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The comparison reads the same evidence fields used by broker profiles, so users can scan scores, regulation, costs, platforms, withdrawals, and caveats side by side.

Broker 1

Broker 2

VS field	AvaTrade avatrade.com Forex BrokerMulti Asset BrokerStock CFD	IG ig.com CFD BrokerForex BrokerOption
Decision summary
Overall score

Trust score	86	100

Cost score	74	84

Platform score	90	94

Withdrawal score	76	89

Best for	Forex and CFD traders wanting many platform choices · Traders who value regulated entities and negative balance protection where available · Clients seeking MT4/MT5 plus proprieta…	Experienced CFD and forex traders seeking broad market access · UK clients wanting both leveraged trading and commission-free eligible share/ETF investing · Traders who value plat…

Watch out	Most products are CFDs/options/spread betting rather than direct ownership investing · Leverage and protections vary by entity and account classification · Inactivity/admin fee am…	Needs verification

Trust & regulation
Regulators	Central Bank of Ireland; Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission; Australian Securities & Investments Commission; British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission; Financial Services Agency and Financial Futures Association of Japan; Financial Sector Conduct Authority; ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority; Israel Securities Authority; Financial Superintendency of Colombia. Source	Authorised/supervised by FCA, BaFin/Deutsche Bundesbank, ASIC, FINMA, FSCA, MAS, FMA, DFSA, Japanese authorities, CFTC/NFA, and BMA depending region/entity. Source
License numbers	C53877; 347/17; 406684; SIBA/L/13/1049; 1662; 1574; 45984; 190018; 514666577; Res. 0261 of 2024. Source	FCA register numbers: 195355, 114059, 944492; DFSA reference F001780; IG Europe register 148759; IG Asia company registration 200510021K. Source
Regulated entities	AVA Trade EU Ltd (Ireland/EU, CBI C53877); DT Direct Investment Hub Ltd. (CySEC 347/17); Ava Capital Markets Australia Pty Ltd (ASIC 406684); Ava Trade Markets Ltd (BVI FSC SIBA/L/13/1049); Ava Trade Japan K.K. (FSA 1662, FFAJ 1574); Ava Capital Markets Pty Ltd (FSCA 45984); Ava Trade Middle East Ltd (ADGM FSRA 190018); ATrade Ltd (ISA 514666577); Ava Trade Markets Ltd Colombia representative office (SFC Res. 0261 of 2024). Source	IG contracting entities vary by region, including UK IG Markets/IG Index/IG Trading and Investments, IG International Limited, IG Limited Dubai, IG Bank S.A., IG Asia Pte Ltd, IG Europe GmbH and others. Source
Negative balance protection	Available for retail clients in some jurisdictions; professional clients and non-European entities may not receive the same protections. Source	Negative balance protection applies to UK/ESMA/DFSA retail leveraged accounts; professional traders are excluded; some regional tables show ability to lose more than deposits for certain accounts. Source
Investor compensation	European entity: ICCL Investor Compensation Company Ltd; BVI: no compensation scheme; other entities not fully disclosed in captured table. Source	Investor/deposit compensation depends on entity: FSCS UK, EdW Europe, esisuisse Switzerland; no compensation scheme disclosed for several other IG regions in comparison table. Source
Restricted countries	Belgium, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, USA, New Zealand and Russia. Source	Official IG international and UK pages state the information is not directed at residents of the United States and Belgium; country availability is region/entity-dependent. Source

Trust & regulation

Regulators

Central Bank of Ireland; Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission; Australian Securities & Investments Commission; British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission; Financial Services Agency and Financial Futures Association of Japan; Financial Sector Conduct Authority; ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority; Israel Securities Authority; Financial Superintendency of Colombia.

