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Forex trading
Harness volatility in the world’s most-traded financial market with the UK’s No.1 retail forex provider.1
Call 0800 195 3100 or send us an email with any questions about opening a trading or investment account between 8am and 6pm (UK time) on weekdays.
Contact us 0800 195 3100
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
Call 0800 195 3100 or send us an email with any questions about opening a trading or investment account between 8am and 6pm (UK time) on weekdays.
Contact us 0800 195 3100
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Get info fast via our instant help and support portal. Available for account queries, ProRealTime, product info and more.
Visit help and support for more information.
Call 0800 409 6789 or email helpdesk.uk@ig.com if you have any questions about trading or investing. We're available 24/7 between 8am Saturday and 10pm Friday.
Contact us 0800 409 6789
Why trade forex with us?
Get an edge with the UK’s best web-based platform and award-winning mobile apps2
Negative balance protection ensures that your
account never stays below zero3
Receive friendly, expert support 24 hours a day from 8am Saturday to 10pm Friday
Identify FX opportunities on clear, fast charts and deepen your analysis with ProRealTime
Rest assured that you’re trading forex online with a provider that’s authorised and regulated by the FCA
Trade with one of the few UK providers to offer GBP/USD, EUR/USD and USD/JPY on the weekend
Ways to trade forex with IG
| Spread betting | CFD | DMA (Forex Direct) | |
| Main benefits | Profits are tax-free in the UK4 | Tax-deductible losses are useful for hedging4 | Increased market transparency and order control |
| Accessible to | All clients | All clients | Professional clients only5 |
| Traded in | £ (or other base currency) per point | Contracts | Lots |
| Tax status | No capital gains tax (CGT) or stamp duty4 | No stamp duty, but you do pay CGT. Losses can be offset as a tax deduction4 | No stamp duty, but you do pay CGT. Losses can be offset as a tax deduction4 |
| Commission | Commission-free | Commission-free for FX | Variable commission |
| Platforms | Web, mobile app and advanced platforms | Web, mobile app and advanced platforms | L2 dealer, mobile app, terminals and APIs |
| Learn more | Learn more | Learn more |
What is forex trading?
Forex trading is the buying and selling of currencies on the foreign exchange market with the aim of making a profit.
Forex is the world’s most-traded financial market, with transactions worth trillions of dollars taking place every day.
How do I trade forex?
- Decide how you’d like to trade forex
- Learn how the forex market works
- Open a forex trading account
- Build a trading plan
- Choose your forex trading platform
- Open, monitor and close your first position
What are the benefits?
- Go long or short
- 24-hour trading
- Wide range of FX pairs
- High liquidity
- Constant opportunities
- Trade on leverage
What are the risks?
- Short-selling can give higher exposure to losses if the asset’s price behaves unpredictably. If an asset’s price increases, your losses could potentially be unlimited
- 24-hour trading is convenient – but can also up your market risk
- Trading with leverage can spread your capital further, but can also mean you lose more
- Leveraging means the trade’s full profit or loss is calculated on the total position size, not the margin amount, so losses could substantially outweigh your margin
Open an account now
Open an account now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution
Deal seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app
Feel secure with a trusted provider
With 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
Open an account now
Open an account now
Fast execution on a huge range of markets
Enjoy flexible access to more than 17,000 global markets, with reliable execution
Deal seamlessly, wherever you are
Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app
Feel secure with a trusted provider
With 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service
How much does FX trading cost?
Margins
When you spread bet and trade CFDs you do so with leverage – meaning you can win, or lose, a significant amount more than your initial deposit – called your margin. Though not actually a cost to you, the margin you pay makes a big difference to the affordability of your forex trade.
Spreads
Your key payment for trading forex is the spread – the difference between the buy and the sell price – our charge for executing your trade. We work to keep our spreads among the lowest in the business.
| Spot FX | Retail margin | Leverage equivalent |
| EUR/USD | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| AUD/USD | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| USD/JPY | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| EUR/GBP | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| GBP/USD | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| EUR/JPY | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| USD/CHF | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| Spot FX | IG min. spread | IG av. spread6 | IG av. spread (00:00-21:00)7 |
| EUR/USD | 0.6 | 1.04 | 0.85 |
| AUD/USD | 0.6 | 1.03 | 0.82 |
| USD/JPY | 0.7 | 1.18 | 0.94 |
| EUR/GBP | 0.9 | 1.89 | 1.40 |
| GBP/USD | 0.9 | 1.83 | 1.40 |
| EUR/JPY | 1.5 | 2.43 | 1.97 |
| USD/CHF | 1.5 | 2.22 | 1.99 |
How much will I have to pay?
