What you actually own when you buy through Tickmill
A price comparison stops at the commission. This page starts after it: whether the trade leaves you holding a security or a contract, whose name that security is registered in, and what the document Tickmill Europe Ltd (Cyprus, CySEC CIF 278/15) publishes says becomes of it if the firm fails.
Which entity and which product this covers
Applies to Tickmill Europe Ltd, licensed by CySEC under CIF 278/15. No Tickmill document says outright that the company does not offer real shares; the finding rests on four things its own documents do say. Its order-execution policy scopes itself to 'all the types of Contracts for Difference offered by the Company'. The client agreement's only product appendix is the CFD trading terms. Its definition of an underlying asset lists currency pairs, metals, equity indices, forwards and commodities, and no individual shares. And every key information document on its Cyprus legal page, including the one for stocks, is a CFD document. Tickmill UK Ltd and Tickmill Ltd (Seychelles) were not examined.
Do you own real shares when you buy through Tickmill?
Not a share. Tickmill gives exposure to share prices through contracts for difference, so a trade leaves you holding an agreement with Tickmill Europe Ltd (Cyprus, CySEC CIF 278/15) instead of a security. No stock is delivered and none is held for you.
What happens to your holdings if Tickmill fails?
There is no security held for you to recover. An open CFD is a claim against Tickmill Europe Ltd (Cyprus, CySEC CIF 278/15) itself, which places you among its creditors rather than outside them.
“The Company is a member of the Investors Compensation Fund (ICF). So, depending on his classification, the Client may be entitled to compensation from the ICF in the event that the Company is unable to meet its obligations.”
Does Tickmill sell CFDs on shares, and what changes if it does?
That is the entire equity offering here. A CFD follows a share price without delivering the share, so it carries none of the rights a shareholder has — no vote, no dividend as of right, no place on the register.
“It is understood that when trading in CFDs, there is no delivery or safekeeping of the Underlying Asset to which the CFD is referring to.”
Can a loss at Tickmill follow you past your balance?
Not as a retail client of Tickmill Europe Ltd (Cyprus, CySEC 278/15) — negative balance protection caps your loss at the account balance. That protection is tied to retail classification: if you ask to be reclassified as a professional client, it goes away.
Verified 2026-09-08 · Source document
Frequently asked questions
Do you own real shares when you buy through Tickmill?
What happens to your holdings if Tickmill fails?
Does Tickmill sell CFDs on shares, and what changes if it does?
Can a loss at Tickmill follow you past your balance?
How we verified this review
Every fact below is verified against primary sources. We refresh on a schedule and on reader feedback.