What account types does IG offer?

Spread betting and contract for difference (CFD) trading are two ways to take advantage of opportunities on rising or falling markets by going long or short – without having to buy the underlying assets. Spread betting is popular in the UK because profits are tax-free* and position sizes can be easier to manage because you’re trading – or betting – per point instead of per contract or per lot as in the case of CFD trading.

An important difference between spread betting and CFD trading is how they are taxed. Spread bets are free from capital gains tax, while profits from CFDs can be offset against losses for tax purposes. You don’t pay stamp duty with either product because you don’t take ownership of the underlying assets when you trade.

These are leveraged accounts, which means you can open a position with a small deposit (margin) instead of paying the full value of your position. Profits and losses are still calculated based on the full position size and can substantially outweigh your margin. This naturally attracts higher risk when compared to non-leveraged products like share dealing.

The markets you can trade using a spread betting or CFD account include forex, stock indices, shares, ETFs, ETCs, metals, energies, commodities, options, interest rates, bonds and futures. Our forward contracts are only available with a spread betting account.

Spread betting and CFD accounts are more suited for intra-day, daily and medium-term betting or trading.

Learn more about spread betting and CFD accounts

* Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK

Share dealing is the buying and selling of shares and ETFs, usually with the intention to make a profit from an increase in the stock’s price or to earn income from dividends. Short positions aren’t possible with share dealing accounts, which means you can’t profit from a fall in price as with a spread betting or CFD account. Because of this, share dealing may be more suited for medium-to-long-term investing.

A share dealing ISA account is essentially a flexible stocks and shares ISA. It allows you to maximise returns by being more tax-efficient than a standard share dealing account. You can contribute up to £20,000 for the 2022/2023 tax year and any profits are tax-free.*

Learn more about share dealing and ISA accounts

* Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.

IG Smart Portfolios are managed and diversified portfolios with exposure to global markets, equity and fixed income as well as alternative investments like gold and property. Unlike spread betting, CFD trading and share dealing, IG Smart Portfolios are designed to be a long-term passive investment. This means that you don’t need to buy and sell assets yourself – we’ll do it for you based on a certain mandate and objective.

Your portfolio will be built to suit your risk appetite and needs, and will track iShares ETFs from BlackRock – the world’s largest asset manager. We have 4 portfolios available: conservative, balanced, growth and aggressive. Each portfolio has different percentages of allocations to markets to align risk constraints with return objectives.

IG Smart Portfolios are also available as flexible ISA accounts, meaning you can contribute up to £20,000 for the 2022/2023 tax year and any profits are tax-free.*

Learn more about IG Smart Portfolios

* Tax laws are subject to change and depend on individual circumstances. Tax law may differ in a jurisdiction other than the UK.