IG Broker Review

IG is a regulated online trading broker that offers traders access to over 17,000 financial instruments across different asset classes, including forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, shares, and commodities. The broker provides traders with various advanced trading platforms, such as the MT4 L2 Dealer, Progressive Web App, and more. The minimum deposit required to start trading is $250.

In this broker review, we will pay attention to the key aspects of IG that you may need to consider before deciding whether to trade with it.

Key Pros and Cons

Let’s first briefly look at IG’s key pros and cons.

Company Information

Thanks to their satisfactory trading services and advanced technology, IG has been recognized and honored on various occasions with noble industry awards, such as Best Broker for Forex Trading by Investopedia Online Brokers Award 2019, Best CFD Provider by Online Personal Wealth Awards 2020, Best Multi-Platform Provider by ADVFN International Financial Awards 2020, Best Finance App by ADVFN International Financial Awards 2020, and more.

IG is authorized to conduct investment business by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA). The broker’s entity and the corresponding regulatory authority is shown in the table below:

• IG Markets Limited, regulated by the FCA: office address: Cannon Bridge House, 25 Dowgate Hill, London EC4R 2YA, United Kingdom
• IG US LLC, regulated by the CFTC and a member of the NFA: office address: The United States of America
• IG International Limited, regulated by the BMA: office address: Bermuda

Owing to its regulation by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), IG accepts clients from the USA, but for forex trading only.

Why Trade with IG?

Now, let us briefly list the key features that we like about IG.

Regulation

IG Group of companies is authorized and regulated in various jurisdictions.

IG Markets Limited, the UK subsidiary of IG, is registered in England and Wales under number 04008957. It is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, with the registration number: 195355.

In the United States, IG is also a trading name of IG US LLC, a company registered in Delaware under number 6570306. The firm is registered with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is a member of the National Futures Association (NFA ID 0509630).

The broker’s services to other parts of the globe are handled by IG International Limited, which is licensed to conduct investment business and digital asset business by the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA). IG International Limited receives services from other members of the IG Group, including IG Markets Limited.

A breakdown of the various regulatory regimes is presented below.

The Financial Conduct Authority is a reputable financial regulatory body in the United Kingdom; they are committed to securing an appropriate degree of protection for consumers and enhancing the integrity of the UK financial system to promote effective competition in the interests of consumers. It provides IG with a solid regulation status as a top-tier regulatory authority and ensures that UK-based retail clients receive compensation of up to GBP 85,000 from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) in the event that IG’s UK arm fails to meet its financial obligations.

The CFTC is a market regulator in the United States of America, created more than five decades ago to oversee the activities in the US derivatives markets, including futures, swaps, and options marktes. The National Futures Association (NFA) is the self-regulatory organization for the US derivatives industry, including on-exchange traded futures, retail off-exchange foreign currency, and OTC derivatives. Designated by the CFTC as a registered futures association, NFA strives every day to safeguard the integrity of the derivatives markets, protect investors and ensure Members meet their regulatory responsibilities. With these US regulations, IG can offer its forex trading services to US clients.

The Bermuda Monetary Authority, which regulates IG International Limited, requires the firms they supervise to hold client funds in accounts separate from their own. This means that the broker is not allowed to use clients’ funds in their business activities and that client money is completely ring-fenced and protected in the unlikely event that IG becomes insolvent.

KYC Procedure for Account Creation and Depositing

Creating an account with IG is simple and can be completed in a few minutes. However, it may take up to 24 hours to get your trading account verified. Generally, the entire account creation process complies with the industry-standard procedure. Here are the steps to follow:

1. Create your secure login: Enter a valid email and choose a strong password you can easily remember.
2. Fill in the application form: Input your names, date of birth, city of residence, address, postcode, and phone number in the appropriate sections of the application form.
3. Choose your trading account: Choose your preferred trading platform and account type from the options offered by the broker (Standard or Premium Account).
4. Confirm your suitability status: The broker will require you to disclose information about your employment status and sources of income, as well as your trading experience. Depending on the answers you provide, if you are approved based on your answers, you can proceed to the next step of the process, but if any of your answers do not match the broker’s internal requirements, your application will be rejected.
5. Agree to the terms: Tick the box at the bottom of the account registration form to indicate that you agree to IG’s Terms and Conditions.
6. Submit your documents for verification: You have to provide your proof of ID (Passport, national ID card, or Driver’s License) and proof of residency (utility bill or bank account statement that is less than three months) for IG to verify your account.

