridian

  • We've been really impressed by the support and responsiveness of Meridian's team. They've been a key partner in helping us protect our budget levels through a turbulent few years in the markets. We wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them.
    Hilary Hansen, Director, Schotten & Hansen UK
  • Meridian go above and beyond for us time and again. Seamless operations, great to deal with and I know my business interests are their number one priority. I can't recommend them highly enough.
    Sally Hayden, Director, Putoline Distribution
  • If any financial company worked like Meridian, the world would be a much better place!
    Lars Elm-Fich, Managing Director, Tastimage
  • We've been really impressed by the support and responsiveness of Meridian's team. They've been a key partner in helping us protect our budget levels through a turbulent few years in the markets. We wouldn’t hesitate in recommending them.
    Hilary Hansen, Director, Schotten & Hansen UK
  • Meridian go above and beyond for us time and again. Seamless operations, great to deal with and I know my business interests are their number one priority. I can't recommend them highly enough.
    Sally Hayden, Director, Putoline Distribution

    Latest News

    • GBP loses momentum against USD and Euro

      The pound lost ground today as US treasury yields have risen and concerns grow around the AstraZeneca vaccine side-effects . After a positive start to the week, Sterling dropped against the USD as investor risk sentiment reduced with the Federal Reserve seeming to be warming up to the idea of raising interest rates sooner than previously expected. In addition, Joe Biden's infrastructure programme now has a higher chance of passing after the Senate ruled it can pass via reconciliation, which is a quicker process. This could lead to faster growth in the US, strengthening the safe-haven dollar. Sterling also lost momentum against the Euro as the UK's AstraZeneca vaccine rollout is temporarily halted amongst the under 30's amidst blood clot concerns. Despite adding the Moderna vaccine to its programme today, the AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to make up the majority of the UK's supplies, which may lead a loss of momentum in the rollout. Some analysts also feel that traders are taking some profits on the Pound’s recent solid run. As a result, the GBP/USD hit a 1-week low after losing nearly 2-cents in the past 24hrs. The GBP/EUR touched a 1-mth low having dropped around 2.5-cents from Monday. The rates continue to trade within the familiar ranges and the data calendar is relatively quiet this week.

      READ MORE

    • Dollar rallies as nerves mount over Evergrande

      The US dollar has rallied as markets become nervous over the dire economic situation of China’s second largest property developer – Evergrande. Evergrande owes around $300 billion to lenders and they’re struggling to find cash to meet their interest payments. So far the Chinese government have been reluctant to bail them out and there are major concerns that a default could have serious knock-on effects across markets all over the world. Their next substantial debt payment is due on Thursday and traders will be closely watching to see what the Chinese authorities will do when they meet up on Weds (if anything). The USD has strengthened as traders seek safe-haven assets. Adding to the sour risk mood are concerns over soaring global energy costs, mounting tensions between China and the US/UK/Australia over a recent security pact, continuing worries over the delta covid variant and the uncertainty over who will be the next German Chancellor. Furthermore, traders are also have the uncertainty over how the Fed (Weds) and BoE (Thurs) interest rate meetings will go this week. As a result, the GBP/USD has lost over 1% from Friday and trades at a 4-week low. The EUR/USD trades at a 4-week low and the GBP/EUR is down around 1-cent from last week’s high at a 10-day low. It seems likely that USD price dynamics will continue to be the main driver this week and traders are likely to remain cautious for now. Markets will be particularly focused on any new developments with Evergrande and how the Fed meeting goes (which might ultimately take a lot of direction from the Evergrande situation).

      READ MORE

    • GBP/USD rebounds after Friday's NFP

      The USD weakened on Friday afternoon after mixed US employment numbers. The US Non-Farm Payrolls figure massively missed expectations with data showing they only added 235k jobs in August versus forecasts for 750k. This was the lowest number since Jan 2021. Despite this, US wage numbers did increase due to reduced work force and the unemployment rate fell to 5.2%. This data supports the more dovish members of the Federal Reserve and pushed back investors’ expectations about the likelihood of any tapering of interest rates until the end of 2021. The UK and EU are still disagreeing over the Northern Ireland Protocol and this prompted some selling of both the Pound and Euro during the Asian trading session this morning. Brexit is also being blamed for labour and food shortages in the UK, negating some of last week’s gains in UK trading today. Although, economic data out of the UK suggests the economy is recovering as expected and markets are hopeful for a positive monthly July growth numbers (GDP) out later this week. It is Labor Day in the USA so markets expect relatively range bound trading today with little data. As a result, the GBP/USD rate almost hit a 4-high on Friday evening but has since settled half a cent lower. The EUR/USD moved to the highest levels since the end of July. The GBP/EUR continues to trade at subdued levels and within a very tight range (a 60-pip range in the past 10-days). The key events to watch this week are the European Central Bank’s interest rate meeting on Thursday, where QE tapering could be back on the table, and UK GDP figures on Friday.

