Bitcoin (BTC) traded below $73,000 on Monday, June 1, 2026, down more than 1% as it opened the week near its lowest level since mid-April, roughly a month and a half of price erosion. The move keeps BTC under both the 50 and 200 exponential moving averages and back inside the consolidation that has capped the market since February.My read has not changed: the primary trend points lower, and the next measured objective sits near $45,000, almost 40% below current levels. Bitcoin spot ETFs closed May with $2.30 billion in net outflows, the largest monthly exit of 2026, putting Fed policy and Treasury yields at the center of this week's catalysts.Follow me on X for real-time market analysis: @ChmielDkBitcoin Technical Analysis: The BTC/USD Trend Stays DownBitcoin slipped back below the 50-day exponential moving average at $76,088 and remains well under the 200 EMA at $80,993, a configuration that has defined the tape since the February breakdown. On my chart I marked the local resistance with a dashed line drawn across the lows of recent sessions. That ceiling rarely survives in the medium term, and my analysis points to BTC drifting toward the $63,000-$65,000 support zone, the February-to-April floor.In 15 years covering crypto and metals, I have learned that the 200 EMA rarely lies about trend regime, and right now it sits above price as resistance rather than support. You can follow my full archive on my analyst page, Damian Chmiel.To pull pressure off the bulls, price needs to reclaim the $74,000-$76,000 band, reinforced by that same 50 EMA. Even then, a heavier wall arrives fast at the $81,000-$85,000 zone, built by the 200 EMA together with the November-December 2025 lows.That band is the real divider between the broken uptrend and the active downtrend, and until it gives way, every rally is a sell candidate in my framework. As I argued in my March analysis, the burden of proof stays with the bears while these levels cap the market.How Low Can Bitcoin Go? Fibonacci Extension to $45,000Stretching a Fibonacci extension grid across the bearish impulse from January and then over the correction that ran from February to early May, the 100% extension lands near $45,000. That zone overlaps the structure built in 2024, where the $50,000 area first acted as a local top and later as a floor. From current prices, that leaves Bitcoin almost 40% of room to fall, and it stays my long-term bearish bet while the primary trend points lower.I am not ruling out a deeper slide if conditions allow, since the 161.8% extension projects toward the low-$20,000s on the same grid. As my earlier Fibonacci extension work mapped the upside targets, the same tool inverted now points down, and a full 100% retracement of the year's move reads as the base case for the bears, not a tail risk.Why It Is HappeningThe selling has a clear macro spine. Bitcoin spot ETFs shed $2.30 billion in May, the biggest monthly outflow of 2026 and the steepest since November 2025, as April CPI hit 3.8% and PPI jumped to 6%, the kind of prints that knocked Fed rate-cut bets off the table. The 10-year Treasury yield near 4.7% and a firmer dollar have pulled capital toward income-producing assets, with BlackRock's IBIT alone losing $448 million in a single session during the May exodus. Bitcoin still trades with a high Nasdaq correlation when oil spikes, as I detailed in my April coverage of the Strait of Hormuz shock.Joel Kruger, cryptocurrency strategist at LMAX Group, offers the counter-case. "May delivered a healthy reality check for crypto markets," Kruger said. He noted Bitcoin fell 3.58% in May and Ethereum dropped 11.17%, yet the weakness arrived while US equities held near record highs, pointing to a crypto-specific capital problem rather than broad risk-off. The pullback triggered no mass liquidation, and Kruger argues much of the leverage that amplified past selloffs has already cleared, leaving positioning healthier and the asset class more mature.Key drivers behind the move:May ETF outflows of $2.30 billion, the largest monthly exit of 2026April CPI at 3.8% and PPI at 6%, erasing 2026 rate-cut expectations10-year Treasury yield near 4.7%, strengthening the dollarKevin Warsh confirmed as Fed chair, keeping the policy outlook hawkishUS-Iran tensions and volatile oil prices reinforcing inflation fearsBitcoin Price Predictions: Where I Stand Against the StreetExternal forecasts span a wide gap, and most assume a macro turn I do not yet see on the chart. Standard Chartered cut its target to $100,000 for year-end 2026 from $300,000, a downgrade that still requires a recovery my levels do not support while price sits under the 200 EMA. Carol Alexander projects a $75,000-$150,000 range centered on $110,000, credible only if BTC first reclaims the $81,000-$85,000 band. On the bearish side, Benjamin Cowen places a new cycle low as his base case for October 2026, which aligns cleanly with my $45,000 objective.Peter Brandt flags one more investable low in September-October 2026 that may break the $63,000 swing, and as my coverage of his forecast noted, that timing fits the seasonal weakness. The $200,000-plus bull cases from Bit Mining and Nexo stay parked until ETF flows turn positive, a point the January institutional roundup framed and the later report on cut targets confirmed when Goldman Sachs and Standard Chartered trimmed their numbers.Bitcoin Price Analysis, FAQWhy is Bitcoin falling in June 2026? Bitcoin trades below $73,000 after spot ETFs lost $2.30 billion in May, the worst month of 2026. April CPI at 3.8% and PPI at 6% erased Fed rate-cut bets, while the 10-year yield near 4.7% strengthened the dollar. Price sits under both the 50 and 200 EMAs, keeping the primary trend pointed lower.How low can Bitcoin go in 2026? My Fibonacci extension across the January impulse and the February-to-May correction projects a 100% target near $45,000, almost 40% below current prices and inside the structure built in 2024. The first downside stop is the $63,000-$65,000 support, the February-to-April floor. A deeper 161.8% extension points toward the low-$20,000s if selling accelerates.What is the key resistance level for Bitcoin now? The first hurdle is the $74,000-$76,000 band, reinforced by the 50 EMA at $76,088. The decisive level is the $81,000-$85,000 zone, built by the 200 EMA at $80,993 and the November-December 2025 lows. In my framework, that band separates the broken uptrend from the active downtrend, and rallies stay sells until it breaks.Will Bitcoin recover in 2026? A recovery needs Bitcoin to reclaim the $74,000-$76,000 band and close above the 200 EMA near $81,000, neither of which has happened. Standard Chartered targets $100,000 and Carol Alexander centers $110,000, but both assume a macro turn and positive ETF flows after May's $2.30 billion exit. Until those align, my bias stays lower.What are analysts predicting for Bitcoin in 2026? Forecasts span a wide range. Bit Mining and Nexo see $200,000-$225,000 in bull scenarios, Standard Chartered cut to $100,000, and Carol Alexander projects $75,000-$150,000. On the bearish side, Benjamin Cowen expects a new cycle low around October, and Peter Brandt flags another low in September-October that may break $63,000. My target sits at $45,000. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

IG has scrapped trading commissions on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana for its UK clients, leaving customers to pay only a 0.07% external exchange fee charged by the broker's liquidity partner. The London-listed firm (LSE: IGG) said the change took effect today (Monday) and applies to the three coins it sees traded most often on its platform.A Price War Comes to The UK CryptoThe move pushes IG deeper into a fee fight that has reshaped retail investing over the past few years. The broker already offers commission-free dealing in stocks, ETFs and funds across ISAs, SIPPs and general investment accounts, and it began offering spot crypto to UK and Irish retail clients in June 2025 through a partnership with Uphold, which handles pricing and custody.Pricing on the rest of IG's crypto menu has not moved. The company said buying or selling any other token still carries a 1.49% fee, the flat rate it has charged since the spot service went live.IG UK and Ireland Managing Director Michael Healy framed the cut as part of a broader low-cost build-out, arguing that buyers should not have to trade away safety for savings. "Investors shouldn't have to choose between value and trust when buying crypto," he said.What IG's Comparison Table Leaves OutTo make its case, IG published a table comparing the cost of buying £100 of Bitcoin across rival platforms. Source: IG GroupBy its own reckoning, an IG client would pay 7 pence, against £1.49 at Revolut, £1 at eToro and between £1.80 and £2.30 at Bitstamp once volatility surcharges are added. Binance came closest, at 10 pence or more, the company said.Those figures come from IG and have not been independently verified. The table also excludes the subscription tiers that several of those platforms offer, which can cut per-trade costs for active users, and it measures a one-off purchase rather than the full cost of holding or moving the asset.Rivals Crowd Into the Same TradeIG is far from alone in chasing crypto-curious retail money. eToro, which counts digital assets as a meaningful slice of its commission income, has long folded crypto into its zero-commission equity pitch. Revolut hired Coinbase's risk chief in May 2026 to drive a global crypto push and has been building out its own standalone dealing app.The pressure is also coming from inside IG's own group. IG Europe is expanding crypto across the EU through a tie-up with MiCA-licensed Bitpanda, while the parent firm plans to launch a crypto offering in Singapore, Australia and the UAE in the second half of 2026 after buying the exchange Independent Reserve. US banks are circling too, with SoFi recently becoming the first to offer retail crypto trading under new rules.A Small Book Behind the Big ClaimFor all the pricing noise, IG's crypto business is still tiny. The company reported just £0.3 million in spot crypto revenue between June and August 2025 and about 9,700 monthly active traders, most of them in the US through its tastytrade arm. Only around 500 active crypto traders were based in the UK and Ireland over that stretch, according to the filing.There is also a catch. IG holds a cryptoasset registration with the Financial Conduct Authority, but the crypto services themselves fall outside the UK's main safety nets. Money deposited for crypto trading is not covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme or the Financial Ombudsman Service, and the activity is not protected by the FCA's consumer rules.IG has steadily widened the service since launch, adding token swaps, new coins and the ability to transfer crypto into client accounts. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Three platforms — Coinbase, Kraken and Kalshi — have claimed to be the first in the US to launch crypto perpetual futures, widely known as “perps”, after the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced a policy statement late on Friday allowing these instruments. Interestingly, the US allowed these instruments while the pan-European regulator is considering categorising them as contracts for differences (CFDs), which might place heavy restrictions on their offering.Perps Market Is Already Massive. Is It Going to See More Demand?The perps market is massive: trading volume in these instruments reached $61.7 trillion in 2025, up 29 per cent from 2024, according to market data provider CryptoQuant. Kalshi, meanwhile, put offshore perps trading volume at over $90 trillion last year, up from $28 trillion in 2023.Decentralised exchanges (DEXs) processed more than $1.2 trillion in perpetual futures each month by the end of 2025, with Hyperliquid maintaining a commanding presence among traders, according to Coinbase.You may also like: CySEC Chair on Crypto Perps, Prediction Markets and the High-Wire Act of EU RegulationPerps are derivatives structured similarly to regular futures. The primary difference between these contracts and a regular futures contract is that they do not have an expiration date. Their settlement, pricing and margin calculations are conducted on an ongoing basis, often multiple times a day.These instruments are particularly used to offer derivatives on volatile cryptocurrencies.BitMEX, which operates largely from its offshore base, popularised crypto perps during the 2017–18 crypto boom, allowing traders to speculate on Bitcoin's price against the US dollar with up to 100x leverage. The goal was to eliminate traditional Bitcoin futures contracts' roll positions and repeated fees, which made leveraged speculation cumbersome.The adoption of these 100x leveraged perps was massive. BitMEX's daily transaction volume crossed $1 billion in 2018.The main advantage of perps is the elimination of roll positions, enabling traders to maintain uninterrupted market exposure.In my first public remarks as @CFTC Chairman, I made clear that the agency would use the tools at its disposal to onshore crypto asset perpetuals. Today, the @CFTC delivered on that commitment.This morning, the @CFTC took historic action to permit the listing of a true bitcoin…— Mike Selig (@ChairmanSelig) May 29, 2026US Traders Found an Offshore WorkaroundAlthough the US is the largest single market in the trading industry, including crypto, traders there had limited regulated access to crypto perps, as most activity within this niche happened offshore. The CFTC’s recent move is going to change that.“US traders have been waiting for a regulated, domestic way to trade the product that defines global crypto derivatives markets,” said John Palmer, Global Head of Derivatives at Kraken, which is going to offer “perpetuals, spot, margin and CME-listed futures” all within a single interface.Coinbase, meanwhile, also highlighted that “some US institutional customers have had to establish offshore entities just to access these markets, adding counterparty exposure and duplicative infrastructure costs.” Now, the US-based perps offering “resolves this” as it is going to offer access to global crypto perps and options on futures to US clients without offshore workarounds.Regulated crypto options and perps are coming to @Coinbase for US customers.A massive first for the industry, thanks to the @CFTC and Chairman @MichaelSelig’s commitment to US innovation.We’re bringing proven global products under American regulation which is exactly how we… https://t.co/uU1UIKkVX6— Paul Grewal (@iampaulgrewal) May 29, 2026The entry of Kalshi into the crypto perps space, however, is the most notable one, as the platform is otherwise known for its event contract offerings."This marks Kalshi’s evolution from prediction market leader to next-generation derivatives exchange," said Tarek Mansour, CEO of Kalshi.“If a prediction market is a photograph of what the world thinks right now, a perpetual is a film — continuously updated, never-ending, always present.”The CFTC, however, in its policy statement, clarified that it is mandating a case-by-case regulatory review process for any new perpetual products referencing assets beyond current approved listings.The US regulator's stance on crypto instruments, including perps, changed after the Trump administration took over the White House. Several of its officials, including its current Chair, Michael Selig, have already indicated positive decisions on perps.Is Europe Excessive with Its Regulations?While offshore perp businesses are booming, many established players, including Coinbase and Kraken, have launched these instruments in the European Union under MiFID licences. Both firms have established bases in Cyprus by acquiring legacy CFD platforms.While several crypto platforms started to roll out perps in the bloc, the pan-European regulator dropped a bombshell earlier this year, saying these perps might fall under the classification of CFD instruments.“This means that those derivatives that meet the definition of a CFD would be subject to measures including leverage limits, a mandatory risk warning, margin close-out and negative balance protection, and the prohibition of monetary and non-monetary benefits,” the European Securities and Markets Authority noted in its public statement.Read more: 10x Down to 2x: Has Europe Killed Crypto Perps Even before It Started?Perps usually offer massive leverage offshore, but in Europe, it is limited to 10x. If these instruments are classified as CFDs, the leverage level would come down to 2x.In the US, leverage levels for perps can reach 50x.Interestingly, the regulator of a market where CFDs cannot be offered to retail customers is now allowing crypto perps, while the region where the modern CFD trading industry was born and thrived under clear regulations is limiting exposure to crypto perps. Is this a regulatory oversight by one regulator or overreach by another? This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.

Capital.com has rebuilt its mobile app and reworked its brand around an unusual pitch for a CFD broker: that the job of a trading platform is to help clients make better decisions, not faster ones. The redesigned app reached iOS and Android users globally in May, the company said.A CFD Broker Markets the Opposite of UrgencyThe framing is striking coming from a firm whose core products are leveraged. Capital.com says every element of the new app was tested against a single question, whether it helps a client understand their position before acting, and that anything failing that test was cut.That runs close to the opposite of how regulators describe much of the retail trading sector. UK and EU watchdogs have spent years warning that app design, from push notifications to celebratory prompts, can nudge clients toward gambling-like behavior, and ESMA's recent supervisory priorities ranked digital platform design second among its concerns, above leverage and disclosures. Chief Product Officer Sasha Gubochkin said the platform is structured to "support deliberate engagement, and reduce unnecessary urgency."Three Features Anchor the OverhaulCapital.com built the redesign around three additions, according to the company. An in-app AI assistant lets users search markets, platform features and FAQs without leaving what they are doing. A trading-analytics view shows clients their own past behavior. A single home screen pulls together positions, market conditions and watchlists.The AI assistant is deliberately narrow. It answers questions and surfaces information rather than placing orders or managing portfolios, which fits the company's emphasis on slowing users down. Capital.com has leaned on behavioral AI before, having launched a bias-detecting app years ago that analyzed traders' behavior in real time and flagged tendencies such as overconfidence. The AI Assistant Lands Late in a Crowded RaceOn the AI front, Capital.com is arriving after most of its larger rivals. eToro rolled out an assistant called Tori in August 2025, pairing it with public APIs. Robinhood unveiled its Cortex assistant in September 2025, and Webull followed in November with Vega, which reviews user portfolios against stated goals. Finance MagnatesMany of those tools go further than Capital.com's. Several accept plain-English order instructions or voice-activated trades, and the wider market has pushed toward agentic features that act on a user's behalf. Moomoo joined that group in April, trailing eToro's developer app store by about a month. That race has raised a longer-term question for the whole sector, whether AI layers eventually erode the platforms brokers spent years and large sums building. One analysis of Revolut's AI trading experiments framed it bluntly, asking whether prompts could one day replace broker interfaces. Against that backdrop, Capital.com's choice to keep its assistant limited reads as a positioning bet rather than a technical ceiling.A New Look, and Numbers Left UnsaidThe rebrand introduces a pared-back visual system built on three colors, Midnight, Light and Gold, and leans on a recurring dot motif the company calls the Lens. Capital.com said the palette is meant to recede so data stays in focus, with typography and layouts reorganized to cut visual clutter.The company did not release client or revenue figures alongside the redesign. Its most recent public numbers, both self-reported, put 2024 trading volume above $1.7 trillion, a 33% rise the firm attributed to demand in the Middle East and Europe, and a 22% quarterly increase in trades during the second quarter of 2025. Whether a design language about restraint sits comfortably with a business that earns more when clients trade more is the open question. For now, Capital.com is betting that calmer screens, not busier ones, are what its clients want. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Crypto exchange MEXC has started letting users buy real shares in US-listed companies and collect any dividends on them, settling the trades in the stablecoin USDT. The exchange said the new service, called RealStocks, pushes it past the tokenized stock products that swept the industry last year.MEXC said late Sunday that eligible users can purchase shares in real US companies through a licensed broker partner, with the same market exposure and liquidity as ordinary US equity markets. The company, however, did not name the broker.Trades run inside MEXC's existing crypto interface and follow Nasdaq trading hours, the exchange said. Platform trading fees are waived during the launch period, though MEXC noted that regulatory and exchange charges, including SEC and FINRA fees, still apply.Real Shares, Not Synthetic TokensThe selling point MEXC is leaning on is ownership. The company said RealStocks buyers hold actual shares and the dividends that come with them, rather than the kind of tokenized stock that only tracks a price.That framing is a direct shot at the format that dominated crypto's push into equities through 2025. Many of those products gave traders price exposure without the dividends or shareholder rights attached to the underlying shares.CEO Vugar Usi said the product lets users "truly own world-class traditional financial assets within a familiar crypto trading environment," according to the company. He tied the timing to a run of expected technology IPOs in 2026, including SpaceX.MEXC added the service drew more than 20,000 users during a beta phase before the wider rollout.Crypto Exchanges Race Into Equity TradingMEXC is the latest crypto venue to chase stock traders. The race kicked off in earnest last June, when Kraken and Bybit listed tokenized US stocks within hours of each other under the xStocks brand, built with Swiss issuer Backed Finance.Others piled in quickly. Bitget integrated xStocks alongside Robinhood and Kraken in July, while KuCoin rolled out its own tokenized equities shortly after. Robinhood's version, which included tokens tied to OpenAI and SpaceX, drew regulatory scrutiny in the European Union.MEXC itself already sells equity exposure through USDT-settled stock futures with up to 5x leverage. RealStocks is a different bet. Where the tokenized products and futures offer derivative or synthetic exposure, MEXC says this one routes orders to a real broker and delivers real shares, closer to a traditional brokerage account than to a blockchain token.The distinction has become a point of contention in the sector. Kraken, which owns Backed Finance and says its xStocks have cleared $25 billion in trades, has called rivals that tokenize private company shares risky for investors who can struggle to sell.The Broker and the Fine PrintSeveral details remain thin. MEXC has not disclosed which licensed broker handles the trades, how shares are custodied, or how the USDT-to-dollar conversion is priced.The service is also limited by geography. MEXC said RealStocks is available only in certain jurisdictions, with access restricted elsewhere by local law. The statement carried a Comoros dateline, an offshore base, and the exchange has faced regulatory friction before. Hong Kong's securities regulator placed MEXC on a warning list over unlicensed activity in 2024.The "0-fee" label also has limits. MEXC said the waiver covers only its own platform charge, and that users still face SEC transaction fees, FINRA activity fees, and clearing and exchange costs. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

