SECTION ONE: What are the new Margin Requirements?

What are the new margin requirements?

Please see the FXCM LTD Margin Requirements Table below.

When will the new margin requirements take effect?

The new margin requirements take effect at trading open on Sunday November 22nd.

Why is FXCM changing the way margin requirements are set?

At FXCM we strongly believe that utilizing high levels of leverage can be very dangerous and not in the best interest of our traders. We have often seen a few losing trades offset many winning trades.

FXCM's experience in Hong Kong, where significantly lower leverage levels (higher margins) are mandated by law, suggests that trading with lower leverage may assist clients in trading more successfully over an extended time period. The new margin requirements we have put in place are intended to reduce risk by restricting traders from using excessive leverage.

Will my account be affected by this change?

All accounts held with Forex Capital Markets Ltd (FXCM UK) will be affected by the new margin requirements.

  • All positions and orders established after November 22nd will be subject to the new margin requirements.
  • Additionally, open trades and active orders initiated prior to November 22nd will also be subject to the new margin requirements.

SECTION TWO: FXCM LTD margin requirements table

Learn More
by watching our
Margin Change Video Read More
frequently asked questions
at our Margin Change forum

The table below shows Forex Capital Markets LTD (FXCM UK) current and new margin requirements. Make sure to select the appropriate account type, as margin requirements will differ depending on your account's currency denomination.

If you are not sure what entity you are trading with, simply run a combined account statement report via the FX Trading Station or on MyFXCM.com. The entity and address will appear on the footer of the statement.

Standard Account

Currency Pair (Majors) Current USD Margin New USD Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $100
$100
$80
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$100
$90
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$150 $100 $100
$50
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
$50 $50
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
$50 $50 $100
$100
$50
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
$100 $50  
$50
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
$50 $100 $100
$60
NOK/JPY
$100
$50
SEK/JPY
$100
$50
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
$400 $100 $100
$50 $500 $50
$400 $250 $100
$400 $50 $200
$200 $200 $200
$200 $200 $50

* CURRENT USD MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LTD 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 0.5%, your NEW USD MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of $10 for USD denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current EUR Margin New EUR Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
€50 €50 €50
€50 €50 €50
€50 €50 €100
€100
€50
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
€50 €50 €50
€50 €50 €50
€100
€60
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
€50 €50 €50
€150 €100 €100
€40
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
€50 €40
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
€50 €50 €100
€100
€40
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
€100 €50  
€40
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
€50 €100 €100
€40
NOK/JPY
€100
€40
SEK/JPY
€100
€40
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
€400 €100 €100
€50 €500 €50
€400 €250 €100
€300 €1,250 €200
€150 €150 €150
€150 €150 €1,250

* CURRENT EUR MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LTD 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 0.5%, your NEW EUR MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of €10 for EUR denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current GBP Margin New GBP Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
£50 £50 £50
£50 £50 £50
£50 £50 £100
£100
£50
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
£50 £50 £50
£50 £50 £50
£100
£50
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
£50 £50 £50
£150 £100 £100
£40
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
£50 £40
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
£50 £50 £100
£100
£40
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
£100 £50  
£40
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
£50 £100 £100
£40
NOK/JPY
£100
£250
SEK/JPY
£100
£250
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
£400 £100 £100
£50 £500 £50
£400 £250 £100
£250 £1,250 £250
£150 £150 £150
£150 £150 £1,250

* CURRENT GBP MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LTD 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 0.5%, your NEW GBP MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of £10 for GBP denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current CAD Margin New CAD Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $100
$100
$85
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$100
$95
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$150 $100 $100
$60
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
$50 $50
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
$50 $50 $100
$100
$50
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
$100 $50  
$50
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
$50 $100 $100
$60
NOK/JPY
$100
$50
SEK/JPY
$100
$50
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
$400 $100 $100
$50 $500 $50
$400 $250 $100
$350 $50 $250
$250 $250 $250
$250 $250 $50

