FXCM scores 67/100 and ranks 9 of 14. FXCM publishes no spread betting figure we can source. Judge it on the rest and check its prices on the platform.
What Happened To The FXCM Name
On 24 February 2014 the Financial Conduct Authority issued a Final Notice against Forex Capital Markets Limited (FXCM Ltd) and FXCM Securities Limited, fining them £4,000,000 together for breaches of PRIN 6, PRIN 11 and COBS. Forex Capital Markets Ltd is now registered as Stratos Markets Limited, FRN 217689. The regulator’s published summary describes it as: “This final notice refers to breaches of PRIN 6, PRIN 11, and COBS related to unfair treatment of customers, and failing to be open and co-operative in the trading firms sector. We imposed a fine and redress”. The firm remained authorised at the FCA register read on 31 August 2026; the register marks such action as historic or possibly current without stating which.
The FCA register lists six clone firms impersonating FXCM between 12 March 2014 and 5 October 2021; these are fraudsters copying the name, not findings about the firm. Check FRN 217689 on the register before depositing.
Stratos Markets Limited is on the Financial Services Register under firm reference number 217689, and its status panel reads Authorised, since 27 May 2003. We read the entry on 3 Sep 2026, and the capture below is what the register showed that day.
Stratos Markets Limited, FRN 217689, on the FCA Financial Services Register: status Authorised, since 27 May 2003. Captured 3 Sep 2026. Source: the firm’s register entry, Financial Conduct Authority.
The permissions panel is not in the capture, so this page makes no claim about which regulated activities the authorisation covers. Our regulation guide sets out how to verify a firm on the FCA register.
FXCM Trust, Ownership And Client Money Protection
Can You Trust FXCM?
FXCM's UK spread betting business is run by Stratos Markets Limited, a firm Authorised by the FCA since 2003 under firm reference number 217689. FXCM states that all retail client money is held in segregated client money bank accounts, and that retail clients are not subject to payment obligations beyond their deposited funds. FXCM also states that eligible claimants have the right to compensation by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. (FCA register, read ; FXCM's own site, read ; FXCM's own site, read )
Who Owns FXCM?
Companies House records Jefferies Financial Group Inc. as a person with significant control whose nature of control is significant influence or control over Stratos Markets Limited, the UK firm. (Companies House, read )
What Happens To Your Money If FXCM Fails?
FXCM states that all retail client money is held in segregated client money bank accounts, and that if it is unable to satisfy repayment claims, eligible claimants have the right to compensation by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. The FSCS gives compensation of up to £85,000 per eligible person, per firm, for a firm that failed after 1 April 2019. (FXCM's own site, read ; FSCS, read )
FXCM states on its UK site that it provides trusted spread betting, forex trading and CFD trading services, and you can read our guide to spread betting vs CFD trading for how the two products differ. (FXCM's own site, read )
FXCM Licence And Terms
Regulator
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
Authorised entity
Stratos Markets Limited (FRN 217689)
Register status
Authorised
Authorised since
27 May 2003
Register read
3 Sep 2026
Minimum deposit
£50
Guaranteed stops
Not offered
Inactivity fee
the lesser of 50 in the account's base currency or the remaining balance, after 12 months with no trading
How We Scored FXCM
Our overall score for FXCM is 67 out of 100. Below is the assessment behind it: FXCM marked on each of the criteria we score every account against, each one out of 10.
FXCM marked out of ten on each of the six criteria we score every account against, shown as a bar on each row.
Criterion
FXCM
Trading Cost
5 / 10Assessed
Trading Experience
7 / 10Assessed
Trading Platform
6 / 10Assessed
Trust
6 / 10Assessed
Range Of Markets
9 / 10Assessed
Customer Service
7 / 10Assessed
The overall score shown above the table is the sum of these six marks, each out of 10, divided by 60 and multiplied by 100, rounded half up. No criterion is weighted, and this has been how every score on the site is computed since 24 September 2026.
Our scoring method for every review names the six criteria, what each one covers, and the published sources behind every mark.
Since 24 September 2026 FXCM’s score of 67 out of 100 is computed from its six marks above. Our scoring sheet also has its own overall column, and its figure for FXCM differs from the computed score. We do not publish the sheet’s figure.
FXCM Spread Betting Costs
FXCM offers a UK spread betting account. Its page titled Spread Costs shows live prices with no spread column. Its help centre and spread bet key information document say average spreads are published on its website, and on 18 Sep 2026 we found none for any of the nine pairs. We publish no spread figure for it.
FXCM does not offer guaranteed stop-loss orders. An ordinary stop closes your trade at the next available price rather than at the price you set. A market that gaps overnight can therefore close you out below your stop, and the loss is yours.
FXCM runs its own platform alongside third-party software, all of which the summary table below lists.
