Summary

IC Markets is a CFD broker that has been in operation since 2007. Clients wishing to trade with this broker must know they do not offer real shares. However, they provide relatively low spreads and fast execution speeds.

This IC Markets review lets you know everything about the broker. It covers their fees, spreads, payment methods, account types, educational resources, regulations, and many more. It also explores the requirements for stock trading with this broker and lists all the exchanges they offer.

Available Assets

IC Markets offers clients many financial instruments to trade, including 60+ forex pairs, 23+ indices, 20+ cryptocurrencies, 2,100+ CFD stocks, 20+ commodities, 9+ bonds, and 4 futures. They also offer margin trading on each of these assets. Forex pairs and commodities CFDs allow leverage up to 1:1000, while indices, bonds, futures, and cryptocurrencies are allowed leverage up to 1:200. However, for cryptocurrencies, clients who use cTrader as their preferred platform can only access leverage up to 1:5. This broker also provides leverage up to 1:20 on CFD stocks.

In this section of our review, we will explore all  the available assets and dive deeper into stock trading with this broker.

Stocks

Traders who wish to trade CFD stocks can do so via this broker. They provide up to 2,100+ shares from exchanges in the US and Australia, including popular options such as NFLX, TSLA, and AMZN.

Indices

Clients of this broker can speculate on the price action of a group of stocks trading Indices.They offer 23+ indices such as AUS200, JP225, UK100, and US30 for traders who prefer to trade this particular financial instrument.

Forex

IC Markets customers can participate in the world’s largest and most liquid market by trading any of the 60+ forex pairs provided by this broker. Traders can choose from a selection of major, minor, and exotic pairs, including EUR/USD, AUD/CHF, and EUR/DKK.

Commodities

There are over 20+ commodity CFDs for trading on this broker’s platforms. Individuals interested in trading this asset can choose from multiple options, including Brent, Cocoa, Coffee, Wheat, and Sugar.

Cryptocurrencies

This broker offers cryptocurrency trading. On their platforms, clients can trade more than 20+ popular cryptocurrency CFDs such as BTCUSD, LTHUSD, and ETHUSD.

Bonds

IC Markets also provides 9+ bonds for traders who are interested in this specific financial instrument. Some of the available bonds on this broker include but are not limited to, Euro Bund, Euro Bobl, UK Long Gilt, and US 5 YR T-Note.

Futures

There are four global futures available to trade. They include Brent Crude Oil Futures, ICE Dollar Index Futures, CBOE VIX Index Futures, and WTI Crude Oil Futures.

Stock Trading at IC Markets

This broker provides only CFD Stocks to its customers. Traders who wish to participate in real stock trading will not be able to do so via their services. However, with a live Standard or Raw Spread Account, customers will have access to 2,100+ CFD stocks from exchanges in the United States, Australia, and parts of Europe.

Customers who participate in CFD share trading with this broker can earn dividends on stocks that they trade. Furthermore, trading stocks at IC Markets offers an added advantage of ultra-fast execution times and relatively advanced charting tools for technical analysis. Another important thing to note about stock trading with this broker is that traders can only access this financial asset via the MetaTrader 5 platform.

This section provides a quick review of all the essential information about trading CFD shares on this broker. We list all the available stock exchanges and outline the leverage and fees and commissions on this financial instrument.

Available Stock Exchanges at IC Markets

IC Markets does not have a different real and CFD offering for shares. Clients can only hold long or short positions on CFD shares, meaning that they do not own an actual stake in the companies whose stocks they trade. The table below outlines all the available stock exchanges listed by this broker.

Stock Trading Fees & Commission at IC Markets

Commissions on stock trading depend on the exchange used by the trader. For customers who participate in stock trading with US exchanges, the US Internal Revenue Service collects taxes on dividend adjustments for long positions on CFD shares. This amount can be more than 15% and is automatically deducted from the client’s account. Traders who hold long or short positions on ASX shares will be charged a minimum commission of 7 AUD per trade on the spot. There is also a charge of 22 AUD per month for clients who make use of this broker’s ASX share CFDs market data.

Stock Trading Leverage at IC Markets

In addition to allowing traders to hold long or short positions, this broker provides margin trading for shares. To access leverage, clients are required to open and fund a live account. IC Markets offers leverage up to 1:20 on shares available across various exchanges on its platform.

