Looking for the best CMA-licensed forex brokers in Kenya? You came to the very best place in the detailed review, I’ll be discussing the pros and cons of each forex broker that is licensed by CMA in Kenya.
In 2017, the Capital Markets Authority of Kenya (CMA) came up with regulations to regulate the forex industry in Kenya. Among its regulations is the requirement that forex brokers operating in the country need to get a license from the regulatory authority. The regulations made it an offense for a forex broker to accept Kenyan retail traders if the broker does not hold a valid license from the body.
Here’s a list of the CMA licensed forex brokers in Kenya.
| Broker | Rating | Min Deposit | Cost of trading | Platforms | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 FXPesa | $5.00 | $7.00 |
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 HF Markets | $5.00 | $10.00 |
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 Exness | $10.00 | $7.00 |
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 Pepperstone | $10.00 | $6.00 |
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 Exinity | $5.00 | $7.00 |
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 Windsor Brokers | $100.00 | $8.00 |
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 Scope Markets | $20.00 | $7.00 |
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List of CMA Licensed Forex Brokers in Kenya
- FxPesa by EGM Securities
- HF Markets Kenya
- Exness
- Pepperstone Markets
- Exinity
- Windsor Brokers
- ScopeMarkets
- Admiral Markets
- Ingot Brokers
Update: January 16, 2023: Currently, there are 9 forex brokers regulated by CMA in Kenya as outlined in the list above.
What is CMA in Forex?
The Capital Markets Authority (CMA) is the regulatory authority that’s responsible for regulating forex brokers and other financial entities in Kenya. It ensures that the capital markets are orderly, fair, and efficient.
1. FxPesa – First CMA Licensed Forex Broker in Kenya
| đź“‹ Regulation | Capital Markets Authority (CMA) |
| đź’° Minimum Deposit | $20 |
| đź’» Trading Platforms | MT4, WebTrader |
| ⚖️ Maximum Leverage | 1:400 |
| ✍️ Copy/Social Trading | No |
| â‚ż Cryptocurrency Trading | Yes |
| đź’ł Average Spread | 1.6 pips |
FXPesa is fully licensed by the Capital Markets Authority of Kenya (CMA). The forex broker obtained its CMA trading license in 2019 and began offering forex brokerage services to Kenyans on 4th May 2019.
A question that a lot of Kenyans often ask is whether FxPesa is legit, and I can confidently vouch for this broker.
To start with, EGM Securities is a subsidiary of a large group of companies called the Equiti Group. Other subsidiaries in this group include Equiti Capital UK LTD, a forex and CFDs brokerage firm that is licensed and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Equiti US, and EGM Futures DMCC that is licensed and regulated in UAE.
Fx Pesa Trading Fees: Fxpesa has relatively higher trading fees compared to other CMA-licensed brokers. Spreads range from 1.5 to 1.7 pips for every standard lot such as EUR/USD. For high-volume forex traders or scalpers, the trading fee can quickly eat into their profits. For the lowest trading fees, no other broker beats HotForex.
Deposits and Withdrawals at FXPesa: Being a locally licensed broker, FXPesa supports all major local deposit options including Mpesa, Airtel Money, Bonga Points Pay, and Eazzy Pay. You can also make deposits using Skrill or Neteller in addition to bank cards and direct bank transfers. Deposits and withdrawals using mobile payment options are free at FxPesa.
2. HF Markets
| CMA Regulated? | Yes |
| Minimum Deposit | KES 550 |
| Trading Platforms | MT4, MT5 |
| Average Spread | 1.4 |
HF Markets, which was formerly known as Hotforex is one of the best CMA-licensed forex brokers in Kenya. The company has more than 10 years of experience in the brokerage industry and is regulated by some of the top-tier financial regulators in the world.
The analysis tools offered by HFM include trading calculators, calendars, and free forex signals from the Autochartist service. High-volume traders also get to enjoy a free VPS service from HF Markets. To qualify for the free VPS service, a trader needs to have a minimum of $5000 in their trading account.
3. Exness
| Min Deposit | $10 |
| Trading Platforms | MT4, MT5, Exness App |
| Average Spread | 0.1 |
| Islamic Account | Yes |
| Account Activation | 24 Hours |
Exness works in Kenya and is in fact one the best CMA-licensed forex brokers in the country. The minimum deposit at Exness stands at $10 (1200 KES), and forex traders can easily fund their trading accounts using Mpesa.
What makes Exness stand out from the other forex brokers in this list is their social trading platform. With the social trading platform, forex traders can easily make good returns on their investments by copying the trades of more experienced traders.
Exness uses Mpesa as one of the options to deposit and withdraw funds from trading accounts. This makes it one of the most convenient forex brokers in Kenya. Additionally, Mpesa deposits at Exness are instant and start at a minimum of $10.
