Gold-i, the UK-headquartered trading technology provider, has integrated digital asset CFD liquidity from Scope Prime into its MatrixNET platform, the companies said Wednesday. The deal extends an existing relationship between the two firms, which previously covered FX liquidity, into cryptocurrency products.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Scope Prime, the institutional arm of Rostro Group, will supply crypto CFD pricing through MatrixNET's aggregation and routing infrastructure. The firm says its crypto feed starts at 0 basis points for top-of-book pricing, with an average effective spread of roughly 5 basis points on $3 million BTCUSD notional. Gold-i says the connection gives its broker, fund manager, and prop trading firm clients another option when sourcing digital asset liquidity.Gold-i has been steadily adding to MatrixNET's liquidity pool in recent months. The firm connected Crypto.com Exchange to the platform in March 2026, and earlier this year added Hyperliquid, a decentralized exchange, in what the company described as its first DeFi venue integration. Edgewater Markets joined the platform in February 2025 for precious metals and FX. MatrixNET currently connects to more than 80 liquidity providers and 35 crypto exchanges, according to Gold-i.Crypto CFD Liquidity Becomes a Crowded RaceThe integration arrives as competition among crypto CFD liquidity providers continues to intensify. Match-Prime Liquidity, a CySEC-regulated firm, expanded its crypto CFD offering in August 2024 with higher leverage limits and increased net open position thresholds for major digital assets. Crypto market maker Wincent opened its liquidity to CFD platforms through a deal with Wyden in March 2026, bridging crypto-native pricing into the traditional broker world.The broader market may also be heading toward a shakeout. A Finery Markets survey published in March found that 60% of OTC market participants expect the number of active crypto liquidity providers to shrink before the end of 2026, with three-quarters of surveyed firms reporting margin compression in 2025. B2Broker and Zodia Markets have both built direct connectivity into Finery's ECN in recent months, reflecting a trend toward tighter integration and fewer intermediaries.For Gold-i, the Scope Prime addition is part of a broader effort to position MatrixNET as a central hub where brokers can mix FX, crypto, and other asset class liquidity under one roof. Tom Higgins, Gold-i's founder and CEO, has previously told Finance Magnates that "crypto liquidity and FX liquidity are sort of coming together," a view that continues to shape the company's product roadmap.Scope Prime Pitches "Digi" Instruments and Prime Brokerage CapacityScope Prime's integration also brings its newer product line to MatrixNET clients. The firm recently introduced what it calls "digi" symbols, which are CFD instruments built on crypto infrastructure but tracking traditional underlyings such as gold (DigiXAU) and silver (DigiXAG). These products, the company says, allow 24/7 trading on assets that would otherwise follow standard market hours. Scope Prime rolled out its DigiXAU gold CFD to all institutional clients in late March 2026.Beyond pricing, Scope Prime says it offers margins starting at 2% and large net open position limits through its prime brokerage setup. Daniel Lawrance, CEO of Scope Prime, said the integration gives "brokers and professional clients faster, simpler access to a highly competitive institutional-grade feed." He added that the MatrixNET connection offers "reduced integration friction for shared clients, and a more efficient route to market for our crypto CFD pricing, deep liquidity and prime-brokerage level risk capacity."Higgins, for his part, said the addition "further strengthens our offering, providing clients with greater choice and increased capacity." He described Scope Prime's contribution to the platform as including "tight pricing, strong depth of book and institutional-grade risk capacity."Scope Prime Has Been Building Quickly Under Rostro's UmbrellaScope Prime has expanded rapidly under Rostro Group's ownership. The firm launched prime services for crypto CFDs in mid-2025, added 77 altcoins with round-the-clock liquidity in August 2025, and expanded into futures and options trading in February 2026 with direct access to the CME, Eurex, ICE, and CBOT.Rostro Group itself secured a Category 5 license in the UAE in late 2025 and has been on a hiring spree across regions. Scope Prime has appointed regional heads in APAC, Southeast Asia, Africa, and EMEA over the past year and a half, with the broader Rostro headcount exceeding 200 employees by early 2026, according to Group CEO Michael Ayres.Gold-i's MatrixNET, meanwhile, has also been embedded directly into third-party platforms, with Finalto's ClearVision integration in 2023 among the more notable deployments. More recently, Gold-i's Visual Edge risk management tool was added to Devexperts' DXtrade platform, broadening the firm's distribution beyond MetaTrader environments. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Geopolitical crisis that started in the Persian Gulf is being felt in oil prices, which has become the market’s clearest expression of what this war means. Traders turn to the most visible numbers on the screen when conflict threatens energy flows. These price fluctuations, like the ebb and flow of tides, recently saw crude moved back above $100, equities came under pressure, the dollar firmed, and Treasury yields rose as markets trimmed hopes for easier policy.Oil is but one factor woven into the larger market story fabric. It is easy to track what you can see: the visible shock. What is harder for traders and casual observers to spot is where that shock starts to spread: through essential behind-the-scenes financial infrastructures (clearing houses, custodians, and payment systems), credit, and supply chains. The Bank of England has called the war ‘a substantial negative supply shock’ that threatens financial stability.That wider frame is also reflected in the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2026. The report ranks geoeconomic confrontation highest in immediate and two-year risks, with state-based armed conflict close behind. It highlights a sharp rise in economic risks like downturn, inflation, and asset-bubble stress, while cyber insecurity remains high in the short term. The point is not that every risk will hit at once, but that geopolitical strain rarely stays contained in one market.It goes without saying that crude still deserves the attention it is getting, traders should ask a broader question: not just where oil goes next, but where the next strain could show up first.Is Something Looming Over Oil?The current market move is still led by energy. Reuters reported on 2 April that stocks fell, and oil jumped above $100 after Donald Trump said the United States would continue its air strikes on Iran. Investors grew more concerned as the war continues while keeping an eye on its impact on inflation and growth. Brent moved above $107, US crude traded above $106, and Treasury yields rose as markets pared back hopes for easier policy.Oil is feeding directly into the rates outlook. Reuters reported that most major central banks largely stayed on hold through March as the war made the inflation and growth picture harder to read. In the US, Fed officials warned that higher fuel, aluminium, and fertiliser prices could keep inflation above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target rate.Still, that is only part of the picture. The Bank of England did not just warn about energy costs or household pressure. It also pointed to vulnerabilities in government debt markets, private credit, and stretched US technology valuations. That is a useful clue. The concern is no longer just where crude trades, but what prolonged disruption could do to financial conditions more broadly.Once the shock starts tightening financial conditions, traders need to watch more than the oil price.Risk 1: Cyber Disruption Could Hit Core Market SystemsOne of the easiest risks to underprice in a geopolitical crisis is cyber disruption. That is partly because it does not fit neatly into one asset class. There is no single chart for it, as there is for crude, gold, or Treasury yields. Yet finance is an obvious target during escalation because it sits at the heart of payments, trading platforms, clearing, settlement, and other critical market infrastructure. Reuters reported in March that US financial firms were already on high alert for Iran-linked cyberattacks as the conflict intensified. This followed Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps release of the economic centres and banks list after Israeli missiles attacked a Tehran-based bank.There is a practical angle for traders here: a cyber incident does not need to be catastrophic to matter. A contained disruption can widen spreads, thin liquidity, slow settlement, affect execution quality, or make a normally orderly market feel unreliable for a few hours or sessions. Reuters pointed to the 2023 ransomware attack on the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Financial Services’ (ICBC) US broker-dealer unit as a reminder that even a localised event can disrupt parts of the Treasury market.That makes this risk worth watching. It would not necessarily arrive as a big macro headline. Traders might first notice it through broker notices, awkward price gaps, thinner order books, patchy market depth, or signs that a usually liquid market is not trading cleanly. None of that is as obvious as a spike in oil. But if market function wobbles, being right on direction becomes less useful.This also makes cyber risk different from a standard macro concern. It is not just about whether sentiment worsens but whether the market itself becomes harder to trust and trade. That is a different kind of stress, one that can spread faster than it first appears.Risk 2: Credit Stress May Show Up Before the Macro DataIf cyber is the most distinctive risk, credit is the most important one.A market shock becomes more serious when it stops being just a price move and becomes a funding problem. That is why credit deserves close attention. Elevated oil keeps inflation fears sticky and hopes for rate cuts fading away. The first real crack may show up in leveraged. Central banks and regulators are already looking out for that possibility.Reuters reported on 31 March that US banks were raising borrowing costs for private credit funds. In some cases, financing was priced as much as two percentage points over the Secured Overnight Financing Rate Data (SOFR), with lenders becoming more cautious due to valuation pressure, redemption concerns, and worries about collateral quality. That does not mean the whole private credit universe is breaking. It means funding is becoming less forgiving in a part of the market that grew quickly during an era of easy money.That matters beyond private markets. Credit is often where a headline shock starts to become a broader market problem. As financing gets more expensive, weaker borrowers come under pressure, spreads widen, and investors become less willing to pay for risk. Once that process starts, it rarely stays in one corner of fixed income. It can bleed into equities, especially cyclical areas and parts of the market that depend on generous valuations and steady access to capital. Reuters also reported rising redemption pressure at large private credit funds and closer scrutiny from the Federal Reserve.This is where the Bank of England’s warning becomes especially useful. It did not just flag energy prices or household costs. It pointed to private credit and stretched US tech valuations as part of the same financial-stability picture. European Central Bank (ECB) Vice President Luis de Guindos warned that the war could trigger broader systemic stress if vulnerabilities in leveraged borrowers and the non-bank sector start to unravel. That reminds