Newsletters

EU regulators are dorks

European regulators will probably ban event contracts, allowing US firms to dominate another market. Also we look at the Axi stockbroker deal.

Make binary options great again

Robinhood made over $2m in one week from events contracts. But what are events contracts, how do they work, and can brokers use them?

3 XTB facts

XTB continues to see huge numbers of new clients but with a decreasing ARPU. The firm is going big on investment products to market itself.

Offshore broker, onshore prop

If you were to start a broker today, it seems like it would be best to start an offshore broker for EMs and then do prop for Europe and the UK.

Exness and K Pop

What does K Pop company HYBE tell us about broker marketing. And what do they do that is similar to the Exness Team Pro campaign.

Dubai is the new industry hub

Adventures in Las Vegas on sea. We speak to the ATFX MENA crew, hang out with Century Financial, and take a tour of the Dubai Forex Expo.

IC Markets leaving is bad for CySEC

If IC Markets leaves it's another sign brokers don't need a CySEC license anymore. It also shows other firms that they can divest from Cyprus if pushed to do so.

How does Trading 212 offer high interest?

Trading 212 continues to offer interest on uninvested cash that's above the BoE rate. So how is it doing that and why? We reveal all.

The end of the MetaTrader broker?

MetaTrader 4 and 5 have been the incumbent trading platforms for two decades now. There are signs that could be changing.

I went to Vanuatu

We visited the island in the Pacific, met the regulator and the ex-finance minister, saw a tribal dance, and got drunk at the French ambassador's house.

Will providers price props differently?

Prop trading firms don't make as much money as brokers do. Will that mean changes? Also we look at UK options brokers and goings on in ASEAN.

Are CFDs just a payments game

Payments and banking are probably the biggest pain points for CFD brokers today. So is the industry really about marketing or sales any more - or just making sure you can transfer funds?

A broker, a lawyer, and an LP walk into a bar

We travel to Sydney and speak to CMC Markets, Moomoo, TRAction Fintech, 26 Degrees, and Blueberry Funded in a busy day in Australia.

7 facts from the Naga-Capex merger

The newly formed company will use the Naga brand name, they're looking for a license in Chile, and may add options trading down the line.

Porn and CFDs

DMM used to make porn but now does CFDs. XM is huge. Plus500 is growing. And more. We look at what's going on with CFDs in Japan.

ESMA should ban CFD passporting

ESMA could make the CFD industry work better by stopping passporting, meaning states capture more tax revenue and can hold companies in the sector accountable.

Is the CFD industry done?

The CFD industry has grown massively and is active globally. So is there no growth left for the sector or is there actually plenty of left on the table?

8 ad strategies for brokers in Asia

Asia is the growth market for CFD brokers today. So what marketing strategies are forex brokers using to target clients in Asia (and lots of the rest of the world?)

Get people to trade more

Getting people to trade more is what all brokers want to do. In this short how to guide we look at ways that brokers can achieve that.

Will Revolut take over the CFD industry?

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.

Forex employs c.7,000 people in Cyprus

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.

Props are getting broker licences

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.

Props are going bust

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

Does personal branding do anything?

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.

Crypto returns

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

How is XTB so big?

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

Can brokers add discord?

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.

Primed for hedge funds

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

Fake CFD regulators

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.

How much does it cost to make an FCA license work?

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.

Do 1x CFDs reduce client losses?

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.

Average Swissquote salary hits $160k

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

Capital.com gets REQ’d

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.

Brokers in Brazil

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?

MT4 & MT5 removed from India Play Store

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.

The Exness rebrand

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

MetaQuotes attacks prop firms

FPFX ends Funded Engineer

IG to launch investment app in Singapore

5 facts from IG Group's latest financial results

Labuan license drama

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

4 ways CFD brokers can use trade data

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

CMC Markets is (still) undervalued

It's all in the stock brokerage business

Can brokers start prop firms?

And we speak to Chariton Christou about how AI can improve your dealing desk

What liquidity is good liquidity?

Also we look at AI articles and the future of marketing

Multibrand mystery

We look at the mystery of multibrand brokers and also look at two new hires at IG and Capital.com

Can you gamify trading?

XM's masseuse, Thai expo shut down and the outlook for crypto

IC Markets may launch prop firm

And we take a return trip to the Turkish Gold Bazaar

FA or FCA

Should you sponsor a Premier League team or get FCA regulated?

