IG Markets Review
📅 Year founded	1974
📈 Multiple top-tier regulation	Yes
📍 Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
🌍 Country of regulation	Australia / Europe / South Africa / United Kingdom / Switzerland / Singapore / New Zealand / United Arab Emirates / Japan / United States of America
✅ Regulators	ASIC / BaFin / FSCA / FCA / FINMA / MAS / FMA / DSFA / JFSA / CFTC
📈 Execution Type	Market Execution
💰 Minimum Deposit	$250 USD (Jurisdiction Dependant)
🛡️ Negative Balance Protection	Yes
📉 Trading Platforms	MetaTrader4 / ProRealTime / L2 Dealer
☪  Islamic account	No
📉 Trading Instruments	Forex / Indices / Shares / Commodities / Cryptocurrencies / Futures / Options / Bonds
📱 Mobile trading	iOS / Android / Windows
💳 Payment Types Accepted	Credit and Debit Cards / Bank Wire Transfer / PayPal
🎮 Demo Account	Yes
ⓒ Copy Trading	Yes
🎁 Bonus Offer	Deposit Bonus / Cashback
💰 Account Currencies	USD / GBP / AUD / CHF / ZAR / JPY
📈 Minimum Trade	0.01 Lots
📈 Account Types	DMA / PAMM / MAM
📈 Margin Trading	Yes
📈 Trading fees	Low
📈 Inactivity fee	No
💰 Withdrawal fee	No
☎ Customer Support	24 hours a day from 6 a.m. Saturday to 11 p.m. Friday
💰 Max. Leverage	30:1
✔️ Hedging Allowed	Yes
✔️ Scalping Allowed	Yes
💰 Commission	Zero / Low
💰 Spreads	From 0.3 pips
💰 Leverage	Flexible
💰 Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs)	80 +
🔢 Number of clients	313 300 +
🥇 Instruments Offered	16 000 +
📙 Education	IG Academy with Online Courses / Live Sessions / Webinars / Mobile App
Click here ✅ Open a Trading Account

 

WHAT IS IG MARKETS?

 

Established in 1974, IG Markets is a trusted and regulated online broker with its headquarters located in the United Kingdom. This forex and CFD brokerage firm is regulated by ASIC, FCA (United Kingdom) and the FSCA (South Africa) as well as a host of other regulatory bodies mentioned in the above table.

At IG Markets, clients can trade a range of trading instruments such as forex, indices, shares, commodities, cryptocurrencies, futures, options, bonds and other markets.

The broker also offers a variety of trading platforms to its traders including ProRealTime, MetaTrader4 and L2 Dealer, as well as their own award-winning trading app.

 

INTRODUCTION

 

IG Markets has more than 313 300 clients around the world and provides access to more than 17 000 financial markets globally.

IG Markets is a perfect choice for those who want to trade financial markets. The broker allows thousands of traders to trade through CFDs. With IG Markets, clients also have the choice to buy and sell a variety of shares and futures.

According to the IG Markets’ website, the broker is considered as the world’s main choice for CFD trading. Since 1974, the company has been a frontrunner in the industry with award-winning trading platforms and service provision.

Clients are served globally and the broker has 17 offices located all over the world. They have also received multiple industry awards for their ground-breaking trading technology and excellent trading services offered.

With IG Markets, your money is protected and safeguarded. Money is kept in segregated accounts at regulated banks and is also isolated from the broker’s creditors through a process known as ring fencing.

The broker offers free trading courses and webinars on IG Academy for all types of traders to enrich and develop their trading skills. Certainly one of the better educational offerings made available by brokers in the industry. Expert support is also offered 24 hours a day, roughly 6 days a week, by IG Markets to assist traders in reaching their trading objectives.

IG Markets also provides negative balance protection. This means that traders cannot lose more money than the balance on their trading account.

