Here are the X pros and cons:

IFC Markets Fact sheet

The safety and security of your funds should be the biggest priority when picking a broker. The easiest method to make sure whether your broker is trustworthy or not is to check the regulatory bodies that provide oversight. 

IFC Markets is authorized and regulated in various Jurisdictions. The complete list of regulators includes: 

• the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (BVI FSC)
• the Labuan Financial Services Authority (Malaysia)

The fact that IFC Markets is regulated proves that it’s trustworthy. However, it’s worth mentioning that the regulators are not very strict.

Policies that IFC Markets follows

In accordance with guidelines and regulations of the regulatory bodies, IFC Markets implements various policies that further improve the safety and security of clients’ funds. All clients’ funds are kept in segregated accounts separate from the company’s finances. Therefore, even if the broker is liquidated, traders will be able to receive their money back. In addition, traders get negative balance protection and there is 10% automatic Stop Out Levels set in place for every account type. 

There are 566 assets for trading. If we count ETFs too, the number will exceed 650. All the asset types are CFDs and there are no physical assets available for trade. However, CFDs have their pros and cons. The main drawback is that CFDs are charged with rollover fees for keeping positions active overnight, therefore, purchasing a CFD asset and holding on to it for years is a bad idea. If you want to do long-term investments, you can purchase physical shares. However, for speculating short to medium-term, Contracts for Difference (CFDs) are perfect. CFDs can be traded in both bull and bear markets by going long or short and CFDs are more liquid assets. With IFC Markets, the maximum available leverage is 400:1. This means that by picking the maximum leverage, your 1 USD deposit will have a purchasing power of 400 USD. Let’s discuss each asset type offered by this broker in more detail.

Forex trading on IFC Markets

There are 49 available currency pairs for trading, including majors, minors, and exotics. The maximum available leverage for trading currencies is 400:1. However, on Standard and PAMM accounts the number is up to 200:1. 

Stock CFD trading on IFC Markets

There are 462 available stocks as CFDs with IFC Markets. There are far fewer barriers to entry when trading stocks as CFDs rather than real shares. In addition, you can short them and make money in bear markets. Share CFDs are much more liquid than regular shares and therefore, offer tighter spreads. 

Available stock exchanges offered by IFC Markets include:

• US Stocks - NYSE, NASDAQ. Commissions – $0.02/stock. Quotation – USD
• Japanese Stocks – Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). Commission – 0.15%. Quotation – JPY
• Chinese Stocks – Hong Kong Stock Exchange (HKEx). Commission – 0.25%. Quotation – HKD
• German Stocks - Xetra (Deutsche Boerse). Commission – 0.1%. Quotation – EUR.
• British Stocks – London Stock Exchange (LSE). Commission – 0.1%. Quotation – GBP
• Australian Stocks – Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). Commission – 0.1%. Quotation – AUD
• Canadian stocks – Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). Commission – 0.03 Canadian $/stock. Quotation – CAD

Crypto CFD trading on IFC Markets

In 2022, IFC Markets expanded the number of instruments with new cryptocurrencies. In total, there are now 14 crypto pairs available for trading. Available leverage is up to 10:1, and what’s more, IFC Markets enables traders to speculate on crypto markets 24/7. 

Available crypto-to-currency pairs include: 

• ADA/USD
• BCH/USD
• BTC/USD
• DASH/USD
• DOGE/USD
• EOS/USD
• ETC/USD
• ETH/USD
• LTC/USD
• SOL/USD
• XLM/USD
• XMR/USD
• XRP/USD
• ZEC/USD

Commodity CFD trading on IFC Markets

You can trade 29 soft and hard commodities with IFC Markets. Hard commodities can be mined, such as metals and energies. Soft commodities are grown, for instance, wheat and soybeans. 

Clients of IFC Markets can speculate on popular commodities, such as:

• Gold
• Silver
• Crude and Brent Oil
• COCOA
• COFFEE
• CORN
• COTTON
• FCATTLE
• LCATTLE
• LHOG
• OATS
• ORANGE, etc.

Indices trading on IFC Markets

Indices can be traded as CFDs and also can be used as indicators. In fact, professional traders use indexes to analyze the health and conditions of certain markets. For instance, the ASX 200 index follows the performance of the top 200 Australian companies that are listed on the Australian stock exchange. The index is a good measure of the Australian economy. Available indices with IFC Markets include:

• AU200 – ASX 200 Index
• DE30 – DAX Index
• DJI – Dow Jones Index
• GB100 – GB 100 Index
• HK50 – Hang Seng Index
• JP2000 – JP2000
• Nd100 – Nasdaq Index
• NIKKEI – Nikkei Index
• RUT2000 – Russell 2000 vs USD
• SP500 – S&P 500 Index
• USVIX – VIX Index
• USDIDX – US Dollar Index

There are many types of traders, be it scalpers, news traders, fundamental and technical traders, day traders, swing traders, position traders, algorithmic traders, etc. In short, there are lots of different ways to make money in the markets and each trader has different priorities when it comes to the account type they might prefer. Some prefer to save on spreads and agree to pay larger commissions and others prefer it the other way around. In order to meet the needs of different traders, IFC Markets offers access to different account types which we will look at now in more detail. 

Pros & cons of IFC Markets account types

IFC Markets Demo Account

Demo accounts help beginner traders to get accustomed to trading platforms, instruments, market movements, indicators, etc. Demo trading is very similar to having a live account, with the main difference being that the funds being used are not real. As a result, learning the ropes of trading is conducted in a risk-free environment. The Demo account offered by IFC Markets is completely free and is not only for beginners, as more seasoned traders can find them useful too. Demo accounts are perfect for developing and testing strategies in a risk-free environment before hitting the real markets.

