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IG Markets group includes 6 related companies.
IG Markets AU - located in Australia, regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
IG Markets UK - located in the United Kingdom, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
IG Markets CH - located in Switzerland, regulated by the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).
IG Markets UAE - located in the United Arab Emirates, regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA).
IG Markets SG - located in Singapore, authorized by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
IG Markets JP - located in Japan, regulated by the Japan Financial Services Agency (JFSA).
Be aware, UK company has some trading restrictions because of the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) influence.
Unfortunately, AU company also has been imposed with trading leverage limitations by ASIC since the end of March 2021.
Currently, the highest leverage (1:200) is provided by the Swiss entity of IG Markets.
IG Markets group accepts clients from all over the world, excluding USA, Canada and some countries where restrictions apply.
Forex broker offers the following underlying assets for trading.
| 80+ Currency Pairs | Based on major and minor world currencies. |
| 7 Crypto Cash CFDs | Based on Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Bitcoin Gold, Ethereum, Litecoin and Ripple. |
| 38 Indice Cash CFDs | Based on baskets of different blue-chip stocks. |
| 29 Indice Futures | Based on baskets of different blue-chip stocks and 3 Volatility Indexes. |
| 6 Metal Spot CFDs | Based on Gold, Silver, Palladium, Platinum, Copper and Iron Ore. |
| 5 Metal Base CFDs | Based on Aluminium, Copper, Lead, Nickel and Zinc. |
| 5 Metal Futures | Based on Gold, Silver, Platinum, Palladium and Copper. |
| 7 Energy Futures | Based on Crude Oil (WTI, Brent), Heating Oil, Gas Oil, Carbon Emissions, Gasoline and Natural Gas. |
| 22 Soft Futures | Based on Cocoa, Coffee, Corn, Cotton, Wheat, Oats, Orange Juice, Rapeseed, Rough Rice, Soyabeans, Soyabean Meal, Soyabean Oil, Sugar, Lumber, Cattle, Lean hogs. |
| 2 Bond Cash CFDs | Based on German Bund and US Dollar Basket. |
| 13 Bond Futures | Based on US, UK, EU and JP government securities. |
| 6000+ Stock CFDs | Based on shares of AU, US, UK, EU, Canadian, South African and Asian companies. |
| 1500+ ETF CFDs | Based on exchange-traded funds containing various tradable assets. |
| 8 Interest Rate Futures | Based on Euribor, Eurodollar, Euroswiss, Euroyen, Deposit Stg, Short Stg, US 30-day Fed Funds Rate, Aus 30-day Interbank Rate. |
IG Markets is a world-leading online forex & CFD broker that was established in 1974. With over 40 years of experience, they are currently boasting over 195,000 clients worldwide with access to more than 15,000 markets.
IG Markets is well-known for its global presence, with offices across five continents: in Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. Listed as a publicly traded company in London and part of the FTSE 250 stock index, IG Markets is also regulated by different governing bodies in many of the locations it operates. For example, its presence in the UK is regulated by the highly regarded Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), while its Australian branch is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).
Because IG is fully regulated in most of the major markets where it operates, it’s also worth keeping in mind that this broker is more restrictive with leverage and other trading conditions than brokers that are not locally regulated in for example Australia and the EU. As a result, this means that all clients in the EU/EEA and Australia are limited to a trading leverage of just 1:30 on major forex pairs, and less on other instruments like stocks and commodities.
On the positive side, however, traders outside of these jurisdictions can enjoy higher leverage by trading under IG’s offshore branch registered in Bermuda, or under the broker’s Switzerland-based branch. Both of these branches of the broker offer access to a leverage of 1:200 (0.5% margin) on major FX pairs, which should be enough for most traders.
Instruments available on IG Markets for trading includes a whole range of forex and shares (non-CFD), as well as CFDs on commodities, shares, stock indices, bonds, and ETFs. They also offer spread betting service for clients in some countries such as the UK, where this type of trading instrument is free of stamp duty and capital gains tax. Trading costs are generally low across all trading instruments, with fairly tight spreads between buy and sell prices.
IG has its own web-based trading platform with a nice and clean user interface, and very user-friendly charting capabilities. Other than that, it also offers trading through the classic MetaTrader 4 (MT4) platform, as well as other advanced trading platforms for experienced traders such as L2 Dealer and ProRealTime. Lastly, IG offers a mobile trading platform based on its own web trading platform for more convenient trading on the go.
In terms of account types, traders can choose between getting a live account or a demo account to start with. The demo account is for first-time traders to practice trading with virtual money, to get a feel of what trading is like before diving into the real thing. Live accounts include CFD trading, spread betting, and share dealing, but the offer varies depending on the jurisdiction the trader is based in.
IG accepts deposits via bank transfers, card payments and cheques, of which only card payments have an additional deposit fee of 2-3% of the amount deposited. It usually takes no more than 1 business day for the deposit to get through, although up to 3 days if it is deposited by cheque. The minimum deposit amount needed varies by the base currency of the account, but starts from USD 300.
For withdrawals, there is a limit of USD 35,000 for every 24 hours, and the deposit should be in the trader’s account after 24 hours of requesting, if done by bank transfer. Card withdrawals take about 3-5 business days, with no additional fees.
IG also has a 24-hour hotline for customer service, with more than satisfactory reviews from clients praising their fast service. Setting up accounts can also be done easily by just uploading the relevant identification documents, and clients can start trading almost immediately. There is also a live chat service providing round-the-clock technical support.
Like most online brokers, IG also provides links to global news and market analyses. It further prepares weekly momentum reports that clients can subscribe to, to get expert commentary and insight on major indices as well as key events to look out for in the upcoming week that might affect the markets.
IG’s website also includes a free educational service called IG Academy, whereby clients can participate in online courses to learn more about trading, as well as live sessions by expert traders where they share their experiences and strategies. Courses are divided into difficulty levels based on the client’s trading experience, and are best taken together with usage of the demo account to maximize hands-on experience.
