SECTION ONE: What are the new Margin Requirements?

What are the new margin requirements?

CFTC approved NFA amendments to Section 12 of NFA rule book, which requires FDMs to collect a margin deposit of 1% of the notional value of the positions held in the US dollar, British pound, the Swiss franc, the Canadian dollar, the Japanese yen, the Euro, the Australian dollar, the New Zealand dollar, the Swedish krona, the Norwegian krone, and the Danish krone and 4% of the notional value of other positions.

This simply means that you will be required to put up more margin to open a new position or hold on to an existing position based on currency pair.

When does the new rule take effect?

FXCM will be adjusting client margin levels on Sunday November, 22nd. (The NFA requires FDMs to comply by November, 30th)

will my account be affected by this change?

All accounts held with Forex Capital Markets LLC (FXCM) will be subject to the new margin requirements.

  • All new positions and orders established after November 22nd will be subject to the new margin requirements.
  • Additionally, open trades and active orders initiated prior to November 22nd will also be subject to the new margin requirements.

SECTION TWO: FXCM LLC margin requirements table

Learn More
by watching оur
Margin Change Video Read More
frequently asked questions
at our Margin Change forum

The table below shows Forex Capital Markets LLC (FXCM US) current and new margin requirements. Make sure to select the appropriate account type, as margin requirements will differ depending on your account's currency denomination.

If you are not sure what entity you are trading with, simply run a combined account statement report via the FX Trading Station or on MyFXCM.com. The entity and address will appear on the footer of the statement.

Standard Account

Currency Pair (Majors) Current USD Margin New USD Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $100
$100
$160
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$100
$180
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$150 $100 $100
$100
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
$50 $100
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
$50 $50 $100
$100
$100
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
$100 $50  
$100
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
$50 $100 $100
$120
NOK/JPY
$100
$100
SEK/JPY
$100
$100
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
$400 $100 $100
$50 $500 $50
$400 $250 $100
$800 $100 $400
$400 $400 $400
$400 $400 $100

* CURRENT USD MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LLC 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 1%, your NEW USD MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of $10 for USD denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current EUR Margin New EUR Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
€50 €50 €50
€50 €50 €50
€50 €50 €100
€100
€100
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
€50 €50 €50
€50 €50 €50
€100
€120
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
€50 €50 €50
€150 €100 €100
€80
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
€50 €80
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
€50 €50 €100
€100
€80
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
€100 €50  
€80
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
€50 €100 €100
€80
NOK/JPY
€100
€80
SEK/JPY
€100
€80
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
€400 €100 €100
€50 €500 €50
€400 €250 €100
€600 €2,500 €400
€300 €300 €300
€300 €300 €2,500

* CURRENT EUR MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LLC 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 1%, your NEW EUR MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of €10 for EUR denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current GBP Margin New GBP Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
£50 £50 £50
£50 £50 £50
£50 £50 £100
£100
£100
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
£50 £50 £50
£50 £50 £50
£100
£100
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
£50 £50 £50
£150 £100 £100
£80
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
£50 £80
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
£50 £50 £100
£100
£80
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
£100 £50  
£80
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
£50 £100 £100
£80
NOK/JPY
£100
£500
SEK/JPY
£100
£500
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
£400 £100 £100
£50 £500 £50
£400 £250 £100
£500 £2,500 £500
£300 £300 £300
£300 £300 £2,500

* CURRENT GBP MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LLC 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 1%, your NEW GBP MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of £10 for GBP denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current CAD Margin New CAD Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $100
$100
$170
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$100
$190
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$150 $100 $100
$120
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
$50 $100
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
$50 $50 $100
$100
$100
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
$100 $50  
$100
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
$50 $100 $100
$120
NOK/JPY
$100
$100
SEK/JPY
$100
$100
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
$400 $100 $100
$50 $500 $50
$400 $250 $100
$700 $100 $500
$500 $500 $500
$500 $500 $100

* CURRENT CAD MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LLC 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 1%, your NEW CAD MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of $10 for CAD denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current JPY Margin New JPY Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD
¥10,000 ¥15,000
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD
¥10,000 ¥16,000
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
¥10,000 ¥10,000
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
¥10,000 ¥10,000
NZD/USD NZD/JPY  
¥10,000 ¥10,000
CAD/CHF
¥10,000 ¥10,000
CHF/JPY
¥10,000 ¥10,000
USD/ZAR EUR/TRY USD/TRY
¥10,000
¥40,000 ¥80,000 ¥40,000

