Author: David Kimberley

Category 5 licenses have become a simple way for CFD brokers to enter the UAE. They may be on the way out.

EC Markets signed a multi-year sponsorship agreement with Liverpool last year.

FTMO was long number one. But payout data and FTMO’s own behaviour suggest FundedNext may be taking the top spot.

Spotware releases cTrader Admin 9.9 with email tracking in Sessions, a new Workspace settings app and a collapsible main menu, improving daily platform administration and ensuring consistent operational control.

Polymarket Sponsors pay out to traders that make a market in a contract, letting them earn more than they would from the exchange’s regular Rewards programme.

IQ Option said its use of AI video helped it save a huge sum of money and get better marketing performance.

The deal, Kraken’s sixth acquisition in a year, brings vesting, airdrop, and governance tooling in-house as the exchange prepares for a planned IPO.

Trade Marshals partners with cTrader to provide a premium trading experience for every trader, regardless of experience

Droussiotis joined Match-Trade Technologies in 2023 and oversaw a huge amount of growth at the firm.

The institutional exchange operator has extended its perpetual futures range to include XAU/USD, giving clients round-the-clock access to gold derivatives as prices trade above $5,500 per ounce.

The online broker is hiring specialists in Dubai and Cyprus to build out autonomous AI systems, large language models, and data infrastructure for its trading platform.

The Dutch gambling regulator has classified Polymarket as an unlicensed gambling operation, citing risks to democratic integrity after users wagered over $32 million on the country’s October elections.

The federal commodities regulator is pushing back against state gambling regulators in a legal battle that could determine who oversees the fast-growing prediction market industry.

CMC Markets will be able to use the new license to let clients use gold as margin for trading.

FP Markets is the latest broker to get the license, which is a cost-effective way of accessing the UAE market.

The trading platform reported a 10% annual revenue increase and 12% jump in net income for its first full year as a public company, while authorizing an additional $100 million in share repurchases.

Cardoso previously worked at INFINOX for over four years. He is based in the broker’s Dubai office.

The Financial Conduct Authority has launched a consultation on simplified securitisation rules, developed with the PRA, replacing inherited EU-era requirements with a framework tailored to the UK market.

CEO David Zruia, CFO Elad Even-Chen and CMO Nir Zats offloaded 1.5 million shares after holding their stakes for 13 years. The stock fell as much as 10% on the news.

Spotware attended iFX EXPO Dubai 2026 as a multi-product developer, debuting cBridge and presenting cTrader and cTrader Store. cTrader was named Best Trading Platform at UF AWARDS MEA 2026, reflecting its leadership in the industry.

GCI Trading adds cTrader to deliver a premium, mobile-first trading experience that meets the highest standards of transparency, helping traders of all experience levels trade with confidence.

100% Ramadan Mubarak Bonus — discipline meets opportunity.

The Trading Pit will roll out its new brokerage arm slowly, with clients initially coming from its prop trading arm.

The questionnaire is aimed at gathering as much information as possible about CFD broker activity in the country.

Gold pricing and aggressive flow from the CFD industry may have forced the market maker to exit the market.

The company said that regulatory changes have made offline events extremely difficult to run in the country.

Australia’s securities regulator has assembled a heavyweight lineup for its March symposium, pairing the US SEC Chair with a Nobel laureate economist and Europe’s top markets regulator to discuss technology and financial regulation.

Intercontinental Exchange has listed cash-settled futures covering a broad crypto index, a top-five index, and five individual digital assets, with a DeFi interest rate product also in the pipeline.

The world’s largest derivatives exchange is reviving a product class that previously failed to gain traction in the U.S., betting that cash settlement and record equity derivatives demand will change the outcome.

The institutional trading firm’s new platform lets financial entities trade foreign exchange, cryptocurrencies and stablecoins around the clock through one API, with settlement on traditional rails or blockchain networks.

XM has launched its biggest ever promotional bonus scheme, with clients able to earn up to $52,500 in total by reaching trading targets.