 

PROS & CONS

 

PROS

• Educational tools are great.
• The web trading platform is outstanding.
• Trading fees for Index CFDs are low.
• Account opening process is fully digital.
• No withdrawal fee applicable.
• Guaranteed stop losses.
• Many markets available.
• No inactivity fee.
• Forex spreads are some of the lowest in the industry.

 

CONS

• IG trading fees for stock CFD are high.
• Phone support can be poor from time to time.
• $250 USD minimum deposit is high compared to other brokers.
• Islamic accounts are not available.

 

TRADING INSTRUMENTS

 

Forex

With spreads starting from 0.6 pips, the broker has more than 80 currency pairs to choose from, including EUR / USD and AUD / USD. IG Markets offers major currency pairs to trade with, including the following:

• AUD / USD with a minimum spread of 0.6.
• EUR / USD with a minimum spread of 0.6.
• USD / JPY with a minimum spread of 0.7.
• GBP / USD with a minimum spread of 0.9.
• EUR / GBP with a minimum spread of 0.9.
• EUR / JPY with a minimum spread of 1.5.
• USD / CHF with a minimum spread of 1.5.

 

At IG Markets, traders can trade by either opening a contract for difference (CFD) position, or by spread betting on the direction of the currency pair’s price.

IG Markets is widely considered as one of South Africa’s top forex providers with a selection of powerful trading platforms on offer.

 

When trading forex via CFDs at IG Markets, you can expect the following:

• Accessible to all types of clients.
• Trade in contracts.
• No commission.
• Web, mobile app and advanced platforms.

 

When trading forex via DMA (Forex Direct) at IG Markets, you can expect the following:

• Accessible only to Professional clients.
• Trade in lots.
• No commission.
• L2 dealer, mobile app, terminals and APIs.

 

Indices

IG Markets provides 24-hour access to the globe’s top indices with spreads starting from 0.4 pips. The broker offers popular indices to trade with, such as:

• FTSE 100 with a minimum spread of 1.
• Wall Street with a minimum spread of 1.6.
• US 500 with a minimum spread of 0.4.
• US Tech 100 with a minimum spread of 1.
• Germany 30 with a minimum spread of 1.
• Hong Kong HS50 with a minimum spread of 5.
• Japan 225 with a minimum spread of 7.

 

The broker has more than 25 indices available to trade with. Indices can also be traded through CFDs.

 

Shares

Shares are considered as one of the most common and popular trading instruments to trade with. When trading shares, you are in effect buying or selling a small part in a certain company.

With shares, traders can receive dividends which are essentially a share of the particular company’s profits. More than 12 000 global shares can be accessed through IG Markets with spreads and commissions starting from 0.1%.

IG Markets offers shares of EU, UK and US based companies, on the following exchanges:

• UK FTSE 100.
• US (major).
• Europe (major).
• UK FTSE 250.
• US (other).
• Australia (major).

 

At IG Markets, traders can choose to trade shares on both desktop and mobile with seamless trading on the broker’s web-based platform and mobile apps.

Low margins and competitive spreads can be expected with the broker when trading shares.

 

Commodities

Commodities are natural resources that can be traded on dedicated exchanges globally. There are two types of commodities, namely:

• Hard commodities: Metals or energies, such as silver and gas.
• Soft commodities: Typically agricultural, such as wheat or sugar.

 

Commodity prices depend on various factors, including supply and demand, weather, economic and political events and the USD. Due to these mentioned factors, commodity prices can change significantly.

On IG Markets’ international trading account, clients can trade on over 35 top commodities with no fixed expiries.

Clients can trade a variety of commodities, including the following:

• Gold with spread from 0.3.
• Silver (5000oz) with spread from 2.
• Oil – Brent Crude with spread from 2.8.
• Oil – US Crude with spread from 2.8.

 

The broker has a unique range of markets on offer whereby clients can trade CFDs on a wide range of commodities. IG Markets also provides risk management tools to assist its clients’ positions, particularly in volatile times.

