If you are looking for a high-trust global brokerage offering competitive pricing for CFDs and spread betting, coupled with a wide range of over 12,000 tradable instruments and feature-rich platforms, then you may find CMC Markets is an appropriate choice for you.
In the following broker review, we will pay close attention to all key aspects of trading with CMC Markets you should consider when deciding whether to trade with this brokerage. Trustpilot users have given CMC Markets a high rating of 4.3/5. The brand’s score is based on over 2,570 customer reviews, with a predominant part of reviewers (66%) giving CMC Markets the highest score of 5 stars. Meanwhile, 11% of customer feedback comprises 1-star reviews. The Trustpilot score of CMC Markets was last updated by our team in October 2025.
| CMC Markets Overall Summary Table | |
|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 |
| Minimum Deposit | $0 |
| Tradable Instruments | Forex, Commodities, Stocks, Indices, Cryptocurrencies, Interest Rates, Bonds, Share Baskets, Treasuries, ETFs |
| Open an Account | How to Open an Account at CMC Markets |
| Trading Costs | Spreads, Fees, and Commissions at CMC Markets |
Trustpilot ScoreCMC MarketsIndustry Average4.3★3.8★
| Label | CMC Markets | Industry Average |
|---|---|---|
| 4.3 | 3.8 |
TrustPilot Review CountCMC MarketsIndustry Average2,5714,783
| Label | CMC Markets | Industry Average |
|---|---|---|
| 2,571 | 4,783 |
Licenses by Regulator TierTier 1Tier 2Tier 3CMCMarketsIndustryAverage61.911.411.4
| Broker | Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMC Markets | 6 | 1 | 1 |
| Industry Average | 1.9 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
Number of Available FX PairsCMC MarketsIndustry Average33072
| Label | CMC Markets | Industry Average |
|---|---|---|
| 330 | 72 |
Key Pros and Cons
Let us first provide a quick snapshot of CMC Markets’ advantages and disadvantages.
Key Pros
- Extensive, interactive education content
- Award-winning proprietary web-based trading platform and mobile trading app
- Simple, spread-based pricing model
- Extensive CFD product list
- Additional risk management tools available (GSLOs)
- No fees on deposits and withdrawals as well as no minimum deposit requirement
- Award-winning customer support service
Key Cons
- No US and Japanese clients
- Limited account type options
- Limited account funding methods
- Negative Balance Protection limited to EU and UK retail clients
Company Information
1989
The Foundation of CMC Markets
Founded by Peter Cruddas in 1989, CMC Markets (short for Currency Management Corporation) is currently one of the leading global providers of online CFD trading and spread betting. The brokerage has offices in London, Vienna, Madrid, Frankfurt, Oslo, Beijing, Shanghai, Warsaw, Toronto, Sydney, Auckland, Dubai, and Singapore, serving more than 1.5 million clients from 70 countries.
2010
Proprietary Platform Launch
In 2010, the broker launched its in-house trading platform, Next Generation, and started trading publicly on the London Stock Exchange in 2016, with an initial market capitalization of £693 million. CMC Markets Plc (LSE: CMCX) became a constituent of the FTSE 250 index on June 20th of the same year.