* CURRENT CAD MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LTD 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 0.5%, your NEW CAD MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of $10 for CAD denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current JPY Margin New JPY Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD
¥10,000 ¥7,500
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD
¥10,000 ¥8,000
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
¥10,000 ¥5,000
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
¥10,000 ¥5,000
NZD/USD NZD/JPY  
¥10,000 ¥5,000
CAD/CHF
¥10,000 ¥5,000
CHF/JPY
¥10,000 ¥5,000
USD/ZAR EUR/TRY USD/TRY
¥10,000
¥20,000 ¥40,000 ¥20,000

* CURRENT JPY MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LTD 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 1% MARGIN.
** NEW JPY MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LTD 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN (default setting for new accounts).

If your margin requirement is above 0.5%, your NEW JPY MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of ¥1,000 for JPY denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current AUD Margin New AUD Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $100
$100
$95
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$100
$105
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$150 $100 $100
$65
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
$50 $50
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
$50 $50 $100
$100
$50
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
$100 $50  
$65
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
$50 $100 $100
$65
NOK/JPY
$100
$450
SEK/JPY
$100
$450
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
$400 $100 $100
$50 $500 $50
$400 $250 $100
$450 $2,000 $450
$300 $300 $300
$300 $300 $2,000

* CURRENT AUD MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LTD 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 0.5%, your NEW AUD MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of $10 for AUD denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current NZD Margin New NZD Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $100
$100
$110
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$100
$125
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$150 $100 $100
$75
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
$50 $75
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
$50 $50 $100
$100
$50
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
$100 $50  
$75
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
$50 $100 $100
$75
NOK/JPY
$100
$500
SEK/JPY
$100
$500
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
$400 $100 $100
$50 $500 $50
$400 $250 $100
$500 $2,250 $500
$300 $300 $300
$300 $300 $2,250

* CURRENT NZD MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LTD 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 0.5%, your NEW NZD MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of $10 for NZD denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

SECTION THREE: Calculating Your New Margin

Will my positions be margined out?

We recommend WATCHING THIS VIDEO
or following the steps below to find out if your positions will be margined out when the new margin levels take effect.

Step One

  • Login to the trading station. Then consult the open positions window to view your live trade details.

Open Positions Window

Step Two

  • On a piece of paper, write down the trade details for each trade you currently have open
    Include the currency pair and the trade size, like this: EUR/USD 10,000 (10,000 = 1 lot)
  • Next, write down the NEW margin requirement for each trade
    For example, EUR/USD     10,000     $80
  • Next, multiply the NEW margin requirement by the number of lots traded
    For example, $80 X 1 lot = $80
  • Finally, add up all of the new margin levels that you just calculated. This number is your NEW used margin (USD MR).
  • Subtracting your New used margin from your equity will give you your usable margin (USBL MR).

*Remember, when your usable margin (USBL MR) drops below zero your live trades will be liquidated.

CURRENCY PAIR LOTS TRADED
(10K PER LOT)		 CURRENT
USD MARGIN		 NEW
USD MARGIN		 TOTAL NEW
USD MARGIN
USD/ZAR 1 $250 $200 $200
GBP/JPY 1 $50 $85 + $85
NZD/JPY 1 $50 $50 + $50
EUR/CHF 1 $50 $80 + $80
EUR/USD 1 $50 $80 + $80
HYPOTHETICAL NEW MARGIN REQUIREMENT TO AVOID LIQUIDATION = $495

DEPOSITING ADDITIONAL FUNDS

It might be necessary to add additional funds to your trading account to avoid the possible liquidation of live positions before November 22nd. After using the method outlined above to determine your Total New USD Margin, if your current usable margin (USBL MR) is less than the amount you calculated above, we recommend that you add additional funds to your account.

CLICK HERE to deposit additional funds into your forex trading account.

Without proper risk management, currency trading has a high degree of leverage which can lead to large losses as well as gains.