General Information

IG is a UK-registered company and regulated by multiple international financial bodies, including the ASIC, FCA, FSA, FMA, MAS, and DFSA. It offers access to a 17,000+ markets, including forex, indices, shares, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. The company provides multiple trading platforms, including L2 dealer, ProRealTime, MT4, and TradingView.

What Type of Broker Is IG?

IG is a Market Making (MM) broker, which means that it acts as a counterparty to its clients in trading operations. That is, instead of connecting directly to the market, IG acts as an intermediary and takes the opposite position to its clients. As such, it can offer faster order execution speed, tighter spreads and greater flexibility in terms of offering leverage.

However, this also means that IG has a certain conflict of interest with their clients, as their profits come from the difference between the bid and ask price of assets, which could lead to them making decisions that are not necessarily in the best interest of their clients. It is important for traders to be aware of this dynamic when trading with IG or any other MM broker.

Pros and Cons of IG

Pros:

• Wide variety of markets and instrument options
• Intuitive and customizable trading platforms
• Access to advanced technical analysis and charting tools
• Multilingual, multi-channel customer service
• Demo account with virtual financing of $20,000
• No minimum deposit requirement for real accounts
• Leverage up to 1:400

Cons:

• Fees and costs may not be clearly specified
• Withdrawal of funds is not clearly specified
• The minimum transaction amount is high for some markets
• Credit card deposit fees are high compared to other brokers

Is IG Legit?

Yes. IG is currently regulated by multiple regulatory authorities, including ASIC (Australia), FCA (UK), FSA (Japan), FMA (New Zealand), MAS (Singapore), and DFSA (UAE).

Regulated Country	Regulator	Regulated Entity	License Type	License No.
	Australia Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC)	IG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD	Market Making (MM)	515106
	Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)	IG MARKETS LIMITED	Market Making (MM)	195355
	Financial Services Agency (FSA)	ＩＧ証券株式会社	Retail Forex License	関東財務局長（金商）第255号
	Financial Markets Authority (FMA)	IG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD	Straight Through Processing (STP)	684191
	Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS)	IG ASIA PTE LTD	Retail Forex License	Unreleased
	Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA)	United Arab Emirates	Retail Forex License	F001780

Market Instruments

IG offers access to 17,000+ markets, covering forex, indices, shares, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.

Account Type

IG offers a single live account withno minimum deposit required. Aside from live accounts, demo accounts are also available.

IG's demo account is a very useful tool for beginner traders, as it allows them to trade in a safe and risk-free environment. With IG's virtual funding of $20,000, traders can practice and hone their trading skills without risking their capital. In addition, the IG demo account provides access to the trading platform and all the instruments and tools available in the live account, allowing traders to familiarize themselves with the platform and test different trading strategies.

Leverage

As for the maximum leverage dimension at IG, the company offers a maximum leverage of up to 1:400. This means that traders can open positions that are 400 times larger than their available capital. Leverage can be a powerful tool for experienced traders, as it allows them to earn higher profits with limited capital. However, it can also significantly increase the risk of loss and it is important that traders fully understand the risks and limitations of leverage before using it.

Spread and Commission

In terms of costs, IG offers competitive, with EUR/USD spread starting from 0.6 pips. However, there is not much information available on commissions, which may create uncertainty for some traders. In addition, it is important to note that costs may be higher in less liquid markets or with lower trading volume.

Trading Platform

IG offers various trading platforms to meet the needs of different types of traders.

The web-based platform is intuitive and easy to use, although it may be less customizable than other platforms.

They also offer MetaTrader 4, a popular and well-known platform in the forex industry.

For experienced traders, L2 Dealer offers a wide range of advanced tools and functionalities. However, this platform can be more complicated for beginner traders.

Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android, allowing traders to trade on the go.

Deposit and Withdrawal

The minimum deposit for card payment is $50, and no minimum deposit required for Bank Transfer.

Deposit options including immediate credit/debit card transactions upon card registration, with up to five cards permissible per account.

For Hong Kong clients, cost-free FPS transfers in HKD are available and usually clear within one business day.

Bank transfers are also supported. Always include your account ID as a reference to ensure prompt and accurate allocation of funds.

However, fees of 1% are charged on Visa deposits and 0.5% on Mastercard deposits.

Unfortunately, there is no detailed information on withdrawal of funds, which may be a drawback for some customers.

IG Markets enables convenient funding through its mobile app, accessible under the 'add funds' section for both iPhone and Android users. Additionally, transfers can be made via Wise (formerly TransferWise), though users should check for any associated fees as IG Markets is not affiliated with Wise. For Wise transfers, proof of transaction and account details may be required.

Conclusion

In conclusion, IG is a well-established and regulated trading platform that offers a wide variety of financial instruments, an intuitive web platform and access to MetaTrader 4 and L2 Dealer. Although its demo account offers generous virtual funding, information on live accounts is limited. Multilingual customer service is available through multiple channels. However, there is very limited information on deposit and withdrawal.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is the minimum deposit required to open an account with IG?

No minimum deposit requirement.

What deposit methods are accepted on IG?

IG accepts deposits through credit/debit cards and bank transfers.

What is the maximum leverage offered by IG?

1:400.

What trading platforms does IG offer?

IG offers L2 dealer, ProRealTime, MT4, and TradingView.

Risk Warning

Trading online carries inherent risks, including the potential loss of invested capital. It may not be suitable for all traders or investors. It's essential to understand and acknowledge these risks before engaging in online trading.

easyMarkets Information

What is easyMarkets? Founded in 2001 as “easy-forex” and rebranded to easyMarkets in 2016, the broker has stuck to its “Simply Honest” philosophy for over 20 years. A global multi-asset trading platform, it serves traders of all skill levels via innovative tools, diverse platforms, and transparent terms, standing out as stable and innovative with multi-country regulation and a strong reputation.