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    • Dollar rallies following Fed minutes

      The USD has rallied following the release of the latest Federal Reserve meeting minutes and as covid concerns weigh on risk sentiment. The Fed minutes released last night indicate that policymakers are looking at reducing their bond-buying scheme (i.e. quantitative easing) by the end of the year as the US economy recovers from the Covid pandemic. Essentially, this would mean printing fewer dollars which is supportive of the currency and has led to demand from traders overnight. However, there are reasons to be cautious over this move. First, talks of the Fed tapering quantitative easing this year has already been on the cards a lot recently, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise to the markets. Secondly, these minutes were taken from the July meeting and we have seen some more disappointing US data prints since then, so opinions might have changed. Finally, the Delta covid variant has continued to spread aggressively. Sterling lost some ground yesterday following weaker-than-expected inflation figures. Data showed prices (CPI) rose 2.0% year-on-year in July versus expectations for 2.2% and this was a fall from June. This data eases the rate hike expectations from the Bank of England in the short term and thereby reduces the appeal of the Pound. On the flip-side, it might also help calm some investors nerves that inflation is about to spiral out of control, which could help general risk sentiment in the longer term. As a result, the GBP/USD trades at a 4-week low having conceded around 2-cents this week. The EUR/USD has broken to the lowest levels since November last year after losing a cent this week. The GBP/EUR continues to trade within a relatively tight – but buoyant – range and currently sits at the lowest levels of the week. Dollar traders’ eyes will turn to Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech in Jackson Hole next week to see if he will make any further hints on reducing their quantitative easing efforts. As discussed above, however, the landscape has changed more recently so it seems unlikely but we shall have to see.

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    • Safe havens sought as market sentiment sours

      The US Dollar has rallied amid concerns over rising global infections from the Delta variant and growing US inflation levels. Delta variant case numbers are surging across the UK, Europe and the US, which is creating fear among investors that the global recovery could be hampered again just as many countries start to lift restrictions. In times of trouble, the US dollar is bought as a safe haven currency by investors which has pushed it to multi-month highs this morning. Today marked so-called “Freedom Day” in the UK, but with new daily case numbers soaring to around 50K and rising sharply, a covid-infected health secretary, and hundreds of thousands having to self-isolate after being pinged, markets are becoming anxious about the risks of an explosion of infections, hospitalisations and deaths which is weighing on the pound. Sterling has also been hit after BoE member Jonathan Haskel stated today that a tight monetary policy is the right policy for now and that the risks of raising rates too early were worse than a temporary period of high inflation. This contradicted comments from two other BoE members last week, which indicated a lean towards earlier rate hikes, and therefore reduced the appeal of the pound. As a result, the GBP/USD is down by over 1% from Friday’s high and the rate now sits at 3-mth low. The EUR/USD also hit the lowest levels since April. The GBP/EUR is also down 1% from Friday’s high and trades around a 1-mth low. Markets will continue to closely watch Covid case numbers, particularly ahead of this Thursdays European Central Bank interest rate meeting. If new case numbers across Europe continue to boom, then the ECB might be forced to take a more dovish tone in their meeting.

