| Updated: November 4, 2025- Jump to:
- Regulations
- Trading Instruments
- Trading Platforms
- Payment Methods
- Account Types
- Support
- Conclusion
Offering spread betting and contracts for difference on a wide range of trading instruments, IG is currently one of the world’s largest CFD brokers. It gives traders and investors easy access to over 16,000 global markets, competitive fees, as well as excellent, reliable customer support available 24 hours a day.
IG was founded in 1974 as a spread betting company in the UK, following the collapse of the Bretton Woods system, a set of rules and regulations that required all major economies to have their currencies pegged to the price of gold. The new business, called IG Index (Investors Gold Index), for the first time allowed investors in the UK to trade gold as an index rather than buying and owning the physical commodity. In 2000, the company was renamed IG Group plc and was listed on the London Stock Exchange. Today, IG Markets is authorised to offer CFD trading and other products in the UK, most of Europe, Australia and the US.
| General Information about IG | |
|---|---|
| Min. Deposit | $50 |
| Supported Languages | English |
| Supported Currencies | N/A |
| Website | https://www.ig.com |
| Phone Number | +44 (20) 7633 5431 |
| Support Email | helpdesk.en@ig.com |
| Headquarters Address | IG International Limited 46 Reid Street, Hamilton HM12, Bermuda |
Regulation
IG is the brand name of IG Group plc and its several operating companies. Each of them is registered and regulated in a different part of the world, offering the specific trading and financial products and services permitted and regulated locally. Overall, the company has a reputation for being a safe, reliable provider of spread betting and CFDs on financial markets – it is fully regulated in multiple jurisdictions and publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange, which makes it even more trustworthy and transparent. Moreover, the IG website fully discloses all fees and conditions, unlike many of its competitors, who often hide high commissions and additional fees in the fine print.
The broker is licensed and fully regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, as well as by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) in Australia. It has also received licences from several local regulators such as the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) in Germany and the Dubai Financial Services Authority. In the US, IG US LLC is registered in Delaware and headquartered in Chicago. IG is a registered RFED and IB with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and a member of the National Futures Association. However, residents of Arizona or Ohio cannot open IG US accounts.
| Regulator | Licence |
|---|---|
| CFTC | 0509630 |
| DFSA | F001780 |
| FCA | 944492 |
| FFAJ | |
| FINMA | IG Bank S.A. |
| FMA | 684191 |
| FSCA | 41393 |
| JFSA | 9010401051715 |
| MAS | 1489 |
| ASIC | 515106 |
| BaFin | 148759 |
| BMA | 54814 |
Trading Instruments
IG offers spread betting and contracts for difference (CFDs) on a great variety of instruments across 12 asset classes, including Forex, commodities, shared, indices, cryptocurrencies, and more. In total, the broker gives access to more than 16,000 markets from all around the world. However, not all trading instruments are available everywhere – while CFDs are the preferred way to trade in Europe and the UK, for instance, they are not allowed in the US. Instead, IG offers its American clients binary options.Forex
The broker offers great opportunities for Forex trading, and its clients can choose among spread betting, CFDs, or DMA (Direct Market Access). DMA is a type of Forex execution in which traders receive direct access to the physical market, and it is available only to professional clients; therefore, we will not discuss it further. The other two alternatives, however, are available to all retail clients of IG – both spread betting and CFDs are excellent options for those who want to benefit from the inherent liquidity of the foreign exchange market.
There are differences between them as well. First of all, CFDs are financial derivatives, which means that the contracts traded are based on the prices of the underlying asset. These contracts do not expire, except for futures. In contrast, when spread betting on Forex, traders can speculate on the market by betting on various outcomes within a fixed time frame. Moreover, UK-based traders can enjoy tax-free profits. At IG, traders can choose from a wide range of FX pairs, including commonly traded ones such as GBP/USD, EUR/USD, USD/CAD, and USD/JPY, or less popular pairs like EUR/CZK, TRY/JPY, and CAD/CHF.
Indices
IG also allows its clients to trade indices either through spread betting or CFDs. Indices are extremely popular instruments because they represent the most-traded shares on a particular exchange. For example, an index can consist of the top 100 companies in the United States or the most actively traded companies in the German economy.
Overall, many traders find indices easier to trade because they track the performance of a broader sector of the economy, reflecting a wide variety of events rather than focusing on a single company. Traders can trade a range of indices with IG, including the FTSE 100, which comprises the top 100 companies listed on the London Stock Exchange by market capitalization; Wall Street; the DAX; the Australia 200; the Dow Jones; the NASDAQ; the S&P 500; the Nikkei; and more.
