| Updated: September 17, 2025- Jump to:
- Regulations
- Trading Instruments
- Trading Platforms
- Mobile Apps
- Payment Methods
- Account Types
- Customer Support
- Conclusion
HYCM is the perfect choice for traders looking for an online brokerage with a solid background. The firm has more than 40 years of operational experience in the provision of trading services, boasting a rich heritage dating back to 1977.
This brand has become synonymous with high class in the world of Forex trading. It has an excellent track record of providing a superb and trustworthy experience to traders in over 140 countries. HYCM’s outstanding reputation is further consolidated by the multiple global awards it has collected over the years – 15 to be precise.
In 2019, the broker received yet another recognition at the Global Forex Awards, winning in the category of Best Forex Trading Platform in the Middle East. Another benefit of trading with this brokerage house is that it is strictly regulated by several top-tier financial watchdogs.
The company has offices in five of the biggest financial centres in the world, including London, Hong Kong, and Cyprus. It offers customers excellent trading conditions, low spreads that start at 0.2 pips, high liquidity, and average order execution of around twelve milliseconds.
Clients can choose from more than ten language options and over 300 instruments across five asset classes. The brokerage relies on MetaQuotes Software’s cutting-edge MT4 and MT5 platforms, offering clients the option to trade on a variety of mobile and desktop devices. There are plenty of trading opportunities here including Forex, stocks, indices, cryptocurrencies, commodities, and ETFs.
| General Information about HYCM | |
|---|---|
| Min. Deposit | $20 |
| Supported Languages | Arabic, Czech, German, English, Spanish, Persian, French, Italian, Polish, Russian, Swedish, Chinese (Mandarin) |
| Supported Currencies | N/A |
Regulations
HYCM is a multi-regulated online brokerage house that serves customers from more than 140 jurisdictions. The broker is part of the global corporation Henyep Capital Markets Group, which boasts a versatile portfolio of operations across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
The Group specialises in the provision of foreign exchange and CFD trading on commodities, stocks, and indices. Its main offices are in the central business district of Hong Kong. Henyep is also one of the founding members of the Hong Kong Futures Exchange. In 1981, the company’s chairman became a member of COMEX, the Commodities Exchange of New York.
HYCM complies with the regulatory frameworks of three of the most highly recognised financial jurisdictions in the world. The operations of HYCM’s UK outfit are authorised and supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Its UK licence was initially granted back in 1998.
One major benefit that comes with FCA oversight is that clients have access to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). This ensures they get their money back if the brokerage files for insolvency.
The firm also offers its services to clients from various European countries thanks to a licence issued by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) in 2014. Thanks to this authorisation, HYCM has access to major European markets like Germany, Hungary, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria, and Poland.
Another authorisation has been granted by the Cayman Islands Monetary Authority (CIMA), which has four main functions – regulatory, monetary, co-operative, and advisory. Henyep Capital Markets is also overseen by the Dubai Financial Services Authority.
Due to regional trading restrictions, the broker cannot offer its services to clients with permanent residence in the USA, Turkey, Panama, Japan, Iceland, Belgium, Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Canada, and the Bahamas.
| Regulator | Licence |
|---|---|
| CySEC (Cyprus) | Yes |
| DFSA (Dubai) | Yes |
| FCA (UK) | Yes |
Trading Instruments
At HYCM, customers face multiple trading opportunities, having a choice from over 300 instruments, including Forex, precious metals like gold and silver, mined energy sources like crude oil and natural gas, and soft commodities like cotton, sugar, coffee, and cocoa.There is also a broad selection of blue-chip stocks, indices, and ETFs. In 2018, the brokerage enriched its portfolio with two additional cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin Cash and Ripple, due to the increased demand on the side of investors.Forex Trading
Forex traders who decide to give HYCM a chance can choose from more than 40 major, minor, and exotic currency pairs, available for trading on the MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms. The Forex market offers extremely high liquidity.
It easily wins the race as the world’s most actively traded market, boasting an average trading volume of over $5 trillion per day. The markets for currency pairs remain open 24 hours a day, five days a week, from Monday to Friday, giving traders instant access to a wealth of investment opportunities.
