 
Interview with: Hisham Mansour, Co-Founder & Managing Director, CFI Financial Group
CFI Financial Group is a leading global online trading provider that has been empowering traders for more than 25 years. Co-Founder and Managing Director Hisham Mansour spoke to World Finance about the group’s ambitions to redefine trading, promote financial literacy and stand out in a crowded marketplace.
What is CFI’s overarching vision for the future of trading and how does your mission shape the way you operate day to day?
At CFI, our vision is to redefine the future of trading by making financial markets accessible, intuitive and empowering for everyone, whether you are just starting out or an experienced professional. We are committed to breaking down the barriers that typically limit access to these markets, providing the most advanced yet user-friendly tools and resources to ensure all traders and investors can make informed and confident decisions. Our goal is not just to meet industry standards but to set new ones by continuously innovating to enhance the trading experience for all.
How does CFI differentiate itself in a crowded trading platform market? What makes you stand out to both new and seasoned investors?
CFI stands out from the crowd by combining cutting-edge technology and platforms, a strong focus on financial education and strategic global partnerships. Our platforms cater to all traders, offering advanced tools, commission-free, zero-pip spreads and ultra-fast execution. We are committed to promoting financial literacy, offering structured programmes such as multilingual webinars and in-person seminars designed to help traders make informed decisions.
On the other hand, our partnerships with icons such as Global Brand Ambassador Sir Lewis Hamilton, strategic partner AC Milan and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi highlight our dedication to excellence and connect us to a global audience. What sets us apart is our ability to blend innovation with responsibility. We adopt emerging technologies like AI thoughtfully, focusing on creating intuitive, personalised experiences for our clients.
You pride yourselves on making trading accessible to everyone, regardless of experience level. What steps have you taken to ensure that both beginners and experienced traders feel supported?
At CFI, we believe that everyone should have equal access to the opportunities presented by financial markets, regardless of their experience level. Our goal is to make trading accessible to all, starting with fair execution, transparent conditions and a comprehensive range of products. We ensure that anyone interested in exploring trading can do so with confidence and without barriers.
To support both beginners and experienced traders, we have designed our platform to provide access to a variety of markets, including forex, stocks, energies, metals, indices, ETFs, futures and options. This diversity of financial instruments allows traders to choose the markets and strategies that best suit their needs and risk profiles.
How do you personalise the services you offer to clients?
One of the key ways we personalise our services is through our proprietary Kaiana AI, which analyses individual trading behaviours and market data to provide personalised insights, recommendations and real-time support. This AI-driven approach ensures that traders receive guidance that is specifically relevant to their strategies and risk profiles.
Additionally, our platform offers customisable features, such as personalised alerts, dashboards and trading preferences, allowing clients to tailor their experience to their unique needs. We also provide a range of educational resources, from multilingual webinars to educational online articles, so traders can access content that aligns with their level of experience and trading interests. To complement this, our dedicated customer support team is always available to offer personalised assistance, ensuring that clients feel supported at every stage of their trading journey.
How do you use technology on your platform to cater to both novice and professional traders?
Alongside Kaiana AI, we have a platform suite, including the CFI Trading App, CFI Webtrader, MT4, MT5, C-Trader and CFI MultiAsset, which was designed with both new and experienced traders in mind. Tools like TradingView and Hoko Cloud provide advanced charting, real-time data and analytics to further elevate the user experience. For those looking to automate their strategies, Capitalize.ai makes automation accessible without needing coding skills.
By continuously investing in technology, CFI is able to offer traders smarter, more intuitive tools that streamline decision-making, improve strategy execution and provide personalised insights – making the trading experience both powerful and user-friendly for all.
What are some of the ways you try to boost financial literacy and empower traders to make informed decisions? What education tools and resources does the platform offer?
At CFI, we believe financial literacy is the cornerstone of empowering traders to make informed decisions. To help traders of all experience levels build their knowledge, we offer a wide range of resources, including multilingual webinars, foundational and advanced online courses and an extensive library of articles, blogs and explainer videos. These materials cover everything from basic principles to advanced trading strategies, enabling traders to learn at their own pace.
