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VS field	HFM hfm.com Forex BrokerMulti Asset BrokerMetal CFD	IC Markets icmarkets.com Forex BrokerMulti Asset BrokerStock CFD	IG ig.com CFD BrokerForex Broker

Decision summary
Overall score	86	90	90	89
Trust score	89	99	100	90
Cost score	81	85	84	94
Platform score	94	94	94	94
Withdrawal score	86	86	89	86
Best for	CFD-focused HFM profile with strong official-source coverage, but several high-risk details require entity/region review before publication, especially leverage, account minimums,…	Experienced forex/CFD traders · Scalpers, day traders and algorithmic traders comfortable with high-risk leveraged products · Users who specifically need MT4/MT5, cTrader or Tradi…	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…	Strong low-cost multi-asset and CFD broker, but regional/entity differences are material: leverage, NBP, investor compensation, fees and country acceptance must be rendered per ju…
Watch out	Needs verification	Long-term investors seeking physical stocks/ETFs · Beginners who need strong statutory investor compensation or negative balance protection · Residents of restricted countries or…	Needs verification	Needs verification
Trust & regulation
Regulators	FCA, FSCA, Seychelles FSA, CMA Kenya, CySEC, DFSA (DFSA verified from regulator register) Source	Financial Services Authority of Seychelles (FSA) Source	Authorised/supervised by FCA, BaFin/Deutsche Bundesbank, ASIC, FINMA, FSCA, MAS, FMA, DFSA, Japanese authorities, CFTC/NFA, and BMA depending region/entity. Source
Costs & account conditions
Minimum deposit	From $0/€0 on several accounts; Pro $100/€100; InfinityX $500; Zero page has conflicting $0/€0 table vs $25 FAQ. Source	No minimum deposit requirement disclosed for opening a trading account. Source	Minimum deposit varies substantially by region, from $50 card/no minimum bank transfer for IG International to CHF 2500 for Switzerland. Source
Markets, platforms & payments
Tradable assets	Over 500 markets including Forex, Metals, Stocks, Bonds, Indices, Energies, Commodities, Cryptos and ETFs, offered as CFDs. Source	Forex CFDs, Indices CFDs, Commodities CFDs, Stocks CFDs, Bonds CFDs, Cryptocurrency CFDs, Futures CFDs. 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.

License numbers	183/12; 801701; 46632; SD015; 155; F004885; 22747 IBC 2015 Source	Securities Dealer license number SD018 Source	FCA register numbers: 195355, 114059, 944492; DFSA reference F001780; IG Europe register 148759; IG Asia company registration 200510021K. Source	Key disclosed numbers: FSC Registration No. 6442514 / FSC License No. 000302/438; FCA FRN 522157; CySEC CIF 169/12; UK company number 07227848. Source

Regulated entities	HF Markets Group entities include Europe, UK, South Africa, Seychelles, Kenya, DIFC and St Vincent entities; regulation varies by entity. Source	Raw Trading Ltd, registered in Seychelles (registration number 8419879-1), regulated by the Financial Services Authority of Seychelles with Securities Dealer license SD018. 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	XTB Group entities include XTB International Limited (Belize/FSC), XTB S.A. (Poland/KNF), XTB Limited (UK/FCA), XTB Sucursal (Spain/CNMV), and XTB Limited (Cyprus/CySEC). Source

Negative balance protection	Negative balance protection advertised: if balance goes negative, HFM automatically resets it to zero. Source	No negative balance protection found for the reviewed global entity; IC says clients bear negative consequences and are responsible for any negative balance. 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	Negative balance protection is available for UK retail clients under XTB Limited, but international pages warn that losses can exceed deposits; treat as regional/entity dependent. Source

Investor compensation	Cyprus ICF membership for HF Markets (Europe) Ltd only; not universal across all HFM entities. Source	Client funds insurance up to US$1,000,000; no statutory investor compensation scheme found in reviewed official sources. 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	UK retail clients may be entitled to FSCS compensation up to GBP 85,000; Cyprus legal page lists an Investor Compensation Fund document; international Belize compensation not found. Source

Restricted countries	HFM does not offer services to residents of certain jurisdictions, including the USA, Canada, Sudan, Syria, Iran, North Korea, UAE, Türkiye and others. Source	Raw Trading Ltd does not provide services to residents of the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand, Iran, North Korea (DPRK), or countries where distribution/use would be contrary to local law or regulation. 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	XTB only accepts clients where it operates and with appropriate permits; XTB International accepted-country list is limited from March 2026; Brazil page is not created for Brazilian residents. Source

Spread from	Spreads from 0.0 pips / Zero from 0 on Forex; Pro from 0.6, Premium/Cent from 1.4, InfinityX from 0.3. Source	Spreads from 0.0 pips on MetaTrader/cTrader Raw Spread platforms; Standard account spread starts from 0.8 pip. 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	Minimum spread is 0.5 on the international page and 0.3 on the UK page, so it is region/entity dependent. Source

