Side-by-side regulation, cost, platforms, and score -- generated from the same disclosed data and methodology behind our rankings.
| LMAX | ThinkMarkets | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 3.36 / 5 | 4.01 / 5 |
| Regulation | CySEC No. 310/16 + FCA-licensed (FRN unconfirmed) FCA-licensed; firm reference number not independently confirmed. |
CySEC No. 215/13 + FCA No. 629628 + FSA Seychelles No. SD060 All of these are held by separate TF Global Markets group entities, not by TF Global Markets (Europe) Ltd (the CySEC entity): FCA by the UK entity, ASIC by the Australian entity, FSCA by the South African entity, DFSA by a Dubai entity, and FMA by a New Zealand entity. The group also holds non-Tier-1 licences in the Cayman Islands, Mauritius and Seychelles. |
| Entity | LMAX Broker Europe Ltd | TF Global 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 | Melbourne, Australia / London, UK (group); European entity based in Cyprus |
| Minimum deposit | $10,000 | $0 (Standard account); $500 for ThinkZero account |
| Avg. spread (EUR/USD) | 0.3 pips | 1.1 pips |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, Proprietary (LMAX Trader) | MT4, MT5, TradingView, Proprietary (ThinkTrader) |
| Other Tier-1 regulators | None confirmed | ASIC, FSCA, DFSA, FMA |
| 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. | Up to 4,000 CFD instruments across forex (40+ pairs), indices, shares, commodities and crypto, varying by platform. |
| Visit | Visit LMAX | Visit ThinkMarkets |
Full LMAX review → · Full ThinkMarkets review → · Compare different brokers →