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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.

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Broker 2

VS field	HFM hfm.com Forex BrokerMulti Asset BrokerMetal CFD	IG ig.com CFD BrokerForex BrokerOption
Decision summary
Overall score

Trust score	89	100

Cost score	81	84

Platform score	94	94

Withdrawal score	86	89

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 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	Needs verification	Needs verification

Trust & regulation
Regulators	FCA, FSCA, Seychelles FSA, CMA Kenya, CySEC, DFSA (DFSA verified from regulator register) 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	183/12; 801701; 46632; SD015; 155; F004885; 22747 IBC 2015 Source	FCA register numbers: 195355, 114059, 944492; DFSA reference F001780; IG Europe register 148759; IG Asia company registration 200510021K. Source
Regulated entities	HF Markets Group entities include Europe, UK, South Africa, Seychelles, Kenya, DIFC and St Vincent entities; regulation varies by entity. 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	Negative balance protection advertised: if balance goes negative, HFM automatically resets it to zero. 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	Cyprus ICF membership for HF Markets (Europe) Ltd only; not universal across all HFM entities. 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	HFM does not offer services to residents of certain jurisdictions, including the USA, Canada, Sudan, Syria, Iran, North Korea, UAE, Türkiye and others. 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

FCA, FSCA, Seychelles FSA, CMA Kenya, CySEC, DFSA (DFSA verified from regulator register)

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

183/12; 801701; 46632; SD015; 155; F004885; 22747 IBC 2015

Source

FCA register numbers: 195355, 114059, 944492; DFSA reference F001780; IG Europe register 148759; IG Asia company registration 200510021K.

Source

Regulated entities

HF Markets Group entities include Europe, UK, South Africa, Seychelles, Kenya, DIFC and St Vincent entities; regulation varies by entity.

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

Negative balance protection advertised: if balance goes negative, HFM automatically resets it to zero.

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

Cyprus ICF membership for HF Markets (Europe) Ltd only; not universal across all HFM entities.

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

HFM does not offer services to residents of certain jurisdictions, including the USA, Canada, Sudan, Syria, Iran, North Korea, UAE, Türkiye and others.

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

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	Minimum deposit varies substantially by region, from $50 card/no minimum bank transfer for IG International to CHF 2500 for Switzerland. 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	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	Most listed accounts advertise no commission; Zero account charges commissions starting from $3 per 1 lot / $6 round turn per 100,000 FX. 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 1:2000 on Cent/Zero/Pro/Premium; InfinityX advertises unlimited leverage; leverage may be adjusted. 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	HFM states no deposit fees; bank transfer row notes no fees for deposits over $100. Source	Deposit fees vary by region; UK bank/debit/credit card funding free; other regions differ. Source
Withdrawal fee	No HFM withdrawal fees; third-party bank/processor fees may apply. 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	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	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

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

Minimum deposit varies substantially by region, from $50 card/no minimum bank transfer for IG International to CHF 2500 for Switzerland.

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

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

Most listed accounts advertise no commission; Zero account charges commissions starting from $3 per 1 lot / $6 round turn per 100,000 FX.

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 1:2000 on Cent/Zero/Pro/Premium; InfinityX advertises unlimited leverage; leverage may be adjusted.

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

HFM states no deposit fees; bank transfer row notes no fees for deposits over $100.

Source

Deposit fees vary by region; UK bank/debit/credit card funding free; other regions differ.

Source

Withdrawal fee

No HFM withdrawal fees; third-party bank/processor fees may apply.

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

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

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	Over 500 markets including Forex, Metals, Stocks, Bonds, Indices, Energies, Commodities, Cryptos and ETFs, offered as 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. Source
Trading platforms	MT4, MT5, HFM WebTrader, Mobile Trading / HFM Platform / HFM App. 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	Cent, Zero, Pro, Premium and InfinityX live account types observed on official pages. Source	Account types differ by region; examples include IG trading/professional, limited risk, share dealing, options, turbo24 and swap-free accounts. Source
Deposit methods	Bank transfers, credit/debit cards and alternative payment methods. Source	Deposit methods vary by region; official pages mention bank transfer, debit/credit card, Wise, and Singapore PayNow. Source
Withdrawal methods	Bank transfers, credit/debit cards and alternative payment methods. 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	Bank/card withdrawals: 2-10 business days; alternative withdrawals: up to 24 hours or instant, method dependent. 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

Markets, platforms & payments

Tradable assets

Over 500 markets including Forex, Metals, Stocks, Bonds, Indices, Energies, Commodities, Cryptos and ETFs, offered as 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.

Source

Trading platforms

MT4, MT5, HFM WebTrader, Mobile Trading / HFM Platform / HFM App.

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

Cent, Zero, Pro, Premium and InfinityX live account types observed on official pages.

Source

Account types differ by region; examples include IG trading/professional, limited risk, share dealing, options, turbo24 and swap-free accounts.

Source

Deposit methods

Bank transfers, credit/debit cards and alternative payment methods.

Source

Deposit methods vary by region; official pages mention bank transfer, debit/credit card, Wise, and Singapore PayNow.

Source

Withdrawal methods

Bank transfers, credit/debit cards and alternative payment methods.

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

Bank/card withdrawals: 2-10 business days; alternative withdrawals: up to 24 hours or instant, method dependent.

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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