Broker review
Interactive Brokers review: UK, US and global companies
Interactive Brokers lists 9 companies in our data, from Interactive Brokers LLC in the US to Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited. Minimum deposit: $0. It quotes forex at interbank prices plus a commission in basis points, so there is no EUR/USD spread in pips to compare.
Low Spread Brokers does not give personal investment advice.
Verdict at a glance
Interactive Brokers
6.2/10
Entities 9
- Tier 1SEC / CFTCNot published
- Tier 1FCA208159
- Tier 1DFSAF008423
- Tier 1Central Bank of IrelandC423427
- Tier 1ASICAFSL 453554
- Tier 1CIRONot published
- Tier 1MASCMS100917
- Tier 1JFSAKanto Local Finance Bureau Registration No. 187
- Tier 2SFC Hong KongNot published
- Minimum deposit
- $0
- EUR/USD spread from
- Not measured
- Max retail leverage
- 1:30 (major FX CFDs, retail: ESMA-style minimum initial margin 3.33%; 5% other pairs) (FCA) · Leverage limits per CBI CFD rules (Aug 2019) for retail; ESMA minimum margin 3.33% major FX (1:30) per CFD margin page (Central Bank of Ireland)
- Platforms
- proprietary
- Founded
- 1978
58.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited).
The preliminary rating is 6.2/10: regulation 9.0/10, accounts 5.5/10 and platforms 4.0/10, with costs not measured because no spread in pips is published. Every figure comes from Interactive Brokers’ pages, checked 19 Oct 2026; we have not opened a live account. Read first: how we rankhow we make moneyeditorial policy
Quick answer
Is Interactive Brokers good for UK traders?
UK clients sign up with Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited, FCA licence 208159 as the broker publishes it, with a 1:30 cap on major currency CFDs and negative balance protection. Their accounts are cleared and carried by Interactive Brokers LLC in the US, so the FSCS applies only in limited circumstances; 58.9% of the UK company’s retail CFD accounts lose money.
- Tier 1 regulators across the group: SEC / CFTC, FCA, DFSA, Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC, CIRO, MAS and JFSA.
- No minimum deposit on IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite accounts ($0).
- Forex costs are a commission in basis points of trade value, not a spread in pips.
- Interactive Brokers does not offer its CFDs to residents of the US, Canada, Hong Kong, New Zealand or Israel.
Interactive Brokers pros and cons
Pros
- Tier 1 companies in the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Singapore and Japan
- No minimum deposit on IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite
- Negative balance protection stated for the UK and Irish companies
Cons
- UK accounts are carried by the US company; FSCS cover only in limited circumstances
- No EUR/USD spread in pips: the commission is in basis points
- One in-house platform in our data: no MT4, MT5 or TradingView
- Funding by bank transfer, ACH, Wise or USDC; no card deposits listed
Entities and regulation
Interactive Brokers lists 9 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.
| Entity | Regulator | Licence | Max. retail leverage | Negative balance protection | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers LLC | Tier 1 SEC / CFTC | Not publishedAs published by the broker | Not published | Not published | SIPC member |
| Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited | Tier 1 FCA | 208159Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026 | 1:30 (major FX CFDs, retail: ESMA-style minimum initial margin 3.33%; 5% other pairs) | Yes | Accounts cleared and carried by Interactive Brokers LLC (SIPC); products covered by UK FSCS only in limited circumstances |
| Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited (DIFC Branch) | Tier 1 DFSA | F008423Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited | Tier 1 Central Bank of Ireland | C423427Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026 | Leverage limits per CBI CFD rules (Aug 2019) for retail; ESMA minimum margin 3.33% major FX (1:30) per CFD margin page | Yes | Irish Investor Compensation Scheme (ICS) |
| Interactive Brokers Australia Pty. Ltd. | Tier 1 ASIC | AFSL 453554Checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026 | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Interactive Brokers Canada Inc. | Tier 1 CIRO | Not publishedCompany checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026; the register does not list the number | Not published | Not published | Canadian Investor Protection Fund (CIPF) member |
| Interactive Brokers Singapore Pte. Ltd. | Tier 1 MAS | CMS100917Company checked on the register, 20 Oct 2026; the register does not list the number | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Interactive Brokers Securities Japan Inc. | Tier 1 JFSA | Kanto Local Finance Bureau Registration No. 187As published by the broker | Not published | Not published | Not published |
| Interactive Brokers Hong Kong Limited | Tier 2 SFC Hong Kong | Not publishedAs published by the broker | Not published | Not published | Not published |
Which entity will I get?
Pick your region to see which company our data says would hold your account.
Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited · FCA · 208159 · Max retail leverage 1:30 (major FX CFDs, retail: ESMA-style minimum initial margin 3.33%; 5% other pairs)
Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited · Central Bank of Ireland · C423427 · Max retail leverage Leverage limits per CBI CFD rules (Aug 2019) for retail; ESMA minimum margin 3.33% major FX (1:30) per CFD margin page
Interactive Brokers LLC · SEC / CFTC · Not published · Max retail leverage Not published
Interactive Brokers Canada Inc. · CIRO · Not published · Max retail leverage Not published
Interactive Brokers Australia Pty. Ltd. · ASIC · AFSL 453554 · Max retail leverage Not published
Interactive Brokers Singapore Pte. Ltd. · MAS · CMS100917 · Max retail leverage Not published
Interactive Brokers Securities Japan Inc. · JFSA · Kanto Local Finance Bureau Registration No. 187 · Max retail leverage Not published
Warnings and clones
Search each Interactive Brokers 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
Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited states that its clients’ accounts are cleared and carried by Interactive Brokers LLC (SIPC member), and that UK FSCS cover applies only in limited circumstances. Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited lists the Irish Investor Compensation Scheme.
Costs and fees
Interactive Brokers quotes forex at interbank prices and charges a commission in basis points of trade value, so our data has no spread row and no per-lot commission.
Spreads by pair and account
| Pair | Account | Published spread | Checked | Source |
|---|
Commission
Commission is charged in basis points of trade value, not per lot; our data does not convert it.
Swaps
Overnight financing is not in our data; check the rates page of your Interactive Brokers company before holding positions overnight.
Non-trading fees
- Deposit fee
- Not in our data
- Withdrawal fee
- Not in our data
- Inactivity fee
- Not in our data
Account types
Our data lists one account type; the minimum deposit applies to IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite. Minimum deposit: $0
- StandardCosts built into the spread, no separate commission.
- DemoVirtual money with live prices.
Professional status
Opting up to professional status with Interactive Brokers removes retail protections such as leverage caps and negative balance protection.
Demo account
Interactive Brokers offers a demo account (checked 20 Oct 2026 on Interactive Brokers’ site). Virtual balance: USD 1,000,000 paper equity, resettable. How long it lasts: no set limit; trial accounts unused for a long time may be closed. Platforms: IBKR Desktop, Trader Workstation (TWS), IBKR Mobile, Client Portal and IBKR GlobalTrader. Demo results do not include slippage or the cost of a real loss.
Trading platforms
Platforms Interactive Brokers offers, from our data (checked 19 Oct 2026).
- 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 Interactive Brokers’s pages. Availability depends on your country and the company that holds your account.
- Bank wire
- ACH (US)
- Direct ACH (US)
- Check (US)
- Online Bill Pay (US)
- Wise balance transfer
- USDC stablecoin (USD)
List copied from the broker’s pages, checked 19 Oct 2026. Most methods are for US accounts; non-USD funding methods are not listed in our data.
Before your first withdrawal
- Methods in our data
- 7
- 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.
6.2/10
- CostsWeight 25%Not measuredNot measuredSet average 7.3
- PlatformsWeight 15%4.0Set average 6.3
- RegulationWeight 25%9.0Set average 8.8
- AccountsWeight 15%5.5Set average 7.3
- 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 Interactive Brokers’s own pages. Licence rows show the leverage the broker publishes for that company.
| Checked | Entry | Published value |
|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 2026 | Retail loss rate, Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited | 58.9% |
| 19 Oct 2026 | Retail loss rate, Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited | 58.9% |
| Not published | Licence Not published, SEC / CFTC: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence 208159, FCA: max. retail leverage | 1:30 (major FX CFDs, retail: ESMA-style minimum initial margin 3.33%; 5% other pairs) |
| Not published | Licence F008423, DFSA: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence C423427, Central Bank of Ireland: max. retail leverage | Leverage limits per CBI CFD rules (Aug 2019) for retail; ESMA minimum margin 3.33% major FX (1:30) per CFD margin page |
| Not published | Licence AFSL 453554, ASIC: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence Not published, CIRO: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence CMS100917, MAS: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence Kanto Local Finance Bureau Registration No. 187, JFSA: max. retail leverage | Not published |
| Not published | Licence Not published, SFC Hong Kong: max. retail leverage | Not published |
Our verdict on Interactive Brokers
6.2/10
Interactive Brokers gives clients of its SEC / CFTC, FCA, DFSA, Central Bank of Ireland, ASIC, CIRO, MAS and JFSA companies an account with no minimum deposit. Its rating of 6.2/10 is held back by one in-house platform and forex costs we cannot measure in pips.
