European regulators revealed plans to outlaw one of the most popular trading products available to the public.
The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) wants to ban the sale of binary options to retail clients.
The prohibition is part of a wider clampdown on the spread betting sector that would also see contracts for differences leverage (CFD) limits – the amount of risk/reward a retail investor can expose themselves to – dramatically reduced.
One year ago, City watchdog the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), surprised the spread betting sector by unveiling its own plans to protect retail investors. A number of other European regulators followed suit and during this summer the matter was passed onto ESMA, so changes could be imposed Europe-wide.
ESMA said it will conduct “a brief public consultation in January 2018” on its plans. Once put in place, it would be the first time ESMA has used so-called “intervention powers” in financial markets.
The changes may come as a blow to some spread betting firms, which have booked bumper profits during 2017.
Others, of which CMC Markets has been very vocal on several occasions, believe the clampdown will help business by forcing rivals that focus on “lower-value” customers out of business.
