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State of Retail Forex in Asia 2026
Our free report: the rules in 16 Asian markets, broker leverage and costs, how many traders lose money, and gold in days of income.
Read the report →Press room
Free data on forex brokers, retail traders and the market, with every figure traced to its source. Charts you can embed, CSV files you can download, and comment on central banks, gold, Asian currencies and trading scams.
Free to use with credit
Data
Data and research you can cite
Each page carries quotable findings with their sources, a "cite this" line and a free download.
State of Retail Forex in Asia 2026 →
The rules in 16 Asian markets, broker leverage and costs, loss rates and gold in days of income
Seven-page PDF report · free to use with credit
State of Retail Forex in Africa →
Kenya lists 19 online forex licences; Nigeria's draft rules propose a 1:400 cap; 10 g of gold costs 297 days of income in Nigeria
Regulators' registers and rules · charts
Forex leverage limits by country →
Retail caps on major pairs from 1:10 to 1:400; 10 of 14 brokers advertise 1:1000 or more
11 markets · regulators' own rules · CSV + chart
Currency Volatility Index →
The Brazilian real was the most volatile of 17 currencies against the dollar (11.6%); the Turkish lira fell −15.8%
ECB reference rates · data to 30 October 2026 · CSV + chart · monthly
Forex Broker Cost Index →
Raw-account commissions from $4.45 to $7 a lot; 12 of 14 brokers offer 1:500 leverage or more
14 brokers · CSV + charts · checked 11 October 2026
Gold Affordability Index →
10 grams of gold cost 146.3 days of average income in India in 2025, up from 86.2 in 2015
44 countries · World Bank data · CSV + charts + calculator
CFD loss-rate tracker →
70.1% of retail CFD accounts lose money on average, from 61% to 76.6%
16 UK- and EU-regulated providers · CSV + charts · read 20 October 2026
Forex statistics 2026 →
$9.6 trillion traded a day; the US dollar is on one side of 89.2% of trades
BIS, FCA and our own data · CSV + charts
Is forex trading legal? map →
Rules in 53 countries; not permitted for residents of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal
Each country sourced to its regulator
How to check a broker's licence →
Six checks on the regulator's own register, with links to 18 registers
Free two-page PDF
Central bank calendar →
Every 2026 and 2027 rate decision for the eight central banks behind the major currencies
Updated after each decision
Fast facts
12 facts ready to quote
Each line carries its source. Copy it with one click; the linked page has the full data and a free CSV.
In India, 10 grams of gold cost 146.3 days of average income in 2025, up from 86.2 days in 2015. At the world price that was about ₹96,438, against ₹23,941 ten years earlier.
Gold · Source: FX Recap Gold Affordability Index, from World Bank data · dataIn Pakistan the same 10 grams took 269.2 days of average income in 2025, 2.5 times as long as in 2015 (106.4 days). In Bangladesh it took 142.2 days.
Gold · Source: FX Recap Gold Affordability Index, World Bank data · dataGold became harder to afford in every one of the 44 countries in the index between 2015 and 2025; the median country needed 2.3 times as many days of income.
Gold · Source: FX Recap Gold Affordability Index, World Bank data · dataA month of average income bought 2.1 grams of gold in India in 2025, 1.1 grams in Pakistan and 61.6 grams in Singapore.
Gold · Source: FX Recap Gold Affordability Index, World Bank data · dataRaw-account commissions at the 11 brokers that offer one range from $4.45 (RoboForex) to $7 (Exness, IC Markets, IUX, FXTM, Pepperstone) per standard lot, round turn; the median is $6.
Brokers · Source: FX Recap Broker Cost Index, from each broker's fee pages · dataOn EUR/USD a $7 round-turn commission costs the same as a spread of 0.7 pips, because one pip on a standard lot is worth $10.
Brokers · Source: FX Recap calculation · data12 of the 14 brokers advertise maximum leverage of 1:500 or more to clients outside the UK and EU, and 10 advertise 1:1000 or more. The UK and EU retail cap on major currency pairs is 30:1.
