IG Markets Review Australia 2026

IG Markets at a glance: 17 key facts

IG Australia Pty Ltd, ABN 93 096 585 410, holds ASIC AFSL 515106 and has run Australian operations since 2002 under the group’s earlier licence, AFSL 220440. The 17 key facts in the table below cover six regulators.

The two licence numbers in that table are the fact most often confused about this broker, and the trust section below separates them.

IG Markets standard-account spreads, measured

IG Markets standard-account spreads measured 1.13 pips on EUR/USD and 1.62 pips across the eight-pair basket, against an advertised 0.6 pips at the London and New York overlap. The spread capture ran May to June 2026.

That spread gap between advertised and measured is the honest headline. The advertised figure is real at the most liquid hour of the day, and the measured figure is what a full rolling sample returns.

The Forex Direct account is the IG Markets raw-pricing route, a direct market access product open to retail clients in Australia. Its spreads are not in the table above, and that is deliberate: the figures IG publishes for Forex Direct (EUR/USD 0.16 pips, 0.59 across eight pairs) are IG own advertised data carrying IG own footnote, “average spread for the 12 weeks ending 19th March 2019”. IG UK page publishes the identical numbers with no footnote at all, and IG South African page carries the same March 2019 footnote against a different dataset, so the window and the data do not reconcile. They are unmaintained advertised figures rather than a measurement, and they do not belong in a measured column.

Forex Direct is not priced per lot. IG charges a volume-tiered commission in US dollars per US$1 million of notional, billed on top of the market spread rather than instead of it:

The Australian Margin PDS caps it at US$60 per US$1 million traded, converted to the account base currency where that is not USD, with no published per-trade minimum. At the entry tier a standard lot costs roughly US$6 a side. Both accounts appear in the lowest spread brokers in Australia comparison, where Forex Direct placed 15th tightest of the raw accounts we tested and the standard account 20th of 21; the Forex Direct placement rests on the advertised figures above rather than on our own capture.

One practical point the pricing pages do not make obvious: DMA has to be activated on the account, and app users cannot do it themselves. IG own wording is that “you will need to give us a call to request DMA access” (IG Forex Direct, checked 29 July 2026).

The spread cost here runs above a raw account at IC Markets, Pepperstone or Fusion Markets for anyone placing more than a few standard lots a week. Forex pricing is not what this broker competes on.

What it costs to trade with IG Markets

IG Markets charges no separate commission on forex, so what it costs to trade one standard lot of EUR/USD is the 1.13 pip measured spread alone. Share CFDs carry commission plus overnight financing instead.

Share CFD costs

Share CFD pricing is where the IG Markets trading-floor heritage shows. Commission on Australian share CFDs starts at A$10 per trade or 0.10% of trade value, whichever is greater, and US shares from US$15 or 2 cents per share.

The overnight financing charge runs at the relevant benchmark rate, being the RBA cash rate plus 2.5% on AUD-denominated long positions, with a similar structure in other currencies and a reduced benchmark received on short positions. Those financing rates run above the Australian market average.

The financing line dominates the commission on a position held overnight for weeks at a time, and the Interactive Brokers commission-driven model usually works out cheaper at that scale.

Other fees AU traders should check

• Overnight holding cost applies to CFD positions held past 5 PM New York time, direction-dependent, with long positions paying benchmark plus a margin.
• Currency conversion runs 0.50% on any instrument priced outside the account base currency.
• The inactivity fee runs A$25 per quarter after 24 months without trading activity, a more lenient window than the CMC Markets 12 months and a heavier charge once it starts.
• The guaranteed stop-loss premium is charged only when the guaranteed stop triggers, and the premium is shown before the order is placed.

IG Markets trading platforms

IG Markets trading platforms number six routes: the IG web platform, MT4, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer for direct market access, the trading API and native TradingView. The platform list excludes MT5 and cTrader on the Australian entity.

IG web platform (proprietary)

The IG web platform is the flagship and the route most retail clients use, running in browser, on Windows and macOS desktop apps, and on iOS and Android. The platform build is clean and quick, order placement is straightforward, and guaranteed stops and trailing stops work natively. It gives up some technical-analysis depth to the CMC Markets Next Generation platform and covers more product types, with the full 17,000-market range sitting behind it.

