CMC Markets licence numbers

CMC Markets holds three separate FCA authorisations in the UK, not one. FCA 173730 for CMC Markets UK plc, FCA 948126 for CMC Markets Investments Limited, and FCA 170627 for CMC Spreadbet plc. The third one is the interesting number: as at 24 September 2026 its status on the register is "Authorised - applied to cancel", and CMC's own site does not mention it.

The numbers, by market

Where you sign up	Company	Licence	If it fails
UK, CFDs	CMC Markets UK plc	FCA 173730	FSCS, £85,000
UK, investing	CMC Markets Investments Limited	FCA 948126	FSCS, £85,000
UK, spread betting	CMC Spreadbet plc	FCA 170627, applied to cancel	FSCS while authorised
European Union	CMC Markets Germany GmbH	BaFin, EdW member 139	German EdW, €20,000
Australia	CMC Markets Asia Pacific Pty Ltd	AFSL 238054 and 246381	None for derivatives
Singapore	CMC Markets Singapore Pte Ltd	MAS Capital Markets Services licence	None
Canada	CMC Markets Canada Inc.	CIRO Investment Dealer	CIPF

Eight companies, none of them offshore. That is rarer than it sounds. Of the nine brokers we rate Trusted or Neutral, XTB runs a Belize entity, FOREX.com defaults to a Cayman company, eToro defaults to Seychelles and AvaTrade uses the British Virgin Islands. CMC has no equivalent. Every client sits behind a tier-1 regulator.

The spread betting licence is being cancelled

CMC Spreadbet plc has been authorised since 1 December 2001 and can hold and control client money. Since 5 February 2026 the FCA register has carried the status "Authorised - applied to cancel". We re-checked it on 24 September 2026 and it still reads the same.

"Applied to cancel" means the firm has asked the FCA to remove its permissions. It is a normal step in a group reorganisation and it is not an enforcement action. Nothing on the register suggests otherwise, and the firm remains authorised until the cancellation completes.

It matters to a reader for one reason: FSCS protection is per eligible person, per firm. Holding a spread betting account with CMC Spreadbet plc and a CFD account with CMC Markets UK plc currently means two separate £85,000 ceilings. If the spread betting business is folded into another CMC company, those two ceilings become one. That is a real change to your protection and it will not be announced on a pricing page.

We found no statement on CMC's own site explaining the application. If you spread bet with CMC, this is the number to watch.

Two Australian licences, and who else is on them

CMC holds AFSL 238054 and AFSL 246381. The second one is worth opening, because it carries white-label arrangements: St.George Directshares and Bendigo Invest Direct are running on CMC's Australian authorisation today.

The UK licences tell the same story in the past tense. CMC Markets UK plc carries twenty-nine previous trading names and CMC Spreadbet plc thirty-five, and among them are RBS Spread Trading, Natwest Index, Tradefair Premium (Betfair), 32Red Spreadbet, Purple Lounge Markets and City AM Trading. Two high-street banks and three gambling companies have at various points sold a product that was CMC underneath.

None of that is hidden. It is on the register, in a table you have to expand. It is also invisible from the front of any of those brands.

Check it yourself

Search each of 173730, 948126 and 170627 on register.fca.org.uk. Look at the status line first, then expand the trading names table and set results per page to 200 so the previous names load. Our guide walks through it.

Frequently asked questions

What is CMC Markets' FCA number?

There are three. CMC Markets UK plc is FCA 173730 and runs the CFD business. CMC Markets Investments Limited is FCA 948126 and runs investing. CMC Spreadbet plc is FCA 170627 and runs spread betting, and its status has been "Authorised - applied to cancel" since 5 February 2026.

Is CMC Markets losing its licence?

No. "Applied to cancel" is the firm asking the FCA to remove permissions from one company, CMC Spreadbet plc, and it is a routine step in a group reorganisation rather than an enforcement action. The other two UK authorisations are unaffected and the firm remains authorised until the cancellation completes.

Does CMC Markets have an offshore entity?

No. All eight CMC companies sit under tier-1 regulators: the FCA in the UK, BaFin in Germany, ASIC in Australia, MAS in Singapore and CIRO in Canada. There is no Seychelles, Belize, Cayman or BVI arm taking clients from outside those markets, which sets CMC apart from most of the brokers we rate.

Sources

Financial Conduct Authority register: CMC Markets UK plc FRN 173730, CMC Markets Investments Limited FRN 948126, and CMC Spreadbet plc FRN 170627, the last showing status "Authorised - applied to cancel" since 05/02/2026, authorised since 01/12/2001, able to hold and control client money. Status re-checked 24 September 2026. Previous trading names read from the expanded tables on the UK plc and Spreadbet entries.

Australian Financial Complaints Authority financial firm search for AFSL 238054 and 246381, including the St.George Directshares and Bendigo Invest Direct arrangements. Checked 19 September 2026.

BaFin and EdW member list for CMC Markets Germany GmbH, member 139; MAS Financial Institutions Directory for CMC Markets Singapore Pte Ltd; CIRO dealer list for CMC Markets Canada Inc. Checked 19 September 2026.