Excessive net site visitors, low CFD volumes
A brand new dataset from the fmintelligence portal challenges the
long-held perception that extra web site site visitors interprets into greater buying and selling
exercise for brokers. Evaluation of 47 retail foreign exchange and CFD companies reveals that the correlation between natural net site visitors and precise buying and selling volumes is simply 0.09,
basically insignificant.
The figures, which evaluate January 2026 site visitors information with
current month-to-month CFD quantity averages, counsel that on-line visibility and buying and selling
exercise measure very totally different points of a dealer’s efficiency.
The sector as an entire is seeing robust site visitors progress,
although erratically distributed. Whole natural site visitors rose 36.5% year-over-year to
40.2 million visits in January 2026, up from 29.4 million. Nonetheless, solely 57% of
brokers gained guests, whereas 36% misplaced floor.
iForex readies £43.3M London IPO after delay
In the meantime, iFOREX set the worth of its London Inventory Alternate IPO at 195 pence per share, implying a market capitalization of about
£43.3 million. Buying and selling within the shares, which is able to listing beneath the ticker IFRX, is
anticipated to start out on February 25.
The itemizing comes after the corporate postponed an earlier
plan to go public in late June 2025 resulting from further time wanted to finish a
routine compliance inspection within the British Virgin Islands, earlier than just lately
confirming that the method had restarted. The IPO contains 4,487,179 new
odd shares, with no present shareholders promoting any inventory.
Plus500 plunges on £67M exec share sale
Vital insider share gross sales, even in worthwhile brokers, can nonetheless seize market consideration. Plus500 executives bought £67.1 million price of shares on Tuesday, sparking a pointy selloff that briefly worn out as much as 10% of the
dealer’s market worth earlier than the inventory narrowed losses to commerce 6% decrease at
4,430 pence.
CEO David Zruia, CFO Elad Even-Chen and CMO Nir Zats
offloaded a mixed 1.5 million shares at £44.78 every to Goldman Sachs
Worldwide, in a block commerce organized by Panmure Liberum that accounted for
2.14% of Plus500’s issued share capital. The dealer earlier posted robust metrics
with common shopper deposit leaping 124%.
Final yr, non-over-the-counter income on the dealer surpassed $100 million and grew to about 14% of complete income, up from
just about zero only a few years in the past. The fast progress of this section highlighted
how the contracts for distinction (CFD) specialist is steadily constructing enterprise
strains past its core CFD providing.
eToro soars regardless of crypto setback
Extra fascinating numbers got here from the Nasdaq-listed eToro. The group posted report full-year outcomes, alongside an expanded share buyback program and upbeat steering. It shares soared greater than 20% greater to shut at $33.07, the very best degree in over a
month.
Internet contribution for the yr rose 10% to $868 million, GAAP
internet revenue elevated 12% to $216 million, and the corporate ended 2025 with $1.3
billion in money on its steadiness sheet.
Supply:
eToro Group Ltd. SEC filings (Type 6-Okay), Q1-This fall 2025
CEO Yoni Assia described 2025 as a “defining” or “milestone”
yr for eToro, highlighting its Could Nasdaq IPO, sooner product rollouts, and a
broader worldwide footprint as supporting components behind the corporate’s
progress momentum.
IG’s newest “Test Your Charges” marketing campaign stirs debate
Are “fats cats” quietly snacking on UK traders’ funds with
hefty charges? Nicely, IG’s just lately launched marketing campaign, “Test Your Charges,” goals to focus on how a lot UK traders are overpaying in platform costs.
The dealer’s newest Fats Cat Index discovered that greater than half
(52%) of traders use one of many 12 most costly funding platforms,
paying as much as £515 extra per yr than these on lower-cost options.
For energetic traders utilizing one of many prime 4 pricey
suppliers, the additional annual value rises to £711, and even £922 on the priciest
platform. The findings present that energetic traders pay a median of £54 in
annual charges on the most affordable platforms, in comparison with a lot greater totals on
premium ones.
Kraken goes on hiring frenzy in Cyprus
Away from cats, one thing fascinating is unfolding in Cyprus’ crypto area. Over the previous two weeks, crypto alternate Kraken has posted about 50 new roles.
