Australians are not legally required to select a Forex broker that is ASIC regulated. While Australia’s leading brokers are all regulated by ASIC, many of the industry giants remain regulated by other reputable global entities and should be considered.
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If you are willing to forgo local regulation to get more varied platform support or better trading conditions from other internationally regulated brokers, this is our shortlist.
Australians are not legally required to select a Forex broker that is ASIC regulated. While Australia’s leading brokers are all regulated by ASIC, many of the industry giants remain regulated by other reputable global entities and should be considered.
Read more
If you are willing to forgo local regulation to get more varied platform support or better trading conditions from other internationally regulated brokers, this is our shortlist.
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Choosing From The Best Forex Brokers
There are a countless number of Forex brokers online, and to choose the one for you, you need to know what makes them different. We only review reputable brokers according to strict editorial guidelines, where our goal is to highlight their differences and educate the trader.
Verified broker regulation is the most critically important aspect of choosing a broker. Regulation is the safety net that protects traders from mismanagement of funds and poor businesses practices at the broker. The Australian regulator is ASIC, but other top tier brokers are the FCA (United Kingdom) and MAS (Singapore).
Trade execution method is different between brokers, where one major difference separates them. A direct market access (DMA) broker will execute all trades on the currency market, finding buyers and sellers as clients open and close positions. In contrast, a market maker broker will create the market themselves and act as the counterparty on all client trades. While DMA brokers do not interfere with client trades, market makers can have a dealing desk that may intervene with the trades under their supervision. A dealing desk creates a conflict of interest between client and broker.
Trading costs should match your expectations of the broker. Trading costs are the sum of the spread price and the commission for the volume you are trading. Market maker brokers will typically include all the fees in the spread. In contrast, DMA brokers will have tighter spreads and a commission based on the volume traded.
It is generally the case that market makers have higher trading costs. While some traders will advise finding the broker with the lowest spread/commission combination, there could be a reason for a broker charging higher fees. It would be acceptable to pay higher trading costs in exchange for offering superior trading material, access to a trading community, or for using a unique trading platform.
The majority of brokers support industry-standard software, such as MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader. There are few exceptions, but these are typically providers like eToro or Plus500 who are trying to add additional features like social trading or break away from the traditional trading experience.
Learning to trade will take study and practice, so ensure that your broker meets your expectations for education material and demo accounts. Beginners are strongly advised to use a demo account until they are comfortable with both the trading software and the risk management needed for successful trading.
Speedy withdrawals are one of the highest priorities for professional traders, so the rules, fees, and the timeline for getting your money back should be communicated. The majority of scams in the Forex market are related to withdrawals. Finding the best broker is a combination of all of these factors. In comparing brokers, we rate the above aspects of each broker between 1 to 5, and then weight each of the ratings. Reviewed brokers receive a score which we include on the review and in our State of the Market Report alongside the full methodology.
What not to worry about
Because Forex brokers are quite similar in many ways, what often sets them apart is the marketing and an intent to out-do each other. It is common to see brokers trying to compete on minimum deposit requirements, maximum leverage allowances and bonuses.
The minimum deposit for a committed trader should be equivalent to 200 USD (300 AUD). Forex trading is margin trading, which means traders borrow money using leverage to make bigger trades. The downside to borrowing capital means it leaves the trader responsible for the entire loss should the trade go in the wrong direction.
Should a trader deposit the 5 USD minimum required, there will be no account capital available to use as collateral for using leverage. In the case that a trader uses leverage while maintaining a small account balance, there will be a higher chance that the broker will close the trade in a margin call.
Some brokers use leverage as a marketing tool, offering upwards of what is reasonable to traders who have little understanding of the markets. You are probably only going to use up to 100:1 leverage for most of your trades, so don’t go straight for the broker with the highest leverage.
Some regulators continue to allow brokers to offer deposit bonuses to clients. In 2016, CySEC was the first major regulator to put a complete stop to using bonuses to attract and encourage traders. Bonuses always come with many conditions, and a tiny percentage of traders ever qualify to withdraw the funds.
In short, brokers with low minimum deposits are not better than those with $200 minimums, traders don’t need 3000:1 leverage on an account, and never sign up with a broker because of the bonuses they offer.
Best Forex Trading Platforms
There are a number of Forex trading platforms, and selecting which Forex broker to use from a platform-first perspective means we first need to look at the difference between the two major types of platforms – cross-broker platforms and proprietary trading platforms.
A cross-broker platform is one that you will be able to use with different brokers – there are a couple of advantages to doing this. Firstly, using a platform that moves with you between brokers means setting up with a new broker doesn’t mean learning new software.
Another advantage of using cross-broker platforms is that there is a large community using them. This means a lot of support with troubleshooting, and developer communities building add-ons, known as EAs (Expert Advisors) or trading algorithms.
A proprietary trading platform is one that a broker has developed for use by their clients. Many proprietary trading platforms have won awards for speed of execution or additional features. An advantage to using proprietary trading platforms is that they often look better and are easier to use. While these platforms are often great trading tools, the drawback is that if you change broker, you will need to change software too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do Forex brokers do?
Forex brokers connect a trader with a market, in addition to offering live data, research and educational material to help the trader make better trading decisions. When a trader issues a buy or a sell order, it is the broker who is transacting that order on the market.
Depending on if the broker is a market maker or an ECN, the broker will be either finding or creating the liquidity need to open the trades. Market makers operate the market where the trades are placed, while ECN brokers work with 3rd party liquidity providers like banks to find a counterparty in the shortest time possible.