A group of companies that operated under the Octa brand announced it is opting out of the brand-sharing agreement. Bringing its participation in Octa to a close, it will emerge as Elev8, an independent international brokerage brand, effective 9 February 2026. The changes will affect only the brand identity, while the operational processes remain unchanged.

ATFX had one of its best three months on record, with total trading volume of $3.17trn for the year.

The exchange issued Circular 26/011 on February 9, adding expiry cycles to its FTSE 100 Index Weekly Option contracts as demand for short-dated hedging tools continues to grow.

The ‘DatingOrDefrauding?’ campaign, running February 11–14, unites federal, state and international partners to warn Americans about relationship investment fraud that has surged alongside cryptocurrency and AI-powered deception.

The London-headquartered online trading platform will use the Premier League club’s international reach to accelerate expansion across Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.

Exness can help manage the main operational risk facing brokers today – complexity that comes from growth.

Angus Walker and Drew Niv will take audience questions about the new dealing desk paradigm we find ourselves in.

A joint report outlines how ‘Universal Exchanges’ handling crypto, stocks and tokenized funds need systemic security upgrades to prevent failures in one asset class from spreading to another.

The FCA-regulated CFD brokerage has a new name and new owners, but retains its existing management team as it targets growth after a difficult 2024.

EmCoin will use Centroid to offer clients access to derivatives, crypto, and equities trading.

The crypto exchange aired a 60-second karaoke-style ad during Super Bowl LX, reworking “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” to pitch cryptocurrency as a mainstream product for 52 million American users.

Plus500’s Ffst-growing US futures and clearing operation now accounts for over 12% of group income.

Making commission-free stocks work for CFD brokers is becoming increasingly difficult.

The global online trading firm joins the satellite Yamaha outfit as an Official Partner, gaining visibility across a championship that reaches an estimated 500 million fans worldwide.

The crypto payment gateway finalised its two-phase expansion on February 5, combining instant Binance Pay deposits with direct connectivity to MetaMask, Phantom and hundreds of other wallets.

Prop firms are shorting volatility. It’s the industry’s main problem and why it could ultimately kill it.

The two companies will work together to organise a range of trading events globally.

Scope Prime clients can get access to on-exchange liquidity from multiple global exchanges.

Hantec will promote both its Hantec Trader and Hantec Markets brands via the sponsorship agreement.

The Tradu project seems to have failed, with FXCM now set to start being the main brand for CFD trading.

New research from Canada’s Ontario Securities Commission finds game-like features in trading apps can encourage better portfolio habits when designed with investor outcomes in mind.

The UK’s dominant spread betting and CFD provider integrates automated compliance technology as regulatory scrutiny of financial promotions intensifies.

The derivatives exchange reported a 15% year-over-year increase, with metals trading surging 218% and cryptocurrency volume more than doubling.

The UK firm, formerly VIBHS Financial, has now replaced its legacy directors following acquisition by Moneta Markets Excellence Holding Limited.

We talk to CFI CEO Ziad Melhem on what makes the broker a success in the UAE and taking the company to the next level.

The veteran regulator and enforcement specialist will take the helm of Australia’s corporate watchdog on June 1, succeeding Joe Longo after his five-year term.

The CRM provider has bold plans for its new technology.

The FTSE 250 fintech group launches event-based contracts for American retail investors, building on its December clearing deal with CME and FanDuel.

Forex bridge providers are branching out into other products. What’s going to happen as a result?

Epstein emailed an unnamed Russian-speaker about FxPro’s founder Denis Sukhotin in 2018.

Chairman Paul Atkins names retired EY partner Jim Logothetis to lead the PCAOB, signalling a shift toward leaner oversight and reduced board compensation.

The exchange formalises incentives for market makers to tighten spreads and deepen order books across its global power derivatives suite.

The new broker has historically operated under a brand sharing agreement with Octa but will now go its own way.

The Federal Court has ordered BPS Financial to pay $14 million after ASIC found the company operated without a licence and made false claims about its Qoin Wallet product.

Patrick Wieland is going to get cooked by Topstep.

Three-quarters of all trades were buy orders as investors favoured ETFs for diversification and piled into NVIDIA, while Bitcoin cemented its place in mainstream portfolios.