Regulations

Regulation by financial and investment service authorities is essential to establish a broker as a trustworthy option for clients. IC Markets’ safety is established by their licenses from multiple regulatory bodies. This broker is accredited by several of these organizations, including the Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA), the Cyprus Security and Exchange Commission (CySEC), the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), and the Security Commission of the Bahamas (SCB). In this section of our review, we explore the various subsidiaries of this broker along with their regulatory information.

Raw Trading Ltd: Located at Eden Plaza, Office 222, Eden Island, Mahe, Seychelles, this entity is regulated by the FSA in Seychelles.

• License number: SD018
• Registration number: 8419879-2

International Capital Markets Pty Ltd: Regulated by the ASIC, this entity has its location at Level 4 50 Carrington Street, Sydney, NSW, 2000 Australia.

• License number: 335692
• Registration number: 123 289 109

IC Markets (EU) Ltd: Registered in Cyprus and regulated by the CYSEC, this entity of IC Markets is located at 141 Omonoias Avenue, The Maritime Center, Block B, 1st floor, 3045, Limassol, Cyprus.

•   License number: 362/18

IC Markets Ltd (Bahamas): This entity is regulated by the SCB and has its office address at Unit 3B, Western Road, Western New Providence Commercial Center, Nassau, New Providence, The Bahamas.

• License number: SIA-F214
• Company Number: 76823 C

Fees and Commissions

This section of our review examines the trading and non-trading fees incurred by clients of this broker.

Trading Fees

Below, we list the trading-related costs associated with this broker.

Spreads

IC Markets spreads largely depend on the specific account type used by the client. Raw Spread Account will enjoy spreads from 0 pips on some financial assets. Standard Account holders are expected to pay spreads. This broker displays a spread markup of 1 pip above the raw interbank rate and spreads on Standard Accounts can be as low as 0.6 pips on some major currency pairs.

Commissions

Depending on whether a trader opens a Standard or Raw Trader Account, they will be expected to pay a fixed commission per lot per round turn on each trade. This commission varies depending on the client’s account base currency. AUD and USD accounts are charged 7 AUD or USD per round turn, EUR accounts – 5.50 EUR, GBP accounts – 5.00 GBP, NZD and SGD accounts – 9.00 NZD or SGD, JPY accounts – 700 JPY, CHF accounts – 6.60 CHF, and HKD accounts – 54.25 HKD.

Swap Rates

IC Markets charges a swap fee for long and short positions held overnight. The specific swap fee depends on the financial instrument traded. On Wednesday nights, swap charges for forex, metals, bonds, and commodities are usually three times higher than the normal rates. Similarly, swap costs for cryptocurrencies and indices are also three times higher on Friday nights.

Non-Trading Fees

Currency Conversion Fee

IC Markets does not charge a deposit, withdrawal, or inactivity fee. However, they charge a small fee for currency conversion on deposits in a different denomination than a client’s account base currency. This fee is added as a small markup on the exchange rate provided by liquidity providers.

Account Types

This broker offers traders Demo, Standard, Islamic, and Raw Spread Accounts. This section of the IC Markets review examines the unique features of these account types.

Demo Account

This broker provides a Demo Account for traders looking to develop their strategies, get familiar with the available trading platforms, or deepen their understanding of the financial markets without risking any real money. Clients who opt for a Demo Account will have access to all the features of a live account. However, they will be unable to deposit or withdraw real money. Individuals who open this account type can select a virtual balance between 200 to 5 million units of the available account base currencies.

Standard Account

The Standard Account is designed for discretionary traders who wish to use the MetaTrader platform to place their orders. On this account, there are zero commissions per lot per side and spreads are as low as 0.6 pips on some currency pairs. Standard Accounts offer micro lot trading and available leverage can be up to 1:1000. Clients who cannot earn or pay interest due to personal convictions can also open a swap-free standard account.

Raw Spread Accounts

The Raw Spread Account offers spreads from 0.0 pips on financial assets. However, traders who opt for this account will be charged a commission.  There are two types of Raw Spread accounts: Raw Spread(MetaTrader) and Raw Spread (cTrader). The MetaTrader option differs slightly from the latter in that traders will pay a fee of $7 per lot per round-turn while Raw Spread(cTrader) accounts are charged $6 per lot per round-turn. Also, the cTrader account allows clients to open up to 2,000 position orders compared to 200 on the MetaTrader version. Leverage on Raw Spread Accounts is the same as Standard Accounts.

Islamic Account

Islamic Accounts are unique because, unlike other account types provided by this broker, they do not charge overnight or swap fees. Clients who run an Islamic Account will have access to more than 90 financial instruments and enjoy spreads as low as 0 pips. In addition, just like the account types mentioned above, Islamic Accounts will also be able to use leverage of up to 1:1000.