Shares
IG clients can benefit from either leveraged share trading – CFDs and spread betting – or non-leveraged share trading, available through an ISA (Individual Savings Account) or a share dealing account. Most traders, especially less experienced ones, prefer trading with leverage because they need only a fraction of the asset’s value to open a position. However, they should also understand that leverage increases risk.
Those who can afford more significant deposits can buy and sell stock without leverage at IG. The broker gives its clients Direct Market Access and allows them to trade the actual shares rather than merely speculate on their prices without owning them. The most traded shares on the IG platforms include Apple, Facebook, Alibaba, Lloyds, BP PLC, and Rio Tinto.
Commodities
Once again, IG offers spread betting and CFDs on commodities and commodity futures. The broker allows trading in a total of 27 commodities – both hard and soft. Hard commodities include various precious metals, oil, and other mined energy products, while soft commodities are typically agricultural goods. Popular commodities include gold, silver, natural gas, crude oil, Brent, wheat, coffee, and sugar.
Commodity prices fluctuate based on multiple factors, including supply and demand, as well as economic and political events. Their prices also tend to move with changes in the value of the U.S. dollar, since most commodities are priced in USD. Weather is another influential factor, as it directly affects commodity production.
Cryptocurrencies
Trading in cryptocurrencies works much like regular currency trading – traders simply speculate on the price of a cryptocurrency and profit when it goes up or down instead of buying the actual asset. For many traders, this is a very exciting market – it is relatively new, highly volatile, and attracts huge speculative interest. IG allows spread betting and CFDs on the most widely traded cryptocurrencies, namely Bitcoin and Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, NEO, EOS, and Stellar (XLM).
Options
IG clients can also trade volatility with an interesting instrument called options. Options may seem complicated at first, but in the simplest terms, they allow traders to speculate on the future value of a market. They are similar to futures, but there is one important difference: when buying options, traders have the right – but not the obligation – to trade if they do not like the price. With futures, on the other hand, traders are required to complete the trade.
Options are flexible, leveraged financial tools that can be used for hedging, speculation, or simply buying more time to decide whether a trade is profitable. IG offers call (the right to buy) and put (the right to sell) options on various asset classes, including forex, shares, indices, and commodities.
ETFs
IG offers CFDs and spread bets on exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which are investment funds that hold assets and are traded like stocks. However, ETFs track only the performance of certain indices, stocks, commodities, and futures, and their ownership is divided into shares. ETFs are affordable, convenient to trade, and designed especially for individual investors.
Traders who choose ETFs can gain exposure to multiple markets at a low cost through a single position. IG clients can choose from more than 6,000 exchange-traded funds and filter them by asset class, performance, country, and eligibility for an individual savings account.
Other Markets
In addition to Forex, commodities, share indices, options, and cryptocurrencies, IG also offers trading in several additional markets. For many investors, these additional financial instruments provide a good way to diversify their portfolios, while for others they may serve as the primary markets from which they seek profit. Being successful in this type of trading, however, requires a solid grasp of the fundamentals and a deeper understanding of market trends.
For instance, IG offers trading in interest rates, bonds, and industry sectors, instruments that are quite common and with which most traders should be familiar. However, there is one particularly interesting market that can be traded, called IG Digital 100 – in fact, these are simply binary options, but the broker chose to rename the instrument in 2017.
This type of trade is based on simple yes-or-no statements, and it allows IG clients to speculate on whether a particular market event will occur. Those who manage to predict the outcome correctly, of course, make a profit. Due to regulatory restrictions introduced in 2018, however, the Digital 100 instrument is available only to professional clients.
Weekend Trading
In addition to standard weekday trading, IG also offers its clients the opportunity to trade select markets over the weekend. These markets include Forex, indices, and cryptocurrencies, but each functions differently. Prices for indices and Forex are quoted separately from weekday prices and are based on the broker’s predictions for each market, taking into account the latest economic and political news, client activity, and more. Positions on Forex and indices are also kept separate.