 

Cryptocurrencies

When trading cryptocurrencies, you are speculating on the fluctuation of the cryptocurrency’s price, without owning any of the actual underlying coins.

IG Markets offers 11 cryptocurrencies that can be traded including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Bitcoin Cash and Cardano as well as offering trading opportunities on the Crypto10 Index.

 

Bonds

When trading government bonds, you are essentially speculating on the price of the bonds without taking ownership of them. This is done by spread betting or trading CFDs (contracts for difference).

The broker’s trading hours for government bonds vary and are subject to the country of where the underlying bond originates from.

IG Markets has a wide-spreading selection of international government bonds to choose from and the broker’s contracts are off-exchange.

 

TRADING PLATFORMS

 

When trading with IG Markets, you can choose from a range of outstanding trading platforms. Below, we have reviewed the broker’s trading platforms.

 

IG’s trading platform

The broker’s web trading platform is fast, user-friendly, reliable and highly customisable. The platform is created for any type of trader who is looking to trade CFDs.

With this platform, browser-based research tools are provided and clients can make swift withdrawals and deposits.

This trading platform is widely considered as one of the best and easiest platforms in the industry. The platform is fast, responsive, clear and has informative fundamentals and signals.

You can expect in-depth chart analysis with IG Markets’ trading platform, as well as custom alerts and automated trading.

 

iOS and Android Apps

IG Markets’ tablet and mobile trading platform can be used on both iPhone and Android with its user-friendly apps that allow for instant trading.

With a simple interface, traders can access the same trading tools as on the broker’s web-based trading platform.

The broker’s iOS and Android apps can be used by all CFD traders and make it possible to speculate on more than 17 000 markets with CFDs on the go.

 

ProRealTime

PRT (ProRealTime) is integrated with IG Markets’ trading platform. PRT is an online charting software for technical analysis and trading.

The platform is created for professional traders who have a need to automate their dealing with innovative technical analysis.

PRT also offers traders with a fully customisable interface and trading experience.

 

MetaTrader4 (MT4)

MT4 is a well-known third party platform for trading CFDs, with more than 18 years’ experience in the industry.

MT4 has served millions of traders and this trading platform can be downloaded for free to trade a range of trading instruments.

The platform offers access to a range of free add-ons and indicators, providing clients with a significant trading advantage.

 

L2 Dealer

L2 Dealer is a share trading platform that delivers DMA (direct market access). With IG Markets’ L2 Dealer, you can trade CFDs with a variety of monitoring tools for instance watch lists, price alerts & orders.

 

ACCOUNT TYPES

 

The broker offers two types of trading accounts for its traders, as well as a live demo account to practice and test out different trading platforms.

• International Account.
• Corporate Account.

 

Traders have access to local and offshore markets with the above-mentioned international and corporate accounts. Clients will have a choice to fund just one or both of these accounts. IG Markets has an easy account opening process that can be set up in a few minutes.

You can open an International account by following the steps below:

• Complete the broker’s online application form.
• Answer a few questions.
• Get verified immediately.

 

The process for a Corporate account is a bit more in-depth as this is only available to IG Markets’ professional clients. Opening this account type involves going through an application process with IG Markets.

 

HOW TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT

 

IG Markets’ account opening process is easy, straightforward and totally digital. The IG Markets demo account opening process is just as easy.

The registration process for opening a trading account with IG Markets can take anywhere between 5 to 10 minutes. The account verification process can take up to 3 business days, which is a bit slow and of course, the Corporate account requires traders to go through an in-depth application process.

Follow these 5 steps in order to open a live trading account with IG Markets:

• Step 1: Provide IG Markets with your name, country of residence and email address.
• Step 2: Select the type of trading account that you want to open.
• Step 3: Provide the broker with personal information, such as your current address and date of birth.
• Step 4: Answer some questions about your current financial status and employment status.
• Step 5: Provide IG Markets with information about your financial knowledge and complete a small quiz.
• Step 6: Provide the broker with documents to verify your ID and residence.