The largest trading volume is concentrated in the most stable and liquid currency pairs, all of which are available at HYCM. Some of these major pairs include EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, and USD/CHF. Minor and exotic pairs such as GBP/NZD, CAD/JPY, EUR/AUD, CHF/NOK, EUR/HKD, and NOK/SEK are also available here.
Spreads for Forex trading are flexible and start as low as 0.2 pips for Raw accounts, with a leverage ceiling of 1:200. The standard lot size for the foreign exchange market is 100,000 units of the respective currency. The margin requirement for Forex is 0.5%.
Soft and Hard Commodities
There are plenty of benefits to investing in the commodity markets. Driven by the principles of supply and demand, commodities give investors a great opportunity to diversify their portfolios. They are often used as a refuge and a hedge against inflation during periods when the global economy is under pressure.
HYCM enables its clients to trade hard spot commodities such as gold, silver, palladium, copper, and platinum. Extracted energy sources such as U.S. crude oil, natural gas, and Brent oil are also available to commodity traders who choose HYCM.
Agricultural commodities that are grown rather than mined also offer great value to skilled investors. These are known as soft commodities and include goods such as cocoa, coffee, sugar, and cotton, all of which are available for trading at HYCM.
The brokerage offers conventional trading in spot commodities, but there is also the option to trade them as contracts for difference (CFDs). There are no commissions for Fixed and Classic accounts, but Raw account holders will have to pay an extra fee on top of the built-in spread for some commodity markets.
The minimum trading size varies depending on the goods you trade. The same goes for leverage, which ranges from 2.7 pips to 70 pips. Commodity traders can take short or long positions at HYCM.
Index and Stock Trading
At HYCM, customers can invest in the performance of some of the world’s largest corporations. Both stock and index trading are available through this brokerage. Clients have immediate access to global index markets and can speculate on price movements in either direction – long or short.
Here, you will find more than 15 of the most popular indices, with maximum leverage of 1:200. Some of the most appealing options for equity traders include the S&P 500, the Dow, the US 30 Index, the UK FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX 30, the Euro Stoxx 50, the Nikkei 225, and the Hong Kong 50 Index. Trading indices allows you to spread risk across an entire market instead of investing in the performance of a single company.
Another option is to trade the stocks of large corporations across Asia, North America, and Europe. Leverage for stock markets reaches 20:1, with a margin requirement of just 5%. Some of the leading brands preferred by stock traders at HYCM are Tesla Motors, Microsoft, Twitter, Vipshop Holdings, Google, Amazon, Apple, Bank of America, Chevron, Coca-Cola, and eBay.
Cryptocurrency Trading
Clients of HYCM can capitalize on the performance of various cryptocurrencies, including the most commonly used ones – Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum.
Last year, the brokerage company further expanded its portfolio by adding two more options for cryptocurrency traders: Ripple and Bitcoin Cash.
Other alternatives include Dashcoin, NEO, Zcash, Qtum, Monero, IOTA, and BABCoin. You can trade these decentralized digital assets by opening long or short positions with minimum spreads ranging from 35 pips to 3,500 pips.
The maximum leverage customers can use depends on the country they reside in because of local regulatory restrictions. Customers from the United Kingdom are limited to leverage of 1:2 for cryptocurrency trading. Under CIMA regulations, HYCM offers leverage of up to 1:20 for these markets.
ETF Trading
Customers who want to benefit from investing in mutual funds can choose from a range of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). This instrument offers a variety of advantages, including lower operating expenses, greater flexibility, better risk management, higher transparency, and increased tax efficiency.
With that in mind, the instrument is not without its pitfalls. ETFs are considered suitable for well-versed traders who understand all the complexities of this product. However, the advantages ETFs offer to experienced professionals are far greater than the downsides.
