The LSE Directory / CFD and forex brokers
Deriv is an online broker that lets retail clients trade contracts for difference (CFDs) and other derivatives across forex, stock indices, commodities and cryptocurrencies, alongside its own "Derived Indices" product line. Trading is executed through a mix of proprietary and third-party platforms, including Deriv MT5, Deriv cTrader, the browser-based Deriv Trader, the no-code automation tool Deriv Bot, and the copy-trading feature Deriv Nakala. Accounts can be opened with a minimum deposit as low as $5, and swap-free accounts are offered for clients who require Islamic-compliant terms. The firm's main differentiator is Derived Indices (also marketed as synthetic indices), a family of proprietary instruments including the Volatility 10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 indices, generated by a cryptographically secure random number generator to hold a constant, predefined volatility level rather than track a real market. Because they are not driven by news, earnings or macro events, Deriv markets them as tradable continuously, including weekends, which sets the product apart from CFD brokers whose books are limited to instruments derived from live exchange or interbank prices. This, combined with the low minimum deposit and simplified account tiers, targets retail traders, particularly across Africa and Asia, over institutional or high-net-worth clients. The business traces to Regent Markets Group, founded in 1999 by Jean-Yves Sireau, a Paris-born entrepreneur who had previously run the Hong Kong hedge fund manager Fortitude Fund Management; Regent Markets was later rebranded to Binary.com and then, in 2020, to Deriv. The group now operates through multiple regulated entities, including Deriv Investments (Europe) Limited, licensed by the Malta Financial Services Authority (registration C 70156) to provide investment services to EEA residents via passporting, plus separately licensed entities in the UAE, Labuan (Malaysia), the British Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Mauritius, the Cayman Islands and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Deriv describes itself as serving more than 3 million registered clients in over 150 countries, with more than 1,000 employees across 19 locations in 13 countries. In May 2025, Sireau stepped back from day-to-day leadership after nearly 25 years running the company, handing the CEO role to Rakshit Choudhary, who had joined Deriv in 2009 as a quantitative analyst and served as COO from 2019 before a year as co-CEO. Sireau remains Deriv's founder and majority shareholder, focused on strategic guidance, while separately building an AI-driven healthcare venture called n1.healthcare.
