Trading bot development for UK traders
Updated 7 November 2026
I build trading bots for UK traders: spread bets and CFDs through IG's API or on MetaTrader, shares in an ISA through Trading 212's API, FTSE 100 futures through Interactive Brokers, and spot crypto on FCA-registered exchanges. Each starts from $499 and is ready within 30 days, run on paper before it trades your money.
I'm Shantanu Sahay, working remotely with businesses worldwide. We talk on WhatsApp, email or a video call, whenever suits you. Prices are in US dollars.
What you get
- Your strategy turned into a bot that follows it exactly
- Tested on past market data, then run on paper first
- Trade-only access to your own account: the bot can't withdraw
- Runs on your own PC or a cloud server in your name, as you choose
- The code is yours, with notes on running it yourself
- Two rounds of changes before it goes live
What works in the UK
Spread bets and CFDs through IG's REST API, or on MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and cTrader at Pepperstone, with MetaTrader 4 at CMC Markets and IG too. Shares through Interactive Brokers, Saxo's OpenAPI, or a Trading 212 Invest or Stocks ISA account. FTSE 100 and gilt futures through Interactive Brokers, on ICE Futures Europe, which also lists Brent crude. Spot crypto on Coinbase, Kraken or Bitstamp, each registered with the FCA.
How I build your trading bot
- Tell me your rules and your brokerEntries, exits, size, market and timeframe, and where you trade. Rules still in your head? We write them down together.
- Get a fixed quoteWithin a day. If your broker has no trading API, you pick one that does.
- Tested before real moneyPay half to start. I code the bot, test it on past data, then run it on a demo account or with orders switched off, so you can watch it.
- It goes livePay the other half, and it trades your account. Anything not as agreed is fixed free for 14 days.
Questions from UK traders
Can a bot trade my spread betting account?
Yes. IG's REST API places spread bets and CFDs directly, allows 100 trading requests a minute per account and costs nothing within its default limits. Pepperstone and CMC Markets run spread betting accounts on MetaTrader, where the bot works as an expert advisor.
Can it trade inside my Stocks and Shares ISA?
Yes, with Trading 212. Its API covers Invest and Stocks ISA accounts and places market, limit, stop and stop-limit orders, so the bot can buy and sell shares in your ISA. A SIPP isn't covered.
Can my bot trade crypto futures from the UK?
Not on a retail account. UK rules keep crypto derivatives such as perpetual futures away from retail traders, so the bot trades spot crypto. Since October 2025, retail traders can also buy crypto ETNs listed on a recognised UK exchange.
How much leverage can a UK bot use?
No more than your broker allows a retail account: 30:1 on major currency pairs, 20:1 on minor pairs, gold and major indices, and 5:1 on shares, for spread bets as well as CFDs. Your broker closes positions when your equity falls below half the margin they need, and you can't lose more than your account holds. I size every position inside those limits.
Can it trade FTSE 100 futures?
Yes, on ICE Futures Europe through Interactive Brokers. The mini FTSE 100 future is a tenth of the standard contract, at £1 a point, so a bot can start with smaller positions. Brent crude and Long Gilt futures trade on the same exchange.
Will a new crypto account trade straight away?
Not always. UK rules ask crypto firms to build a cooling-off period into sign-up, and Kraken makes new UK retail accounts wait 24 hours, so the bot's first live day comes after that.
Which crypto exchanges can a UK bot use?
Ones registered with the FCA that have a trading API, such as Coinbase, Kraken and Bitstamp. Kraken and Bitstamp offer REST, WebSocket and FIX connections, and Coinbase Advanced has REST and WebSocket APIs. Gemini isn't open to UK traders any more, as it closed its UK accounts in April 2026.
Trade spread bets or an ISA by hand today?
WhatsApp or email me the rules you follow, and the fixed quote comes back within a day.