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Head to head

AYA Markets vs CMC Markets

AYA Markets has no licence we could confirm on a regulator's register. CMC Markets is licensed by FCA in the United Kingdom, BaFin in the European Union, ASIC in Australia, MAS in Singapore, CIRO in Canada, FMA (New Zealand) in New Zealand and DFSA in the United Arab Emirates (DIFC). The licence that applies to you depends on where you live, so check which company you would contract with before comparing anything else.

Minimum deposits start at $10 at AYA Markets and $0 at CMC Markets. Both offer negative balance protection and segregated client money.

Facts last checked: AYA Markets on 29 October 2026, CMC Markets on 20 October 2026.

AYA Markets profileCMC Markets profile
Broker 1
Broker 2
Broker 3

Monthly cost uses the account chosen in each slot: cost per lot × your lots. Swap and other fees are extra. The lowest monthly cost is highlighted only as a fact about cost, not as a recommendation.

Broker
AYA MarketsRead the profile
CMC MarketsStrictly regulatedRead the profile
Comparing
AYA Markets
CMC MarketsUnited Kingdom

Overview

Founded
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Headquarters
Fomboni, Mwali (Comoros)
London, United Kingdom
Official websites
  • ayamarkets.com
  • my.ayamarkets.com
  • cmcmarkets.com
  • cmcinvest.com
Facts last checked
29 October 2026
20 October 2026

Regulation and protection

Company you would contract with
No licence listed
CMC Markets UK plc
Regulator
No licence listed
FCA
United Kingdom
Regulation level
No licence listed
Strictly regulated
Licence number
No licence listed
173730
Check the register
Clients this company serves
No licence listed
UK residents (spread betting, CFDs and FX Active)
All licences held
None listed
  • FCA (United Kingdom)
  • BaFin (European Union)
  • ASIC (Australia)
  • MAS (Singapore)
  • CIRO (Canada)
  • FMA (New Zealand) (New Zealand)
  • DFSA (United Arab Emirates (DIFC))
Segregated client money
Yes
Yes
Negative balance protection
Yes
Yes
Compensation scheme
None
FSCS (UK, CMC Markets UK plc clients); other countries have their own schemes or none

Costs

Your monthly cost
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Cost per lot (EUR/USD)
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Spread from
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Typical EUR/USD spread
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Commission per lot (round turn)
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Typical GBP/USD spread
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Typical USD/JPY spread
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Typical XAU/USD spread
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Swap-free account
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Leverage and margin

Maximum retail leverage
Up to 1:1000 on MT5 (forex and gold, for equity under $1,000; lower as equity grows)
1:30 on major currency pairs (UK and EU retail clients)
Retail leverage by asset class
  • Forex and gold (MT5): 1:1000 under $1,000 equity, stepping down to 1:100 above $40,000
  • Silver: 1:100
  • Other metals: 1:20
  • S&P 500, Dow Jones 30, Nasdaq 100 and DAX 40: 1:200
  • Other indices: 1:50
  • Energies: 1:20
  • Major cryptocurrencies: 1:10
  • Other cryptocurrencies: 1:5
  • Shares and ETFs: 1:5
  • Major currency pairs: 1:30
  • Other currency pairs: 1:20
  • Other commodities and non-major indices: 1:10
  • Share CFDs and spread bets: 1:5
Margin call level
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Stop-out level
80%
50% of margin (UK and EU retail close-out rule)

Account

Minimum deposit (this account)
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Base currencies
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Execution
No accounts listed
No accounts listed

Platforms and features

Platforms
  • MetaTrader 5
  • cTrader
  • CMC web platform
  • CMC mobile app
  • MetaTrader 4
  • MetaTrader 5
  • TradingView
Markets
230+ CFDs on 45 forex pairs, 12 indices, 13 metals, 3 energies, 33 cryptocurrencies, 120 shares and 7 ETFs
300+ currency pairs on its own platform (175+ on MetaTrader 4), indices, commodities, shares, ETFs, bonds and share baskets as spread bets and CFDs
Demo account
Yes
Not yet checked
Copy trading
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Expert advisors (automated trading)
Yes
Yes
News trading allowed
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Guaranteed stops
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Deposits and withdrawals

Deposit methods
  • USDT (TRC-20 and ERC-20)
  • Bitcoin
  • Litecoin
  • Ethereum
  • TopChange (TC Pay)
  • Visa and Mastercard
  • Apple Pay
Not yet checked
Withdrawal fee
No fee from AYA Markets; the agreement allows a 3% charge if you withdraw without trading since your last deposit
No charge from CMC for deposits or withdrawals (UK site)
Inactivity fee
$5 a month after six months with no trading (accounts with a positive balance)
£10 a month (or currency equivalent) after a year with no trading, only taken while the account holds money

Support

Customer support
Email, support ticket and Telegram, Monday to Friday 06:00 to 16:00 GMT
24-hour phone line Monday to Friday (UK)

Our notes

Strengths
  • The customer agreement says client funds are held in segregated accounts, separate from the company's own money
  • No deposit or withdrawal fees from AYA Markets, with deposits from $10
  • MetaTrader 5 and cTrader, on desktop, web and mobile
  • On MT5, maximum leverage falls in steps as your equity grows, from 1:1000 down to 1:100
  • Every company we checked holds a licence from a strict or standard regulator, from the FCA to the DFSA
  • UK client money is held in segregated accounts under the FCA's client money rules, with FSCS cover for eligible claims
  • No minimum deposit on the UK site and no charge from CMC for deposits or withdrawals
Watch out for
  • Says AYA Markets (Comoros) Ltd holds MISA licence T2023263; we could not confirm it on MISA's register on 2026-10-29 (the register blocked automated access with a bot check).
  • The account page lists negative balance protection, but we did not find it in the customer agreement, and the risk disclosure says you could lose more than your initial investment
  • Commission on the Pro and Raw accounts is charged per side ($4 and $8 per lot each way, so $8 and $16 per round lot), and a 3% withdrawal charge can apply if you withdraw without trading
  • The 25% welcome bonus is trading credit that cannot be withdrawn and disappears with any withdrawal; dormant accounts pay $5 a month after six months
  • Inactivity fee of £10 a month after a year without trading
  • The UK site quotes minimum spreads (from 0.5 pips, or 0.0 pips plus commission on FX Active), not typical spreads, so check live prices before you compare
  • The FCA has warned about clone firms using CMC Markets' details, including ibplatform.info, ib-platform.info, ibplatform.co and marketstradeltd.com

Risk warnings

The buttons to a broker’s website above the table are partner links: we may earn a commission if you open an account through them. That never changes the facts shown here. Trading leveraged products such as forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money rapidly, and most retail accounts lose money. Each broker’s own warning:

  • AYA Markets: Trading financial instruments carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. CFDs and Forex are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage (trading on margin). Before deciding to trade any financial instrument or making any other decision with financial impact you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience and risk appetite. Only invest with money you can afford to lose. If necessary you should seek independent advice.
  • CMC Markets: Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets, CFDs, OTC options or any of our other products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

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Other head-to-head pages

Cost per lot is the typical EUR/USD spread in busy hours × $10, plus any round-turn commission, for one standard lot. “Not yet checked” means we have not confirmed that fact yet. This page compares facts; it does not rank the brokers or recommend either. Confirm costs and licences on each broker’s site and the regulator’s public register before opening an account: see how we review brokers and check a broker yourself.

Nothing on this page is financial advice. Read the full disclaimer.

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