Leading online broker Capital.com has released an interesting study, showing that UK traders are emerging as the most financially disciplined, risk-aware, and profitable cohort globally, outperforming their peers in Europe and Middle East North Africa (MENA). According to Capital.com’s internal data, UK traders have the highest share of profitable accounts, the largest average deposits, and are nearly three times less likely to face a margin call.

The findings are based on trading activity between May 2023 and May 2025, and highlight what Capital.com termed a maturing UK retail trading landscape. UK clients are defined (in aggregate) by older, wealthier traders, who are also more diversified, with greater exposure to multiple markets, according to figures from the high-growth global trading platform and fintech group whose trading volumes surpassed USD $1.5 trillion in the first half of 2024.

Key findings of Capital.com’s study

• Risk management excellence: UK traders use stop-loss tools in nearly 25% of trades, about 1.6x higher than in MENA (15.6%).
• UK retail traders are also ~3× less likely to hit margin calls than MENA peers with only 1.7% of UK trades forcibly closed from margin calls, much lower than 5.4% in MENA.
• UK retail traders show the highest share of profitable accounts globally. Nearly 29% of UK clients end with a positive realised P&L, the highest share among regions (vs 27% Europe, 15% MENA).
• Financial firepower: UK clients have the highest average deposit size globally at $18,913, and the highest median deposit at $1,526, indicating more consistent funding levels compared to traders in MENA and Europe with  median deposit levels of $550 and $559, respectively.
• Market diversification improves with age: 79% of Zoomers trade 2 or more markets, compared with 83% of boomers who trade 2+ markets.
• While boomers make up just 5% of the UK cohort, they have the highest share of profitable trades (63% of trades opened by boomers closed with profit).
• Tech-focused strategy: Across all age groups, US Tech 100 is the most traded market, reflecting a strong appetite for growth and innovation-led equities.
• Education drives returns: UK traders who engage with educational and news content have 60% profitable positions vs. 45% for non-readers.
• Yet, only 0.6% of users read 10 or more news items, highlighting the impact of research and information on trading successfully.
• Geographic spread: While London accounts for 34% of UK clients, significant trading activity is also seen in the South East (11.7%), North West (9.9%), and West Midlands (9.0%). This regional distribution highlights that, while London remains the epicentre of UK trading, the UK as a whole continues to be a leading global centre for financial traders, supported by high trading volumes, sophisticated clients, and a robust financial ecosystem.

The data also reveals that UK traders have a larger share of ‘whale’ traders compared to Europe. The share of UK traders depositing $1 million is 0.16% vs Europe’s 0.03%. But MENA leads on this front with 0.31% of MENA clients making a single deposit of $1 million.

Rupert Osborne, CEO, Capital.com UK, said,

“Our data shows that – UK traders are striking an excellent balance between risk and discipline. Nearly one in four trades by UK clients are protected with a stop loss, and this figure climbs to over 66% among the oldest cohort, underlining a strong culture of risk management. We also see clear evidence that information is key to better trading: UK traders who regularly engage with our news and insights achieve a 60% profitable position rate, which is 15 percentage points higher than those who do not.

“What sets UK traders apart is their maturity and approach to diversification. Older clients in particular are more likely to trade multiple markets – over 83% of Boomers do so, and they consistently maintain the highest average deposits, reflecting both financial firepower and a thoughtful, strategic outlook. These behaviours, combined with a strong uptake of educational resources and risk controls, validate the UK’s long-standing reputation as one of the world’s most sophisticated and responsible trading communities.”

About Capital.com

Capital.com is a high-growth fintech company empowering people to participate in financial markets through simple and innovative online trading platforms. Launched in 2016, its intuitive award-winning platform —available on web and app —enables investors to trade thousands of world-renowned markets. To help investors trade with confidence, the platform is fitted with robust risk management controls, transparent pricing and extensive educational content to support clients in their trading journeys.

Capital.com is one of the fastest-growing trading platforms in the sector with client trading volumes exceeding $1 trillion. In 2024, the company was recognised as the fastest growing tech-enabled platform in the Middle East and Cyprus for the third-straight year by Deloitte Technology’s Fast 50 programme.

Capital.com has a global network with offices located in leading business and financial centres including London, Dubai, Warsaw, Nassau, Sofia, Limassol, and Melbourne. The group is licensed in multiple jurisdictions around the globe.