Retail CFD Now Generates $1.6 Trillion Per Day, Equivalent to 17% of Global FX Turnover

Q1 2026 broker data places retail daily turnover at 16.6% of BIS-reported global FX flows, up 1.9 percentage points in a single quarter and running 5.6% above the trajectory implied by the projection FM Intelligence published in February.

Retail CFD daily turnover reached $1.60 trillion in Q1 2026. Finance Magnates Intelligence's Retail Intensity Ratio (RIR), retail daily volume as a share of BIS-reported global FX turnover, rose to 16.6% from 14.8% in Q4 2025, based on headline monthly industry volume of $33.57 trillion divided across 21 trading days. The Q1 figure runs about 5.6% above the trajectory implied by the projection FM Intelligence published in February. Active retail accounts in the FM Intelligence dataset reached 7.42 million, up 9.4% quarter-over-quarter and 42.4% year-over-year. Under a 25% annual growth assumption applied from the Q1 2026 base, the RIR would reach 30.7% by Q4 2028, with the 25% threshold, the approximate share retail trading represents in US equity markets, crossed in the second half of 2027.