The LSE Directory / CFD and forex brokers
CMC Markets is a UK financial services group offering online trading in contracts for difference (CFDs), spread betting for UK and Ireland clients, foreign exchange, and share dealing across global markets, alongside an investment app, CMC Invest, for general investment accounts, Stocks and Shares ISAs and SIPPs. Trading is delivered through the firm's proprietary Next Generation platform, introduced in 2010 as the successor to its earlier MarketMaker platform, as well as through MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and TradingView, integrated in April 2025. CMC Markets UK plc is authorised and regulated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 173730, with separate regulated entities operating in Australia, Singapore and Bermuda, where CMC Markets Bermuda Limited holds a Bermuda Monetary Authority licence covering investment business and digital asset business. Beyond retail trading, CMC Markets runs a business to business arm, Platform Technology as a Service, that licenses its trading technology, execution infrastructure, risk management tools and back office systems to banks, brokerages, family offices and hedge funds on a white label basis, letting partner institutions offer trading under their own brand while CMC retains the underlying technology. This B2B licensing model, paired with a substantial stockbroking business in Australia, sets it apart from CFD only competitors that sell exclusively direct to retail clients. The group has also been expanding distribution through neobank API partnerships and, as of its FY2026 results, disclosed upcoming partnerships with Westpac and ASB Bank in Australia and New Zealand. Founded in 1989 by Peter Cruddas, who remains founder and chief executive and was later appointed to the House of Lords as Baron Cruddas of Shoreditch, the company says it executed the first ever online retail foreign exchange trade in 1996. It listed on the London Stock Exchange in February 2016 at 240 pence per share, valuing the business at roughly 691 million pounds, and joined the FTSE 250 index that June. For the financial year ended 31 March 2026, the group reported net operating income of 392.6 million pounds, up 15 percent year on year, and pre-tax profit of 101.3 million pounds, up 20 percent, with its Australian stockbroking unit posting record net operating income of A$140.3 million. The company is headquartered at 133 Houndsditch in London with regional hubs in Sydney and Singapore. CMC Markets has continued diversifying beyond core CFDs and spread betting: it took a 51 percent stake in blockchain firm StrikeX in May 2025, has been developing a tokenisation programme for multi asset wallets, and became Everton Football Club's main club partner for the 2026-27 season. For its FY2027 outlook issued alongside the FY2026 results, the group raised its net operating income guidance to at least 550 million pounds, above its prior 460 to 480 million pound range, citing strength across its business units.