Its development includes launching forex trading in 2001, introducing “Guaranteed Stop Loss” in 2003, expanding to stocks/cryptocurrencies post-2016, partnering with Real Madrid in 2020, and holding 5-star Trustpilot ratings plus industry awards. Regulated by CySEC, ASIC, FSCA, and FSC, it segregates client funds in banks like Barclays/HSBC. Focused on “simpler, transparent trading,” it offers 275+ instruments and multi-terminal support.

Pros and Cons

Is easyMarkets Legit?

easyMarkets is a fully legitimate and compliant broker, as it holds licenses from authoritative global regulators like CySEC (≥200% capital adequacy ratio), ASIC, and FSCA (trades supervised, no compliance disputes); publishes transparent trading terms (spreads, leverage, fees) on its official website, releases regular account reports, supports third-party audits, and proactively discloses critical info to meet “investor suitability” requirements; implements a “client fund segregation system” (funds in separate bank accounts, no historical losses); and has over 20 years of operation with no major compliance issues, won awards like TradingViews “Best Forex/CFD Broker,” serves 1M+ global traders, and has above-average user retention and reinvestment rates.

What Can I Trade on easyMarkets?

easyMarkets offers 7 asset classes and over 275 tradable instruments, spanning forex (95+ pairs like EUR/USD, 0.7-200 pips spreads), global shares (U.S./European/Australian/Hong Kong stocks like Apple, Tencent, T+0 trading), cryptocurrencies (20+ coins like BTC/ETH, 24/7 trading, MT5 max 1:400 leverage), metals (Gold XAU/USD, 0.2-0.45 USD spreads for inflation hedging), commodities (Crude Oil/Gas, MT5 max 1:400 leverage for supply-demand tracking), indices (Nasdaq/Dow Jones/Hang Seng, with multiplier-based contract value), and Vanilla Options (for currency pairs/precious metals, fixed risk for volatility hedging).

Account Type

What account types does easyMarkets offer? easyMarkets offers 3 account types, with core differences based on “capital size, spread type, and leverage limit” to suit diverse trader needs:

Common Features: All accounts have no commissions or account fees, support 18 account currencies (including CNY, USD, EUR, JPY), and include the platforms core risk tools (Negative Balance Protection) and customer support services.

easyMarkets Fees

easyMarkets focuses on “no hidden fees,” with costs limited only to spreads and no additional charges in other processes. It has no trading commissions—fixed spreads (available on MT4, Web/App, and TradingView) range from 0.7–2.5 pips for major currency pairs (e.g., 0.7 pips for EUR/USD) and 7–200 pips for exotic pairs (e.g., 200 pips for USD/MXN), staying stable during market volatility; variable spreads (MT5 only) range from 0.7–1.5 pips for major pairs (e.g., 1 pip for USD/JPY) and 4.9–44.1 pips for exotic pairs (e.g., 11 pips for USD/CNH), adjusting dynamically with market liquidity.

It charges no deposit or withdrawal fees, supporting payment methods like Visa/Mastercard, bank transfers, Skrill/Neteller, and UnionPay (some regional banks may charge small transfer fees not imposed by the platform). There are also no account maintenance fees, rollover fees for overnight positions, or data usage fees, while the optional “Guaranteed Stop Loss with No Slippage” feature requires activation via wider spreads.

Leverage

What is easyMarkets leverage? easyMarkets'leverage uses a tiered system based on platform type, account equity, and regional regulations: MT4/VIP/Standard Accounts have max leverage of 1:400 (forex), 1:20 (stocks), 1:50–100 (crypto), 1:200 (metals/commodities); MT5 Accounts (unregulated regions) offer up to 1:2000 (forex), 1:40 (stocks), 1:400 (crypto/metals/commodities), plus a 5-tier dynamic mechanism (higher equity = lower leverage) adjusting all instruments margin requirements.

Trading Platform

What easyMarkets Trading Platform is available? easyMarkets offers 4 major trading platforms to suit different operating habits and strategy needs, with key features as follows:

Common Features: All platforms support “demo accounts” (risk-free trials with full functionality), real-time position management, and trading signal alerts. Account funds can be managed uniformly via the easyMarkets client portal.

Deposit and Withdrawal

How about easyMarkets Deposit and Withdrawal details? easyMarkets has uniform deposit rules: 25 USD minimum (no max) across platforms, with deposit methods including instant credit cards, 1–5 business day bank transfers, 1–3 day e-wallets (Skrill/Neteller), and 1–2 day local methods (e.g., UnionPay), though deposit currency must match account currency to avoid small exchange costs; withdrawals require matching deposit methods (no min limit), take 1–3 days (e-wallets), 3–7 days (bank transfers) or 1–5 days (credit cards), with requests reviewed in 1–2 days, and client funds are secured in regulated segregated bank accounts.

Copy Trading

easyMarkets doesn't have a dedicated “Copy Trading (auto-copy trading)” feature, but offers alternatives: traders can view other users'public trading records/strategies via TradingView integration (manual reference, risk judgment needed), all accounts get daily Trading Central technical analysis emails and fundamental reports (beginners adjust directions with this), and account managers provide personalized strategy advice (e.g., swing trading levels) as “manual copy trading” support for beginners.

Bonus

easyMarkets designs three types of bonus programs around “new client acquisition, existing client retention, and channel promotion,” with transparent rules and no mandatory trading requirements:

First Deposit Bonus:

Rules: New clients receive a 50% bonus on their first deposit.