FCA complaints data: FX/CFD complaints rise 53% in UK, outpacing wider investment sector

FCA complaints data show that complaints against UK forex, CFD and spread betting firms more than doubled in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. The 53.5% rise in FX/CFD complaints came as total complaints across the financial sector reached 1.88 million, up 6.3%.

Investment product complaints rose 25.2% from the second half of 2025 to nearly 68,000 in H1 2026. Individual Savings Account (ISA) complaints remained the largest category in absolute terms, with over 23,500 complaints, 28.7% more than in the previous reporting period.

CFD and forex firms received 2,043 complaints over the same period. Investment platforms saw complaints increase 45.6%, from 8,845 to 12,874.

FCA complaints: Firm-level complaint rates vary

Among selected retail brokers and investment platforms, Trading 212 UK received the largest number of investment complaints, but its complaint rate relative to the number of accounts was 0.56, the lowest in the group. Interactive Brokers UK received fewer investment complaints but reported 3.23 complaints per 1,000 investment accounts.

The FCA contextual measure uses the number of relevant investment accounts reported by each firm at the end of its reporting period, regardless of trading activity. The upheld rate, which shows the proportion of closed complaints accepted as fully or partly justified, ranged from 2.3% at eToro UK and 6.7% at Trading 212 UK to 41.4% at Freetrade and 50.7% at IG Index.

Firm-level breakdowns are available for companies that had 500 or more complaints in a six-month reporting period or 1,000 or more complaints in a year. The FCA defines a complaint as an expression of dissatisfaction about a financial product or service provided by a regulated firm from retail customers, professional clients and other eligible complainants.