Commission	Most listed accounts advertise no commission; Zero account charges commissions starting from $3 per 1 lot / $6 round turn per 100,000 FX. Source	Standard: no commission, 0.8 pip markup. Raw Spread MetaTrader: USD $3.50 per lot per side / $7 round turn. cTrader/TradingView: USD $3 per $100,000 traded per side. 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	Stocks/ETFs are commission-free up to EUR 100,000 monthly turnover, then 0.2% min EUR 10; CFD trading commission is advertised as 0%, with product-specific fees/markups in the fee table. Source

Maximum leverage	Up to 1:2000 on Cent/Zero/Pro/Premium; InfinityX advertises unlimited leverage; leverage may be adjusted. Source	IC offers flexible leverage from 1:1 to 1:5000; leverage is dynamic and may change at any time. 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	Leverage is region/product dependent: international pages state a maximum of 1:500 for individual clients; UK account page states 1:30; real stocks and ETFs are not leveraged. Source

Deposit fee	HFM states no deposit fees; bank transfer row notes no fees for deposits over $100. Source	IC does not charge additional deposit fees; bank/intermediary fees may apply. Source	Deposit fees vary by region; UK bank/debit/credit card funding free; other regions differ. Source	XTB advertises deposits as free, but international online payment fees include Skrill 2% and Neteller 1%; bank/payment-provider fees may apply. Source

Withdrawal fee	No HFM withdrawal fees; third-party bank/processor fees may apply. Source	IC does not charge additional withdrawal fees, but third-party/intermediary/bank fees can apply; one Help Centre example mentions 20 AUD bank fee for some bankwire paths. Source	UK withdrawals are listed as free for bank/debit/credit card methods; Dubai comparison table notes wire withdrawal $25; other regions vary. Source	International withdrawals above 50 USD are free and below 50 USD cost 30 USD; UK withdrawals are free; detailed fee table lists additional method-specific fees. Source

Inactivity fee	HFSV Client Agreement discloses monthly Dormant Fee tiers: $5, $10, $20, then prior year's monthly fee plus $10; no charge if balance is zero. Source	No account inactivity fees. 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	Account maintenance is free for active clients; otherwise a monthly fee of 10 EUR may be charged when stated inactivity conditions are met. Source

Trading platforms	MT4, MT5, HFM WebTrader, Mobile Trading / HFM Platform / HFM App. Source	MetaTrader 5, MetaTrader 4, cTrader, TradingView, MetaTrader WebTrader/cTrader Web and social/copy tools IC Social, Signal Start, ZuluTrade. Source	IG supports proprietary web/mobile platforms plus MT4, MT5 in some regions, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, TradingView and institutional/API/FIX access. Source	XTB promotes an award-winning mobile application and web platform; account pages list Mobile, Desktop, Tablet availability and web app links go to xStation5. Source

Account types	Cent, Zero, Pro, Premium and InfinityX live account types observed on official pages. Source	Official pages list Standard, Raw Spread, cTrader Raw Spread and Swap Free; account overview also shows Raw Pro and Raw Pro+ entries. Source	Account types differ by region; examples include IG trading/professional, limited risk, share dealing, options, turbo24 and swap-free accounts. Source	XTB markets one simple account, offers swap-free accounts for certain eligible countries/entities, and offers a free training/demo account. Source

Deposit methods	Bank transfers, credit/debit cards and alternative payment methods. Source	Credit/debit cards, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, UnionPay, wire transfer, Bpay, broker-to-broker, POLI, Thai Internet Banking, Rapidpay, Klarna, Vietnamese Internet Banking, cryptocurrency. Source	Deposit methods vary by region; official pages mention bank transfer, debit/credit card, Wise, and Singapore PayNow. Source	Deposits are available by card, bank transfer, and online payments including Skrill and Neteller on the international page; UK page lists cards and bank transfer. Source

Withdrawal methods	Bank transfers, credit/debit cards and alternative payment methods. Source	Withdrawal methods depend on original deposit method; examples include Visa/Mastercard/card routes, bank wire, Neteller, Skrill and PayPal. 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	Main withdrawal route on pages is a bank account in the client's name; the international fee table also lists withdrawal fees for credit cards and Skrill/Neteller/PayRetailers, implying availability in some contexts. Source

Withdrawal processing time	Bank/card withdrawals: 2-10 business days; alternative withdrawals: up to 24 hours or instant, method dependent. Source	Same-business-day processing cutoff before 12:00 AEST/AEDT; after processing allow at least 3 business days depending on method. 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	Withdrawal processing is same/next business day on official pages, with UK payment allocation up to 3 business days. Source