IG Markets Review Australia 2026

IG Markets quick facts

Trading costs and fees

Forex spreads on the IG CFD account

IG charges through the spread on its standard CFD account, with no separate commission on forex. IG advertises EUR/USD from 0.6 pips during the most liquid London/New York overlap; in our May to June 2026 testing the standard account averaged 1.13 pips on EUR/USD and 1.62 pips across the 8-pair basket. Active traders can apply for Forex Direct, IG’s raw-pricing account, which averaged 0.59 pips across the same 8 pairs (May to June 2026) plus a commission of A$3.50 per side. Even so, if you trade more than a few standard lots a week you’ll usually save money on a RAW account at IC Markets, Pepperstone or Fusion Markets. Both IG accounts appear in our raw spread comparison, where Forex Direct placed 15th of 16 raw accounts and the standard account 20th of 21 on the eight-pair average.

Share CFD costs

Share CFD pricing is where IG’s trading-floor heritage shows. Commission on Australian share CFDs starts at AUD 10 per trade or 0.10% of trade value, whichever is greater. US shares from $15 or 2 cents per share. Overnight financing is charged at the relevant benchmark rate (RBA cash rate plus 2.5% for AUD-denominated long positions, similar structure for other currencies on the long side; receive less benchmark on short positions). Rates are above the AU market average. If you hold ASX share CFDs overnight for weeks at a time, the financing line will dominate the total cost, and Interactive Brokers’ commission-driven model usually works out cheaper at scale.

Other fees AU traders should check

• Overnight holding cost applies to CFD positions held past 5 PM New York. Direction-dependent. Long positions typically pay benchmark plus a margin; short positions can earn benchmark less a margin.
• Currency conversion fee of 0.50% if you trade an instrument in a currency other than your account base. Run an AUD-denominated account if you trade primarily AUD pairs and ASX shares.
• Inactivity fee of AUD 25 per quarter after 24 months of no trading activity. The 24-month dormant window is more lenient than CMC’s 12 months but the per-quarter charge is heavier.
• Guaranteed stop-loss premium charged only if your guaranteed stop is triggered. Premium varies by instrument and is shown before you place the order.
• Knock-Out and Barrier options: IG is one of the few AU brokers offering these to retail clients. Pricing is built into the product and shown at the point of trade. Worth understanding the structure before you trade these.

Trading platforms

IG’s stack starts with its own web platform and adds MT4, ProRealTime, DMA through L2 Dealer and a trading API. Native TradingView trading is also available on the AU entity.

IG web platform (proprietary)

The IG web platform is the broker’s flagship and the platform most retail clients use day to day. It runs in browser, on desktop (Windows and macOS via the IG app) and on mobile (iOS, Android). The build is clean and quick. Order placement is straightforward and charting is solid for most retail use. Guaranteed stops and trailing stops work natively. It gives up some technical-analysis depth to CMC’s Next Generation, but covers more product types (the full 17,000-market range sits behind it) and is easier to learn than MT4 if you’ve never used a trading platform before. IG is also trialling an AI Assistant on the AU platform.

ProRealTime

For traders who want serious technical analysis without the EA overhead of MT4, ProRealTime is IG’s premium charting partner. It includes 100+ indicators, multi-timeframe analysis, automated trading via ProBuilder code, and dataset access going back decades on major instruments. ProRealTime is free if you trade four or more times per month at IG; otherwise there’s a monthly subscription. It’s a strong option for swing and position traders.

MetaTrader 4

MT4 is available, with IG’s full forex and key CFD ranges. If you run EAs or have an existing MT4 strategy, this is your route in. The MT4 build doesn’t include the full 17,000-instrument range, but it covers the products most MT4 users care about: forex, indices, gold, oil and the major share CFDs.

L2 Dealer (Direct Market Access)

L2 Dealer is IG’s DMA platform aimed at high-volume share traders. It exposes the underlying order book and routes orders directly to the exchange where supported, rather than internalising through IG’s quoted price. For active share CFD traders looking for tighter execution and full market depth visibility, L2 is the right tool. Most retail traders don’t need it. Volume thresholds and additional fees apply.

IG Trading API

If you build your own systems, IG’s REST and streaming API is well-documented and widely used in the algorithmic trading community. It’s free with an active account. Supports the full IG product range.

