CMC Markets regulation & licences
Our take
CMC Markets was founded in London in 1989 and floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2016. It is authorised by the FCA and holds licences in Australia, Germany, Singapore, New Zealand and Canada. CMC is one of the original UK spread-betting firms and runs its own Next Generation platform alongside MetaTrader.
Best suited to: Traders who want a listed UK provider with a strong proprietary platform
Licences on record 6
1 Tier 1 — top-tier regulation
2 Tier 2 — strong regulation
Licences are matched from public sources and regulator registers, and entities change over time. A licence held by one company in a group does not cover clients of another. Always confirm on the official register.
Regulatory profile
CMC Markets is a spread betting & CFD provider founded in 1989 and headquartered in United Kingdom. Its parent company is publicly traded (LSE:CMCX), which means audited financial statements are published regularly — a meaningful transparency advantage.
In our database CMC Markets is matched to 6 licences from ASIC, BaFin, CIRO, FCA, MAS and FMA (NZ). The strongest of these, the ASIC (Australia), the BaFin (Germany), the CIRO (Canada), the FCA (United Kingdom) and the MAS (Singapore) are among the regulators we classify as tier 1 — bodies with strict capital, client-money and conduct rules.
Depending on the entity, eligible clients may be covered by EdW (BaFin), CIPF (CIRO) and FSCS (FCA). Negative balance protection is mandatory for retail clients under ASIC, BaFin and FCA rules. Retail leverage caps apply at the ASIC, BaFin and CIRO-regulated entities (for example 30:1 on major FX pairs at ASIC).
CMC Markets supports its own proprietary platform, MT4, MT5 and TradingView. The advertised minimum deposit starts at zero (no minimum) — minimums often vary by account type and entity.
Regulatory strengths
- Listed company
- Tier-1 licences in the UK, Australia and Canada
- Long operating history
Points to check
- Offering differs by country
- Spread betting available only to UK/Irish residents
Protection by entity
| Regulator | Compensation | Retail leverage | Negative balance protection | Disputes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 ASIC | No statutory compensation fund for OTC derivatives; complaints go to AFCA | 30:1 on major FX pairs for retail clients since March 2021 | Required for retail clients | Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) |
| 1 BaFin | EdW — 90% of claim, up to €20,000 (plus €100,000 deposit guarantee at banks) | 30:1 on major FX pairs (ESMA rules) | Required for retail clients | BaFin consumer complaints / ombudsman schemes |
| 1 CIRO | CIPF — up to CAD 1,000,000 per account category | Margin set by CIRO rules; up to roughly 50:1 on major pairs | Not a regulatory requirement | OBSI (Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments) |
| 1 FCA | FSCS — up to £85,000 per eligible client per firm | 30:1 on major FX pairs for retail clients (20:1 minors, gold and major indices) | Required for retail clients | Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) |
| 1 MAS | No compensation scheme for leveraged FX | 20:1 on major FX pairs for retail investors | Not a regulatory requirement | Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre (FIDReC) |
| 2 FMA (NZ) | No compensation scheme; approved dispute resolution schemes | No fixed statutory cap; conduct and disclosure rules apply | Not a regulatory requirement | Approved dispute resolution schemes (e.g. FSCL, IFSO) |
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CMC Markets regulation FAQ
Is CMC Markets regulated?
Yes — in our database CMC Markets is matched to 6 licences: ASIC (Australia), BaFin (Germany), CIRO (Canada), FCA (United Kingdom), MAS (Singapore) and FMA (NZ) (New Zealand). Which of these protects you depends on the legal entity you open an account with. Always confirm the licence on the regulator's official register.
Is CMC Markets a tier-1 regulated broker?
CMC Markets holds 5 licences from regulators we classify as tier 1: ASIC, BaFin, CIRO, FCA and MAS.
Does CMC Markets accept US clients?
CMC Markets is not matched to a CFTC/NFA registration in our database. Only CFTC-registered, NFA-member firms may offer retail forex to US residents, so CMC Markets generally cannot accept US retail forex clients.
Is my money protected with CMC Markets?
Clients of CMC Markets's BaFin, CIRO and FCA-regulated entities may be eligible for statutory compensation (EdW — 90% of claim, up to €20,000 (plus €100,000 deposit guarantee at banks); CIPF — up to CAD 1,000,000 per account category; FSCS — up to £85,000 per eligible client per firm). Clients of other entities rely on segregation of funds and the firm's financial strength.
What is the minimum deposit at CMC Markets?
CMC Markets advertises no fixed minimum deposit on its standard account, although some account types, payment methods or entities may require one.
How can I verify CMC Markets's licence?
Find the company name and licence number in CMC Markets's client agreement or website footer, then search it on the regulator's official register (linked from each licence on this page). Confirm that the website domain you use is listed on the register, and check the regulator's warning list for clones.