Markets.com Safety & Regulation 2026: Licences & Protection

Markets.com is regulated by: **Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)** (UK) — 1. **CySEC** (Cyprus) — 1. **ASIC** (Australia) — 1. **FSCA** (South Africa) — 2. **FSA** (BVI) — 3. Client protection: FSCS (UK) up to £85k; ICF (EU) up to €20k. Compensation scheme: FSCS/ICF.

Tier-1 regulators (e.g. FCA, CySEC, ASIC, FSCA-equivalent frameworks) apply capital requirements, client-money segregation, and compensation schemes. Markets.com holds 3 Tier-1 licences and segregates client funds and offers negative balance protection.

FSCS (UK) £85k, ICF (Cyprus) €20k. Client base: 300,000+. Licensed since 2008.

Markets.com operates with a minimum deposit of $100 and offers leverage up to 1:30 (UK/EU/AU retail) | up to 1:300 (Intl). EUR/USD spreads are quoted from 0.6 pips, with a commission structure of $0 (spread-based on most CFDs) on Market Execution execution. Trading platforms include Marketsx, MT4, MT5. Deposit methods span Bank, Card, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, and withdrawal processing runs at 1-2 business days. The broker holds 3 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-3 licence (FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus), ASIC (Australia), FSCA (South Africa), FSA (BVI)), with client protection of FSCS (UK) up to £85k; ICF (EU) up to €20k. Operating since 2008 from London, UK / Limassol, Cyprus. Markets.com is positioned Beginner-to-intermediate multi-asset CFD traders who value research tools. Educational resources are rated Excellent, covering market analysis and platform training. Reviewers consistently note: Strong tier-1 regulation (FCA, CySEC, ASIC); Easy-to-use Marketsx platform with sentiment tools; Investment Strategy Builder & 'Blends'.

Deposit methods at Markets.com: Card (Instant), PayPal (Instant), Wire (2-3 Days). Withdrawal methods: Card/E-wallet (1-2 Days), Wire (2-5 Days). Supported base currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, PLN, SEK, DKK, NOK, ZAR, AUD. Verification: ID + Proof of Address. Time to open an account: Minutes. Forex pairs available: 67.

Markets.com is positioned Beginner-to-intermediate multi-asset CFD traders who value research tools, which matters when comparing it against other brokers for this decision. Strengths in our review: Strong tier-1 regulation (FCA, CySEC, ASIC); Easy-to-use Marketsx platform with sentiment tools; Investment Strategy Builder & 'Blends'; Very low 0.6 pip EUR/USD spread; Backed by Finalto / Playtech (FTSE 250). Watch-outs in our review: Inactivity fee after just 3 months; 0.6% currency conversion fee; High overnight financing on some positions; Fewer platform options vs pure ECN brokers. Platform support: MT4 supported, MT5 supported, cTrader not supported, TradingView not supported, proprietary Yes (Marketsx). Islamic (swap-free) accounts: supported. Demo account: Yes. Education resources are rated Excellent. Regulatory footprint: FCA (UK) (Tier 1), CySEC (Cyprus) (Tier 1), ASIC (Australia) (Tier 1), FSCA (South Africa) (Tier 2), FSA (BVI) (Tier 3).

Markets.com is rated 4.7/5 in our editorial reviews and holds licences across 5 regulated entities. The broker was founded in 2008. Headquarters are in London, UK / Limassol, Cyprus. It has been licensed since 2008. Positioning: Beginner-to-intermediate multi-asset CFD traders who value research tools. Commission model: $0 (spread-based on most CFDs). Leverage reaches 1:30 (UK/EU/AU retail) | up to 1:300 (Intl). Minimum deposit: $100.

**Strengths**: Strong tier-1 regulation (FCA, CySEC, ASIC); Easy-to-use Marketsx platform with sentiment tools; Investment Strategy Builder & 'Blends'; Very low 0.6 pip EUR/USD spread; Backed by Finalto / Playtech (FTSE 250). **Weaknesses**: Inactivity fee after just 3 months; 0.6% currency conversion fee; High overnight financing on some positions; Fewer platform options vs pure ECN brokers.