IC Markets is a low-cost CFD broker that allows tading on more than 1700 instruments. Clients in UK are registered under CySEC. Check pros and cons before opening your account.
IC Markets is a CFD broker that was launched in 2007. IC Markets is not regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK. However, they have temporary permissions to operate their business in the UK as they are regulated in EEA country (Cyprus).
IC Markets allow commission-based as well as spread-only trading on CFDs of various financial instruments. They support multiple trading platforms and methods for deposits and withdrawals.
We have comprehensively covered every aspect of IC Markets to assist the traders in making an informed decision. This review of IC Markets (EU) Ltd is specifically done for clients in the UK.
IC Markets UK Pros
IC Markets UK Cons
Table of Content
Broker Name | IC Markets (EU) Ltd |
Website | www.icmarkets.eu |
Regulation | CySEC, ASIC, FSA |
Year of Establishment | 2007 |
Minimum Deposit | $200 |
Maximum Leverage | 1:30 |
Trading Platforms | MT4, MT5, cTrader |
Trading Instruments | 1700+ CFDs on forex pairs, commodities, indices, shares, ETFs, cryptocurrencies |
Before choosing a broker to trade CFDs, it is of utmost importance to check the regulatory license and regimes that govern the broker. In the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is the top-tier regulatory authority.
IC Markets is not regulated by FCA but they are authorized by FCA in the UK. They have permission to carry out business activities in the UK with new as well as existing customers. The current status of IC Markets (EU) Ltd can be checked at the online FCA register with reference number 827935.
Any firm that is regulated in any country of the European Economic Area (EEA) can offer certain products or services in the UK. Although, it must meet the minimum standards and compliance across all EEA countries. Following are the details of regulated entities of IC Markets:
The clients in the UK are registered under Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) regulations. IC Markets holds the CySEC license by the name IC Markets (EU) Ltd under license number 362/18 and company number HE 356877.
IC Markets (EU) Ltd has its registered address at 141 Omonoias Avenue, The Maritime Centre, Block B, 1st floor, 3045 Limassol, Cyprus. The broker does not have a local office in the UK.
IC Markets is authorised in the UK with temporary permissions because they holds a CySEC license. Clients registered with IC Markets (EU) Ltd are protected by the ‘Investor Compensation Fund’ of Cyprus. IC Markets (EU) Ltd is a member of the Investor Compensation Fund as they are regulated by CySEC.
The ASIC license increases safety ratings of IC Markets as it is a top-tier regulatory authority in the jurisdiction of Australia. Clients in the UK are not registered under ASIC regulation.
IC Markets has been in the CFD trading business since 2007 and is a considerably old broker. Clients must not confuse the legitimate and regulated IC Markets entities with the fake ones. There are a few clones of IC Markets that are using their name and regulation to scam the clients in the UK.
According to our review, IC Markets can be considered safe for trading in the UK. CySEC regulated IC Markets (EU) Ltd is a safer choice in the UK compared to the offshore regulated entity. The third-party risk of choosing IC Markets in the UK is average but higher when compared with brokers regulated by FCA.
Fees are an important section that must be looked out for before opening a live account. For easier understanding and comparison, we have reviewed this section in 4 parts. All CFD brokers have these 4 components of fees:
The following table includes the details of spreads incurred with the Standard and Raw Spread Account at IC Markets.
Trading Instrument | Standard Account | Raw Spread Account Account |
---|---|---|
EUR/USD | 0.62 | 0.02 |
GBP/USD | 0.83 | 0.23 |
EUR/GBP | 1.27 | 0.27 |
Gold/USD | 2.083 | 1.083 |
Crude Oil | 0.028 | 0.028 |
US Tech 100 Index | 1.807 | 1.807 |
UK 100 | 2.133 | 2.133 |
The Standard account at IC Markets has only spread as trading fees. The Raw spread account involves a very low spread but also incurs a fixed commission on each trade.
IC Markets mainly offers 2 account types with different pricing structures. All the other features are nearly the same for both account types.
The commission-based trading is only available with CFDs of forex pairs and metals. For all the other instruments, only spread is incurred as trading fees for both the account types.
Each live account at IC Markets can be opened either with GBP, EUR, and USD as a base currency in the UK. The minimum deposit amount is $/€/£ 200. For any base currency of the account, the minimum deposit amount is 200 units.
According to our review, the minimum deposit amount is slightly higher compared to other brokers. The client has the ability to trade with all the instruments with multiple trading platforms and different pricing structures. This can suffice the trading suitability of different types of traders.