Brokers · Source: FX Recap Broker Cost Index; FCA PS19/18 · dataThe highest fixed leverage advertised is 1:5,000, about 167 times the UK and EU retail limit on major pairs. Exness advertises unlimited leverage on some accounts.
Brokers · Source: FX Recap Broker Cost Index · dataGlobal forex trading averaged $9.6 trillion a day in April 2025, up 28% from $7.5 trillion in 2022.
Market · Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2025 · dataThe US dollar was on one side of 89.2% of all forex trades, followed by the euro (28.9%) and the Japanese yen (16.8%).
Market · Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2025 · dataThe United Kingdom handled 38% of global forex turnover, and four centres (the UK, the US, Singapore and Hong Kong) handled 75%.
Market · Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2025 · dataOn average 70.1% of retail CFD accounts lose money across 16 UK- and EU-regulated providers, from 61% to 76.6%.
Market · Source: FX Recap CFD loss-rate tracker, 20 October 2026 · data
Upcoming
News hooks in the next few weeks
The next central bank decisions on our calendar. We publish analysis on the day, and can comment before and after.
| Date | Event | Current rate |
|---|---|---|
| 5 Nov 2026 | Bank of England rate decision | 3.75% (held 17 Sep 2026, 6-3) |
| 8 Dec 2026 | Reserve Bank of Australia rate decision | 4.85% (raised 3 Nov 2026, 6-3) |
| 9 Dec 2026 | US Federal Reserve rate decision | 3.75–4.00% (held 28 Oct 2026, 10-2) |
| 9 Dec 2026 | Bank of Canada rate decision | 2.50% (raised 28 Oct 2026) |
| 9 Dec 2026 | Reserve Bank of New Zealand rate decision | 2.75% (held 28 Oct 2026, 4-3) |
| 10 Dec 2026 | Swiss National Bank rate decision | 0% (held 24 Sep 2026) |
| 17 Dec 2026 | European Central Bank rate decision | Deposit 2.50% (held 29 Oct 2026) |
| 17 Dec 2026 | Bank of England rate decision | 3.75% (held 17 Sep 2026, 6-3) |
| 18 Dec 2026 | Bank of Japan rate decision | 1.25% (held 30 Oct 2026, 8-1) |
| 22 Jan 2027 | Bank of Japan rate decision | 1.25% (held 30 Oct 2026, 8-1) |
Full schedule with times: central bank calendar. Gold stories around festivals and weddings: see the gold affordability index for every country's figures.
Comment
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Tell us your deadline and the angle, and we will say quickly whether we can help. We only comment on what we can back with a source or our own published data.
| Topic | What we offer |
|---|---|
| Central bank decisions | Fed, ECB, Bank of England, Bank of Japan, RBI, Bank Indonesia and others: what a decision means for the currency, published within hours on our news desk. |
| Gold | Daily gold analysis, why Asian festival and wedding demand matters, and how retail traders get hurt on gold's swings. |
| Asian currencies | The yen and intervention, the yuan fixing, the rupee and the rupiah, explained for a general reader. |
| Trading scams and consumer protection | Clone brokers, Telegram 'signal' groups, fake licences and how readers can check a firm on the regulator's register. |
| Retail trading and regulation | Leverage limits, how many retail traders lose money, prop-trading firms and what changes for traders when rules change. |
Latest analysis: forex news desk, updated every day. We do not give price targets or tell anyone to trade.
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Jowel RanaForex Trader, FX Recappress@fxrecap.com
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The team
FX Recap is run by traders and analysts: Ranjan N. Mondol (Forex Trader), Jowel Rana (Forex Trader), Tanbir Habib Riyad (Forex & Crypto Analyst), Jannatul Ferdaush (Fact-Checker & Risk Analyst) and Abir Khan (Writer). More on the about page.
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