Broker review

IC Markets review: companies, raw spreads and UK access

IC Markets lists 4 companies in our data: ASIC in Australia, CySEC in the EEA, and offshore companies in the Seychelles and the Bahamas for everyone else. There is no UK company. EUR/USD averages 0.1 pips on the Raw Spread account plus USD 3.50 per lot per side.

Written and checked by: Low Spread Brokers team
Updated: 20 Oct 2026

Low Spread Brokers does not give personal investment advice.

Verdict at a glance

IC Markets

8.1/10

Entities 4

Minimum deposit: $0
EUR/USD spread from: 0.1 pips (Raw Spread (Global), 19 Oct 2026)
Max retail leverage: 1:30 (ASIC) · 1:30 (retail, all account types) (CySEC) · 1:5000 (MetaTrader accounts), 1:1000 (cTrader); described as dynamic (FSA Seychelles) · 1:200 (SCB)
Platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, proprietary
Founded: 2007

3 of 4 licences checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026

Visit brokerUnpaid link

73.46% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (IC Markets (EU) Ltd).

All broker reviews

IC Markets’ preliminary rating is 8.1/10: platforms 9.5/10, accounts 9.0/10, regulation 8.0/10 and costs 6.8/10. Regulation loses points because most clients outside the EEA and Australia are onboarded offshore. Figures come from IC Markets’ pages, checked 19 Oct 2026; we have not opened a live account. Read first: how we rankhow we make moneyeditorial policy

Edited by Low Spread Brokers team · Updated 20 Oct 2026

Quick answer

Is IC Markets a good broker, and can UK residents use it?

For EEA residents IC Markets means IC Markets (EU) Ltd, CySEC licence 362/18, with a 1:30 cap and negative balance protection; in Australia, International Capital Markets Pty Ltd (AFSL 335692). IC Markets has no UK (FCA) entity, so UK residents cannot get FCA protection with it. Elsewhere accounts are opened offshore, with leverage up to 1:5000 on MetaTrader.

73.46% of retail accounts with the EU company lose money, 75.42% with the Bahamas company (checked 19 Oct 2026).
Minimum deposit: $0 on the global accounts overview, but another IC Markets page states USD 200.
MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView and its own platform are all offered.
The Seychelles company is moving to the shorter brand “IC” at ic.com.

IC Markets pros and cons

Pros

MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView and its own platform
EUR/USD averaging 0.1 pips on Raw Spread, as published for both the global and EU sites
9 funding methods, including PayPal, Skrill and Neteller
ASIC and CySEC companies with a 1:30 retail cap

Cons

No UK (FCA) company
Clients outside the EEA and Australia are onboarded by offshore companies without UK or EU-style protections
Conflicting minimum deposit figures on its own pages
No retail loss rate on the global or Australian sites

Entities and regulation

IC Markets lists 4 companies in our data. The one that opens your account sets your leverage cap, negative balance protection and compensation scheme. Licence numbers are as the broker publishes them; check each on its regulator’s register.

Entities and regulation
Entity	Regulator	Licence	Max. retail leverage	Negative balance protection	Compensation
International Capital Markets Pty Ltd	Tier 1 ASIC	AFSL 335692Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026	1:30	Not published	Not published
IC Markets (EU) Ltd	Tier 1 CySEC	362/18Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026	1:30 (retail, all account types)	Yes	Investor Compensation Fund (CySEC) up to €20,000 or 90% of covered claims, whichever lower
Raw Trading Ltd (IC / IC Markets Global)	Offshore FSA Seychelles	SD018Company checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026; the register does not list the number	1:5000 (MetaTrader accounts), 1:1000 (cTrader); described as dynamic	Not published	Not published
IC Markets Ltd	Offshore SCB	SIA-F214As published by the broker	1:200	Not published	Not published

Which entity will I get?

Pick your region to see which company our data says would hold your account.

