The LSE Directory / CFD and forex brokers
Octa, known as OctaFX until a September 2023 rebrand, is a retail CFD and forex broker founded in 2011 that lets clients trade contracts for difference on currency pairs, metals, commodities and energies, stock indices, cryptocurrencies and a range of shares. Clients trade through MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, or the broker's own proprietary platform, OctaTrader (web and mobile), alongside a separate Octa Global mobile app. Pricing across its retail account types is spread-based with no separate trading commission, and Octa markets swap-free account options aimed at Islamic-finance clients. The broker's corporate structure is unusual among retail CFD firms: rather than one licensed company, "Octa" is a brand shared across several legally separate entities, each independently licensed and responsible for compliance in its own jurisdiction. Its EU-facing entity, Octa Markets Cyprus Ltd (company number HE 359992, based in Limassol), has held Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission license 372/18 since December 2018, is authorised to passport services across 29 EU/EEA states plus Switzerland, and participates in Cyprus's Investor Compensation Fund, which covers eligible clients up to EUR 20,000. Other entities sharing the Octa brand have included Octa Markets Incorporated (Saint Lucia) and an FSCA-regulated South African affiliate. Positioning is retail and low-barrier, aimed at beginner-to-intermediate and emerging-market traders rather than institutional flow. Founded in 2011, the company traded as OctaFX for over a decade before adopting the shorter Octa name and a "Trading Made Clear" positioning in a September 2023 global rebrand, which coincided with an expansion from a forex specialist into a broader multi-asset offering. The company's own current marketing material states it has collected more than 100 industry awards, including "Best Fintech Product of the Year 2025" from Global Business Magazine and "Best CFD Asia 2025" from Global Brands. Reported scale has grown in company materials over time, from the over 42 million trading accounts across 180-plus countries commonly cited in 2023-2025 coverage, to a claim of more than 61 million traders as of mid-2026 on its own site; these are self-reported figures rather than independently audited totals. In February 2026, two of the offshore entities that had operated under the Octa brand-sharing arrangement, licensed in Mauritius and in the Comoros, exited that arrangement and relaunched as an independent brand, Elev8, effective February 9, 2026, carrying over the same underlying operations and client accounts under the new name. The CySEC-regulated Cyprus entity continued operating under the Octa name, and Octa subsequently published a public explanation of its multi-entity brand-sharing structure amid market commentary that followed the split.
