Banks including Barclays PLC that are enmeshed in the global investigation into potential manipulation of foreign-exchange markets are looking into the possible roles played by their salespeople, the Wall Street Journal reported today. The focus on sales staff, part of the banks' internal reviews of their involvement in the probe, represents an expansion of an investigation that until now dwelled primarily on whether bank traders improperly worked together to influence currency markets. The possible involvement of salespeople could prove significant because they deal with external clients, as opposed to bank traders who mainly interact with other traders. The investigation into potential foreign-exchange manipulation got under way in the U.K. in April when the Financial Conduct Authority started scrutinizing the market. Since then, authorities in several other jurisdictions, including the U.S., Switzerland and Hong Kong, have opened their own civil or criminal probes. More than a half-dozen major currencies-dealing banks around the world have reported being contacted by regulators in the investigation.
