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Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products carry a high risk of rapid loss. The majority of retail investor accounts lose money trading them. Futures brokers are priced by commission per contract, not spreads, so “pips” and “commission-based” are not directly comparable — and a 0.0-pip raw spread never includes the commission charged on top. Minimum deposits, leverage caps, product availability and investor protection depend on the entity that serves your country, and several brokers listed do not accept clients from every jurisdiction. Educational information only — not financial advice.
IG review
Rating is our editorial assessment — not an aggregate of user reviews.
Long-established London broker offering CFDs, spread betting and listed products.
Key facts
| Regulation | FCA, BaFin, ASIC, MAS, FMA, FSCA, DFSA — IG operates in around 20 jurisdictions through separate entities; leverage, product range and tax treatment (e.g. UK spread betting) depend on the entity serving you. |
|---|---|
| Client eligibility | US residents are served by tastyfx — forex only. CFDs and spread betting are not available in the US. |
| Min deposit | $0 |
| Pricing | 0.6 pips — Headline 0.6; average EUR/USD spread nearer 0.86. No separate FX commission |
| Retail loss rate | 69% of retail accounts lose money with this provider |
| Platforms | IG platform, MT4, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, TradingView, API |
| Instruments | Forex CFDs, Index CFDs, Metals, Commodities, Crypto CFDs, Share CFDs, Spread betting (UK only), Futures CFDs |
| Founded | 1974 |
Indicative figures — spreads are variable, commissions and minimum deposits vary by account type and by the regional entity serving you. Confirm current terms on IG’s website. Last reviewed: 2026-07.
Our verdict on IG
IG is a long-established London broker offering CFDs, UK spread betting and a broad platform set including MT4, ProRealTime, TradingView and an API. It suits traders who value institutional scale and platform choice, but the headline 0.6 spread is not what most traders actually pay, and product access varies heavily by jurisdiction.
Best for
- ✓UK clients who want spread betting alongside CFDs from a FTSE 250 firm
- ✓Traders who want a wide platform choice including ProRealTime, L2 Dealer and API access
Look elsewhere if
- ✕Traders optimising purely for spread cost — the EUR/USD average is nearer 0.86 than the 0.6 headline
- ✕US residents beyond forex: US clients are served by tastyfx, with no CFDs or spread betting
Watch out:IG operates in around 20 jurisdictions through separate entities, and your leverage, product range and tax treatment follow the entity serving you. Crypto CFDs are unavailable to UK retail clients, and IG discloses that 69% of retail accounts lose money.
Pricing and the true cost of trading
IG quotes EUR/USD spreads from 0.6 points with no separate forex commission, which reads as simpler than the raw-spread-plus-commission model used by Pepperstone and IC. The figure that matters more is the average, which sits nearer 0.86. That difference is the gap between a best-case quote in ideal conditions and the cost you accumulate across a month of ordinary sessions, and for a trader taking many small positions it compounds quietly. Compare averages against averages, not headlines against headlines, when weighing this against a commission-based broker.
The no-commission structure does make cost harder to observe: with an all-in spread you cannot separate the market's price from the broker's markup the way you can when a fixed $3.50 per lot sits on a raw quote. Neither model is inherently cheaper — it depends on instrument, size and how often you trade. What the all-in model removes is the ability to check the two components independently, so keep your own record of realised entry and exit levels rather than relying on advertised numbers.
Entity, jurisdiction and product access
IG is regulated by the FCA, BaFin, ASIC, MAS, FMA, FSCA and DFSA, operating in roughly 20 jurisdictions through separate entities. Which one serves you determines leverage limits, which instruments appear on your platform, and even tax treatment — UK spread betting being the clearest example of a product that exists in one jurisdiction and nowhere else. Established in London in 1974 and a FTSE 250 constituent, the group has scale, but scale is a statement about the firm, not about the protections attached to your particular account.
Product access has hard edges worth knowing before you open. Crypto CFDs are unavailable to UK retail clients, so a UK trader planning BTC, ETH or SOL exposure will not find it here and needs a different route — eToro and Interactive Brokers are the entries here offering spot crypto, IBKR only to eligible clients and outside SIPC cover. US residents are served by tastyfx and get forex only, with no CFDs and no spread betting. Check the instrument list for your specific country of residence rather than the global marketing pages.
Pros
- + Established in London in 1974 and a FTSE 250 constituent
- + EUR/USD spreads from 0.6 points with no separate forex commission
- + Broad platform choice including MT4, ProRealTime and TradingView
Cons
- − Average EUR/USD spread (around 0.86) is wider than the 0.6 headline
- − Crypto CFDs are unavailable to UK retail clients; 69% of retail accounts lose money
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