us that vulnerable areas in a tighter environment are not always the ones carrying the biggest headlines. Often, they are parts of the market used to cheap funding and optimistic pricing.For traders, this means watching more than crude and the main equity indices. High-yield credit, signs of spread widening, weakness in lower-quality risk assets, and evidence of strain in non-bank finance may reveal more about the next stage of the shock than the oil price alone.Risk 3: Supply-Chain Fractures Could Spread the ShockThe third risk is that the disruption spreads through trade and supply chains in ways that are broader than crude itself.This is where a market can become too focused on the headline commodity and miss the wider transmission. Once the supply is rerouted, the effects do not stay inside oil. They can move into refined products, freight, industrial inputs, and inflation expectations. Reuters reported on 1 April that US fuel exports hit a record in March as buyers in Europe, Asia, and Africa scrambled to replace disrupted Middle East supply. Exports of clean petroleum products rose to 3.11 million barrels per day, with flows to Europe up 27%, to Asia more than doubling, and to Africa up 169%.That shift points to system-wide adjustment, not just speculative price action. Reuters reported that the US Gulf Coast tanker market tightened sharply as refiners in Asia and Europe sought replacement barrels, with some freight rates jumping above $300,000 a day. When shipping costs move like that, it becomes harder to argue the shock is still neatly contained inside crude.The same applies to industrial inputs. Reuters reported on 30 March that Iranian strikes on major Gulf producers intensified concerns about aluminium supply and helped drive aluminium prices to a four-year high. That matters because aluminium feeds manufacturing, transport, and packaging, and reaches Europe and the United States through already strained trade channels.The International Energy Agency (IEA) warned that disruptions in April are likely to exceed those seen in March, with shortages already hitting diesel and jet fuel and effects expected to spread further into Europe. The takeaway is not simply that supply disruption is bad but that the conflict may start showing up through uneven cost pressure across markets traders are not yet watching closely.For traders, that means paying attention to refined products, freight, industrial metals, and trade-sensitive currencies, where pressure often appears earlier and more unevenly than in the crude price itself.What Traders Should Watch NowIf this shock is starting to spread beyond crude, the first clues may not come from another sharp move in oil but from how other parts of the market begin to behave.In credit, that means watching for wider spreads, weaker high-yield performance, and signs investors are less willing to fund lower-quality risk. If private credit, junk bonds, or cyclical equities soften more noticeably, that could suggest financial conditions are tightening more broadly than the headline oil move alone implies.In the systems that keep markets running, such as trading platforms, clearing settlement, and payments, the warning signs look different. Traders should watch broker notices, unusual price gaps, patchy order books, delayed settlement, or signs that normally liquid markets are not trading cleanly. A cyber-related disruption does not need to be dramatic to matter if it affects execution and trust in market function.In trade and supply chains, signals likely show up in refined products, freight rates, industrial metals, and trade-sensitive currencies. If those markets absorb more of the shock, it will signal the conflict is no longer just an oil story but a wider cost and inflation story.That is the broader read traders should keep in mind: not just where crude is trading but whether stress is beginning to surface in the systems around it.Disclaimer & CitationThis material is for information only and does not constitute a recommendation or advice from EBC Financial Group and all its entities (“EBC”). Trading Forex and Contracts for Difference (CFDs) on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. Losses can exceed your deposits. Before trading, you should carefully consider your trading objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite, and consult an independent financial advisor if necessary. Statistics or past investment performance are not a guarantee of future performance. EBC is not liable for any damages arising from reliance on this information. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

Spotware Systems has signed a technology agreement with FundingRock, a prop trading firm running simulated evaluation programs, making cTrader the platform underpinning FundingRock's trader challenges, the companies said today (Thursday).Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Under the deal, FundingRock's users will gain access to cTrader's charting, execution and risk management tools across mobile, desktop and web, according to a joint statement. The platform, which Spotware says serves more than 11 million traders, will also list FundingRock's prop challenges in the cTrader Store's dedicated Prop Challenges section, a marketplace that the company declares draws more than 10,000 visitors daily.Prop Firms Scramble to Lock Down Credible Platform PartnersThe agreement lands at a time when prop trading firms are under growing pressure to demonstrate legitimacy. The sector saw an estimated 80 to 100 firms shut down in 2024, and the shakeout continued into 2025 and 2026, with retroactive rule changes, payout delays and trust breakdowns driving traders away from less established operators. FundingTicks, for instance, began winding down earlier this year after backlash over altered trading rules that traders said were applied retroactively to existing accounts.That backdrop has made platform choice a competitive differentiator. Prop firms that previously relied on MetaTrader shifted en masse after MetaQuotes tightened compliance enforcement, particularly targeting firms serving the U.S. market.cTrader, DXtrade from Devexperts and Match-Trader have all picked up market share in the aftermath, though cTrader has been especially active in signing new prop firm clients. FTMO and Instant Funding began using Spotware's demo account infrastructure for trial programs earlier this year, while Goat Funded Trader, FunderPro, The Trading Pit, BrightFunded and others have all integrated the platform over the past 18 months.Spotware expanded into Latin American prop trading through a deal with TFunded last month, and the company's overall client count now exceeds 300 brokers and prop firms, according to its most recent disclosures.FundingRock Cites Transparency as Key FactorFundingRock, which describes itself as a skill-based evaluation platform operating in a simulated trading environment, says it offers account sizes ranging from $5,000 to $200,000 with two-phase evaluation programs. The firm says it provides daily payouts and publishes its trading rules and risk parameters upfront."We are fixing prop trading by aligning our interest with yours, creating a relationship based on transparency and mutual trust," Meir Hefetz, FundingRock's CEO, commented. "We fund you with substantial capital and issue daily rewards while striving to provide the best trading conditions."FundingRock did not disclose how many active traders use its platform or the total payouts it has distributed to date.Spotware, for its part, pointed to what it calls the Traders First approach, which the company says includes trade receipt functionality that gives users visibility into how each order is processed. Yiota Hadjilouka, Spotware's chief operating officer, said FundingRock's focus on credibility "fits closely with our Traders First™ approach.""We welcome FundingRock to the cTrader environment and look forward to a partnership centred on trader confidence," Hadjilouka added.cTrader Store and Leads Program Double as Acquisition ChannelsPart of the commercial logic behind the deal involves Spotware's cTrader Store, which functions as both a marketplace for trading tools and, increasingly, a distribution channel for prop firms. The Store features dedicated sections where prop firms can list their challenges, allowing traders to compare evaluation criteria, drawdown limits, profit splits and pricing side by side.The FundingRock deal also comes just one day after Spotware launched cTrader Leads, a separate program that routes traders from Spotware's product ecosystem to participating brokers at no cost. Spotware estimates that total acquisition costs for a single depositing trader can reach as high as $800 in the FX sector, though the company has not disclosed its methodology behind that figure. MetaQuotes, Devexperts and Match-Trade Technologies have all been building their own lead-generation and engagement tools as the competition between trading technology vendors extends well beyond execution and charting. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Four Asia-Pacific jurisdictions are rolling out new digital asset licensing and compliance regimes within a 90-day window in the second quarter of 2026, according to a FM Intelligence analysis published yesterday (Wednesday).Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)The simultaneous deadlines in Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea affect hundreds of platforms, millions of retail accounts, and trillions of dollars in assets, the research arm said.Australia's 400 Platforms Face a June 30 Licensing CliffThe biggest single deadline falls in Australia, where parliament passed the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill on April 1, requiring crypto platform operators to obtain an Australian Financial Services License. Of the roughly 400 crypto platforms registered in the country, only about 10% currently hold ASIC registration, according to the FM Intelligence article citing the Law Society Journal.ASIC's class no-action letter expires on June 30, and platforms that have not filed an AFSL application by that date lose their protection, the analysis notes. A low-value exemption covers providers processing below A$10 million annually or holding less than A$5,000 per customer. Research from the Digital Finance Cooperative Research Center estimates Australia could generate A$24 billion annually from tokenized markets and digital asset services under the new framework, compared to a projected A$1 billion under the previous path.Japan Reclassifies 105 Tokens Covering 13 Million AccountsJapan's Financial Services Agency is moving crypto from the Payment Services Act to the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act, reclassifying 105 cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin and Ethereum, as financial products. The shift covers 13 million domestic accounts holding over ¥5 trillion (approximately $33 billion), with legislation expected in Q2 2026, according to the report.Under the FIEA framework, exchanges would face mandatory disclosure requirements for all listed tokens, insider trading prohibitions, and market manipulation rules carrying penalties of up to ¥10 million. The government separately plans to cut the crypto tax rate from as high as 55% to a flat 20%, a change the article notes could also open the door to spot Bitcoin ETFs in Japan.Hong Kong and South Korea Take Opposite ApproachesHong Kong now has 12 licensed virtual asset trading platforms and issued its first stablecoin issuer licenses in March 2026, with applicants including Standard Chartered, Ant Group, and JD.com, according to the FM Intelligence piece. The territory's SFC plans to introduce a Virtual Asset Licensing Bill covering OTC dealing and custody services later this year.South Korea, by contrast, moved on an emergency basis. After Bithumb accidentally transferred roughly $56 billion in bitcoin to hundreds of users due to an internal system error on February 6, the Financial Services Commission ordered all crypto exchanges to implement five-minute automated balance reconciliation, automatic kill-switches, and monthly external audits by end of May 2026. The country simultaneously shifted to a zero-threshold Crypto Travel Rule, eliminating the previous 1 million won reporting minimum.Compliance Windows Range From 60 Days to 18 MonthsThe FM Intelligence analysis highlights the wide variation in timelines. Australia's 18-month compliance window provides more breathing room than South Korea's 60-day mandate, while Japan's enforcement will not begin until 2027. Hong Kong's 12 licensed platforms represent a fraction of global operators.The broader question, the article notes, is whether parallel reforms across four jurisdictions produce regulatory convergence or fragmentation, particularly as stablecoin regulation, DeFi oversight, and cross-border recognition frameworks remain in earlier stages across all four markets.The regulatory acceleration comes as traditional financial institutions across the region increasingly move into digital assets, with Korean brokerages pursuing stakes in crypto exchanges and major banks applying for stablecoin licenses in Hong Kong.The full FM Intelligence analysis, including jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction breakdowns and compliance deadline details, is available here. