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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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VS field	XM xm.com Forex BrokerCFD BrokerStock CFD	Interactive Brokers interactivebrokers.com Stock BrokerETF BrokerOption
Decision summary
Overall score

Trust score	80	94

Cost score	73	88

Platform score	92	93

Withdrawal score	83	80

Best for	Established forex/CFD broker with low entry cost and broad markets. Good demo candidate but not ready for public without resolving entity/regulator and inactivity-fee conflicts.	Active traders · Advanced investors · International-market investors

Watch out	Official extracted regulation page only showed FSC Belize · Inactivity fee evidence conflicts · Restrictions and investor compensation are entity-dependent	Fee schedule is complex and varies by product, plan, market and entity · Country availability/restrictions need entity-specific review · No single universal max leverage figure fo…

Trust & regulation
Regulators	Official xm.com page confirms FSC Belize for XM Global Limited; review source lists ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, FSCA, SCA, FSA, FSC Belize/Mauritius, CMA Kenya/UAE. Source	Regulated by SEC/FINRA/CFTC/NYSE in the US and by FCA, Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC, Hong Kong SFC, SEBI, Kanto Local Finance Bureau and MAS for regional affiliates. Source
License numbers	XM Global Limited FSC Belize license 8557558; wider group license examples include CySEC 120/10 and DFSA F003484 from review/search evidence. Source	US CRD 36418 / SEC 8-47257; UK FCA 208159; AU AFSL 453554; India SEBI INZ000217730 and NSDL IN-DP-602-2021; Singapore MAS CMS100917; Japan Kanto Local Finance Bureau No.187. Source
Regulated entities	XM Global Limited and Trading Point group entities; exact entity assignment depends on client residency. Source	Major regulated entities include Interactive Brokers LLC plus UK, Ireland, Australia, Hong Kong, India, Japan and Singapore affiliates. Source
Negative balance protection	All accounts offer negative balance protection per official account-types page. Source	No universal negative-balance-protection promise found for Interactive Brokers LLC; IBKR describes real-time margin requirements and protective liquidations to return accounts to margin compliance. Source
Investor compensation	Entity-dependent; eligible CySEC/EEA retail clients may access Cyprus ICF up to €20,000 per review evidence, but global XM.com entity differs. Source	Interactive Brokers LLC securities accounts are protected by SIPC up to $500,000, including $250,000 cash sublimit, plus excess SIPC coverage up to an additional $30 million per account with $900,000 cash sublimit, subject to $150 million aggregate; futures/options on futures are excluded. Regional schemes vary. Source
Restricted countries	UK clients reportedly no longer accepted; restrictions vary by entity/residency and were not fully captured from official source. Source	Official available-countries page lists countries/territories where applications are available rather than a concise restricted-country list. Treat unsupported/sanctioned-country restrictions as country/entity-dependent and requiring manual review. Source

Trust & regulation

Regulators

Official xm.com page confirms FSC Belize for XM Global Limited; review source lists ASIC, CySEC, DFSA, FSCA, SCA, FSA, FSC Belize/Mauritius, CMA Kenya/UAE.

Costs & account conditions
Minimum deposit	Standard $5, Ultra Low $5, Shares $10,000. Source	USD 0 account minimum for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite; broker accounts can require a USD 10,000 up-front deposit applied against commissions. Source
Spread from	Spreads from 0.8 pips on homepage; Zero account from 0.0 pips according to review source. Source	Spot currency spreads advertised as narrow as 1/10 pip on Interactive Brokers Australia pricing overview; spreads vary by product/entity/market. Source
Commission	Homepage says no commissions/no hidden costs; costs can vary by account/entity and Zero account may differ by review source. Source	IBKR Lite offers $0 commissions on US stocks and ETFs; IBKR Pro uses fixed/tiered commissions and third-party/exchange/regulatory fees may apply by market/product. Source
Maximum leverage	Leverage offered; exact max varies by regulator/entity/account, EU retail protections cap major FX at 1:30 per review. Source	Not expressed as a single max leverage figure; margin requirements are product-, account-, entity- and regulation-dependent and IBKR applies real-time risk margin. Source
Deposit fee	No deposit fees reported by review source; official homepage says no hidden costs. Source	Most standard bank/security deposit methods show no IBKR deposit fee in the extracted official fee table, but physical currency deposits incur a special handling fee of 1% of deposit amount, minimum $50; third-party/bank fees may apply. Source
Withdrawal fee	No withdrawal fees claimed on homepage/review evidence; method/provider exceptions may apply. Source	Two free withdrawal requests per calendar month; after the second withdrawal IBKR charges listed fees by currency/method (example USD: wire 10.00, check 4.00, ACH/EFT/SEPA 1.00). Source
Inactivity fee	Review evidence varies: $5 after 90 days in one source; $15 then $10/month in another. Mark conflicting. Source	USD 0 inactivity fee for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite account minimums page. Source

Markets, platforms & payments
Tradable assets	1,400+ global assets including forex, stock derivatives, commodities, indices, precious metals and energies. Source	Stocks, ETFs, options, futures, spot currencies, bonds, mutual funds and cash-balance services, with availability varying by entity/country/account permission. Source
Trading platforms	MT4, MT5, XM App; TradingCentral noted by review source. Source	IBKR Desktop, Trader Workstation, IB Gateway, IBKR Mobile and web/client portal tools. Source
Account types	Standard, Ultra Low, Shares, demo; Islamic option as standard. Source	Supports individual and institutional accounts; official minimums page also distinguishes advisor, family office, hedge fund and broker account structures. Source
Deposit methods	Credit/debit cards, Skrill, Neteller, wire transfer, Perfect Money, Apple Pay, Google Pay, TransferWise, Visa, M-Pesa, Airtel per review source. Source	Wire transfer, check, direct bank transfer/ACH, SEPA/regional bank transfers where available, and securities transfer methods such as ACATS; physical cash deposits are against policy. Source
Withdrawal methods	Withdrawals approved automatically for 92.9% per official homepage; methods vary by region/payment provider. Source	Bank wire/transfer, checks and regional transfer rails such as BACS/GIRO/ACH/EFT/SEPA where available; securities transfer methods such as ACATS may also apply. Source
Withdrawal processing time	Instant withdrawals claimed; 92.9% withdrawals approved automatically; actual timing varies by payment method. Source	Not captured as a single verified processing-time SLA; varies by withdrawal method, currency, region and receiving bank. Source

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