Japanese FX, CFD and stock brokerage Rakuten Securities, a subsidiary of Internet services provider Rakuten Inc (TYO:4755), is tightening the spreads on four currency pairs.

The change, which will affect the following pairs: GBP/JPY, AUD/JPY, GBP/USD and AUD/USD, will apply from March 8, 2021, to April 2, 2021. Users of Rakuten FX can make use of the lower spreads, whereas the improved trading conditions do not apply to those trading FX instruments on MT4.

• The spread on GBP/JPY is reduced from 1 pip to 0.9 yen.
• The spread on AUD/JPY is reduced from 0.7 to 0.6 yen.
• The spread on GBP/USD is axed from 1.0 pips to 0.9 pips.
• The spread on AUD /USD is axed from 1.9 pips to 0.9 pips.

The broker notes that these rates are valid for normal conditions but spreads may widen during periods of low market liquidity (for instance, early in the mornings) or when important market announcements are made.

In the meantime, Rakuten continues to expand its share offering. From March 10, 2021, the broker will start handling Roblox (RBLX) stock. Roblox offers a game creation platform that allows users to develop their own games using Roblox Studio, which is Roblox’s own engine.

In February, the company announced the addition of 32 new stocks to its lineup of trading instruments. Those additions include Bumble (BMBL) and Signify Health (SGFY). The company also introduced dozens of the stocks of listed companies based on requests made by traders.