The hiring spree follows its 2025 acquisition of CFD dealer Greenfield
Wealth, a transfer that gave the alternate a Cyprus Funding Agency (CIF) license
and entry to the EU’s MiFID framework.
A lot of the new vacancies are senior or managerial,
indicating a concentrate on constructing management and technical depth moderately than
entry-level capability. Roughly 70% of the openings goal senior expertise,
together with positions similar to Regulatory MiFID Officer, International Head of Center
Workplace, and Senior AI/ML Engineer.
The Buying and selling Pit launches Seychelles CFD dealer
Within the prop area, The Buying and selling Pit has launched a brand new brokerage, TTP Markets, which is regulated in Seychelles. With this transfer, the corporate joins different proprietary buying and selling companies increasing into the CFD brokerage sector.
The launch is being carried out steadily, with TTP Markets initially onboarding a small group of chosen retail and company prop merchants from The Buying and selling Pit’s group. The corporate emphasised that this isn’t a full-scale retail push however moderately a pilot part to check its regulatory techniques and put together for future international growth.
The5ers enters futures prop market
On the identical time, prop agency The5ers entered the futures proprietary buying and selling area with the introduction of its new futures prop providing, becoming a member of a rising listing of CFD-focused prop companies increasing into this section. Different main names, together with FundedNext, have just lately launched related initiatives because the market continues to draw established buying and selling manufacturers.
The Buying and selling Pit has launched TTP Markets, our Seychelles-regulated brokerage arm.The rollout will start with a choose group of profitable retail and company prop merchants, adopted by a growth throughout jurisdictions.Learn the complete article – https://t.co/e0IUfhUyLY pic.twitter.com/T26BbsywbM
— The Buying and selling Pit (@TheTradingPit_) February 17, 2026
Many CFD prop companies are turning to futures as a approach to entry the US market, which stays largely closed to CFD-based operations. Following MetaQuotes’ reported restrictions on CFD prop companies onboarding American merchants, demand within the US has shifted towards futures-focused fashions.
In a single day buying and selling stays area of interest as entry grows
In the meantime, for years, 4 p.m. in New York signaled the top of the buying and selling day, when markets quieted and merchants reviewed the day’s exercise. That
routine is altering. In response to information shared solely with Finance
Magnates, between 25% and 40% of Capital.com’s retail shoppers traded throughout
pre- and post-market hours previously three months, though solely 4% to five%
traded in a single day.
Robinhood has surpassed $20B in in a single day buying and selling quantity since launching Robinhood 24 Hour Market final yr. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/qK8gNF797c
— Vlad Tenev (@vladtenev) June 5, 2024
On eToro, which just lately launched 24/5 buying and selling for S&P
500 and Nasdaq 100 shares, about one-third of inventory trades in December 2025
occurred after regular buying and selling hours.
An identical development is seen at Robinhood. In June 2024, CEO
Vlad Tenev stated that one yr after launching its “24 Hour Market,” the
platform had recorded greater than US$20 billion in in a single day buying and selling quantity.
CFTC defends prediction markets
International regulators are more and more at odds over how you can deal with prediction markets. CFTC Chair Michael Selig stepped up tensions between federal and state regulators over management of prediction markets. He directed the company to get entangled in ongoing courtroom instances and made it clear that the CFTC, not particular person states, ought to have authority over these markets and their event-based contracts.
I’ve some massive information to announce… pic.twitter.com/3OBNTaOnIL
— Mike Selig (@ChairmanSelig) February 17, 2026
In a video posted Tuesday on X, Selig stated the company had filed an amicus transient to help its declare of “unique jurisdiction” over prediction markets, saying they’re a part of the broader derivatives market regulated by the CFTC.
Netherlands shuts Polymarket
In Amsterdam, issues are quiet totally different. The Dutch Gaming Authority has ordered Journey One, the operator of prediction platform Polymarket, to cease providing video games of probability within the Netherlands as a result of it doesn’t maintain an area playing license.
The transfer comes after related motion in the US, the place Tennessee’s Sports activities Wagering Council instructed Kalshi, Polymarket, and Crypto.com to halt sports-related contracts, cancel present ones, and refund prospects.
This text was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.
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