4. Pepperstone
| Min Deposit | $10 |
| Trading Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView |
| Trading Fees | Low |
| Islamic Account | No |
| CMA Regulated? | Yes |
Pepperstone is an international renown forex broker that’s regulated in various jurisdictions. In Kenya, Pepperstone is licensed and regulated by the Capital Markets Authority (CMA).
Among all the CMA-regulated forex brokers in Kenya, Pepperstone stands out for having the most robust trading and analysis tools. They are, for instance, the only forex brokers in Kenya who offer both the cTrader and TradingView platforms, which are known to be the very best trading platforms in the world.
Pepperstone also has some of the tightest spreads we have seen with the forex brokers that are regulated in Kenya. This is because, unlike the other forex brokers in this list, Pepperstone is a Straight Through Processing (STP) forex broker. What this means is that the broker is able to offer tighter spreads than what you’d normally get with either EGM Securities or SCFM Limited.
5. Exinity
| Min Deposit | $10 |
| Trading Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView |
| Trading Fees | Low |
| Islamic Account | No |
| CMA Regulated? | Yes |
Exinity was awarded a trading license by the CMA in November 2020, making it the 6th CMA-regulated forex broker in Kenya.
6. Windsor Brokers
| Minimum Deposit | $100 |
| Platforms | MT4 |
| Islamic Account | No |
| Regulations | CMA |
| Average Spread | 1 pip |
7. Scope Markets
| Minimum Deposit | $100 |
| Platforms | MT4 |
| Islamic Account | No |
| Regulations | CMA |
| Average Spread | 1 pip |
In May 2019, SCFM Limited, trading under the brand name Scope Markets followed FX Pesa in the list of forex brokers regulated by CMA. The company started its operations in the country in November 2019, and has so far gone ahead to become the biggest competitor to EGM Securities.
However, unlike EGM Securities which has root abroad, SCFM Limited is a purely Kenyan company.
What Does CMA Regulation Mean to You As a Retail Trader
There’s a lot of speculation on what the CMA really wishes to achieve with its new regulation directives. Some traders anticipate that this will pave way for the taxman to begin taxing retail forex traders in Kenya. But whether this is true remains to be seen.
If it comes to pass that there will be taxes imposed on Kenyan forex traders, it will be as easy as the taxman demanding that all registered forex traders provide their KRA pin certificates at the time of registration with the CMA-regulated forex brokers.
Here are some things that will definitely change while all enforcement by CMA comes into effect
Also Read: How to Choose the Best Forex Broker in Kenya
Lowered Leverage: According to the CMA regulations, all forex brokers are capped at offering a 1:400 leverage only. This is in plain contrast with some of the favorite foreign regulated brokers that can offer leverage as high as 1:2000
Binary Options Trading Made Illegal in Kenya: According to the CMA regulations, brokers registered in Kenya cannot offer binary options trading to Kenyans. This comes as no surprise as many nations around the world banned binary options trading.
On the brighter, suing a forex broker for malpractices will be easy as the CMA has these provisions in its regulations.
All forex brokers regulated by CMA will be required to submit any trader grievances to the CMA by the 15th of this month. This is a win for traders and will keep the brokers on their toes, unless they collude with the CMA to become corrupt.
Most of the CMA licensed forex brokers will accept Mpesa as a means to deposit and withdraw money from your trading account. Although there are a few forex brokers that accept Mpesa, we will be hoping that brokers operating locally will make the process much more seamless.
| Broker | Minimum Deposit | CMA License Number | Open Account |
|---|---|---|---|
| FXPesa | $5 | 107 | Open Account |
| HF Markets/HotForex | $5 | 155 | Open Account |
| Exness | $10 | 162 | Open Account |
| Pepperstone | $10 | 128 | Open Account |
| Exinity | $5 | 135 | Open Account |
| Windsor Markets | $100 | 156 | Open Account |
| Scope Markets | $50 | 123 | Open Account |
nice and informative article for begginers like me in fx trading,kindly give me a review of Grand Capital (i had signed up with them before i read your article)
Good info, thanks.
very informative and it will keep many traders alert and enable them to make right decisions on where to invest and to be in good standing with the law of the land.
nice article, it serves to have us all traders some heads up on choosing a good broker.
Thank you for this article, it will help to make an informed decision when choosing a forex broker
Quite informative, thanks Mr. Patrck. What models do the other two brokers (Fxpesa and SCFM) use?
Very educative article, kudos. Is exness trading company legit. I did sign with them sometimes back.thank you
Am a beginner but still worried on which forex trade to use among your list. Kindly recommend one you think is super-perfect to you. Email: deda****[email protected]