Side-by-side regulation, cost, platforms, and score -- generated from the same disclosed data and methodology behind our rankings.
| LMAX | HF Markets | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 3.36 / 5 | 3.73 / 5 |
| Regulation | CySEC No. 310/16 + FCA-licensed (FRN unconfirmed) FCA-licensed; firm reference number not independently confirmed. |
CySEC No. 183/12 + FCA No. 801701 + FSA Seychelles No. SD015 FCA held by HF Markets (UK) Ltd, DFSA by HF Markets (DIFC) Ltd, and FSCA by HF Markets SA (PTY) Ltd -- separate group entities from the CySEC-licensed HF Markets (Europe) Ltd. |
| Entity | LMAX Broker Europe Ltd | HF Markets (Europe) Ltd |
| Founded | 2010 | 2010 |
| Headquarters | London, United Kingdom (LMAX Group parent, set up by Betfair/Goldman Sachs alumni); LMAX Broker Europe Ltd is the CySEC-licensed Cyprus entity serving EU retail clients | Limassol, Cyprus |
| Minimum deposit | $10,000 | $5 (Premium account); Pro account requires $100/€100 |
| Avg. spread (EUR/USD) | 0.3 pips | 1.2 pips |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, Proprietary (LMAX Trader) | MT4, MT5, Proprietary (HFM App) |
| Other Tier-1 regulators | None confirmed | DFSA, FSCA |
| Instruments | LMAX publishes a specific, independently reported range rather than a vague estimate: 100+ instruments across forex, spot metals (bullion), equity indices, commodities, and cryptocurrency CFDs, plus a "Weekend FX" product (cash-settled FX CFDs tradable over the weekend). No shares/stock CFDs were found in any source. | 500+ CFDs across forex, metals, indices, stocks, bonds, energies, commodities and cryptocurrencies. |
| Visit | Visit LMAX | Visit HF Markets |
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