Spread Betting
Spread betting is a tax-efficient* way of speculating on the price movement of global financial instruments.- 12,000+ instruments
- Trade with leverage
- CMC web platform, iOS and Android app
- Tax-free profits*
CFD Trading
CFDs are derivative product which enables you to trade on the price movement of underlying financial assets, with no stamp duty on profits*.- 12,000+ instruments
- Trade with leverage
- CMC web platform, iOS and Android app
- Pay no stamp duty on CFD trading profits*
- MT4 platform available
FX Active
A CFD account designed for high-volume traders, who want to get even more from their forex trading.- 12,000+ instruments
- Trade with leverage
- CMC web platform, iOS and Android app
- Pay no stamp duty on CFD trading profits*
- MT4 platform available
- Spreads from 0.0 pips on 6 major FX pairs††
- 25% spread discount on 300+ FX pairs
Your investing journey starts here
Take the next step in investing long-term
Join today and start investing in over 1,300 US and UK shares, 300+ ETFs and Investment Trusts, with real-time pricing and 0% commission. Upgrade to our Plus plan
and discover more benefits like our flexible stocks & shares ISA and USD wallet.
T&Cs applyCAPITAL AT RISK.Discover CMC Invest
Corporate AccountOur corporate account offers access to a CFD trading account for your business.
- 12,000+ instruments
- Trade with leverage
- CMC web platform, iOS and Android app
- MT4 platform available
- 24/5 UK-based customer support
Account comparison
Account features
SPREAD BETTING
CFD
FX ACTIVE
Take a position on rising and falling markets^
Yes
Yes
Yes
Stamp duty payable
No
No
No
Capital gains tax payable
No*
Yes
Yes
Minimum deposit
£0
£0
£0
Instruments available
SPREAD BETTING
CFD
FX ACTIVE
12,000+
12,000+
12,000+
330+
330+
330+
80+
80+
80+
100+
100+
100+
9,000+
9,500+
9,500+
50+
50+
50+
Maximum leverage (retail clients)
30:1
30:1
30:1
Trade size
£ per point
Number of units/notional value
Number of units/notional value
Fractional trade sizes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Costs
SPREAD BETTING
CFD
FX ACTIVE
Spreads from
0.2 points
0.2 points
0.2 points
Commissions
No
Yes (shares only)
Yes (shares only)
Minimum commissions
No
Yes (shares only) - From $10
Yes (shares only) - From $10>
Holding costs if held overnight
Yes
Yes
Yes
Market data fees
No
Yes
Yes
GSLO premium
Yes (100% refund if not triggered)
Yes (100% refund if not triggered)
Yes (100% refund if not triggered)
Dormancy fees
After one year of inactivity
After one year of inactivity
After one year of inactivity
Additional key features
SPREAD BETTING
CFD
FX ACTIVE
Demo account
Yes
Yes
No
Negative balance protection (retail clients only)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Order boundaries
Yes
Yes
Yes
Account netting
Yes
Yes
Yes
Accurately hedge a physical position
No
Yes
Yes
Price depth ladder
Yes
Yes
Yes
Account currency
GBP, EUR
GBP, EUR, USD, AUS, CAD, NOK, NZD, PLN, SEK, SGD
GBP, EUR, USD, AUS, CAD, NOK, NZD, PLN, SEK, SGD
Telephone trading
Yes
Yes
Yes
Support during market hours
Yes
Yes
Yes
Free with your account
SPREAD BETTING
CFD
FX ACTIVE
Education, seminars & webinars
Yes
Yes
Yes
CMC market analyst 'Insights'
Yes
Yes
Yes
Market calendar, powered by Thomson Reuters
Yes
Yes
Yes
Reuters news
Yes, live account only
Yes, live account only
Yes, live account only
Morningstar quantitative equity research reports
Yes, live account only
Yes, live account only
Yes, live account only
Client sentiment
Yes
Yes
Yes
Pattern recognition scanner
Yes
Yes
Yes
Market data
N/A
On a limited trial basis for demo accounts
No
Exclusive to CMC
Loyalty deserves recognition.
Experience a more rewarding way to trade with access to reduced spreads of up to 40%.†
- Earn trading points with every trade
- Build up your monthly points
- Receive your spread discounts
- Carry your spread discounts forward
Unlock your potential.
With our new premium membership, CMC Alpha, you'll join a community of like-minded traders who receive all these benefits (and more).
- Save from 5% to 40% on spreads†
- Free Financial Times subscription‡
- Priority customer service
Platform features
Order execution types
Market, limit and stop entry orders (ability to set expiry)
Guaranteed stop-loss orders
Regular stop-loss orders
Trailing stop-loss orders
Take-profit orders
Advanced order management
Trade from charts
Boundary orders (to help prevent slippage)
Enable/disable account netting (ability to go long and short on the same instrument at the same time)
Tiered margins
Trade using unrealised profit
Custom stop order triggering (specify stops to trigger off buy, mid or sell price)
Price depth for larger trade sizes
One-click trading, partially close open trades
Auto rollover forward positions (with reduced spread); and a range of default order setting options to make placing a trade as quick and as simple as possible
Account close-out methods
Standard close-out
Last in first out
Largest position loss first
Largest position margin first
Charting tools
Free charting package with 80+ technical indicators and drawing tools
Intervals from one second, multiple chart presets
Autosave analysis
Trade from charts
Automatic pattern recognition
Comparison charts, 10 chart types
Chart forum and advanced mobile charts
Layout management
Save up to five custom layouts
Multiscreen support
Small or large platform resolution
Easily switch between multiple accounts (demo, live, CFD, spread betting)
Autosave platform changes, easily load or change module instruments using our quick search options
Snap modules to grid and fast platform navigation with our module-linking feature
Trading tools
Comprehensive instrument overviews
Market calendar
Price alerts
Client sentiment (minute by minute updates)
Morningstar quantitative equity research reports
Reuters news
CMC market analysts' 'Insights' feature
Statement centre
Price ticker
CMC TV
CMC Twitter feed
Mobile trading
Advanced mobile apps for iPhone
iPad and Android (tablet and phone)
Our apps include our complete range of order types
Advanced charting
Intelligent watchlists
Client sentiment
Market calendar
Reuters news
CMC market analysts' 'Insights' feature
Real-time alerts
Customisable home screen and swipe login for quicker access to your account
Alerts available
Price
Order execution
Market calendar & completed chart pattern
Spread Betting
Spread bet with leverage tax-free* on 12,000+ instruments, with no FX fees (other fees may apply).Spreads from 1 point on UK 100
CFD Trading
Trade with leverage on our full range of instruments, with no stamp duty on profits.*Spreads from 2.2 points on US 30
FX Active
A CFD account designed for high-volume traders, who want to get even more from their forex trading.Spreads from 0.0 pips on 6 major FX pairs††
Powerful trading on the move
Packed with advanced features, yet intuitive and available to everyone; whatever the next step in your trading journey is, our platform is ready to help you get there.
