London-based
broker Valutrades has published its 2023 results for its FCA-regulated
business. A turnover more than four times smaller than the previous year
resulted in a significant operating loss and a net loss of nearly £4 million.

Valutrades Closes 2023
with Substantial Loss

According
to Valutrades Limited’s financial report filed with Companies House, the
company’s revenue in 2023 stood at £1.5 million, falling by almost 80% from the
£6.5 million reported the previous year.

“2023
was a challenging year for Valutrades with market volatility confined to large
ranges resulting in a poor performance of Valutrades trade internalization as
well as clients shifting business to more interesting products such as equities
that saw a resurgence in bull markets,” the company commented in the
report.

The
company’s sales costs decreased by 34%, but not enough to maintain
profitability. The operating profit of £552,000 from 2022 was wiped out,
resulting in a loss of £3.7 million. The final net loss in 2023 amounted to
£3.8 million.

The value
of retail client funds held by the firm also shrank by nearly £1.4 million. In
2022, it still stood at £3.4 million, now falling to just under £2 million.

“Valutrades
understands the cyclical nature of markets it operates in and expects tough
years to be balanced with easier years over the long term while the short to
medium term focus remains on growth above profitability,” the company
added.

The report
also indicates that the business slowdown was partly due to “a year long
project to upgrade Valutrades core client area technologies.”

Mixed Results for The UK
Brokers

While
Valutrades’ performance has significantly declined compared to 2022, the CFD
broker is not alone in facing challenges. Several other UK-licensed firms have
recently published mixed results, reflecting a turbulent period in the
industry.

Trade
Nation, for instance, reported lower turnover in its UK operations, resulting
in a financial loss of £2.2 million. The company’s turnover decreased from £14
million to £13.4 million year-over-year, with an operating profit of £1.2
million turning into a loss of £2.6 million.

Similarly,
ParFX, regulated by the FCA, experienced a 14% drop in revenue in 2023 due to a
decrease in client numbers. The company’s net profit shrank by a substantial
84% to $934,000. Despite these setbacks, ParFX, a subsidiary of the Tradition
UK Group, has plans to expand its global distribution network and broaden its
“FX electronic trading community”.

In
contrast, Equiti Capital UK Limited, the FCA-regulated arm of Equiti Group,
managed to increase its trading revenue and operating profit in 2023. However,
the company’s total comprehensive income turned out to be over 30% lower than
the previous year, indicating that even firms with positive growth are not
immune to market pressures.