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Head to head

CMC Markets vs ePlanet Brokers

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). ePlanet Brokers holds only an offshore registration (Vanuatu). 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 $0 at CMC Markets and $30 at ePlanet Brokers. Only CMC Markets offers negative balance protection and segregated client money.

Facts last checked: CMC Markets on 20 October 2026, ePlanet Brokers on 20 October 2026.

CMC Markets profileePlanet Brokers 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
CMC MarketsStrictly regulatedRead the profile
ePlanet BrokersOffshore registration onlyRead the profile
Comparing
CMC MarketsUnited Kingdom
ePlanet BrokersVanuatu

Overview

Founded
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Fomboni, Mohéli (Comoros); User Agreement address in Podgorica, Montenegro
Official websites
  • cmcmarkets.com
  • cmcinvest.com
  • eplanetbrokers.com
Facts last checked
20 October 2026
20 October 2026

Regulation and protection

Company you would contract with
CMC Markets UK plc
Nebula Ventures Ltd
Regulator
FCA
United Kingdom
VFSC
Vanuatu
Regulation level
Strictly regulated
Offshore registration only
Licence number
173730
Check the register
Financial Dealers Licence, company no. 700819
Check the register
Clients this company serves
UK residents (spread betting, CFDs and FX Active)
Not stated by ePlanet. Its published User Agreement is with Eplanet Brokers Ltd (Comoros), not this company
All licences held
  • FCA (United Kingdom)
  • BaFin (European Union)
  • ASIC (Australia)
  • MAS (Singapore)
  • CIRO (Canada)
  • FMA (New Zealand) (New Zealand)
  • DFSA (United Arab Emirates (DIFC))
  • VFSC (Vanuatu)
Segregated client money
Yes
No
Negative balance protection
Yes
No
Compensation scheme
FSCS (UK, CMC Markets UK plc clients); other countries have their own schemes or none
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
1:30 on major currency pairs (UK and EU retail clients)
Up to 1:500
Retail leverage by asset class
  • 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
Not yet checked
Margin call level
Not yet checked
100%
Stop-out level
50% of margin (UK and EU retail close-out rule)
50% (Zero, Gold); 40% (ECN); 30% (Elite)

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
  • CMC web platform
  • CMC mobile app
  • MetaTrader 4
  • MetaTrader 5
  • TradingView
  • MetaTrader 5
  • cTrader
Markets
300+ currency pairs on its own platform (175+ on MetaTrader 4), indices, commodities, shares, ETFs, bonds and share baskets as spread bets and CFDs
400+ CFDs on forex, gold and metals, shares, indices and energy
Demo account
Not yet checked
Yes
Copy trading
Not yet checked
Yes
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
Not yet checked
  • Cryptocurrency (USDT TRC20
  • TRX
  • BTC
  • ETH
  • BNB)
Withdrawal fee
No charge from CMC for deposits or withdrawals (UK site)
Crypto deposits are listed as free; withdrawal fees are shown in the client portal
Inactivity fee
£10 a month (or currency equivalent) after a year with no trading, only taken while the account holds money
Not yet checked

Support

Customer support
24-hour phone line Monday to Friday (UK)
24/7 multilingual support

Our notes

Strengths
  • 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
  • Group company Nebula Ventures Ltd is on the VFSC list of financial dealer licensees (active, licensed 10 July 2025)
  • Low entry point, with a $30 Zero account
  • Both MetaTrader 5 and cTrader are offered
Watch out for
  • 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
  • The User Agreement is with Eplanet Brokers Ltd, a Comoros-registered company, not the Vanuatu licensee; the website does not say which clients the Vanuatu company serves
  • The website links to a Mwali (MISA) record for Eplanet Brokers Ltd but quotes no licence number; we could not open MISA's register on 2026-10-20 to check it.
  • The risk warning says you can lose more than your deposit, and we found no negative balance protection or client money segregation commitment
  • Deposits are listed by cryptocurrency only

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:

  • 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.
  • ePlanet Brokers: Trading involves a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all traders or investors. You should carefully consider your trading goals or objectives, financial situations, level of experience and needs before entering into margin trading with eplanet brokers. There is a risk of losing substantially more than the investor’s initial investment. Hence, we advise you to only trade the products if you fully understand the risks involved, and can afford them.

Open this comparison in the full tool to share a link with your own accounts and companies chosen.

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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