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.

Global Prime Review

Global Prime is a brokerage firm registered in Australia and regulated by the ASIC. With a history of 10-15 years, the broker offers a diverse range of trading instruments, including currency pairs, indices, commodities, metals, energy, cryptocurrencies, stocks, and bonds.

There is no minimum deposit requirement, allowing flexibility for traders. The broker provides a maximum leverage of 1:100 and offers tight spreads to enhance trading conditions. Trading is facilitated through industry-standard platforms like MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and TradingView. Global Prime supports multiple deposit and withdrawal methods, including PayPal, Mastercard, Visa. There have been instances of fraud complaints exposure, which is something potential traders should consider.

Regulatory Status

Global Prime is currently regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and holds a Market Making (MM) type license with license number 385620.

Market Instruments

Currency pairs, indices, commodities, metals, energy, cryptocurrencies, stocks, bonds .....Global Prime allows clients to access a huge range of trading markets. Therefore, both beginners and experienced traders can find what they want to trade on Global Prime.

Spreads and Commissions

In Global Prime, the spreads are shown in a separate page and the commissions are 7 USD per lot. We can see that the minimum spreads for major forex pairs are 0.0 pips.

Account Types

Demo Account: Global Prime provides a demo account that allows you to try out the financial markets without the risk of losing money.

Live Account: Global Prime only provides one type of ECN account, the commission is 7 USD per lot, no minimum deposit and spreads are tight.

Trading Platforms

When it comes to trading platforms, Global Prime provides MT4 and Tradingview, both are among the most popular platforms in the world. The clients may choose the one they prefer freely.

Leverage

The maximum leverage offered by Global Prime is only 1:30 or 1:100, which may seem too low to you. In reality, those leverage of up to 1:500 or even 1:1000 are all from unregulated or offshore regulated brokers, and as we know, offshore regulation is much less strict regulation. For brokers that are formally regulated by the major regulatory bodies, they can only offer leverage of 1:30 or 1:50 at best, which is sufficient for the novice Forex trader. Lower leverage reduces the potential gains on trades, but more importantly, it reduces much of the risk. We recommend that you always keep your account risk at 2% or less.

Deposit & Withdrawal

In terms of deposit and withdrawal, like many good brokers, Global Prime provides a detailed form with important information about currency, payment method, minimum amount, arrival date, fees, etc.

Educational Resources

A series of educational resources is available at Global Prime, such as autochartist alerts, economic calendar, market opportunities, chrome extender, VPS, autotrade, pip calculator, etcetera.

Customer Support

Global Prime offers comprehensive customer support tailored to meet the needs of its diverse client base. Here are the key details regarding their customer service offerings:

• Languages Supported: English and Portuguese, accommodating a broad range of clients.
• Service Hours: Available 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, aligning with global forex market hours.
• Email Support: Clients can reach out for assistance via email at support@globalprime.com.
• Phone Support: For direct communication, clients can call +61 (2) 8379 3622.
• Physical Addresses:
• Australia: Global Prime PTY Ltd (ABN 74 146 086 017), Suite 504, 35 Grafton Street, Bondi Junction, Australia.
• Vanuatu: Global Prime FX (Company Number 40256), Govant Building, BP 1276, Port Vila, Vanuatu.
• Social Media Presence: Global Prime maintains an active presence on several social media platforms including Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter.

FAQs

Is this broker well regulated?

Yes, it is currently effectively regulated by ASIC.

What trading instruments are available?

You can trade a variety of instruments including currency pairs, indices, commodities, metals, energy products, cryptocurrencies, stocks, and bonds.

What is the minimum initial deposit required to open an account?

There is no minimum deposit required to start trading.

What is the maximum leverage offered?

The maximum leverage offered is 1:100.