As part of the verification documentation required by IG Markets, you can submit a copy of your national ID, passport, driver’s licence, utility bills and bank statements.

 

DEMO ACCOUNT

 

IG Markets provides a demo account option on the international trading account. The broker’s free demo account provides the perfect opportunity to improve your CFD trading skills.

When opening a demo account with IG Markets, traders will receive virtual funds in their base currency to practice with.

Features of IG Markets’ demo trading account:

• Get virtual funds to practice with.
• Receive news feed and live updates.
• Windows, iOS and Android compatibility.

 

SOCIAL TRADING AND COPY TRADING

 

Copy trading is a branch of social trading that is perfect for traders who cannot commit to trading fulltime.

With copy trading, a trader’s positions are copied or replicated by another trader’s account. Copy trading can also be done automatically or manually.

You can start copy trading by following the steps below:

• Create a trading account or log into your existing account.
• Conduct market research.
• Choose a social trading board like IG Community.
• Copy trades.
• Monitor your trades.

 

COMMISSIONS & FEES

 

IG Markets’ fees are competitive and the broker offers a free account opening process. If you trade on leverage, only one direct charge needs to be taken into account – the spread, or a commission in the case of share CFDs.

Spread charges depend on different market conditions and are relevant to CFD trades for all markets, excluding shares. In general IG Markets charges its own spread in addition to the market spread as a fee for the trade, however this spread is still very reasonable.

With IG Markets, you can trade spreads starting from 0.6 points on main forex pairs such as EUR / USD. For major indices such as Germany30 and FTSE 100, you can trade spreads from 1 point. On gold, you can trade spreads from 0.3 points.

For CFDs, the broker also charges brokerage fees on some additional services.

 

Direct Market Access (DMA)

IG Markets does not charge any fees for using DMA to trade CFDs on shares and forex. On the other hand, there is a monthly exchange fee payable in order to receive live DMA prices for certain shares.

 

ProRealTime Charts

Traders can subscribe to the ProRealTime Charts for a monthly charge which is refundable if more than 4 trades are made in a month. IG Markets reserve the right to charge its traders for the ProRealTime Charts service if their qualifying trades are very low in value.

 

Currency conversion charge

A currency conversion brokerage fee may be charged when CFDs are traded in a currency that is different from a trader’s account base currency. The broker offers instant currency conversion where foreign currency earnings are changed to a trader’s base currency. IG Markets’ standard charge for currency conversions is 0.5%.

 

LEVERAGE

 

Leverage allows traders to gain a much bigger exposure to the market they are trading than the funds they put down to open the trade. Leverage can definitely increase a trader’s potential profit but it can also increase a trader’s potential loss.

At IG Markets, you can trade on relatively low leverage of up to 50:1. This is one of the lower leverages available to traders in the industry, but for clients new to the trading industry, this may be to your benefit.

 

WITHDRAWALS AND DEPOSITS

 

Deposits

At IG Markets, traders can deposit funds into their respective trading accounts by using credit cards, debit cards, bank transfers or via PayPal.

On the broker’s website, you can log into ‘My IG’ and select ‘Add Funds’ to receive instructions on how to deposit funds into your trading account.

You can fund your international / offshore trading account by means of a credit or debit card. IG Markets charges no fees when depositing funds via card into your offshore trading account.

When paying with credit or debit cards, the depositing of funds is instantaneous. However, bank transfers can take a few business days to reflect in your trading account.

 

Withdrawals

At IG Markets, there are no withdrawal fees applicable. It takes up to 2 / 3 business days for a withdrawal to be processed when paying with a debit card.

Please note that money can only be withdrawn to accounts that are in the same name as the account name.

 

How to withdraw funds from your trading account:

1. To withdraw funds, log into your ‘My IG’ account.
2. Go to the ‘Live Accounts’ tab.
3. Choose the account that you want to withdraw from.
4. Select ‘Withdraw Funds’.
5. Choose your preferred withdrawal method.
6. Put in your preferred withdrawal amount.
7. Start the withdrawal process.