Trading Platforms

IC Markets currently does not have its own trading app. Clients of this broker will have to choose between MetaTrader (4 & 5) and cTrader as their preferred applications for placing orders on desktop and mobile. Here in our IC Markets review, we explain some of the features available to traders and provide a step-by-step guide on how to open an account on desktop and mobile with this broker.

Desktop Trading Platforms

MetaTrader or cTrader can be downloaded and installed or used as a web application directly from the client’s browser. We will examine the features available on the MetaTrader5 version and provide a detailed explanation of what to expect while using this platform.

User Interface

The MetaTrader 5 app appears relatively complex compared to other brokers’ proprietary trading platforms. However, users already familiar with this popular trading app will find it easy to navigate the numerous tabs and buttons displayed on the screen.

Design

The design of MetaTrader 5 for desktop consists of numerous charts, a market watch section, and several other tabs, including History, News, Mailbox, and Calendar. With this app, clients can monitor more than one trade simultaneously and enjoy a long list of indicators and articles.

Security

Users can be assured of the safety of their personal and financial information as the MetaTrader app provides data encryption, password protection, and server authentication. Clients can log in easily by typing their login ID and password and selecting the ICMarketsSC-MT5 server.

Notifications

With the Alerts or Notifications section of the app, traders can be notified of specific events such as when their orders have been triggered or there is a timeout.

Economic Calendar

Unlike MetaTrader 4, the MetaTrader 5 trading app provides an economic calendar where traders can monitor the events that could affect the prices of financial assets across several continents. The economic calendar can be found in the Toolbox section of the home screen on the desktop MT5 application.

Indicators

The MetaTrader5 has trend, oscillator, and volume indicators. Traders can use these tools with a few clicks while on the platform.

Order Types

The MetaTrader5 application provides limit, stop, and stop limit orders.

How to Open an Account On IC Markets Desktop Trading Platform

1. Open the IC Markets website and select “Start Trading”
2. Fill out your personal information, including your country of residence, full name, email, and phone number
3. Provide your date of birth and address
4. Configure your trading account by selecting your account type, account base currency, and preferred platform
5. Add a security question and agree to the user agreement terms and conditions
6. Upon submitting your details, you will receive an email with your login details which you will use to log in to the broker’s website and begin your account verification
7. On the verification page, you will be asked to provide your employment and income history and answer questions about your trading experience
8. Complete your verification by providing a valid government ID and proof of residence
9. Once this is completed, fund your account by selecting the Deposit option on the navigation tab and choose your preferred method

Mobile Apps

This broker offers a mobile app that enables clients to deposit and withdraw funds and access customer support. However, this application does not serve as a trading platform. Traders who wish to use IC Markets on mobile will have to download MetaTrader or cTrader or use their web versions.

Trades

The Trades section in the mobile application represents a detailed report of all a client’s open and closed positions. Users can monitor their open trades, revisit their trading history, and export this information into a spreadsheet for further analysis.

Economic Calendar

The economic calendar is a convenient way for traders to stay abreast of forthcoming economic activities that play a role in price action. Via the mobile app, customers can remain in touch with the latest happenings and make well-informed trading decisions.

Downloads

The Downloads section in the dropdown menu of the mobile application helps users to navigate to the various trading apps that are compatible with IC Markets. There, you can choose between the web and mobile app versions of MT4, MT5, and cTrader.

Live Chat

With the live chat feature, users can receive feedback on inquiries and solutions to pertinent issues almost immediately.

Daily Market Forecasts

Traders who value external insights in shaping their trading decisions can subscribe to the daily market forecasts available on the mobile app. This feature can be found in the dropdown menu under Trading Tools.

How to Open an Account on IC Markets Mobile App

1. Download the IC Markets app on the Apple App Store (iOS) or Google Play store (Android)
2. Select Start Trading on the mobile app to be redirected to the account opening section
3. Fill out your country of residence, name, email, and phone number
4. Enter your house address and date of birth
5. Configure your trading account
6. Add an extra layer of security by setting up your security question. Then accept the terms and conditions
7. Provide additional information regarding your employment and income status
8. Answer a few questions to ascertain your prior trading knowledge
9. Upload a government photo ID and proof of residence
10. Next, you will be directed to the deposits page where you can select from the list of available funding options
11. After funding your account via the mobile app, click on Trading Tools in the dropdown menu, then select Downloads to navigate to your preferred trading platform
12. In the download section, select MetaTrader 5 or any other platform after which you will be redirected to your device’s app store where you can install the app
13. Once the app is installed, login with your ID and password, select the ICMarketsSC-MT5 server, and begin trading

Payment Methods

There are many options for deposits and withdrawals at IC Markets. As part of our review, we list out each of these methods and their average processing times. We also mention the minimum deposit and withdrawal amounts allowed by this broker.

