Trading since 2008 under a CySEC licence, with MT4, MT5 and its own web platform, but it deals as principal against client orders, and its UK and Australian sister entities no longer serve retail clients.
Markets.com has traded since 2008 and is operated by Safecap Investments Ltd, authorised by CySEC in Nicosia under licence 092/08. The register lists MARKETS.COM as an approved trade name and markets.com/en as an approved domain, so the brand and the licence do match — a check worth making, given the firm warns on its own site about clone operations using its name. The register also authorises Safecap to deal on own account: it is a principal, taking the other side of client orders rather than routing them to a market.
What has changed matters more than what remains. Finalto Financial Services Limited (FCA 481853) and Finalto (Australia) Pty Ltd both state they no longer offer services to retail clients and no longer trade as Markets.com. A broker that held FCA, ASIC and CySEC authorisation now reaches retail clients through the CySEC entity alone, with an FSCA licence in South Africa claimed by the firm but not verified by us. UK and Australian retail traders cannot open an account under this brand at all.
Costs are not competitive. Independent 30-day measurement puts EUR/USD at 1.27 pips and GBP/USD at 2.02 all-in, against 0.4 to 0.9 from the cheaper brokers we rank. The firm advertises spreads from 0.0.
Our score of 3.0 out of 5 reflects a genuine EU licence and seventeen years of continuous operation, set against a materially narrowed regulatory footprint and costs roughly double the sharp end of the market. It suits EU retail traders who are comfortable with a market-maker model and are not trading often enough for the spread to decide their returns. Anyone in the UK or Australia should look elsewhere, because there is no longer anywhere here to look.
The numbers that matter most when picking Markets.com.
Where Markets.com is strong, and where it is not.
In-depth analysis across regulation, costs, platforms, accounts, funding, and support.
Markets.com operates under 6 regulatory licences:
Markets.com has operated since 2008 (18+ years). Editorial assessment: high-confidence on regulatory standing.
Markets.com cost structure depends on which account type you choose. The trade-off is generally between spread-only pricing (simpler, slightly higher implicit cost) and raw-spread plus commission (cheaper at higher volumes, requires per-trade math).
Spread-only pricing with no commission. EUR/USD spreads typically average 0.8-1.5 pips during liquid sessions. Simpler for casual or lower-volume traders.
Overnight swap rates apply to positions held past daily rollover, based on currency-pair interest rate differentials.
Most reputable brokers don't charge deposit fees, withdrawal fees, or inactivity fees on active accounts. Check the funding terms for your specific entity at Markets.com.
Markets.com supports 4 platforms — choice affects available order types and execution model.
The industry standard for forex retail. Full EA support, custom indicators, automated trading. Mature ecosystem of community-built tools.
Newer MetaQuotes platform with additional asset classes, more timeframes, and improved backtesting. Recommended for newer accounts unless you have legacy MT4 EAs.
Web-based charting now integrated for live trading. Particularly popular for traders who already use TradingView for analysis.
Markets.com offers 4 live account types, all with a $100 minimum where applicable:
Demo accounts are available free of charge, typically with virtual balance and the option to reset on request. Useful for testing strategies before committing capital.
E-wallet deposits are typically instant; card payments take 1-2 hours; bank wires 1-3 business days.
Withdrawals are typically processed within 1-3 business days. Arrival times depend on method: e-wallets same day, cards 3-5 days, wire 1-3 days.
The same-method rule typically applies — withdrawals must go to the same source as deposits where possible. This is standard AML compliance, not broker-specific.
Markets.com support coverage is more limited than tier-1 alternatives. Email is the primary channel, with live chat available during peak hours.
Response times can be variable. For account-critical issues, traders may need to escalate through multiple channels.
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Markets.com states it acts as principal.