The leverage for the exchange-traded funds markets at HYCM has a ceiling of 1:20. The minimum spreads imposed on ETF trading are dynamic, ranging from 3 pips to 157 pips, depending on the account you have and what you trade. The lot size for most ETFs is 100 shares.
| Instrument | Spread |
|---|---|
| EUR/USD | 0.2 |
| GBP/USD | 0.2 |
| USD/JPY | 0.2 |
| USD/CHF | 0.2 |
| AUD/USD | 0.2 |
| EUR/CHF | 0.2 |
Trading platforms
 Platforms |
 PC / MAC |
 Smartphones |
 Tablets |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetaTrader 4 |   |   | |
| MetaTrader 5 | | | |
| Meta Trader Mobile | | | |
| Web Trader | | | |
| Trading Information | |
|---|---|
| Trading Platforms | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Meta Trader Mobile, Web Trader |
| Demo Account |  |
| Hedging | |
| Scalping |  |
| Retirement Account | |
| US Traders | |
| Arabic Traders | |
Instead of developing a proprietary platform, this experienced brokerage has opted for the leading third-party software designed by the Russian company MetaQuotes. Registrants can choose between the older version of the platform, MetaTrader 4, and its successor, MetaTrader 5.
MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) was launched in 2005 and quickly established itself as the standard for trading on the foreign exchange markets. By far, it is the most widely used platform for electronic trading in the world.
It has plenty to offer traders of all levels of experience and skill since it features excellent tools for advanced technical analysis, various trading systems, and Expert Advisors that allow for automated trading. The live charts are equipped with various targets, support, resistance, and stop levels.
The platform is easy to install and work with. You can download it to your desktop computer directly from the brokerage’s website. This version of the software is more suitable for retail customers who are looking to trade Forex currency pairs.
The second option is to download the MetaTrader 5 version, which was officially released in 2010. This one gives you instant access to over 300 instruments across five asset classes. MetaTrader 5 is the better alternative for professionals.
It was tailored specifically to the needs of those who trade more complex instruments like equities and contracts for difference. Unlike its predecessor, which uses the MQL4 code, MT5 was built on MQL5.
This is a more developed code, which makes MT5 a very powerful and multifunctional platform. Accordingly, MetaTrader 5 is more suitable for those who want to complete large amounts of back-testing and are looking to trade complex derivatives.
This version of the software is equipped with 21 timeframes (as opposed to the nine time intervals offered by its predecessor), six different types of pending orders, and an economic calendar that lists all important events from the financial industry.
Advanced customers who prefer to use trading strategies are presented with a choice of 38 indicators for technical analysis, over 40 analytical objects, and customisable charts. The platform supports multiple languages to the benefit of the global trader community.
Note that you also have access to the trading platforms without the need for software downloads thanks to the browser-based WebTrader.
Mobile apps
As mentioned earlier, the MetaQuotes software implemented by HYCM is optimised for use on smartphones and tablets, particularly those that operate on Android and iOS. Customers of the brokerage can take advantage of free downloadable apps for the two popular operating systems.
This gives them the flexibility of opening, managing, and closing their positions on the go no matter where they are. They are in full control of their trading experience at all times. The mobile apps share the same features as the downloadable desktop software.
You will enjoy real-time quotes for the foreign exchange and stock markets, automated trading, plenty of language options, customisable candlestick, bar, and broken-line charts, and lightning-fast order execution.
Educational tools
Another great thing about HYCM is that it caters to beginner traders with various useful educational tools. There is a dedicated section on the brokerage’s website where you can read and learn about the different aspects of trading Forex.
The articles cover a broad range of subjects, from trading psychology and basic terms to capital management, strategies, and advanced technical analysis. There are entire books on trading that new customers can read at no cost. Free educational videos on MT4 are available for those who are not yet familiar with this software.
Additionally, HYCM regularly hosts free webinars, although clients also have the option to attend venue-based seminars where they can meet and seek advice from professional traders.
Payment methods
This brokerage company offers a decent selection of payment methods with which customers can fund their live HYCM accounts. These options include widespread cards by the brands Visa and Mastercard along with bank wire transfers.
If you are unwilling to expose your bank account or card credentials to risk, you can process anonymous payments with various e-wallets like Neteller and Skrill, formerly known as Moneybookers. The brokerage does not charge extra commissions on deposits conducted with any of the supported methods. With that said, you might incur additional fees from your bank.
For speed, we suggest you use cards or e-wallets if you wish to top up your account quickly. The minimum deposit for these solutions is just $20, whereas bank wire transfers require $250. Bank transfers are significantly less time-efficient as they take between one and seven business days.