Deposit

IC Markets has a very large list of deposit methods, including Credit/Debit cards, Neteller, Skrill, Klarna, POLI, Wire Transfer, Broker to Broker, Thai Internet Banking, and Rapidpay. Depending on a trader’s country of residence, they will have access to one or more of these options for funding their live account with this broker. They do not accept third-party transfers, meaning all deposits must be from an account bearing the trader’s name.

In addition, they have a minimum deposit amount of $200 and do not charge any fees for deposits. However, traders may incur secondary fees from their banking service provider. The processing times for each of these payment options vary and are listed in the table below.

Withdrawals

IC Markets offers similar deposit and withdrawal methods. However, clients who make deposits via POLI, Rapidpay, or Klarna will withdraw their funds via international bank wire transfer. Also, traders who use Thai International Banking can transfer their funds from their live account to their Thai Bank Account. Withdrawals do not incur any charges and there is no minimum withdrawal amount. The processing times for all available withdrawal methods vary. Credit and debit cards, Rapid pay, and Klarna typically take 3 – 5 business days to be processed. Also, PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill are processed instantly while POLI and international bank wire transfers take 2-3 business days and 2 weeks respectively.

Account Base Currency

IC Markets supports ten different account base currencies which are: USD, AUD, EUR, GBP, SGD, NZD, JPY, CHF, HKD, and CAD.

Research and Education

IC Markets offers many research and educational materials compared to its competitors. Beginner traders can visit this broker’s blog where they will have access to hundreds of articles across essential topics such as forex trading, risk management, trading psychology, technical analysis, and fundamental analysis. Intermediate and expert traders will also find the blog useful as they can benefit from the market forecast section.

The broker also provides video tutorials, explaining the steps for downloading MetaTrader and cTrader and carrying out routine activities on these trading platforms. Furthermore, the IC Markets’ WebTV gives traders short commentary on the current state of the market to help them with their analysis.

Regardless of their experience level, customers will enjoy webinars and podcasts covering a broad range of essential trading topics. They will also be able to use this broker’s Forex Glossary to learn vital terms for trading the currency markets. The forex glossary contains an A-Z list of terminologies that traders will frequently come across while performing routine activities.

In addition, this broker also offers a forex calculator that enables users to calculate pip values in all its available account base currencies. The forex calendar is another valuable resource that clients of this broker have access to. With this tool, traders can have insight into past, ongoing, and future events that could help them properly speculate on the price movement of their financial assets.

Customer Services

Our review of available customer support options provided by this broker shows that they offer a wide range of platforms for addressing customer challenges. They have a help center on their website where clients can search and see answers to commonly asked questions. They also have a 24/7 live chat feature, which makes it easy for traders to access help regardless of the time.

In addition to this, traders can also tender their complaints by sending an email to support@icmarkets.com or dialing +248-467-19-76. Also, IC Markets offers a novel approach to customer support through TeamViewer. By downloading the TeamViewer app on their computer, clients of this broker can allow a customer support staff to have access to their system and resolve any troubling issues remotely. The broker’s support agents provide assistance with installation, setting up of charts, and any other technical issues.

Finally, traders who wish to contact this broker via social media can also do so. They are available on all major social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin.

Reviews

This section of the IC Markets evaluation summarizes user feedback regarding the broker across popular rating and discussion websites such as Reddit, Quora, TrustPilot, and ForexPeaceArmy.

What Reddit Users Say About IC Markets

There are only a few reviews about this broker on Reddit. One user had complaints regarding the efficiency of their customer support, citing extra long wait times before he was attended to.

Another comment mentioned that their fees are relatively higher compared to many of their competitors.

What Quora Users Say About IC Markets

On Quora, user reviews provided mixed feedback. There were positive comments about the broker’s large amount of educational resources. Others also praised them as a great option for traders who use MetaTrader or cTrader as their preferred platform. However, negative feedback cited poor customer support and withdrawal difficulties.

TrustPilot Users’ Review About IC Markets

TrustPilot gives IC Markets a rating of 4.9 based on reviews from 26,289 clients. A common positive for most clients was the swiftness of the broker’s customer service and the availability of a live chat option.

