Open a spread betting demo account
Hone your spread betting skills on our award-winning platform*
- Practise spread betting on thousands of forex, index and commodity instruments
- Powerful charting and innovative trading tools
- Practise on the move with our mobile and tablet apps
- Award-winning support around the clock, whenever the markets are open^
Watch our 'What is spread betting?' video
Losses can exceed deposits on a live account
No risk
- Trade £10,000 virtual funds
- No expiry date
- Instant approval – start practising in seconds
- No credit card information required
Enhanced mobile trading
Experience enhanced mobile trading with an app you can customise to suit your trading style, so you can keep track of the markets that matter to you and stay informed on the go.
Value for money
We offer competitive and reliable pricing, with tight spreads and low margins†. Spread bet on key FX pairs like EUR/USD from 0.7 points, 1 point on major indices like the UK 100, and 0.3 points on Gold. Margin rates start from 3.3% for FX and 5% for indices.
More opportunities
Spread betting offers you the ability to diversify your portfolio with tax-free** trading on a huge range offorex, indices, commodities and treasuries.
Nearly 30 years' experience
Since launching in 1989, we’ve become one of the world's leading spread betting and CFD providers. As one of the industry’s pioneers, you can be confident that when you're spread betting with us, you're spread betting with one of the best in the business.
Intuitive platform
Our unique online spread betting platform, Next Generation, has already won multiple awards and we’re consistently working on new functionality, products and tools to enhance your experience.
Multiple award-winners
We have won over 50 awards worldwide in the last two years, including Best Online Trading Platform at the 2017 Shares Awards. These awards recognise the quality of our service, and dedication to delivering innovation and technology, through our web-based trading platform and native mobile apps.
98% of calls answered in under 20 seconds
When there's a market open, we are too
What is spread betting?
How does spread betting work?
Spread betting is a tax-efficient** way of speculating on the price movement of thousands of global financial markets (or products), including indices, currency pairs, commodities, shares and treasuries.
When you spread bet you take a position based on whether you think the price of a product will rise or fall, and make a profit or loss based on whether or not the market moves in your direction. Remember, losses can exceed deposits.
You don't buy or sell the underlying asset you wish to trade, such as a physical share or commodity. Instead you place a bet based on whether you think the price of the market will go up or down in value. If you think the value of a share or commodity will rise, you would open a long position (buy). Conversely, if you think the share or commodity to fall in value in the coming days, you would take a short position (sell).
Why spread bet with CMC Markets?
- Choose from thousands of spread betting products
- Practise on our award-winning Next Generation platform and mobile apps
- Build your risk management skills with our range of stop orders including guaranteed stop-loss orders
No risk
Open a free spread betting demo account today
- Trade £10,000 virtual cash
- No expiry date
- Instant approval – start practising in seconds
- No credit card information required
Losses can exceed deposits on a live account
Spread bet with a reputed global provider
59,165
active clients worldwide across all account types
68.4M
trades per annum across all products
15
global offices
Losses can exceed deposits on a live account
Winner 2017
Platform Features
Investment Trends 2017 UK Leverage Trading Report
Winner 2017
Mobile Phone/Tablet Platform
Investment Trends 2017 UK Leverage Trading Report
Winner 2017
Financial Services Provider of the Year
Shares Awards
Winner 2017
Best Online Trading Platform
Shares Awards
Winner 2017
Best Spread Betting & CFD Education Tools
ADVFN International Financial Awards
Winner 2017
Best Spread Betting Provider
Wealth & Money Management Awards
Winner 2017
Best Spread Betting Provider
Investment & Wealth Management Awards
Winner 2017
Best Forex Trading Support
UK Forex Awards
Awarded Best Platform Features and Best Mobile Phone/Tablet Platform, among spread betters, CFD and FX traders.
Investment Trends 2017 UK Leverage Trading Report
*Awarded Best Platform Features and Best Mobile Phone/Tablet Platform; ranked highest for Platform Reliability and Charting, based on highest user satisfaction among spread betters, CFD and FX traders, Investment Trends 2017 UK Leverage Trading Report; Best Online Trading Platform, Shares Awards 2017.
**Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and can change or may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.
^Awarded Best Customer Service, based on highest user satisfaction among spread betters, CFD and FX traders, Investment Trends 2017 UK Leverage Trading Report.
†Spreads may widen and margins may increase in volatile markets.