What is Risk Warning?

A risk warning is a mandatory legal statement, required on all promotional material, that discloses the high risk of leveraged trading and the exact percentage of retail clients who lose money with that provider. It exists so a prospect cannot claim they were not told the odds.

Regulators dictate the precise wording and placement. Under ESMA and FCA rules, a firm offering CFDs must show a standardized warning stating the specific loss percentage for its own retail accounts, updated regularly from real data. A typical line reads: "CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider."

Key takeaways

The warning must state the broker's own retail loss percentage (e.g. 76%).
It is mandatory on every promotional surface, not just the homepage.
Placement must be prominent — never buried in T&Cs or tiny font.
The percentage updates periodically; keep your assets current.
Wrong or missing warnings trigger suspension and forfeited commissions.

The warning must be prominent, not buried. It has to appear on landing pages, banners, emails, and social posts, in a font size and position that a reader sees without hunting for it. On a short banner ad the rules allow an abbreviated warning, but it must still state the loss percentage.

For a partner, the risk warning is non-negotiable furniture on every asset you publish. The exact percentage differs per broker — it might be 74%, 76%, or 82% — and you must use the number the broker supplies for its own accounts. Displaying the wrong figure or an outdated one is itself a compliance breach.

How it works

The broker calculates the percentage of its retail accounts that lost money over a rolling period, usually the past twelve months, and publishes that figure inside the standardized warning text. Partners must reproduce that exact text and number on every promotional surface.

Compliance teams then police it. Many brokers crawl partner sites, review submitted creatives, and run periodic audits. If a warning is absent, too small, using an outdated percentage, or hidden below the fold, the partner gets a fix-it notice or an immediate suspension. Because the loss percentage is refreshed periodically, partners must update their assets when the broker issues a new figure, not set it once and forget it.

Get the current wording and figure

Pull the exact approved risk-warning text and the current loss percentage from the broker's affiliate portal.

Place it prominently

Add it above the fold or adjacent to every call-to-action on landing pages, banners, emails, and social posts.

Use the short form where space is tight

On small banners use the regulator-permitted abbreviated warning, still stating the loss percentage.

Refresh on updates

When the broker publishes a new percentage, update every live asset so no stale figure remains.

Why it matters for partnership: Missing or hidden risk warnings breach broker compliance and financial-promotion law. Brokers audit partner sites and suspend accounts that lack the correct, prominent disclaimer, so getting it right protects both your commissions and your account.

Real World Example

An affiliate promoting an eToro or Plus500-style CFD offer places the exact warning — "51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider" — directly beneath every sign-up button, not just in the footer. When the broker updates the figure to 76% the following quarter, the affiliate swaps it across all landing pages the same week, passing the next compliance audit without a single flag.

Pro Tip

Keep the risk warning visible without scrolling, right next to your main call-to-action, and template it so a single update propagates to every landing page at once.

Common Pitfalls

Hiding the disclaimer in an unreadable font size or burying it deep inside the Terms and Conditions, which regulators and broker auditors treat as non-compliant and grounds for suspension.

FAQ

Why does the risk warning include a percentage?

Regulators require firms to publish the real share of their retail accounts that lose money, so prospects see honest odds. The figure is specific to each broker and updated from its own data.

Do I need the risk warning on social media posts too?

Yes. It is required on every promotional surface, including social posts, emails, and banners. Regulators permit a short-form version where character space is genuinely limited, but it must still state the loss percentage.

Where do I get the correct wording and number?

From the broker's affiliate portal or your affiliate manager. Never guess the percentage; use the exact current figure the broker publishes for its own retail accounts.

What happens if my warning shows an old percentage?

An outdated figure is treated as a compliance breach. When the broker updates the number, you must refresh it across all live assets to stay compliant.

Can I make the warning smaller so it doesn't hurt conversions?

No. It must be prominent and legible near the call-to-action. Shrinking or hiding it risks suspension and can void your commissions, which costs far more than any conversion lift.

Is the risk warning the same across all brokers?

The structure is standardized by the regulator, but the loss percentage differs by broker. Always use the specific figure for the provider you are promoting.

Reviewed by the Revenika Editorial Desk Last updated August 5, 2026