About Plus500

Written by
Fact checked by
Adam N.
Updated
Nov 2023

Plus500 is a global CFD broker established in Israel in 2008. The brokerage, listed on the London Stock Exchange under the PLUS ticker, is regulated by several top-tier authorities globally and accepts clients from many countries around the world. Some notable exceptions include residents of the US and Canada as well as clients from Cuba, Iran and Syria.

Disclaimer: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 82% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. The company and its environment:
    History , Owners , Competitors

  2. Our analysis and guides on Plus500:
    Review 2022

  3. Services offered:
    CFD trading , Stock trading

  4. Legal background:
    Countries served , Legal entities , Regulation , FAQ

Visit Plus500
82% of retail CFD accounts lose money

History

 

Plus500 was founded in 2008 by six alumni of Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology. The company uses its own platform, which was initially based on Window OS and starting from the 2010 it gradually developed the interface to allow ever wider ranges of users to access it. Today it operates as a global multi-asset fintech group offering proprietary technology-based trading platforms.

The company went public in 2018 and its shares were listed on the London Stock Exchange under the PLUS symbol; it is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index of mid-cap companies.

As of 2020, the broker had more than 430,000 active customers on the Plus500 CFDs platform. 

As part of the company’s global expansion, Plus500 acquired Cunningham Commodities LLC. and Cunningham Trading Systems LLC, a technology trading platform provider that operates in the futures market in the US, in 2021. The same year, Plus500 named Jacob Frenkel, former Chairman of J.P. Morgan Chase International and former governor of the Bank of Israel as its new Chairman.

Back to top

 

Owners

 

Plus500 is listed on the London Stock Exchange, its largest shareholders include Odey Asset Management LLP, Schroder Investment Management Ltd., Invesco Asset Management Ltd. and Acadian Asset Management LLC.  The largest shareholder is Odey Asset Management LLP with a stake of 9.48%. 

 Back to top

 

Competitors

 

Plus500 is recommended for experienced CFD traders looking for an innovative trading platform and a great user experience. We chose its closest competitors along criteria relevant for this client group. 

  • ActivTrades is recommended for forex and CFD traders looking for low fees and great deposit/withdrawal conditions
  • Spreadex is recommended for spread, forex and CFD traders looking for low fees and great deposit/withdrawal options
  • FXPro is recommended for forex and CFD traders looking for a broker with great account opening and familiar with the MetaTrader platforms
  • City Index is recommended for forex and cfd traders looking for low forex fees and great research tools

Back to top

 

Services offered

CFD trading 

Plus500 is primarily a CFD broker, its clients can trade CFDs for a range of underlying assets, including forex, stock index, stock, ETF, commodity and crypto.

82% of retail CFD accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

The product portfolio includes over 2,500 financial instruments. 

Stock trading

Plus500 added real stocks to its product portfolio so its clients can trade more than 1,800 of the world’s most popular stocks and the latest IPOs. If you want to trade real stocks at Plus500, you will need to open an Invest trading account.  

Back to top

 

Countries served

 

Plus500 accepts clients from more than 50 countries and it operates separate entities for major geographical areas.

Country of clients Protection Amount Regulator Legal entity
EEA countries
(EU, Norway, Switzerland)
€20,000 Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) Plus500CY Ltd
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa No protection Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) Plus500AU Pty Ltd.
UK

£85,000

Financial Conduct Authority Plus500UK Ltd
Singapore No protection Monetary Authority of Singapore Plus500SG Pte Ltd
Israel No protection Israel Securities Authority Plus500IL Ltd
All other clients No protection Seychelles Financial Services Authority Plus500SEY Ltd

Back to top

 

Legal entities

 

The Plus500 trading platform and the financial products offered on the broker’s website are provided by Plus500CY Ltd, a Cyprus based company headquartered in Limassol. 

Plus500 is a trademark of Plus500 Ltd. Plus500 Ltd operates through the following subsidiaries:

Plus500CY Ltd - serves EEA clients. The entity is authorized and regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (License No. 250/14). Plus500CY is the issuer and seller of the financial products described or available on the broker's website.

Plus500UK Ltd - serves UK clients. The entity is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 509909).

Plus500AU Pty Ltd  - established for clients from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It holds the following licenses: AFSL #417727 issued by ASIC, FSP No. 486026 issued by the FMA in New Zealand and Authorized Financial Services Provider #47546 issued by the FSCA in South Africa.

Plus500IL Ltd - serves clients from Israel. The entity is registered in Israel and licensed to operate a trading platform by the Israel Securities Authority. 

Plus500SG Pte Ltd - serves clients from Singapore. It holds a capital markets services license from the Monetary Authority of Singapore for dealing in capital markets products (License No. CMS100648-1).

Plus500SEY Ltd - serves international clients not included in the above categories. The entity is authorized and regulated by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority (License No. SD039).

Back to top

 

Regulation

 

Plus500 it is regulated by several financial authorities:

  • the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC)
  • the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)
  • the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)
  • the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) of New Zealand
  • the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) of South Africa
  • the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)
  • the Israel Securities Authority (ISA) 
  • the Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA).

 

Back to top

 

FAQ

 

We collected the frequently asked questions in the Plus500 review for your convenience.

->Back to Plus500 review

Further reading:

Got questions?
Engage with our growing community of traders and investors like you to find your answers.
Join now

Author of this article

Edith Balázs

Fiscal Fables Storyteller | Forex • Safety • Financial Journalism

I bring 20+ years of experience as a correspondent having worked for Bloomberg, Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal covering macroeconomics, stock, currency and fixed-income markets. I hold a Master's degree in American Studies and Journalism.

Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology.

Follow us

Regional settings

×
I'd like to trade with...