* CURRENT JPY MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LLC 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 1% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 1%, your NEW JPY MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of ¥1,000 for JPY denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current AUD Margin New AUD Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $100
$100
$190
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$100
$210
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$150 $100 $100
$130
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
$50 $100
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
$50 $50 $100
$100
$100
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
$100 $50  
$130
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
$50 $100 $100
$130
NOK/JPY
$100
$900
SEK/JPY
$100
$900
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
$400 $100 $100
$50 $500 $50
$400 $250 $100
$900 $4,000 $900
$600 $600 $600
$600 $600 $4,000

* CURRENT AUD MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LLC 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 1%, your NEW AUD MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of $10 for AUD denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

Currency Pair (Majors) Current NZD Margin New NZD Margin
EUR/USD EUR/JPY EUR/GBP
EUR/AUD EUR/CAD EUR/CHF
EUR/NZD EUR/DKK EUR/SEK
EUR/NOK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $100
$100
$220
GBP/USD GBP/JPY GBP/CHF
GBP/AUD GBP/NZD GBP/CAD
GBP/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$50 $50 $50
$100
$250
USD/JPY USD/CAD USD/CHF
USD/DKK USD/NOK USD/SEK
$50 $50 $50
$150 $100 $100
$150
AUD/USD AUD/NZD AUD/JPY
AUD/CAD AUD/CHF
$50 $150
NZD/USD NZD/JPY NZD/CAD
NZD/CHF
$50 $50 $100
$100
$100
CAD/CHF CAD/JPY  
$100 $50  
$150
CHF/JPY CHF/NOK CHF/SEK
$50 $100 $100
$150
NOK/JPY
$100
$1,000
SEK/JPY
$100
$1,000
EUR/TRY HKD/JPY SGD/JPY
USD/HKD USD/MXN USD/SGD
USD/TRY USD/ZAR ZAR/JPY
$400 $100 $100
$50 $500 $50
$400 $250 $100
$1,000 $4,500 $1,000
$600 $600 $600
$600 $600 $4,500

* CURRENT NZD MARGIN IS BASED ON AN FXCM LLC 10K STANDARD ACCOUNT WITH 0.5% MARGIN.

If you have changed your default margin to be above 1%, your NEW NZD MARGIN amounts will be higher. Please consult our FAQ for details.
Based on price fluctuations, all margin Requirements are subject to change without notice based on price fluctuations and will be adjusted up or down in increments of $10 for NZD denominated accounts. At present, FXCM does not anticipate that margin requirements will have to be changed more than once a month. Up to date Margin requirements are and will continue to be displayed in the simplified dealing rates window of the trading platform by currency pair.

SECTION THREE: Calculating Your New Margin

Will my positions be margined out?

We recommend WATCHING THIS VIDEO
or following the steps below to find out if your positions will be margined out when the new margin levels take effect.

Step One

  • Login to the trading station. Then consult the open positions window to view your live trade details.

Open Positions Window

Step Two

  • On a piece of paper, write down the trade details for each trade you currently have open
    Include the currency pair and the trade size, like this: EUR/USD 10,000 (10,000 = 1 lot)
  • Next, write down the NEW margin requirement for each trade
    For example, EUR/USD     10,000     $160
  • Next, multiply the NEW margin requirement by the number of lots traded
    For example, $160 X 1 lot = $160
  • Finally, add up all of the new margin levels that you just calculated. This number is your NEW used margin (USD MR).
  • Subtracting your New used margin from your equity will give you your usable margin (USBL MR).

*Remember, when your usable margin (USBL MR) drops below zero your live trades will be liquidated.

CURRENCY PAIR LOTS TRADED
(10K PER LOT)		 CURRENT
USD MARGIN		 NEW
USD MARGIN		 TOTAL NEW
USD MARGIN
USD/ZAR 1 $250 $400 $400
GBP/JPY 1 $50 $170 + $170
NZD/JPY 1 $50 $100 + $100
EUR/CHF 1 $50 $160 + $160
EUR/USD 1 $50 $160 + $160
HYPOTHETICAL NEW MARGIN REQUIREMENT TO AVOID LIQUIDATION = $990

DEPOSITING ADDITIONAL FUNDS

It might be necessary to add additional funds to your trading account to avoid the possible liquidation of live positions before November 22nd. After using the method outlined above to determine your Total New USD Margin, if your current usable margin (USBL MR) is less than the amount you calculated above, we recommend that you add additional funds to your account.

CLICK HERE to deposit additional funds into your forex trading account.

Without proper risk management, Currency Trading has a high degree of leverage which can lead to large losses as well as gains.