Author: David Kimberley

Olymp Trade has almost 90m users. But who owns Olymp Trade? How do they make their money? We reveal all in this new edition of our ongoing miniseries.

In this episode of the TradeInformer Podcast we speak to PipFarm Founder James Glyde. We ask if props hedge, marketing costs, and more.

Prop trading firms can make a lot of money from challenge fees. This means they probably don’t actually have to make any real trades.

Convrs supplies a messaging platform that will IronFX employees to talk to clients on apps like WhatsApp and Telegram via one channel and in a compliant manner.

Williams joins Capital.com from IG Group, where he spent almost six years working on the broker’s premium client management desk.

IG Group’s US offering – IG US – has rebranded to tastyfx. The rebrand means that the group’s FX offering fits with the wider tastytrade brand.

The ex-NatWest prime sales executive is the latest in a string of senior hires by brokerage group ATFX.

Revolut has a new partnership with CMC Markets. We look at what happens if they go on to launch a CFD product and whether they’ll conquer the market.

Brokers using Centroid Solutions technology will be able to access CROSSx, the crypto ECN that Crossover operates.

We speak to Joy Dabeet, Chief Marketing Officer at Amana, about her background, life at Amana, and what makes traders in MENA tick.

PrimeXBT is a huge broker. We look at who runs the company, their product, and how they managed to get so big.

Naik will work from the Hantec Markets office in Dubai. He is the latest in a string of senior executives to have joined from rival broker Infinox.

We speak to XTB CEO Omar Aranout on product expansion, new licenses, UAE and LATAM, and whether he’d pay Roaring Kitty money to tweet.

Trading 212 has acquired a Crypto Asset Services Provider license in Cyprus, allowing them to add physical crypto trading in the European Union.

Revolut has partnered with CMC Connect to offer CFD products, as well as the other securities that the broker offers to institutional clients.

ATFX will use PriceOn to manage its mix of retail and institutional liquidity, with the goal of improving pricing and execution quality.

Trade reporting company TRAction Fintech announced on Monday that it has integrated its technology with iSAM Securities’ liquidity bridge, APEX. The partnership means that brokers using APEX can now use TRAction’s technology to report trades automatically and meet trade reporting standards. TRAction’s technology covers trade reporting under EMIR, MIFIR, ASIC, MAS, CFTC and Canadian regulations. “To meet regulatory obligations, it is now crucial for firms to work with specialised technology partners to share the burden of implementing complex requirements,” said TRAction Co-CEO Quinn Perrott. “If you’re considering outsourcing your transaction reporting to TRAction, you may be wondering if they can…

Taylor will set up the Scope Prime office in Sydney and be responsible for driving business for the LP in the Asia-Pacific region.

The CFD industry plays an outsized role in the local economy, employing a huge number of people but also bringing a lot of cash relative to Cyprus’s GDP.

The headline ‘funded account’ figure that prop firms offer is less relevant than the drawdown rules the prop imposes on its clients.

The new product launch includes the addition of around 250 single stock CFDs, which can be traded in the Scope Markets non-leveraged accounts.

The Taiwanese brokerage group will use TraderEvolution technology to offer OTC and exchange-traded instruments in one platform.

More than 1,700 ETFs can now be traded on Spectrum Markets, with German firm ICF Bank acting as market maker for the new products.

Wale will lead the iSAM Securities sales team’s efforts in EMEA, expanding the group’s existing offering and driving new business.

IG Group has launched a trading tournament for French clients, which is set for late June. The challenge has prizes and will take place on demo accounts.

Trade.com has become the latest broker to offer a funded trader programme. The offering is via a Cypriot-based entity.

Baker was previously Head of Premium Clients at Capital.com. He also spent close to seven years at OvalX, which collapsed in early 2023.

FTMO and the Funding Pips both appear to be getting brokerage licences. Alpha Capital already has one. We look at why funded trader firms are doing this.

FX/CFD broker ThinkMarkets is launching a prop firm or funded trader programme. The broker previously provided services to other props using a gray label.

