Weekly Edition: FTMO Buys OANDA, MetaTrader Raises Fees, and More

FTMO Acquires OANDA

We're in the second month of 2025, and the FX landscape is already undergoing a seismic shift. Proprietary trading powerhouse FTMO acquired retail brokerage giant OANDA, a rare move in an industry where such acquisitions are far from the norm.

Since 1996, OANDA has been considered one of the leaders and pioneers in online trading, including CFDs. In 2018, it was acquired by CVC Capital Partners, a fund managing nearly $200 billion.

What was once one of the top three brokerage firms worldwide was reportedly weakened by the fund’s management. Coupled with rising competition, this resulted in the firm’s gradual decline. Industry experts now view the takeover as a sign of broader developments ahead as the emerging prop trading space continues to evolve.

Last year, reports emerged that OANDA was a potential acquisition target. The firm, a prominent brand in the forex and contracts for differences (CFDs) brokerage space, was put up for sale by its owner, CVC Capital Partners, an Amsterdam-listed buyout firm. It offered trading services in foreign exchange, equities, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.

Interestingly, FTMO had substantial cash before the acquisition. At the end of 2023, the prop trading giant reportedly had over CZK 1.94 billion (over USD 81.5 million) in cash, an increase of about 275 percent compared to the previous year. Earlier, Finance Magnates reported that the prop trading giant generated almost CZK 5 billion (over $213 million) in revenue in 2023, a 20 percent increase.

MetaTrader Increases Fees

Away from acquisitions, MetaQuotes Software, the dominant provider of trading platform technology, implemented a significant price increase for its flagship MetaTrader products, affecting brokers worldwide. Industry sources confirmed to Finance Magnates that the increase ranged between 20% and 25%, translating into additional thousands of dollars in monthly expenditures in the increasingly competitive contracts for differences (CFD) industry.

Notably, the company's 20–25% price hike, effective January 1, pushes the monthly cost for a comprehensive MetaTrader package to approximately more than $50,000 for brokers using both MT4 and MT5 platforms, Finance Magnates RU learned. MetaQuotes justified the increase in a client memo, citing rising operational costs and investments in service quality.

CFI Posts Record $1.12 Trillion Trading Volume

In financial news, CFI Financial Group reported its highest-ever quarterly trading volume of $1.12 trillion, up from $1.03 trillion in the third quarter, as the online trading provider expanded its geographic footprint.

According to figures released this week, the Dubai-based company's second-half volume reached $2.15 trillion, a jump of more than 140% compared to the same period a year earlier. CFI also reported a 27% quarter-over-quarter increase in active clients and a 39% rise in client deposits during Q4.

NAGA Achieves Cash Break-Even

The NAGA Group AG, the provider of the all-in-one financial SuperApp NAGA, reported preliminary figures for the financial year 2024, aligning with its expectations. The company focused on completing the complex reverse merger between the former CAPEX Group and The Naga Group.

The merger was finalized in August 2024, marking the start of the integration process. This included migrating customers to a single technology platform and optimizing human resources.

“Traders Gravitate Towards Established Names, We Must Build Trust”: Ultima Markets’ Yiu

Meanwhile, Finance Magnates recently talked to Ernest Yiu, Vice President of Marketing at Ultima Markets, about the broker's plans and challenges. “One of the biggest challenges we faced as a new brand was building trust and recognition in a competitive market,” Ernest Yiu told Finance Magnates.

“Traders often gravitate towards established names out of habit, which means we had to work harder to prove our reliability, transparency, and commitment to providing exceptional service,” he added.

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Watch full video here: https://t.co/kG2nWHCy40#UNGlobalCompact #Sustainability #CorporateResponsibility pic.twitter.com/MWrtlWJV7K

— Ultima Markets (@UltimaMarkets) December 17, 2024

Binary Options Reappear in Israel

The Israel Securities Authority, which oversees the country’s financial market, has issued a public warning against a binary options trading platform, Pocket Option, which targets traders in the country.

Pocket Option’s website shows that it is operated by an entity registered in Costa Rica. It also states that it “does not provide service to residents of the EEA countries, USA, Israel, UK and Japan.” Binary options are derivatives that allow traders to speculate on whether the value of the underlying asset will go up or down within a specified time frame, ranging from a few seconds to several days.

CFTC Targets Crypto.com for Super Bowl Trades

Miles away, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission launched an investigation into Super Bowl-related event contracts offered by Crypto.com and Kalshi, questioning their compliance with derivatives regulations as the market for sports-based trading products expands rapidly.

This development forced Robinhood to suspend offering Super Bowl event contracts only a day after listing them, reportedly at the request of the commodities regulator. The CFTC's investigation centers on whether these sports-focused event contracts qualify as gaming under existing regulations

Fintech firms spent big on Super Bowl ads in 2024, and this year, the Eagles’ Saquon Barkley backs Ramp in a strategic play for the future.

The Super Bowl isn't just a battle of football titans, in this case the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s a high-stakes advertising showdown where brands fight for visibility, influence, and cultural cachet. This year, fintech unicorn Papaya Global is entering the arena, making a bold statement with its debut Super Bowl ad.

Goodbye to Cheap Online Shopping—Trump Closes de Minimis Loophole

Lastly, in the global political scene, Trump shut down the de minimis exemption, a loophole that enabled the duty-free import of low-cost goods, driving up prices and causing delays for online shoppers. Once upon a time, online shoppers in the US reveled in the de minimis exemption—a delightful loophole allowing packages valued under $800 to skip into the U.S. without paying tariffs and be shipped directly to the customer.

This nifty rule lets retailers like Shein and Temu flood American doorsteps with affordable goodies straight from China.The loophole was originally meant to ease the burden on customs processing and allow small-scale transactions to pass through smoothly, but as e-commerce exploded, it became a massive channel for low-cost imports.