Do low valuations help brokers?

Also we learn that Capital.com owns another URL

What it’s like to be an eToro popular investor

We speak to Heloise Greeff about how she became a popular investor and what it's like to be one

Is Tom Sosnoff an intangible asset?

Sosnoff's success may pose a longer term risk to IG Group

Exness and the PokerStars

Also we look at what has been going on in the world of cryptocurrency

How is XM so big in Japan?

Thai police raid forex event

Less than zero

Is your broker actually worth anything?

What next for prop firms?

Some tips and tricks for the iFX Expo

Surviving low volatility

Some CFD providers are gonna have to hope things get worse

My Forex Funds is toast

Did brokers get scammed by a fake regulator in the Comoros Islands?

Can CFD brokers still outsource to Eastern Europe?

Poland is becoming more expensive and other countries are off-limits

CFD brokers in Saudi Arabia

chop chop

Did Intertrader take Ovalx’s best clients?

Also we look at Plus500, Robinhood, Eurotrader and Doo Prime

Do CFD brokers need sales people?

Just order online

Will IG become a US firm?

New podcast + more retail at AGMs?

Fineco, eToro and the €1.3m fine

It's the spirt of friendly competition

Spain’s CFD ban

Roll out the prop shops

LATAM payment problems

¡Ay, caramba!

Exness added 1,340 employees in two years

CFD providers have averaged 16% employee growth since mid-2021

Do hedge funds use prime of prime?

Swimming in a sea of Tier-1 PB liquidity

Crypto’s CFD moment

Plus an emergency crypto podcast

AI CFD Clickbait

Korean stock pumps

Ambulance chasers chase IG

Can brokers IPO?

XM made €554m in 2020

Also we look at ThinkMarkets, Revolut and have a new podcast

XM is the eToro of ASEAN

The never ending ads, the horror...

CFD brokers are going to Dubai

It's all going down with the Khalijis

EverFX and the Georgian Defence Minister

Copy trading and Saxo Bank

ESMA is mad about copy trading

And IG Group buys the Small Exchange

IG is launching an investing app

It's going to be delightful

Swissquote interest revenue rose by 364.7% last year

Diversification pays off

What happens if you do nothing in St Vincent & the Grenadines?

Also we look at Webull's fine and options trading

What happened in St Vincent & the Grenadines?

Mystery in the Caribbean

CFD brokers are going to Africa

Lots of Google searching is afoot

3 facts from IG’s latest results

It's an SEO-friendly, clickbait-y Monday morning

Capital.com buys OvalX client book

Grifters in hoodies

Interest hits 5% of revenue at IG – will brokers add a cash product?

Plus500 and does NAGA read CFDs Weekly?

Match-Trade doubles revenue in 2022, onboards 175 new customers

Are there alternatives to St Vincent and the Grenadines?

The curious incident of the total output on the NAGA income statement

Or how to include software investment as revenue

Is it over for brokers in St Vincent?

Why didn't Saxo SPAC? And Microsoft + the LSE

Are Binance toast?

We take a lighthearted start to 2023 and look at compliance problems

IC Markets is setting up a UK entity

Capital.com removes share dealing and a loophole on ESMA leverage restrictions

What should start up brokers do in 2023?

Also more hires at Capital.com from IG Group

Make FX Great again, with Drew Niv

Will Capital.com run out of people to hire from IG?

Scam Bankrupt-Fraud

The end of crypto and a discussion about prop shops

Public.com is going to launch in the UK

Also Webull hired another T212 exec and we look at Plus500 shares

Vantage may lose their Vanuatu licence

Also we look at XTB, Wise and Telegram usernames

IG are getting sued

MetaQuotes are going after brokers using TradingView

Spaxo Bank

Plus crypto and M&A

What next for white label providers?

Also we look at copy trading

MetaQuotes stopped issuing white labels

Also we look at Public's proposed takeover of BUX

MetaQuotes got cancelled

Deriv is in Vanuatu

How do brokers choose their liquidity provider?

So much choice, so many similarities

Latest Interviews

Interactive Brokers: We’ll try to add event contracts outside the US

We speak to Steve Sanders from Interactive Brokers about what the US broker's plans to expand its events contracts offering.