TALLINN, ESTONIA, May 28th, 2026 - Next-generation core banking platform Tuum has appointed Gregor Dobbie as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A seasoned commercial leader with three decades of experience in the banking technology sector, Dobbie will lead Tuum through its next phase of global growth, scaling its market presence and expanding its cutting-edge AI-driven development capabilities. Dobbie brings a wealth of executive experience to Tuum, with this appointment marking his fourth tenure as a CEO. Known for his transparent, empowerment-led leadership style and deep commercial expertise, Dobbie has spent 30 years partnering with financial institutions to navigate complex digital transformations. The appointment comes at a pivotal moment for the financial services industry, as banks face mounting compliance burdens and an accelerating technology arms race. Tuum has quietly established itself as a technical powerhouse, boasting a 100% success rate across more than 20 major implementations to date - a rare feat in the core banking software sector. Furthermore, the company is pioneering the future of software development by heavily embedding advanced AI into its coding and product engineering workflows. Dobbie, who is based in Wilmslow, Cheshire, UK, will step into the role immediately. His first public appearance representing Tuum will be at Money20/20 Europe, where he will connect with clients and industry partners to discuss Tuum’s strategic vision. Executive Quote "Tuum has built exceptionally strong technology foundations, driven by a deeply rooted Estonian culture of technical excellence and humility. In today’s market, the technology leadership race is harder than ever, and financial institutions are realizing that building complex change agendas entirely in-house is no longer viable. Tuum has built market leading capability combined with delivery excellence, however the company remains relatively unknown within the industry. I aim to make the company considerably more visible in the marketplace, ensuring clients can take advantage of the extraordinary capability.” Gregor Dobbie, newly appointed CEOAbout Tuum Tuum (legally Modular Technologies OÜ) is The Bank Builder’s Platform, empowering financial institutions to modernize their core and launch best-in-class products in weeks, with zero disruption to their daily business. Built to deliver high autonomy and a low total cost of ownership, Tuum's cloud-native, modular architecture allows banks, lenders and fintechs to escape the constraints of legacy technology and modernize progressively. Tuum provides a resilient, functionally rich foundation, giving financial institutions the ultimate freedom to customize, plug in their preferred partners and scale securely. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

ThinkMarkets has launched a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, ChelseaAI, which allows access to its trading platform via any AI client used by traders, Nauman Anees, co-founder and CEO of the broker, revealed to Finance Magnates. “Traders can now connect any AI LLM of their choice and use it to place trades without ever logging into the trading platform,” he said, adding that “It will change the way traders ideate and make trading decisions.”“This means you no longer need to worry about charting, automated trading, indicators, or analysing market data. Your AI handles all of it,” he added. “That alone removes a tremendous amount of user friction.”“AI Cannot Access Traders’ Funds…but Can Execute Orders”However, there are limitations when it comes to access to funds, which ThinkMarkets stressed “is by design and not by policy.”Anees explained that “AI cannot access traders’ funds or make deposits or withdrawals,” but it can execute orders. ThinkMarkets also created something called scopes, which allows traders to set permissions for AI on whether it can execute orders or not.“You have full control over which order types are scoped within your AI platform,” the CEO continued. “Looking ahead, ChelseaAI will be a complete trading assistant from analysis, ideation, account management to execution, making her less of a tool and more of an AI companion that can execute your entire trading vision.”Read more: Revolut Built a Trading Desk With AI in 30 Minutes. Will Prompts Replace Broker Platforms?To have premium access, ThinkMarkets customers will receive AI token credits as incentives from the platform. These incentives will be tied to trading activities.Overreliance on AI, meanwhile, can also expose traders to risks. As agentic functions are allowed, the broker must be cautious about the safety limits for client funds.“The AI can't execute your entire account on a single trade or margin. That's by design,” Anees added. “There are circuit breakers and hard limits in place, but beyond that, you also have granular control over what happens within your chats. You can tell ChelseaAI to focus purely on analysis without executing any orders, and it will respect that completely.”“As for the risk of the AI going haywire, that's exactly why we built a permissions and scopes system. You can revoke the AI's execution permissions entirely, meaning even in a worst-case scenario, it can never access or move your funds.”You may also like: Is Jefferies Preparing to Offload FXCM?ChelseaAI Is Not Supported for Third-Party Platforms as They Are “Not Our Platforms”ThinkMarkets’ MCP server can be connected to any AI assistant used by the trader to link it with ThinkTrader, which is ThinkMarkets’ own trading platform. Although the broker offers trading on other platforms, Anees said that ChelseaAI is not supported on them as they are “not our platforms.”“We can control a lot of the permissions and scopes on our proprietary platforms,” he said. “That's not something we can do, obviously, on other external platforms.”Headquartered in Melbourne and London, ThinkMarkets operates globally with licences in those countries, along with Cyprus, South Africa, Dubai, New Zealand, and a few offshore jurisdictions. It also established a presence in Japan after acquiring a local brokerage in 2021.The new AI MCP server is going to be available to all ThinkMarkets clients globally. Although the experience appears streamlined on the surface, the question of data security arises, especially in Europe, where GDPR is prevalent.“You share your data, but you still control your data,” Anees stressed. “Your data never leaves the account ecosystem. So every time you close a session, we don't keep track of any of that. That's between you and the LLM.”Although LLMs can access trading-related data, ThinkMarkets “does not see any regulatory friction” around it, as the user would still control their data. “If we move the data, then it's a separate topic,” said Anees, “and we never do that.”“The Value of an Interface Is No Longer as Critical as the Value of the Underlying Product Features”The CFD trading industry is dominated by MetaTrader, but over the years, many other trading platforms have evolved. Big brokers like ThinkMarkets have also developed their own trading platforms, which require a lot of resources and time but give them more control. The arrival of MCP servers now raises a big question: will it decrease the incentive for brokers and other trading platform providers to improve their interfaces?“What we need to realise is that with APIs, MCPs, cloud infrastructure, and GPTs, the value of an interface is no longer as critical as the value of the underlying product features. The two are worth separating,” the ThinkMarkets CEO said.“You can design beautiful interfaces indefinitely, but the reality is that a significant amount of trading today happens through APIs. Manual trading has its place, but it also has its limits. If you want to sit in front of a chart all day, that's great. But now you don't have to. AI can analyse the chart for you, handle the heavy lifting, and even help you learn along the way. The interface stops being a barrier. Your trading life becomes simpler, and your focus can shift to what actually matters, your strategy and your vision.”BREAKING: We just gave Claude access to the entire options and stock market and it's not a demo. It's the Unusual Whales MCP Server. It plugs directly into any AI assistant and gives it live, structured market data on demand. Build a trading bot. Build a finance dashboard.… pic.twitter.com/XKL554g7f2— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) March 11, 2026ThinkMarkets, meanwhile, is not the first in the brokerage industry to launch an MCP server for traders. Recently, Spotware, the developer of cTrader, also launched a similar MCP server, while eToro also has something called “Agent Portfolios” to let users link their own AI agents to live trading accounts. While the Aussie division of IG Group also launched a "read-only" MCP server, limiting its access to ChatGPT for now and with plans to allow Claude "soon", Robinhood went all-in, enabling AI agents to trade stocks and make payments.The latest launch of ChelseaAI by ThinkMarkets also indicates that it is becoming a trend among brokers and tech providers to provide MCP server access to traders.Anees thinks that a lot of industry players “will now attempt” to launch such MCP servers. “But making an AI integration to an MCP server is not something that can be done instantly. And it has to be built with your own technology. So many can try and offer it, but we're one of the few that have done a deep integration,” he continued. “That's why we keep your data secure. That's why we have circuit breakers and controls. And that's why we have designed it truly for agentic trading. So just offering it is not going to be enough.” This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.

