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Head to head

CMC Markets vs LiteFinance (LiteForex)

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). LiteFinance (LiteForex) is licensed by CySEC in the European Union. 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 $50 at LiteFinance (LiteForex). Both offer negative balance protection and segregated client money.

Facts last checked: CMC Markets on 20 October 2026, LiteFinance (LiteForex) on 20 October 2026.

CMC Markets profileLiteFinance (LiteForex) 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
LiteFinance (LiteForex)Strictly regulatedRead the profile
Comparing
CMC MarketsUnited Kingdom
LiteFinance (LiteForex)European Union

Overview

Founded
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Limassol, Cyprus (EU company)
Official websites
  • cmcmarkets.com
  • cmcinvest.com
  • litefinance.org
  • liteforex.eu
  • liteforex.pl
Facts last checked
20 October 2026
20 October 2026

Regulation and protection

Company you would contract with
CMC Markets UK plc
Liteforex (Europe) Ltd
Regulator
FCA
United Kingdom
CySEC
European Union
Regulation level
Strictly regulated
Strictly regulated
Licence number
173730
Check the register
093/08
Check the register
Clients this company serves
UK residents (spread betting, CFDs and FX Active)
Residents of the EEA (the EU site also lists the UAE and the Marshall Islands)
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))
  • CySEC (European Union)
Segregated client money
Yes
Yes
Negative balance protection
Yes
Yes
Compensation scheme
FSCS (UK, CMC Markets UK plc clients); other countries have their own schemes or none
Investor Compensation Fund (Cyprus) for eligible retail clients of Liteforex (Europe) Ltd

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)
1:30 on major pairs for EU retail clients (ESMA rules); global leverage not checked
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
  • Major currency pairs: 1:30 (EU company)
  • Other currency pairs, gold and major indices: 1:20 (EU company)
Margin call level
Not yet checked
100% (EU company)
Stop-out level
50% of margin (UK and EU retail close-out rule)
50% (EU company)

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 4
  • MetaTrader 5
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
Currency pairs, stock indices, commodities and share CFDs (NYSE and Nasdaq)
Demo account
Not yet checked
Yes
Copy trading
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Expert advisors (automated trading)
Yes
Yes
News trading allowed
Not yet checked
Yes
Guaranteed stops
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Deposits and withdrawals

Deposit methods
Not yet checked
  • Visa and Mastercard cards
  • Bank transfer
  • E-payment systems
Withdrawal fee
No charge from CMC for deposits or withdrawals (UK site)
Card payments are processed with 0% commission and LiteForex says it refunds deposit fees on all methods (EU company)
Inactivity fee
£10 a month (or currency equivalent) after a year with no trading, only taken while the account holds money
€3 a month on dormant accounts (EU company)

Support

Customer support
24-hour phone line Monday to Friday (UK)
24-hour support by live chat

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
  • EU company licensed by CySEC since 2008, with Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund cover
  • Negative balance protection on both EU account types
  • $50 minimum deposit and a choice of MT4 or MT5
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
  • Says LiteFinance Investment Limited holds Mauritius FSC licence GB20025921; we could not confirm it on the FSC Mauritius register on 2026-10-20, because the register blocked our access
  • Clients outside the EEA deal with LiteFinance Global LLC, a St Vincent and the Grenadines company with no financial licence
  • litefinance.org could not be reached from our network on 2026-10-20, so we have not checked the global company's accounts, leverage or fees
  • Dormant EU accounts are charged €3 a month

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.

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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