General Information

IG is a UK-registered company and regulated by multiple international financial bodies, including the ASIC, FCA, FSA, FMA, MAS, and DFSA. It offers access to a 17,000+ markets, including forex, indices, shares, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. The company provides multiple trading platforms, including L2 dealer, ProRealTime, MT4, and TradingView.

What Type of Broker Is IG?
IG is a Market Making (MM) broker, which means that it acts as a counterparty to its clients in trading operations. That is, instead of connecting directly to the market, IG acts as an intermediary and takes the opposite position to its clients. As such, it can offer faster order execution speed, tighter spreads and greater flexibility in terms of offering leverage.

However, this also means that IG has a certain conflict of interest with their clients, as their profits come from the difference between the bid and ask price of assets, which could lead to them making decisions that are not necessarily in the best interest of their clients. It is important for traders to be aware of this dynamic when trading with IG or any other MM broker.

Pros and Cons of IG

Pros:

Wide variety of markets and instrument options
Intuitive and customizable trading platforms
Access to advanced technical analysis and charting tools
Multilingual, multi-channel customer service
Demo account with virtual financing of $20,000
No minimum deposit requirement for real accounts
Leverage up to 1:400

Cons:

Fees and costs may not be clearly specified
Withdrawal of funds is not clearly specified
The minimum transaction amount is high for some markets
Credit card deposit fees are high compared to other brokers

Is IG Legit?

Yes. IG is currently regulated by multiple regulatory authorities, including ASIC (Australia), FCA (UK)

Regulated Country	Regulator	Regulated Entity	License Type	License No.
	Australia Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC)	IG AUSTRALIA PTY LTD	Market Making (MM)	515106
	Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)	IG MARKETS LIMITED	Market Making (MM)	195355

Market Instruments
IG offers access to 17,000+ markets, covering forex, indices, shares, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.

Account Type
IG offers a single live account withno minimum deposit required. Aside from live accounts, demo accounts are also available.

IG’s demo account is a very useful tool for beginner traders, as it allows them to trade in a safe and risk-free environment. With IG’s virtual funding of $20,000, traders can practice and hone their trading skills without risking their capital. In addition, the IG demo account provides access to the trading platform and all the instruments and tools available in the live account, allowing traders to familiarize themselves with the platform and test different trading strategies.

Leverage
As for the maximum leverage dimension at IG, the company offers a maximum leverage of up to 1:400. This means that traders can open positions that are 400 times larger than their available capital. Leverage can be a powerful tool for experienced traders, as it allows them to earn higher profits with limited capital. However, it can also significantly increase the risk of loss and it is important that traders fully understand the risks and limitations of leverage before using it.

Spread and Commission
In terms of costs, IG offers competitive, with EUR/USD spread starting from 0.6 pips. However, there is not much information available on commissions, which may create uncertainty for some traders. In addition, it is important to note that costs may be higher in less liquid markets or with lower trading volume.

Trading Platform
IG offers various trading platforms to meet the needs of different types of traders.

The web-based platform is intuitive and easy to use, although it may be less customizable than other platforms.

They also offer MetaTrader 4, a popular and well-known platform in the forex industry.

For experienced traders, L2 Dealer offers a wide range of advanced tools and functionalities. However, this platform can be more complicated for beginner traders.

Mobile apps are available for iOS and Android, allowing traders to trade on the go.

Deposit and Withdrawal
The minimum deposit for card payment is $50, and no minimum deposit required for Bank Transfer.

Deposit options including immediate credit/debit card transactions upon card registration, with up to five cards permissible per account.

For Hong Kong clients, cost-free FPS transfers in HKD are available and usually clear within one business day.

Bank transfers are also supported. Always include your account ID as a reference to ensure prompt and accurate allocation of funds.