Building on last year's momentum, the CFD industry has reached record heights in early 2026. While trading volumes and user numbers are hitting unprecedented levels, the competitive balance between the major trading platforms remains remarkably unchanged.
Monthly retail trading volumes surged to $33.6 trillion in Q1 2026, up from $29.8 trillion the previous quarter. This represents a massive leap from the same period in 2024, when volumes averaged only $18.2 trillion.
The global trader community is also reaching new peaks, with more than 7.4 million active retail FX/CFD accounts now recorded outside of Japan. This steady influx of new participants continues to drive the sector’s record-breaking expansion.
Volumes Grow While Platforms Remain Still
Data provided to Finance Magnates Intelligence by brokers shows that there is still a significant gap between the popularity of MetaQuotes platforms and all other solutions combined. Q1 2026 metrics indicate that only 16% of retail trading volume was generated on platforms outside the MetaQuotes ecosystem.
What is even more interesting is that this figure remains well below its historical peak. The highest share recorded for non-MetaQuotes platforms came in Q1 2025, when the “Other” category accounted for 27% of total retail trading volume, close to one-third of the market.
This does not necessarily mean that alternative platforms are failing to attract new clients or gain market share. Rather, they appear to be growing more slowly than MT5 and, in some periods, even more slowly than MT4.
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The Potential Decline of MetaTrader 4
At the same time, market dynamics remain open. As the chart illustrates, while the share of “Other” platforms has remained relatively stable, MT4’s share has been declining rapidly over the past year.
If this pace continues, the “Other” category could surpass MT4’s market share as early as this year. That would represent another milestone for the industry and could mark the moment when both brokers and traders finally begin moving away from the MT4 label altogether.
The full analysis of FX/CFD trading platforms is available on the FM Intelligence Portal.
