Crypto Trading Has Gone Mainstream in Retail FX, but Infrastructure Lags

Crypto trading is now a near-universal offering in retail FX, with 91% of 110 brokers, prop trading firms and liquidity providers already running it and 78% reporting strong client uptake, according to a Gold-i and Finance Magnates survey published Monday. Only 2% of respondents said they have no plans to offer crypto trading at all.

The same survey exposes a quieter number. 48% of those firms are not fully confident their current infrastructure can support crypto trading at scale, even as 97% call crypto strategically important over the next two years. Adoption has crossed the floor; the ceiling is the infrastructure layer underneath.

Adoption Has Crossed the Tipping Point

Of the 110 firms surveyed across FX/CFD brokers, prop trading firms, and liquidity providers or Prime of Primes, 91% already offer crypto trading. Another 78% describe client uptake as strong. Only 2% report no plans to offer crypto at all. The numbers are a long way from the niche-product framing that defined crypto on retail FX desks a few years ago.

The strategic weight firms now place on crypto is just as striking. 97% of respondents expect cryptocurrency trading to be strategically important to their business over the next two years, and 75% cite it as a high priority.

The poll was conducted for the report “Market Hype or Must Have Offering: Crypto’s Impact on Retail FX” and ran between 2 April and 30 April 2026, covering firms across the UK, Europe, APAC, the Middle East, North America, Africa, and LATAM. The full survey write-up on crypto’s retail FX impact is online.

Client Demand Drives the Decision

Asked why they offer or plan to offer crypto trading, the firms pointed first at their customers. Client demand was cited by 82% of respondents, by a wide margin the most common reason given. Market growth opportunity came second at 58%, followed by revenue diversification at 43% and competitive pressure at 36%.

The 110 firms line up this way across the key measures:

Improving regulatory clarity ranked last among the listed drivers, cited by just 12% of firms. That rank will matter later in the article, because the same survey names regulatory uncertainty as the single biggest barrier to expanding crypto books further. Of the 110 firms polled, only 12% are offering crypto because the rules are clearer than they used to be.

Revenue Is Up, and Significantly So

The commercial story tracks the adoption story. 81% reported an increase in revenue attributable to crypto trading, with over one third of those, 38% of all respondents, saying the increase has been significant. Only 2% reported a negative impact, and those firms attributed the decline to volume shifting away from other products such as FX.

For a category that retail FX brokers once treated as a peripheral offering, a positive revenue reading from more than four out of five respondents sets the financial backdrop for the next round of product investment decisions.

Client demand is strong, the revenue impact is positive, and the majority of firms now expect crypto to become a standard part of the FX and CFD trading proposition.

Tom Higgins, CEO of Gold-i, said this in comments accompanying the survey. His firm co-produced the report with Finance Magnates.

The Infrastructure Gap Most Don’t Talk About

Adoption is ahead of readiness. Asked how confident they are that their current infrastructure can support crypto trading at scale, only 52% of respondents said they are very confident. Another 38% are moderately confident, 9% have not yet assessed their infrastructure for crypto trading, and 1% are not at all confident. Adding the moderates, the unassessed, and the not-confident together, 48% of firms sit below the threshold of full confidence.

The fact that 48% of respondents are not fully confident that their current infrastructure can support crypto trading at scale should be a wake-up call.

Higgins is the founder and CEO of Gold-i, the UK-based trading technology firm that co-published the report. Headquartered in the UK and founded in 2008, the firm built the MatrixNET liquidity management platform to handle the specific demands of crypto flow. Those demands differ from FX in ways that matter at the infrastructure layer.

Crypto markets run 24 hours a day, and they generate a high volume of price updates per second. MatrixNET is integrated with more than 80 liquidity providers and 35 crypto exchanges, and the platform delivers sub-2-millisecond latency, according to Gold-i.

The 25% of respondents who called the need for 24/7 support the second-biggest barrier to expansion cited the same problem the confidence numbers echo. The pressure shows up elsewhere too: Coinbase’s four-venue crypto trading build-out with Kemet, disclosed in May, is a parallel signal that crypto trading infrastructure has become a strategic priority for trading firms beyond retail FX.

What Crypto Products Are Firms Planning to Add?

More than half of respondents, 53%, plan to expand their crypto offering in the next 12 months. The product they are most likely to add is also the one already closest to an FX broker’s existing book. Crypto CFDs were selected by 31% of respondents, with spot crypto second at 21%.

A cluster of more complex products trails just behind:

• Crypto CFDs: 31%
• Spot crypto: 21%
• Staking and yield, futures, and copy trading: each around 20%

The hybrid execution model is shifting at the same time. 45% of respondents expect to A-Book between 25% and 50% of their crypto volume, 30% expect to A-Book 50% to 75%, and 10% expect to A-Book more than 75%. The remainder expect to retain a larger share of flow on their own book.

Three Hurdles That Could Still Slow the Build

Regulatory uncertainty remains the single biggest obstacle to offering or expanding crypto trading, cited by 55% regulatory uncertainty. The second-biggest barrier is operational, with 25% of respondents pointing to the need for 24/7 support as a blocker. One in ten, 10%, cited technology and integration complexity as a barrier to expansion.

When firms listed their reasons for offering crypto, only 12% cited improving regulatory clarity. When they listed their barriers to expanding it, 55% named regulatory uncertainty. 80% of respondents still expect crypto to become a standard offering for retail FX brokers, prop firms, and liquidity providers, with another 16% expecting the market to keep growing but stay niche. Only 3% expect crypto trading to slow or decline. Gold-i’s downloadable report on crypto’s retail FX impact covers the full breakdown.

Frequently Asked Questions

What did the Gold-i and Finance Magnates crypto trading survey find?

The survey of 110 retail FX firms found 91% already offer crypto trading, with 78% reporting strong client uptake and 81% reporting a revenue increase attributable to crypto. Only 2% of respondents said they have no plans to offer it.

Why is crypto trading now mainstream in retail FX?

82% of respondents cite client demand as the main driver, and 97% expect crypto trading to be strategically important to their business over the next two years, with 75% calling it a high priority.

What are the biggest barriers to crypto trading for retail FX firms?

Regulatory uncertainty was named by 55% of respondents, followed by the need for 24/7 support at 25% and technology and integration complexity at 10%.

What crypto products are retail FX firms adding?

53% of respondents plan to expand their crypto offering in the next 12 months. Crypto CFDs lead at 31%, spot crypto at 21%, and staking and yield, futures, and copy trading each drew around 20%.

Why does crypto trading need different infrastructure from FX?

Crypto markets operate continuously and generate a high volume of price updates per second, which demands scalable liquidity routing and real-time risk controls. The survey found only 52% of firms are very confident their current infrastructure can support crypto at scale, with 38% moderately confident and 9% not yet assessed.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or trading advice. Cryptocurrency trading carries substantial risk, including the loss of principal. Readers should consult a qualified financial professional before making any trading or investment decisions. Figures cited are accurate as of the publication date of the underlying survey, June 22, 2026.