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2025 UK Leverage Trading Report

Volatility reshapes UK leverage trading as platforms compete for a more committed trader base

  • Dormancy falls to five-year low as market volatility sharpens trader focus
    A leaner, more committed trader base is emerging as active engagement rises despite fewer new entrants.
  • Trader satisfaction hits seven-year high as platforms deliver on rising expectations
    Traders increasingly reward platforms that combine innovation, usability and decision-support tools over price alone.
  • AI gains traction, lifting trader confidence and activity
    One in four traders now use AI for market analysis and education, with clear links to higher trading frequency.

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LONDON – 30 June 2025 – Investment Trends has released the 17th edition of its 2025 UK Leverage Trading Report, the industry’s most comprehensive benchmark of CFD, FX and spread betting trader behaviours, preferences, and platform performance.

The report shows UK leverage trader numbers declined modestly to 167,000 (down from 173,000 in 2024), but dormancy rates fell to a five-year low, signalling a leaner but more engaged cohort of traders who remained active amid heightened market volatility.

We’re seeing a pivot toward a smaller but more engaged segment of traders who thrive in volatile conditions,” said Lorenzo Vignati, Associate Research Director at Investment Trends. “That resilience reflects a cohort that’s increasingly sophisticated and selective in how they trade.”

Copyright: Investment Trends. 2025 UK Leverage Trading Report

 

The report reveals that trader satisfaction is at a seven-year high, as platforms respond to rising expectations. A wave of innovations, such as dynamic charting tools, after-hours trading and personalised support, has elevated perceptions of value across the industry. The market is consolidating at the top, with a handful of providers capturing a growing share of trader relationships by delivering on usability, decision support, and product flexibility.

Traders are no longer judging value purely on cost,” said Vignati. “They’re rewarding platforms that innovate, those that empower sharper decisions through better tools, seamless experiences and features tailored to how they actually trade.”

The report also highlights that one in four UK traders now use AI tools, primarily for market analysis and education. These users report increased trading frequency and higher confidence, suggesting AI is already influencing how traders prepare and make decisions in volatile conditions.

AI is becoming embedded in how traders plan, analyse and execute,” said Vignati. “Its real impact is in helping traders stay active and decisive when markets are most complex.”

About the report

The results are drawn from the Investment Trends 2025 UK Leverage Trading Report, based on a quantitative online survey of 10,927 traders and investors conducted by Investment Trends between April and May 2025.

About Investment Trends

Investment Trends is the leading researcher in the retail trading and investing industry across the globe. We combine our analytical rigour and strategic thinking with the most advanced research and statistical techniques to help our clients gain a competitive advantage.

We have over 20 years of experience in researching the global trading and wealth management markets from which we provide new insights and decision-making support to over 130 leading financial service businesses globally. Investment Trends’ clients include global banking organisations, financial advice providers, fund managers, super funds, investment platform providers, all major online brokers and CFD providers as well as industry regulators and industry associations.

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