EEAAustraliaUKRest of world

IC Markets (EU) Ltd · CySEC · 362/18 · Max retail leverage 1:30 (retail, all account types)

International Capital Markets Pty Ltd · ASIC · AFSL 335692 · Max retail leverage 1:30

No IC Markets company serves this region. For UK residents there is no FCA-authorised IC Markets company, so no FCA protection or FSCS cover; the EU site states it is not intended for UK residents.

Raw Trading Ltd (IC / IC Markets Global) · FSA Seychelles · SD018 · Max retail leverage 1:5000 (MetaTrader accounts), 1:1000 (cTrader); described as dynamic

Warnings and clones

Search each IC Markets licence number on the regulator’s own register and compare the website address listed there with the one you are on. Clone firms copy real names and licence numbers.

Client money

IC Markets (EU) Ltd lists the CySEC Investor Compensation Fund, up to €20,000 or 90% of covered claims, whichever is lower. Our data has no compensation details for the Australian, Seychelles or Bahamas companies. Tier 1 regulators require client money to be held apart from the firm’s own money. An offshore company may not offer the same protection, and its compensation, if any, is the broker’s own arrangement.

Costs and fees

IC Markets publishes an average EUR/USD spread for its Raw Spread account on the global and EU sites. No pair-specific Standard spread is published. Commission is USD 3.50 per lot per side on MetaTrader; cTrader and the Raw Pro tiers are priced differently.

Spreads by pair and account

Spreads by pair and account
Pair	Account	Published spread	Checked	Source
EUR/USD	Raw Spread (Global)	0.1 pips average	19 Oct 2026	https://ic.com/global/en/trading-accounts/overview
EUR/USD	Raw Spread (EU)	0.1 pips average	19 Oct 2026	https://www.icmarkets.eu/en/trading-accounts/overview

3 of 4 licences checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026

Commission

3.5 USD per lot per side (Raw Spread (MetaTrader); cTrader $3.00 per USD 100k; Raw Pro $1.5; Raw Pro+ $1.0 (Global))

Swaps

Swap rates for IC Markets are not in our data; check the overnight rate of the company that holds your account before keeping a position open overnight.

Non-trading fees

Deposit fee: Not in our data
Withdrawal fee: Not in our data
Inactivity fee: Not in our data

Account types

Account types listed for IC Markets in our data. Raw Pro needs USD 5,000 and Raw Pro+ USD 100,000 on the global site. Minimum deposit: $0

StandardCosts built into the spread, no separate commission.
RawRaw spread with a commission charged per lot.
IslamicSwap-free: no overnight interest; the broker sets other charges instead.
DemoVirtual money with live prices.
ProfessionalFor clients who opt up: higher leverage, fewer retail protections.

Professional status

Opting up to professional status with IC Markets removes retail protections such as leverage caps and negative balance protection.

Demo account

IC Markets offers a demo account (checked 20 Oct 2026 on IC Markets’ site). How long it lasts: expires after 30 days of inactivity. Platforms: MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView. Demo results do not include slippage or the cost of a real loss.

Trading platforms

Platforms IC Markets offers, from our data (checked 19 Oct 2026).

MT4MetaTrader 4: expert advisors and a wide indicator library.
MT5MetaTrader 5: more order types and timeframes than MT4.
cTraderDepth of market and cBots.
TradingViewPlace trades from TradingView charts.
proprietaryThe broker’s own web and mobile platform.

Markets

Forex: CFDs
Other markets: Not recorded in our data; check the product list of the company that holds your account

Deposits and withdrawals

Funding methods listed on IC Markets’s pages. Availability depends on your country and the company that holds your account.

Credit/debit card
Bank transfer
PayPal
Skrill
Neteller
UnionPay
BPAY
FasaPay
POLi

List copied from the broker’s pages, checked 19 Oct 2026.

Before your first withdrawal

Methods in our data: 9
Withdrawal fees and times: Not in our data yet
Where to check: The deposits and withdrawals page of your company’s website

Score breakdown

Four criteria scored 0–10 from published data. Research and support show “not measured” until we open live accounts; the marker on each bar is the average of this page’s comparison set.