The London-listed brokerage secures 70% of the Australian crypto exchange for A$124.6 million, with plans to roll out spot trading across three markets by year end.

US financial regulators unveil joint framework for digital assets, signalling a decisive shift from enforcement-led oversight toward coordinated rules designed to keep crypto innovation on American soil.

The four-time Tour de France winner becomes the face of KuCoin’s regulated European expansion, marking a new chapter in cryptocurrency sports sponsorship.

The UK regulator identifies multiple clone operations and unregistered entities targeting consumers, including fraudsters impersonating an authorized lender through anggleloan.com.

The crypto exchange has launched leveraged derivatives for European customers, offering up to 10x leverage on more than 150 markets through its Cyprus-regulated entity.

The crypto payment gateway now lets merchants tap into Binance’s 45 million active Pay users, bypassing blockchain delays and common transfer errors.

Intercontinental Exchange reports all-time high in open interest, with Brent crude and European natural gas benchmarks driving a 20% year-over-year surge amid volatile energy markets.

We talk to Dedi Prasetyo, Head of Business Development at ICDX, to see how brokers can enter the Indonesian market.

Germany’s financial watchdog joins UK, Dutch and Belgian authorities in flagging the unlicensed platform, which investigators link to a broader network of “boiler room” scams targeting retail investors.

FX-EDGE is also offering props a free bridge, with Match-Trader entering the prediction markets space too.

The HKMA and SFC want to end the cycle of periodic legislative updates by establishing standard calculation periods that would apply indefinitely from March 2027.

Capital.com joins eToro and Revolut as the third retail-facing brand to get approval from CySEC for the license.

Three SEC divisions issue joint guidance clarifying how federal securities laws apply to blockchain-based representations of stocks, bonds and other traditional assets.

The trading platform has signed a deal to sponsor the most successful Cypriot driver in NASCAR Euro Series history as he competes across Europe in 2026.

The former Treasury official will lead efforts to develop regulatory frameworks for emerging markets while protecting the agency’s derivatives jurisdiction.

ATFX Connect is a leading Prime of Prime services provider. The company offers brokers and financial institutions access to tier-1 liquidity via agency and margin accounts.

The derivatives marketplace becomes the White Sox’s Official Global Exchange Partner in a multiyear deal that puts the CME logo on all game uniforms starting this spring.

The FCA-regulated broker becomes the first major multi-jurisdictional firm to offer the next-generation platform, expanding options for retail and professional traders.

Germany’s financial regulator identified six market threats while adding consumer over-indebtedness, crypto speculation and insurance costs to its annual watchlist.

Japan’s index providers introduce aggressive bear-market benchmarks, completing the strategy suite for the country’s two most-traded commodity markets.

The Securities and Futures Commission signs a landmark agreement with the UAE’s newly established Capital Market Authority, opening retail fund distribution channels between the two financial hubs.

The derivatives exchange recorded 3.3 million contracts in a single day, with Micro Silver futures leading the charge amid heightened market volatility.

Vantage has become one of the biggest players in the offshore UK brokerage market.

TTT Markets is the lates prop firm to enter the brokerage space. The brokerage arm is registered in St Lucia.

Mahmoud is one of several new senior hires that IC Markets has made over the last 12 months.

VantoTrade will now operate on a full STP model, routing all trades through to a liquidity provider.

As one of the best forex broker CRMs on the market today, TradeCore lets you access all your broker’s divisions in one platform.

Spotware comes to iFX EXPO Dubai as a multi-product developer, showcasing cBridge – a cost-efficient liquidity bridge, alongside cTrader – its flagship trading platform.

The A-book carries credit risk that can blow up a firm. Will that happen in 2026?

ATFX was awarded the best and most trusted broker in Africa awards by International Investor Magazine.

Gold, loose challenge rules, and the idiosyncrasies of futures may have all made FundingTicks a loss-making business.

More than 11m traders now use cTrader globally, with the platform also automating 60% of client queries using AI.

AvaTrade is one of several brokers to cut staff over the last few months, with firms likely being hit by gold trading.