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Most people think the problem with modern finance comes down to fees, spreads, and slow transfers. Those are real, but the deeper issue feels quieter.Your money spends a lot of its life doing one job at a time.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!). A balance sits in a wallet waiting for the next move. Collateral sits on an exchange waiting for a trade. Cash sits in a bank account waiting for a bill. Even when you chase yield, the money often gets boxed into a single lane, earning, or collateral, or investment capital. Every time you move it, you pay in friction. Sometimes that friction looks like an on-chain fee. Sometimes it looks like opportunity cost. Either way, it acts like a tax on productivity. Capital that could be doing more gets stuck in transit, locked up, duplicated across platforms, or simply idle. Crypto promised to unbundle finance into smarter building blocks. In practice, many users ended up with a longer checklist. Receive funds here. Bridge there. Park stablecoins somewhere else. Keep separate margin on an exchange. Keep long-term holdings in a different wallet. Track it all in spreadsheets, or just stop tracking and hope the stack grows. That journey drains attention as much as it drains value.Capital That Multitasks When people talk about progress in finance, they often mean capital utility. More assets, more products, more venues, more chains. Utility matters, and it expands what people can do. Productivity matters more. Productivity means one unit of capital doing multiple jobs at once. Picture a single, programmable balance that can earn a base yield while also supporting trading activity and maintaining exposure to a longer-term position. The same dollar stays active across uses instead of being chopped into separate piles. That changes the user’s experience from “choose a lane” to “keep moving without losing momentum.” It also changes platform competition. A platform that helps capital do more with fewer moves gives the user a compounding edge. Small advantages stack up: less collateral sitting dead, fewer transfers, fewer moments where funds sit waiting for the next step.Today’s typical lifecycle still looks like a relay race. Receive. Hold. Earn. Trade. Invest. Transfer. Spend. Each leg often means a different app, a different protocol, a different account, a different set of rules. Users end up duplicating balances to stay flexible, leaving one pile for yield, another for margin, another for long-term holdings. The result feels safe, but it carries drag. A more productive lifecycle feels like a loop instead of a line. Funds arrive and stay active. Money earns while it waits. Collateral earns while it backs risk. Transfers feel like moving a live balance, not pausing everything to pick the money up and carry it somewhere else. The phrase “money should work harder” gets used a lot. Here, it has a very specific meaning: money should keep its optionality while it earns.Who Demands This, And Why It Matters Two groups push this idea forward, and they do it for different reasons. First come the active traders. Professionals, quants, and sophisticated on-chain operators tend to follow efficiency, not branding. They care about execution quality, liquidity, borrow costs, and capital efficiency. They pressure-test the rails. They turn platform mechanics into real volume. Their behavior exposes weak points fast. A margin system that wastes less capital becomes a meaningful draw, especially when markets turn volatile and the cost of idle collateral becomes painfully obvious. Then come the crypto-native capital holders. This group already lives on-chain, but they have limited patience for complexity. They hold real positions and want simple wealth management: earning yield, maintaining exposure, spending when needed, staying inside one ecosystem without juggling six dashboards. These users bring assets under management, steady balances, and the kind of network effects that make a financial product feel like infrastructure. They also bring everyday expectations: receiving money should feel easy, earning should feel automatic, spending should feel normal.DeFi has incredible infrastructure, but the user experience still slows adoption.With Amadeus, agents live directly inside a platform’s UI, helping users interact with DeFi in real time, without leaving the product.A shift from tools you operate → to agents that operate for… pic.twitter.com/h9OcsjEbJE— Amadeus Protocol (@amadeusprotocol) April 7, 2026 The sequence is important since more traders will engage when the system rewards efficiency. Their volume helps mature the system. Capital holders arrive when the system feels legible and reliable. Their balances deepen liquidity and reinforce the same efficiency traders came for in the first place. That loop creates a flywheel: volume supports better markets, better markets support better yield and borrowing terms, better terms attract more users, more users deepen the system again.The Next Decade Belongs to Productive Capital Finance keeps adding instruments. Crypto keeps adding rails. The more interesting question sits underneath: how much work can one unit of capital do before the user has to touch it? The winners will be the platforms and protocols that treat idle money as a design failure. They will build systems where capital stays active across earning, trading, investing, transferring, and spending, with fewer forced pauses between each action. A future where money keeps moving and keeps earning will feel quietly obvious once it arrives. The hard part sits in the architecture, getting the incentives, risk controls, and user experience aligned so productivity becomes the default behavior of capital. When that happens, “Where do I put my money?” becomes “Which system helps my money stay useful every minute it exists?”Finance is shifting from fragmented, idle capital to systems where money stays active, multitasks, and generates value without constant movement. This article was written by Hong Yea at www.financemagnates.com.

Crypto trading remains a major topic across the FX and online trading space, but the market no longer views it in the same simple way as before.The question is not only whether firms offer crypto trading. The real question is how they are approaching it, how much weight it carries in business planning, and what is still stopping wider growth. That is what makes crypto adoption among brokers and trading firms such an important topic right now.The market is moving, but not at the same paceSome firms already offer crypto trading and report strong client interest. Others have launched but are seeing more limited uptake. Some are planning to enter the market, while others are still reviewing the opportunity with caution.This tells us something important. Crypto adoption among brokers and trading firms is growing, but it is not following a single clear pattern. Each firm is making its own decision based on demand, business model, risk appetite, internal resources, and market view.For readers across the industry, that matters. It means the market is still being shaped, and there is room for change in how firms position crypto in their offerings.What is driving interest in crypto trading?There are a few main reasons why brokers and trading firms continue to review crypto more closely.Client demandFor many firms, crypto starts with demand. If clients want access to crypto-related products, businesses need to decide whether to meet that demand and, if so, how far to go.Revenue mixCrypto can also be seen as a source of additional trading activity. In a competitive market, firms often seek ways to broaden their product mix and create more room for growth.Competitive pressureAs more firms talk about digital assets, others may feel pressure to review their own position. Even if they are not ready to expand, they still need to know where they stand.Product growthFor some firms, crypto is no longer just an extra product. It is becoming part of wider product planning for the next 12 to 24 months.➡️ Take the survey and add your perspective to the findings.What is still holding firms back?At the same time, there are still real barriers.RegulationMany firms still want more clarity before moving ahead or expanding further.InfrastructureCrypto trading at scale requires confidence in systems, integrations, and support. Not every firm feels ready.RiskVolatility, exposure, and client suitability all affect how firms assess crypto.Cost and resourcesEven where the opportunity is clear, the cost of implementation and internal pressure on teams can slow progress.This is why crypto adoption among brokers and trading firms is not only a matter of demand. It is also an operational and strategic one.The next question is not just whether, but what nextThe market is also becoming more product-specific.It is no longer only about whether firms offer crypto trading. It is about which areas they may expand into next. Some may focus on spot crypto, others on CFDs, futures, options, staking-related products, or social trading.That shift matters because it reveals where firms see value, where they see client interest, and how they plan to grow.Why this matters to the wider marketFor anyone working in the trading industry, these shifts are worth watching closely.A clearer view of crypto adoption among brokers and trading firms helps the market better understand:How serious firms are about crypto in the next two yearsWhether adoption is broadening or staying limitedWhich barriers are still the most importantWhere product expansion may happen nextHow firms see the future of crypto trading among retail FX brokersThat is useful not only for brokers, but also for liquidity providers, tech firms, service providers, and market observers trying to understand where the sector is heading.Take part in the surveyTo help build a clearer market picture, Finance Magnates and Gold-i have launched the Global Crypto Sentiment Survey: Crypto Adoption Among FX Brokers and Prop Trading Firms.The survey is open to:FX / CFD brokersProp trading firmsLiquidity providers / Prime of Prime firmsIt covers:current approach to crypto tradingbusiness priority over the next two yearslikely product expansionbarriers to growthinfrastructure confidencerevenue impactexpected A-Book sharemarket outlookThe survey takes 3–5 minutes to complete, and all responses are anonymous and reviewed in aggregate for research purposes.➡️ Take the survey and add your perspective to the findings. This article was written by Finance Magnates Staff at www.financemagnates.com.