ProRealTime and MetaTrader 4

ProRealTime is the premium charting partner, carrying 100+ indicators, multi-timeframe analysis, automated trading through ProBuilder code and dataset access going back decades. The ProRealTime fee is waived for clients trading four or more times a month and charged as a subscription otherwise. MT4 covers legacy expert advisors with the full forex and key CFD ranges, though the MT4 build excludes the full 17,000-instrument range.

L2 Dealer and the trading API

L2 Dealer is the direct market access platform for high-volume share traders, exposing the underlying order book and routing to the exchange where supported rather than internalising against the IG quote. Volume thresholds and additional fees apply, and most retail traders have no use for it. The IG trading API covers REST and streaming, is free with an active account, and supports the full product range.

What IG Markets does not offer

No MT5, no cTrader and no integrated copy or social trading exist on the Australian entity. That platform absence is the single biggest reason an active forex trader picks a competitor here. The IG mobile app is among the better trading apps in the Australian market, with biometric login and full order types.

IG Markets execution speed and slippage

IG Markets execution speed measured around 50ms on market orders in 2026 testing, mid-pack across the brokers timed here, on a market-maker model that internalises flow before hedging the residual.

That pricing model is the structural difference from the ECN brokers on this site. The order flow is matched against the IG book first, and only the residual reaches tier-1 liquidity providers, which is why the latency figure sits behind the 28ms at Pepperstone and the 32ms at IC Markets.

Share CFD and index execution came in faster than the broker average over the same window, and weekend crypto execution was competitive. The L2 Dealer route delivers full exchange execution where available, which is a different model again.

Slippage on the standard CFD account is comparable to the rest of the major Australian market makers, tighter than the field average and looser than the Pepperstone Razor account on forex.

Is IG Markets safe? ASIC AFSL 515106

IG Australia Pty Ltd holds ASIC AFSL 515106, current since 2020, and IG Markets has operated in Australia since 2002 under the group’s original licence, AFSL 220440. The LSE-listed FTSE 250 parent adds FCA, MAS and CIRO oversight.

ASIC regulation and global licences

IG Australia Pty Ltd holds AFSL 515106 with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission. The register records that licence as current since 2 June 2020. The longer Australian presence runs on the earlier licence, AFSL 220440, held by IG Markets Limited, a separate entity within the group. No material ASIC enforcement action or imposed licence condition appears against IG Australia Pty Ltd in the last 36 months.

The licence stack holds five further entries:

• Financial Conduct Authority, UK (Tier 1), the 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

Few retail brokers hold Tier-1 licences in this many jurisdictions. The practical licence effect is that IG Markets operates under multiple capital and disclosure regimes at once, which constrains the regulatory arbitrage weaker brokers sometimes use.

History and ownership

IG Markets was founded by Stuart Wheeler in London in 1974 as Investors Gold Index, to let UK investors trade gold price movements without owning the metal. The business pioneered spread betting in the 1970s and CFDs in the 1990s, listed on the London Stock Exchange in 2000, and is a current FTSE 250 constituent. The Australian operation opened in 2002, so IG entities have been ASIC-regulated for over two decades.

IG Markets client money protection and AFCA membership

IG Markets client money protection combines segregation at an Approved Australian Bank with mandatory negative balance protection, and AFCA membership carries disputes to an external ombudsman at no cost to the client.

Client money accounts sit separate from company funds. AFCA hears claims up to A$1,263,000 and awards compensation up to A$631,500. The Compensation Scheme of Last Resort sits behind that with an A$150,000 cap, and it excludes CFD trading losses, so it covers unpaid awards for misconduct rather than losing trades. The retail protection standard is set out in the guide to protection against negative balances.

One account carve-out matters before a trader chases leverage. The Pro and Wholesale classification surrenders negative balance protection along with the ASIC leverage caps.

The public-company entity structure is the additional protection here. A FTSE 250 constituent files audited annual reports and answers to a market regulator on top of ASIC, and IG Markets traded through the 2008 financial crisis, the 2015 Swiss franc de-pegging, the 2020 volatility spike and the 2022 commodity squeeze while remaining well capitalised. That capital record is a relevant data point rather than a guarantee.