What IG doesn’t offer

No MT5. No cTrader. No integrated copy or social trading. For traders committed to those ecosystems, the platform shortlist is shorter than at Pepperstone or IC Markets. We’d flag this as the single biggest reason an active forex trader might pick a competitor over IG.

Mobile apps

The IG mobile app is one of the better trading apps in the AU market. Biometric login on iOS and Android. Full charting, full order types, full account management. The MT4 mobile app is the standard MetaQuotes build with no IG-specific modifications.

Execution speed and slippage

IG runs a market-maker model on the standard CFD account, internalising flow against its book where possible and hedging the residual against tier-1 liquidity providers. In our 2026 testing IG was mid-pack on forex execution, at around 50ms for market orders on EUR/USD from a London VPS. Share CFD and index execution came in faster than the broker average, and weekend crypto was very competitive. The L2 Dealer DMA route delivers full exchange execution where available. Slippage on the standard CFD account is comparable to the rest of the major AU market makers; not as tight as Pepperstone Razor on forex, but not loose either.

Trust and safety

Trust score: 10/10.

ASIC regulation and global licences

IG Australia Pty Ltd holds AFSL 515106 with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. IG has operated in Australia since 2002, which puts it alongside CMC as one of the longest-running ASIC-regulated CFD brokers in the country; the original 2002-era licence, AFSL 220440, is held by IG Markets Limited, a separate entity within the group. There have been no material ASIC enforcement actions or licence conditions imposed on IG Australia Pty Ltd in the last 36 months.

The wider IG Group is regulated by:

• Financial Conduct Authority, UK (Tier 1), IG’s home regulator since 1974
• Monetary Authority of Singapore (Tier 1)
• Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (Tier 1)
• DFSA, UAE (Tier 2)
• Financial Sector Conduct Authority, South Africa
• Plus additional registrations across the EU and Switzerland

Few retail brokers hold Tier-1 licences in this many jurisdictions. It also means IG operates under multiple capital and disclosure regimes at once, which constrains the kind of regulatory arbitrage that weaker brokers sometimes use.

Client money and negative balance protection

IG Markets holds retail client money in segregated accounts at an Approved Australian Bank, separate from the company’s own funds. ASIC requires negative balance protection on retail CFD accounts, so a retail account cannot lose more than the money in it. If a dispute with the broker goes wrong, AFCA can hear claims up to $1,263,000 and award compensation up to $631,500. The Compensation Scheme of Last Resort sits behind that with a $150,000 cap, but it excludes CFD trading losses, so it protects you against unpaid awards for misconduct, not against losing trades.

One carve-out is worth knowing before you chase leverage. Negative balance protection is a retail protection, and clients who take the Pro / Wholesale classification give it up along with the ASIC leverage caps. For how IG sits against the field on protection, see our safety-ranked broker list and our explainer on protection against negative balances.

History and ownership

Founded by Stuart Wheeler in London in 1974 as Investors Gold Index, originally to let UK investors trade gold price movements without owning physical metal. The business pioneered spread betting in the 1970s and CFDs in the 1990s. Listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2000 and currently a constituent of the FTSE 250 with a market capitalisation in the low billions of pounds. The Australian operation opened in 2002, so IG entities have now been ASIC-regulated for over two decades.

Australian context that matters:

• Australian operations since 2002 (the original AFSL 220440 sits with IG Markets Limited; the reviewed retail entity, IG Australia Pty Ltd, holds AFSL 515106)
• Public company with audited annual reports and FTSE 250 listing
• Featured regularly in Australian Financial Review coverage of CFD industry
• Member of AFCA for retail dispute resolution
• Segregated client funds held with an Approved Australian Bank
• IG Australia Pty Ltd separately incorporated for share investing (separate from CFD business)

The depth of corporate history matters in this category. IG has traded through the 2008 financial crisis, the 2015 SNB de-pegging event, the 2020 COVID volatility spike and the 2022 commodity squeeze, and remained well-capitalised throughout. That’s not a guarantee of future safety. It is a relevant data point.

Public reviews

IG holds a Trustpilot rating of 3.8 out of 5 from 9,728 reviews, which Trustpilot labels great, captured July 2026. The profile has been claimed by the broker since March 2016.