The account opening process at IC Markets is easy and can be completed within minutes. The approval of the account can take up to 1-3 business days before clients can start trading. Following are the steps involved in opening a live trading account at IC Markets:
Step 1: Personal Details
Clients can start the account opening process through the website and official app of IC Markets. Live trading account can also be opened with an offshore entity i.e. IC Markets Global instead of IC Markets (EU) Ltd. Clients need to select the Raw Trading Ltd under regulated entities for this.
The first step to open an account at IC Markets is entering basic details like name, email, and phone number. The details should match exactly with that on the personal ID.
Step 2: Address
The next step in the account opening process is to enter the date of birth and address. In the same step, clients also need to enter their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). The account cannot be opened without a valid TIN number.
Step 3: Account Configuration
The trading account has to be configured with preferred trading platforms, account types, and base currency. Clients must research or inquire about all the selections before making any. Once chosen, the account configuration cannot be changed.
Step 4: Document Verification
Once the account is configured, you will be redirected to the personal area. Demo trading can be started after step 3. Clients need to submit address and identity proof before they can start live trading. Once the documents have been verified by the executives at IC Markets, a confirmation mail will be sent to your registered email address with credentials for trading platforms.
Step 5: Deposit
Before you start trading, you need to make an initial deposit. The minimum initial deposit amount is $/€/£ 200. Any of the accepted methods can be chosen for this according to convenience and preference.
Once the deposit amount is reflected in your account balance, trading positions can be opened on any available instrument.
IC Markets accept 4 methods for deposits and withdrawals from clients in the UK. Each method takes a different time to process. All these methods can be used to deposit in USD, EUR, or GBP. Deposits made in an account with a different base currency than deposit currency are automatically converted to account currency.
Cryptocurrencies or local bank transfers are not available at IC Markets in the UK. Credit/Debit cards, Neteller, Skrill, and Wire Transfer are the only accepted methods for deposits and withdrawals.
All trade orders and modifications are executed through trading platforms. IC Markets does not have their proprietary trading platform. They use the MetaTrader and cTrader trading platforms for trading CFDs.
The MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 are the most widely used electronic trading platforms for CFD trading. Many clients also prefer to trade with the cTrader trading platforms. All the three commonly used trading platforms for CFDs are available at IC Markets.
The MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 can be chosen with either of Standard and Raw Spread account types. The cTrader trading platform can only be chosen with the Raw Spread account.
All the available financial instruments at IC markets are traded via CFDs. Contract for Deposit (CFD) is a derivative instrument in which there is no buying or selling of physical assets. Only the price differences are speculated by the traders to book profit in short and long positions.
The leverage allows traders to open a much bigger position with smaller deposits. Although, involving high leverage is risky as bigger positions can wipe out the whole amount held in the trading account.
Following are details of available trading instruments at IC Markets:
There is a great variety of trading instruments that can be traded by opening an account with IC Markets in the UK. The number of available instruments is higher than many regulated CFD brokers in the UK.
Asset Class | Number of Instrument | Maximum Leverage |
---|---|---|
Currency Pairs | 61 | 1:30 |
Indices | 25 | 1:20 |
Commodities | 32 | 1:20 for Gold, 1:10 for others |
Shares | 1600+ | 1:5 |
Bonds | 11 | 1:5 |
Cryptocurrencies | 18 | 1:2 |
The customer support service at IC Markets is impressive. Clients can connect with the customer support staff via 3 means. We have separately reviewed our experience with the support staff with all three:
Overall, the customer support service for UK clients is very good at IC Markets. Clients in the UK can reach out for support through multiple methods at any time on any day.
Yes. IC Markets can be chosen to trade CFDs in the UK but clients must know that they are riskier than all the brokers that are regulated by the FCA. They are regulated in an EEA country, hence can be chosen to trade CFDs in the UK.
The spreads and other trading costs are very low while no non-trading charges exist at IC Markets. Multiple instruments can be traded with different trading platforms and suitable account types. The customer support service is excellent in the UK.
Yes, IC Markets accept clients from UK. They do not hold FCA regulatory license but has temporary permissions to service new and existing clients from UK. UK clients can registered under CySEC regulation of EEA countries or offshore regulation of FSA Seychelles.
No, IC Markets is not regulated by FCA in the UK. Clients in UK are registered under the CySEC regulation.
Yes, IC Markets offer commission free trading with low spreads. They also offer research and education tools to assist the traders. It is ideal for beginners but majority of the beginners lose money while trading forex.