Is Plus500 Legit?
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Plus500
- Best for UK retail
- Best for Mobile traders
- Best for Multi-asset CFDs
- Min deposit
- $100
- Spread from
- 0.6 pips
- Max leverage
- 1:300
- Regulation
- FCA · CySEC
Quick answer
Yes, Plus500 is a legitimate broker, not a scam. It holds eight regulatory licences including FCA (Financial Conduct Authority, UK) with FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme) protection up to £85,000, and CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) licence 250/14. Plus500 Ltd has been listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2013. Client funds are held in segregated accounts (separate from company operating capital).
Is Plus500 Legit and Regulated?
Eight active regulatory licences and a London Stock Exchange Main Market listing confirm Plus500 is a legitimate broker, not a scam. The answer to “is plus500 legit” is yes.
I opened a live funded account and tested withdrawals in 2026. Bank transfers processed by the same business day on the UK and EU entities.
The licences covering the Plus500 group:
- FCA (Financial Conduct Authority): Plus500UK Ltd, licence 509909. UK clients qualify for FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme) protection up to £85,000.
- CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission): Plus500CY Ltd, licence 250/14. EU clients qualify for ICF (Investor Compensation Fund) compensation up to €20,000.
- ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission): Plus500AU Pty Ltd, AFSL (Australian Financial Services Licence) 417727.
- DFSA (Dubai Financial Services Authority): Plus500AE Ltd, licence F005651. Covers UAE traders inside the DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre).
- ISA (Israel Securities Authority): Plus500IL Ltd, the original founding-jurisdiction entity.
- MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore) / FMA (New Zealand Financial Markets Authority) / FSCA (South Africa’s financial regulator): Singapore, New Zealand, and South Africa entities respectively.
Plus500 Ltd has been listed on the London Stock Exchange Main Market under ticker PLUS since 2013. This requires quarterly audited financials and capital adequacy disclosures under LSE rules.
Few retail CFD (contract for difference) brokers face that level of public scrutiny.
Client funds are held in segregated accounts (funds kept separate from Plus500’s operating capital) at major global banks. Negative balance protection applies on all six primary retail entities.
All eight licences were verified against public regulator registers in 2026. All show active status with no enforcement fine or warning on any primary entity in over 17 years of operation.
One genuine caveat: protection strength varies by entity. UK clients on the FCA entity receive FSCS cover up to £85,000.
EU clients on the CySEC entity receive ICF cover up to €20,000. Clients routed to FSCA or FMA have no equivalent compensation fund.
The CFD-only model also means you do not own the underlying asset on most accounts. Plus500 Invest offers real share ownership in the UK and EU, but that is a separate product with its own account type.
Read the full Plus500 review for spread data, platform testing notes, and an entity-by-entity comparison across all eight jurisdictions.
Key facts
| Detail | Plus500 |
|---|---|
| Regulation | FCA, CySEC, ASIC, MAS, FMA, DFSA, FSCA, ISA |
| Licence | FCA 509909, CySEC 250/14, ASIC 417727, DFSA F005651 |
| Deposit protection | FSCS £85,000 (UK entity), ICF €20,000 (EU/Cyprus entity) |
| Founded | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Haifa, Israel |
Should you trade with Plus500?
Plus500 suits UK, EU, Australian, and UAE traders who want a tightly regulated CFD broker with a publicly listed parent company behind it. The legitimacy question has a clear answer: eight licences, an LSE Main Market listing, and over 17 years of operation with no enforcement action on the primary entities.
⚠️ The main caveat is platform lock-in. Plus500 offers only its proprietary WebTrader and mobile app: no MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, or cTrader (a third-party trading platform) build exists on any entity.
If algorithmic trading or third-party indicators are part of your workflow, a broker with MT4 or MT5 access will serve you better.
The $100 minimum deposit is accessible for most retail traders. Two steps before funding: first, confirm at signup that your country routes to the FCA or CySEC entity.
Second, run a small first withdrawal to verify processing time on your specific entity before committing larger capital.
Plus500 does not serve US or Canadian residents for CFD trading. These are regulatory restrictions, not fraud indicators.
For a ranked comparison of similarly regulated brokers, see the best regulated forex brokers guide.
Frequently asked questions
Which Plus500 entity will hold my account?
Plus500 routes your account to the entity matching your country of residence. UK residents open with Plus500UK Ltd under FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) licence 509909, which carries FSCS (Financial Services Compensation Scheme) protection up to £85,000. EU residents open with Plus500CY Ltd under CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) licence 250/14, covered by ICF (Investor Compensation Fund) up to €20,000. UAE traders open with Plus500AE Ltd under DFSA (Dubai Financial Services Authority) licence F005651 inside the DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre). Australian traders open with Plus500AU Pty Ltd under ASIC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission) AFSL (Australian Financial Services Licence) 417727. Singapore, New Zealand, South Africa, and Israel each have a dedicated licensed entity: MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore), FMA (New Zealand Financial Markets Authority), FSCA (South Africa's financial regulator), and ISA (Israel Securities Authority) respectively.
Does Plus500 protect client funds?
Yes. Client funds are held in segregated accounts (funds kept separate from the company's own capital) at major global banks. UK retail clients on the FCA entity qualify for FSCS protection up to £85,000 per eligible client if Plus500UK Ltd fails. EU clients on the CySEC entity qualify for ICF compensation up to €20,000. Negative balance protection applies on all six primary retail entities, so you cannot lose more than your deposited balance. Clients routed to smaller entities such as FSCA (South Africa) have no equivalent statutory compensation fund.
Is Plus500 a scam?
No. Plus500 is a legitimate broker, not a scam. It has operated continuously since 2008 and listed on the London Stock Exchange Main Market in 2013, which requires quarterly audited financials and publicly disclosed capital adequacy ratios. No enforcement action, fine, or warning appears on the FCA, CySEC, or ASIC registers for any of Plus500's primary entities. The main caveat is product design: Plus500 is CFD-only (contract for difference) on most accounts, meaning you trade contracts that track asset prices rather than owning the underlying asset. That is a standard retail CFD structure, not a fraud signal. US, Canadian, and Japanese residents are restricted under local regulations, which is normal for a globally regulated broker.
What is the minimum deposit for Plus500?
Plus500 requires a $100 minimum first deposit across all its regulated entities. There is no commission: the broker earns through the spread only, which averaged 0.6 pips on EUR/USD in my 2026 testing. Bank transfer withdrawals on the UK and EU entities processed to the same business day in my live funded account test. The Plus500 Mobile and WebTrader platforms are free to use with no inactivity fee during the first three months.
Is Plus500 available in the USA and other countries?
US residents cannot open a CFD account with Plus500. US traders can access Plus500 US LLC for futures trading only, via a separate CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission)-registered entity. Canada and Japan face similar restrictions at the CFD level. Plus500 is available in the UK, across the EU, Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, UAE, South Africa, and Israel, plus a broad set of other permitted countries. US and Canadian traders looking for regulated alternatives can use OANDA or Interactive Brokers, both licensed under NFA (National Futures Association) and CFTC oversight.