We also host in-person seminars worldwide that offer interactive learning, personalised guidance and valuable networking opportunities. For a hands-on experience, our CFI Demo account lets traders practise in a risk-free environment before diving into live markets. To further support informed decision-making, we provide access to premium research tools like Trading Central and TIPranks, along with daily market insights and reports on social media. All these resources are available in multiple languages, ensuring accessibility for a global audience.
CFI has aligned with world-class names including Brand Ambassador Lewis Hamilton. What do these partnerships say about the brand and how do they reflect your values?
CFI’s partnerships with AC Milan (Global Partner), Lewis Hamilton (Global Brand Ambassador), FIBA WASL and the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi reflect our commitment to excellence, innovation and global connectivity. These collaborations showcase our belief in the power of success, drawing inspiration from these top-tier organisations and offering our traders the opportunity to engage with globally trusted brands.
We also prioritise diversity and inclusion through these partnerships, engaging local communities and empowering individuals to succeed. These alliances create unique experiences for our traders, such as CFI Rewards, meet and greets and exclusive panel discussions with global icons, offering unforgettable opportunities to connect with champions from various fields. By aligning with these renowned leaders, CFI strengthens its commitment to world-class standards, while building a community where success, inspiration and collaboration thrive.
How important is user experience in the design and development of your platform and how do you gather feedback to continuously improve?
User experience is a top priority at CFI. We aim to create a platform that is intuitive, responsive and easy to navigate, ensuring traders at all levels can make informed decisions with ease. Our design focuses on accessibility, real-time decision-making and customisation to meet each user’s unique needs.
To continuously improve, we gather feedback through client surveys, in-app tools, customer support interactions and by analysing user behaviour. This feedback loop helps us make data-driven updates and ensure the platform evolves with the needs of our users. We also use analytics and heatmaps to monitor user interaction across the platform, allowing us to pinpoint areas of friction and opportunities for improvement. Ultimately, our goal is to deliver an empowering trading experience that supports long-term success for every client.
In what ways has CFI adapted to the rise of mobile trading and the changing expectations of a digital-first generation of investors?
CFI has embraced mobile trading by prioritising a seamless, mobile-optimised experience for all traders. We have developed and enhanced the CFI Trading App to ensure that users can trade and manage their investments easily on the go. The app features intuitive design, real-time updates and robust functionality, allowing traders to execute trades, monitor markets and access educational resources anytime, anywhere.
We also recognise the importance of speed and convenience, so we have focused on streamlining processes for mobile users, ensuring fast execution, personalised alerts and access to advanced tools, all from a mobile device. In addition, we have integrated features like in-app learning, AI-driven insights through Kaiana and easy access to research, all tailored for mobile use.
How do you ensure security and data protection across your digital platforms, especially in an era of heightened cyber threats?
At CFI, cybersecurity and data protection are foundational to our operations. We deploy a comprehensive, multi-layered security framework designed to safeguard client data and ensure the integrity of our platforms at all times. Our systems are regularly audited and tested by external experts to ensure compliance with international data protection standards.
We also invest in employee training and robust governance protocols to reduce risk across all levels of the organisation, creating a secure trading environment where clients can operate with complete confidence.
Finally, what is next for CFI? What are your strategic priorities for this year and beyond and where are you seeing future opportunities for the business?
In 2025, CFI will focus on sustaining growth through a clear vision and focused execution. Our top priority is strategic expansion, both regionally and globally.
We plan to strengthen our presence in established markets while actively entering new, high-potential regions. This includes launching in key financial hubs, deepening regulatory footprints and acquiring or building local entities where this aligns with our long-term vision.
We will continue to enhance our technology, particularly Kaiana AI, to provide personalised insights and support. Our CFI Trading App will also receive new features to improve accessibility and real-time decision-making for all traders. Additionally, we are expanding asset classes, including boosting our cryptocurrency offerings and broadening access to diversified multi-asset portfolios.
Our approach to growth is anchored in a people-first mindset, whether it is with our clients, our team, or the wider communities we serve. We are dedicated to fostering long-term value by prioritising inclusion, continuous learning and a steadfast commitment to consistency.
As we move forward, our ambition is not only to grow, but to lead responsibly, building a trading ecosystem that is innovative, inclusive and sustainable.