Weekend cryptocurrency trading, however, operates a bit differently because this market remains open around the clock. Therefore, clients’ positions in Bitcoin, for example, will continue to move over the weekend as usual.
| Instrument | Spread |
|---|---|
| AUDUSD | AVG 1.33 pips |
| AUDUSD | MIN 0.6 pips |
| EURGBP | AVG 1.83 pips |
| EURGBP | MIN 0.9 pips |
| EURUSD | AVG 1.13 pips |
| EURUSD | MIN 0.6 pips |
| GBPUSD | AVG 2.38 pips |
| GBPUSD | MIN 0.9 pips |
| NZDUSD | AVG 1.8 pips |
| NZDUSD | MIN 1.8 pips |
| USDCAD | AVG 2.46 pips |
| USDCAD | MIN 1.3 pips |
| USDCHF | AVG 2.29 pips |
| USDCHF | MIN 1.5 pips |
| USDCNY | AVG 14.51 pips |
| USDCNY | MIN 10 pips |
| USDJPY | AVG 1.8 pips |
| USDJPY | MIN 0.7 pips |
Trading platforms
 Platforms |
 PC / MAC |
 Smartphones |
 Tablets |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetaTrader 4 |   |   | |
| IG Group | | | |
| Trading Information | |
|---|---|
| Trading Platforms | L2 Dealer, MetaTrader 4, Proprietary Web, ProRealTime, TradingView |
| Demo Account |  |
| Hedging | |
| Scalping | |
| US Traders |  |
| Arabic Traders | |
The leading brokerage provides a wide choice of basic and specialist trading platforms to meet the needs of all customers, regardless of their level of investment expertise or experience. Traders interested mainly in spread betting and price speculation through contracts for difference are advised to try the broker’s proprietary web platform.
Clients well-versed in trading can choose from three specialist platforms, namely MetaTrader 4, L2 Dealer and ProRealTime. Trading on the fly is possible via dedicated mobile apps available on Google Play and the App Store. Read on as we walk you through the specifics of all desktop and mobile platforms offered by IG Markets.
IG’s proprietary trading platform
IG clients have a wide choice of trading platforms and API interfaces, and one of them is IG’s own platform. It is web-based, which means there is no need to download any software. Traders will find it simple and intuitive, making it easy to use even for first-time IG clients. It features a clean design, as well as basic risk-management tools such as stop-losses and price alerts. The platform supports several order types, including market, limit, trailing-stop and guaranteed-stop orders.
In addition, it is fast and comes with split charts, customisation tools, automated trading options and various indicators, as well as an integrated live news feed from Reuters and ProRealTime charts. The intuitive, clean interface renders the web platform suitable for all experience levels. However, it is intended predominantly for spread betting, share trading and price-movement speculation.
Users will benefit from a plethora of customisation features that enable them to tweak the platform according to their individual needs. They can create multiple workspaces and group them by market. Transitioning from light to dark mode, and vice versa, is also possible, as is grouping their most commonly traded markets in designated watchlists. The single-click feature allows users to seize favourable opportunities as soon as they arise.
MetaTrader 4
The broker also offers the industry-standard MetaTrader 4 (MT4), which can be downloaded on Windows and Mac. It is also available on mobile devices and can be installed for free from the App Store and Google Play. To use it, traders simply need to log in with their IG account credentials. MT4 features a wide variety of add-ons and indicators, and through its convenient interface clients can download additional indicators or even create their own.
Naturally, the platform also includes the Autochartist feature and Expert Advisors that monitor the markets for trading opportunities based on pre-set parameters. The advisors send notifications as soon as they identify favourable market conditions and can even be programmed to execute trades automatically on the trader’s behalf.
It is important to point out that the MT4 platform facilitates trading only with specific financial instruments at IG Markets, including currency pairs, stock indices and hard commodities such as precious metals and crude oil. It supports market, take-profit, stop-loss, stop and limit orders. It allows traders to open positions directly from charts and provides access to automated trading strategies. No exchange fees or additional costs are associated with using MT4.
ProRealTime
IG clients can also upgrade to ProRealTime, which features state-of-the-art tools for technical analysis. Primarily intended for technical chart users, ProRealTime offers numerous useful monitoring features, including TopMovers and ProScreener. The platform provides IG traders with access to a superb range of markets – more than 16,000, to be precise.
ProRealTime is designed to make algorithmic trading as simple as possible. Traders can create custom technical indicators to test new trading strategies in the platform’s programming language, ProBuilder, which is considerably easier to learn than MetaTrader 4’s MQL4, for example. This can help customers fine-tune their own trading algorithms from the ground up and use them for automated trading, ensuring they never miss favourable opportunities even when they cannot constantly monitor the markets.
ProRealTime is packed with features that facilitate advanced technical analysis. It comes with dozens of technical indicators and allows traders to open positions directly from charts. Various customisation options are available. Traders can tweak the colours of their charts and set personalised trading hours.
Best of all, the platform is completely free to use. New retail customers of IG Markets are entitled to free access for their first month, but this period extends to three months for professional traders. Clients can then continue using ProRealTime at no cost, on condition that they place at least four orders each month.