Choose it if
- you want a Tier 1 company and no minimum deposit
- you fund by bank transfer
Look elsewhere if
- you use MetaTrader or TradingView
- you want UK spread betting
- you live in Canada and want CFDs
58.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited).
What changed
- 19 Oct 2026 Companies, minimum deposit, funding methods and UK and Irish loss rates collected from the broker’s pages.
Alternatives to Interactive Brokers
OANDA, CMC Markets, Saxo and XTB: other Tier 1 brokers with no minimum deposit, in the order of this page’s rule.
- 1
OANDA
8.1/10- Minimum deposit
- $0
- EUR/USD spread from
- 0.0 pips
- Regulated by
- CFTC / NFA, FCA, KNF, ASIC, CIRO, MAS, JFSA, BVI FSC
Read reviewVisit brokerUnpaid link76.6% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (OANDA Europe Limited).
- 2
CMC Markets
7.9/10- Minimum deposit
- £0
- EUR/USD spread from
- 0.0 pips
- Regulated by
- FCA, FCA, BaFin, ASIC, FMA, MAS, CIRO, DFSA
Visit brokerUnpaid link69% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (CMC Markets UK plc).
- 3
Saxo
7.4/10- Minimum deposit
- £0
- EUR/USD spread from
- 0.7 pips
- Regulated by
- Danish FSA, FCA, MAS, FINMA, JFSA
Read reviewVisit brokerUnpaid link61% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (Saxo Capital Markets UK Ltd).
- 4
XTB
7.2/10- Minimum deposit
- $0
- EUR/USD spread from
- 0.8 pips
- Regulated by
- KNF, FCA, CySEC, FSC Belize, DFSA, SCA, FSA Seychelles, CMF Chile, Bappebti
Read reviewVisit brokerUnpaid link74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider (XTB Limited (UK)).
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.
FAQ
Interactive Brokers review: questions
Answers use Interactive Brokers’s published terms collected on 19 Oct 2026. Terms change: check the broker’s own page before you trade.
Ask a questionWe cannot give personal investment advice.
1Is Interactive Brokers regulated in the UK?
Yes: Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited holds FCA licence 208159, as the broker publishes it. Search that number on the FCA Register before you fund.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
2Is my money protected by the FSCS with Interactive Brokers UK?
Only in limited circumstances, according to the broker: UK accounts are cleared and carried by Interactive Brokers LLC in the US, a SIPC member. Neither scheme covers trading losses.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
3What is the minimum deposit at Interactive Brokers?
$0 for IBKR Pro and IBKR Lite individual, joint, trust and organisation accounts, according to the broker’s required minimums page (checked 19 Oct 2026).
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
4What are Interactive Brokers’ forex fees?
Forex trades are priced at interbank quotes plus a commission in basis points of trade value. Our data has no per-lot figure; the Interactive Brokers fees page on this site goes through what is published.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
5What leverage does Interactive Brokers UK allow?
1:30 (major FX CFDs, retail: ESMA-style minimum initial margin 3.33%; 5% other pairs), as the UK company publishes it. The Irish company applies the Central Bank of Ireland’s CFD rules for retail clients.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
6How many retail clients lose money with Interactive Brokers?
58.9% of retail CFD accounts with the UK company and 58.9% with the Irish company, as published on 19 Oct 2026. The Australian company’s CFD page shows no figure.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
7How do I fund an Interactive Brokers account?
Our data lists 7 methods: bank wire, several US-only options such as ACH and checks, Wise balance transfers and USDC for USD accounts.
Broker data checked 19 Oct 2026
Sources
Pages of Interactive Brokers behind the figures on this review. Their text prevails over ours.
- Interactive Brokers: minimum depositChecked on 19 Oct 2026
- Interactive Brokers: retail loss rate, Interactive Brokers (U.K.) LimitedChecked on 19 Oct 2026
- Interactive Brokers: retail loss rate, Interactive Brokers Ireland LimitedChecked on 19 Oct 2026
- Interactive Brokers: regulation, Interactive Brokers LLCChecked on 19 Oct 2026
- Interactive Brokers: regulation, Interactive Brokers (U.K.) LimitedChecked on 19 Oct 2026
- Interactive Brokers: regulation, Interactive Brokers (U.K.) LimitedChecked on 19 Oct 2026
Check the company before you open a Interactive Brokers account
Search FCA licence 208159 on the FCA Register if you are in the UK, or the licence of your country’s company, then compare Interactive Brokers with the alternatives above.
CFDs are complex and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly.