FX/CFD Industry Performance Index Q3 2025
The FX/CFD Industry Performance Index dropped 2.7% in Q3 2025 to 7,386 points, driven by a sharp 38% decline in eToro shares (due to a 50% drop in net income) and an 11.9% fall in XTB shares....
Market Pulse
Ramzi Ahmad
Head of Data Science and Growth
With over 16 years of experience in data-driven stratgies within the financial industry, Ramzi Ahmad has developed expertise across Fintech, Crypto, Payments, and Online Trading markets. He has led teams to improve efficiency and drive growth for dozens of financial brands through actionable data insights. Ramzi continues to advance his skills through courses at institutions like Harvard and Cambridge, ensuring the highest standards of data accuracy.
62 Articles
Showing 41-60 of 62 articles
Top 5 Industry Moves for Q3 2025
The CFD/FX industry saw five major shifts in Q3 2025: 1) The UK CFD trading base shrank to 167K but became more highly engaged; 2) Tokenized stocks and 24-hour trading emerged as a major trend, with...
Top 5 Industry Moves
Most Popular Trading Instruments Q2 2025
The Finance Magnates Intelligence Department collects and presents data on the most popular trading instruments from a selection of brokers. The presented figures represent an average across all...
Market Pulse
Top 10 Prop Firms Paid Over $54 Million to Traders in Q3 2025
Prop firms distributed over $54M to traders in Q3 2025, rebounding strongly from Q2. FundedNext became the new payout leader ($18.5M), narrowly surpassing MyFunded Futures ($16.2M), as the top three...
Market Pulse
APAC Losing Its Dominance
The APAC region lost its market share dominance in internet traffic to CFD brokers' websites, falling to 36.7% in Q3 2025, allowing Europe to regain the top position with 37.7% for the first time...
Market Pulse
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan is establishing itself as a key Central Asian financial hub, attracting crypto giants like Binance and Bybit, who operate local platforms under AFSA licenses. The AFSA (Astana Financial...
Featured Country
South Africa
South Africa is a premier FX/CFD hub in Africa, supported by strong FSCA regulation, a $418B forecasted GDP, and 63M people. The country is leading crypto regulation, having licensed 248 Crypto Asset...
Featured Country
The Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands, regulated by CIMA, strengthened its reputable offshore status by launching Phase Two of its VASP (Virtual Asset Service Providers) framework in April 2025. This move integrates...
Featured Country
Azerbaijan
CFI Financial entered the Azerbaijani market by acquiring and rebranding a local firm (AzFinance Investment Company). Azerbaijan, with a $75B GDP, is primarily oil/gas dependent but is working to...
Featured Country
Ghana
Ghana's SEC is developing a new framework to regulate and license retail forex trading, which will make it the third country in the region (after South Africa and Kenya) to formally oversee the FX...
Featured Country
Top 10 Prop Firms Paid Over $54 Million to Traders in Q2 2025
The top 10 proprietary trading firms distributed over $48 million to traders in Q2 2025, marking a slight dip from the $55 million paid in the previous quarter, but demonstrating robust sector...
Market Pulse
Dubai Now Faster Than Cyprus for CFD Licenses: Why Brokers Are Racing to the Middle East
The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) has just announced a major regulatory and technological upgrade that promises to cut licensing timelines by up to 33%. Dubbed DFSA Connect, the new...
DFSA
What Brokerages Pay in Cyprus: 2024–2025 Salary Guide
Running a brokerage in Cyprus is less about licensing costs and more about staffing expenses. While salaries are lower than in major EU hubs, they remain a significant cost for forex and CFD firms in...
Market Pulse
The EU AI Act: Essential Next Steps for Fintech and Retail Trading Professionals
The EU AI Act is in force and key enforcement deadlines have passed, making AI governance and compliance requirements legally binding for fintech firms, retail brokers, and their technology providers.
EU AI Act
EU AMLA Regulatory Update for Financial Institutions and Brokers
The EU is establishing the Anti-Money Laundering Authority (AMLA) to strengthen and centralize AML supervision across Member States. With a single rulebook and direct oversight of high-risk...
EU
Navigating the European Accessibility Act: Compliance Guide for Brokers, Fintechs, and Trading Technology Providers
The European Accessibility Act requires financial firms, especially retail trading platforms and fintechs—to make their digital services accessible to persons with disabilities, turning accessibility...
EU
100 Prop Firms Fold, But One Buys Major FX Broker
Despite MetaQuotes abandoning the sector in February 2024, the industry grew by 1,264% over the past decade, with established brokers like ATFX launching their own...
Advancing EU Capital Markets: Integration Pathways for 2025 and Beyond
The European Commission’s targeted consultation aims to advance the Capital Markets Union by reducing regulatory fragmentation and cross-border barriers, making it easier for companies to raise...
EU
Cayman Islands Regulatory Update for Virtual Asset Service Providers
Effective 1 April 2025, the Cayman Islands’ updated VASP rules require licensing for virtual asset custodians and trading platforms, strengthen governance and registration requirements, and align the...
SEC Regulatory Outlook Under Trump’s Second Term
A shift toward deregulation and reduced enforcement will reshape compliance obligations for brokerages, crypto firms, and payment providers. We break down what’s changing and how businesses should...