CMC Markets Safety & Regulation 2026: Licences & Protection

CMC Markets is regulated by:

FCA (UK) — 1.
BaFin (Germany) — 1.
ASIC (Australia) — 1.
CIRO (Canada) — 1.

Client protection: £85,000 (FSCS UK). Compensation scheme: FSCS/ICF.

Tier-1 regulators (e.g. FCA, CySEC, ASIC, FSCA-equivalent frameworks) apply capital requirements, client-money segregation, and compensation schemes. CMC Markets holds 4 Tier-1 licences and segregates client funds and offers negative balance protection.

£85k (UK), €20k (EU). Client base: 300,000+. Licensed since 1989.

CMC Markets operates with a minimum deposit of $0 and offers leverage up to 1:30 (Retail) | 1:500 (Pro). EUR/USD spreads are quoted from 0.7 pips, with a commission structure of $0 (Spread only for Forex/Indices CFDs) on Market Maker execution.

Trading platforms include Next Generation, MT4. Deposit methods span Card, Bank Transfer, and withdrawal processing runs at 1-2 business days.

The broker holds 4 Tier-1 and 0 Tier-3 licences (FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), BaFin (Germany), MAS (Singapore)), with client protection of £85,000 (FSCS UK). Operating since 1989 from London, UK.

CMC Markets is positioned Advanced chartists & UK spread bettors.

Educational resources are rated Good, covering market analysis and platform training.

Reviewers consistently note: Award-winning Next Generation platform; 12,000+ instruments; No minimum deposit.

Deposit methods at CMC Markets: Bank Transfer (1-3 Days), Debit/Credit Card (Instant), PayPal (Instant).
Withdrawal methods: Bank Transfer (1-2 Days), Card (3-5 Days).
Supported base currencies: GBP, EUR, USD, AUD, CAD, SGD, NZD, PLN, SEK, NOK.
Verification: Electronic.
Time to open an account: Minutes.
Forex pairs available: 300+.

CMC Markets is positioned Advanced chartists & UK spread bettors, which matters when comparing it against other brokers for this decision.
Strengths in our review: Award-winning Next Generation platform; 12,000+ instruments; No minimum deposit; Excellent charting with 115+ indicators; Listed on LSE.
Watch-outs in our review: No MT5 or cTrader; Inactivity fee after 12 months; No copy trading feature.
Platform support: MT4 supported, MT5 not supported, cTrader not supported, TradingView not supported, proprietary Yes (Next Generation).
Islamic (swap-free) accounts: not supported. Demo account: Yes.
Education resources are rated Good.
Regulatory footprint: FCA (UK) (Tier 1), ASIC (Australia) (Tier 1), BaFin (Germany) (Tier 1), MAS (Singapore) (Tier 1).

CMC Markets is rated 4.6/5 in our editorial reviews and holds licences across 4 regulated entities.
The broker was founded in 1989.
Headquarters are in London, UK.
It has been licensed since 1989.
Positioning: Advanced chartists & UK spread bettors.
Commission model: $0 (Spread only for Forex/Indices CFDs).
Leverage reaches 1:30 (Retail) | 1:500 (Pro).
Minimum deposit: $0.

Strengths: Award-winning Next Generation platform; 12,000+ instruments; No minimum deposit; Excellent charting with 115+ indicators; Listed on LSE.

Weaknesses: No MT5 or cTrader; Inactivity fee after 12 months; No copy trading feature.