Futures trading can be a highly useful strategy for speculating on the future performance of assets or even hedging your investments.
Of course, you’ll need an account with a UK futures broker to access these contracts. So, read my guide to discover the best futures brokers UK, and how to trade futures.
Also consider: Best Forex Trading Apps
Below are five of my top picks of the best futures brokers available in the UK alongside a snapshot of their main features and benefits.
5 of the best futures brokers September 2025
AvaFutures is our favourite futures broker that stands out for its comprehensive offering and robust platform. With 17 years of experience and over 40 awards, it is one of the most trusted names in the industry. AvaFutures is regulated by nine international bodies, ensuring a high level of security and trust. The platform features MT5, known for advanced charting and automated trading capabilities. Users benefit from zero hidden fees, quick deposits and withdrawals, and free Level 2 data.
AvaFutures also provides extensive educational resources, making it suitable for both novice and experienced traders. Their customer service is highly praised for its efficiency and helpfulness.
Overall, AvaFutures is an excellent choice for traders seeking a reliable and feature-rich trading platform.
Features and benefits
- Free transactions and no inactivity fees
- Free Level 2 Data
- Trade futures on the MT5 platform
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
CMC Markets is one of the best futures brokers available in the UK. Trades can be made through Next Generation, the broker’s online trading platform, featuring pioneering technology that offers you price alerts, stop-loss orders, and 100% automated execution of trades.
Using this platform, you can access a wide range of financial markets and assets, predominantly through commodity and indices futures.
With CMC Markets, you can place spread bets or trade CFDs on their version of futures, known as “forward contracts”. These differ from futures in that they are traded “over the counter” (OTC) rather than on an exchange. As a result, these are essentially an underlying form of futures.
The benefit of trading forwards rather than futures directly is that they can often be customised at a point during the contract, allowing you to react to market changes. You usually can’t do this with futures contracts, which are typically locked in at the agreed price.
Features and benefits
- Use spread bets and CFDs to trade “forward contracts”
- 100% automated execution of your trades
- Trade futures on many commodities and indices
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when spread betting and/or trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
One of the best online trading platforms available, FxPro offers access to futures contracts through CFDs.
This broker claims to offer deep liquidity and fast execution, boasting that most orders are completed in a remarkable 14 milliseconds.
FxPro also has an excellent customer service offering, providing 24/7 support in more than 17 languages.
You can use one of four different trading platforms with FxPro:
- FxPro Platform
- FxPro MetaTrader 4
- FxPro MetaTrader 5
- FxPro cTrader.
This wide range of options makes it likely that you’ll find a suitable platform for your needs.
Another great benefit of using FxPro is that the broker offers access to a demo account. That means you can learn about trading by doing it yourself, using virtual money so that your cash isn’t at risk in the market when you do.
They also have a range of educational materials, meaning that this can be a handy platform for beginners.
Features and benefits
- Access futures contracts through CFDs
- Deep liquidity and execution in just 14 milliseconds
- Wide range of educational materials and 24/7 customer support
Capital at risk.
IG is a reliable broker in the UK, providing direct access to a range of financial markets, including over 80 indices for index futures – more than any other provider – as well as commodity and bond futures.
Thanks to IG’s large client base, the broker claims that trading futures with them offers deep internal liquidity, ensuring the best execution even when contracts are nearing expiry.
Like other brokers on this list, you won’t actually buy futures contracts yourself when trading with IG, but rather trade derivatives such as CFDs or spread bets on them.
That means you don’t have to access the contracts personally, but rather simply trade and speculate on the underlying market prices of the assets. This also means you can trade with leverage, allowing you to trade larger sums than your initial deposit to magnify potential gains.
Remember: leverage is a double-edged sword, as losses will also be magnified. This could mean you lose more than your invested sum.
This broker has a transparent pricing structure on futures trades, which replicate the price and expiry dates of the underlying contract.
You can also take smaller positions with IG’s “mini futures contracts”, offering the same access as full-sized futures but with smaller sums.
Features and benefits
- Place spread bets and CFDs on a huge range of futures contracts
- Over 80 indices for index futures, more than any other broker
- “Mini futures contracts” allow you to take smaller positions
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Which broker is best for futures trading?
Realistically, the best futures broker will come down to your personal circumstances, including how much you have to invest, how much experience you have, and your investment goals.
For example, your trading needs might be low rates of commission and a small initial deposit. In that case, Interactive Brokers might be the platform that will best suit you.
Meanwhile, if you’d prefer access to a wide range of assets regardless of the cost, then the IG platform might suit you better, with access to more futures indices than any other broker.
Make sure you fully research the different brokers on offer so you can make an informed decision on the correct one for you.
What is a futures broker?
A futures broker is simply any investment broker or platform that offers access to the futures markets.
Futures brokers either provide direct market access to futures exchanges where you can buy and sell contracts yourself.
Alternatively, they may allow you to trade derivatives on futures contracts using spread bets or CFDs.
5 easy steps to start trading futures
- Choose a futures trading broker – you are likely to find a broker that suits you among the futures trading platforms I have described above.
- Open a futures trading account – provide any necessary documentation to verify your identity with your broker. Usually, this can be done in just a few minutes.
- Deposit funds – this can typically be done online by bank transfer. Some trading platforms may require a minimum deposit.
- Select your trades – whether you purchase contracts yourself or trade derivatives, select the ones that suit your investing needs and place your trades.
- Monitor your positions – keep an eye on your positions and make any adjustments if preferable and/ or possible.
Best Futures Brokers UK FAQs
Can I trade futures in the UK?
Where can I trade futures in the UK?
Please note
The value of your investments (and any income from them) can go down as well as up and you may not get back the full amount you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Investments should be considered over the longer term and should fit in with your overall attitude to risk and financial circumstances.
CFDs are complex instruments and more than half of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. Please make sure that you know these risks before you start trading and that you’re aware there’s a high chance of losing money rapidly on your investment.