ATFX Chief Commercial Offficer Siju Daniel discusses why he joined the firm and what the brokerage group’s plans are for expansion.

Funded trader companies are shutting shop because they can’t sell enough challenges to cover their liabilities. We explain how it all works here.

ATFX saw a surge in year on year trading volume in the first quarter of 2024. The broker said precious metals trading was a big part of that growth.

tastytrade is holding an event in London in early June with Cboe and CME Group, meaning the launch will align with that.

Cboe data shows that net exposure in derivatives trading is low. So it probably doesn’t matter that much if you send trades to market or not.

Restrepo has a decade of experience in the FX/CFD industry, including a six year stint at ETX and three years at Eurotrader.

Personal branding is one part of a wider change in the media landscape. The question is whether this actually achieves anything or not from a business perspective.

The broker has applied to cancel its license with the UK regulator. The UK is an increasingly operationally and financially burdensome market for brokers.

FTMO has big plans to expand into the retail broker space. Kamerman was previously CEO of Skilling and spent over 15 years at FXCM.

James Gavin joins the London office from Standard Chartered, with Richie Westerlind and Nathalie Bijlsma both working on the company’s Florida desk

Michael Nichols will become Chief Commercial Officer at Match-Prime Liquidity and Przemysław Wojtyna is now Head of Sales at Match-Trade Technologies.

Capital.com CEO Kypros Zoumidou has stepped down from his role at the retail broker. He replaced outgoing ex-CEO Peter Hetherington at the end of 2023.

True Forex Funds has shut down, just three months after its license was revoked by MetaQuotes. The firm had relaunched subsequently.

Crypto won’t die. But is it making brokers money. And is it worth adding physical crypto as a product?

Andy Francos was formerly Head of SEO at IG Group and Commercial Marketing Director at Capital.com. His new firm – Be Franc – provides a range of services.

XTB revenues increased by over $160m from 2021 to 2022. How did they manage to do that when other firms were shrinking?

AvaTrade has launched a new futures offering called AvaFutures, becoming the latest CFD broker to branch out into offering exchange-traded derivatives.

We speak to Axi CEO Rajesh Yohannan on the group’s management buyout, Axi Select, revenue growth, and more.

ATFX has made several major hires since the start of the year, with combined experience in the FX/CFD industry that exceeds 100 years.

Discord is very popular among prop firm traders. But can brokers add it as an option. Also we look at WhatsApp channels and marketing lines.

We speak to Tickmill and The Trading Pit Co-Founder Illimar Mattus about prop firms, private equity investments, scaling strategies, and plans for Tickmill.

Prime of prime providers are expanding away from the retail broker space. But who are they targeting and what do those people need?

Tickmill Founder Ingmar Mattus has Co-Founded a new options and futures broker called MetroTrade, which targets retail clients in the US.

ATFX has hired Siju Daniel from FXCM. He is the latest in a string of high profile hires that ATFX has made over the last six months.

Exness plans on launching a crypto product, which involves the trading of physical crypto. The company already has a stake in crypto ECN Crossover Markets.

We look at fake CFD regulators in Nauru and the Comoros. Also we have a podcast with Dianah Igati, Regional Head of Compliance at Pepperstone.

Exness has formed a partnership in LATAM. But why does Exness need La Liga? And why does La Liga need Exness? It comes down to expansion and marketing deals.

Match-Trade has launched a prop trading CRM, to complement its trading platform. Companies can now get a full prop tech stack from Match-Trade.

Andrew Budzinski has relocated to Dubai. The IC Markets founder and CEO was previously a Cypriot resident.

How much does an FCA license cost and would you be a able to start a broker in the UK and make money easily? We reveal all in this article.

Trading 212 plans to launch options trading in 2024, although there is no clear date as to when the product will go live. The company will also be unable to do payment for order flow to monetise the product.

Plus500 average deposits reached an all time high in 2023. The company saw record revenues per user last year as well.

XTB just hit 1 million users and the broker wants to expand its product range, enter new markets, and onboard more clients.

