Best CFD brokers in the United Kingdom

• 18 CFD brokers with a verified licence serve residents of the United Kingdom: 18 hold a local licence (FCA).
• Top pick by Coinish Score: Saxo (79/100, Editor Rating 4.5/5).
• Lowest advertised EUR/USD all-in cost: 0.5 pips (CMC Markets), across 10 brokers that publish one.
• No minimum deposit: Saxo, IG, XTB and City Index.

Ranked by Coinish Score: half the Editor Rating for the entity that serves residents of the United Kingdom, half Market Signal. Brokers without enough verified data for a rating are placed by Market Signal and labelled; brokers with neither are listed last. How we rate

All 18 CFD brokers on this list hold a licence from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) (Saxo, IG, eToro, FxPro, XTB and 13 more).

FCA rules limit retail leverage to between 30:1 and 2:1, depending on the market. The 8 that publish the regulator-required loss figure report that 60% (Saxo) to 74% (XTB) of retail CFD accounts lose money; the median is 70%.

Advertised all-in EUR/USD costs on this list run from 0.5 pips (CMC Markets) to 0.7 pips (Pepperstone) across the 10 that publish one.

• Search the company name on the FCA register (register.fca.org.uk).
• Check which company your contract is with. Saxo, for example, onboards residents of the United Kingdom through Saxo Capital Markets UK Ltd (FCA licence 551422), and the name on the account-opening documents should match the list.
• Look for the percentage-of-accounts-that-lose-money warning on the broker's site. A firm marketing CFDs to residents of the United Kingdom without it is probably not using its regulated entity.

Yes, with a licensed provider. Providers must be FCA-authorised. FCA rules cap retail leverage (30:1 to 2:1) and require a standardised warning showing the share of retail accounts that lose money.

Sources: fca.org.uk, fca.org.uk

By Coinish Score, Saxo (79/100, Editor Rating 4.5/5), through Saxo Capital Markets UK Ltd (FCA licence 551422). IG (78) and eToro (74) follow. The score rates the company that would serve you in the United Kingdom, so the same brand can rank differently in another country.

Since 2019, FCA rules have governed CFDs and CFD-like options sold to retail clients in or from the UK. Leverage is capped between 30:1 and 2:1. If your funds drop to 50% of the margin needed for your open positions, the firm has to close them. It must also show a standard risk warning with the percentage of its own retail accounts that lose money, and it can't offer you cash or other perks to trade.

Every one of the 18 CFD brokers here is FCA-authorised, and none can offer you a CFD on crypto. The FCA has banned selling crypto-linked derivatives to retail consumers.

Sources: fca.org.uk (1), fca.org.uk (2)

If a broker fails, the compensation scheme of the regulator that licenses it applies, not one chosen by where you live. For this list: Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS): £85,000 per person, per firm (investments) for clients of FCA-licensed investment firms (18 on this list). Compensation covers missing client money and assets after a firm's failure, never trading losses.

Source: fscs.org.uk

Capital Gains Tax is due only on overall gains above the tax-free allowance, which is £3,000.

Coinish isn't a tax adviser: check your own situation with the tax authority or an accountant.

Source: gov.uk