While the account creation is swift (can be completed within 5 minutes), it may take up to 24 hours to verify your trading account. Upon verifying your account, you will have to fund your account via any of the available payment methods before you can start trading.

Account Types

IG Markets offers a choice of two live trading account options, namely:

Other Account options

The broker also offers other live trading account options apart from its main live accounts. Some of these accounts are only available to certain countries. You can choose to trade via one of the international offices based on your personal trading needs. It is possible to open multiple accounts and trade with more than one IG office. The account options include the following:

• IG trading account
• IG professional account
• IG options trading account
• IG turbo24 trading account
• Limited risk account
• Share dealing account
• Exchange account (NADEX)

All account options are denominated in the following currencies: AUD, USD, GBP, EUR, SGD, CAD, NZD, JPY, and HKD. Traders can choose the account that best suits their individual needs and trading style.

Islamic Account (Swap-Free)

IG offers swap-free trading on all the available live trading account options. The swap-free account is suitable for clients of the Muslim faith who cannot receive or pay swaps due to religious beliefs. Although this account type does not incur any swaps or interest charges on overnight positions, the account holder is charged an administration fee on trading positions.

Demo Account

The broker provides traders with the demo account option, which traders can use to practice their trading strategies before implementing them on the live trading accounts. The demo account often comes preloaded with virtual funds for practice purposes.

Trading fees and other costs

Every trader should always consider a broker’s trading fees and other costs before making a trading decision. As a CFD and Forex broker, IG charges two types of trading fees, namely:

• Trading fees – spreads, commissions, and overnight financing rates;
• Non-trading costs – account management fees, deposit and withdrawal fees, non-activity fees.

Let us take a quick look at the trading fees that are available at IG.

Spreads

At IG, clients pay a spread on every non-share CFD and pay commission on every share CFD trade. The IG spreads across its main accounts are as follows:

• CFD Accounts — Spreads start from 0.6 pips with no commissions.
• DMA Account — Tight spreads that start from 0.1 pips and a commission of $6.0 per round turn.

Let us take a look at the average spreads offered on the two main account types:

Now, let us compare the trading costs for the three account types. Let use a 1 Lot trade on EUR/USD (one pip movement equals $10) and assume that the trade is opened and closed at the same price. By using the average spreads, the trading costs for the three accounts will be:

Advantage Plus Account

• Spread – 1.5 pip
• TOTAL COST – 1.5 x $10 = $15.0 per side and $30 per round turn

CFD Account

• Spread – 0.8 pip
• TOTAL COST – 0.8 x $10 = $8.0 per side and $16 per round turn

DMA Account

• Spread – 0.2 pips
• Spread cost – 0.2 x $10 = $2.0 per side and $4 per round turn
• Commission – $3.00 per side and $6.00 per round turn
• TOTAL COST – $4.0 + $6.0 = $10.00 per round turn

So, the trading cost on the DMA Account is less than that on the CFD account, thanks to its competitive commissions and tight spreads.

Finally, let us compare IG CFD Account average spreads with those other major brokerages offered on the three most actively traded Forex pairs.ally, let us compare IG Micro Account average spreads with those other major brokerages offered on the three most actively traded Forex pairs.

From the table above, the spreads charged by IG are mostly within the range of its competitors like IC Markets and Fusion Markets. However, the average spread on GBP/USD is quite on the high side.

Commissions

The broker charges a commission of $3.00 per lot per side ($6.00 per round trip) on the DMA account, but it charges no commission fee on the CFD account.