FXCM lists its app as “FXCM: Forex & Stock Trading” on the App Store and as “FXCM: Trade Forex & Stocks CFD” on Google Play, and our app comparison for UK spread bettors gives each broker's platform list.
FXCM publishes a demo account, and we read its terms off FXCM’s own demo page rather than inferring them: £50,000 of virtual money, no deposit to open, checked 22 September 2026.
FXCM’s Trustpilot profile, captured 1 Oct 2026. We re-read these ratings every month, so the figure in the table is the one the platform displayed on that capture date.FXCM’s Apple App Store listing, captured 1 Oct 2026. We re-read these ratings every month, so the figure in the table is the one the platform displayed on that capture date.FXCM’s Google Play listing, captured 1 Oct 2026. We re-read these ratings every month, so the figure in the table is the one the platform displayed on that capture date.FXCM’s TradingView profile, captured 1 Oct 2026. We re-read these ratings every month, so the figure in the table is the one the platform displayed on that capture date.
FXCM At A Glance
Key facts about FXCM: its FCA-regulated entity, minimum deposit, spread bet platforms, markets, inactivity fee and guaranteed stops.
🗺️ FCA regulated
Stratos Markets Limited (FRN 217689)
💰 Minimum deposit
£50
💷 Minimum stake
from £0.07 per point
📊 Spread bet platforms
Trading Station, MetaTrader 4
💱 Inactivity fee
the lesser of 50 in the account's base currency or the remaining balance, after 12 months with no trading
🛡️ Guaranteed stops
Not offered
What You Can Bet On
Every figure in this list is our own count rather than a total FXCM publishes, because FXCM publishes no total for these. The note under the list says how and when we made them.
Forex pairs: 41 †
† Our own count, made on 22 Sep 2026 from the instrument list FXCM publishes on its own site. FXCM states no total for these markets, so the figure moves whenever it adds an instrument and we have not counted again.
The provider’s instrument table footnotes a currency pair as available on a single platform, so the figure depends on reading that footnote as an exclusion. We have counted it that way and said so, which lets you disagree with the method rather than only with the number.
If you have traded with FXCM, tell us what a new customer should know. Submissions are read by the team. Only reviews we can verify are ever published, and none are published yet. Nothing you enter here appears on this page.
Reviews are never paid for and never edited for a broker.
FXCM Spread Betting FAQs
What Happened To FXCM In The UK?
Its authorised company changed name, and the brand did not. UK spread bets at FXCM are placed with Stratos Markets Limited (FRN 217689), which was renamed from Forex Capital Markets Ltd in September 2023 under the same firm reference number. Nothing closed and nothing was sold to a different firm. An older article naming the previous company is naming the same one.
Does FXCM Still Offer Spread Betting To UK Clients?
Yes, and only to them. FXCM's own UK page states that it offers spread betting exclusively to UK residents and that residents of other countries are not eligible. We checked that page on 22 Sep 2026.
Is FXCM Legitimate?
It is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under Stratos Markets Limited (FRN 217689), which is the question that matters for a UK spread betting account. That brings client money segregation, negative balance protection on retail accounts, and possible FSCS compensation or Financial Ombudsman Service complaints. Authorisation is a floor rather than a recommendation, and every account we rank clears it.
Does FXCM Offer Guaranteed Stop-Loss Orders?
No. Its own help pages state that stop orders guarantee execution rather than a particular price, which is the ordinary stop rather than a guaranteed one. A market that gaps past your level can therefore close you out below it, and the difference is yours to absorb.
Who An Account Like This Suits
It suits you less if cost is the thing you are optimising, or if you want a guaranteed stop.
You pay no Stamp Duty on a spread bet, because you own no asset, and for most UK retail traders the wider picture depends on your individual circumstances, as Stamp Duty and spread bets notes.
67% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
Your capital is at risk. Spread betting is leveraged, so losses can exceed the amount you set out to risk on a bet. This page is not financial or tax advice.
Justin Grossbard co-founded Spread-Bet.co.uk with Noam Korbl in 2024, and co-founded the broker comparison network CompareForexBrokers with him in 2014. He has written for Kiplinger, Entrepreneur, Finance Magnates and MoneyShow since 2022, with articles on forex and trading at MoneyShow, Finance Magnates and Kiplinger.
Updated . Updated on 14 Oct 2026: FXCM's retail-loss disclosure moves to 67% from 65% on its UK spread betting page. That page now shows smaller bet sizes from 7p a point, so we show a minimum stake from £0.07 per point, a figure we did not hold before. We now also record its UK inactivity fee, the lesser of 50 in the account's base currency or the remaining balance after 12 months with no trading. The FCA's Final Notice against Forex Capital Markets Limited, FXCM's UK firm then, is dated 24 February 2014, not 26 February 2014, the day the fine was announced. Every other FXCM fact was re-read the same day and had not changed.