Kraken has launched a new colocation cross-connect service through Liquidity Connect, giving traders faster and more stable access to its digital asset exchange.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).The service is hosted at Equinix London, a major global financial data center, and is now available to both institutional and individual clients.Why It Matters Conceptually for FX/CFDsKraken’s colocation move mirrors the same infrastructure arms race that has long shaped FX/CFD execution quality. Colocation and ultra-low latency access are already standard in FX and index CFD venues, where execution quality depends on speed, stability, and predictable fill behavior.Kraken rolling out similar low‑latency access in crypto shows that digital asset venues are converging toward the same performance and transparency standards seen in FX and CFD markets.The new setup provides direct links between Kraken’s systems and Liquidity Connect’s servers, helping reduce delays to less than one millisecond. This allows traders to place orders and receive data almost instantly—a big advantage for anyone relying on quick market reactions.The integration offers deterministic, ultra-low latency connectivity via direct fiber cross-connects to Liquidity Connect’s Virtual Private Servers (VPS) and dedicated bare metal servers. According to Liquidity Connect, the setup allows traders to connect to Kraken’s trading systems with sub-millisecond latency—an advantage for strategies requiring precision and minimal delay.Continue reading: Kraken Halts IPO Plans as Weak Market Dents Crypto Valuations: ReportDennis Miranda-Cruz, Head of Business at Liquidity Connect, said the partnership aims to deliver “the speed and security previously reserved for major financial institutions.” He added that the company’s goal is to maintain stable, low-latency connections that enhance execution quality for crypto traders.Supporting Advanced Trading StrategiesThe Liquidity Connect solution offers several operational benefits, including rapid deployment in less than 30 minutes, dedicated IP addresses, DDoS protection, and redundant power systems. Clients also receive 24/7 infrastructure support from Liquidity Connect engineers.Kraken said the new service supports its ongoing efforts to strengthen market infrastructure and ensure fair access for participants. As crypto markets mature, exchanges are increasingly adopting institutional-grade connectivity to match standards in traditional finance.The FX and CFD space has offered similar colocation and low‑latency setups for years, so Kraken’s move is very much in line with what’s already standard there.Specialist providers already host FX trading servers in the same data centers as major FX venues and liquidity providers, offering ultra‑low latency “proximity” or colocation access. These setups connect clients directly to platforms like Hotspot, EBS, Currenex, and bank LPs from Equinix NY4, LD4 and similar hubs. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Exegy announced an update to its FPGA-based trading engine, nxAccess. The update introduces the Session Override feature and expanded connectivity options, which the company said reduce execution-stack latency by up to 71 percent.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).The announcement follows Exegy’s recent launch of Nexus, an FPGA-powered market data platform designed for high-volume, high-volatility trading. The platform processes data in microseconds and reduces datacenter footprints. While aimed at institutional clients, retail brokers could benefit indirectly through improved liquidity, lower costs, and faster execution, potentially resulting in tighter spreads and more consistent pricing during volatile market conditions.Session Override Enhances Execution During VolatilityAs electronic trading infrastructure becomes increasingly complex, the ability to select the fastest path to local and remote venues is a key driver of execution performance.The update allows firms to bypass traditional hardware constraints and pivot to the optimal session or network link at the moment of execution. Olivier Cousin, Director of Product, FPGA Solutions at Exegy, said: “In today’s fragmented markets, the fastest route at market open isn’t necessarily the fastest at midday.”“Relying on static configurations creates ‘latency leakage’ that firms can no longer afford. nxAccess bridges this gap by turning connectivity into a dynamic asset rather than a hardware bottleneck.” He added that the reduction “allows firms to maintain deterministic performance even during high-burst volatility, ensuring orders are filled at intended prices.”Ultra-Low Latency Connectivity Now SupportedThe Session Override feature allows firms to monitor session performance in real time and automatically select the best-performing session when latency fluctuates. The update also adds support for UDP-based multicast and raw Ethernet frame transmission, enabling the use of ultra-low latency wireless and private links. As an off-the-shelf FPGA platform, nxAccess combines the speed of hardware with software flexibility, allowing firms to deploy improvements without long development cycles. The engine is designed to load order templates via software while using hardware logic to trigger, update, and transmit orders with nanosecond precision. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

For nearly two decades, Bitcoin’s creator has hidden behind the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, but a new investigation by The New York Times has refocused attention on British cryptographer Adam Back as the most likely person behind the name.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)The report relies on a year-long review of technical history and writing patterns, while Back publicly rejects any suggestion that he founded the world’s largest cryptocurrency.Mysterious Bitcoin inventor Satoshi Nakamoto is 'unmasked' as British nerd who could secretly be worth $70bn https://t.co/CO40kxoE8W— Daily Mail (@DailyMail) April 8, 2026NYT Investigation Narrows on Adam BackAccording to The New York Times, reporters examined decades-old cryptography mailing-list posts, Bitcoin-related messages and other technical writings as part of a forensic review.The investigation used several forms of text analysis, including stylometry and computational comparison of grammatical habits, to compare known Satoshi writings with material from multiple candidates. Experts cited by the Times said Back’s texts most closely matched Satoshi’s, although they stopped short of calling the result definitive.Read more: Craig Wright Files Billionaire Lawsuit against Coinbase and KrakenBack, 55, is a British computer scientist and cryptographer known for creating Hashcash, a proof-of-work system that predated Bitcoin and influenced its design. The article notes overlaps between concepts Back discussed in the late 1990s and core elements later described in Bitcoin’s 2008 white paper, including decentralized validation and proof-of-work mining.The Times also drew on newly surfaced archives from early Bitcoin forums and email exchanges that became public during recent litigation related to competing claims over Satoshi’s identity.Public Denial and Unresolved QuestionsFollowing publication of the report, Back reiterated on social media that he is not Satoshi Nakamoto. Posting on X, he wrote “I’m not Satoshi” and added that he does not know who Satoshi is, arguing that the continued anonymity supports viewing Bitcoin as a neutral, “mathematically scarce” digital asset rather than a founder-driven project.i'm not satoshi, but I was early in laser focus on the positive societal implications of cryptography, online privacy and electronic cash, hence my ~1992 onwards active interest in applied research on ecash, privacy tech on cypherpunks list which led to hashcash and other ideas.— Adam Back (@adam3us) April 8, 2026He has also previously appeared in the HBO documentary “Money Electric: The Bitcoin Mystery,” where his on-screen discomfort when the subject of Satoshi arose attracted attention but did not produce any hard evidence.Despite the New York Times’ findings, the investigation acknowledges that any attribution remains circumstantial without on-chain proof. Members of the Bitcoin community have long argued that only movement of coins linked to Satoshi’s early mining activity, estimated at around 1.1 million bitcoins, would provide conclusive confirmation of identity. Those holdings, now worth tens of billions of dollars, have remained untouched, leaving one of modern finance’s most enduring mysteries officially unsolved.Meanwhile, Craig Wright, the Australian computer scientist who has long styled himself as Bitcoin’s creator, suffered a decisive setback after a UK High Court ruled he is not Satoshi Nakamoto and is neither the author of the Bitcoin white paper nor the creator of Bitcoin’s original software.After a British court ruled in May this year that Craig Wright was not Satoshi Nakamoto, Craig Wright has been forced to update a legal statement on his personal website stating that he is not the inventor of Bitcoin. The court declared that Wright is not the author of the…— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 17, 2024The judge found that Wright had relied on falsified documents and described the evidence against his claims as “overwhelming,” undercutting nearly a decade of public assertions and aggressive legal action against critics and Bitcoin developers. The ruling was widely seen as a major victory for the open‑source Bitcoin community, easing a long‑running legal overhang for contributors who had faced lawsuits tied to Wright’s Satoshi narrative. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

UAE-based forex and CFD broker DB Investing has appointed Syed Ahmmed as Chief Business Development Officer, giving him a global mandate after several years in leadership posts at OneRoyal and Zara FX.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)New Global Growth MandateAhmmed is based on-site in Muscat, Oman, and leads DB Investing’s business development across MENA, the India Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Latin America.“Having built and expanded markets across MENA, ISC, and SEA, I now look forward to taking on a broader global mandate. My focus has always been not just to manage markets, but to build them, driving sustainable growth and creating long-term value,” Ahmmed said in a post on Monday.Continue reading: Elena Kupriianova Joins CFDs Broker DB Investing as CMOHis scope covers market expansion, strategic partnerships and revenue growth, including the build-out of introducing broker and affiliate networks in both emerging and established markets. He also focuses on client-centric offerings, such as region-specific and Sharia-compliant products, while working with internal teams on brand positioning and market penetration.Background at OneRoyal and Zara FXBefore joining DB Investing, Ahmmed served as Regional Head of Business Development for ISC, SEA and Oman at OneRoyal. In that role, he managed expansion, led multicultural sales teams, oversaw the Oman office and drove institutional and high-net-worth client acquisition. He earlier held other business development positions at OneRoyal and briefly worked as Sales Director at Zara FX, where he helped design products and sales frameworks to support revenue growth. He now joins DB Investing’s senior leadership and will work with management, including CEO Gennaro Lanza, as the broker pursues further international growth.Last month, DB Investing announced plans to open a newoffice in Mexico as part of its broader expansion into Latin America. The new branch in Mexico will act as the firm’s regional hub, allowing it to engage more directly with local traders and strengthen its presence in a market that has recently attracted other brokers, including EC Markets and VT Markets.Mexico’s appeal for global CFD brokers stems from a combination of strong demand for online trading and relatively light, indirect local rules on CFDs. While the country’s financial markets are overseen by the CNBV, the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit, and Banco de México, CFDs remain in a legal grey area, with no dedicated regime and explicit warnings that authorities will not protect clients dealing with unlicensed foreign providers. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Coinbase is expanding its operations in Australia after obtaining an Australian financial services license. The license will allow the exchange to offer crypto and equity perpetuals initially, with plans to introduce futures, options, and other traditional financial products over time.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).The move aligns with Coinbase’s global strategy to become a multi-product platform. The company has been building a “gateway to everything in finance,” combining crypto with equities, derivatives, and other financial products under a single platform. The Australian expansion is a step in this broader push to move beyond crypto-only offerings.Coinbase AFSL Brings Full Regulatory OversightThe AFSL subjects Coinbase to the same regulatory standards that govern traditional financial services providers, including requirements for conduct, disclosure, governance, and consumer protection. The move comes as Australia advances a dedicated regulatory framework for digital assets.The Corporations Amendment Bill 2025 passed both houses of Parliament on April 1 and is awaiting royal assent. The bill is expected to take effect 12 months after assent.Australians Increasingly Using Crypto PaymentsCoinbase has also been hiring locally across legal, compliance, marketing, and operations roles, drawing talent from other regulated industries. In September, the company and competitor OKX launched services for self-managed superannuation funds, enabling individuals to include crypto in retirement savings.Coinbase secures Australian license, plans to offer crypto and equity perpetuals https://t.co/bPf7duoT6V— The Block (@TheBlockCo) April 8, 2026According to the Independent Reserve Cryptocurrency Index, around 33% of Australians now have exposure to cryptocurrency, up from 31% in 2025. The data also suggests more Australians are using crypto to pay for goods and services.US Equity Perpetuals Expand Coinbase OfferingsLast month, Coinbase launched stock perpetual futures for eligible non-US users, expanding crypto, equities, and prediction market offerings outside the US. The contracts provide leveraged, cash-settled exposure to major US stocks and indices, accessible on Coinbase Advanced for retail users and Coinbase International Exchange for institutions. The move follows earlier launches in the US and Europe, forming part of Coinbase’s 2026 strategy to build a global multi-asset brokerage model. This article was written by Tareq Sikder at www.financemagnates.com.