This means that on the DMA account:

• for a 1 Standard Lot trade (100,000 units), you will pay a $6.00 commission to open and close the position;
• for a 1 Mini Lot trade (10,000 units), you will pay a $0.60 commission to open and close the position;
• for a 1 Micro Lot trade (1,000 units), you will pay a $0.06 commission to open and close the position.

A $6.00 commission for a 1 Lot trade on the DMA account is fair compared to IC Markets that charges $7.00. However, it is higher when compared to what Fusion Markets charges on its Zero Spread Account — $4.50 commission per round turn, which is, at present, among the most competitive offers within the industry.

Financing charges

IG’s financial institutional partners calculate the daily swap rates using risk-management analysis. As a result, each currency pair has its forex swap charge, and interest is paid on currency sold and received on currency bought.

You can see the swap charges for a currency position by logging into your MT4 platform and taking the following steps:

1. Locate your product in the ‘Market Watch’ window. Right-click and select ‘Symbols.’
2. Select the product you wish to view from the list. Select ‘Specifications’.
3. Here, you can view the Forex swap rates for long and short positions.

Deposit fees

IG will not charge any deposit fees, just like most online brokerage firms. This is standard practice for brokers.

Withdrawal fees

IG will also not charge any withdrawal fees on all payment options available. However, payments to and from overseas banking institutions may attract intermediary transfer fees from either party, which are independent of IG.

Inactivity fees

IG will charge an inactivity fee of $18 on the first of every month if no dealing activity has occurred for two years or more.

Overall on Fees

IG offers low spreads and fair commission fees on the DMA account. There are no additional fees on top of overnight financing charges.

Overall, IG offers decent trading fees on their trading accounts. For instance, the commission fee of $6 per round turn is within the range of its competitors.

Desktop Trading Platforms

IG provides traders with various advanced trading platforms, including the following:

MetaTrader4

The MetaTrader 4 is a popular third-party platform for CFD trading and spread betting in the UK. The platform was introduced in 2005 by a Russian software company, MetaQuotes. The platform has since grown to become one of the choicest trading platforms in the industry today. It is replete with advanced analysis and automated trading tools for an enhanced trading experience.

Also, the MT4 platform features an intuitive interface, making it suitable for traders of all levels of experience. Some of the essential features of the MT4 trading platform at IG include the following:

• Automated trading: You can build your algorithms or import Expert Advisors3 from the MetaTrader 4 platform.
• Customizable charts: The MT4’s charts can be fully customized and adjusted to suit your individual trading needs.
• Micro lots: The minimum lot size on MT4 is 0.01 lots, helping you manage the risks of high-volume trading.
• Software-based: Accessing and interacting with the platform and charts is quite easy.

The MT4 is available as a desktop application for Windows and Mac computers, a web-based platform (WebTrader), and a mobile app for Android and iOS devices. The WebTrader can be accessed through all popular web browsers, such as Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge.

ProRealTime

ProRealTime is an online charting software for technical analysis and trading. The ProRealTime is designed for traders who employ advanced technical analysis and automate their trading process. It gives users a fully customizable interface and trading experience. It is replete with advanced features, such as automated trading, various technical analysis tools, and more.

With the ProRealTime, you can easily carry out the following functionalities:

• Build algorithms using assisted creation tools, or code them from scratch.
• Backtest using 30 years of historical data
• Execute trades 24 hours a day, whether or not you’re at your desk
• Import strategies, even those made by third parties
• Mitigate against losses and lock in profits with trailing stops
• Trade CFDs on over 16,000 financial assets, including forex, shares, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.