 

Normally, bank withdrawals should reach traders within 2 / 3 business days.

 

CUSTOMER SERVICE

 

At IG Markets, 24/6 (roughly) customer service is available via phone, email, social media and live chat. The broker provides quick and relevant answers through its email support while the live chat support can use some improvement.

IG Markets’ customer support personnel are very cooperative and professional. There is also an FAQ section on the broker’s website that answers simple questions.

Being an international broker, customer support services at IG Markets are offered in various languages, including English, French, Chinese, Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese and Swedish amongst others.

 

SAFETY AND SECURITY

According to the broker, many traders, over 313 300, trust IG Markets with their money. Traders can depend on IG Markets’ credibility, as the broker is regulated by the FSCA (SA) and the Financial Conduct Authority (UK) amongst several others as discussed above.

At IG Markets, your money is protected and safeguarded as follows:

• Clients’ money is kept in segregated accounts at regulated banks, such as Barclays and Lloyds.
• The broker will not use its clients’ money or assets for their own business activities.
• Clients’ money is ring-fenced from their creditors in the event that the broker goes into liquidation.

 

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) ensures that traders are compensated for any loss of funds under £85 000. If funds have been lost in this manner, FSCS may provide compensation up to a maximum of £85 000 per person or per institution.

This fund is for clients of authorised financial services firms and is developed by the government of the United Kingdom.

The FSCS is there to protect small businesses as well as private investors (retail clients) in the case where a financial services company becomes insolvent.

Traders can visit the FSCS’s website at ‘www.fscs.org.uk’ in order to find out more about what exactly is covered in the case of where a financial services company becomes insolvent, as well as who is eligible to claim. Traders can also contact FSCS via email (helpdesk.za@ig.com) or they can call 010 344 0053.

 

PROMOTIONS

 

IG Markets offers its clients a funding bonus up to $10 000 USD, cashback up to 15% and access to premium client services.

 

Funding Bonus

At IG Markets, once clients have opened, funded and traded a new IG Market forex account, they become eligible to receive cash bonuses on a sliding scale depending on their deposit amount. Minimum bonus amounts start at $50 USD and can reach up to $10 000 USD.

 

Cashback

The cashback option also works on a sliding scale for traders, and is solely dependent on a trader’s activity as the cashback is calculated on commissions paid.

 

Premium Client Services

Receiving access to IG Markets’ premium client services requires traders to trade significant volumes, but the benefits include access to a Premium Client Manager at no extra cost to traders. More info on this service can be found here.

 

RESEARCH

 

IG Markets has a wide range of market research on offer from both third party and in-house providers. ‘Real Vision TV’ is a premium research offering by IG Markets for clients who deposit at least $500 USD. The broker also offers ‘Real Vision’ research which is available to clients with at least $5 000 USD deposited with the broker.

On IG Markets’ trading platform, traders can enjoy streaming news which is powered by Thomson Reuters. Over and above the Thomson Reuters news ticker, news / tweets can be obtained from X (formerly Twitter). Traders can also expect to receive access to research through an Economic Calendar.

The broker has a well-organised section with numerous research categories on offer, including streaming video content. The online brokerage’s research tools consist of a customisable screener for several asset classes, including CFDs on stocks, forex and cryptocurrencies.

PIA First and AutoChartist are also integrated within the broker’s trading platform. These allow clients to see trade signals that are created by pattern-recognition and technical analysis.

IG Markets makes use of DailyFX. DailyFX is a news website in the form of a blog which provides traders with the latest news updates in the industry, as well as educational resources and many research tools.

The brokerage has comprehensive research and educational offering via IG Analysis and Education links.

News can be accessed directly from the web trading platform. The mobile trading platform doesn’t have a news function, but you can expect to receive news for particular financial instruments.

