Leverage is a concept that enables you to multiply your exposure to a financial instrument without committing the whole capital necessary to own the physical instrument.When trading CFDs, you are engaging in leveraged trading, which means you don’t need to commit the full amount of capital for your trade value. For example, with a leverage of 1:10, your initial margin requirement for this particular CFD is 10%. This means you need to deposit $100 to gain a notional exposure of $1,000. Accordingly, any potential profits or losses will be multiplied. Likewise, a leverage of up to 1:30 means that with $100 you can gain the effect of $3,000 capital. Accordingly, any potential profits or losses will be multiplied.