CFD broker FP Markets has joined a widening round of redundancies across the retail brokerage industry. Speaking to Finance Magnates, Christina Koro, the broker’s Group Head of HR & People Culture, confirmed the layoffs have affected “less than 7% of our global workforce.”
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The cuts, she said, form part of a broader organisational review.
“As with any evolving organisation, some roles change in nature or are consolidated,” Koro noted, adding that “we are continuing to expand into new markets, investing in technology and hiring in areas aligned with our strategic priorities.”
As of mid-2025, the Australian-based broker employed more than 300 staff globally, including over 100 in Cyprus.
The restructuring follows a period of internal and regulatory developments.
In March 2026, the company’s Chief Technology Officer, Alexander Strelnikov, stepped down. Earlier this year, FP Markets also settled a €100,000 fine with the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) over possible CFD compliance breaches.
The Layoff Trend
Recently, Finance Magnates reported that IronFX had laid off 10% of its 1,500-strong global workforce. Sources attributed the move to “efficiency” gains linked to the rise of AI.
Elsewhere, eToro has cut roughly 10% of its staff this year, while FXCM, operator of the Tradu platform, shed more than 100 roles last year. The CEOs at both companies have pointed to Generative AI as a key driver of restructuring.
It is unclear whether Generative AI played any role in FP Markets’ organisational review.
Nonetheless, the broader direction is harder to miss. Retail brokerage, like many other sectors, appears increasingly drawn to the promise of Generative AI.
Yet, whether AI is the true catalyst remains open to debate. Automation may deliver efficiencies, but it also offers a useful gloss: job cuts once attributed to margin pressure or performance can now be reframed as part of a technological pivot – one that investors are often inclined to reward.
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Regulators, for their part, are beginning to test these claims.
In 2026, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ordered BeAccount Ltd to cease operations and return client funds after its automated screening tools failed to flag basic risks that manual checks would likely have caught.
Although the firm operated in payments, the compliance expectations, particularly around anti-money-laundering controls, are broadly comparable across regulated financial services, including CFD brokers.
For now, much remains unresolved. The extent to which Generative AI will deliver meaningful efficiencies or withstand regulatory scrutiny is still being tested.
Until then, the durability of AI-linked layoffs is far from assured.
