IG Review

I'm Donny. I'm a world traveler, investor, entrepreneur, and online marketing aficionado who has a big appetite to compete and disrupt big markets. I thrive on being able to create things that impact change, difficult challenges, and being able to add value in negative situations.

This IG review provides an overview of the financial products and services offered by the platform. IG is a user-friendly platform for investors who can tolerate high-risk investments.

IG Trading logo

Our Partner

Forex Broker

AT A GLANCE

  • Award-winning platform
  • Get started in less than 5 minutes
  • Best forex spreads
  • Great for beginners
Overall Rating

Best Forex Trading Platform

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Key Takeaways

  • IG is one of the top forex trading brokers.
  • IG sells high-risk investment products.
  • IG’s user experience is intuitive.
  • IG is for investors who can tolerate high risk.
  • IG’s products and services vary by geographic region.
  • In general, IG’s trading fees are average.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • World-class trading platform
  • Large library of free trading resources
  • Low start-up fees

Cons

  • Higher fees than other FX platforms
  • 24/7 support is traffic dependent

Have you considered derivative trading, particularly forex trading, before? If so, IG is a trading platform worth considering.

The foreign currency market or Forex (FX), as it is commonly abbreviated, is a trading market worth over one quadrillion dollars.

With such an eye-popping amount of money being transacted every year, you might be asking yourself how to break into this market. 

IG Trading icon

Quick Summary

Account Minimum: $250

Trading Fees: .5%

Promotion: Sign-up bonus depending on deposit.

About IG Trading

IG Trading, a forex broker, is a company under IG Group, a London-based financial service company. IG was founded by Stuart Wheeler in 1974 as a way to trade the price fluctuations in gold.

At the time, trading a difference in value was less common than trading physical products.  Today, value difference trading is becoming more and more common.

In part thanks to the innovation of IG. IG is one of the most trusted platforms for forex trading given its long history, but the platform offers a variety of services, including, CFDs, spread betting, share dealing, Smart Portfolios, and real stock. 

IG is headed by Mike McTighe (Chairman) and June Felix (CEO). Together Mr. McTighe and Ms. Felix have over 50 years of experience in the financial service sector.

McTighe and Ms. Felix’s mission at IG is to make derivatives trading more accessible to their clients and increase the value they offer their customers.

IG has certainly delivered on the customer interface front, boasting an MT4 platform that allows clients to automate their trading, but what about the value of IG’s products?

IG Products

IG is a multi-asset broker that focuses on derivative products, which means the company sells a variety of financial products whose values are dictated by the direction of prices in a market.

Don’t run away yet. In layman's terms, IG specializes in speculative financial products. Listed below are the different assets that IG offers.

Online Forex Trading

Forex (FX) refers to the exchange of foreign currencies. Forex trading refers to the process of trading one currency for another. IG is the most trusted FX platform of 2024.

CFDs

Contract for Differences is a trading strategy where the difference between opening and closing trade prices is cashed out at the close of the market.

CFDs are illegal in the U.S. due to their extremely speculative and volatile nature. Check with your country’s financial services regulating body to see if CFDs are legal where you live.

Spread Betting

Spread Betting refers to the speculation of a financial market’s direction. Simply put, spread betting investors are not concerned with objects, but with directions.

Spread is the difference between the bid and ask price of the underlying security.

Share Dealing

Share dealing refers to the purchase of company stock with funds obtained by the sale of company stocks or dividends.

Smart Portfolios

Smart Portfolios are automated portfolios managed by Blackrock. Smart Portfolios are available to retail investors in the UK. The Smart Portfolio service is similar to other robo-advising services that traditional banks like Chase, Wells Fargo, or Bank of America use.

Real Stock

You can trade stocks like you would on more advertised platforms such as Vanguard, Robinhood, or Charles Schwab.

IG also offers a few novelty investment products such as knockout trading, weekend trading, volatility trading, cryptocurrency, as well as trading in other markets. 

IG Commissions & Fees

Like all forex brokers, IG charges trade commissions. IG has a low financial barrier to entry. With no account minimums or withdrawal fees, IG is an attractive platform for many new derivative product traders.

