ACTUAL FOREX TRADING
THE BEST FOREX BROKERS FOR UK TRADERS
A List of the Top UK Forex Brokers
"Traders based in the UK have a distinct advantage - they have the best and most diverse Forex brokers available.
The best brokers are highly regulated and offer a reliable trading service with tight spreads"
My recommended UK Forex brokers are ranked by...
- Regulation
- Optional high leverage
- The tightness of spreads
- The variety of markets offered
- Overnight fees and other costs
- My personal trading experience with them
- The ease of depositing and withdrawing funds
UK-based Forex brokers are the best in the industry. High regulation, being in a financial centre and developed country, and decades of brokerage experience, make London-based Forex brokers unbeatable.
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This page lists the top Forex brokers available to UK clients. These brokers are both based in the UK and outside of the UK.
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I have traded with most of the brokers on this page. I have active trading accounts with many of them.
THE LEADING BROKERS FOR UK CLIENTS
CFD TRADING
CFD trading is the only way for a retail trader to have a professional trading experience.
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CFDs mirror the spot Forex market. They are like trading on the actual Forex Exchange market.
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I trade CFDs daily. They are my primary way of making money from the markets.
The Best UK CFD Brokers
Below are my most recommended brokers for UK traders.
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I have more specific guides for high-leverage brokers and brokers with the tightest spreads. If you need a broker for demo trading, go to my free Forex demo trading accounts.
Darwinex
Regulation: FCA
Office HQ: London, UK
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Leverage: 1:30 (FCA standard). Higher leverage available on professional trading accounts
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Platforms: MT4, MT5
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Markets
Forex Pairs - over 40 currency pairs
Indices - 10 stock indices
Metals - Gold & Silver against the Dollar
Energies - Natural Gas and Oil
Stocks - Major US stocks
ETFs - Major US ETFs
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Typical Spreads
AUDUSD 0.5 pips
EURGBP 0.5 pips
EURUSD 0.2 pips
GBPUSD 0.5 pips
NZDUSD 0.8 pips
USDCAD 0.8 pips
USDCHF 0.8 pips
USDJPY 0.6 pips
GOLD 0.10 pips
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Quick Summary: Fantastic customer service and very reliable. Trustworthy. An excellent trading experience. The tightest spreads available for an FCA-regulated and London-based broker. Darwinex is highly recommended. Open an account.
IG Markets
Regulation: FCA
Office HQ: London, UK
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Leverage: 1:30 (FCA standard). Higher leverage available on professional trading accounts
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Platforms: IG Online Platform, IG Mobile App, MT4, L2 Dealer, ProRealTime
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Markets
Forex Pairs - over 90 currency pairs
Indices - over 70 stock indices
Metals - over 10 precious metals
Energies - 9 energies
Softs - 20 soft commodities
Stocks - US, UK, Germany, France, Australia, and more
ETFs - thousands
Options - Forex, stock, commodity, and index options
Bonds - various
Rates - various
Cryptocurrencies - 15 cryptos
Typical Spreads
AUDUSD 0.6 pips
EURGBP 0.9 pips
EURUSD 0.6 pips
GBPUSD 0.9 pips
NZDUSD 1.8 pips
USDCAD 1.2 pips
USDCHF 1.5 pips
USDJPY 1 pip
GOLD 0.30 pips
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Quick Summary: IG offers a range of markets. Over 17,000 in total! Their online trading platform is the best I have ever used and is ideal for new traders. Spreads and fees are higher than other brokers. Open an account.
Pepperstone
Regulation: FCA
Office HQ: Melbourne, Australia
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Leverage: 1:30 (FCA standard). Higher leverage available on professional trading accounts
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Platforms: TradingView, MT4, MT5, cTrader
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Markets
Forex Pairs - over 60 currency pairs
Indices - over 20 stock indices
Metals - 15 precious metals
Energies - 4 energies
Softs - over 15 soft commodities
Stocks - US, UK, German, and Australian shares
ETFs - over 100 ETFs
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Typical Spreads
AUDUSD 0.3 pips
EURGBP 0.4 pips
EURUSD 0.1 pips
GBPUSD 0.6 pips
NZDUSD 0.7 pips
USDCAD 0.6 pips
USDCHF 0.5 pips
USDJPY 0.6 pips
GOLD 2.0 pips
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Quick Summary: Pepperstone is a well-balanced broker. FCA regulated, an excellent range of markets, and various trading platforms, including TradingView, with very low spreads and good customer service. Open an account.
SPREAD BETTING
Spread betting profits are tax-free. This is the main attraction to spread betting vs. CFD trading.
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Spread betting is exclusive to UK traders. It is a simplified and effective way to trade Forex, indices, commodities, and other financial markets.
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Spread-betting brokers also offer indices, stocks, and metals.
The Best Spread Betting Brokers
Below are my most recommended spread betting brokers.