CFD broker FP Markets has joined a widening round of redundancies across the retail brokerage industry. Speaking to Finance Magnates, Christina Koro, the broker’s Group Head of HR & People Culture, confirmed the layoffs have affected “less than 7% of our global workforce.”Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!).The cuts, she said, form part of a broader organisational review. “As with any evolving organisation, some roles change in nature or are consolidated,” Koro noted, adding that “we are continuing to expand into new markets, investing in technology and hiring in areas aligned with our strategic priorities.” As of mid-2025, the Australian-based broker employed more than 300 staff globally, including over 100 in Cyprus. The restructuring follows a period of internal and regulatory developments. In March 2026, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, Alexander Strelnikov, stepped down. Earlier this year, FP Markets also settled a €100,000 fine with the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) over possible CFD compliance breaches.The Layoff TrendRecently, Finance Magnates reported that IronFX had laid off 10% of its 1,500-strong global workforce. Sources attributed the move to “efficiency” gains linked to the rise of AI.Elsewhere, eToro has cut roughly 10% of its staff this year, while FXCM, operator of the Tradu platform, shed more than 100 roles last year. The CEOs at both companies have pointed to Generative AI as a key driver of restructuring.It is unclear whether Generative AI played any role in FP Markets’ organisational review.Nonetheless, the broader direction is harder to miss. Retail brokerage, like many other sectors, appears increasingly drawn to the promise of Generative AI.Yet, whether AI is the true catalyst remains open to debate. Automation may deliver efficiencies, but it also offers a useful gloss: job cuts once attributed to margin pressure or performance can now be reframed as part of a technological pivot – one that investors are often inclined to reward.Regulators, for their part, are beginning to test these claims. In 2026, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ordered BeAccount Ltd to cease operations and return client funds after its automated screening tools failed to flag basic risks that manual checks would likely have caught. Although the firm operated in payments, the compliance expectations, particularly around anti-money-laundering controls, are broadly comparable across regulated financial services, including CFD brokers.For now, much remains unresolved. The extent to which Generative AI will deliver meaningful efficiencies or withstand regulatory scrutiny is still being tested. Until then, the durability of AI-linked layoffs is far from assured. This article was written by Adonis Adoni at www.financemagnates.com.

While February was relatively quiet, March brought a sharp shift, as regulators across the globe intensified their efforts, issuing a wave of alerts aimed at protecting market integrity and shielding investors from unlicensed entities. Finance Magnates Intelligence has just released its latest deep dive into the regulatory activity, and the March data tells a compelling story of heightened vigilance.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Inside the Full Intelligence Report The full analysis explores the significant increase in activity from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which set a strong pace for the year by substantially exceeding its February figures. We also track a clear acceleration across continental Europe, where warnings in France, Italy, and Germany did not just rise, they multiplied. Readers will find a detailed breakdown of the "Italian Model," explaining the legal framework that enables CONSOB to move beyond issuing warnings and directly block unauthorized forex and crypto platforms. The report also highlights a notable outlier in the Mediterranean that remained unexpectedly quiet while the rest of the region intensified its enforcement efforts. [#highlighted-links#] Complete Data Breakdown From evolving enforcement capabilities to the growing volume of unauthorized entities identified this quarter, the report provides essential context for navigating a safer and more reliable market environment.The full analysis on the Intelligence Portal includes a complete data breakdown, year-to-date trends, and an overview of the regulatory developments shaping the future of financial oversight. Access the full March "Fraud Watch" to see which jurisdictions are reaching record levels of enforcement. This article was written by Sylwester Majewski at www.financemagnates.com.

IG Group Holdings (LSE: IGG) released its annual report for the transitional seven-month period ended December 31, 2025, the first filing under the company's new calendar year-end. The report, which covers June through December 2025, disclosed total revenue of £658.9 million for the shortened period and £1,123.4 million on a comparable 12-month calendar year basis, a 7% increase over 2024, according to the company's filings.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)The London-based trading and investment platform, which posted record results when it announced the numbers in March, changed its financial year-end from May 31 to December 31 in November 2025 to align with common market practice. The full annual report adds audited figures, a chairman’s statement from outgoing board chairman Mike McTighe and detailed divisional breakdowns."In 2025, we continued to deliver strong growth across every area of our business," McTighe wrote, adding that he believes IG is "well positioned to capitalise on the powerful structural tailwinds supporting the growth of our industry."Net Trading Revenue Tops £1 Billion for the First TimeNet trading revenue crossed the £1 billion mark for the first time at £1,004.6 million, the report confirmed. OTC derivatives, IG's core business, contributed £781.4 million, up 8%. Stock trading and investments nearly doubled to £68.4 million, boosted by the Freetrade acquisition completed in April 2025 for £160 million and by the launch of zero-commission trading in the UK.The EBITDA margin contracted from 49.9% to 47.3% as IG increased marketing spend by 31% to £108.8 million and legal and professional costs rose 78% to £62.3 million, the latter tied to M&A activity. Basic EPS was boosted by a one-off £76.0 million gain from the sale of Small Exchange to Kraken in October 2025. Net interest income fell 16% to £118.8 million as lower benchmark rates reduced yields on client cash.CFD Rivals Eye the Same Markets as Competition BuildsIG's results land against a backdrop of intensifying competition across CFDs, stock trading and crypto. CMC Markets, the London-listed peer, has been expanding its institutional white-label business and repositioning around platform technology. Plus500, another FTSE-listed CFD provider, has posted record revenue in recent periods while attracting investment from Capital Group, the same US fund that later took a 5% stake in IG.In commission-free stock trading, Freetrade competes directly with Hargreaves Lansdown, Interactive Investor, Trading 212 and Robinhood's UK arm. In the US, tastytrade faces off against Schwab, Interactive Brokers and Robinhood in options and equity trading. IG's 31% jump in marketing spend reflects the escalating cost of acquiring customers across these overlapping markets.Acquisitions Begin to ContributeFreetrade contributed £24.2 million to total revenue in its first nine months, the report stated, surpassing IG's own guidance. Assets under administration reached £3.3 billion, up 34%. The Freetrade CEO announced in February he would step down this summer.On crypto, IG secured an FCA registration and a European MiCA license during 2025. The acquisition of Independent Reserve, the Australian crypto exchange, closed in January 2026 for approximately £67.7 million. The company plans to launch a crypto proposition in Singapore, Australia and the UAE in the second half of 2026. Crypto revenue remains negligible at £0.8 million for the calendar year.Chairman Succession and Strategic ReviewIn his final chairman's statement, McTighe confirmed that Andrew Barron has been appointed as his successor and will take over once regulatory approvals are in place.The report's most closely watched section concerned the strategic review launched in March 2026. The board is evaluating acquisitions, potential changes to IG's domicile and listing venues, and whether combining parts of the group with other industry participants could create additional value. Bloomberg reported in March that IG is considering a possible relisting from London to New York. The outcome is expected in the autumn.The company returned £320.8 million to shareholders through dividends and buybacks during 2025 and announced a further £125 million buyback in March 2026. Share buybacks have reduced the outstanding count by more than 16% since May 2022, the report noted.CEO Breon Corcoran said IG expects organic total revenue growth toward the top end of its guided mid-to-high single-digit range in 2026 and is confident of meeting market expectations for EBITDA and adjusted EPS. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

There were 74 Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)-regulated companies with permission to offer contracts for difference (CFD) products to retail traders in the United Kingdom as of 1 December 2025, FinanceMagnates.coom learned through a Freedom of Information request. There were a total of 105 firms in the FCA’s CFD portfolio.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Notably, a few of those firms might have surrendered their FCA licences as well.FinanceMagnates.com recently reported that FXTM is also going to surrender its FCA licence while, on the other hand, becoming a full brokerage in the UAE and expanding in Indonesia.Dozens of CFD Brokers Are Still Regulated in the UKThe British regulator also revealed that there were 2,547 firms authorised to act as principals and/or agents, with permission for investment types ‘contracts for difference’ and/or ‘rolling spot forex’ and/or ‘spread bets’, for clients.Further granular data shows that 936 firms are authorised for CFD products with ‘provider’ (dealing as principal) permission, 2,560 firms are authorised for CFD products with dealing as agent and principal permissions, and 152 firms have matched principal limitations and permissions to provide CFD products.However, how many of those firms are actively offering CFDs remains unknown.The ‘Halo Effect’ Is an IssueAt the end of 2024, the British regulator revealed that around 20 per cent of local CFD brokers, including spread betting and rolling forex providers, were conducting little or no activity, labelling them as 'halo firms'.It then justified the ‘halo’ label as the firms existed “purely to provide an FCA ‘halo’ to wider ‘groups’,” thus giving “false comfort to global retail clients who see the FCA association but contract with an offshore ‘group’ entity rather than the UK-authorised firm, without UK regulatory protection.”An FCA licence is considered one of the toughest regulatory regimes for CFD brokers. The strict requirements might have pushed many companies away, as several exited the country over the past few years.However, a handful have also entered the FCA licensing regime.Last November, the British regulator also issued a warning against CFD providers after its review found that some firms had not met the standards set under consumer duty. This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.

