Ultima Markets has secured authorisation from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to offer contracts for differences (CFDs) to traders in the United Kingdom, FinanceMagnates.com has learned.
A New CFDs Name in the UK
According to the FCA register, the regulator approved the ‘Ultima Markets’ trading name on 21 July 2025. The broker also appears to have acquired Tiger Brokers’ UK operations. However, it is still unknown whether the deal involved only the FCA licence or also included infrastructure and the client book.
Founded in 2016, Ultima Markets currently holds licences in South Africa and Mauritius. While expanding into the UK, the broker is also focusing on the Asia-Pacific region, which is often described as a key revenue area in the current retail trading landscape.
The UK market will be a challenging one, dominated by established players such as IG Group and CMC Markets.
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Ultima Enters While Others Exit
Ultima Markets is entering the UK at a time when other CFD brokers are withdrawing. Most recently, Australia-based AETOS surrendered its FCA licence and is winding down its operations in the country.
Other firms, including ADSS and TrivePro, have closed their UK businesses in recent years. ICM.com is also in the process of relinquishing its FCA licence. A number of other brokers have shut down their retail services in the UK and now serve only professional clients.
Many industry experts point to rising compliance costs and the FCA’s strict oversight as key reasons why the UK has become less attractive for retail CFD brokers.
Earlier, the FCA revealed that none of the 100 EU-based CFD brokers who registered under the temporary permissions regime post-Brexit had applied for permanent authorisation. Additionally, the regulator stated that around 20 per cent of CFD firms in the UK are carrying out “little or no activity”, referring to them as “halo” firms.
Ultima Markets’ entry into this environment makes the move especially notable. However, it remains unclear when the broker will begin onboarding clients under its newly acquired FCA licence.
This article was written by Arnab Shome at www.financemagnates.com.
