Head to head
FXCM vs HYCM
FXCM is licensed by FCA in the United Kingdom, CySEC in the European Union and ASIC in Australia. HYCM is licensed by FCA in the United Kingdom 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 $50 at FXCM and $20 at HYCM. Only HYCM offers negative balance protection. Both offer segregated client money.
Facts last checked: FXCM on 20 October 2026, HYCM on 20 October 2026.
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
Comparing
FXCMUnited Kingdom
HYCMUnited Kingdom
Overview
Founded
1999
Not yet checked
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom (Stratos Group)
London, United Kingdom
Official websites
- fxcm.com
- tradu.com
- hycm.com
- hycm.co.uk
Facts last checked
20 October 2026
20 October 2026
Regulation and protection
Company you would contract with
Stratos Markets Limited
HYCM Capital Markets (UK) Limited
Regulation level
Strictly regulated
Strictly regulated
Clients this company serves
Existing UK clients; FXCM's UK site sends new accounts to Trade Nation
UK residents
All licences held
- FCA (United Kingdom)
- CySEC (European Union)
- ASIC (Australia)
- FCA (United Kingdom)
- DFSA (United Arab Emirates (DIFC))
FSCS up to £85,000 (UK company); ICF up to €20,000 (Cyprus company); none for the St Vincent company
FSCS for eligible clients of HYCM Capital Markets (UK) Limited only
Costs
Your monthly cost
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
Leverage and margin
1:30 on major pairs (UK, EU, Australia); up to 1:1000 at the St Vincent company
1:30 on major pairs for FCA retail clients; up to 1:500 at the Costa Rica company
Retail leverage by asset class
- Major currency pairs: 1:30
- Non-major currency pairs: 1:20
- Other commodities and non-major indices: 1:10
- Share CFDs: 1:5
- Crypto CFDs: 1:2
- Major currency pairs: 1:30 (FCA); up to 1:500 (Costa Rica)
- Bitcoin CFDs: 1:5 (Costa Rica company only)
Stop-out level
Not yet checked
50% (HYCM may start closing positions from 55%)
Account
Minimum deposit (this account)
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Platforms and features
Platforms
- Trading Station
- MetaTrader 4
- TradingView
- MetaTrader 4
- MetaTrader 5
- HYCM Trader app
- Web Trader
Markets
Forex, index, commodity, share and crypto CFDs, plus FXCM baskets
300+ CFDs on forex, metals, indices, commodities, shares and cryptocurrencies, plus US stocks
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
- Debit card
- Credit card
- Bank wire
- Google Pay
- Skrill
- Neteller
- Crypto
- Bank wire
- Visa card
- Cryptocurrency
Withdrawal fee
Not yet checked
No HYCM fee; your bank may charge. Profits are withdrawn by wire transfer only
Inactivity fee
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Support
Customer support
24/5 live chat
Live chat and online help centre
Our notes
Strengths
- Long-running brand (since 1999) with companies licensed by the FCA, CySEC and ASIC
- Its own Trading Station platform alongside MetaTrader 4, TradingView and API access
- Low first deposit of 50 in the account currency on the international site
- UK company authorised by the FCA since 2001 and allowed to hold client money
- Client money kept in segregated accounts, with negative balance protection
- Low $20 minimum deposit on every account type
Watch out for
- The UK company, Stratos Markets Limited, has applied to cancel its FCA authorisation (shown on the FCA register since 15 October 2026), and FXCM's UK site says new trading accounts are now provided through Trade Nation.
- FXCM's EU site says new trading accounts are now provided through AvaTrade, a separate broker
- International clients join Stratos Global LLC in St Vincent and the Grenadines, which holds no financial licence; leverage there goes up to 1:1000 and losses can exceed deposits
- Says Stratos South Africa (Pty) Ltd is FSCA FSP 46534 and Stratos Light Limited is supervised by the Israel Securities Authority; we could not confirm either on the regulator's register on 2026-10-20 (the FSCA FSP register could not be reached).
- The international website (hycm.com) signs clients up with HYCM Capital Markets S.R.L., a Costa Rica company with no financial licence
- Leverage of up to 1:500 at the Costa Rica company, against 1:30 for FCA retail clients
- The FCA has warned about many clone firms using HYCM's name, including hycmarkets.net and hycmarket.com
- Spreads are published only as "from" figures, so typical costs are hard to compare
Choose at least one broker above to start comparing.