There are over 100 indicators that you can use with ProRealTime. Examples include CCI, Adaptive Moving Average, Chaikin oscillator, Moving Average, and OrderBook volume. These are all designed to help you in analyzing price charts in real-time.r benefits of MT5 include a multi-threaded strategy tester, fund transfer between accounts, and a system of alerts to keep abreast of all the latest market events. Traders can also communicate through the embedded MQL5 community chat to feel more empowered and confident. The MT5 trading platform can be freely downloaded as a desktop application for Windows and Mac computers, and there is also a WebTrader version, as well as a mobile app that is compatible with Android and iOS devices and can be downloaded from the respective app stores.

L2 Dealer

L2 Dealer is the broker’s direct market access (DMA) platform. On L2 Dealer, you will be able to trade shares or Forex straight through the order books of international exchanges. The platform offers news feeds from Reuters, real-time charts, and market commentaries. Also, you can set alerts to notify you when your pre-determined market conditions are met. The alerts can be set to monitor bid and ask levels, net price change, and percentage price change.

L2 Dealer gives you exclusive access to Level 1 and Level 2 pricing. This means that you will be able to get pricing data directly from an exchange while also interacting directly with the order book. The implication is that you can easily view underlying market liquidity, enter auctions, and access sophisticated order types.

Progressive Web App

The Progressive Web App (PWA) is the broker’s web-based trading platform that is optimized to help you receive critical trading updates quickly and effortlessly, avoiding delays inherent in traditional app store review processes.

The broker’s web trading platform is available online for all users who are interested in CFD trading. You can manage your account, register cards, make payments, withdraw your funds, and more. This platform also offers browser-based research tools such as streaming news, economic calendar, and signals. As a web-based trading platform, it runs directly on modern web browsers without the need to first download or install an application.

Mobile Trading Platforms

The broker provides traders with the IG mobile app; it is a proprietary mobile trading platform that allows users to easily trade CFDs. The mobile app offers access to the same research and monitoring tools as the web-based platform, and users can view the broker’s mobile charts and open or close positions on the go. It is available as a mobile app for Android and iOS devices and can be downloaded from the respective app stores.

Additionally, IG’s traders can trade with the mobile versions of the MT4 trading platform. This app brings a whole new level of convenience to CFD account holders, as they can access their trading accounts and place trades on the go, as long as they are connected to the internet. Interestingly, when you trade with the mobile version of the MT4 trading platforms, there is nothing to lose since the mobile app offers the same features and functionalities as the desktop platforms.

Trading Instruments

IG offers over 17,000 CFD products, including Forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, shares, commodities, and more. Their range of available financial assets compares fairly to other big brokers, such as OANDA and Fusion Markets.

Before we discuss the various assets individually, let us mention that you have three routes to the financial markets with IG: spread betting (UK clients only), CFD trading, and investing. Each offers you a unique set of advantages. Spread betting and CFDs are derivative products, so you can take a position on a market’s price without owning any assets. You do not need to put up the full value of your position when you open a trade, as spread betting and CFDs are leveraged. Unlike traditional investing, spread betting and CFDs allow you to take advantage of falling and rising market prices.

Now, let’s now take a closer look at the product list.

Forex

IG offers access to the most liquid global FX markets, allowing traders to trade over 80 Forex currency pairs (including all major pairs and the most popular minor and exotic FX crosses). The broker offers different trading conditions, depending on the account type. Clients can trade Forex with zero commission fees on the CFD Trading Account and competitive commission fees on the DMA Account. Leverage of up to 1:200 is available for Forex trading at IG. The broker’s Forex trading platforms include the MT4, L2 Dealer, web platform, and intuitive mobile app.

Indices

IG allows traders to trade CFDs on over 80 of the world’s most liquid Stock Exchange indices through the MT4 and their mobile trading app. Traders can benefit from the broker’s unique deep liquidity, which enables them to place large orders seamlessly. IG offers over 30 more weekly index trading hours, so you can open or edit positions when other traders can’t, hedge your weekday positions with a weekend one on the same market, and act on breaking news, macroeconomic events, and earnings reports as they happen. There is no underlying physical asset to exchange when trading indices; most indices trading is done with financial derivatives like CFDs. CFD trading enables you to take a position with leverage, meaning that you only need to put down a deposit/margin to receive increased exposure. At IG, leverage may vary, from 1:67 to 1:200, depending on the market. Indices can be traded on the web-based platform, mobile app, and MT4.

