CMC Markets' first financial spread bet and CFD provider to open in Scotland

CMC Markets Plc ("CMC") the leading global provider of retail derivatives, is to open an office in Scotland later this month as the company continues to expand across the globe. Located at 40 Princes Street, CMC Markets will be the first retail derivatives provider to establish a physical presence in the country.

Retail derivatives - including Financial Spread Betting and Contracts for Difference (CFDs) - offer a wide range of invaluable benefits for investors who wish to actively engage with financial markets. The popularity of these products has continued to grow year-on-year as clients learn more about their flexibility, the favourable tax status and the wide range of markets that are accessible by using such instruments.

Patrick Latchford, UK and Ireland Managing Director at CMC Markets, commented:

“The decision to open an office in Edinburgh hasn’t been taken lightly - it is in line with our global expansion strategy and where we start seeing significant demand for our products, we are now establishing a regional office. We have a locally recruited a team who will help us both support existing clients and introduce the Scottish investment community to the benefits of our products. The new office will host a comprehensive suite of training facilities, enabling us to further our commitment to training and education – something that is far more effective conducted in person rather than over the internet.”

Scottish investors are becoming increasingly sophisticated and CMC Markets already has a growing number of Scottish clients. The company estimates that there are in the region of 25,000 active investors in the country who would find investing with CFDs and Spread Bets a more flexible and cost efficient way of trading financial markets. The Edinburgh office will allow prospective and existing clients alike to participate in a wide range of educational courses and one-on-one tutorials, whilst a series of seminars will also be rolled out in venues right across Scotland.

Commenting on CMC Markets’ decision, Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Enterprise, Energy & Tourism, said:

"This is yet further evidence of the diversification of Scotland’s financial markets and it is important as the ability to evolve and adapt to meet market need will play an increasingly important role in helping to grow Scotland’s economy. The Scottish Government welcomes new investors in our market alongside the wide range of successful, evolving established traders in the financial markets who have endured, grown and done Scotland proud over recent years.”

All CMC Markets’ clients have access to the company’s multi-award winning trading platform – MarketMaker - either via a desktop application, a web-based interface or over a growing number of mobile phones. Quoting up to 20 million live prices each day, MarketMaker comes complete with news feeds, charting packages and access to a comprehensive suite of risk management tools. This gives clients the ability to trade over 3,000 different instruments, including equities, commodities, treasuries and forex, on 20 of the world’s largest financial markets all from a single CMC Markets account.

© 2008 CMC Markets PLC