Spotware Systems has introduced cTrader Leads, a program that funnels traders from the company's existing product ecosystem to participating brokers, the Cyprus-based platform provider said. The program works across cTrader Store and the company's cross-broker apps, and it comes at no cost to brokers, according to Spotware.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)The launch arrives at a time when client acquisition economics across the forex and CFD industry are under growing pressure. Spotware puts the average cost per lead in the FX sector at around $50, with total acquisition costs for a single depositing trader reaching as high as $800. The company has not disclosed the methodology behind those estimates.Platform Providers Compete To Solve the Acquisition SqueezeBrokers have been grappling with rising traffic costs and declining conversion rates for several quarters now. Spotware CEO Ilia Iarovitcyn flagged the issue publicly at iFX EXPO Dubai in February, saying the company's priorities for 2026 are "closely linked to the challenges brokers face" and that "one of our core priorities is to make brokers grow.""Helping brokers grow is one of our core priorities," he added in the newest press release. "That means creating more effective and scalable routes to client acquisition. cTrader Leads is our answer to that. This is part of our broader commitment to strengthening our offering for brokers and supporting their business from multiple angles.”Spotware, however, is not the only platform provider trying to help brokers fill the top of their funnels. The competition among trading technology vendors to offer more than just execution and charting tools has been intensifying. MetaQuotes, the developer behind MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, has been building out its own in-platform ecosystem in recent years, including a marketplace for brokerage solutions and, more recently, the Ultency matching engine that bundles a "liquidity gallery" letting brokers compare providers directly inside MT5.Devexperts, which develops the DXtrade platform, has taken a different approach to broker engagement, partnering with TradingView to give its broker clients access to TradingView's 50-million-strong user base, essentially using the charting platform as a front-end acquisition tool. DXtrade also recently integrated BrokerIQ into its mobile app to help CFD brokers manage client engagement and retention directly within the trading environment.Match-Trade Technologies, meanwhile, has been pitching its Match-Trader platform as a single-vendor solution covering trading, CRM, and payments, effectively arguing that tighter integration between platform and back-office tools can improve conversion rates without requiring a separate lead-generation layer.How cTrader Leads WorksSpotware says cTrader Leads turns its existing product traffic into a broker acquisition channel. Within cTrader Store and cross-broker cTrader apps, users who do not already have a broker account are shown a list of participating brokers. Once a trader selects a broker, they are redirected to that broker's website to register and begin onboarding, the company said.The broker list is not random. Spotware says placement in the list is based on what the company describes as "transparent, merit-driven criteria," including trading volume in the user's region, conversion rates from registration to first trade, quality of integration, and overall brand strength. The lists are also adapted by country, and Spotware says it supports newly onboarded brokers with added visibility to help them gain initial traction.Brokers can integrate the lead flows into their existing CRM systems, which the company says can further improve conversion and create a smoother path from registration to first deposit. cTrader currently serves more than 11 million traders and over 300 brokers and prop firms, according to the company's most recent figures. Trading volumes on the platform doubled year-on-year in 2025, and cTrader Store purchases increased sixfold during the same period, Spotware has reported.Introducing Broker Channel and IB IntegrationThe program also ties into existing Introducing Broker workflows. Once an IB sets a referral link in their settings, Spotware says future referrals attracted through cTrader Store products will see only the relevant brokers in the featured and recommended lists. The company argues this keeps Store-driven leads within the IB's funnel and adds qualified referrals to their preferred broker.In the cross-broker cTrader app, Spotware says the client journey can also begin with a non-broker demo account, letting traders explore the platform before committing. From there, the company uses what it calls personalized onboarding mechanics, including in-app prompts and ribbons, to guide traders toward opening a live account with a listed broker.cTrader Leads is the latest addition to a broader suite of broker-facing tools Spotware has been rolling out in recent months. The company launched cBridge in March, a standalone liquidity bridge it says can reduce broker infrastructure costs by up to 80%, though it has not disclosed the methodology behind that figure. It has also expanded cTrader Store and introduced onboarding features such as CRM integrations, KYC flows, and in-app deposit tools.The push aligns with a broader trend across the retail trading industry, where technology providers are expanding from single-product offerings into end-to-end brokerage infrastructure. MetaQuotes has moved in the same direction with Ultency and its pricing gallery, while DXtrade has been adding research, engagement, and CRM tools to its mobile environment. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Gold surged to $4,850 per ounce today (Wednesday), April 8, 2026, gaining over 3% as the US-Iran two-week ceasefire triggered a sharp reversal in the dollar and oil markets. Silver outperformed with a nearly 7% rally to $77 per ounce, its highest level since March 18.The ceasefire announcement followed President Trump's acceptance of a 10-point Iranian proposal as a starting point for negotiations. Oil fell below $100 per barrel for the first time since the conflict began in late February, removing the inflationary pressure that had been the primary headwind for precious metals.Follow me on X for real-time market analysis: @ChmielDkWhy Gold and Silver Are Going Up? Iran Ceasefire Weakens the Dollar"Gold is rising nearly 2% today on the wave of a Middle East ceasefire to around $4,800, and silver exceeds $77 per ounce, gaining nearly 6%," said Michal Stajniak, Analyst at XTB. "The prospect of lower oil prices and opening of the Strait of Hormuz appears to ease inflationary risk, and consequently the prospect of monetary policy tightening by central banks."Stajniak added that the dollar's 0.8% drop against the euro further supports metals, and that calmer energy markets give hope for more stable industrial demand for silver, provided the ceasefire leads to a lasting peace deal. Iran's maximalist negotiating stance, including full control over the Strait of Hormuz and a civilian nuclear program, means the outcome is far from certain.Marek Rogalski, Chief Market Analyst at DM BOŚ, noted that silver continues to earn its "turbo-gold" label. "Technically, the breakout of the recent peak at $76.10 confirms the upward move that started after the March 23 panic," Rogalski said. "Theoretically, the market has an open path to around $79.50-$80.00, where significant resistance can be identified."Rogalski pointed to a broader macro catalyst: "Investors will return to precious metals when the scenario of Fed rate cuts in December or Q1 2026 starts being played more strongly. This could give arguments for dollar weakness, as other central banks will likely remain in an 'inflationary' narrative."The key drivers behind today's rally:US-Iran ceasefire halts military strikes for two weeks, oil drops below $100/barrelDollar weakness of 0.8% against the euro makes gold cheaper for non-dollar buyersRate cut expectations rising as lower oil reduces inflation pressure on the FedIndustrial demand for silver stabilizing as energy market risks easePetrodollar risk if growing Chinese influence in the Middle East reshapes energy trade flowsGold Technical Analysis: XAU/USD 50 EMA Blocks at $4,850Gold traded at $4,780 per ounce at the time of my analysis, up nearly 2%, but briefly gained approximately 4% and tested $4,857 as the intraday high. The local resistance I marked on my chart, together with the 50 EMA, blocked further gains roughly at the midpoint of the consolidation that has defined trading since January's all-time high.The upper boundary of this range sits at $5,400, the highest session close in gold's history. The intraday ATH reached $5,600 on January 29 before the correction that followed. Support is the $4,300 zone, the lows tested in late March that previously served as the October 2025 highs. As my March 25 analysis documented, the pin bar reversal at the 200 EMA near $4,200 marked the correction low.Applying Fibonacci extensions to the 2025 uptrend and the 2026 correction, the 100% extension falls at approximately $7,000 per ounce. From current levels, that represents a potential 50% gain.As I wrote in my previous Goldman Sachs analysis, gold remains trapped in the lower half of the January consolidation range. A daily close above the 50 EMA at $4,850 would be the first signal that the correction phase is ending. A break below $4,300 reopens the path toward the 200 EMA.Silver Technical Analysis: $77 Tests Upper BoundarySilver shot up more than 5% on Wednesday, testing levels above $77 per ounce. The rally stopped at exactly the level I identified in my most recent silver analysis: the upper boundary of the consolidation between the 50 and 200 EMA, where the 50 EMA acts as resistance.Despite the 5%+ daily gain, technically not much has changed. The key support at $70 per ounce, which my March 20 analysis confirmed has held for the third time this year, remains the floor. The 200 EMA near $63 is the deeper structural support. Main resistance sits in the $90-$94 zone, where the early March highs were recorded.My Fibonacci extensions, stretched across last year's uptrend and the 2026 correction, project a 