Public reviews

IG holds a Trustpilot rating of 3.8 out of 5 from 9,812 reviews, which Trustpilot labels great, captured August 2026. The profile has been claimed by the broker since March 2016.

Recurring platform praise covers stability, product breadth and support quality. Recurring complaints cover the withdrawal verification delays, the share CFD financing rates and the inactivity fee structure.

What other review sites say

IG Markets' iOS app rates 4.57 out of 5 from 13,726 ratings on the Australian App Store (August 2026), listed as IG Trading: CFDs & Shares.

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

App Store AU

4.57

13,726 ratingsAugust 2026

TradingView

3.6

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

IG Markets account types and minimum deposit

IG Markets account types number four, and the minimum first deposit is A$100 by card, Apple Pay or PayPal, A$10 by BPAY, and A$450 only for an EFT deposit sent with a proof-of-payment upload.

Those tiered deposit figures come from the IG help page dated 10 April 2026. The Limited Risk account is worth knowing about where downside control is the priority, because every position must carry a guaranteed stop, capping the maximum loss at a known figure before the trade is placed.

Pro and wholesale

The Pro and Wholesale account requires the Corporations Act wholesale client criteria through one of two paths: a Wealth Test of net assets over A$2.5 million or income over A$250,000 for two consecutive years plus recent trading, or an Experience Test of income over A$100,000 or savings over A$500,000 plus sufficient volume and a knowledge assessment. Pro leverage rises to 250:1 on major forex and gold and 167:1 on minors, though the MT4 Pro accounts run 200:1 and 133:1 instead, which is why both figures circulate. Either wholesale path surrenders negative balance protection.

Minimum deposit and account notes

Spread betting accounts exist on the IG UK entity and are not available to Australian clients. IG Markets runs no swap-free account, confirmed with the desk in July 2026, so a trader who cannot pay or receive overnight swap needs another broker. The free unlimited demo account runs the full web platform.

IG Markets funding methods and withdrawal times

IG Markets funding methods number seven, and card fees are the exception to the A$0 rule: Visa credit costs 1%, Mastercard credit 0.5%, both 1.5% on non-AUD. Withdrawal processing runs same day on PayPal to three business days on a card refund.

Deposit methods (AU clients)

Three of the seven funding methods carry a percentage charge, which is unusual in this field, because most Australian brokers absorb card costs entirely. Debit card, PayID and bank transfer are the fee-free routes and cover most needs.

Withdrawals

Withdrawals cost A$0 on all standard methods. IG Markets requires withdrawals to use the same source as the deposit where possible, in line with AUSTRAC anti-money-laundering rules. Card refunds clear within one to three business days, bank transfers in one to two, and PayPal same day in testing.

Account opening

Account opening runs fully online and AUSTRAC-compliant, taking one photo identity document and one proof of address. Most Australian applications clear within 24 hours and some within an hour. The account application asks more questions than the lightest-touch onboarding at Plus500 or eToro, which is proportionate given how many products sit behind it.

IG Markets instrument counts across nine asset classes

IG Markets lists more than 17,000 tradeable markets across nine asset classes, including more than 13,000 share CFDs, the broadest count of any ASIC-regulated broker on this site.

Forex runs to 80 plus pairs with six AUD crosses, enough for any Australian strategy though not the cheapest place to run one. Commodities reach 35 plus across metals, energy and agricultural softs. Direct share investing sits in a separate account for investors who want to own shares rather than trade them as CFDs.

Share CFDs and rates

IG Markets 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 share CFD range prices a less-traded LSE mid-cap, a Hong Kong-listed industrial or an ASX small-cap where most Australian brokers cannot quote them at all. CMC Markets and Interactive Brokers are the only realistic alternatives at this level.

IG Markets and CMC Markets are also the two Australian brokers with real depth in rates CFDs, covering the Australian 10-year bond, US T-Notes, the German Bund and UK Gilts.

IG Markets Knock-Out and Barrier options

IG Markets offers Knock-Out and Barrier options to retail clients, a product no other broker in the 32-broker set on this site lists, alongside the 17,000 plus markets on the same login.

Both instruments are defined-risk products. The knockout level caps the maximum loss at the moment the position opens, so the worst case is a known figure rather than a margin calculation that moves with the market. The cost sits inside the product rather than in a separate commission line, and the figure is shown at the point of trade.