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:
- FXCM: Our products are traded on leverage which means they carry a high level of risk and you could lose more than your deposits. These products are not suitable for all investors. Please ensure you fully understand the risks and carefully consider your financial situation and trading experience before trading. Seek independent advice if necessary.
- HYCM: Contracts for Difference (‘CFDs’) are complex financial products that are traded on margin. Trading CFDs carries a high degree of risk. It is possible to lose all your capital. These products may not be suitable for everyone and you should ensure that you understand the risks involved. Seek independent expert advice if necessary and speculate only with funds that you can afford to lose. Please think carefully whether such trading suits you, taking into consideration all the relevant circumstances as well as your personal resources. We do not recommend clients posting their entire account balance to meet margin requirements. Clients can minimise their level of exposure by requesting a change in leverage limit. For more information please refer to HYCM’s Risk Disclosure.
Open this comparison in the full tool to share a link with your own accounts and companies chosen.
Other head-to-head pages
- Admirals (Admiral Markets) vs FXCM
- Admirals (Admiral Markets) vs HYCM
- Alpari vs FXCM
- Alpari vs HYCM
- AMarkets vs FXCM
- AMarkets vs HYCM
- AvaTrade vs FXCM
- AvaTrade vs HYCM
- Axi vs FXCM
- Axi vs HYCM
- AYA Markets vs FXCM
- AYA Markets vs HYCM
- CapitalXtend vs FXCM
- CapitalXtend vs HYCM
- CG FinTech vs FXCM
- CG FinTech vs HYCM
- CMC Markets vs FXCM
- CMC Markets vs HYCM
- CPT Markets vs FXCM
- CPT Markets vs HYCM
- DeltaFX vs FXCM
- DeltaFX vs HYCM
- ePlanet Brokers vs FXCM
- ePlanet Brokers vs HYCM
- Errante vs FXCM
- Errante vs HYCM
- eToro vs FXCM
- eToro vs HYCM
- Exness vs FXCM
- Exness vs HYCM
- FIBO Group vs FXCM
- FIBO Group vs HYCM
- FP Markets vs FXCM
- FP Markets vs HYCM
- FXCM vs FxPro
- FXCM vs IC Markets
- FXCM vs IFC Markets
- FXCM vs IG
- FXCM vs Interactive Brokers
- FXCM vs Inveslo
- FXCM vs Investizo
- FXCM vs ITBFX
- FXCM vs LiteFinance (LiteForex)
- FXCM vs Markets4you
- FXCM vs OANDA
- FXCM vs OneRoyal
- FXCM vs Opofinance
- FXCM vs Orbex
- FXCM vs Pepperstone
- FXCM vs Plus500
- FXCM vs Saxo
- FXCM vs STB Provider
- FXCM vs Swissquote
- FXCM vs ThinkMarkets
- FXCM vs Tickmill
- FXCM vs Trendo
- FXCM vs Vittaverse
- FXCM vs Wingo Markets
- FXCM vs WM Markets
- FXCM vs XChief
- FXCM vs XM
- FXCM vs XS.com
- FxPro vs HYCM
- HYCM vs IC Markets
- HYCM vs IFC Markets
- HYCM vs IG
- HYCM vs Interactive Brokers
- HYCM vs Inveslo
- HYCM vs Investizo
- HYCM vs ITBFX
- HYCM vs LiteFinance (LiteForex)
- HYCM vs Markets4you
- HYCM vs OANDA
- HYCM vs OneRoyal
- HYCM vs Opofinance
- HYCM vs Orbex
- HYCM vs Pepperstone
- HYCM vs Plus500
- HYCM vs Saxo
- HYCM vs STB Provider
- HYCM vs Swissquote
- HYCM vs ThinkMarkets
- HYCM vs Tickmill
- HYCM vs Trendo
- HYCM vs Vittaverse
- HYCM vs Wingo Markets
- HYCM vs WM Markets
- HYCM vs XChief
- HYCM vs XM
- HYCM vs XS.com
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.