Overview of Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers, founded in the United States, offers a wide array of trading assets including stocks, ETFs, forex, bonds, options, and futures, providing traders with various opportunities across global markets.

However, risks have been raised about its legitimacy, with reports of the platform being identified as a suspicious clone. Traders are directly impacted by the platform's regulatory status, influencing oversight, transparency, and legal protections. Adherence to regulatory standards instills confidence among traders regarding the platform's reliability and security, while any suspicion or regulatory ambiguity may undermine trust and deter participation, emphasizing the importance of due diligence.

Is Interactive Brokers legit or a scam？

Interactive Brokers is identified as Suspicious Clone under various regulatory bodies such as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom, the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI), and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

However, the presence of “Suspicious Clone” designations in some regions suggests potential regulatory risks. Traders on the platform are directly impacted by the regulatory status, as it influences the level of oversight, transparency, and legal protections afforded to their investments.

Adherence to regulatory standards instills confidence among traders regarding the platform's reliability and security, while any suspicion or regulatory ambiguity may undermine trust and deter participation. Thus, traders are likely to favor jurisdictions where Interactive Brokers maintains clear and reputable regulatory standing, ensuring a safer trading environment.

What are Clone Brokers？

The prevalence of clone brokers is increasingly alarming, as deceptive entities exploit the names of reputable firms to lure unsuspecting clients into believing they are trading with regulated forex firms.

These fraudulent companies go to great lengths, even utilizing the license numbers of legitimate brokers, to deceive traders into opening accounts with them. Remaining vigilant is paramount to avoid falling prey to such scams. Additionally, these unscrupulous entities resort to aggressive tactics, akin to boiler room operations, pressuring clients into opening accounts or increasing their deposits.

It's crucial to heed the adage: if something sounds too good to be true, it likely is. Traders must exercise caution and conduct thorough research before engaging with any brokerage firm to safeguard their investments and financial security.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Wide range of tradable assets: Interactive Brokers offers an extensive selection of tradable assets, including stocks, ETFs, forex, bonds, options, and futures. This diversity provides traders with ample opportunities to diversify their portfolios and explore various investment strategies, catering to different risk appetites and objectives.

• Access to global markets: The platform grants users access to a broad range of global markets, enabling them to trade securities and currencies from around the world. This global reach allows traders to capitalize on international market trends, economic developments, and geopolitical events, enhancing their trading flexibility and potential for profit.

Cons:

• Identified as Suspicious Clone: Some users have reported instances where Interactive Brokers was identified as a suspicious clone, potentially raising risks about the platform's legitimacy and trustworthiness. Such allegations can undermine user confidence and deter participation in trading activities.

• Limited customer support options: Interactive Brokers may offer limited options for customer support, which can lead to delays in addressing user inquiries, resolving issues, or providing assistance when needed. This lack of robust support channels may frustrate users and hinder their overall trading experience.

• Potential for technical glitches: Like any online platform, Interactive Brokers is susceptible to technical glitches or system failures, which can disrupt trading activities, cause delays in order execution, or lead to inaccuracies in account information. These technical issues may impede users' ability to trade effectively and impact their overall experience on the platform.

• Risk of exposure to scams: Users may face the risk of exposure to scams or fraudulent activities associated with Interactive Brokers, such as clone brokers attempting to deceive traders. Falling victim to such schemes can result in financial losses and damage to one's reputation, highlighting the importance of vigilance and due diligence when engaging with the platform.

Market Instruments

Interactive Brokers offers a wide range of tradable financial instruments on its platform.

Traders can access a variety of assets including Stocks, ETFs, Forex, Funds, Bonds, Options, Futures, CFDs, Cryptocurrencies, Warrants, and Structured Products.

This extensive selection provides traders with opportunities to diversify their investment portfolios and pursue different trading strategies across global markets.

With access to such a broad array of instruments, traders have the flexibility to capitalize on market opportunities and manage risk effectively.

Deposit & Withdrawal

Interactive Brokers offers a variety of payment methods to fund your account:

• Bank wire transfer: This is the most common and preferred method. It's free for most currencies.

• ACH transfer: This is another electronic transfer option available for US accounts. It's also free.

• Check: You can mail a check to Interactive Brokers. However, there may be processing fees and delays associated with this method.

• Wire transfer from another brokerage: You can transfer funds from another brokerage account to your Interactive Brokers account. This may be subject to fees from both brokers.

