CMC Markets Review in 2025

Written by Miro Nikolov

Miro Nikolov

Miro Nikolov is the co-founder of TradingPedia.com and BestBrokers.com. His mission is to help people make profitable investments by giving them access to educational resources and analytics tools.

, | Updated: November 5, 2025

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• Jump to:
• Regulations
• Trading Instruments
• Trading Platforms
• Payment Methods
• Account Types
• Support
• Conclusion
›

CMC Markets is a London-listed broker that has offered leveraged trading since 1989. Its core proposition is contract-for-difference (CFD) and, in the UK and Ireland, spread-betting on more than 12,000 instruments across forex, indices, commodities, shares/ETFs, treasuries and cryptocurrencies. Clients can choose between the proprietary Next Generation platform and MetaTrader 4, both available on web, desktop and mobile. There is no fixed minimum deposit and retail leverage follows local rules (up to 1:30 in the UK/EU; professionals can access up to 1:500). Typical protections include segregated client money, negative balance protection for retail traders and, in the UK, Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) cover.

CMC does not promote bonus programmes and states that it earns primarily from spreads and share-CFD commissions. The broker discloses average spreads (e.g., 0.7 points on EUR/USD during London hours) and publishes a detailed cost schedule, including overnight holding and market-data fees. Funding is supported by bank transfer and UK/EU debit/credit cards; e-wallets are not advertised publicly. Customer service operates 24/5 by phone, email and live chat.

Regulations

CMC Markets UK plc (Company No. 02448409) and CMC Spreadbet plc (Company No. 02589537) are each authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) under Firm Reference Numbers 173730 and 170627 respectively. Both entities are registered at 133 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7BX, United Kingdom. The FCA register lists their current status as ‘Authorised’ (first authorised 4 January 2001).

For EU residents, services are passported through CMC Markets Germany GmbH, supervised by BaFin (Registration No. 154814) with a registered office at MesseTurm, 60308 Frankfurt. Australian clients contract with CMC Markets Asia-Pacific Pty Ltd, regulated by ASIC (AFSL 238054). Each entity publishes its own Product Disclosure Statement or Key Information Document.

The broker does not accept US residents and may also decline applicants from Canada, Belgium and certain high-risk jurisdictions; the legal pages state: ‘Geographic restrictions apply’ but do not list every country.

Retail client money is held in segregated bank accounts, and CMC applies negative balance protection in the UK/EU. UK clients are covered by the FSCS up to £85,000. Complaints can be escalated to the UK Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) after the broker’s internal process.

Trading platforms

Platforms	PC / MAC	Smartphones	Tablets
MetaTrader 4
Web Trader

Trading Information
Trading Platforms	CMC Next Generation, MetaTrader 4, TradingView
Demo Account
Hedging
Scalping
US Traders
Arabic Traders

CMC offers both a proprietary and a third-party platform. Next Generation provides advanced charting with 115+ technical indicators, pattern recognition and price-projection tools, while MT4 covers automated strategies (EAs) and a familiar interface for experienced traders. Both platforms are available via HTML5 web, Windows/Mac desktop download and native iOS/Android apps. API access is possible through the CFD API (REST and WebSocket), but CMC does not advertise copy-trading marketplaces or VPS packages directly.

Next Generation

Next Generation is CMC’s in-house platform. It supports one-click order tickets, boundary orders, trailing stops and guaranteed stop-loss orders (GSLOs) for an extra premium. Layouts are fully customisable; traders can detach modules across multiple screens and save templates. The platform streams Reuters news and CMC-authored ‘Insights’, plus Morningstar fundamental data for share CFDs.

For chartists, there are 12 chart types, including Renko and Kagi, and the pattern-scanner automatically highlights emerging triangles, wedges and channels. Watchlists can be shared between web and mobile, and price alerts sync across devices. Products available on Next Generation cover the broker’s entire 12,000-instrument universe.

MetaTrader 4

CMC’s MT4 offering targets algorithmic and third-party plug-in users. All major order types are supported, including market, limit, stop and trailing orders. Traders can install custom indicators and Expert Advisors, run back-tests and use the MQL4 integrated development environment. The broker routes MT4 orders to its CFD infrastructure; available markets are narrower (roughly 170 FX pairs, key indices, popular commodities and select cryptos) and share CFDs are not offered via MT4.

MT4 desktop is Windows-centric, but CMC also provides the official MT4 Mac wrapper, the MT4 WebTrader and the mobile apps. No additional CMC plug-ins are advertised, and copy trading via the MQL5 marketplace is possible but not specifically endorsed.