Acuity Trading CEO takes top job at MarketReaderIn the latest executive moves, Andrew Lane, the Chief Executive of London-based Acuity Trading, become the CEO of MarketReader. The latter is an AI startup that Acuity invested in two weeks ago. Co-founder Jens Nordvig, who has led MarketReader since 2021 and previously worked as a currency strategist at Goldman Sachs and Nomura, will move to a board role.Lane will retain his CEO position at Acuity and run both companies in parallel, with each business continuing to operate under its own brand. Acuity disclosed its investment in MarketReader earlier this month without sharing financial details or the size of its stake, and neither firm has said whether Acuity holds a majority. The deal was announced one day before Acuity revealed a separate co-integration agreement with US engagement firm WNSTN to plug third-party chatbot technology into its broker-focused intelligence stack.Learn more about Acuity Trading CEO's new appointment at MarketReader.Kira Financial names ex-FP Markets exec head of global partnershipsAt the same time, Kira Financial Brokers appointed Sophie Stabler as Head of Global Partnerships, adding an experienced executive to lead its introducing broker strategy. She joins the Dubai-based firm as it expands across regulated CFD markets and grows its global partner network.In her new role, Stabler will manage relationships with introducing brokers in multiple regions and work with business development teams to support partners and long-term growth. She brings more than ten years of experience in forex and CFD brokerage and most recently worked as a Strategic Planning and Operations Advisor, supporting regulated brokers on growth strategy and operational planning.Show more about Kira Financial Brokers' appointment of Sophie Stabler as Head of Global Partnerships.Eightcap names new CEOBryn Newell was named the Chief Executive Officer of Melbourne-headquartered broker Eightcap, a role he took on at the beginning of 2026. The broker’s UK CEO, Ollie Rosewell, has meanwhile announced his departure from the company after around eight months in the position.Newell’s promotion comes only a few months after the departure of Alex Howard, who served as Eightcap CEO from early 2023 until about September 2024. It is not clear whether anyone else led the firm in the interim. Newell joined Eightcap in mid-2021 as Chief Technology Officer, later becoming Chief Information Officer before stepping up to CEO. He previously spent 14 years at National Australia Bank, leaving as Head of Technology.Disclose more about Eightcap naming of Bryn Newell as the new CEO.OKX hires former Bybit VIP exec to lead CIS regionIn the crypto space, OKX brought former Bybit and Crypto.com executive Maxim Orlov to lead its operations in the CIS region, with a focus on institutional and VIP clients. Orlov brings more than 15 years of experience across traditional banking and crypto, including four years at Bybit managing high-value client operations across Western Europe, the CIS and Latin America.The exchange is building a regional VIP-focused team, including a Senior VIP Relationship Manager role for the CIS region that reports to Orlov and requires native Russian and frequent travel for in-person client meetings. VIP clients typically generate higher margins despite lower trading volume, and OKX’s VIP tier starts at 100,000 dollars in balance or trading volume, supported by a revised fee structure introduced in March as competition for institutional flow intensifies among major exchanges.Highlight more about OKX's hiring of former Bybit and Cypto.com executive Maxim Orlov.Kirill Chernikov returns to Spotware as chief of staffMeanwhile, Kirill Chernikov returned to Spotware Systems as Chief of Staff, a move he describes as a homecoming. In a LinkedIn post, he said he is back “where a big part of my fintech story was written,” and is rejoining the cTrader ecosystem to continue from where he left off.During his time away from cTrader, Chernikov spent a year as CEO of Markets CRM, a CRM platform focused on the needs of CFD and FX brokers. He said he was proud of what the team built there, highlighting a strong group of colleagues and core product features and services designed to make a real impact for brokers.Show more about Kirill Chernikov's return to Spotware Systems as Chief of Staff.Empire FX hires second Pepperstone Africa execIn Africa, Empire FX enlisted Linda Muriuki as its new Head of Sales. She joins from Pepperstone, where she managed major client accounts and supported the broker’s regional commercial efforts. She reports to Chief Operating Officer Sahil Patel, whom Empire FX hired from Pepperstone’s Africa business last Thursday.Patel spent more than six years building Pepperstone’s African operation, leading its Kenya entity from 2020 before finishing his tenure as Head of Africa. With both Patel and Muriuki now in key commercial roles at Empire FX, the broker has hired two senior executives from the same competitor, each with direct experience in the African market, to anchor its commercial leadership.Display more about Empire FX naming of former Pepperstone executive Linda Nkatha Muriuki as its new Head of Sales.Trading 212 product chief departsTrading 212 Head of Product Sergei Riabov left his role six months after joining the brokerage from Revolut. He confirmed his departure in a LinkedIn update, saying he plans to focus on artificial intelligence.Riabov joined Trading 212 in December and worked on product development, platform improvements, and AI-related initiatives. He described the company as moving quickly and relying heavily on data to guide decisions.Discover more about the exit of Trading 212 Head of Product Sergei Riabov. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Is Jefferies Selling FXCM?In one of the week's most significant industry developments this week, Jefferies Financial Group is reportedly exploring a sale of Stratos, the parent company behind CFD brands FXCM and Tradu, according to multiple sources speaking to Finance Magnates. While talks appear to be underway, the deal's progression remains uncertain, particularly as the potential buyer may come from outside traditional financial services—possibly a cryptocurrency exchange looking to expand into leveraged trading products.The move would make sense given Jefferies' massive scale as a financial services powerhouse. The New York-based firm generated over $2.87 billion in revenue and $159.3 million in net earnings in Q1 2026 alone, suggesting the CFD operation may simply be too small a piece of its broader business to justify continued ownership. Neither Jefferies nor FXCM responded to requests for comment.CySEC chair on crypto perpsIn the prediction markets, George Theocharides, Chairman of CySEC, confirmed to Finance Magnates that the Cypriot regulator held differing legal views from ESMA regarding the classification of crypto perpetuals. Speaking from CySEC's Nicosia headquarters, Theocharides emphasized that regulatory compliance cannot be justified by employment numbers, stating bluntly: "Our role as a financial regulator is to safeguard the market; we are not here to provide jobs." He also indicated that prediction markets or event markets would most likely fall within the binary options category under current frameworks.Cyprus's retail broker sector has become a significant economic force, particularly in Limassol, employing between 7,000 and 8,000 people as of 2024 with median total pay estimated at €30,000.Prediction markets skew toward young menPrediction markets have drawn growing attention. Coverage has highlighted concerns that individuals with access to non-public information could use it to place informed bets on when specific events will occur. At the same time, regulators in the United States continue to debate how to classify and oversee these products, which sit between traditional financial instruments and gambling.Sports as a % of total trading volume on Kalshi has been consistently falling since the start of the 2025 NFL season. Sports is now roughly 58% of the total volume. A large part of this is the rise of crypto-related markets. Over time, as new categories emerge, I would argue… pic.twitter.com/chQgEYBpUK— Nick Grous (@GrousARK) May 26, 2026A recent investigation into user profiles adds another dimension to the discussion. The findings suggest that participation in prediction markets is heavily concentrated among a single demographic group: young men. This concentration raises further questions about who these platforms are attracting and how that may shape their development.IG Australia opens trading platform to ChatGPTIG Australia has enabled traders to connect their accounts directly to ChatGPT by launching its CFD Assistant on the ChatGPT App Store. This integration allows users to query the AI about their open positions, profit and loss, watchlists, market sentiment, and other account-related data in real time.The feature is built on a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, though it currently supports only ChatGPT. According to the broker, support for additional AI platforms, including Claude, is expected to be added soon.Robinhood launches AI agent accountsMeanwhile, Robinhood launched new tools that allow users to deploy AI agents to trade stocks and make purchases on its platform. These agents can be connected directly to a user’s account and are able to carry out predefined strategies or complete transactions automatically, without manual input. The company is also introducing dedicated accounts for these AI agents. These accounts operate separately from a user’s main portfolio and must be funded independently, which limits how much capital an agent can access and use.Instant Funding acquires Funded Trading PlusLastly, in the prop trading space, Instant Funding bought proprietary trading firm Funded Trading Plus, bringing both brands under a single group as part of its expansion strategy. The companies said they will continue to operate independently, with no immediate changes to user accounts, dashboards, trading challenges, payouts, or rules.Both firms will retain their existing platforms and customer support structures. The acquisition is intended to strengthen Instant Funding’s ability to invest in product development, technology, and infrastructure, while supporting a more scalable business and improving the trading experience over time. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Trading 212 Head of Product Sergei Riabov has left his role, six months after joining from Revolut. He confirmed his departure in a LinkedIn update and outlined plans to focus on artificial intelligence.Short Tenure at Trading 212Riabov joined the brokerage last December. He worked on product development, platform improvements, and AI-related initiatives. He said the company moved quickly and relied heavily on data to guide decisions.“Six months ago, I wrote about why I was joining. Looking back, I genuinely love what we built in such a short window - from multiple new products and improvements we shipped to huge progress on AI transformation,” he said.The environment is rare: the pace the company moves at, the depth of data, and teams genuinely open to learning and taking on hard challenges. Focus Shifts to AI.” Riabov said rapid changes in artificial intelligence influenced his decision to leave. He plans to study how the AI sector develops and identify areas worth pursuing. He will continue working as an advisor while exploring opportunities in AI.Before Trading 212, Riabov held senior roles at Revolut. He led the Wealth and Trading division, overseeing product, strategy, and operations. During his time there, the business increased activated users and improved retention.He also led product strategy for trading services, including the launch of CFDs, ETFs, bonds, and robo-advisory tools. Earlier in his career, Riabov worked at Tinkoff. Trading 212 Posts Record GrowthMeanwhile, Trading 212 continues to expand rapidly in the UK, reporting a 72% jump in 2025 revenue to £277.6 million. Pre-tax profit rose to £123.1 million from £52.9 million and net profit reached £92.2 million. The broker generated nearly £257 million from trading activities and £20.6 million from client interest income, with an additional £1.68 million coming from debit cards, though it did not break down revenue between its CFD and stock trading businesses. Trading 212 has also expanded its product offering in the UK after securing FCA authorization to launch self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs), marking a move it had first signaled as early as 2020. The approval, granted in February 2026, allows the broker to tap into a growing DIY pension market, where more than 6.5 million users manage around £650 billion in assets, and includes the ability to offer crypto exchange-traded notes within its pension product. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

AIMS has entered Indonesia after securing regulatory approval, marking a key step in its expansion across Southeast Asia. The broker opened its Jakarta office positioning itself to tap into one of the region’s largest and fastest-growing retail trading markets.License Enables Market EntryAccording to the official announcement, the firm received a license from Indonesia’s Commodity Futures Trading Regulatory Agency (BAPPEBTI), allowing it to operate legally and offer trading services to local clients. The approval places AIMS among regulated brokers in the country and enables it to build its presence under local compliance standards.Jakarta, Indonesia – AIMS officially launched AIMS Indonesia on 25th May 2026, marking a major milestone in the company’s regional expansion and reinforcing its long-term commitment to Southeast Asia’s largest economy.https://t.co/mXgiBedfsh pic.twitter.com/MDUWipEg1Z— Market Recap (@forexforum) May 29, 2026AIMS sees Indonesia as a key market due to its population of more than 270 million and rising interest in online trading. Increased smartphone uses and access to digital platforms continue to drive participation in financial markets.Over the years Indonesia has attracted a growing number of global CFD and multi-asset brokers, with Plus500 among them. The broker entered the market by acquiring locally regulated Global Intra Berjangka, a firm that halted new client onboarding in early 2023. Following the deal, Plus500 is now supervised by Bappebti and offers its usual contracts for differences and other standard instruments via a locally registered Indonesian domain, adding another regulated foothold to its broader international expansion.Doo Financial Futures is the latest, having obtained key approval from BAPPEBTI to operate in the local market. The Indonesian arm of Doo Group can now offer securities, futures, CFDs and OTC productsIndonesia Anchors Regional StrategyBut AIMS has also been eying other regions besides Southeast Asia. It transitioned into a prime brokerage business after securing a new Market Maker license from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) on 19 September 2024, a move that followed several months of preparation and led to the cancellation of its previous ASIC authorization in August 2025. Besides acquiring licenses in global jurisdictions, the brand also entered into a partnership with the Lamborghini brand and its winery, bringing together Italian luxury and online trading in a single cross-industry collaboration. The deal links Lamborghini’s long-standing heritage in both supercars and fine wine with AIMS’ trading services across Asia-Pacific and beyond, with both sides presenting it as a move that goes beyond standard marketing. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Trading.com, the sister brand of contracts for differences (CFD) brokerage giant XM.com, has secured a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) licence, Finance Magnates has learned. The licence was obtained from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC).Crypto Is Among “Trading.com’s Long-Term European Growth Strategy”“The successful completion of Trading.com’s MiCA notification process marks another important step in Trading.com’s long-term European growth strategy and reflects the direction the industry is moving in, towards more trusted, transparent and regulated digital asset participation,” a spokesperson for Trading.com's management team told Finance Magnates.“At Trading.com, we see crypto as part of a broader evolution of modern investing. Clients increasingly want access to multiple asset classes through one trusted and regulated environment, without compromising on platform quality, execution standards or user experience. That is exactly where Trading.com is positioned.”However, it remains unclear when and how Trading.com will offer its crypto products.Other prominent brands to obtain the MiCA license in Cyprus are eToro, Revolut and Capital.com.Read more: CySEC Chair on Crypto Perps, Prediction Markets and the High-Wire Act of EU RegulationCrypto, but Only in EuropeThe Trading.com brand already offers crypto CFDs to its European clients.Apart from Europe, Trading.com also has a presence in the United Kingdom and Australia. It, however, does not offer crypto CFDs in those markets. Notably, CFD brokers cannot offer crypto CFDs to retail customers in the UK.Under the MiCA licence, the CFD brokerage operator can only offer physical crypto and other related services within the limits of the European bloc.“Europe remains a strategically important market for Trading.com, and we believe the evolving regulatory landscape creates a stronger environment for innovation, long-term client confidence and sustainable growth across the industry,” the Trading.com spokesperson added.Trading.com, meanwhile, is not the first CFD brand to show interest in physical crypto offerings. Finance Magnates earlier reported on the launch of Pepperstone’s dedicated crypto exchange, while IG Group also added physical crypto, first through a third-party partnership and then by acquiring a crypto exchange. This article was written by Adonis Adoni, Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.