Costs & account conditions
Minimum deposit	Credit/debit card/e-payment: 100 in account base currency where available. Wire transfer: conflicting official evidence—withdrawals/deposits FAQ says 100 in account base currency, while Compare Global Offering shows 500 for Europe wire transfer. Source	Minimum deposit varies substantially by region, from $50 card/no minimum bank transfer for IG International to CHF 2500 for Switzerland. Source
Spread from	EUR/USD from 0.9 pips; other spreads vary by instrument, account and region. Source	Selected UK trading spreads: EUR/USD 0.6, S&P 500 0.4, Spot Gold 0.3; spreads are variable and selected examples only. Source
Commission	Low/no commission claims; broker primarily compensated through bid/ask spread; commissions may vary by product and region. Source	Commission varies by product: commission-free UK investing in eligible stocks/ETFs; share CFD commissions include 0.10% UK/Euro and 2 cents/share US; manual currency conversion commissions also apply in UK investing. Source
Maximum leverage	Up to 400:1 on forex where local regulation permits; homepage highlights up to 30:1 for CFDs under local regulation. Source	Leverage/margin is region- and product-dependent; IG International CFD page shows up to 1:200 for forex and indices, 1:143 commodities, 1:10 share/crypto CFDs; UAE page cites indices up to 20:1. Source
Deposit fee	Credit card, wire transfer and e-payment deposits/withdrawals are shown as free for Europe in Compare Global Offering; global fee treatment is regional and not fully disclosed. Source	Deposit fees vary by region; UK bank/debit/credit card funding free; other regions differ. Source
Withdrawal fee	Credit card, wire transfer and e-payment deposits/withdrawals are shown as free for Europe in Compare Global Offering; global fee treatment is regional and not fully disclosed. Source	UK withdrawals are listed as free for bank/debit/credit card methods; Dubai comparison table notes wire withdrawal $25; other regions vary. Source
Inactivity fee	Applies after 3 consecutive months of non-use unless prohibited by law; amount varies by account currency and was not captured in page text. Source	Inactivity/admin fee is region/product-specific: UK charges page currently lists inactivity fee free; IG Bank Switzerland charges CHF 18/month after 2+ years inactivity with a balance. Source

Markets, platforms & payments
Tradable assets	Forex, CFDs on stocks/equities, ETFs, commodities, cryptocurrencies, indices, bonds, FX options and spread betting where available. Source	IG offers a broad range of tradable products by region, including CFDs on forex, indices, shares, commodities, crypto, ETFs, options, futures, bonds, rates and volatility; UK also has share dealing and selected options/futures; products vary by region. Source
Trading platforms	WebTrader, AvaTrade App, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, AvaOptions, AvaSocial, DupliTrade and Mac Trading. Source	IG supports proprietary web/mobile platforms plus MT4, MT5 in some regions, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, TradingView and institutional/API/FIX access. Source
Account types	Retail, Professional, Islamic, MAM, Options, Spread betting and Demo accounts/platform access where available. Source	Account types differ by region; examples include IG trading/professional, limited risk, share dealing, options, turbo24 and swap-free accounts. Source
Deposit methods	Credit card, debit card, wire transfer, and e-payments including Skrill, WebMoney and Neteller; PayPal is mentioned on the Forex FAQ. E-payments are not available to EU/Australian clients and credit cards exclude Canada. Source	Deposit methods vary by region; official pages mention bank transfer, debit/credit card, Wise, and Singapore PayNow. Source
Withdrawal methods	Withdrawals are generally returned to the original funding method up to 100% of deposit; after that, another method in the client name such as wire transfer/e-payment may be used subject to region. Source	Withdrawal methods vary by region; UK charges list bank/debit/credit card deposits/withdrawals; comparison table lists US ACH/wire/check deposit and ACH/wire withdrawal details; help pages mention Card/ApplePay withdrawals. Source
Withdrawal processing time	AvaTrade processes withdrawal requests in 24-48 hours / one or two working days after verification; receiving funds may take up to 10 business days for wire transfers. Source	Withdrawal timing is not a single global value; UK help articles indicate same-day processing for eligible card/ApplePay requests, up to 5 working days to receive, and 1-3 business days for bank transfers after approval. Source

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