• Bill pay: This option is available for US accounts only. It allows you to pay your Interactive Brokers account from your bank's online bill pay service.

• Third-party deposits: Interactive Brokers generally discourages and rejects third-party deposits due to potential fraud and money laundering risks.

There is no minimum deposit required to open an Interactive Brokers account. This makes it a good option for beginners who want to start with a small amount of money.

Customer Support

Interactive Brokers provides the following contact information for customer support:

1. Twitter: @IBKR

2. Facebook: Interactive Brokers

3. Instagram: Interactive Brokers

4. YouTube: Interactive Brokers

5. LinkedIn: Interactive Brokers

These social media platforms serve as channels for reaching out to Interactive Brokers for support and assistance. However, Interactive Brokers' customer support lacks efficiency and responsiveness. Traders often encounter significant delays in receiving assistance, with support tickets remaining unresolved for extended periods. Communication channels such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn are available, but their effectiveness in addressing customer risks is questionable.

Exposure

Users have reported a single instance of exposure related to a pyramid scheme complaint, which unveiled a potential scam on the Interactive Brokers platform.

The complaint alleges that the platform induced clients to participate in activities, promising withdrawal options upon event completion. However, upon attempting to withdraw profits, users encountered obstacles, including unexpected tax requirements not deducted from the platform. The inability to access funds and unresponsive customer service exacerbates the situation for affected users. Such exposure to fraudulent activities undermines trust and confidence in the platform, potentially dissuading traders from engaging in further transactions.

Conclusion

This instance of Interactive Brokers is suspected to be a clone operated by a company known as Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. Notably, this particular iteration of Interactive Brokers lacks regulation, posing potential risks for traders. Therefore, it is advisable for traders to refrain from engaging with this broker.

General Information & Regulation

In 2005, Across FX Co., Ltd. was established and registered as a financial futures trader in November and joined the Financial Futures Association, and in August 2007, started dealing in “Zero FX” and in September 2007, registered as a financial instruments business operator, and moved its headquarters from Minato-ku, Shiba to Akasaka. In 2008, the name of the company was changed to JFX Co, Ltd. In 2010, JFX started to handle foreign exchange margin trading “MATRIX TRADER,” and in May of the same year, JFX started to provide an iPhone version of the application. 2011, the number of digits displayed in the JFX exchange rate was increased, and in November of the same year, the immediate withdrawal service was started. In 2014, JFX started processing binary options trades, and in July of the same year, the iPhone version of the application became available. JFX is currently regulated by the Financial Services Agency of Japan (Regulation No. 1010001123038).

Market Instruments

JFX offers investors access to the most popular currency pairs in the foreign exchange market, such as EURJPY, EURAUD, USDCAD, EURGBP, and more. Besides, information on other trading assets is not known at this time.

Minimum Deposit

JFX requires no minimum deposit for opening an account, therefore, traders can fund their account any amount to start trading.

Spreads & Commissions

The spreads are 0.4 pips for EURJPY, 1.5 pips for CADJPY, 1.6 pips for CHFJPY, 0.8 pips for EURGBP, 1.5 pips for USDCHF, 1.4 pips for EURAUD, 1.4 pips for GBP/AUD, and 1.8 pips for USDCAD.

Leverage

The maximum leverage available at JFX is up to 1:25 according to the Japanese Laws.

Trading Platforms

JFX offers traders the most popular MT4 trading platform on the market. MT4 trading platform is the gold standard in the forex trading industry with powerful charting tools, as well as a large number of technical indicators, support for automated trading, and EA's. Additionally, there is the MATRIX TRADER trading platform available for traders to use.

Deposit and Withdrawal

For traders to deposit and withdraw funds, JFX offers four different methods, namely Quick Deposit, Bank Transfer, Real-time Withdrawal, and Standard Withdrawal. Quick Deposit is an online deposit service for those clients who have an internet banking contract with a JFX affiliated financial institution. Bank Transfer means that investors can transfer funds directly from a bank counter, ATM, or internet banking to an account designated by JFX.

Customer Support

Clients with any inquries or trading-related issues, they can go to the FAQ section to look for some answers, and if they need staff service, they can get in touch with JFX through the following contact channels:

Telephone: 03-5541-6410

Email: kujyo@jfx.co.jp

Pros & Cons of JFX