100% target near $155 per ounce. That would represent a 100% gain from current levels.Gold and Silver Price Predictions for 2026Institutional forecasts for both metals remain extraordinarily wide, reflecting the uncertainty around war, monetary policy, and physical market dynamics. As the FinanceMagnates.com comprehensive February analysis established, a Reuters poll of 30 analysts placed the median 2026 gold forecast at $4,746.50, remarkably close to where gold trades today. The same poll set silver's median at $79.50.As the February analysis of the $7,300 gold prediction showed, JPMorgan's $6,300 target rests on approximately 800 tonnes of projected central bank gold purchases. Wells Fargo raised its range to $6,100-$6,300 in late March. For silver, Bank of America's Michael Widmer maintains his $135-$309 target based on gold-silver ratio compression.Bull case:US-Iran ceasefire holds, oil stays below $100, Fed cuts in H2 2026Central bank buying remains at 60+ tonnes/monthSilver supply deficit (6th consecutive year, 67M oz per Silver Institute)Dollar structural weakness accelerates de-dollarization flowsBear case:Ceasefire collapses, oil spikes above $120, inflation reignitesFed stays hawkish through year-end, yields rise above 4.5%Gold fails to close above 50 EMA, retests $4,300 supportSilver breaks below $70, opens path toward $55 on my chartFAQWhy are gold and silver going up today?Gold surged 3% to $4,850 and silver jumped nearly 7% to $77 on April 8, 2026, after the US and Iran announced a two-week ceasefire. The deal sent oil below $100 per barrel, weakened the dollar by 0.8% against the euro, and boosted rate cut expectations, all of which directly support precious metals.How high can gold go in 2026?My Fibonacci extension based on the 2025 uptrend and 2026 correction targets $7,000 per ounce, representing a 50% gain from current levels. Institutional forecasts range from Goldman Sachs at $5,400 to JPMorgan at $6,300 and UBS at $5,600. The Reuters 30-analyst median sits at $4,746.50.How high can silver go in 2026?My Fibonacci extension projects $155 per ounce, a potential 100% gain from current prices near $77. Analyst Marek Rogalski sees near-term resistance at $79.50-$80. Bank of America's Michael Widmer targets $135-$309 based on gold-silver ratio compression, while Citigroup set a $150-$170 target.What is the gold price prediction for 2026?JPMorgan targets $6,300 based on 800 tonnes of central bank purchases. Wells Fargo raised its forecast to $6,100-$6,300 in late March. Goldman Sachs maintains $5,400. My chart shows gold consolidating between $4,300 support and $5,400 resistance, with the 50 EMA at $4,850 as the immediate barrier.Why is silver called turbo-gold?Silver amplifies gold's moves in both directions due to its smaller market and dual industrial/monetary role. On April 8, silver gained nearly 7% versus gold's 3%. DM BOŚ analyst Marek Rogalski notes silver has been called "turbo-gold" for some time, with the breakout above $76.10 confirming the uptrend from the March 23 panic low. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Trading Takes Its TollOne of the points I have made in previous discussions of the merits of round-the-clock trading in this column is that the impact on traders must be taken into account.A recent study looked at the factors that contribute to stress and found that career uncertainty, mounting compliance demands and the quest for work-life balance pale in comparison to the primary source of angst for buy-side equity traders: technology.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)Just over half (51%) of the traders surveyed cited internal technology issues as their single biggest source of fatigue or burnout.Jesse Forster, senior analyst in market structure & technology at Crisil's Coalition Greenwich and the author of the study, noted that the rapid growth of electronic trading has reduced patience for IT failure.“Traders see volatility, long hours and performance pressure as part of the job,” he says. “But with e-trading increasing expectations for speed and scale, traders increasingly view problems with technology tools as completely unacceptable.”Modern electronic workflows amplify small failures into a constant drag that one trader referred to as ‘death by a thousand cuts’. Relatively small but ongoing technology issues persist on trading desks because they are not serious enough to warrant attention over other IT priorities, meaning traders are forced to tolerate the status quo.Survey respondents described persistent issues including login delays, inconsistent data across platforms, lagging analytics and unreliable execution tools.Forster observes that although individually these issues are not catastrophic, collectively they drain energy over the course of a day – especially when traders see these issues as fixable.Traders are judged on execution quality, including price, timing, slippage and market impact. When they feel they cannot control the systems driving those results, it will inevitably escalate from frustration to longer-term anxiety, avoidance and fear of misattribution.Technology issues uniquely create both productivity loss and burnout via rising cognitive load, according to Forster. “Instead of trusting systems, traders must verify them, remember workarounds, track exceptions and double-check fields, feeds and configurations,” he says. “This consumes mental energy and leaves less capacity for execution and alpha generation.”Variations on a ThemeTraders love an acronym. From ATH (all-time high) to SL/TP (stop loss/take profit), via EMA (exponential moving average) and FOK (fill or kill), it can sometimes feel like they are speaking a different language.One of the acronyms currently in use is HALO, or heavy assets, low obsolescence companies – an investment strategy that emphasises firms with substantial physical infrastructure, strong barriers to entry and lasting economic significance, which are often viewed as less exposed to AI disruption.Read more: eToro Launches Long-Term Thematic Portfolio Using Amundi ETFs for Retail InvestorsIllustrative examples include utilities, transportation infrastructure and industrial machinery.An investor survey conducted in mid-2025 by ETF data platform Trackinsight found that more than half of respondents intended to broaden their thematic exposure over the following six months.However, physical assets do not always deliver. HALO-themed ETFs have been introduced rapidly and with strong promotion, sometimes based on little more than a bank research note, only to fall flat.Simonelle Mody, associate investment specialist at Morningstar Australia, refers to the volatility of thematic funds and notes that fear of missing out attracts investors who chase short-term returns, despite research showing these funds rarely achieve a desirable outcome.Capital cycle and crowding update for thematic ETF's. Noteworthy that robotics and automation remain relatively uncrowded and capital scarce compared to its own 10y history pic.twitter.com/kxc0VYKGyY— Variant Perception (@VrntPerception) September 24, 2025In addition, active and passive thematic funds charge higher average management fees than their non-thematic counterparts. Mody suggests that thematic fund survival and success rates, compared to global equities, make it hard to justify choosing a thematic fund over a broadly based ETF.Capital Group Canada’s senior product specialist, Warner Wen, also questions the long-term value of thematic ETFs when it comes to wealth creation, noting that market data suggests the odds are against investors who try to pick a thematic fund that performs well.This underperformance reflects the challenges these strategies face, particularly in volatile or shifting market environments where diversification tends to outperform concentrated thematic bets.According to Wen, many thematic funds are launched at the peak of hype cycles, only to falter as interest falls or the underlying companies fail to deliver.Bloomberg Not in Terminal DeclineMark Twain’s comment upon hearing reports of his death has been used to describe many events that were widely reported but had not actually happened. More recently, it has been applied to the subscription-based software system that traders have been using for real-time market data, analytics, news and secure trading since the early 1980s.The Bloomberg terminal’s dominance of the financial data market has caused much angst over the years and has clear cult-like undertones. Some users refer to their terminals by name, while others describe them as the most important relationship in their lives (let’s hope their spouses have a sense of humour).The founder of Bloomberg Terminal explaining the function that makes the $24,000 worth it.I wrote about this exact function in the Article below. Must Read, no matter what. https://t.co/aymzqNwuo2 pic.twitter.com/XIQN1S46Rf— Roan (@RohOnChain) April 2, 2026Unsurprisingly, proponents of AI have been trying to replicate it at a much lower cost than the $24,000+ annual subscription. However, the reaction to a recent Wall Street Journal article looking at “alternatives” such as Perplexity underlined how difficult it is to reproduce this software at a lower cost.One observation was that the core value of Bloomberg terminals lies not only in the information itself but also in the long-term accumulation of high-quality data, user habits and industry network effects, making them difficult to replace in the short term. However, there was also an acknowledgement that AI is lowering the barriers to information access and analysis, which may gradually reduce its premium pricing power.Another point was that while it is easy to assume data and speed are everything, in finance, access to a trusted network of professionals still carries significant value and shows that even advanced AI tools cannot easily replicate community and trust built over decades.Perhaps the most relevant observation was that there is a big difference between a helpful AI tool and replacing decades of infrastructure, proprietary data and workflows, and that although tools like Claude or ChatGPT can speed up analysis, modelling and research, they are complements rather than substitutes. This article was written by Paul Golden at www.financemagnates.com.

