Pepperstone decries daily battles with scam sitesWhat do you do when every morning brings a new clone of yourcompany—same name, same look, same traps? For Pepperstone, this has become adaily reality.This week, the brokerage's Group CEO, Tamas Szabo, said the company is forced to take down scam websites and fake social media accounts impersonatingthe firm almost every day.Join IG, CMC, and Robinhood in London’s leading trading industry event!Szabo criticized domain registrars for failing to curb theproblem, suggesting that some may be allowing illegal activities by approvingdeceptive registrations.FCA flags CFD firmsMeanwhile, the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority warned Contracts for Difference providers after a review found that some firms failed to meet the standards set under the Consumer Duty. Introduced in July 2023, the duty sets higher expectations for consumer protection across financial services.Mark Francis, FCA director of sell-side markets, said the Consumer Duty “raises the bar for consumer protection across financial services and CFD providers must meet those standards.”Asia’s fragmented markets and the need for localizationIn a continent as vast as Asia, localization is becoming keyfor brokers. In an interview with Finance Magnates during the iFX Expo Asia, ATFX’sChief Commercial Officer, Siju Daniel, noted that Asia consists of very different markets, despite the company’s presence in the region.Wei Qiang Zhang, Managing Director of ATFX Connect,highlighted that the group has 24 offices worldwide, with Connect operating innine, giving the firm a strong understanding of local markets. Daniel stressed that localization goes beyond AI-translatedwebsites, requiring a deep understanding of market behaviors. He explained thatopportunities vary across countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, and thePhilippines.Exness opens regional hub in Cape TownStill on global expansion, Exness expanded its South African footprint by opening a new office in Cape Town, which will function as the CFD broker’s regional hub. The move marked a further commitment to the market as the company grows its presence in the country.According to the broker, the Cape Town office will serve as the central base for its operations in South Africa and the wider Sub-Saharan Africa region. Exness currently holds local regulatory licenses in both South Africa and Kenya, supporting its operations across continental Africa.XTB captured 80% of new Polish accountsAt the same time, XTB opened 58,300 new brokerage accounts in Poland in October, representing more than half of the firm’s global clientgrowth for the month in which it reported adding over 100,000 users worldwide.The strong October results brought XTB’s total number ofPolish accounts to 716,200, keeping it well ahead of competitors in a monththat saw 71,700 new accounts added across the market.Why CFD brokers are rethinking funding for instant paymentsFast markets require fast funding and investment platforms are paying attention. News now moves in real time, stock prices react within seconds, and many digital-native investors no longer accept multi-day waits to transfer funds. This shift has made fast money movement a practical requirement rather than a convenience.For investment platforms, rising competition and higher user expectations make funding delays increasingly out of step with the seamless digital experiences users expect. Instant payments also produce valuable data, giving brokers, prop firms, and trading platforms both operational insights and opportunities to enhance user experience.eToro posts 48% annual profit jump in Q3In numbers this week, eToro reported a 48% year-over-year increase in net income for the third quarter, but its sequential growth slowed,with net contribution rising only 2.4% from the previous quarter. The company’sshares rose 9% in premarket trading following the release of the results.For the three months ended September 30, eToro posted a netcontribution of $215 million, up from $210 million in Q2. Net income came in at$57 million, compared with $30.2 million in the previous quarter, although Q2figures included $15 million in IPO-related costs that affected the comparison.Interestingly, eToro CEO Yoni Assia said during the Monday’s Q3 earnings call that eToro is in talks with Kalshi and Polymarket about potentially adding event contracts to its platform.Every prop trading design choice carries risksIn the prop trading space, David Davtyan, CEO of Arizet Labs, told FinanceMagnates.com that in prop trading, risk begins much earlier than many realize — right from the way the evaluation product is designed. “The rules, the instruments offered, and the trading experience all form part of the overall risk structure,” he explained.Another firm gone, @karmaproptrader...Website no longer operating, Discord chats are closed. Drop your thoughts in comments 👇 pic.twitter.com/MS4JViTegP— TheTrustedProp (@TheTrustedProp) August 11, 2024He added that every design decision, from daily drawdown limits to maximum loss thresholds and moving high-water marks, introduces a corresponding risk that must be managed. Arizet Labs focuses on providing prop firms with risk management solutions and is among the few platforms offering real-time account monitoring, including equity, drawdown, and rule enforcement, all processed instantly.UK tightens stablecoin rulesIn the UK, the Bank of England is maintaining its plan to cap how much stablecoin individuals can hold, arguing that the restrictionsare intended to reduce financial-stability risks from large and suddenoutflows. Critics, however, say the central bank should recognise the limits ofsuch measures when attempting to safeguard the traditional monetary system.Alongside the proposed holding limits, UK stablecoinissuers will be required to keep 40% of the assets backing their tokens innon-interest-bearing accounts at the Bank of England.Polymarket reopens to US usersAnd in the latest in the prediction markets, Polymarket begun allowing a limited group of US users to place real-money bets as it testsits American exchange ahead of a planned full reopening next month. The soft launch marks Polymarket’s first US activitysince 2022, when it exited the country after receiving a $1.4 million CFTC finefor operating without the required licenses. clearinghouse.Why CME is teaming up with sports bettorsStill with the prediction markets, the prediction markets app is designed to attract sports bettors in states that still prohibit online wagering, while also givingusers the ability to trade on financial indicators. It positions itself as acrossover product for audiences interested in both sports outcomes andmarket-linked events.CME Group and FanDuel plan to debut a predictionmarkets platform in December, bringing together the Chicago-based derivativesexchange and North America’s largest online gambling operator. Thecollaboration will offer event contracts priced from one cent per trade,reflecting an effort to narrow the divide between traditional derivativestrading and sports betting.SoftBank dumps Nvidia as AI rally waversOutside the industry, SoftBank sold its entire 32.1 million-share stake in Nvidia in October, generating about $5.83 billion, according to detailsreleased with its quarterly results. The disposal aligns with reports that founderMasayoshi Son is preparing a major investment of roughly $22.5 billion inOpenAI. The company has been reshaping its balance sheet to support thisstrategy amid growing debate over whether AI valuations are overheating.“Going quiet”: Warren Buffett signs offLastly, Warren Buffett says he will retire at the end of the year and plans to accelerate his philanthropic efforts. After decades of annualletters, media appearances, and steady leadership at Berkshire Hathaway, he hasindicated he intends to step back and “go quiet.”WARREN BUFFETT JUST SENT WHAT COULD BE HIS LAST MESSAGE TO BERKSHIRE HATHAWAY $BRK.B SHAREHOLDERS AS CEO OF THE COMPANYHere is the full and entire 8 page press release Warren Buffett just released ⬇️⬇️To My Fellow Shareholders: I will no longer be writing Berkshire’s… pic.twitter.com/4KVMGLxqIv— Evan (@StockMKTNewz) November 10, 2025Buffett has long been a defining voice in U.S.investing, with his shareholder letters, television interviews, and annualmeetings in Omaha shaping market sentiment and corporate culture. His departuremarks the end of an era in which his commentary and management approach playedan outsized role in guiding investor expectations.This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.