EBENE, MAURITIUS, May 29 – PU Prime, a global multi-licensed online brokerage, is pleased to announce the launch of SpaceX (SPCXUSD), a new pre-IPO CFD product that provides retail traders with broader access to the market narrative surrounding one of the world’s most closely followed private technology companies. Ahead of its expected Nasdaq listing under the ticker symbol SPCX on June 12, the product allows traders to gain leveraged exposure to SpaceX ahead of its highly anticipated initial public offering.The launch comes amid growing global interest in private-market innovation and next-generation technology sectors, including commercial space infrastructure and satellite connectivity. Historically, exposure to high-profile private companies has largely remained limited to institutional and accredited investors. By removing the traditional barriers of private equity, PU Prime is empowering its clients to build a broader, more dynamic portfolio of products.PU Prime noted growing interest among retail traders in thematic opportunities tied to private-market innovation, particularly in sectors shaping the next phase of the global economy. SpaceX has become one of the world’s most closely followed private technology companies, not only because of its valuation but also because of its position at the intersection of commercial spaceflight, satellite infrastructure, and future connectivity.The introduction of SPCXUSD reflects a broader shift in investor interest toward thematic and innovation-driven market exposure, as retail traders increasingly look beyond traditional asset classes to participate in emerging global trends. In response to this evolving demand, PU Prime continues to expand its product offerings across globally relevant market themes.About PU PrimeFounded in 2015, PU Prime is a leading global fintech group and a multi-asset CFD brokerage brand operating through various licensed entities across multiple jurisdictions. Today, the group offers regulated financial products across forex, commodities, indices, shares, and bonds. Operating in over 190 countries with more than 40 million app downloads, the PU Prime group provides innovative trading platforms and an integrated copy trading feature, empowering traders worldwide to achieve financial success with confidence. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

Corporate restructuring frequently involves sweeping operational shifts. X Open Hub takes a different approach, transitioning to the name ‘XTB Institutional.’ The rebranding serves a specific function: it aligns the B2B liquidity provider directly with the parent company. A clear connection to XTB Group provides immediate recognition regarding financial backing and corporate governance. The underlying business model continues without alteration. Existing clients experience their trading infrastructure without any planned disruptions. The objective centres on clarity. Institutional clients need absolute certainty regarding the entities handling their order flow. A unified corporate identity removes unnecessary complexity from the due diligence process.Maintaining focus on multi-asset liquidityXTB Institutional maintains the same core offering previously provided under the X Open Hub banner. The company delivers institutional-grade multi-asset liquidity to a global client base. Brokers retain access to more than 5,000 instruments across key asset classes. These classes include forex, commodities, indices, and equities. The infrastructure supports fast trade execution during all market conditions. Reliable pricing feeds remain essential for high-volume trading desks. The technology stack ensures transparent transactions for professional traders. The B2B focus stays firmly on delivering scalable execution solutions. Execution speed dictates success for retail brokerages passing flow to institutional partners. Low-latency environments prevent slippage during news events and high-volatility sessions. The established infrastructure handles high trading volumes without compromising performance.Benefiting from strong corporate governanceChoosing a liquidity provider involves significant due diligence. C-level executives and heads of dealing evaluate counterparties based on regulatory compliance and operational resilience. Operating as XTB Institutional instantly communicates a high level of corporate maturity, and the backing of a publicly traded entity offers reassurance to potential institutional partners. The XTB Group brings extensive experience in global financial markets. The rebranded division leverages these organisational resources while maintaining an exclusive focus on B2B services. Banks require confidence in the long-term viability of their infrastructure partners. The updated identity reinforces trust in the operational framework. Transparency in financial reporting provides an additional layer of security for professional market participants. The parent company ensures strict adherence to international regulatory standards across all divisions, supported by the governance, reporting standards and regulatory experience of XTB Group. Seamless continuity for existing partnersThe transition to XTB Institutional involves no modifications to legal structures. Client agreements remain fully effective under the current terms, and regulatory arrangements continue uninterrupted. Existing partners will notice no difference in their daily operations. The execution quality stays at the same rigorous standard. Transparency in pricing and trade routing remains a core priority. "The move to XTB Institutional reflects a natural evolution of our business. Our core offering remains unchanged, but the new identity allows us to communicate more clearly who we are: an institutional liquidity and execution brand backed by the strength, experience, and governance of XTB Group. iFX EXPO International 2026 will be an important opportunity for us to present this new chapter to partners, brokers, and industry participants," says Michal Copiuk, CEO.Engaging the B2B Sector in CyprusIndustry professionals gather regularly to discuss market developments and build strategic partnerships. iFX EXPO International 2026 in Limassol serves as a primary meeting point for brokers and liquidity decision-makers. The upcoming spring event provides an ideal setting to introduce the XTB Institutional identity in person. The expo offers a direct channel for presenting the refreshed brand to the B2B community. Face-to-face conversations help establish the trust necessary for long-lasting institutional relationships. Market participants face constant challenges regarding market depth and pricing stability. The discussions will highlight methods for improving operational efficiency. The expo allows the company to demonstrate an ongoing commitment to the institutional sector, and business development teams are ready to outline the benefits of partnering with an experienced liquidity provider. Product specialists will be available to analyse specific execution requirements and suggest tailored configurations.A clear path forward for institutional clientsThe transition marks a definitive step forward in corporate communication. The brand now accurately reflects the maturity of its operations, while the focus remains squarely on supporting the growth of brokers and banks. The alignment with XTB Group provides a solid foundation for future development. Long-term partnerships depend on reliability and clear communication, and the updated corporate identity delivers both elements effectively. The leadership team looks forward to discussing these developments with industry peers throughout the year.Connect with the team in LimassolMeet X Open Hub’s team in Limassol to discuss institutional liquidity and execution solutions. Visit us at booth #31 during iFX EXPO International 2026 to learn more about the upcoming transition to XTB Institutional. Learn more about X Open Hub’s current liquidity offering at xopenhub.pro/liquidity-provider/. The new XTB Institutional website will be available as part of the official rebrand rollout.About X Open HubX Open Hub is an institutional liquidity and execution provider serving brokers, banks, and professional market participants. As part of XTB Group, the company provides multi-asset liquidity across 5,000+ instruments, supporting institutional partners with broad market access, execution quality, transparent pricing, and reliable trading infrastructure. X Open Hub’s offering is designed for B2B clients seeking scalable liquidity solutions backed by the experience, governance, and international presence of XTB Group. This article was written by FM Contributors at www.financemagnates.com.

Just recently, IG Group published its scheduled trading update ahead of the Annual General Meeting (AGM). The company delivered a strong performance in the first quarter of 2026, driven by a broader product offering, disciplined strategic execution, and elevated volatility in commodity markets. IG reported a 19% year-on-year increase in Q1 organic total revenue, reaching £331.2 million. Rather than focusing only on the headline numbers from the latest update, we have made one step back to revisit IG Group’s March 2026 annual presentation to better understand the foundations behind these strong results and the positive market reaction that followed.Product Velocity Many of the drivers behind this performance were already visible in IG’s March 2026 presentation. The sharp growth reported in the latest trading update appears to be partly the result of an aggressive product expansion strategy implemented over the past year. By accelerating product rollouts and closing gaps in its offering, IG continued transforming itself into a broader multi-asset financial ecosystem. The results of this strategy are clearly visible in Q1 2026. The rollout of zero-commission equity trading, flexible ISA products, and integrated spot crypto trading in markets such as the UK, Australia, and Singapore allowed IG to capture rising demand across multiple segments. This rapid expansion materially changed user behaviour, contributing to a 79% year-on-year increase in stock trading and investment revenue. Continuous updates, including the expansion of Freetrade’s mutual fund offering to more than 1,000 funds and the launch of advanced charting tools alongside 50 new crypto assets, helped create a more engaging platform ecosystem. Here are some other interesting points that competitors missed in IG’s previous report: Automation Marketing Efficiency We break down all the elements behind the recent success of IG Group in our latest article, packed with insights. Read our full analysis on the FM Intelligence portal. This article was written by Sylwester Majewski at www.financemagnates.com.

ICM.com finally surrendered its Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) license on 2 April 2026, almost two long years after it applied to cancel its UK authorisation. The reason for this delay, however, remains unclear.Finance Magnates earlier reported on the broker’s plans to surrender its FCA license in 2024, following a notice posted on the UK regulator’s registry page.Why Are Brokers Leaving the UK?Following the licence surrender, the company has wrapped up its services under its UK unit. Its UK-specific website is also non-functional, displaying a message urging customers to contact customer service “to arrange withdrawal of any remaining funds”.The broker also withdrew its retail activities around 2023 after posting a £1 million loss for the 2022 financial year.Although the company never publicly clarified its decision to exit the UK, it is one of many brokers to end their presence in the country. AETOS, ADSS, FXTM, HTFX, and GMI Markets are only some of the brands that have left the UK market over the past few years. While for most brokers the decision was a strategic geographical move, for a few it was part of a broader global withdrawal.ICM.com obtained its FCA license in mid-2011, according to the FCA registry.The UK Is Tough, but Still Attracting BrokersDespite the UK exit, ICM.com remains regulated in other jurisdictions. Its website shows that the broker holds licences from regulators in Mauritius and Seychelles, which are regarded as offshore jurisdictions. It also holds two licences in the UAE, one in Dubai and the other in Abu Dhabi. The broker also operates a licensed subsidiary in Switzerland.While ICM.com and other companies have left the UK, a handful have entered the country. Among them were Ultima Markets and Moneta Markets, both of which secured FCA authorisation last year by acquiring existing businesses in the country rather than seeking fresh licences.At 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’.Finance Magnates earlier reported that there were 74 FCA-regulated companies with permission to offer CFD products to retail traders in the United Kingdom as of 1 December 2025. This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.