IFC Markets Standard Account

The Standard account is available on the MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and NetTradeX platforms. When opening the account type using NetTradeX and MetaTrader 5, spreads are floating and start from as low as 0.4 pips. The maximum available leverage on this account is 200:1. When trading using the MT4 account, spreads are fixed at 1.8 pips. No matter which platform you use for trading, in order to open a trading account, you need to deposit at least 1,000 USD. 

IFC Markets Beginner/Micro Accounts

The Beginner account type is only available on the NetTradeX platform. There are no minimum initial deposit requirements and speculators can start depositing from 1 USD. The maximum available leverage is 400:1, with minimum fixed spreads of 1.8 pips and floating spreads starting from 0.4 pips.

The Micro accounts are very similar to the Beginner accounts, with the main difference being that the Micro accounts can be opened using the MetaTrader platforms.

Getting started on IFC Markets – Main steps

In case you have already made up your mind to open a live trading account with IFC Markets, we’ll guide you through the entire process in detail. Registration and account opening is fully digital and the broker provides a web page that can be accessed in 19 languages, with customer support also available in these languages. What’s more, the home page is easy to navigate and clear.

Step 1: Open an account

The first thing to do to open a live trading account is to visit the broker’s home page, where you will see the “Open Account” button in green. By pressing that button you will be transferred to the registration page. All that is required from you is to fill in your personal information and your account will be open and ready for the next step. 

Step 2: Time to verify your account

After the registration process is concluded, it’s best to verify your account ASAP. A verified account will give you the ability to freely deposit and withdraw funds from your account, and remove any limitations that apply to an unverified one. In order to verify, you need to upload proof of Identity and proof of residence documents. You can use a utility bill or bank statement for proof of residence, and upload a copy of your passport, ID card, or driving license for proof of identity. 

Step 3: Make your deposit and start trading

The final step is to make a deposit, download a trading platform, and start trading. There are various funding options available, including Visa, Mastercard, bank transfer, Pasargad Novin, crypto, TopChange, Perfect Money, Boleto, WebMoney, Advcash, or FasaPay. Online banking methods and credit card options are usually instant during deposits, while withdrawals take a couple of days more; they need to be approved first before going through the financial system. Deposits made using a bank transfer may take up to 3 business days and withdrawals using a bank option may take up to 10 working days to complete. 

Comparing IFC Markets fees with other brokers

IFC Markets fees compared to Interactive Brokers fees

*Inactivity fee was eliminated by IB in 2021, it used to be $20/m

IFC Markets fees compared to eToro fees

IFC Markets fees compared to IG fees

IFC Markets fees compared to XM fees

IFC Markets fees compared to AvaTrade fees

IFC Markets fees compared to Capital.com fees

IFC Markets provides access to the full set of MetaTrader platforms, in addition, the NetTradeX platform is also available. The NetTradeX platform grants access to all major markets offered by the broker and uses a built-in language called NTL+ for automated trading, while the MetaTrader platforms use EAs (Expert Advisors) for this same purpose.

The MetaTrader platforms are the most popular and highly reliable, however, it’s worth noting that MetaTrader 5 (MT5) is more complex and offers more trading timeframes and indicators than MetaTrader 4 (MT4). MT5 is for trading various asset classes, including Forex, commodities, indices, cryptocurrencies, shares as CFDs, physical shares, bonds, and futures. MT4 solely works well on currencies and some CFDs. 

IFC Markets offers a mobile version of the NetTradeX trading platform. The platform is developed by the broker itself and offers a lot of similar features to the MetaTrader platforms. The mobile application is available for Android, iOS, and Windows phones. The app enables traders to place various orders, get live charts and the latest news, and analyze their performance. Mobile apps are great for managing orders from anywhere in the world. They are a great tool for handling emergency situations as well, but not the best when it comes to in-depth analyses. Overall, IFC Markets offers a great trading app that is available for all mobile devices. 

Good quality education helps beginner traders learn fast and make fewer mistakes. In addition, traders need tools such as economic calendars and calculators to conduct extensive technical and fundamental analyses before placing orders. IFC Markets offers various educational materials, including: 

• Video tutorials
• Forex and CFD trading books
• Trader's glossary
• IFCM Trading Academy

In addition, there are courses based on the level of traders’ development:

• Beginner – Introduction To Forex
• Intermediate – Working with the trading platform, Learn to Trade Crypto
• Expert – Types of analysis, Trading Strategies & Secrets

In addition, there are quite a few tools for analysis: 

• Market Historical Data
• Weekly Video Overview
• Autochartist
• Market Movers
• Technical Analysis
• Market Overview
• Market Opportunities
• Top Gainers / Losers
• Commodity Market Calendar
• Economic Calendar
• NEW Trading Ideas
• NEW Technical Summary

Overall, we can safely say that the educational material and tools for research are extensive and good quality with IFC Markets. 

Having great customer support is truly essential for every FX broker. IFC Markets provides superb customer service in 19 languages. Customer support is available via online chat, email, or over the phone. The broker is also well-represented on social media and you can contact them using Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Telegram. The support is available 24/5 on weekdays. 

To sum everything up, IFC Markets is a regulated broker that has been around since 2006. The broker is authorized in various jurisdictions, including the British Virgin Islands and in Labuan via the Financial Services Authority (Malaysia). There are more than 566 assets available for trading using the MetaTrader platforms or their own NetTradeX platform and its mobile counterpart. The broker offers various account types to meet the needs of different traders, offers a lot of good-quality educational materials and tools, and customer support on par with 19 available languages.