CMC Markets vs IC Markets
A side-by-side comparison built from each broker's own published record — licenses checked against official registers, terms quoted from their own pages, with the source linked on every claim.
| Regulation | FCA · FCA · ASIC · ASIC · BaFin · MAS | Financial Services Authority · Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission · Australian Securities and Investments Commission |
| License no. | FCA CMC Markets UK plc — Register No. 173730 FCA CMC Markets Investments Limited — Register No. 948126 ASIC CMC Markets Asia Pacific Pty Ltd — ABN 11 100 058 213, AFSL No. 238054 ASIC CMC Markets Stockbroking Limited — ABN 69 081 002 851, AFSL No. 246381 (stockbroking) BaFin CMC Markets Germany GmbH — Registernummer 154814 MAS CMC Markets Singapore — licence number not printed on cited page | Financial Services Authority SD018 (Raw Trading Ltd, trading as IC / IC Markets Global; Seychelles company reg. 8419879-1) Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission 362/18 (IC Markets (EU) Ltd) Australian Securities and Investments Commission AFSL 335692 (International Capital Markets Pty Ltd, registration 123 289 109) |
| Founded | 1989 | 2007 |
| Minimum deposit | $0 | $0 |
| EUR/USD spread from | 0.5 pips (standard CFD/spread betting account); from 0.0 pips on EUR/USD with FX Active account + 0.0025% commission per transaction — https://www.cmcmarkets.com/en-gb/forex | 0.0 pips (Raw Spread account, commission $3.50/lot per side; broker states average EURUSD spread 0.1 pips). Standard account from 0.8 pips, no commission. |
| Leverage | FCA (UK): Published as margin rates rather than a ratio: from 3.34% forex, 5% indices and commodities, 20% shares and ETFs | FSA Seychelles: Up to 1:5000 on FX majors, tiered by exposure (1:5000 to 25 lots, then 1:3000 / 1:1000 / 1:500); gold 1:2000; indices 1:200; crypto 1:500; stocks 1:20. Reduced during higher-margin periods. CySEC: 1:30 |
| Gulf Payments | ||
| Platforms | Next Generation (CMC proprietary web platform), Mobile trading app, MetaTrader 4 (MT4, incl. WebTrader) | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, TradingView |
| Broker-published claim | Withdrawals to a registered bank account requested before the cut-off time (4pm UK; 11am outside the UK) are processed the same day. Card withdrawals: some card issuers within an hour, others up to five working days. Standard bank withdrawals: UK domestic one to two working days; international three to five working days (subject to UK banking hours). No charges for card or standard bank transfer withdrawals. [Source] | Withdrawal requests cut off time is 12:00 AEST/AEDT. If your withdrawal is submitted before this time it will be processed on the day of receipt; if submitted after, it is processed the following business day. Card withdrawals may take 3-5 business days to arrive (up to 10 in rare cases); international bank wires may take up to 14 days and can incur intermediary/beneficiary fees. IC does not charge additional fees for deposits and/or withdrawals. [Source] |
| Withdrawal methods | Debit/credit card, Bank transfer | Credit/Debit Cards (Visa, Mastercard), Bank Wire Transfer, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, WebMoney, FasaPay, POLi, BPAY, RapidPay, Klarna, Thai Internet Banking, Vietnamese Internet Banking |
| Crypto deposits/withdrawals | No | Yes |
| Islamic Accounts | No | Yes |
| Measured by us | Testing in progress | Testing in progress |
| Accepts clients from | Australia, United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany, Italy, United Arab Emirates | Australia, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia |
| Open account | Open account |
We do not name a winner here. The two records sit side by side because the right answer depends on where you live, what you trade, and which entity would onboard you — all of which the table shows.
By Country
- CMC Markets + IC Markets: Australia, Germany, Italy
- CMC Markets Yes / IC Markets No: United Kingdom, Singapore, United Arab Emirates
- IC Markets Yes / CMC Markets No: Saudi Arabia
Is CMC Markets or IC Markets better?
Neither is better in the abstract. Compare the rows that apply to you: whether each broker accepts clients from your country, which entity and regulator you would be onboarded under, the minimum deposit, and how withdrawals work on the rail you would actually use.
Which is safer, CMC Markets or IC Markets?
Safety follows the entity that holds your money, not the brand. Both records list every regulator and license number each broker publishes — check which entity serves your country, then verify that license on the regulator's own register.