IG

Intro

This innovative firm was established in 1974 and was first named IG Markets Ltd.  They were the ones to start the idea of financial spreading betting which jumpstarted online dealing in 1998.

The business, at the moment, has a global footprint and offers trading strategies via entities in thirteen nations in important financial districts around the globe, allowing consumers from all corners of the world to reach out. The brokerage has its headquarters in London and is registered in the US, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, some nations in Europe, and Singapore.

IG Group Holding plc is a part of FTSE 250, the London Stock Exchange.

Key Points

Is this a suitable brokerage?

This really boils down to what you are looking for. We concluded IG is a safe brokerage that has been in the business for a long time and has good worldwide coverage.

Accolades

A lot of milestones have been reached by IG and they have been praised and showered with awards due to their tech and the way they treat their users. Since there are so many gathered accolades, we’re just going to name some of the entities that recognized the company: Best Stocks and Shares ISA Provider 2020 and  ADVFN. Moreover, not counting in FX when looking at revenue, IG is the best global spread betting retail provider.

Is this firm secure?

The company segregates client funds at banks that are legit, so they are not endangering client funds and not misusing them. Moreover, in the case of insolvency, clients are compensated the way they should be by all companies if they were all fair.

Is this a legit firm?

The company is a legitimate business, overseen by a lot of branches across the globe, which regulate the brokerage and provide the license for trading.

Thanks to being spread around the world, the brokerage and all its entities are controlled and authorized by respected authorities. For example, the headquarters in the capital of the United Kingdom is regulated by the FCA.

Check out the picture below for additional details which presents IG as a company that’s secure for trading.

Leverage

People who reside in Europe can trade with high leverage, due to limits imposed by regulations that were changed not that long ago under ESMA. Depending on which entity regulates which branch of the IG group, the limits vary.

So Europeans use the leverage of 1:30 and others can have 1:200 on fx instruments, such as those in the vicinity of Australian authorities. Check out the table below for additional leverage info:

Charges

The spread breakdown is connected to the CFD or MetaTrader4 account charge and the Spread Bet min. size. They both are dependent on the IG branch one trades with. Thanks to discrepancies between rules of regulators, the terms of trade will change according to your locations. For instance, if you want to trade from Japan, bear in mind that cryptos are not offered!

The fees are part of the spread-only basis that stems from a variable offering, so it shifts due to underlying market costs and can grow bigger due to widen marketplace costs.

Charges are incurred on each spread bet or non-share CFD, and the average is circa 0.6 pips on fx, and there is a charge on each share CFD or share deal trade that is done. All in all, the margins are considered low for industry standards and are suitable for novices, too, seeing how there aren’t any extra charges.

There are some differences regarding the areas, so look out for those and check the table below to see the pricing.

Moreover, see how other brokerages are setting up costs:

IG vs Other Brokerages

Charges Not Connected to Trading

You can be charged a non-activity charge, which you have to pay out if you have been inactive in your account for more than half a year. Again, this price varies according to your location, so check out the terms carefully.

Marketplace Instruments

IG provides a wide scope of digital trading products as part of the original offer, whilst at the basis of the CFD business.

The IG was the 1st one to provide CFD in Australia, too. Their offering includes currency pairs, commodities, indexes, stocks, financial spread betting, and others. This amounts to more than 17k markets for trading. Also, it offers crypto-trading via CFD bases and pairs for bitcoin, Ethereum, and ripple.

Opening Account

As far as account opening is concerned, IG has made it simple since it does not require downloads, only requires a verification procedure and the identification of traders when you select an IG branch for trading and the platform the client wants.

There is 1 basic account that can be set up for trading in a matter of minutes.

Trial Account

You do not have to fund your account right away. The Demo account will let you conduct trades with 30k in virtual euros and then you can move to the arena for real trading.

Signing up

The only thing you have to do is follow the steps and submit the form online. Luckily, the process is even easier, since you can verify the account via Facebook or Google. This means you get immediate entry to your Demo Account.

These are the steps:

1. Go to the IG Sign In page
2. Fill in personal details regarding your registration (name, email, phone…).
3. Verify your account via a link received in the email (you’ll have access to Demo Trading at this step)
4. Confirm your info and submit docs for review (proof of residence, ID..)
5. Tell them about your background and credentials in trades
6. Fund your account

Deposit and Withdrawal

There is a transparent way to move money in and out of an account. You can pick the method that suits you the most.

Min. Deposit

There’s no min. deposit or additional charge. But, be sure to check your area’s regulators, since some costs can be imposed.

Deposits

To initiate trading, a trader should pick the best payment strategy from the deposit funds on hand.

• Credit/debit cards
• Transfer via bank
• PayPal
• Neteller or Skrill

Withdrawals

There is no commission on this! Also, the money is back in your account in circa 3-5 days.

Steps for Withdrawals

1. Select Withdraw Funds via the account area
2. Complete the data required and the amount is deducted
3. Choose the opt-out method available in your area
4. Fill in the withdrawal electronically
5. Confirm request for withdrawal, submit
6. Wait 3-5 days.

Web Platforms

Thanks to the user-friendly approach, IG has a platform that has gotten recognition and accolades.

Web Trading

IG offers a proprietary platform that doesn’t need a download and is suited for phones and other gadgets. It has direct market access (DMA) via NDD connectivity, APIs and can shift it to the Specialist platform with better entries and pro assets.

Look and Feel

The app is easy to utilize and get. You will be met with watch lists and options for managing your account, search, portfolio settings, fee reports, and statistics, and then navigating to charts.

Charts are also clean and easy to use, you can manage graphics easily which is awesome for novices, while pros also have all they need in one space.

Desktop Trading Platform

There is still the MT4 on offer, seeing how it is unavoidable due to their fame and options for advanced tools and chartings. It can be used on phones, on desktops, online…

Mobile Trading Platform

IG integrates its platform feature into a good app that supports both Android and iOS phones.

Mobile IG trading is nearly as great as its regular version – you can check real-time feeds, copy other traders or conduct any analysis. Trading apps also enable spread bets and CFDs as an easier procedure, giving the trader a big advantage and leverage.

Tools for Trade

In addition, all platforms from the brokerage are advanced with eighteen zero-cost add-ons, Autochartist, tech analytics instruments, and a zero-cost VPS for a pro advisor, as well as a scope of nuanced settings that make trading better.

Order Types

They have on offer a big scope of stop and limit orders that help look over your funds. This minimizes risk to an extent and proves that the company has the tech and platform that are seen as one of the greatest in the trading arena.

Client Service

Great client support is another sign of IG’s success. You are taken care of via fast answers to questions in various languages, as the scope of offices really represents all sorts of different nationalities and nations.

IG also facilitates live chats, social media, 24 hours on phone, and offers accurate, high-quality responses.

Knowledge

IG also offers the IG Academy free trading courses, webinars, and various materials. They are really thorough with their offering, which lets users build up their skills.

All in all, IG is seen as one of the brokerages that invests the most in educating traders. One of the best examples of this is the Live Seminars which are held by top-notch experts, as well as various quizzes and exercises.

Research

There are great research tools on offer. What you can choose are research materials given by the IG team, premium third-party analysis such as Real Vision Research, etc.

Final Word

IG has decades of experience and a lot to show for it. From its roots to its regulators, traders can rest assured they are working with one of the most respected names in the industry.

The trade terms are competitive, a vast scope of products are offered, and support is exquisite.

Moreover, we must say again that their educational sector does the job marvelously thanks to their online trading courses and others.

The brokerage has great achievements under their belt, accolades, and heaps of traders that will vouch for them.