CMC Markets review 2026

Our review is based on broker disclosures, regulatory records, platform research and available user information checked on 26 August 2026.

Is CMC Markets regulated?

CMC Markets is connected with 7 recorded regulatory licence or licences. The entity relevant to users in United Kingdom is CMC Markets plc, reported as regulated by Financial Conduct Authority under licence number 173730.

The broker operates through multiple legal entities. The regulator and protections applying to an account depend on which entity accepts the client, not simply on the broker brand displayed.

CMC Markets holds tier-one authorisations from ASIC, FCA, MAS, FMA, BaFin and CIRO. That matters more than any headline spread: it determines your leverage cap, whether losses can exceed your deposit, and what happens to your money if the firm fails.

ASIC caps retail leverage at 1:30, requires negative balance protection, and obliges the broker to hold client money in a separate trust account.

The FCA caps retail leverage at 1:30, mandates negative balance protection, and covers eligible clients under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

The DFSA regulates from the Dubai International Financial Centre, a separate legal jurisdiction from the wider UAE.

How safe is CMC Markets?

Client money is held separately from the firm's own money, at Major regulated banks including Barclays. That separation is what makes your balance recoverable if the company fails, rather than part of the pool its creditors divide up.

Negative balance protection applies, so a losing position cannot take the account below zero and leave you owing the broker money.

Covered by FSCS up to £85,000 for eligible UK clients; EdW protection up to €20,000 for eligible German clients; CIPF protection for eligible Canadian investment accounts, which pays eligible clients up to its limit if the firm fails owing client money.

Verify licence with FCA

Licence information last checked 26 August 2026

CMC Markets trading conditions

Trading conditions vary by account, platform, legal entity and client classification. The figures below reflect the latest information available to 88 Forex Brokers and should be confirmed before trading.

Spreads and commissions

CMC Markets advertises spreads from 0.0 pips on CFD. The stated commission is $2.50 per side / $5 round turn, FX Active. Typical or live pricing may be higher than the advertised minimum, particularly outside liquid trading hours or during volatile markets.

A quoted spread from 0.0 pips is a raw-spread figure, which almost always means a separate commission per lot. Compare the two together - a "zero spread" account with a high commission can cost more than a wider spread with none.

Quoted spreads are best-case figures on the most liquid pair, in normal conditions. What you actually pay widens around news and at the session open.

CMC Markets lists a minimum deposit of $0. Treat it as the cost of opening an account, not the cost of trading one - position sizing on a small balance is what tends to cause damage.

Spread type

Variable

EUR/USD average spread

Approx. 0.0-0.1 pips, FX Active

GBP/USD average spread

Approx. 0.2 pips, FX Active

Commission

$2.50 per side / $5 round turn, FX Active

All-in cost, EUR/USD

Approx. 0.5 pips

Leverage and margin

Maximum leverage is reported as 1:30, although the available limit depends on the account entity, instrument, client classification and local rules. Higher leverage increases both potential gains and losses and can lead to rapid account depletion.

Execution model

CMC Markets describes its execution model as Market maker / principal. The available information indicates an average execution speed of Approx. 0.004 seconds, order types of Market, limit, stop-entry, stop-loss, trailing stop-loss, guaranteed stop-loss, boundary orders and servers in London and global financial data-centre infrastructure. Execution labels are not standardised across the industry, so review the order-execution policy and conflict disclosures rather than relying on a single term.

Trading rules

Expert advisers

Yes, through MT4

Copy trading

No

Negative balance protection

Yes, retail clients

Scalping, Hedging, Stop-out level and Guaranteed stop loss: the broker does not publish enough information for us to confirm this trading condition.

CMC Markets account types

CMC Markets offers 6 reported account types. Compare the minimum deposit, spread model, commission, platform and eligibility before choosing an account.

CMC Markets runs 6 account types. More choice is not automatically better: the tightest headline spread almost always sits on the account that also charges a commission, so the comparison that matters is the two added together.

Base currencies: GBP, USD, EUR, AUD, CAD, NZD, SGD, NOK, SEK, PLN. Holding the account in the currency you fund it with avoids a conversion charge on every deposit and withdrawal - a cost that never shows up in a spread comparison.

The smallest position is 1 unit / instrument-dependent; approximately 0.01 lot equivalent on FX. For anyone starting carefully this matters more than the minimum deposit, because it sets the least you can put at risk on a single trade.

A demo account is available. Worth using for the platform rather than the results: fills are simulated, so it tells you how the software behaves but very little about execution.

CFDSpread BettingFX ActiveInvestProfessionalDemo

Minimum deposit

$0

Spreads from

0.0 pips

Commission

$2.50 per side / $5 round turn, FX Active

Maximum leverage

1:30

Platforms

MetaTrader 4, TradingView, Proprietary platform

Base currencies

GBP, USD, EUR, AUD, CAD, NZD, SGD, NOK, SEK, PLN

Available markets

Forex, Commodities, Indices, Shares, ETFs, Bonds, Cryptocurrency CFDs

Minimum trade size

1 unit / instrument-dependent; approximately 0.01 lot equivalent on FX

Account opening time

Typically a few minutes

Demo account

A demo account is reported as available for testing the platform and practising with virtual funds. Demo pricing and execution may not match live conditions.

Islamic account

An Islamic or swap-free option is reported as not available. Alternative charges, holding limits or eligibility conditions may apply.

CMC Markets fees and trading costs

The total cost of trading can include spreads, commissions, overnight financing, currency conversion, deposit or withdrawal charges and inactivity fees.

Advertised spreads start from 0.0 pips, but typical pricing may be higher.

