Spread betting markets in the UK cover stock indices, currency pairs, individual shares and commodities, and some providers also list government bonds, interest rates, ETFs or options. Every one of them can be bet long or short: you buy when you expect the price to rise and sell when you expect it to fall. Each class of market has its own FCA retail leverage cap, shown on the cards below. Nine of the 14 brokers we rank publish a total count of markets in a form we can quote, read on 14 Oct 2026, spanning over 100 to 21,000 markets. These are the providers’ own published totals, not our counts; they are not all scoped alike, so we do not rank them.
Our spread bet content is supported by broker partners, who pay us on a retainer basis rather than per referral.
What Can You Spread Bet On In The UK?
Indices
Indices spread betting covers markets such as the FTSE 100, DAX and S&P 500, with an FCA leverage limit of 20:1 (5% margin) on major indices.
FTSE 100
FTSE 100 spread betting is a bet on the price of the index of the 100 most highly capitalised blue chip companies listed on London Stock Exchange. Some providers list the index as "UK 100".
Currencies
Currency pair spread betting covers major pairs such as EUR/USD and GBP/USD, with an FCA leverage limit of 30:1 (3.33% margin).
In our September 2026 read, the nine-pair average, drawn from the five brokers that publish a comparable figure, was 1.79 points.
A currency pair spread bet is staked in pounds per point with no currency owned, and our forex spread betting page works through such a bet on GBP/USD.
Commodities
Commodities spread betting covers energy, metals and agricultural markets, with gold at 20:1 (5% margin) and other commodities at 10:1 (10% margin).
Gold
Gold spread betting is a bet on the price of gold per troy ounce, and gold sits in a different FCA retail margin tier from other commodities.
Options
Options spread betting is a bet on the price of an option rather than on the underlying market itself, and our options page explains how that works.
Bonds And Interest Rates
Bond and interest rate spread betting covers government bonds and interest rate futures.
Cryptocurrency
Cryptocurrency spread bets are not available to UK retail clients. The FCA banned the sale, marketing and distribution of crypto derivatives to retail consumers from 6 January 2021 (PS20/10). The ban covers spread bets referencing unregulated transferable cryptoassets such as Bitcoin and Ether. In October 2025 the FCA lifted its ban on certain crypto exchange traded notes only, and the derivatives ban remains in force.
What A Market Costs Before It Moves
Before the market moves, a new position costs you the spread. The spread is the gap between the buy price and the sell price, and that gap multiplied by your stake per point is your opening cost. Our guide explains how spread betting works, including how that opening cost is built.
A position held overnight carries a funding charge. A guaranteed stop-loss carries a premium where the provider offers one, and providers charge that premium in different ways. The spread betting cost comparison sets out what each ranked broker charges.
The calculator below prices an index bet in the same shape: enter the level from your platform’s deal ticket, your stake per point and your provider’s spread.
Spread betting calculator
Cost, profit or loss, and margin on one bet
On one point is a move, so £ per point is £ per pip. is points.
UK 100 is quoted in index points: one point is a 1.0 move of the level, and the bet is priced per index point.
Opening level from the Wed 21 Oct 2026 5pm New York close Opening level: your own figure, from your platform's deal ticket Spread: published, 18 Sep 2026 Spread: your own figure
A buy at £2 per point that closes 80 points higher makes £ before the spread. -point spread costs £ on this bet, leaving £. The margin held to open it is £.
Enter the level from your platform's deal ticket and your provider's spread in points; the ledger then prices the bet.
HMRC's Capital Gains Manual (CG56105) states that no chargeable gains or allowable losses arise from spread betting. For most UK retail traders, profits are therefore free of Capital Gains Tax. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and can change. See the tax treatment of spread bets. Overnight funding is not included; see overnight funding in spread betting. Spreads are the brokers' own published figures, read on 18 Sep 2026, or your own figure where you type one; neither is a quote at the moment you deal. Margin uses the FCA COBS 22.5 retail leverage cap for the market class.
Where These Figures Come From
The currency figures are our monthly read: the spread each broker publishes on its own pricing page for spread betting, where it publishes one, read on 18 Sep 2026 and republished in full on our statistics page. This page is information rather than financial or tax advice.
Reader Questions
What markets are available for spread betting?
Spread betting offers access to forex, commodities, indices and shares, plus bonds and interest rates. Cryptocurrency is the exception: the FCA has banned crypto derivatives for UK retail clients since 6 January 2021.
Can I spread bet on forex markets?
Yes, you can. Forex is one of the most popular markets for spread betting, allowing traders to speculate on currency pairs.