Which Forex brokers are the best?
To establish which broker is best, we chose to focus on seven different aspects. Each aspect is scored out of 5 and graded, giving a total score. The most value is placed on Trust and Regulation and Trading Conditions. For more detail on how we do this, and the full list of the best rated read our State of the Market report.
Who regulates Forex brokers?
There are several active regulators around the world, which we group into four tiers based on their credibility, regulations and regulatory enforcement. ASIC is the Australian regulator which oversees ASIC regulated brokers.
ASIC (Australia)
ASIC is a tier-one traditional regulator. They are not usually the first to set new policies, but they have a robust auditing procedure and have a strong track record of protecting clients. ASIC Website
CySEC (EU)
CySEC is a leading regulator as it relates to policy. They were the first to outlaw bonuses and aggressive marketing to new clients, which has had a strong positive impact on the industry. CySEC is the fastest to adapt to the changing market and works alongside other major regulators to maintain a safe trading environment. CySEC Website
FCA (UK)
Another traditional and some would argue, the best regulator of the group. Stringent policies surround FCA regulated brokers, and this is seen as the best regulation you can get. FCA Website
What is MetaTrader?
MetaTrader is the biggest name in CFD trading software. With the more popular MetaTrader 4, and the newer MetaTrader 5, MetaQuotes has a commanding market share in the market.
ECN brokers offer market execution by using a network of independent liquidity providers – usually large banks or other financial institutions. They are distinct from market maker brokers in that the counterparty to your trades is never the broker themselves, thus removing any conflict of interest inherent in the market maker model.
The downside of these broker types is that if you put in an order and there is no liquidity available at the original price, the trader is going to get requoted for a different price, or a partially filled position.
The first decision a trader is going to have to make is how much money they want to invest in an account. Some brokers take deposits as small as $5 and some take a minimum of $1000. Forex trading does carry risk, so consider that all the money that you deposit can be lost.
Advісе given tо new trаdеrѕ is tо ѕtаrt оut small, whісh mеаnѕ looking fоr a Forex brоkеr who wіll lеt уоu ореn an account with about $250-$500. Micro accounts with a lower minimum deposit are available, but if you are going to use leverage in your trades, you will need to have deposited funds to be able to take the potential loss.
ASIC has good advice for those considering the amount to deposit into an account. It needs to be per your trading plan.
If you want to develop your plan, start by writing down your goals or setting up a simple spreadsheet. Think about what you want, when you want it and why. Work out how much you need to reach your goals and how much you need to set aside each pay period.
Source: ASIC’s Moneysmart Guide to Investing Between the Flags (pdf)- Page 26
If you are considering borrowing money to invest in this market, they continue with their warning as it comes with additional risk.
Borrowing to invest is a high-risk investment strategy for experienced investors only. If you are looking to use this strategy, ask yourself these questions:
Do you have secure income from other sources such as your salary to top up the loan if you get a margin call?
Do you have a high marginal tax rate to make the most of any tax benefits?
Are you in it for the long haul? Gearing is generally a medium- to long-term strategy (at least 5 to 10 years).
Is your strategy flexible enough to allow for changes in your circumstances, such as having children or a drop in income?
Will you lose sleep at night if your investment performs poorly?
Forex brokers are technically CFD Brokers, and Forex pairs are one of many different assets that can be traded. It is common for CFD brokers to offer CFDs in commodities, indices, stocks, EFTs and cryptocurrencies.
While cryptocurrencies are the newest introduction at most CFD brokers, there is an increasingly larger focus on expanding the selection of coins that are available to trade.
Is Customer Support Important?
Most customer service offices are open 24/5 and closed on weekends, and some are open 24/7. Some brokers will offer a designated account manager for VIP account types. The most common issues that customer service answers are questions about deposits, withdrawals, and information related to their trading conditions.
Do brokers charge for deposits & withdrawals?
Forex traders value easy access to money in their trading wallets, and brokers have made changes to make withdrawals faster and free. It is now relatively standard for brokers to process a withdrawal request within one business day, but time until receipt of funds can vary as this is dependent on the transfer method.
Most brokers accept PayPal and other e-wallets like Neteller and Skrill for deposits, however, deposits using this method will require withdrawals to be made to the same account. This is to prevent any money laundering or tax evasion that could take place.
How do Forex Brokers Make Money?
Forex brokers make money by taking a commission either as a part of the spread, or commission per lot traded. This will also vary between accounts as well.
Thе ѕрrеаd іѕ thе dіffеrеnсе in price between the buy price and sell price in the quotes оf thе сurrеnсу pairs. The spread is not everything when it comes to choosing a broker, but you do want to make sure that their spreads are competitive. If your broker has wide spreads on the pairs you often trade, this will mean smaller profits on your trades.
Do Forex Brokers Trade Against You?
Where the broker is the counterparty to your trade, they are trading against you. Market maker brokers, opposed to DMA brokers, are creating the market, and thus provide the liquidity. When traders lose, they win. And with 70-90% of retail Forex traders making a loss, market makers can earn significantly.
Also, most market maker brokers will have a dealing desk that can interfere with the trade. Interference can mean any adjustment to the position, including choosing not to send it to market, adjusting the size of the trade, or even closing the position without warning.
DMA/Pure ECN will not have a dealing desk as they are just a middleman, and cannot create a conflict of interest or trade against the client base.
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Trading Forex and CFDs is not suitable for all investors and comes with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 75-90% of retail investors lose money trading these products. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
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