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    • Pound strengthens as Boris backs "Freedom Day"

      The Pound is attempting a comeback after strong economic data and reopening optimism support the bullish long-term outlook. So far this week the Pound has been one of the best performing G10 currencies. Whilst plans to allow the UK economy to reopen completely are expected to lead to a rise in Covid cases, the UK government remains confident that hospitalisations will remain low after the success of the vaccination roll out. The Pound has reacted favourably to the news, further lifted by impressive economic data over the last few weeks. Last Friday, the US Dollar gave back some ground after US employment figures (non-farm payroll) revealed an unexpected rise in the unemployment rate and a miss on wage growth expectations which has eased market fears of an earlier interest rate hike by the Fed. Yesterday saw strong PMI data out of the Euro zone, however investors largely overlooked this and it seems their main focus is on how quickly they will be able to ease lockdown measures in Europe. For now, Sterling has the edge over the Euro on this, which is keeping the GBP/EUR buoyant for now. Although, as time moves on this advantage may fizzle out as Europe’s vaccination programme catches up. As a result, the GBP/EUR is close to a 3-month high having climbed nearly a cent from Friday’s low. The GBP/USD has also claimed back a cent from Friday’s low, bouncing back from last week’s two month low, but continues to trade at relatively subdued levels. The EUR/USD remains at lower levels (around 1.18) which is down nearly 4-cents from last month’s high.

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    • USD surges as upbeat Fed surprise investors

      The US dollar has rallied overnight following the eagerly awaited Federal Reserve interest rate meeting. The Fed surprised investors by signalling they might raise interest rates sooner than expected after they raised their growth and inflation forecasts. They’re now expected to make two rate hikes by the end of 2023 which contrasts heavily to March’s projections for no increase until 2024. There was also a larger number of Fed policymakers expecting to make a rate hike in 2022. The Fed are now expecting growth (GDP) to hit around 7.0% this year (vs previous estimates of 6.5%) and inflation (CPI) to climb to 3.4% which is 1% higher that their last forecast. Although the Fed Chairman still feels the surge in inflation is “transitory”, the amplified hawkish tone from the Fed has made the dollar a lot more attractive to investors. In other news, sterling gained some short-lived traction yesterday after UK inflation figures jumped above the Bank of England’s 2% target for the first time in nearly 2-years. However, recently the pound has lost some shine as the Delta variant of Covid-19 continues to spread and the government postponed “Freedom Day” by 4-weeks. As a result, the GBP/USD has fallen around 1% from yesterday’s high and trades around a 5-week low. The EUR/USD has plummeted around 1.5% and now trades at the lowest levels since April this year. This large swing in the EUR/USD rate – with heavy flows moving out of the Euro and in the dollar – has helped to push the GBP/EUR rate up by a cent which has taken it to a 10-week high.

      READ MORE

    • GBP weakens amidst Covid concerns and Brexit row

      The US dollar and Euro have made some gains against the pound this week as concerns grow about the Delta covid variant and tension mounts over Brexit. The Delta variant, thought to be 40% more transmissible than other strains, has seen cases rise rapidly in the UK, doubling nearly every ten days according to the latest data. This has led to speculation in The Times that ministers are becoming increasingly pessimistic about the country’s full reopening on June 21st, following a ‘downbeat’ briefing from senior medical advisors Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance. The Times reported that so-called ‘Freedom Day’ may be pushed back by two weeks to enable all over-50s to be fully vaccinated and leave sufficient time for jabs to take effect before restrictions are lifted. Analysts have blamed this uncertainty for sterling’s soft start to the week, alongside continued Brexit contention around Northern Ireland and the implementation of the trade protocol, which remains unresolved. Tension has grown between London and Brussels as the UK extended the period without checks of the customs border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. So far this has been largely ignored by the market but it’s a story that has the potential to develop. In the US, a miss on expected employment numbers on Friday seems to have been offset by remarks made by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen's on interest rates yesterday. She stated that higher US interest rates “would actually be a plus for society’s point of view and the Fed’s point of view”. Although markets have not reacted too heavily to these comments, should the Fed chair Powell echo these sentiments at his press conference next week then we could expect to see some more volatility in the dollar. The FX markets have had a relatively quiet fortnight and sterling crosses continue to remain within tight trading ranges. As a result, the GBP/USD has lost half a cent from yesterday’s high but continues to trade comfortably above 1.40. The GBP/EUR remains buoyant but has also lost half a cent from yesterday and trades close to a 1-week low. The EUR/USD has clawed back around 1-cent from Friday’s low and continues to trade at elevated levels and over the 1.21 mark. The next key event on the calendar is the ECB interest rate meeting on Thursday. We do not expect any policy action from the ECB, however, with the improvement in economic news from the region, we might expect less dovish comments from the Governing Council.