European investment technology provider Huddlestock and capital markets software developer Devexperts announced today (Wednesday) they have built a white-label Investment-as-a-Service app for the European market, with the product set to debut through German broker GIGA Broker's upcoming platform launch.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)The app is based on DXtrade, Devexperts' multi-asset trading platform, and is designed to let financial firms offer investment services to retail clients under Huddlestock's BaFin-regulated infrastructure, which covers custody, brokerage, KYC, payments, and reporting, the companies said."Together with Huddlestock, we have built a tailored solution based on our flagship multi-asset trading platform, DXtrade, that meets Huddlestock's clients' needs today, while giving them the flexibility to adapt and scale with the market," said Heetesh Rawal, Vice President at Devexperts.Three Modes, One Regulatory ShellThe app comes in three configurations, according to the companies. Firms can deploy a simplified interface aimed at entry-level investors, a more feature-rich environment for experienced users, or they can connect their own front-end via a bring-your-own-frontend option. All three options run on Huddlestock's shared regulatory infrastructure.A central feature of the arrangement, from Huddlestock's perspective, is what the company calls a liability umbrella model, which it says allows clients to offer regulated investment services in Europe without holding their own financial license. Through European passporting rules, firms joining the platform can operate across multiple EU jurisdictions after initially going live in Germany, the companies said. Huddlestock described the approach as "Germany-first, Europe-scale.""By combining our regulatory infrastructure with Devexperts' proven technology, we enable our customers to launch and scale investment offerings more efficiently, while staying fully compliant," Leif Arnold Thomas, CEO of Huddlestock, said in a statement.White-Label Infrastructure Gains Ground in European MarketsThe Huddlestock-Devexperts tie-up enters a space that has seen several providers build similar plug-in investment infrastructure for firms that lack the resources or regulatory capacity to build their own brokerage stack. Devexperts has previously delivered white-label versions of DXtrade to European brokers, including WH SelfInvest's Freestoxx platform in 2022, which targeted the DACH region and offered commission-free US stock trading. That arrangement used a white-label SaaS version of DXtrade equipped with advanced charting tools and multi-monitor support.Berlin-based Upvest, which raised $125 million in fresh funding earlier this year at a €640 million valuation, occupies a comparable position in European investment infrastructure. Upvest powers the investment back-ends of several European banks and fintechs, providing order processing and custody services, and has been expanding across the continent. Like the Huddlestock offering, it targets firms that want to embed investment products without building the underlying infrastructure themselves.Solarisbank, the Berlin-based banking-as-a-service provider licensed by BaFin, has also moved into investment infrastructure in recent years, offering white-label brokerage and custody as part of its broader embedded finance stack for fintechs and neobanks. Devexperts has been steadily broadening DXtrade's third-party ecosystem. Earlier this month, the company added Gold-i's Visual Edge risk management tool to the platform, and separately pushed a round of interface changes covering both the web terminal and broker back-end tools.Regulatory Complexity Drives Demand for Outsourced InfrastructureThe companies framed the launch against a backdrop of escalating regulatory change in Europe. Huddlestock cited ongoing developments across Payment for Order Flow rules, MiFID II/MiFIR, GDPR, the Anti-Money Laundering Authority framework, operational resilience requirements, AI governance, and crypto asset regulation as factors increasing demand for firms that can manage compliance on behalf of their clients.The growing complexity of embedded finance in Europe has drawn a widening set of market participants beyond traditional brokers, including insurers, media platforms, and asset managers without direct retail distribution channels. Huddlestock said its solution is intended to serve all of these groups, as well as international firms looking for an entry point into EU markets."Huddlestock's IaaS platform brings together regulatory strength, a modular architecture, and broad integration capabilities, enabling partners to launch and scale investment services efficiently while maintaining long-term strategic flexibility," Thomas added.GIGA Broker First, Broader Rollout PlannedGIGA Broker, a German broker, is the first firm to deploy the product, with its launch described as imminent. Huddlestock and Devexperts said the white-label app will be presented publicly at FIBE 2026, a European fintech conference drawing more than 2,000 attendees, before being made available to other firms across the continent.Devexperts, founded in 2002 and headquartered in Ireland, employs more than 800 engineers across offices in the US, Germany, Portugal, Bulgaria, Singapore, Turkey, and Georgia. The company has added a series of integrations and product updates to DXtrade in recent months as competition among white-label platform providers tightens across European retail markets. Huddlestock, which also owns Visigon, a Nordic-based capital markets consulting firm, operates its regulated entity, Huddlestock GmbH, under a BaFin license. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

MetaQuotes, the Cyprus-based developer of the MetaTrader platforms, launched metatrader.com today (Wednesday), positioning the site as a centralized financial information hub for retail traders, market analysts, and algorithmic developers. The portal aggregates market data, news, charting tools, and a developer marketplace under a single domain, the company announced.Singapore Summit: Meet the largest APAC brokers you know (and those you still don't!)MetaQuotes has been actively expanding its product ecosystem beyond the core MT4 and MT5 platforms in recent months. In December 2025, the company revamped pricing for its Ultency liquidity bridge solution, shifting from a fixed monthly fee to a volume-based model, in a move targeting third-party bridge providers that had built businesses around the MetaTrader infrastructure.Entering a Market Already Dominated by TradingView and Investing.comThe launch extends MetaQuotes' footprint beyond the trading terminals it licenses to brokers. The company said the site is built for a broad audience, from traders "taking their first steps" to institutional users and software developers working on custom trading applications. The portal uses existing MQL5.com account credentials, so traders already registered in the MetaQuotes community do not need to create a separate login.The financial data portal space metatrader.com enters is already heavily contested. TradingView, founded in 2011, reported more than 100 million traders on its platform and roughly 200 million monthly visits as of early 2026, according to company data. The platform covers more than 1.3 million instruments and operates a social network where traders publish and comment on chart ideas, a format that metatrader.com's "Charts & Ideas" section appears to replicate.Investing.com, another established rival, offers real-time quotes, economic calendars, and news aggregation across a wide range of asset classes, with a similarly broad audience. Both competitors have years of brand recognition among retail traders that MetaQuotes will need to navigate.Where metatrader.com attempts to differentiate is in its integration with the MQL5 developer ecosystem. The Algo section includes a marketplace for ready-to-use MetaTrader applications, including automated trading robots, custom indicators, and trading panels, alongside a repository of source code called MQL5 Algo Forge. The company says it hosts more than 2,000 articles specifically on developing algorithmic trading systems. For existing MetaQuotes customers, that tight coupling with tools they already use could be the clearest reason to visit a new portal rather than an established one.What the Portal Offers - and How the Company Describes ItOn the data side, metatrader.com provides real-time price quotes covering more than 11,000 instruments, the company said, including U.S. equities, currency pairs, commodities, indices, and metals. Each instrument page includes statistics, fundamental data, and curated news. Users can open interactive charts and apply technical indicators directly in the browser.For market context, the site pulls content from more than 30 providers, the company said, including Reuters, Bloomberg, and Yahoo Finance. It also features heat maps and top gainers and losers rankings for broader market scanning. The company described these tools as helping traders "respond quickly to market changes and make informed trading decisions," characterizing the news aggregation as covering "key economic events" alongside price forecasts for currencies, stocks, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.The Charts & Ideas section allows registered users to share trade setups and market scenarios with other community members, mirroring the social interaction model that TradingView made central to its own growth.Developer Tools at the CoreThe algorithmic trading section is arguably where metatrader.com has the most existing foundation to build on. The MQL5 community, which the new portal integrates with, has been a long-running ecosystem for MetaTrader developers, hosting signals for copy trading, app sales, and documentation for the MQL5 programming language. MT5 surpassed MT4 in combined trading volume for the first time in Q1 2025, according to MetaQuotes data, a shift that has accelerated developer interest in MT5-compatible tools.The Algo Forge, described as a "repository and social network for developers," adds a GitHub-like layer to the marketplace, where developers can share and collaborate on source code. The company also includes complete MQL5 documentation and a guidebook covering the use of neural networks in trading, the announcement said.MetaQuotes has been building out the MT5 payment infrastructure in parallel. In 2024, the company launched a Nasdaq tick data subscription service through MetaTrader 5, giving traders access to up to 20 years of historical tick data through the platform's demo server environment.A Consolidation Play After Turbulent YearsThe metatrader.com launch follows a period in which MetaQuotes drew significant attention for moves that affected its broker and prop firm client base. The company raised licensing fees for MetaTrader 4 and MT5 by approximately 20-25% at the start of 2025, pushing the combined monthly cost for brokers running both platforms to an estimated $50,000 or more, depending on the package. The increase followed years of near-monopoly pricing power that the company has built by dominating the retail FX and CFD brokerage technology market.A consumer-facing portal does not directly generate broker licensing revenue, but it does create a channel for MetaQuotes to build brand recognition and community loyalty independent of the brokers that distribute its terminals. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.