Stock/Share CFDs

Traders who are looking to profit from some of the world’s most popular stocks can consider trading stock CFDs with IG. At IG, you can trade share CFDs on over 8,000 shares from companies worldwide and across a range of different sectors. The broker also allows you to trade over 70 stocks from the US. When you trade shares using CFDs, you will be dealing at the real market price but won’t have to own the stocks. Instead of being charged a spread, you will pay a small commission to open and close your position. IG offers leverage of 1:22 on shares to help you magnify your profits, but note that leverage can also magnify losses. At IG, stock and shares trading are available on the web-based trading platform and mobile app.

Commodities

On the broker’s web platform, you can trade various commodities like gold, iron, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt, and agricultural markets. Energy commodities are some of the most important commodities globally because they are used to power the economy. IG allows you to choose from 35 commodities or a range of commodity stocks and ETFs and keep your trading costs low with spreads from just 2.8 points on Brent Crude and 0.3 on gold. At IG, commodities trading is available on the web platform, MT4, and mobile app.

Cryptocurrency

At IG, the markets for Bitxoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ether, and Litecoin are quoted against the US dollar. This is how you will usually see these cryptocurrencies quoted elsewhere, too. You can trade cryptocurrencies with IG through CFDs. CFDs, or contracts for difference, allow you to speculate on the price of cryptocurrencies without taking ownership of the underlying assets. Trading cryptocurrency with CFDs is available on the following IG trading platforms: MT4, intuitive web platform, mobile app, and L2 Dealer. The broker offers a 10% margin on cryptocurrency trading.

Other Markets

The broker also allows traders to trade CFDs in a range of other markets, including bonds, options, ETFs, and more, so they can take advantage of the price volatilities in these assets. CFDs trading on bonds, options, and ETFs are available on the web platform, MT4, and mobile app.

Trade Execution

This broker uses both the market-making model (on CFD accounts) and the direct market access model (DMA accounts). The broker’s robust trading platforms employ the best execution and are built to quickly cope with huge volumes of trades. The average execution speed is less than 0.027 seconds from submission to fill.

As the world’s largest and oldest spread betting and CFD broker, IG strives to offer greater liquidity at the best possible price. The consistent liquidity offered by IG provides you with more control over your trades. If you deal in larger sizes, you are more likely to be filled at your desired price with IG.

To prevent your order from being rejected, the broker sets a maximum size it automatically accepts. This avoids delay to your execution, which would result from order rejection.

To secure the best possible result for your share CFDs, forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrency orders, IG considers the following factors:

• Fairness of price
• Speed and likelihood of execution
• The size and nature of the order

Getting you the best price and minimizing the total cost of the transaction takes precedence over all other factors. The broker’s intelligent execution technology is designed to take into account relevant factors, such as the nature of the underlying markets and any specific instructions you have given them, to consistently deliver the best possible results.

Deposits

Before you start trading, you have to fund your account first. Interestingly, IG supports different deposit methods to enable you to easily fund their accounts and trade. The broker does not charge any deposit fees, and it allows you to open accounts and deposit funds in the following base currencies: AUD, USD, EUR, GBP, NZD, SGD, JPY, and CAD.

IG does not accept third-party payments, so all funds deposited into your trading account must be under the same name as your IG trading account. Payment from joint bank accounts or credit cards is accepted if the trading account holder is one of the beneficiaries. The minimum deposit is $250.

The broker offers a generous selection of deposit methods, including:

Currently, there are no deposit bonuses available with this brokerage.

Withdrawal Methods

The broker uses various secure payment methods for traders to withdraw funds safely from their trading accounts. Clients can withdraw funds online by logging into the secure IG client portal and selecting the withdraw tab from the menu. All withdrawal requests are processed via the payment method that was used to make a deposit. For instance, Debit/Credit Card withdrawal can only be used for accounts that made deposits using a Debit/Credit Card.