In addition, several users noted that this broker’s platforms are very user-friendly. Unfortunately, there were also complaints about withdrawal challenges.

ForexPeaceArmy Users’ Review About IC Markets

On ForexPeaceArmy, this broker has a rating of 3.591 from 1975 reviews.

Most negative comments about them were related to withdrawal difficulties. However, the majority of users referenced their efficient customer support, incredible execution speeds, and low spreads.

Other Products and Services

Apart from offering a large range of financial assets, IC Markets also provides a White Label Partnership Program, Liquidity Provision, a Career board, and a Trading API. In this section of our review, we list the additional services and products available and provide a more detailed explanation of what customers are to expect from them.

IC Markets Partner Program

The IC Markets Partner Program allows individuals to earn a commission by referring clients using a unique referral link. Traders who participate in this scheme will be given access to a dashboard for monitoring their referral commissions, and 24/7 multilingual partner support.

With the partner program, there are no sign-up fees. Participants can easily get started by following a straightforward registration process and begin earning their commissions. The broker will provide partners with marketing tools to aid their efforts and send regular performance updates. Finally, upon registration, individuals will be given a Partner Wallet that allows them real-time withdrawals and deposits on their trading platforms.

Liquidity Provision

The broker’s liquidity provision acts as a platform for institutions to increase revenue by gaining access to multi-asset liquidity provision from thriving global markets. Interested parties can visit the broker’s website and provide their contact information to get started.

Careers

The Careers section on the broker’s website displays all available job openings across their various worldwide locations. It is constantly expanding and hiring talents with specializations in Human Resources, Information Technology, Legal Services, Trading, Marketing, and Operations.

Trading API

The trading API allows individuals that are building proprietary software to interact with the IC Markets application. With the trading API, clients can receive real-time trade notifications and multi-asset liquidity on their custom-built platforms.

Is IC Markets Safe?

Our IC Markets review shows that this broker is regulated by several financial and investment regulatory bodies in multiple countries, including the FSA (Seychelles), ASIC (Australia), SCB (Bahamas), and CySEC (Cyprus). In addition,  IC Markets’ safety procedures ensure that clients are secured against the unlikely event of insolvency. The company keeps its trader’s funds in segregated accounts across multiple and secure tier-1 banks, reducing the likelihood of losses due to problems with a single bank. It also provides insurance coverage up to $1,000,000 per client. This insurance includes the trader’s available balance and all open CFD positions. This broker offers Negative Account Balance Protection. However, this option is provided on a discretionary basis and can be revoked if the broker suspects that it is being abused.

Bottom Line

IC Markets is an online trading service that is active across most countries, including Australia, South Africa, Norway, Germany, Sweden, Hong Kong, Luxembourg, and Qatar. However, they do not accept clients resident in the United States and Canada. The broker was established in 2007 and has stood out as an excellent option for many traders because of its fast order execution, relatively minimal trading costs, and customer protection policies. Unfortunately, clients will have to endure higher minimum deposits and the absence of proprietary trading apps. Another drawback of this broker is that it only offers CFD instruments, meaning individuals who wish to invest in real stocks and ETFs will not be able to do so.

Traders who open live accounts are assured of funds protection as the broker has taken several steps to guarantee its client’s safety in the event of insolvency. It operates segregated accounts with top-rated banks, offers negative balance protection, and provides insurance coverage for its traders. Furthermore, IC Markets is regulated by authorities in Australia, Seychelles, the Bahamas, and Cyprus, giving credence to its prioritization of customer safety.

Although the broker does not offer real stocks and ETFs, clients can choose from a large list of CFD financial assets that includes currency pairs, cryptocurrencies, indices, commodities, bonds, futures and shares. There are three account types offered by the broker – Standard Account, Raw Spread Account and Islamic Account. Each of these accounts has its unique benefits with the Standard Account option providing zero commissions and the Raw Spread Account offering very low spreads.

Another aspect that we considered in this IC Markets review was the broker’s fees. Generally, their fees can be considered relatively low as it does not charge deposit and withdrawal fees, or inactivity fees. However, depending on a customer’s specific account type, they may incur other trading-related costs such as commissions and spreads.

For CFD stock traders, this broker offers more than 2000 options from exchanges in Australia, the United States, and Europe. It also provides a large number of payment options to clients, including Credit/Debit cards, International Wire Transfers, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, Poli, and Thai International Banking.

Users who encounter problems with this broker can receive assistance via the IC Markets’ live chat option. They can also reach out to the broker via its social media channels, send an email to support@icmarkets.com or dial +248-467-19-76.