The CMC Markets Group is comprised of the following corporate entities with their respective offices:
- CMC Markets UK Plc, office address: 133 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7BX, United Kingdom
- CMC Markets Asia Pacific Pty Ltd, office address: Level 20, Tower 3, International Towers 300 Barangaroo Avenue, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
- CMC Markets Austria, office address: The ICON Vienna, Wiedner Gürtel 13 Turm 24 / 10. Stock 1100, Vienna, Austria
- CMC Markets Canada Inc, office address: 81 Bay Street, Suite 3550, Toronto, Ontario M5J 0E7, Canada
- CMC Markets China, office address: Level 11, Excel Center, No. 6 Wu Dinghou Street, Xi Cheng District, Beijing 100033, China
- CMC Business Services Ltd, office address: Suite 3404, Level 34, Shanghai Tower, No.501, Middle Yincheng Road, Lujiazui Financial Center, Pudong District, Shanghai, China
- CMC Markets Germany GmbH, office address: Garden Tower, Neue Mainzer Str. 46-50, 60329 Frankfurt, Germany
- CMC Markets NZ ltd, office address: Level 39, 23 Albert Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
- CMC Markets Norway, office address: Fridtjof Nansens plass 6, 60160 Oslo, Norway
- CMC Singapore, office address: IOI Central Boulevard Towers, West Tower Unit #25-03, 2 Central Boulevard, Singapore
- CMC Markets Spain, office address: Paseo de la Castellana 40, 9th Floor, 28046 Madrid, Spain
- CMC Markets Germany GmbH sp. z o.o. Oddział w Polsce, office address: ul. Emilii Plater 53, 00-113 Warszawa, Poland
- CMC Markets Middle East Ltd, office address: Office 2903, ICD Brookfield Place, DIFC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- CMC Markets Bermuda Limited, office address: Park Place, 55 Par-La-Ville Road, 3rd Floor, Hamilton HM11, Bermuda
We should note that CMC Markets does not accept clients based in certain countries, including Japan, Brazil, Belgium, Argentina, South Africa, and the United States. Check the broker’s terms and conditions for the full list of restricted jurisdictions.
Why Trade with CMC Markets?
Now, let us provide a quick list of the key features that we like about CMC Markets.
| Aspect | What we like |
|---|---|
| Regulation | A broker with a good reputation, solid compliance track record, and licenses from first-tier regulatory bodies. |
| Education | Abundant educational materials are available, probably among the best in the industry. |
| Trading Platforms | An award-winning proprietary web-based platform and mobile trading app. Both are rich in features. Additional trading tools are available on both Next Generation and the MetaTrader platforms. |
| Trading Instruments | An exceptionally wide selection of over 12,000 tradable markets across various asset classes, such as currency pairs, commodities, stocks, stock indices, exchange-traded funds, cryptocurrencies, and treasuries. |
| Ways to Trade | Opportunity to choose between traditional CFD trading, options trading, and spread betting (available to UK customers). Despite their advantages, you should be aware that all three forms of trading involve a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. |
| Customer Support | An award-winning, 24/5 support service via several channels, including email, live chat, and telephone. |
Regulation
Similar to other major brokerages we reviewed, CMC Markets is a global online CFD and Forex broker authorized and regulated in multiple jurisdictions. In this case, we can say that the broker’s regulatory background is very solid, as it upholds the high standards of four Tier 1 industry regulators, as follows:
- The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom
- The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in Australia
- The Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin) in Germany and the EEA
- The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) in Canada
Additionally, CMC Markets is regulated by four second-tier financial watchdogs:
- The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
- The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) in New Zealand
- The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) in the UAE
- The Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) in Bermuda
A breakdown of the various regulation regimes is presented below.
| Region | Entity | Authority | License | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | CMC Markets UK plc | Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) | Registration number 173730 | |
| Australia | CMC Markets Asia Pacific Pty Ltd | Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) | AFSL No. 238054 | |
| Singapore | CMC Markets Singapore Pte. Ltd | Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) | Registration number/UEN 200605050E | |
| Canada | CMC Markets Canada Inc | Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) | N/A | |
| Germany/EU | CMC Markets Germany GmbH | BaFin | Registration number 154814 | |
| New Zealand | CMC Markets NZ Limited | Financial Markets Authority (FMA) | Registration number 1705324 | |
| Bermuda | CMC Markets Bermuda Limited | Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) | Registration number 202302718 | |
| United Arab Emirates | CMC Markets Middle East Ltd | Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) | Registration number F002740 | |
CMC Markets’ FCA license renders UK-based retail clients eligible for compensation of up to £85,000 under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), if the company’s UK subsidiary becomes insolvent.
Meanwhile, the BaFin license entitles retail customers from the EU and the EEA to receive compensation of up to €20,000 per person under the Compensation Scheme of Securities Trading Companies (EdW) if the broker experiences financial difficulties.
On the other hand, the lack of CFTC regulation means that CMC Markets cannot provide online trading services to clients based in the United States.