L2 Dealer
L2 Dealer is intended for traders who insist on having direct access to the markets. The platform supports leveraged trading with stocks and currency pairs through contracts for difference, allowing clients to interact directly with the order books of the world’s biggest stock exchanges, including the London Stock Exchange. As traders have access to the full order books, they can see all bids and offers other participants have made in a given market.
This highly advanced platform also facilitates market-sentiment comparison, enabling traders to estimate whether fellow market participants are currently bearish or bullish. Armed with this information, IG customers can make better-informed trading decisions and improve their overall results.
Another beneficial aspect of using L2 Dealer is that it enables traders to retain their full anonymity when taking positions. Clients can divide large-volume positions into tranches to conceal their actual size and prevent them from impacting market prices. Last but not least, L2 Dealer supports a varied assortment of sophisticated order types, but these differ depending on which exchanges IG customers are trading on.
Mobile trading apps
The mobile version of the IG trading platform is available for both iOS and Android and can be downloaded for free from the App Store and Google Play. The trading apps allow spread betting and CFD trading on a wide range of markets, including forex, shares, indices and commodities. The mobile application is noticeably less customisable than the web-based platform, but there are price alerts, stop-losses, customised watchlists, and Face ID and Touch ID security.
However, this award-winning app has even more to offer. Clients who install it can enjoy peace of mind where privacy is concerned, as all sensitive data are encrypted in transit with 256-bit SSL. The app provides users with access to 28 technical indicators, including Fibonacci retracements and Bollinger Bands. It enables them to stay ahead of the latest market trends with customisable interactive charts. Mobile traders can take advantage of advanced order types such as ‘good till date’ and ‘good till cancelled’. The apps are compatible with portable devices running on iOS 15.0 and Android 7.0.
Payment methods
IG accepts several different payment methods and currencies, but unfortunately the broker does not disclose this information openly on its website. New users need to contact the support team before opening an IG account if they wish to register it in a minor currency. Apart from that, major currencies, including USD, GBP and EUR, can be registered as the base currency of the IG account.
Along with bank transfers, IG clients can use credit and debit cards to make deposits and request withdrawals from their accounts. Major card brands such as Visa, Maestro, Discover and Mastercard are accepted. Another popular banking method for online trading is the digital wallet PayPal – it is similar to a real, physical wallet, but rather than storing cash, it links directly to the user’s bank account or credit/debit card.
If traders intend to trade with leverage, the broker will prompt them to complete a brief questionnaire after they set up their live account. They must provide correct answers to all questions in order to pass the test and proceed to fund their live balance. There is a short training course for the uninitiated that will familiarise them with the particulars of leveraged trading. Once they pass the test, they must send their documents for verification before they can gain access to the cashier and deposit.
The minimum deposit amount is $50 and the maximum amount is capped at $50,000 per credit card transaction. Debit card deposits should not exceed $99,999 per single transaction. Clients who wish to process larger amounts to their live balance should use bank transfers where no maximum deposit limits are in place. The downside is that bank transfers are definitely a slower deposit option.
Card and e-wallet deposits are typically instant, whereas deposits via bank transfer usually take up to 3 days to process. The processing time for withdrawals varies depending on the payment method. Withdrawals to debit and credit cards, for instance, require 2 to 5 business days to clear, while withdrawals via bank transfer may take up to 3 business days for the funds to be released from the account balance.
Clients can withdraw up to $25,000 every 24 hours when using cards, but bank-transfer withdrawals are not subject to any maximum limits. As for the minimum that can be cashed out, it starts at $150 unless the balance has dropped below this amount, in which case the entire balance can be withdrawn.
| Brand | Minimum | Fees | Processing Time |
 | $50 | No Fees | Instant |
 | $50 | No Fees | Instant |
 | No limit | No Fees | Within 3 business days |
 | $50 | No Fees | Instant |
 | $50 | No Fees | Instant |
| Brand | Minimum | Fees | Processing Time |
| $150 | No Fees | 2 to 5 business days |
| $150 | No Fees | 2 to 5 business days |
| No limit | No Fees | 1 to 3 business days |
| $150 | No Fees | 1 to 3 business days |
| $150 | No Fees | 2 to 5 business days |
Account types
IG offers several major types of accounts, and before opening a live one, clients are advised to register a demo account. This way, they will have the opportunity to try the IG trading platform, view all trading instruments and markets, and test various analytical tools. Live accounts are available for retail and professional trading, with each type having its own specifications.
After conducting some research, our team established that IG Markets used to offer swap-free and interest-free accounts to customers based in Dubai, but unfortunately this is no longer the case. It is our understanding that the brokerage discontinued Islamic accounts sometime in 2021. Joint accounts are available for CFD trading only.
