As European regulators are clamping down on binary options trading in the region, brokers are increasingly interested in diversifying their exposure. Our previous publication of the FM Indices tracking binary options and forex deposits showed that companies should be paying more attention to the African region.

This time around our data, which is powered by the retention automation firm Cpattern, is showing a substantial increase in activity from the Far East. Regional financial centers Singapore and Hong Kong are taking charge in our top 10 for December with average deposits to binary options brokers reaching levels of above $3,000.

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The Finance Magnates Intelligence Department calculates two indices for binary options deposits – the first is for average deposits and the other for average first time deposits.

Europe Pulls Back as Asia Steps In

Looking at the average deposits we are seeing more surprises in the data. One of the least economically developed countries in Europe, Georgia, comes in third spot with an average of almost $2,500. The number is quite high for a country where GDP per capita is about $16,000.

Kenya is the only African country which is in the top 10 spot on a nominal basis, but the country is leading the way when we look at data which is normalized for GDP per capita. Two other African nations are in the top 5 – Nigeria and Ghana, with brokers consistently reporting increased traffic from the former.

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The Netherlands, the UK and Slovenia are the only European countries that are in the index this month. Romania, which led the stats in October, is now outside of the top 10.

First time deposits data is painting a different regional picture. Risk appetite is driven by the Middle Eastern kingdoms of Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The substantial difference between first and second spot shows how volatile the data can be.

The entrance of the United States into the top 10 is a very worrisome development for brokers in the binary options industry. While few and unregulated brokers are accepting clients from the US, additional attention from financial regulators in the country has already negatively impacted a number of brokers and the whole binary options industry.

FM Business Intelligence

This is the latest publication from the FM Indices – a new cross-industry benchmark created with a methodological formula that matriculates data from three main sources: insider information, our unique database and technological BI tools.

In today’s business world, big-data analysis and access to objective information sources are crucial to success. Until now it has been very difficult and costly, if possible at all, to find any reliable benchmarks for operations in social, FX, binary options and CFDs trading.

For this reason, the Finance Magnates Intelligence Department has launched a new project, creating a set of indices encompassing various aspects of the online trading industry. These indices will provide you with unique data points gathered by our analysts that will serve as a valuable knowledge base for your decision making.