IG does not charge any internal fees for deposits or withdrawals. However, payments to and from overseas banking institutions may attract intermediary transfer fees from either party independent of IG.

Due to AML/CTF laws, IG cannot deposit funds to third parties. As a result, all money withdrawn from your account must go to a bank account in the same name as your IG trading account.

Customer Support Contacts

IG has a knowledgeable client support team that is very polite and highly responsive to clients’ problems. The support team is available 24 hours a day, five days a week — from Mondays to Fridays. You can contact the broker’s support team through any of the following channels:

1. Live Chat: This efficient channel allows you to chat directly with the broker’s support team live. The live chat function is available as a “Chat” icon at the lower-right corner of the website. When you click on the icon, you will be required to input your name and email address. Next, type your message in the bigger box to interact with the customer support team live.
2. Telephone contact: You can also contact the broker’s support team over the phone from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday – Friday using the phone number provided on their website: +61 3 9860 1799
3. Email Contact: You can send specific inquiries to the broker’s email address: helpdesk.en@ig.com
   The response from the customer support team is always polite and helpful. You can also gain some insight from the broker’s Help & Support page.
4. Help & Support Page: This page has a comprehensive list of Frequently Asked Questions that answer some of the most common questions traders have. They arrange in the following categories: about IG, account application, account management, fund management, trading with IG, and trading platforms.

Research and Educational Materials

To help traders improve their trading knowledge, IG makes a range of learning resources available on their website. These educational resources include learning courses, trading platform manuals, video tutorials, daily market updates, and more. Here is what you will find on this section of the broker’s website:

• An IG academy: The IG Academy is a free resource designed to help you become a more successful trader, as it can help you to develop your trading skills and knowledge.
• Interactive Education: This teaches you some trading essentials, with infographics, video explainers, and end-of-course quizzes.
• Webinars & Seminars Schedules: IG hosts regular webinars and seminars where you can put your questions to market experts. They cover everything from spotting trade opportunities to using trading platforms.
• News & Analysis: Here, you can stay up to date with the latest news affecting the markets and read IG expert analysis on the latest market movements.
• Trading Glossary: IG provides an extensive trading glossary with frequently used terminologies and clear explanations to help familiarise yourself with some of the common trading jargon.
• IG Community: This is a trading discussion forum where clients can benefit from shared knowledge with the IG community. The forum is an online space for IG clients to chat with the expert support team. Traders can talk strategies and share trading tips, have questions answered by traders and staff, and get a preview of upcoming products.

Security and Money Guarantees

At bestbrokers.com, we are committed to ensuring that traders trade with only regulated online brokers, and IG is one of such. Our key findings include:

• Over four-decade of business history and growth
• Top-tier FCA and CFTC regulations
• Award-winning brokerage
• Regulated in multiple jurisdictions

The FCA has strict regulatory requirements, known as the client money and client assets rules, which govern what brokers can do and how they must do it. This helps to reduce the risk of fraudulent behavior by the brokerage. CFTC regulation and NFA membership mean that the broker can offer its services to US traders, as it is regulated in that jurisdiction.

Finally, IG has been recognized and honored on various occasions with noble industry awards, including the Best Broker for Forex Trading by Investopedia Online Brokers Award 2019, Best CFD Provider by Online Personal Wealth Awards 2020, Best Multi-Platform Provider by ADVFN International Financial Awards 2020, Best Finance App by ADVFN International Financial Awards 2020, and more.

Conclusion

Putting it all together, our team of experts at BestBrokers.com make bold to say that IG offers some of the best trading conditions for Forex trading among its peers due to the following reasons:

• Tight spreads
• Multiple secure payment options
• Innovative trading technology
• Lightning-fast execution via the MT4 and other intuitive trading platforms
• Award-winning customer service
• A good selection of educational materials
• Regulated in multiple jurisdictions

E. Ifeanyi