The retail trading industry should pay very close attention to what regulators are signalling right now. Buried inside ESMA's latest Common Supervisory Action priorities was a message that many firms likely underestimated: digital platforms ranked second among regulatory concerns. Not leverage. Not disclosures. Not even product complexity. It's digital platforms. That alone should tell the industry where this is heading. Because regulators are no longer just looking at what retail investors trade. They are now looking at how platforms influence them to trade in the first place. And the tone is rapidly changing.An Empirical Case by a RegulatorFor years, regulatory concerns about trading app design were theoretical. Regulators raised concerns. Papers were published. Industry pushed back. That phase is over. In April 2025, the Financial Conduct Authority published what is likely the most consequential piece of regulatory research on trading app design ever produced. Drawing on real consumer transaction data linked to credit files across multiple UK trading platforms, the first study of its kind, the FCA's findings are not directional warnings. They are data. The median user of a high digital engagement practice (DEP) app made seven times more trades than the median user of a low engagement app. Users of high engagement apps were 4.8 percentage points more likely to suffer a large loss, defined as a realised loss exceeding 2% of annual net income. They were almost twice as likely to display what the FCA calls potentially problematic engagement, elevated, erratic, or concerning trading behaviour modelled directly on problem gambling frameworks. They logged in at night, between 11 pm and 6 am, four times as often as users of low engagement platforms. And the rate of financial distress among high-engagement app users was 5.1%, more than twice the 1.9% seen on low-engagement platforms, rising to 7.3% for CFD users specifically. These are not survey results. These are real transactions, linked to real credit files, across real platforms.Related: Will Curbs on the Gamification of Trading End Retail Demand?The FCA has produced an empirical case that platform design drives materially worse outcomes for retail investors. One further finding deserves particular attention. As of the period studied, none of the firms in the sample had conducted any internal testing of the causal impact of their digital engagement practices on consumer outcomes. Not one.The Global Standard-Setter Has Spoken If the FCA paper established the evidence base, IOSCO's final report on digital engagement practices, published on 19 May 2025, as part of its Roadmap for Retail Investor Online Safety, established the global regulatory expectation. IOSCO's membership includes the ESMA, the FCA, the SEC, and virtually every other major financial regulator worldwide. When IOSCO publishes a final report, it is not a discussion paper. It is a global signal about the direction of supervisory travel. The DEPs' final report addresses gamification of trading websites and apps directly, badges, rewards, celebratory messages, and instant gratification features, noting that these affect investors' evaluation of risk and potentially lead to worse outcomes. IOSCO made a specific observation that cuts to the heart of the issue: in the traditional model, where a trader called their broker to place a trade, there was an intermediary who could mitigate risky behaviour. That buffer no longer exists. Simultaneously, IOSCO published companion reports on finfluencers and online imitative trading, identifying a growing intersection between platform-driven engagement, influencer-driven acquisition, and the gamification mechanics that push retail investors toward behaviour they would not otherwise exhibit.Read more: The UAE Regulated Finfluencers First. Now Comes the Hard Part.The three reports together are not coincidental. They describe the same ecosystem from three different angles. IOSCO's Chairman was direct: "From finfluencer promotions to gamified apps and imitative content, these reports set out globally aligned expectations for ethical conduct and effective oversight." Globally aligned expectations. That phrase should be read carefully by every compliance officer in the retail trading industry. The Industry's Defence Is Already Under Pressure SIFMA, representing the US securities industry, pushed back on IOSCO's consultation, arguing that digital engagement practices are "nothing more than the natural evolution of customer engagement practices" and that additional DEP-specific policies, procedures, risk management systems, testing, and disclosures are not necessary beyond existing frameworks. That argument is the most revealing thing the industry has said on this topic. Because it describes precisely the gap that regulators have now documented empirically. The FCA found that none of the firms studied had tested the impact of their own engagement features on consumer outcomes. IOSCO found that existing frameworks were insufficient to address the emerging risk. ESMA elevated digital platforms to the second priority of its Common Supervisory Action. Surveill's own assessment of 154 CySEC-regulated CFD and FX firms found that 90% had no policy language governing how platform design choices create conflicts between firm commercial interests and client outcomes. The firms saying existing frameworks are sufficient are the same firms whose existing frameworks contain nothing about the conflict implications of their platform design. That is not a defence. It is an illustration of the problem.#WSJWhatsNow: Some behavioral researchers say the simplicity of Robinhood’s brokerage app nudges inexperienced investors to take bigger risks. @4BetterOrWurst explains. https://t.co/g2VHVy80ub pic.twitter.com/Yf0eTRQkgi— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) August 29, 2020The Regulatory Convergence Three major regulatory bodies published or acted on digital engagement practices within a twelve-month window. The FCA published empirical research in April 2025. IOSCO published its final global report in May 2025. ESMA's Common Supervisory Action is already underway across every EU national competent authority, including CySEC and MFSA, which has digital platforms as its second priority.This is not a coincidence. This is coordination. And coordination at this level has historically preceded enforcement. Historically, brokers defended themselves through disclosure. Risk warnings, terms and conditions, appropriateness tests. The assumption was that if the customer understood the risks, the responsibility ultimately sat with the investor. But digital engagement practices challenge that framework entirely because they influence behaviour before the investment decision is even made. A push notification encouraging a user to trade volatility is not neutral infrastructure. A leaderboard encouraging users to outperform other traders is not a passive design. A frictionless onboarding process engineered to minimise hesitation is not merely convenient. These are behavioural systems. Regulators are now treating them that way. Where This Is Heading Once regulators begin viewing trading apps through the same lens as addictive digital products, social media algorithms, or online gambling mechanics, and the FCA's research explicitly draws on problem gambling frameworks to measure potentially problematic engagement, the regulatory conversation moves far beyond disclosure obligations. It becomes a discussion about manipulation. That is a far more dangerous conversation for industry because, unlike leverage restrictions or marketing rules, behavioural regulation cuts directly into the growth engine of many retail platforms. Engagement is no longer just a UX strategy. It is becoming a regulatory risk. The firms that survive the next wave of scrutiny will not be the ones with the flashiest interfaces or the highest acquisition numbers. They will be the firms that recognise, early, that regulators are no longer examining only the products being sold. They are examining the psychology of the platforms selling them. This article was written by Aydin Bonabi at www.financemagnates.com.

Rising phishing attacks have pushed IG Securities to tighten account protection, with the broker set to require all clients to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) by June.IG Securities confirmed that it will make 2FA compulsory for all users, replacing its current optional setup. The company linked the move to a sharp increase in unauthorized access attempts across the industry, driven by phishing scams and other methods targeting client credentials.“Unauthorized access to securities accounts through phishing scams and other means is rapidly increasing across the industry,” the company said in its notice.Mandatory 2FA RolloutOnce the new rule takes effect, clients who have not activated 2FA will be unable to log into their accounts. Users who already completed the setup will not need to take further action. The broker urged clients to enable the feature in advance to avoid disruptions. It warned that support teams may face a surge in requests around the implementation period.Related: IG Japan Halts Retail Vanilla Options Trading Three Months After LaunchThe setup process requires users to install an authentication app, such as Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator, and enable 2FA through the IG trading app settings. Notably, IG Japan recently admitted to mishandling client data after uncovering two separate issues involving “specific personal information,” including Japan’s My Number identification details. The broker said some employees within the wider IG Group had unauthorized internal access to customer records via an internal system. It potentially affected 162,879 clients whose names, dates of birth, addresses, contact details, and My Number data could be viewed. The firm said it does not know when this internal access problem began.IG Japan Faces Data Handling Questions In a second issue, IG Japan reported that data for 29,734 customers was stored on an external server managed by IG Markets Limited without prior approval from IG Securities, following a contractor oversight around late January. IG Japan suspended new vanilla options trades for retail clients, only three months after launching the product for individual investors in February. It remains unclear whether this step was related to security risks. The pause came as the broker continues to offer vanilla options trading to corporate clients, a segment it added earlier when it expanded the service beyond retail. This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.

Most of the brokers that clear exchange-traded derivatives plan to spend more on the technology behind their trades over the next three years.The study, conducted by research firm Acuiti in association with Nasdaq, found that 69% of futures commission merchants intend to increase their post-trade budgets, with 46% planning to lift spending by more than 10%. Acuiti interviewed senior executives at 50 bank FCMs, non-bank FCMs and other clearing brokers worldwide, and separately polled its network of asset managers and hedge funds.The numbers describe an unglamorous corner of the market that firms underfunded for years and now feel pressure to fix.Legacy Tech Tops the List of FCM Pain PointsJust over half of the clearing firms surveyed, 53%, said their dependence on legacy post-trade systems was their single biggest operational problem. A similar share complained that there are not enough third-party vendors to choose from.Most firms do not build this plumbing themselves. About 35% rely mainly on vendor platforms, 15% run mostly in-house systems and the other half use a mix of the two, which spreads the cost and frees firms to focus on winning clients, the report said.The concern, the report noted, is that much of that core technology is nearing the end of its life. The strain showed during the volatility that followed the spread of Covid-19 in 2020, when post-trade systems buckled under record volumes and triggered a wave of spending across the sell-side. This is not the first time Acuiti has flagged the trend, having reported in 2024 that US clearing brokers were pouring money into front-office technology to fend off non-bank rivals.A Shrinking Vendor Pool Meets a Spending WaveThe catch is that firms have fewer places to take their money. The number of third-party vendors serving the market has fallen over the past two decades as mergers thinned the field and some providers withdrew, the report said. That has left clearing brokers leaning on a handful of incumbents such as FIS and ION Group even as they complain about the lack of choice.That backdrop helps explain why Nasdaq attached its name to the research. The exchange operator sells Calypso, a clearing platform it pitches as a single system for risk, margin and collateral across listed and over-the-counter derivatives, and the survey's findings line up closely with what Calypso is built to address. Nasdaq is not the only firm chasing the work. LSEG Technology supplied the post-trade platform that London clearing house LCH's EquityClear migrated onto, and in May 2024 Nasdaq agreed to plug its Real-Time Clearing system into FIA Tech's industry data network. Nasdaq has also been pushing Calypso into digital assets, partnering with Talos in March on tokenized collateral after a green light from US securities regulators.Spending Set to Rise, With AI in the FrameAsked why budgets are climbing, firms gave two main reasons: more automation and client demand for new features. Both point to the same squeeze, the report said, with brokers trying to cut manual work while keeping demanding customers satisfied.Artificial intelligence is edging into the picture. More than half of the firms, 56%, said they risk falling behind competitors if they do not fold AI or machine learning into their clearing operations. When sizing up a vendor, resilience and reliability ranked first, followed by ease of integration, total cost of ownership and real-time processing.Buy-Side Wants Clearer Margin MathThe asset managers and hedge funds on the other side of these relationships had their own complaints. Not one described the way their brokers treat risk across products as very consistent, while 82% called it quite consistent and the rest found it not very consistent at all.Margin is the sore spot. Some 47% of buy-side firms named a lack of transparency over how margin is calculated as their top frustration, and 38% pointed to inconsistent methods across products and clearing houses. They also want faster, more integrated data feeds, the report said.What It Means for US Retail Forex BrokersThe FCM label stretches well beyond the futures clearing giants the report focuses on. In the United States, retail forex dealers register as FCMs too, which puts several familiar brokerage names inside the same regulatory bucket. Only six of them report retail forex obligations to the CFTC, holding about $488.59 million in customer deposits in March.That pool has been shrinking and consolidating much like the vendor market the report describes. StoneX, the owner of Forex.com, became the largest non-bank FCM in the country, by its own account, after buying futures broker R.J. O'Brien in a deal valued at roughly $900 million. Retail-focused firms are moving the other way into listed markets, with IG's tastytrade and Plus500 both chasing US futures and options revenue. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.

