Featured Country: Poland

Poland added a record 713,711 brokerage accounts in the year to May 2026. This is what entry costs, where to base an operation, who already holds the clients, and what the regulator expects.

Poland is the largest retail-trading growth market in Central and Eastern Europe, and the entry maths are unusually clear. Brokerage accounts reached 2,856,520 in May 2026, up 713,711 year-on-year, the highest annual increase on record and a path to 3 million within months, according to the Polish Central Securities Depository (KDPW). The homegrown operator XTB crossed 1 million domestic accounts and reported first-quarter 2026 net profit of PLN 535 million, up 176% year-on-year. That headline count measures securities accounts, not CFD clients, and 72.2% of active forex clients lost money in 2025, according to the financial regulator. Capital floors now match Cyprus, which moves the real decision to cost base, talent, and supervisory style.