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CMC Markets vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)
Broker Name
CMC Markets
Lightyear
Broker Overview
Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)
Market maker
STP
Years of Existence / Established Year
1989
2020
Customer Base / Number of Accounts
265k+
Info not available
Regulation & Security
Regulations (governing bodies)
FCA, ASIC, CIRO, MAS, FMA
FCA EFSA
Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)
Best Mobile Trading Platform, No.1 Most Currency Pairs, Best for CFDs -2024, No.1 Web Platform, Best Forex Broker, Best In-House Analysts 2023
No major awards listed
Security Measures
FSCS
SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000
SSL Encryption / 2FA
Yes
Yes
Segregated Funds
Yes
Yes
Negative Balance Protection
Yes
No
Trading Instruments/Products Offered
Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)
12,000+ tradable instruments including shares, Treasuries
US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds
Currency Pairs
Yes
No
Commodities
Yes
No
Indices
Yes
No
Cryptocurrencies
Yes
No
CFDs
Yes
No
ETFs
Yes
Yes
Stocks
No
Yes
Options
No
No
Futures
No
No
Bonds
Yes
Yes
Mutual Funds
No
No
Fractional Shares
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)
No
No
Precious Metals
Yes
Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
No
Yes - through REIT stocks
Equities
No
Yes
Trading Platforms & Technology
Trading Platform Availability
Yes
Yes
MT4
Yes
No
MT5
No
No
cTrader
No
No
Social Trading
Yes
Copy Trading
Yes
No
Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)
CMC web platform, iOS and Android app
Lightyear's proprietary platform
Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Yes
Yes
Account Types & Conditions
Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)
Spread betting, CFD account , FX active, Corporate account
Personal Business
Demo Account (Yes/No)
Yes
No
Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)
No
No
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Leverage Available
30:1 to 1:500
No
Trade Limit (maximum per trade)
No information
Varies for each product
Commission (per account type)
Standard - No commission, FX active account- $2.50
Euro 0
Best Suited For (e.g., beginners, experienced traders)
Professional and retail traders
Beginners
Deposit & Withdrawal Options
Deposit Methods
Bank transfer, Debit/credit card, Online banking
EUR - SEPA, Debit Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay GBP - FPS, CHAPS, BACS, SWIFT, Apple Pay, Google Pay USD - ACH, FedWire, SWIFT HUF - Bank transfers within Hungary
Withdrawal Methods
Bank transfer, Debit/credit card, Online banking
Bank Transfers
Other E-Wallets Supported
No
No
Tools & Educational Resources
Economic Calendar
Yes
No
Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)
Learn spread betting, Learn to trade CFDs, Learn forex trading, technical indicators, Fundamental analysis, Webinars & events, Platform guides, Trading guides
Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator
Fees & Commissions
Trading-Related Fees
CFD trading -US shares from $10; FX active - US shares from $10; Typical STP: Spread of 1.2 pips, Typical ECN: Spread of 0.2 pips, Spread- starts from 0.0 to 0.6 pips, Overnight holding costs: 0.0027%
US Shares per order - 0.1% upto $1 maximum EU Shares per order - Euro 1 UK Shares per order - Euro 1 Money Market Funds - 0.25% annually Nasdaq Baltic - Euro 1 ETFs -Euro 0 Multi-currency account -Euro 0
Spread (typical, fixed, variable)
Fixed/Variable
NA
Per Lot Fees
$2.50
NA
Options Contract Fees
NA
NA
Futures Contract Fees
NA
NA
Markup Fees on Spread
$5.00 per $100,000 in nominal value
NA
Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees
Crude Oil Brent $0.02 per unit, Apple Inc $0.41 per unit, US 30 $1.50 per unit, GBP/USD $0.00015 per
NA
Maximum Leverage
1:500
Info not available
Non-Trading Fees
Dormant Fees
$0
$0
Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)
ASX Dynamic Data package $41.25 a month (non-professional investors) $118.80 a month, International Data service fees (US) $11, International Data service fees (NZ) $11, Live Data package Free
NA
Advisory Fees
NA
NA
Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)
NA
NA
Statement or Document Fee
NA
NA
Account Opening Fee
$0
$0
Account Maintenance Fee
NA
$0
Deposit Fee
$0
In EUR & GBP Debit Card / ApplePay / Google Pay - First Euro500 lifetime free, 0.5% after In USD FedWire & Swift - $6.11
Currency Conversion Fee
0.50%
0.35%
Withdrawal Fee
$0
$0
Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits
Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals
Yes
Yes
Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)
No
Yes
Trading Hours
Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)
Depends on the instrument offer
Vary for each asset class
Customer Support
Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)
Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm
24/7
Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)
Email: [email protected], Phone: +44 (0)20 7170 8200
Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.
Support Languages
12+
20+
Additional Information
Headquarters Location
CMC Markets UK plc, 133 Houndsditch, London, EC3A 7BX, United Kingdom
Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia
Complaints (for crypto brokers)
No
No
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