Meanwhile, withdrawals are processed within one business day but may take three to seven days to reach you. Accounts can be set up in base currencies such as the USD and the EUR. Customers’ money is kept in segregated accounts in line with the requirements of the broker’s regulators.
| Brand | Minimum | Fees | Processing Time |
 | $100 | No Fees | Up to1 hour |
 | $20 | No Fees | Up to1 hour |
 | $20 | No Fees | Up to1 hour |
 | $20 | No Fees | Up to1 hour |
 | $250 | No Fees | 1-7 business days |
| Brand | Minimum | Fees | Processing Time |
| $20 | No Fees | 1 business day |
| $20 | No Fees | 1 business day |
| $20 | No Fees | 1 business day |
| $20 | No Fees | 1 business day |
| $300 | No Fees | 1 business day |
Account types
Customers new to HYCM can start by opening a free demo account to practise with. The registration process is hassle-free. You only need to fill in some of your details and go through a brief questionnaire so that HYCM can determine your level of knowledge and trading experience.
The demo account is funded with $50,000 in practice credits that remain active for two weeks. You can choose to set it up in MT4 or MT5, with the option to use the WebTrader as well. It functions in the same manner as the live account; the only difference is that you can trade in a risk-free environment. More experienced traders can choose from three live account types.
| Market | Leverage |
|---|---|
| Currencies | 30 |
Fixed spread accounts
The Fixed account requires a minimum deposit of $100 and is the better option for retail customers who trade smaller volumes. This account does not support trading automation and has no Expert Advisors. It has a minimum trading volume requirement of 0.01 lots.
Customers who choose this option are not charged commission by the brokerage. There is no need, as the trading costs are built into the spreads. These are fixed and start at 1.8 pips. The account has a no-swap version, which makes it a great choice for Islamic customers who cannot pay or receive interest because of their religious beliefs.
Classic accounts
Another alternative at HYCM is to register for the Classic account type. It is worth noting that this brokerage does not restrict its customers to a single live account. You can operate several accounts simultaneously. However, the broker advises against this practice because it would be more difficult for you to handle your trading activities efficiently.
The minimum deposit is again $100. There are no commissions and you will also enjoy more flexible, lower spreads starting from 1.2 pips. Another benefit of opening a Classic account is that you can trade automatically with the Expert Advisor robots.
They enable prompt technical analysis of price movement data to help you better manage your trading activities. Similarly to the Fixed account, this one offers the option of swap-free trading to Muslim customers.
Raw accounts
Finally, there is the Raw account type, which is recommended for skilled customers who intend to trade larger volumes. They will benefit from the best bid and ask prices because Raw accounts come with the lowest spreads, starting at as little as 0.2 pips. Of course, the exact spread will depend on the markets you are trading.
It is worth mentioning that, in addition to the built-in spread, Raw account holders will have to pay a commission of $4 for Forex trades. You need to fund the account with $200 or more before you can start trading. As with the previous two account options, you can set this one up to run on either the MT4 or the MT5 platform.
Customer support
As a highly experienced brokerage with a track record that spans more than 40 years, HYCM delivers a highly professional support service to its clients. Customers can rely on immediate one-on-one support via the live chat facility.
It is stated in the chatbox that the support agents respond within five minutes on average. However, they were significantly quicker in our experience. The support service is available at all times. Different email addresses are also provided depending on the nature of your query:
- Use accounts@hycm.com for registration-related questions
- info@hycm.com is intended for general enquiries
- Complaints can be sent to complaints@hycm.com
- General support is provided at support@hycm.com
Clients can also receive assistance over the telephone by dialling +357 25 24 5751. Before you contact them, we suggest you browse through the help and educational centres where you will find a range of topics from the basics of Forex trading to advanced strategies.
Conclusion
With 40 years of experience in the provision of trading services, HYCM has earned a solid reputation for quality, transparency, and excellence. The broker is well known for its strict regulatory compliance and has earned the stamps of approval from several top-tier watchdogs. There are plenty of trading instruments here and at very low spreads, too. Traders cannot go wrong if they choose such a leading and trustworthy brokerage house.