Margins
When you spread bet and trade CFDs you do so with leverage – meaning you can win, or lose, a significant amount more than your initial deposit – called your margin. Though not actually a cost to you, the margin you pay makes a big difference to the affordability of your forex trade.
Spreads
Your key payment for trading forex is the spread – the difference between the buy and the sell price – our charge for executing your trade. We work to keep our spreads among the lowest in the business.
| Spot FX | Retail margin | Leverage equivalent |
| EUR/USD | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| AUD/USD | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| USD/JPY | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| EUR/GBP | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| GBP/USD | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| EUR/JPY | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| USD/CHF | 3.33% | 1:30 |
| Spot FX | IG min. spread | IG av. spread6 | IG av. spread (00:00-21:00)7 |
| EUR/USD | 0.6 | 1.04 | 0.85 |
| AUD/USD | 0.6 | 1.03 | 0.82 |
| USD/JPY | 0.7 | 1.18 | 0.94 |
| EUR/GBP | 0.9 | 1.89 | 1.40 |
| GBP/USD | 0.9 | 1.83 | 1.40 |
| EUR/JPY | 1.5 | 2.43 | 1.97 |
| USD/CHF | 1.5 | 2.22 | 1.99 |
Create an account with us in just three steps – completely free. Open one today, and you’ll get access to over 17,000 financial markets.
When you’re ready, you choose your deal size. What’s more, you'll get lower minimums for one month while you master the markets.
Discover your next opportunity
Search our huge range of forex pairs.
Live FX prices
These prices are indicative only, and subject to our website terms and conditions.
Choose your currency trading platform
Seize opportunity at your desk or on the go with the UK’s best web trading platform and mobile trading app.2
Award-winning service
We’ve been recognised time and time again by our industry, both for the services and the technology that we provide.
#1 Overall Broker
ForexBrokers.com
#1 Trust Score
ForexBrokers.com
#1 Research
ForexBrokers.com
#1 Platform & Tools
ForexBrokers.com
Best for Forex Trading
Investopedia Online Brokers Awards
ForexBrokers is compensated by IG for marketing
Choose the world's No. 1 spread betting provider
Why open a trading account with anyone but the best spread betting provider? With 45 years of experiance, we're proud to offer a truly market-leading service.
Choose the world's No. 1 spread betting provider
Why open a trading account with anyone but the best spread betting provider? With 45 years of experiance, we're proud to offer a truly market-leading service.
Choose the world's No. 1 spread betting provider
Why open a trading account with anyone but the best spread betting provider? With 45 years of experiance, we're proud to offer a truly market-leading service.
Choose the world's No. 1 spread betting provider
Why open a trading account with anyone but the best spread betting provider? With 45 years of experiance, we're proud to offer a truly market-leading service.
Choose the world's No. 1 spread betting provider
Why open a trading account with anyone but the best spread betting provider? With 45 years of experiance, we're proud to offer a truly market-leading service.
Choose the world's No. 1 spread betting provider
Why open a trading account with anyone but the best spread betting provider? With 45 years of experiance, we're proud to offer a truly market-leading service.
Get the latest forex news
Try these next
Learn more about spread betting with IG.
Mitigate against forex trading risk with our range of stop and limit orders, and keep an eye on forex prices with customisable alerts.
See how we've been changing the face of trading for more than 40 years.
1 By number of primary relationships with FX traders (Investment Trends UK Leveraged Trading Report released June 2020).
2 Best trading platform as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards and Professional Trader Awards 2019. Best trading app as awarded at the ADVFN International Financial Awards 2020.
3
Negative balance protection applies to trading-related debt only, and is not available to professional traders.
4 Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.
5 The advertised offering is only available to individual clients capable of obtaining ‘professional’ status. This requires experience of trading relevant products on your own account above a certain size, experience of working within the financial sector for at least one year in a relevant position and/or a personal investment portfolio worth at least €500,000.
6 Average spread (Monday 00:00 - Friday 22:00 GMT) for the 12 weeks ending 8th January 2021. For our minimum spreads, please see our forex spread bet and CFD details.
7 Average spread (between 00:00-21:00 GMT Monday to Friday) for the 12 weeks ending 8th January 2021. For our minimum spreads, please see our forex spread bet and CFD details.
8 Average spread (Monday 00:00 - Friday 22:00 GMT) for the 12 weeks ending 19th March 2019. There is also a commission charge for Forex Direct.
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