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We're available whenever the markets are open, from Sunday night through to Friday night.
We combine multiple feeds from tier-one banks, to get you the most accurate bid/ask price.
We're available whenever the markets are open, from Sunday night through to Friday night.
Ultra-fast execution² with no partial fills
Gain exposure to a basket of FX pairs with our forex indices


Good Money Guide Awards 2026
ADVFN International Financial Awards
ForexBrokers.com Awards
The three main costs associated with forex trading through CFD trading and spread betting are the margin, spread, and holding costs.
Margin – The initial deposit, representing a fraction of the total trade value, which acts as collateral to open positions.
Spread – The difference between the buy and sell price of an instrument.
Holding costs – Positions still held in your account at the end of each day (5pm New York time, 10pm UK time), may incur holding costs. These costs can be either positive or negative, depending on the direction of your trade and the applicable holding rate.
INSTRUMENT | MIN SPREAD | MARGIN RATE | HOLDING COST BUY | HOLDING COST SELL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
INSTRUMENT | MIN SPREAD | MARGIN RATE | HOLDING COST BUY | HOLDING COST SELL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
INSTRUMENT | MIN SPREAD | MARGIN RATE | HOLDING COST BUY | HOLDING COST SELL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
INSTRUMENT | MIN SPREAD | MARGIN RATE | HOLDING COST BUY | HOLDING COST SELL |
A minimum spread is the lowest spread that will be shown on the given product. Minimum spread will vary subject to after-hours trading. If the underlying market spread widens throughout the trading day, or you're trading out of hours, the platform spread may also widen. The spreads shown are for the first price available for the average market trade/bet sizes in the relevant product. The spread will widen for larger trade/bet sizes. Please log in to our platform for more information.
Foreign exchange (forex) trading is the buying and selling of one currency against another in what is the world's most actively traded market.
Our forex trading accounts allow you to trade currency pairs through CFDs and spread bets, enabling you to:
Trade flexibly on both rising (going long) and falling (going short) markets
Trade 24 hours a day, five days a week
All without owning the underlying asset.
You can open an equities, spread betting or CFD account to trade on our proprietary web-based trading platform and native app. If you open a CFD account, you can choose to link it to TradingView.
To spread bet or trade CFDs on MetaTrader 4, you'll need to create a separate account. This account doesn't provide access to TradingView. Note: on MT4, you can trade on forex, indices and commodities, but not shares, ETFs, rates or bonds.
Learn more about the platforms we offer below.
Advanced order execution
Intuitive charting, with mobile-optimised charts
Pattern recognition scanner
Gauge market sentiment
Morningstar equity research and Reuters news

We've built our web trading platform to be powerful and intuitive. It combines leading-edge features and security, fast execution, and best-in-class insight and analysis. Designed to support any strategy.
A globally-renowned charting experience for every trader. Enjoy the best of both worlds: TradingView's supercharged charts, with our tight spreads.
Supercharged charting
Join the community
Market calendar
Flexible price alerts
Smooth integration

TradingView's mobile apps are available on the App Store and Google Play Store. Ensure that your device is up to date and your operating system is supported.
Trade on the world's most popular trading platform, with tight spreads and fast, transparent execution.
Trade on forex, indices and commodities
Tight spreads from 0.0 pips with our FX Active account
One-click trading
Customisable charts with pre-installed indicators
Automated trading with Expert Advisors


Download MetaTrader 4 for PC or MAC and trade on the world's most popular trading platform.
Forex traders in the UK can trade forex with our spread betting, CFD trading and FX Active accounts.

Access to 12,000 other financial instruments
Trade on our powerful web platform and mobile app

CFD trading is a derivative product which enables you to trade on the price movement of underlying financial assets.
Trade on our powerful web platform and mobile app
Access key markets via the renowned MetaTrader 4 platform
Enjoy tight spreads, with no hidden fees

Get spreads from 0.0 pips on 6 major pairs
Access all our other markets, including indices and commodities
Trade via our proprietary web platform, intuitive mobile app or MT4
INSTRUMENT | FX ACTIVE MIN SPREAD | Standard cfd account MIN SPREAD | MARGIN RATE | COMMISSION ( PER US $100,000) | HOLDING COST BUY | HOLDING COST SELL |
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| 0.0 | US $2.50 | |||||
| 0.0 | US $2.50 | |||||
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| 0.0 | US $2.50 |
INSTRUMENT | FX ACTIVE MIN SPREAD | STANDARD CFD ACCOUNT MIN SPREAD | MARGIN RATE | PRICE | HOLDING COST BUY | HOLDING COST SELL |
INSTRUMENT | FX ACTIVE MIN SPREAD | STANDARD CFD ACCOUNT MIN SPREAD | MARGIN RATE | SPREAD DISCOUNT | HOLDING COST BUY | HOLDING COST SELL |
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When trading forex, you speculate on whether the price of one currency will rise or fall against another. For example, if you believe that the value of the British pound will rise, relative to the value of the US dollar, you would trade the GBP/USD pair.
To open a position you first need to deposit an amount of money known as a margin. The margin required reflects a percentage of the full value of the position. Trading on margin means you place an initial deposit, rather than the full value of the trade upfront.
The margin requirement for forex starts at 3.34%, which means you only have to put up 3.34% of the full trade value. This gives you greater exposure to your chosen financial instrument. It's very important to remember that your profits and losses will be magnified, as they're based on the full value of your trade and not just your initial margin.
One of the features of spread betting and CFD trading is that you only need to deposit a percentage of the full value of your position – the initial margin requirement – to open a trade, known as trading on leverage. Trading on leverage amplifies your profits and losses equally, so it's important to manage your risk.
There are many reasons to spread bet with us, including our:
Powerful platforms: choose from a range of leading platforms, including our award-winning, proprietary web-based platform and mobile app. We also offer MetaTrader 4 and TradingView. Discover our trading platforms
Competitive costs: we offer competitive and reliable pricing, with tight spreads across our product range, from 0.0 pips on six major pairs with our FX Active account, or 0.5 pips with our standard account, 1 point on major indices, and 0.2 points on Gold. Margin rates start from 3.34% for forex, 5% for indices and commodities, and 20% for shares and ETFs. View our trading costs
Dedicated customer service: our dedicated customer service team is available to provide comprehensive support whenever the markets are open, from Sunday night through to Friday night. Contact us
There's no cost to open a live trading account with us. You can also view prices and use tools such as charts, Reuters news, or Morningstar quantitative research equity reports, free of charge. You'll need to deposit funds in your account to place a trade.
Yes, CMC Markets UK plc (registration number 173730) is 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.
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
CMC Markets earns revenue through spreads and other applicable fees and charges. The fees and charges that apply may vary depending on the product and account type.
Explore the world of forex trading and understand how currency markets operate globally.
Learn how to start trading forex with this essential step-by-step guide, covering everything from how to choose a currency pair to opening your first trade.
Compare forex trading with stock market trading, and discover key differences and opportunities.
