A vulnerable customer is someone who is especially susceptible to harm due to their personal circumstances, which could include short-term, long-term, or permanent emotional, mental, physical or financial issues. All customers are at risk of becoming vulnerable.

Vulnerable customers are more likely to experience detrimental outcomes, which, in the event that they materialise, are likely to have a greater negative impact than for non-vulnerable customers.

Some characteristics that might contribute to a customer’s vulnerability include:

• Health – physical or mental disabilities or illnesses that affect the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks;
• Life events – major life events such as bereavement, job loss, or relationship breakdown;
• Resilience – low ability to withstand financial or emotional shocks; and
• Capability – low knowledge of financial matters or low confidence in managing money, and low capability in other relevant areas such as literacy or digital skills.

We understand that a customer's personal circumstances can change at any time. This will likely impact the way you manage your trading. It is possible to have healthy trading behaviours for months or years before becoming vulnerable, due to a change in personal circumstances that may well be beyond your control.

At Plus500, we are committed to supporting our customers in whatever way we can, and have measures in place to help identify behaviours that might indicate vulnerability. However, it is important that you can identify whether you might be at risk of being or becoming vulnerable. The following scenarios present certain behaviours that may indicate vulnerability:

• Your mental health and wellbeing are declining;
• A recent event in your life has caused you to lose focus;
• You are neglecting other financial responsibilities, such as paying household bills, to fund your account instead;
• You are borrowing money, going into debt or using multiple credit cards to be able to open and maintain your positions;
• You are struggling to understand the platform and our products;
• You are unable to read the Terms & Agreements;
• You feel that you are losing control of your trading activity;
• You are hiding your trading account from your partner and/or family.

If you think that any of these behaviours apply to you, or that you may otherwise be affected by vulnerability, please refer to the section below for further guidance.

At Plus500, the wellbeing of our customers is of the utmost importance to us. We aim to provide a supportive environment where customers can engage with us without fear or judgement. If you believe you may be vulnerable, you can contact us in confidence. If you’ve self-declared your vulnerability, you can request a temporary or permanent suspension of your account.

There are many events that can affect your personal life, wellbeing, and circumstances. In some cases, your trading may be negatively affecting your life in ways you are finding difficult to deal with. It can be hard to admit when you are experiencing vulnerability, but in this ever-changing world, anyone is at risk.

The best thing to do is to seek the help and advice of professionals. If you wish to receive external support, we recommend that you contact any of the following organisations:

• Samaritans
• Alzheimer’s Society
• MIND
• MoneyHelper (formerly known as the Money Advice Service)
• Citizens Advice Service
• National Debt Helpline
• Step Change (Debt Helpline)
• Gordon Moody (Gambling Support)
• GamCare (Gambling Support)