1x CFDs may help to boost a broker’s loss ratio. Also we look at Deriv synthetic indices and ask how you can hedge the exposure that they create.

IC Markets has soft launched its prop trading arm – IC Funded. The site is currently in Beta mode but TradeInformer understands it has already seen a substantial number of sign ups.

Five facts from the Swissquote annual report. Also we do a podcast with FPFX CEO and Co-Founder Justin Hertzberg.

There is lots of misinformation about STP vs A-book brokers on the internet today. In this guide we clear things up and explain the difference between the two.

Prime of primes play a crucial role in the FX/CFD industry. But what is a prime of prime and what do they do? We explain all in this guide.

In this guide we tell you everything you need about how to start a prop firm or funded trader company. It’s more complicated than you think.

Forex liquidity is created via a mix of price formation and market making. We explain exactly how that works in this article.

CFD liquidity is created by price formation and the willingness of a firm to act as counterparty to trades. We explain it all in this article on CFD liquidity.

Everything you need to know about how to start a FX/CFD broker in Mauritius and getting a FX/CFD license from the Mauritius FSC.

Everything you need to know about how to start a FX/CFD broker in the Seychelles and FX/CFD regulations in the Seychelles.

Want to start a forex broker in Labuan? Read this guide and learn how long it takes, what it costs, and what the regulations are.

Capital.com have probably been told by the FCA to stop providing some services. Also we look at ASIC and the surge in popularity of US options trading.

We interview FTMO CEO Ottaker Suffner about the company’s expansion plans, the US exit, and start up life.

There are more and and more FX/CFD brokers in Brazil. So what is it like to start a broker in Brazil and how can you make the business work?

Prop firms placing real trades have to report trades if they are based in various regions, including the UK, EU, and Australia.

MT4 and MT5 have been taken off the play store. MT4 demos are done. And are props breaking trade reporting rules? Also Startrader and a new liquidity provider.

We speak about how servers can help brokers get new clients, growth in the algo market, and brokers’ expansion into new markets.

We speak to CMO Alfonso Cardalda about the company’s rebrand, marketing strategies, and his own background.

FX/CFD trading is legal in Hong Kong – but with some exceptions. In this guide we look at how you can trade gold and forex in Hong Kong.

We speak to Spreadex MD Tom Salmon about the company’s future plans, new products, and longevity.

Everything you need to know about how to start a forex broker in St Lucia, with timeframes, costs, and the downsides included.

A guide on how to start a forex broker in St Vincent and the Grenadines (and why it might not be the best idea to do it).

A guide on how to start a FX/CFD broker in Cyprus, covering costs, regulations, and how long it takes to set up your broker.

Want to start a forex broker? This guide tells you everything you need to know about how to start a FX/CFD broker in South Africa

It has become popular to start a FX/CFD broker in the Bahamas in recent years. However, the Bahamas forex broker license is expensive.

It is easy to start a FX/CFD broker in the Marshall Islands. We outline here how to do it. The question is whether you really want to.

The Mwali International Services Authority is a fraud. That’s the reason why you should not start a forex broker in the Comoros.

Everything you need to know about how to start a FX/CFD broker in Vanuatu and getting regulated by the Vanuatu Financial Services Commission.

How you can start a FX/CFD broker in the UK, with details on licensing, capital requirements and more affordable options.

There are more affordable ways to start a FX/CFD broker in the UK, either as an introducing broker or as an appointed representative.

It’s expensive to start a forex broker. Luckily there are cheaper alternatives to start a forex business. We look at some here.

We look at the cheapest country to start a forex broker, including St Lucia, the Seychelles, and Labuan. We also look at one region to avoid.

We explain everything you need to know about how to start a forex broker, from company incorporation to trading platforms.

FPFX ends Funded Engineer

5 facts from IG Group’s latest financial results

We look at changes to the Labuan Money Broker license and then examine a MetaQuotes warning to a prop firm.

Trade data can help you manage risk and trade flows. Also we look at IC Markets shutting out UK clients.

It’s all in the stock brokerage business