AU-specific reviews trend slightly higher. Common positives: platform stability, product breadth and support quality. Common negatives: occasional delays in withdrawal verification, share CFD financing rates considered expensive by some active traders, and the inactivity fee structure.

What other review sites say

IG Markets' iOS app rates 4.57 out of 5 from 13,669 ratings on the Australian App Store (July 2026), listed as IG Trading: CFDs & Shares.

TradingView users rate IG Markets 3.6 out of 5 from 1,060 ratings (July 2026). 15.7K TradingView users have connected a IG Markets account.

App Store AU

4.57

13,669 ratingsJuly 2026

TradingView

3.6

1,060 ratings15.7K Traders via TradingViewJuly 2026View on TradingView

Account types and minimum deposit

Account options for AU clients

The Limited Risk account is worth knowing about if downside control is your priority: every position must carry a guaranteed stop, which caps your maximum loss at a known figure before you place the trade.

The Pro / Wholesale account requires you to meet the Corporations Act wholesale client criteria. There are two paths: a Wealth Test (net assets over A$2.5M, or income over A$250k for two consecutive years plus recent trading) or an Experience Test (income over A$100k or savings over A$500k, plus sufficient trading volume and a knowledge assessment). If you qualify, Pro leverage rises to 250:1 on major forex and gold, and 167:1 on minors. The figure depends on the platform: IG’s MT4 Pro accounts run 200:1 and 133:1 instead, which is why you will see both numbers quoted. Either way you give up negative balance protection. This isn’t a retail product and we don’t suggest most readers explore it.

Note: spread betting accounts exist on the IG UK entity but aren’t available to AU clients. Spread betting in Australia is generally treated unfavourably by the ATO and isn’t part of IG’s AU offering.

IG runs no swap-free (Islamic) account, confirmed with the desk in July 2026. Traders who cannot pay or receive overnight swap will need to look elsewhere.

Minimum deposit

The minimum first deposit is A$100 by credit or debit card, Apple Pay or PayPal, and A$10 by BPAY. A$450 applies only where an EFT deposit is accompanied by a proof-of-payment upload, per IG’s help page dated 10 April 2026. Most active traders we surveyed start with A$500 to 2,000. The platform supports fractional position sizing, but margin requirements still apply.

Funding and withdrawals

Deposit methods (AU clients)

Debit card, PayID and bank transfer deposits are free. Credit cards carry a fee (Visa 1%, Mastercard 0.5% on AUD deposits; 1.5% on non-AUD), and PayPal carries a 0.5% charge.

Withdrawals

$0 fee on all standard withdrawal methods. IG requires withdrawals to use the same source as deposit where possible, in line with AUSTRAC anti-money-laundering rules. Card refunds typically clear within 1 to 3 business days. Bank transfers in 1 to 2 business days. PayPal same day in our testing.

Account opening

Account opening is fully online and AUSTRAC-compliant. You’ll need one form of photo ID (driver’s licence or passport) and one proof of address (recent bank statement or utility bill). Most AU applications are approved within 24 hours; some come through within an hour. Our test team rated IG’s onboarding 11/15. The flow asks slightly more questions than the lightest-touch onboarding (Plus500, eToro), which is fair enough given how many products sit behind the account.

Product range

This is IG’s defining strength. Over 17,000 tradeable markets sit behind one login, and no other ASIC-regulated broker on this site comes close on breadth. For how the classes work and who leads each one, start with the CFD market overview.

Forex runs to 80 plus pairs with six AUD crosses, which is enough for any Australian strategy though not the cheapest place to trade one. The index list at 30 plus carries both the ASX 200 and the S&P/ASX SPI 200. Commodities run to 35 plus across metals, energy and agricultural softs. Direct share investing sits in a separate account through IG Australia Pty Ltd, for investors who want to own the shares rather than trade them as CFDs.

Share CFDs

IG lists 13,000 plus share CFDs across ASX, NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, EU and Asian exchanges, the broadest share CFD range of any ASIC regulated broker and the lead strength this review scores. The financing cost caveat from the costs section applies to positions held overnight.