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Spread-betting brokers have wider spreads than CFD brokers but do not charge trading commissions. Overnight fees are also generally higher, so spread betting is more suitable for short-term trading, such as day trading.
IG Markets
Regulation: FCA
Office HQ: London, UK
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Leverage: 1:30 (FCA standard). Higher leverage available on professional trading accounts
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Platforms: IG Online Platform, IG Mobile App, MT4, L2 Dealer, ProRealTime
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Markets
Forex Pairs - over 90 currency pairs
Indices - over 70 stock indices
Metals - over 10 precious metals
Energies - 9 energies
Softs - 20 soft commodities
Stocks - US, UK, Germany, France, Australia, and more
ETFs - thousands
Options - Forex, stock, commodity, and index options
Bonds - various
Rates - various
Cryptocurrencies - 15 cryptos
Typical Spreads
AUDUSD 0.6 pips
EURGBP 0.9 pips
EURUSD 0.6 pips
GBPUSD 0.9 pips
NZDUSD 1.8 pips
USDCAD 1.2 pips
USDCHF 1.5 pips
USDJPY 1 pip
GOLD 0.30 pips
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Quick Summary: IG offers a range of markets. Over 17,000 in total! Their online trading platform is the best I have ever used and is ideal for new traders. IG offers both CFD and spread betting accounts. Open an account.
Pepperstone
Regulation: FCA
Office HQ: Melbourne, Australia
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Leverage: 1:30 (FCA standard). Higher leverage available on professional trading accounts
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Platforms: TradingView, MT4, MT5, cTrader
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Markets
Forex Pairs - over 60 currency pairs
Indices - over 20 stock indices
Metals - 15 precious metals
Energies - 4 energies
Softs - over 15 soft commodities
Stocks - US, UK, German, and Australian shares
ETFs - over 100 ETFs
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Typical Spreads
AUDUSD 0.3 pips
EURGBP 0.4 pips
EURUSD 0.1 pips
GBPUSD 0.6 pips
NZDUSD 0.7 pips
USDCAD 0.6 pips
USDCHF 0.5 pips
USDJPY 0.6 pips
GOLD 2.0 pips
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Quick Summary: Pepperstone is a well-balanced broker. FCA regulated, an excellent range of markets, and various trading platforms, including TradingView, with very low spreads and good customer service. Open an account.
CMC Markets
Regulation: FCA
Office HQ: London, UK
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Leverage: 1:30 (FCA standard). Higher leverage available on professional trading accounts
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Platforms: MT4, Online Web Trader, Mobile App
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Markets
Forex Pairs - over 330 currency pairs
Indices - over 80 indices
Metals - 5 precious metals
Energies - 5 energies
Softs - 5 soft commodities
Stocks - over 10,000 equities
ETFs - over 1,000 ETFs
Treasuries
Typical Spreads
AUDUSD 0.7 pips
EURGBP 1.0 pip
EURUSD 0.6 pips
GBPUSD 1.0 pip
NZDUSD 1.3 pips
USDCAD 1.3 pips
USDCHF 1.2 pips
USDJPY 0.8 pips
GOLD 0.25 pips
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Quick Summary: CMC Markets are financial market veterans. Their brokerage business has been around for a long time. They offer a wide range of markets, tight spreads, and FCA regulation. They are one of the best Forex brokers. Open an account.
FCA REGULATION
Every Forex broker registered with offices in the UK must be FCA regulated. This regulation is one of the reasons why UK brokers are desirable.
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IF YOUR BROKERS FAIL, the FCA compensation scheme​ protects capital up to £85,000.
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FCA-regulated brokers also offer negative balance protection. Meaning you can lose up to your trading account balance.
Below is a list of FCA-regulated Forex brokers.
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ActivTrades - open an account
Admiral Markets - open an account
City Index - open an account
CMC Markets - open an account
Darwinex - open an account
eToro - open an account
FXCM - open an account
FxPro - open an account
IG Markets - open an account
IronFX - open an account
Oanda - open an account
Pepperstone - open an account
Plus500 - open an account
Saxo Bank - open an account
Tickmill - open an account
Trading 212 - open an account
XM - open an account
NON-UK-BASED BROKERS
There are some advantages to trading with a broker outside of the UK. The main advantage is leverage.
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High leverage enables a trader to make high returns with small capital. It can also lead to significant losses.
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The concern with brokers outside of the UK is the regulation. Not all financial regulators are equal.
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Below is a trustworthy broker that offers high-leverage
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IC Markets - Leverage of up to 1:500 - Open a demo account
IC Markets offers zero spreads across major Forex pairs and ultra-tight spreads across the board.
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MetaTrader 4 desktop, MT4 mobile app, and MT4 WebTrader are the available trading platforms. They also offer cTrader.
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Over 61 Forex pairs and a wide range of indices, metals, futures, bonds, commodities, stocks, and cryptocurrencies are available on all platforms with adjustable leverage.