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    • Sterling maintains momentum against dollar following dovish Fed comments

      The GBP/USD has gained following last night’s dovish comments from the US Federal Reserve. Jerome Powell, Chair of the Federal Reserve, announced that interest rates will not be raised until "substantial further progress" has been made with the US economy. He admitted the economy has "a long way to go" but that the bank will continue to look through temporary increases of over 2% in inflation, as he expects this to be transitory. Powell also stressed the bank is not about to taper down its bond buys anytime soon, noting that employment was still off-target and it would take time to reach its goals. These comments saw a loss of momentum for the greenback surrounding recent positive news around US economic growth, with investor optimism dropping following expectations that stimulus measures in the US would begin to unwind. Mounting pressure faced by Boris Johnson's Government is expected to be weighing on sterling, which has seen a slight slowdown in the rapid gains we saw earlier in 2021. Allegations regarding Conservative donor funding of No. 10 renovations alongside comments of 'bodies piling high' have dogged Boris Johnson in recent days, as has further pressure around Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol which has led to the resignation of DUP Leader Arlene Foster. Analysts have also warned that the UK's strong vaccination rollout is expected to have already been priced into the pound which could weaken sterling further. This news, plus a stronger vaccine rollout programme in Europe, has likely led to the gains made by the Euro against both GBP and USD this week, with a growth in market confidence that further momentum will follow. As a result, the GBP/USD pushed up a cent overnight which took it to a 9-day high. The EUR/USD also climbed nearly a cent higher and has continued its solid ascent this month. After a heavy drop in March, the EUR/USD has clawed back nearly 4.5 cents this month due to a combination of a stronger Euro and reignited dollar weakness. The GBP/EUR is rather flat and trading towards the lower end of the recent range. Sterling continues to be caught in familiar ranges against both the Euro and USD with traders seemingly willing to continue to see how things pan out before taking any fresh new direction.

      READ MORE

    • GBP loses momentum against USD and Euro

      The pound lost ground today as US treasury yields have risen and concerns grow around the AstraZeneca vaccine side-effects . After a positive start to the week, Sterling dropped against the USD as investor risk sentiment reduced with the Federal Reserve seeming to be warming up to the idea of raising interest rates sooner than previously expected. In addition, Joe Biden's infrastructure programme now has a higher chance of passing after the Senate ruled it can pass via reconciliation, which is a quicker process. This could lead to faster growth in the US, strengthening the safe-haven dollar. Sterling also lost momentum against the Euro as the UK's AstraZeneca vaccine rollout is temporarily halted amongst the under 30's amidst blood clot concerns. Despite adding the Moderna vaccine to its programme today, the AstraZeneca vaccine is expected to make up the majority of the UK's supplies, which may lead a loss of momentum in the rollout. Some analysts also feel that traders are taking some profits on the Pound’s recent solid run. As a result, the GBP/USD hit a 1-week low after losing nearly 2-cents in the past 24hrs. The GBP/EUR touched a 1-mth low having dropped around 2.5-cents from Monday. The rates continue to trade within the familiar ranges and the data calendar is relatively quiet this week.

      READ MORE

    • Dollar rallies as nerves mount over Evergrande

      The US dollar has rallied as markets become nervous over the dire economic situation of China’s second largest property developer – Evergrande. Evergrande owes around $300 billion to lenders and they’re struggling to find cash to meet their interest payments. So far the Chinese government have been reluctant to bail them out and there are major concerns that a default could have serious knock-on effects across markets all over the world. Their next substantial debt payment is due on Thursday and traders will be closely watching to see what the Chinese authorities will do when they meet up on Weds (if anything). The USD has strengthened as traders seek safe-haven assets. Adding to the sour risk mood are concerns over soaring global energy costs, mounting tensions between China and the US/UK/Australia over a recent security pact, continuing worries over the delta covid variant and the uncertainty over who will be the next German Chancellor. Furthermore, traders are also have the uncertainty over how the Fed (Weds) and BoE (Thurs) interest rate meetings will go this week. As a result, the GBP/USD has lost over 1% from Friday and trades at a 4-week low. The EUR/USD trades at a 4-week low and the GBP/EUR is down around 1-cent from last week’s high at a 10-day low. It seems likely that USD price dynamics will continue to be the main driver this week and traders are likely to remain cautious for now. Markets will be particularly focused on any new developments with Evergrande and how the Fed meeting goes (which might ultimately take a lot of direction from the Evergrande situation).

      READ MORE

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