That product structure answers a real problem. An ordinary margined account cannot show the worst case in advance, because a gapping market can close a position past the stop. A knockout cannot gap through its own level, because the level is the contract.

No comparison page exists for the class anywhere on this site, so this section is the coverage. The Knock-Out range is genuinely uncommon in the Australian retail market, and it is the clearest thing IG Markets offers that no rival here matches.

IG Markets leverage and margin under ASIC rules

IG Markets leverage and margin operate under a maximum retail leverage of 30:1 on major forex pairs, with lower caps on minors, indices, commodities and cryptocurrency.

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 extended to 23 May 2027, so they apply at every ASIC broker rather than at IG Markets alone.

The Knock-Out margin works differently by design, because maximum loss is fixed by the knockout level rather than by leverage. The Limited Risk account takes the same idea further and puts a guaranteed stop on every position.

The wholesale tier reaches about 250:1 on major forex for clients passing the eligibility tests. Retail margin close-out sits at 50%: ASIC requires every CFD issuer to close a retail client’s positions once account equity falls below half the total initial margin on all open positions, positions cannot be netted against each other to reduce that figure, and a gapping market can close a position below the 50% level. The leverage tier structure is set out in how trading leverage works.

IG Markets customer support

IG Markets customer support runs 24/7 on phone, live chat and email, which two of its closest Australian rivals do not match: CMC Markets and Plus500 both close at the weekend.

Live chat replied in under 60 seconds during Australian business hours in testing and around 90 seconds during the overnight US session. Agent knowledge of platform features is strong, and on Australian tax treatment agents correctly defer to a registered accountant rather than guessing.

The weekend support coverage is the differentiator that matters most to this broker’s audience. The support desk answers a weekend crypto question or an Asia-Pacific Sunday open query where most of the Australian field is closed. That gap is worth more than a few tenths of a pip to a client holding positions over a weekend, and it is the reason the service score sits where it does.

The language range covers English, Mandarin, French, German, Italian and Spanish, which is broad for an Australian-facing desk and reflects the international group behind it.

IG Markets research, tools and education

IG Markets research, tools and education run to eleven components across two stacks, built on an in-house analyst team publishing daily commentary across forex, indices, commodities and shares.

Research feeds

• IG analyst daily commentary and weekly outlooks
• Reuters news feed integrated into the platform
• MetaTrader Charts for third-party technical setups
• ProRealTime advanced charting, free at four or more trades a 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

That stack runs well past the norm for a retail-tier broker, and the integrated Reuters feed and analyst commentary carry real value for a client trading equities and indices alongside forex. The research stack is the deepest of any Australian broker in this coverage.

How IG Markets compares to CMC Markets and Pepperstone

IG Markets lists 17,000 plus markets against 12,000 plus at CMC Markets, and measured 1.13 pips on EUR/USD against 0.10 pips on the Pepperstone Razor account. How IG Markets compares to CMC Markets and Pepperstone splits cleanly: breadth against platform, and breadth against price.

The two longest-running ASIC-regulated CFD accounts are set against each other in CMC Markets vs IG Markets. Both parent companies are LSE-listed with two decades of Australian operation. IG Markets leads on market count, 24/7 support and Knock-Out options; CMC Markets leads on integrated stockbroking and on the proprietary platform.

Pepperstone wins the pricing comparison outright and is not close. A forex-first trader pays materially more here for a range they may never use.

Should you open an IG Markets account?

IG Markets suits multi-asset traders who want 17,000 plus markets and 13,000 plus share CFDs behind one login. Traders running MT5 or cTrader workflows, or holding share CFDs overnight for weeks, are served better elsewhere than by an IG Markets account.

Two groups of trader gain clear value from an IG Markets account. The instrument range reaches markets no other Australian broker prices, from LSE mid-caps to Australian government bonds. The defined-risk range covers Knock-Outs and a Limited Risk account, neither of which has a rival here.

Two groups should look past an IG Markets account. Forex-first traders pay 1.13 pips measured where IC Markets measured 0.15. Overnight share holders pay financing above the market average, and Interactive Brokers is cheaper at scale.

IG Markets ranks 13th among the top-rated forex brokers in Australia on the 2026 scoring, held there by cost rather than by trust, where it scores at the top of the field.

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