Payment methods

CMC lists bank transfer and debit/credit card (Visa/Mastercard) as default funding rails. Card deposits are usually credited instantly; the minimum card deposit is £10/€10/$10. Bank transfers have no stated minimum and typically arrive within 1–2 working days for UK Faster Payments and 2–3 working days for international wires. The broker does not disclose support for e-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill or Neteller on its public site.

CMC does not charge deposit fees but warns that intermediary banks may levy charges on international wires. Withdrawals to a UK bank via Faster Payments are free and usually same-day if requested before 14:00; international withdrawals may incur a £15/€15/$15 fee and take 3–5 business days. By policy, funds are returned to the original funding source up to the deposited amount before alternative destinations are permitted.

Account base currencies include GBP, EUR, USD, AUD, CAD, SEK, NOK, SGD and NZD. Choosing the same currency as the funding bank/card avoids conversion charges, which otherwise apply at up to 0.5% above interbank rates. All clients must complete identity and address verification before the first withdrawal, in line with UK anti-money-laundering regulations.

• Deposit
• Withdrawal

Brand	Minimum	Fees	Processing Time
	$0	None	Instant
	$0	None	Instant
	$250	None	1–3 business days
	$0	None	Instant
	$0	None	Instant
	$0	None	Instant
	$0	None	Instant-to-same-day
	$0	None	Instant-to-same-day
	$0	None	Instant-to-same-day
	$0	None	Instant
	$0	None	Instant

Brand	Minimum	Fees	Processing Time
	$10	None	1–3 business days
	$10	None	Same day
	$50	None	3–5 business days
	$10	None	Same day
	$10	None	Same day
	$10	None	Same day

Account types

CMC groups its offerings into CFD accounts, UK/IE spread-bet accounts, and an elective professional tier. There is no stated minimum deposit, and pricing is spread-only for most assets; share CFDs attract a commission. Retail leverage follows ESMA/FCA caps (1:30 majors, 1:20 minors/indices, 1:10 commodities, 1:2 crypto). A free, unlimited demo mirrors live pricing. The broker does not advertise Islamic swap-free accounts.

CFD account

The standard CFD account is available globally (except restricted jurisdictions). Spreads start from 0.3 pips on EUR/USD in optimal conditions, averaging 0.7 pips during liquid UK hours. Share-CFD commissions are 0.10% for UK shares (min £9) and 2 cents per share for US equities (min $10). Clients can trade via Next Generation or MT4, but share CFDs and GSLOs are exclusive to Next Generation. Overnight financing applies to all leveraged positions, with the rate set at benchmark ±2.5% for indices and ±0.0082% daily for forex.

Spread-bet account

Residents of the UK and Ireland can opt for a spread-bet account, which provides the same product list and platform choices but quotes in ‘points per stake’ rather than CFD contract sizes. Profits are free from UK Capital Gains Tax but still carry all trading risks. Margins and spreads mirror those of the CFD account, and GSLO premiums are identical.

Professional account

Eligible clients who meet the FCA’s professional-client criteria (two of: 10 significant trades per quarter, €500,000 portfolio, relevant finance experience) can apply for a professional status. Benefits include higher leverage up to 1:500 and lower margins; drawbacks are the loss of negative balance protection and FSCS eligibility. CMC may offer tailored rebates based on volume, but this is negotiated case-by-case and not published.

Demo accounts

The demo replicates Next Generation and MT4 environments with 12,000 virtual instruments and £10,000 default virtual funds. Users can reset balance or open additional demos under the same login. Market data is real-time for most asset classes; Level 2 share data requires a live subscription. The demo does not expire as long as the user logs in at least once every 30 days.

Support

CMC provides 24-hour weekday support from Sunday 22:00 to Friday 22:00 (UK time). Channels include live chat embedded in the platform, a UK telephone line (and local numbers in Australia, Germany, etc.) and a dedicated support email. Initial contact is routed through human agents; there is no chatbot gatekeeper. The website hosts a searchable knowledge base covering platform tutorials, margin FAQs and costs disclosure. English support is guaranteed; German, French, Spanish and Mandarin lines are available during regional office hours.

Conclusion

CMC Markets combines top-tier regulation, extensive market coverage and a robust proprietary platform. Its transparent cost schedule and tax-advantaged UK spread betting add appeal for active traders. The lack of alternative payment rails and the absence of swap-free accounts may deter some audiences, while MT4 users have a narrower product list than on Next Generation.

Overall, CMC Markets suits intermediate to advanced traders who value depth of market choice, strong regulatory protections and detailed analytics tools. Beginners benefit from an unlimited demo, but should remain mindful that leveraged CFDs are high-risk and may result in losses exceeding deposits without strict risk controls on professional accounts.