Cloudflare outage cost an average CFD broker nearly $1.6 bn in trading volumes

On November 18, 2025, Cloudflare experienced a significant technical malfunction that caused widespread errors and outages across numerous websites. This disruption had a profound impact on the operations of various online trading platforms. According to a report from Finance Magnates, average losses for contracts for difference (CFD) brokers during the outage reached nearly $1.6 billion in trading volumes. While brokers typically do not publicly disclose their trading losses, the report provides an estimated figure of approximately $1.58 billion in trading volumes lost, representing about 1% of their monthly revenues. The analysis focused on the trading volumes of CFD brokers, revealing that those outside the top ten, who did report outages, had a cumulative maximum monthly trading volume of $416 billion in the third quarter of 2025, with a minimum of $40 billion. This equates to an average monthly trading volume of $174 billion and a daily average of $7.91 billion. During the three hours of the outage, brokers collectively faced losses estimated at $1.58 billion, which translates to roughly 0.91% of their monthly trading volume. However, it's worth noting that these figures may not fully capture the extent of the losses, as traders typically return to settle positions in the aftermath of outages. The three-hour disruption severely affected many companies, particularly forex and CFD brokers, which encountered issues such as 'internal server errors' on their websites. Notable brokerage firms like Monaxa, Skilling, Xtrade, and FXPro confirmed they were impacted by the outage. As Cloudflare is a leading provider of network services globally, its platform is utilized by many businesses to enhance website performance and safeguard against cyber threats. Consequently, an issue on Cloudflare's platform can lead to cascading outages across numerous unrelated sites. Other major companies including X (formerly Twitter), Spotify, OpenAI, Amazon Web Services, and PayPal also reported disruptions during this period. The outage peaked between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. GMT, according to multiple media sources. These events underscore the critical role that infrastructure providers like Cloudflare play in the digital ecosystem, as their outages can significantly ripple through various sectors.