The broker offers Smart Portfolios to investors from Germany and the UK. These Smart Portfolios are invested in iShares ETFs from BlackRock, one of the largest asset management corporations in the world. Along with this standard investment account, IG clients can also apply for a tax-efficient stocks and shares ISA (Individual Savings Account) or SIPP (Self-Invested Personal Pension).
| Market | Leverage |
|---|---|
| Crypto CFDs | 1:22 (BaFin | Pro Account) |
| Crypto CFDs | 1:2 (BaFin | Retail Account) |
| Crypto CFDs | 1:10 (BMA | Retail Account) |
| Metals CFDs | 1:20 (BaFin | Retail Account) |
| Metals CFDs | 1:200 (BMA | Retail Account) |
| Stock CFDs | 1:22 (BaFin | Pro Account) |
| Stock CFDs | 1:5 (BaFin | Retail Account) |
| Stock CFDs | 1:10 (BMA | Retail Account) |
| Indices CFDs | 1:222 (BaFin | Pro Account) |
| Indices CFDs | 1:20 (BaFin | Retail Account) |
| Indices CFDs | 1:200 (BMA | Retail Account) |
| Forex CFDs | 1:222 (BaFin | Pro Account) |
| Forex CFDs | 1:30 (ASIC | Retail Account) |
| Forex CFDs | 1:30 (BaFin | Retail Account) |
| Forex CFDs | 1:200 (BMA | Retail Account) |
| Forex CFDs | 1:30 (FCA | Retail Account) |
Demo accounts
Beginner traders are given instant access to the trading platform along with a demo balance of $20,000. Demo accounts are not subject to slippage, interest or dividend adjustments – to see all costs, trading tools and functionalities, clients must opt for a live account. Inexperienced traders who set up demo accounts can quickly hone their skills, as the broker provides them with access to valuable educational materials in the IG Academy. IG Markets does not charge demo account holders for using chart packages, either.
Each customer who creates a live account is automatically granted access to a demo account as well. Traders can easily switch from live to demo trading from their account dashboard (My IG). Demo accounts are available for CFD trading, options, turbo warrants and spread betting.
Live accounts
The leading brokerage caters to experienced traders with a unified live account, where they can add separate accounts for spread betting, trading contracts for difference, turbo warrants and options trading. During the registration process, IG will prompt traders to fill out a brief questionnaire to evaluate their expertise in trading high-risk derivatives such as options and contracts for difference.
Applicants cannot proceed with the registration if they fail during the questionnaire stage and must answer all questions correctly to pass the IG test. The next step typically involves account verification, during which they must send documents as proof of identity and payment method. They can then top up their balance with one of the methods discussed earlier and start pursuing favourable market opportunities.
Similarly to demo users, live traders can add accounts for spread betting, CFDs, turbos and options trading from the My IG dashboard, meaning there is no need to register separately for each type. Live account holders should keep in mind that IG Markets charges inactivity fees on dormant accounts. Traders who remain inactive for 24 successive months incur monthly rolling charges of $18.
Corporate accounts
IG Markets provides customers with the option to register two types of corporate accounts. Institutional accounts are suitable for brokerage firms, hedge funds, proprietary trading houses, banks, and professional traders. This account type ensures deeper liquidity and allows account holders to trade over 16,000 markets professionally.
Retail corporate accounts are also available, allowing clients to invest in the financial markets through a corporate structure. This type offers efficient risk management, exhaustive educational materials, sharper spreads, and round-the-clock technical support. The application process involves downloading and filling out the designated form from the broker’s website and emailing it to accountopening.en@ig.com.
Support
The customer support service is one of the strongest aspects of IG. Unlike most brokers, it offers 24/7 support – after all, it allows trading on weekends, too. The site’s interface and the support are available in several languages, including English, Spanish and German. Of course, there are not as many local support teams as there are regional IG platforms.
Clients can open dedicated IG websites for most of Europe – UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Russia, and Romania, as well as for the United States, Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates.
The support can be contacted via the 24/7 live chat or by phone. The broker offers phone lines for the UK (0800 195 3100), Australia (1800 601 799), New Zealand (0800 442 150) and several other countries. The international phone number is +61 (3) 9860 1799. Clients can also send their queries to one of the several email addresses available – for example, newaccounts.uk@ig.com for new clients from the UK.
Conclusion
IG is an excellent choice for novices and professionals who are looking for competitive pricing, a good variety of trading platforms and a vast array of markets. It is one of the largest and most reputable CFD brokers at present, offering access to over 16,000 markets and providing its clients with the highest levels of online security. Overall, IG is among the best options for those seeking a safe, reliable and accessible broker with good pricing and high-quality trading platforms.