And if you need to trade on-the-go, our award-winning mobile app** gives you all the functionality of our web platform in your pocket.
FAQs
Account specifications FAQs
How many types of trading accounts are there?
We offer spread betting, CFD trading and FX Active accounts in the UK and Ireland, available as a standard retail account for all traders. We also offer an Alpha account, which is tailored to premium retail clients; and a CMC Pro account, which is specifically for professional traders. We also offer an institutional account for businesses. For more information, read our articles on spread betting explained and CFDs explained.
What is the difference between a spread betting and CFD trading account?
Spread betting and CFDs are derivative products that allow you to speculate on the price movements of financial assets without taking ownership. The main difference between the two accounts is how they are taxed. Learn more about each product in our spread betting versus CFDs guide.
What is the maximum leverage I can trade with?
For retail clients, the maximum leverage you can currently trade with is 30:1 (or 3.3% margin) for our spread betting, CFD trading and FX Active accounts. Read more about trading with leverage.
Can I open a demo account?
You can open a demo account with us, which enables you to practise trading with £10,000 worth of virtual funds. Choose between a spread betting demo account, a CFD trading demo account, or an FX Active demo account.
What is the minimum deposit required to open an account?
There is no minimum deposit required to open an account with us. However, you won’t be able to place a trade until there are sufficient funds to cover your position. Learn how to fund your online account through our dedicated FAQs section.
What is included in a trading account?
When you open a spread betting, CFD trading or FX Active account, you'll have access to a multitude of technical and fundamental analysis tools, as well as trading indicators, draw tools and other charting features. Please note that some of these are only available with a live account. Learn more about our platform by watching our trading tutorials.
Which markets can I trade?
You can spread bet or trade CFDs on more than 12,000 financial instruments with us, and speculate on the price movements of forex, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs, treasuries and more. Browse our range of markets.
Which types of expenses are shown in my account?
When you open a trading account, you may incur expenses which include the following: spreads, share commissions (CFDs only), overnight holding costs, market data fees (CFDs only), GSLO premiums and dormancy fees. See our trading costs page for an overview of expenses.
What is the most popular type of trading account at CMC Markets?
Our most popular account type is a spread betting account for retail traders. Spread betting allows you to speculate on the financial markets tax-free* in the UK and Ireland. Open a spread betting account to get started.
New to CMC Markets?
Is it free to open an account?
There's no cost when opening a live spread betting, CFD or FX Active account. You can also view prices and use tools such as charts, Reuters news or Morningstar quantitative equity reports, free of charge. However, you will need to deposit funds in your account to place a trade. Find out more about the costs of placing a trade.
Is CMC Markets regulated by the FCA?
Yes, CMC Markets UK plc (registration number 173730) and CMC Spreadbet plc (registration number 170627) are fully authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. Retail client money is held in segregated client bank accounts and money held on behalf of clients is distributed across a range of major banks, which are regularly assessed against our risk criteria.
Is CMC Markets covered by the FSCS?
Yes, your eligible deposits with CMC Markets are protected up to a total of £85,000 by the Financial Services Compensations Scheme (FSCS), the UK's deposit guarantee scheme. If CMC Markets ever went into liquidation, retail clients would have their share of segregated money returned, minus the administrator's costs in handling and distributing these funds. Any shortfall of funds up to £85,000 may be compensated under the FSCS.
How does CMC Markets segregate client money?
Under the FCA's Client Money rules, we're required to segregate client money (unless you agree with us otherwise) from CMC's own funds. The funds held in segregated bank accounts do not belong to CMC and will be held in a way that enables it to be identified as client money. Learn more about client money regulations
How does CMC Markets make money?
Our income primarily comes from our spreads, while other fees, such as overnight holding costs, make a minor contribution to our overall revenue.
We never aim to profit from our clients' losses. Our aim is to build long-term relationships by providing the best possible trading experience through our technology and customer service.
What can I trade on with CMC?
You can trade on over 12,000 financial instruments when you spread bet or trade CFDs with us. See a list of all our popular markets and instruments.
*Tax treatment depends on the individual circumstances of each client. Tax law can change or may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.
**Awarded No.1 Web Platform, ForexBrokers.com Awards 2023; Best Mobile Trading Platform, ADVFN International Financial Awards 2022.
^Remember, both profits and losses are relative to the full value of your position.
†Max discount in tier. Discounts are based on our tiered-volume discount scheme and are variable per product. Please check our tiers table on the CMC Price+ T&Cs††Commissions at $2.5 per $100k traded‡T&Cs apply. 'FT' and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Limited.
