AvaTrade Acquires Most of FXCM. What It Means for Clients
On 8 October 2026, AvaTrade announced it has agreed to acquire the majority of FXCM Group's business, including the brand. FXCM is one of the oldest names in online currency trading, active since 1999.
Trading.md is an official AvaTrade partner, so we received the press release directly from the company. Below we put it in context: what exactly was announced, what is still unknown, who the two companies are, and what any client should check when their broker changes owners.
- →AvaTrade is acquiring the majority of FXCM's business and its brand. The deal value has not been disclosed.
- →FXCM's UK clients are not part of the deal: they were sold separately on 6 October.
- →For existing AvaTrade clients, the press release announces no changes.
- →If your broker is being acquired, check the new entity in the regulator's register and read the notice to the end.
What was announced
According to the press release issued in Dublin, AvaTrade is acquiring "the majority" of FXCM's business and brand. FXCM clients covered by the deal are to get access to AvaTrade's platforms, its AI-powered tools, and its range of assets. The company presents the acquisition as a continuation of its recent investments, including the launch of a trading platform with AI features.
AvaTrade CEO Dáire Ferguson described the deal as a step toward a larger, more diversified trading group that combines FXCM's market presence with AvaTrade's technology. He said the industry is entering a phase in which companies must offer trust, innovation, and global access at the same time.
What is not known yet
- What exactly the deal includes. The press release does not list the legal entities being acquired. The institutional division, FXCM Pro, is not mentioned.
- The fate of the brand. The FXCM brand is part of the deal, but it has not been announced whether it will keep operating under its own name or whether clients will move to the AvaTrade brand.
- The timeline. There is no public completion date. A change of ownership at a regulated brokerage usually needs approval from the supervisory authority in every country where it holds a licence.
- United Kingdom. FXCM's UK clients are not part of this deal. Their client book was sold separately on 6 October to Trade Nation.
FXCM: 27 years in brief
FXCM is one of the names with the longest history in online currency trading. The key milestones:
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1999 | The company is founded in New York. It is among the first to open the currency market to individual investors online. |
| 2010 | It lists on the New York Stock Exchange. |
| 2015 | On 15 January, the Swiss National Bank abruptly drops its cap on the franc against the euro. The rate jumps so sharply that, at brokers around the world, stop-loss orders (orders that limit losses) cannot be filled at the requested price. FXCM clients' balances go negative by about USD 225 million overnight (an unprecedented market move, not a mistake by traders). FXCM forgives about 90% of these client debts and absorbs the loss. Investment bank Jefferies rescues the company with USD 300 million in financing. The episode was a stress test for the whole industry; several brokers worldwide became insolvent. |
| 2017 | Following a decision by the US derivatives regulator (CFTC), FXCM withdraws from the US market. |
| 2023 | Jefferies becomes the sole owner, and the group is renamed Stratos. |
| 2026 | Jefferies sells the business in parts: UK clients to one company, most of the rest to AvaTrade. |
AvaTrade: who is buying
AvaTrade was founded in 2006 in Dublin, where it is still headquartered. It is a private company, not listed on any stock exchange. The group has authorised entities in nine jurisdictions, including Ireland (Central Bank of Ireland, licence C53877), Australia (ASIC, licence 406684), and Japan. Each licence can be checked in the public register of the authority that issued it.
The press release announces no changes for existing AvaTrade clients. The company's full terms, verified by us against its official documents, are on the AvaTrade page on Trading.md.
What happens to your account when your broker is acquired
Mergers and acquisitions are common in the brokerage industry. For a client, who is buying matters less than what is transferred and how.
There are two basic scenarios. In the first, the buyer acquires the company itself: the legal entity stays the same, and so does your contract; only the shareholder changes. In the second, the client book is transferred to another entity. You then usually receive a written notice with the new company, the new terms, and a deadline to accept or decline the transfer. Sometimes you are asked for your identification documents again.
At regulated brokers, client money is held in bank accounts separate from the company's own money. This is called segregation of funds. Your money is not part of the assets the company sells or uses to pay its debts.
What to check, step by step
- 1Read the notice in full. Find out the exact name of the new entity, the country where it is registered, and the authority that supervises it.
- 2Check the entity in the public register of the authority. The licence number must match the one in the notice.
- 3Compare the terms: costs, leverage, negative balance protection, whether a compensation fund applies, account currency.
- 4Save your account statements and trade history before the transfer.
- 5Communicate only through official channels. Use the addresses and phone numbers on the broker's official website, not those in messages you receive.
Scammers use merger news for fake emails and calls asking you to "reconfirm" your details or make a deposit "for the transfer". A regulated broker does not ask you for money to move your account.
The full list of criteria for choosing a broker is in our guide How to choose a broker. What each execution model means is explained in What a broker is.
What it means for traders in Moldova
In the short term, nothing concrete. The deal does not change the terms for AvaTrade clients and has no completion timeline yet. If you have an FXCM account, follow the company's official communications and go through the checklist above when you receive a notice.
In the long term, the news confirms a trend: the brokerage market is consolidating, and small or troubled companies are taken over by larger groups. For clients, this means the name on the platform may change over the years. What should stay constant are the criteria you choose by: the licence, the entity that opens your account, the protections written into the contract, and the company's track record.
Translated from the Romanian original with AI assistance.