Fees and commissions are detailed specifically on IG’s website. Fees and commissions vary depending on your geographic location and your managing entity.

Minimum Deposits

IG does not have a minimum deposit to open a brokerage account.

Withdrawal Fees

IG does not have withdrawal fees. IG allows customers to withdraw their money without transaction fees. IG allows fund transfers to debit cards, credit cards, wire transfers, digital wallets, bank transfers, Paypal, BPAY, and Payoneer.

Deposit Fees

IG has deposit fees for credit cards, as do most FX platforms. Deposits made from a debit card or bank account are fee-free. Deposit processing times vary according to the method used to deposit.

Click here for a summary of processing times from IG’s website.

Inactivity Fees

IG does charge an inactivity fee. If inactivity continues after two years, then IG charges the account twelve dollars a month for every month that the account remains inactive.

Commission Fees

IG’s forex fees are some of the highest commission fees, especially when it comes to the majors (major currency pairs traded in forex, ex: EUR/USD).

Compared to other platforms, IG’s fees on CFDs are average.  If you live in the UK, then you have access to IG’s real stock. Real stock fees are high on IG.

If you like in the UK, you also have access to IG’s smart portfolio. Smart Portfolio is IG’s version of a Robo-advisor. Smart Portfolios charge a management fee, a cost of ownership fee (12%-16% of the underlying ETF), and a spread fee.

IG option trading fees are low compared to similar forex trading brokers.

Who is IG Best For?

IG caters to a market of investors who are comfortable with high-risk investments. If you are a young, experienced trader with a diverse portfolio and discretionary income, then IG’s financial products are for you. 

IG is best for investors who have done their homework, have trading experience, and have the discretionary income they are willing to lose.

Knowing the history of a company, what it offers, and the associated fees of the company’s service and products is a small part of the bigger picture when it comes to making sound investments with derivative products.

Invest with IG only if you are sure that you fully understand the terms and concepts used in this article. Additionally, do not invest in IG’s derivative products if you do not have a comfortable level of financial security.

Compare to Other Brokers

CMC Markets
CMC Markets logo
  • Trading Fees: $11.00 or 0.10%
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Promotion: Risk-free demo
FOREX.com
Forex.com logo
  • Trading Fees: Depends on the trade
  • Minimum Deposit: $210
  • Promotion: Up to $5,000 welcome bonus
XTB Online Trading
XTB logo
  • Trading Fees: Depends on the type of trade
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Promotion: Free demo account

IG FAQ's

Is IG legit?

IG is a legitimate platform that has been used in the UK since 1974. In 2019, IG brought its financial services and products to the US, where it is regulated by the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission).

The CFTC is one of the most respected and trustworthy regulatory agencies globally.  Please note that not all IG products and services are legal in the countries where IG accounts can be opened.

If you are unsure if an IG product is legal in your location, please contact the IG group or your country’s financial regulatory body.

Is IG good for beginners?

IG is a bad platform for beginners. The risk associated with IG’s products means that new investors, unfamiliar with the nuances of high-risk markets, run a disproportionately high risk of committing oversights which can lead to catastrophic financial losses.

However, intermediate to advanced traders will be happy to hear that IG offers a wide variety of high-risk investment products, a wealth of free informational resources, and 24/7 customer support. 

Consider investing with IG if you are an experienced trader looking for a brokerage to handle your high-risk investments.

Is IG safe to use?

IG is a legitimate, publicly-traded company with over 200,000 users. IG uses state-of-the-art encryption to protect sensitive user information. IG is also regulated by London’s financial authority body, the FCA.

IG

IG is an award-winning online forex trading provider. In 2019, we brought our high-quality FX service to the US - empowering informed, decisive, adventurous people access to over 80 currency pairs at competitive prices.

IG Trading icon

I'm Donny. I'm a world traveler, investor, entrepreneur, and online marketing aficionado who has a big appetite to compete and disrupt big markets. I thrive on being able to create things that impact change, difficult challenges, and being able to add value in negative situations.

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