ThinkMarkets — where it wins, where it loses
ThinkMarkets wins on regulatory reach, entry cost. It loses on published spread. Its cost per ten lots is not confirmed, so it is left out of the cost ordering rather than estimated.
Column by column
The split
Two lists, no averaging. A broker that takes a column outright appears on the left of it; one that gets beaten on a column appears on the right. Nothing is scored into a single number, because a single number hides which side you actually care about.
Wins on
- regulatory reach
- entry cost
Loses on
- published spread
Cost per 10 lots is the EUR/USD spread cost of ten round-turn standard lots at the figure above, commission excluded. Where a broker publishes a "from" spread rather than an average, the comparison inherits that limitation — see the unconfirmed list further down.
Licensing
Which entity, which regulator, which number
Tier decides how much weight a licence carries in any safety column. Each row links to the page it was read from.
| Regulator | Number | Jurisdiction | Tier | Entity | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC | AFSL 424700 | Australia | Tier 1 | TF Global Markets (Aust) Pty Ltd | thinkmarkets.com |
| FCA | 629628 | United Kingdom | Tier 1 | TF Global Markets (UK) Limited | wikifx.com |
| CySEC | 215/13 | Cyprus | Tier 2 | ThinkMarkets (EU) Ltd | thinkmarkets.com |
| FSA Seychelles | Seychelles | Tier 3 | ThinkMarkets Group (Seychelles entity) | thinkmarkets.com |
Checkable
Facts the comparison runs on
On the record
- ThinkMarkets states it holds 10 licences globally, including ASIC, FCA, CySEC, FSCA, CIMA and the Seychelles FSA.
- The Australian entity advertises no minimum deposit, segregated client money and negative balance protection in line with ASIC rules.
- The broker advertises access to up to 4,000 instruments at group level and 2,000 for Australian clients.
- Established in 2010, with offices listed in Australia, Asia, Europe, the UK, UAE and South Africa.
| Trading since | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Base | Melbourne, Australia |
| Minimum to open | None |
| Leverage cap | 1:30 retail under ASIC/FCA/CySEC; higher under offshore entities |
| EUR/USD | not verified |
| Terminals | ThinkTrader, MT4, MT5, TradingView |
| Account tiers | Standard, ThinkZero |
| Record confidence | medium |
| Matchup-ready | no — too many gaps to run a fair head-to-head |
Excluded from the maths
Not verified
Not verified
These fields are not confirmed. They are shown as gaps, not filled in, and they do not feed any column of the matrix:
- Seychelles FSA licence number
- CIMA and FSCA licence numbers
- typical EUR/USD spread on the ThinkZero account
- typical EUR/USD spread (source only gave an advertised 'from 0.0' raw-account figure)
Costs less
Who beats ThinkMarkets on price
Tickmill
$10.00 per 10 lots · wins on headline spread, platform choice
Eightcap
$10.00 per 10 lots · wins on regulatory reach
JustMarkets
$30.00 per 10 lots · wins on headline spread
CMC Markets
$50.00 per 10 lots · wins on headline spread, no minimum deposit, regulatory reach, platform choice
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money. Verify every figure with the broker before opening an account.