Bitcoin (BTC) traded near $73,300 on Thursday, May 28, 2026, sliding for a third straight session and printing an intraday low close to $72,800 as a $1.3 billion IBIT dark-pool block, a strong dollar, and renewed Middle East tension drained institutional bids. The move extends a pullback from above $82,000 earlier in May. US spot Bitcoin ETFs have now bled more than $2 billion since their last net inflow on May 14, an eight-session outflow streak. So the question pricing the tape is simple: why is Bitcoin falling again after April and May looked like a recovery? My answer starts with the chart.Follow me on X for real-time Bitcoin analysis: @ChmielDkBitcoin Price Technical Analysis: BTC Stays Bearish Below the 50 EMABitcoin is falling for a third consecutive session and has surrendered the support band it defended through mid-May. Resistance has re-formed around $75,000, and today's intraday low near $72,800 confirms sellers are back in control. The 50 EMA is once again capping price, which reopens the path to the lower edge of the multi-week consolidation between $65,000 and $63,000, the zone that aligns with the February and March lows. My chart shows that band can stretch to the round $60,000 level, where price briefly traded in early February.In 15 years reading crypto, FX and metals charts, a third-session breakdown back through a rising 50 EMA has rarely resolved higher without a fresh macro catalyst. You can follow my full coverage on my analyst page.The structure only flips if Bitcoin reclaims the 200 EMA at $80,000 to $81,000. Even then, a second resistance shelf sits at $81,000 to $85,000, drawn from the November and December lows of last year. As I flagged when Bitcoin cracked $80,500, that moving average was the last defense, and it broke.My bias stays bearish. I am targeting further downside from current levels, roughly 23%, which projects toward the $56,000 to $57,000 area once the $63,000 to $60,000 floor gives way.Why Bitcoin Is Falling? Macro Pressure and a $1.3 Billion IBIT BlockThe selling is macro-led. Bitcoin dropped with other risk assets after reports the US military struck Iranian drone sites near the Strait of Hormuz, pushing oil and the dollar higher and reviving inflation fears before Friday's PCE print. The same Hormuz risk that lifted Bitcoin above $80,000 on Iran de-escalation three weeks ago is now working in reverse. Bitfinex analysts peg aggregated futures open interest below $55 billion, the lowest since April 11 and down 14% from levels above $80,000.The flow data is heavier. US spot Bitcoin ETFs lost about $334 million on Tuesday, $192 million of it from IBIT alone, and have shed over $2 billion across eight sessions. Jane Street cut its Bitcoin ETF holdings around 70% in the first quarter, and Goldman Sachs trimmed roughly 10%.Paul Howard, Senior Director at Wincent, is not reading panic into it. "BTC pricing has remained resilient throughout the month," Howard said, noting trading volumes rebounded more than 20% over 48 hours even as the $334 million outflow extended a week-long institutional sell-off. That resilience is the bull's strongest card right now.The drivers in one view:Geopolitics: US-Iran tension at the Strait of Hormuz lifting oil and the dollarMacro: PCE data ahead, with a hawkish Fed holding ratesFlows: Eight-session ETF outflow streak topping $2 billion since May 14Derivatives: Open interest below $55 billion, stop-losses triggered under $75,500What the IBIT Dark-Pool Block Actually WasThe headline number scared the tape. A single dark-pool block of roughly 29 million IBIT shares, about $1.29 billion, crossed Nasdaq at 10:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday, which Bloomberg's Eric Balchunas called one of the largest IBIT prints on record. Bitcoin fell about 1.5% within ten minutes, from near $77,900 to $76,700.Adam Haemms, Head of Asset Management at Tesseract Group, reads the mechanic differently. IBIT is redemption-driven, so when shareholders exit, the trust sells underlying Bitcoin to fund the cash leg, roughly 16,400 BTC in this case. "The market mechanic was closer to a position transfer," Haemms said, stressing BlackRock made no directional call. What he found notable was the absorption: the print cleared near fair value with Bitcoin holding around $75,900, which on a thinner order book would have repriced lower.US Bitcoin ETFs have become the dominant institutional gateway, a shift I tracked as whales moved $3 billion into IBIT. The parallel is instructive: a near-identical $333 million IBIT record outflow in early 2025 preceded stabilization, not collapse.Bitcoin Price Predictions: Bear Target vs Institutional ResilienceThe forecasts split wide, and I do not buy all of them equally. My own target sits at $56,000 to $57,000, a 23% drop that I think holds only if $63,000 breaks on a daily close, and above that the bear case stalls. Intellectia.ai's algorithmic $80,500 call for end-May implies a 10% rebound, which my chart says is the wrong direction while the 50 EMA caps price.Carol Alexander's $75,000 to $150,000 range with a $110,000 center is the most honest of the bull set, because it prices the volatility rather than a single number. Standard Chartered and Bernstein both hold $150,000 for 2026, a spread I detailed after BTC's Hormuz-driven pop to $72,000, but that number was credible at January's $98,000, not after a 25% structural unwind, and I see it as stretched without a Fed pivot. The conservative full-year band of $40,462 to $118,296 brackets my bear target neatly, and it is the forecast I would actually trade around.Bitcoin Price FAQWhy is Bitcoin falling today? Bitcoin fell toward $72,800 on May 28, 2026, its third straight down session, on a mix of macro and flow pressure. US military strikes near the Strait of Hormuz lifted the dollar and oil, while US spot Bitcoin ETFs extended an eight-session outflow streak past $2 billion. A $1.3 billion IBIT dark-pool block on Tuesday added to the bearish tone.What was the $1.3 billion IBIT block trade? On Tuesday, May 26, a single dark-pool block of about 29 million IBIT shares, roughly $1.29 billion, crossed Nasdaq at 10:30 a.m. ET. Bloomberg's Eric Balchunas called it one of the largest IBIT prints on record. Tesseract's Adam Haemms argues it was a redemption-driven position transfer of about 16,400 BTC, not a BlackRock directional call, and that it cleared near fair value.How low can Bitcoin go in 2026? My technical analysis targets $56,000 to $57,000, about 23% below current levels, if the $63,000 to $60,000 consolidation floor breaks on a daily close. That zone aligns with the February and March lows. A conservative full-year model brackets a wider $40,462 to $118,296 range, so my bear target sits in the lower half of consensus rather than at the extreme.What needs to happen for Bitcoin to turn bullish? The structure flips only if Bitcoin reclaims the 200 EMA at $80,000 to $81,000 on a daily close. Even then, a second resistance shelf at $81,000 to $85,000, drawn from last November and December's lows, would cap the first attempt. Until that happens, my bias stays bearish, with the 50 EMA rejecting every bounce this week near $75,000.Are Bitcoin ETF outflows a sell signal? Not necessarily. US spot Bitcoin ETFs have shed over $2 billion since May 14, but Wincent's Paul Howard notes BTC pricing stayed resilient as volumes rose more than 20% in 48 hours. A similar $333 million IBIT record outflow in early 2025 preceded stabilization, not collapse. Outflows signal institutional caution, not automatically a structural top. This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.