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.

Yuanta Futures Information

Yuanta Futures (Hong Kong) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Yuanta Futures Co., Ltd. (stock code: 6023), a leading enterprise in Taiwan's futures industry. It is a legitimate and compliant futures brokerage platform. The platform offers a rich and diverse range of products, covering indices, commodities, currencies, and various global futures contracts, meeting the diverse trading needs of different investors. The trading channels are convenient, supporting trading through applications such as the “YUANTA EPOLESTAR” on the PC side and the “Yuanta Hong Kong GO” on the mobile side.

Pros and Cons

Is Yuanta Futures Legit?

Yuanta Futures is a legitimate futures brokerage firm. It is regulated by the Taipei Exchange with the regulatory number being Unreleased, which proves that its businesses, including dealing in futures contracts and leveraged foreign exchange trading, are protected by the regulatory authority.

What Can I Trade in Yuanta Futures?

Yuanta Futures offers various trading instruments, including indices, commodities, currencies, and global futures.

Indices: We provide numerous index-related futures contracts, such as those related to the MSCI indices.

Commodities: We offer futures contracts for commodities like crude oil, gold, and agricultural products.

Currencies: Currency futures including USD-CNY (Hong Kong) Futures.

Global Futures: It encompasses a wide range of products, such as US Treasury bond futures, European stock index futures, as well as Singaporean currency and equity futures.

Yuanta Futures Fees

Yuanta Futures charges commissions for the trading of different futures contracts. For example, in Hong Kong futures trading, the commission for Hong Kong index futures and options is HK$50, while the commission for the mini-contracts of some US futures is as low as US$15.

In addition, other fees also need to be paid. For instance, the information service fee (for example, the real-time quotation fee for HKEX futures is HK$75 per month), the bank transfer fee (HK$75), and the service fees for account audit confirmation, and so on (HK$300). Moreover, a currency exchange fee is also payable, and a service charge of 10 percent needs to be added to the exchange rate provided by the bank or the agent.

Trading Platform

Yuanta Futures provides a computer trading platform named “YUANTA EPOLESTAR”, and also supports mobile trading, such as applications like “Yuanta Hong Kong GO”, which are suitable for Android and iOS devices.

Deposit and Withdrawal

Customers can deposit funds through bank transfers, including local and overseas remittances. For local deposits, customers can choose methods such as ATM, cheque machine, telephone banking, counter service, or online banking. For overseas remittance, customers can make the remittance, and please indicate their account name and account number with Yuanta Futures (Hong Kong) on the remittance slip.

Regarding withdrawals, customers can contact their business representatives or fill out withdrawal instructions and submit the withdrawal requests via fax or email. Local transfers are usually credited to the account on the same day, while overseas remittances take 1 to 2 working days.