If your trading idea involves a less-traded mid-cap on the LSE, a Hong Kong-listed industrial or a small-cap on the ASX, IG is one of the few AU brokers where you can actually place that trade as a CFD. CMC and Interactive Brokers are the only realistic alternatives at this level, and our guide to the biggest share CFD ranges sets out how the field compares.

Knock-Out and Barrier options

Knock-Outs and Barriers are unique to IG among AU retail brokers: defined risk products where the knockout level caps the maximum loss at open. Both are open to retail clients here, and the cost sits inside the product rather than in a separate commission line. No comparison page exists for the class; this section is the site’s coverage of it.

Treasuries and rates

IG and CMC are the two AU brokers with real depth in rates CFDs. The list covers the Australian 10-year bond, US T-Notes, the German Bund and UK Gilts. For how the class works across the AU field, see our guide to treasuries and rates CFDs.

Leverage for AU traders

IG applies the ASIC caps across the CFD account, and the Knock-Out products work differently by design: maximum loss is fixed by the knockout level rather than by margined leverage. The Limited Risk account takes the same idea further and puts a guaranteed stop on every position, so the worst case is known before you place the trade.

ASIC caps retail CFD leverage at 30:1 on major forex pairs, 20:1 on minor pairs, gold and major indices, 10:1 on commodities other than gold, 5:1 on share CFDs and 2:1 on crypto assets. The caps come from a product intervention order that ASIC has extended to 23 May 2027, so they apply at every ASIC broker, not just IG Markets. IG Markets offers higher leverage to wholesale clients who pass the eligibility tests: about 250:1 on major forex, for clients who clear the Corporations Act Wealth Test or Experience Test set out under account types above.

ASIC requires every CFD issuer to close out a retail client’s positions once account equity falls below 50 percent of the total initial margin on all open positions. The rule is set by the product intervention order and applies to IG Markets the same way it applies to every ASIC-licensed CFD issuer. Positions cannot be netted off against each other to reduce that figure, and a gapping market can close a position below the 50 percent level.

If you are weighing that trade-off, read how trading leverage works first, then our comparison of which brokers offer higher leverage.

Customer service

24/7 phone, live chat and email. The 24/7 coverage is rare in the AU market. CMC and Plus500 close at the weekend; IG doesn’t. If you trade weekend crypto or want help during the Asia-Pacific Sunday open, IG is one of a small group that picks up the phone.

Average live chat response in our testing: under 60 seconds during AU business hours, around 90 seconds during the overnight US session. Knowledge of platform features: strong. Knowledge of ASIC-specific tax treatment: agents correctly defer to “speak to your accountant” rather than guess.

Support languages include English, Mandarin, French, German, Italian and Spanish.

Research and education

IG runs one of the deepest research operations of any AU broker. An in-house analyst team publishes daily commentary across forex, indices, commodities and shares.

Research feeds available

• IG analyst daily commentary and weekly outlooks
• Reuters news feed integrated into the IG platform
• MetaTrader Charts (third-party technical setups)
• ProRealTime advanced charting (free if you trade four+ times per month)
• Economic calendar with custom alert support
• Client sentiment data showing position bias on each instrument
• IG TV on YouTube with regular market analysis

Education content

• IG Academy course library covering forex, CFDs, options and shares
• Beginner through advanced levels
• Live webinars on market events and platform features
• Glossary of trading terms

It’s not Bloomberg, but the stack goes well past the norm for a retail-tier broker. If you trade equities and indices alongside forex, the value of integrated Reuters and analyst commentary is real.

How IG compares to alternatives

The direct rival comparison is covered in the CMC vs IG head to head.

Should you open an account with IG Markets?

Open an IG account if range decides it: 17,000 plus markets and 13,000 plus share CFDs is the broadest lineup of any ASIC broker, and the platform stack runs from ProRealTime to DMA through L2 Dealer. Skip it if you run MT5 or cTrader workflows, which the AU entity does not carry, or if overnight share CFD financing costs matter, where IG sits above the market average. Pepperstone covers the modern platform menu and CMC Markets the closest breadth alternative. The demo runs the full web platform. Set it beside the top-rated forex brokers in Australia before you open a live account.

Open an IG Markets demo → (affiliate link, see our advertiser disclosure)