8.1/10

CostsWeight 25%6.8Set average 7.2
PlatformsWeight 15%9.5Set average 7.9
RegulationWeight 25%8.0Set average 8.1
AccountsWeight 15%9.0Set average 8.6
ResearchWeight 10%Not measuredNot measuredSet average 0.0
SupportWeight 10%Not measuredNot measuredSet average 0.0

Published data log

Every dated entry behind the figures on this review, copied from IC Markets’s own pages. Licence rows show the leverage the broker publishes for that company.

Published data log
Checked	Entry	Published value
19 Oct 2026	EUR/USD spread, Raw Spread (Global)	0.1 pips average
19 Oct 2026	EUR/USD spread, Raw Spread (EU)	0.1 pips average
19 Oct 2026	Retail loss rate, IC Markets (EU) Ltd	73.46%
19 Oct 2026	Retail loss rate, IC Markets Ltd (Bahamas)	75.42%
Not published	Licence AFSL 335692, ASIC: max. retail leverage	1:30
Not published	Licence 362/18, CySEC: max. retail leverage	1:30 (retail, all account types)
Not published	Licence SD018, FSA Seychelles: max. retail leverage	1:5000 (MetaTrader accounts), 1:1000 (cTrader); described as dynamic
Not published	Licence SIA-F214, SCB: max. retail leverage	1:200

Our verdict on IC Markets

8.1/10

IC Markets suits EEA and Australian residents who want raw-spread pricing on MetaTrader, cTrader or TradingView. Who you sign up with decides the rest: UK residents have no FCA company, and most other clients land with the Seychelles company (SD018) or the Bahamas one (SIA-F214).

Choose it if

you live in the EEA or Australia
you want raw spreads on cTrader or MetaTrader

Look elsewhere if

you live in the UK and want FCA protection
you would be onboarded offshore and want leverage limits and negative balance protection

Visit brokerUnpaid link

73.46% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (IC Markets (EU) Ltd).

What changed

19 Oct 2026 Companies, Raw Spread average, commission, minimum deposit and EU and Bahamas loss rates collected from IC Markets’ pages.

Alternatives to IC Markets

Vantage, Tickmill, XM and ThinkMarkets: other brokers with raw and swap-free accounts and a low minimum deposit, in the order of this page’s rule.

1
Vantage
8.0/10
Minimum deposit
$50
EUR/USD spread from
0.0 pips
Regulated by
FCA, ASIC, FSCA, CIMA, VFSC, FSC Mauritius
Visit brokerUnpaid link
72.65% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Vantage Global Prime LLP).
Read review
2
Tickmill
7.8/10
Minimum deposit
$100
EUR/USD spread from
0.0 pips
Regulated by
FCA, DFSA, CySEC, FSCA, FSA Seychelles
Visit brokerUnpaid link
68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Tickmill UK Ltd).
3
XM
7.2/10
Minimum deposit
$5
EUR/USD spread from
0.0 pips
Regulated by
CySEC, DFSA, FSCA, FSC Belize, FSA Seychelles, FSC Mauritius, BVI FSC, CMA Kenya, SCA/CMA
Visit brokerUnpaid link
76.15% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd).
4
ThinkMarkets
7.6/10
Minimum deposit
$10
EUR/USD spread from
Not measured
Regulated by
FCA, CySEC, ASIC, ASIC, DFSA, FSCA, FSA Seychelles, CIMA, FMA, Unregulated
Visit brokerUnpaid link
75% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (TF Global Markets (UK) Limited).

Risk warning:

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Most retail investor accounts lose money. Consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford the high risk of losing your money.

Low Spread Brokers does not give personal investment advice.

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FAQ

IC Markets review: questions

Answers use IC Markets’s published terms collected on 19 Oct 2026. Terms change: check the broker’s own page before you trade.

Ask a question

We cannot give personal investment advice.

1Is IC Markets regulated in the UK?

No. IC Markets has no FCA-authorised company, and its EU site states it is not intended for UK residents. A UK resident who opens an account would not have FCA protection, FSCS cover or the Financial Ombudsman Service.