IG Markets has an integrated news video service on its web trading platform called IGTV. IGTV publishes a few editions on a daily basis. These videos provide traders with the latest major news developments. You can also expect to receive analysis on the charts for main forex pairs, commodities and stock indices.

IG Community allows traders to share their trading ideas in order to assist them in making better trading decisions. It is regarded as an innovative forum for the broker’s customers.

 

EDUCATION

 

In addition to a free demo account, IG Markets providers a range of educational resources via the IG Academy where prospective traders can improve their trading skills.

IG Markets offers great educational resources, such as:

• Platform tutorial videos.
• Educational videos.
• Live sessions.
• Demo account.
• Webinars.

 

GLOBAL AWARDS

 

IG Markets has won many awards over its years in the trading industry, including some of the following:

• Share Trading – Low Costs (2023) – Finder awards.
• SA’s Top CFD Broker (2021).
• Top Securities Broker (2021) – Intellidex Awards
• Top Overall Personal Wealth Provider (2017) – Online Personal Wealth Awards
• Best Online Broker (2015) – Business Day Investor’s Monthly Stockbroker Awards.

 

SAFE OR SCAM?

 

We found that IG Markets is regulated by a number of financial authorities around the world, including top-tier regulators such as the FCA (UK). The parent company of IG Markets (IG Group) is also listed on the LSE (London Stock Exchange).

 

Here follows the full list of global top-tier financial authorities of which the brokerage is regulated by:

• FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) of the UK.
• CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) of the USA.
• NFA (National Futures Association) of the USA.
• ASIC (Australian Securities and Investment Commission).
• BaFin (Federal Financial Supervisory Authority) of Europe.
• FSA (Financial Services Authority) of Japan.
• FSCA (Financial Sector Conduct Authority) of South Africa.
• FINMA (Financial Market Supervisory Authority) of Switzerland.
• FMA (Financial Markets Authority) of New Zealand.
• MAS (Monetary Authority of Singapore).
• DFSA (Dubai Financial Services Authority) of the UAE.

 

When you consider using a certain broker, it is important to check the broker’s safety aspects before making the final choice. Protection is important for traders for the reason that the investor protection amount and the regulator vary from one entity to another. If a trader chooses a spread betting account, that trader will belong to this legal entity.

The online brokerage offers negative balance protection for CFD and forex spot trading. However, it is only offered to retail clients from the EU. Unfortunately, professional and non-EU traders are not protected with any type of negative balance protection.

As already indicated, the broker is regulated by some of the most traditional international organisations. IG Markets is also one of the very first global brokers to be regulated by FCSA in South Africa. IG Markets has been regulated by the FCA since 2001, by ASIC since 2002 and by the FSCA since 2010.

It is important to know that with strong regulation come strict internal processes. With this broker, all clients’ funds are protected in separate trust accounts. These funds cannot be used by IG Markets to pay off any debts or cannot be used to pay for any operations of the business.  Additionally, client funds are ring-fenced so in the event of liquidation, IG Markets’ creditors cannot access those funds. Daily audits of clients’ funds are also made by the broker in order to make sure that the broker has the required liquidity.

In our opinion, IG Markets is definitely a safe broker to trade with.

 

CONCLUSION

 

IG Markets is a trustworthy broker, regulated by a number of financial authorities. The company is also listed on the London Stock Exchange.

The broker is considered as one of the best in the online trading industry and offers more than 17 000 products to its traders. IG Markets is a large CFD broker that has developed into an international leader in the trading industry.

IG Markets has great deposit and withdrawal conditions, as well as being one of the most highly regulated brokers in the industry. The broker also provides a range of trading platforms, educational materials, analysis and webinars.

With a variety of trading platforms and assets available, IG Markets is perfect for any type of trader who needs the added extras a market maker offers.

With this IG Markets forex review, we found that it is one of the best brokers in the industry, and Brokersuggest.com highly recommends using IG Markets to trade with.