The reported trading commission is $2.50 per side / $5 round turn, FX Active.

Overnight financing applies to eligible positions at rates that can change.

An inactivity fee of £10/month applies after 12 months inactivity.

A currency-conversion charge of 0.5% may apply.

Spreads from

0.0 pips

Commission

$2.50 per side / $5 round turn, FX Active

Overnight financing

Both: overnight holding costs charged/credited

Deposit fee

Not confirmed

Withdrawal fee

Not confirmed

Inactivity fee

£10/month after 12 months inactivity

Currency conversion

0.5%

Fees can change and may differ by entity, platform, account or payment method. Confirm the full schedule before opening or funding an account.

Trading platforms and apps

CMC Markets supports MetaTrader 4, TradingView and Proprietary platform. Availability can differ by account and legal entity.

MetaTrader 4 remains the most widely supported platform for expert advisors. If you rely on an existing EA, this is usually the deciding factor.

TradingView integration lets you trade from charts you may already use, removing the need to run a second platform for analysis.

MetaTrader 4TradingViewProprietary platform

Proprietary platform

Yes, Next Generation

Web platform

Yes

Mobile app

Both proprietary and third-party

Charting

80+ on Next Generation; 100+ through TradingView

Third-party tools

TradingView, Morningstar, Reuters, Opto, Trading Central

Server locations

London and global financial data-centre infrastructure

Automated and copy trading

The broker reports support for expert advisers and automated strategies and API access. Automated strategies can fail, amplify losses or behave differently under changing market conditions.

The platform range is broad. Its main advantage is support for MetaTrader 4; the principal limitation is the absence of MetaTrader 5 and cTrader.

Markets available through CMC Markets

The broker reports access to 12,000+ instruments across forex, commodities, indices, shares, eTFs, bonds and cryptocurrency CFDs. Product availability depends on the account entity and platform.

Leverage is capped at 1:30 retail, which is the retail limit under tier-one regulation. It is a protection rather than a restriction: it caps how quickly a position can move against your balance.

The product range is strongest for forex, commodities and indices. Traders seeking metals may need another broker.

ForexCommoditiesIndicesSharesETFsBondsCryptocurrency CFDs

Markets, as published

Forex, Shares, Indices, Commodities, Treasuries, ETFs, Cryptocurrencies

Total instruments

12,000+

Currency pairs

300+

Cryptocurrency CFDs

Yes, jurisdiction-dependent

CFDs do not provide ownership of the underlying asset. Product terms, leverage and trading hours vary by market.

Deposits and withdrawals

Available funding methods include Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer, PayPal, Apple Pay and regional payment methods. Processing times, limits, fees and availability vary by country, currency and account entity.

Withdrawals are stated at Usually processed same day; domestic bank transfers typically 1-2 business days, against Instant for cards/PayPal; bank transfer typically same day to 2 business days for deposits. A gap between the two is normal and not in itself a warning sign - identity checks are a legal obligation, not obstruction. What is worth noticing is a withdrawal that keeps meeting new conditions after those checks are done.

Withdrawal routes: bank transfer, cards and supported original funding methods. Money is usually returned by the route it arrived on, so the deposit method you pick is in effect the withdrawal method you are picking too.

The minimum withdrawal is No minimum - relevant if you intend to fund the account lightly, since it sets the smallest amount you can take out at a time.

Identity, payment ownership and source-of-funds checks may be required before a withdrawal is processed.

Deposit methods

Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer, PayPal, Apple Pay and regional payment methods

Withdrawal methods

Bank transfer, cards and supported original funding methods

Deposit time

Instant for cards/PayPal; bank transfer typically same day to 2 business days

Withdrawal time

Usually processed same day; domestic bank transfers typically 1-2 business days

Deposit fee

Not confirmed

Withdrawal fee

Not confirmed

Minimum withdrawal

No minimum

Local payment methods

BPAY and PayID in Australia; jurisdiction-specific bank and payment methods elsewhere

View withdrawal complaints about CMC Markets

Use a payment method held in your own name. The broker may reject third-party payments or require withdrawals to follow the original funding route.

Customer support

CMC Markets provides support through Live chat, email, phone during 24/5. Supported languages include Multilingual.

Support runs 24/5. Round-the-clock cover matters more than it sounds: a position held over a weekend or through an unexpected halt is exactly when you need somebody to answer.

Reachable by live chat, email, phone. A published telephone number is the one channel that is hard to fake and hard to ignore, so whether there is one says more than the number of channels does.

Languages: Multilingual. Being able to raise a complaint in your own language is worth more than it appears, because complaints are where precision matters most.

Education: extensive: webinars, trading guides, platform tutorials, educational articles and videos. Treat broker-published material as an introduction rather than as advice - it is produced by a firm whose revenue rises when you trade more.

Support channels

Live chat, email, phone

Support hours

24/5

Languages

Multilingual

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7170 8200

Email

clientmanagement@cmcmarkets.co.uk

Live chat response

Typically under 2 minutes

Research and market analysis

Extensive: Morningstar, Reuters news, Opto, market analysis, technical insights, analyst commentary and client sentiment

Education

Extensive: webinars, trading guides, platform tutorials, educational articles and videos

Is CMC Markets a good broker?

Your decision should reflect your country, experience, preferred platform, trading costs and tolerance for financial and counterparty risk.

CMC Markets is best considered by

• Traders who want a tier-one licence behind the account
• Traders who want raw spreads with a commission
• Traders who want a small first deposit
• Traders who want automated strategies
• Traders who want MetaTrader

Consider another broker if

• You require an Islamic account
• You require copy trading

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