CMC Markets vs FlowBank 2023

CMC Markets is publicly traded, does not operate a bank, and is authorised by five Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), one tier-2 regulator (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and zero Tier-4 regulators (High Risk). CMC Markets is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Financial Markets Authority (FMA), and the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

FlowBank operates a regulated Swiss bank, and is authorised by one Tier-1 regulator (high trust): the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).

CMC Markets is well-trusted across the globe, and delivers a terrific trading experience thanks to its excellent pricing and selection of over 12,000 tradeable instruments.

As a relative newcomer to the Swiss online brokerage scene, FlowBank already has a lot to offer its customers. FlowBank clients benefit from the advantages that come with holding a Swiss bank account, and its brokerage services provide access to more advertised symbols than any online broker that we’ve reviewed thus far.

To open a trading account with CMC Markets, you'll need to make an initial minimum deposit of $0.

FlowBank requires a minimum deposit of $0 before you can open an account and start trading.

It's important to make sure that your forex broker accepts the funding options and deposit methods that work best for you. CMC Markets offers Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) and PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) for banking, whereas FlowBank provides Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw). Neither have Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) and Neteller (Deposit/Withdraw)

Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spread data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough, data-driven testing of each broker's commissions and fees, we found that CMC Markets offers better pricing overall for traders.

Methodology: When testing each broker's commissions, fees, and pricing, we analyze multiple trade scenarios and award points based on the expansiveness (or inexpensiveness) of the broker's spreads. We then run multiple scenarios for different investor types, incorporating any miscellaneous fees, to determine an "all-in" cost per trade. Learn more about how we test.

At ForexBrokers.com, we track over 110 international regulatory agencies and sort them by tiers (Tier-1, Tier-2, Tier-3, Tier-4, and Tier-5) to help you choose well-regulated, highly trusted forex brokers. Learn more about our proprietary Trust Score rating system. Based on our research on the regulatory status of over 60 brokers, we've found that CMC Markets holds 5 global Tier-1 licenses, while FlowBank holds 1. CMC Markets holds 1 global Tier-2 licenses, while FlowBank holds 0.

After evaluating each broker based on their number of held licenses, years in business, and a range of other data-driven variables, we've determined that CMC Markets (99) earned a higher Trust Score than FlowBank (80).

To compare the trading platforms of both CMC Markets and FlowBank, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, CMC Markets offers a better experience. With research, CMC Markets offers superior market research. Finally, we found CMC Markets to provide better mobile trading apps.

Here’s what trading platforms are available at CMC Markets:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - No
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

Here’s what trading platforms are available at FlowBank:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - Yes
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

The MetaTrader trading platform suite is wildly popular among forex and CFD traders across the globe. Both CMC Markets and FlowBank offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. CMC Markets and FlowBank both offer copy trading.

CMC Markets provides traders 156 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to FlowBank's 52 available pairs. If you are interested in trading CFDs, FlowBank offers traders access to 408600 CFDs, while CMC Markets offers access to 12074 CFDs; so FlowBank offers 396526 more CFDs than CMC Markets.

We found in our testing that FlowBank offers a more diverse selection of investment options than CMC Markets, allowing you to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs), U.S. Stocks (CFD), Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD), Cryptocurrency (Derivative), Social Trading / Copy Trading and Spread Betting. Neither have Cryptocurrency (Physical).