Best Forex Brokers for Professional Traders
Expert traders require maximum performance and professional services. We selected brokers that offer cutting-edge trading technologies, high liquidity, instant order execution, and specialized trading platforms. Access to analytical tools and high-quality support for VIP clients are also important aspects.
In the table below, we’ve listed the top Forex brokers for professional traders to help you compare their trading conditions.
For anyone planning to work and earn on Forex, the most important task is choosing the right company to provide market access. However, the best Forex brokers for professional traders are usually quite different from those offering optimal conditions for beginners. This difference is primarily determined by the trader’s status.
Trade Nation
Trade Nation has been operating in the industry since 2014 and has won more than 40 industry awards at various events. It holds licenses from five regulators: the UK’s FCA, Australia’s ASIC, South Africa’s FSCA, the SCB of the Bahamas, and the FSA of the Seychelles.
The company offers trading in currency pairs, commodity assets, and stock markets. For example, the minimum spread for the EUR/USD pair is 0.3 pips, which is much better than many competitors.
Traders can execute trades using the company’s proprietary TN Trader platform, as well as TradingView and MetaTrader 4 from MetaQuotes. All software is fully functional, allowing for the development and integration of custom indicators and trading robots.
Liquidity and order execution are supported by the broker’s own funds. However, even professional traders do not have any complaints about the execution of large orders. The fact that the company can handle any requests is evidenced by its sponsorship of well-known sports clubs, such as Aston Villa Football Club, Somerset County Cricket Club, and George and Darelle, who competed in the 2024 Porsche Sprint Challenge.
Fusion Markets
Fusion Markets is a regulated Forex/CFD broker that has been serving clients for nearly 15 years. The company operates under the supervision of regulators from Vanuatu (VFSC) and Australia (ASIC). With the international license from VFSC, it serves traders from almost all countries worldwide (except the USA and certain others on the UN sanctions list).
A distinctive feature of the broker is its range of accounts, including the Zero Account and the Standard Account. Both accounts have no minimum deposit requirement (though clients must have enough funds to meet margin requirements for open positions). The Zero Account allows trading with zero spreads and a full trading commission (for opening and closing trades) starting at $4.5 per standard lot. The Standard Account enables commission-free trading, with spreads starting from 0.9 pips (for the EUR/USD currency pair). The company does not charge other fees, such as for deposits or maintaining inactive accounts.
Traders can trade over 250 instruments, including:
- Currency pairs.
- Commodities and raw materials.
- Stocks and indices.
- Cryptocurrencies.
The minimum trade size for each asset is 0.01 standard lot. Fusion Markets does not differentiate between retail and professional traders. For all clients under the jurisdiction of the Australian regulator, leverage ranges from 1:2 for cryptocurrencies to 1:30 for Forex pairs. For accounts under the international company regulated by VFSC, the maximum leverage is 1:500. This offers professional traders the opportunity to significantly increase their trading profitability, provided they strictly adhere to risk management rules.
The platforms available for trading include:
- MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5.
- TradingView.
- cTrader.
Clients who prefer copy trading can use the company’s proprietary DupliTrade platform. All terminals meet the requirements of professional market participants: they allow the development and integration of custom indicators and expert advisors, support multiple chart windows simultaneously, and come with a wide range of technical indicators and graphical tools.
The range of payment methods available to clients is quite extensive, including bank transfers, VISA/MasterCard transactions, and cryptocurrency payments. Additionally, many electronic payment systems are available, primarily for clients from Asian countries. Each of these requires full client authorization. The security of transactions is ensured by modern encryption algorithms, and client funds are held in segregated accounts at HSBC and National Australia Bank (NAB).
CMC Markets
CMC Markets has been operating in the market for 35 years (since 1989). The group’s shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange (ticker LSE: CMCX) and are included in the FTSE 250 index. Over time, the company has opened offices in 12 countries and gained a solid client base of more than 1 million traders.
The company’s own assets enable it to execute client orders without involving external liquidity providers. For example, in 2024 alone, net operating income grew by 15%, exceeding £332 million.
CMC Markets offers various trading options:
- Spread betting.
- CFD trading.
- FX Active.
- Options trading.
- Shares investing.
There are over 12,000 trading instruments available (currency pairs, commodity assets, stocks, and indices). Professional traders can also trade crypto assets. Those who prefer investing have access to more than 45,000 shares and ETFs.
There are no minimum deposit requirements for any of the accounts. The maximum leverage for retail traders is 1:30, while for professional traders, it is up to 1:200 (when trading under the UK branch). The minimum spread for currency pairs is 0.7 pips. Traders are exempt from most commissions.
All companies in the group operate under licenses from reputable financial regulators, including FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), BaFin (Germany, EU), and others. In accordance with existing laws and regulatory documents, registered clients are guaranteed partial or full refunds in the event of force majeure. For instance, in the UK, FSTS protects deposit amounts up to £85,000.
The proprietary Next Generation trading platform (web-based) has repeatedly been recognized as the best in the industry. It guarantees order execution within 3 milliseconds (as confirmed by 2022 audit data on the average execution speed), which is one of the best performance metrics in the industry. Practically all accounts allow traders to choose between this platform and the popular MetaTrader 4 terminal.
Spreadex
Spreadex is a company that offers users the opportunity to earn from sports betting and trading in financial markets. Founded in 1999, the broker currently has over 60,000 clients.
The platform offers traders two types of trading: spread betting and Forex/CFD trading. The trading conditions for both are almost identical: no minimum deposit requirements, maximum leverage up to 1:30 (for major currency pairs), and tight spreads (starting from 0.6 pips for the EUR/USD pair). These conditions comply with the requirements of the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), under whose supervision the company operates.
Professional traders can receive more favorable conditions, including increased leverage. However, obtaining this status with the broker requires more than just completing a questionnaire; the trader must also meet two of the following three criteria:
- Execute at least 10 significant trades (from £10,000 for stocks or £40,000 for indices) in each of the last four quarters.
- Have an investment portfolio worth at least €500,000.
- Work in a financial organization in a position that requires knowledge of trading derivatives for at least one year.
Trades can be made with over 10,000 assets. The range of instruments typically offered by most brokers is expanded with bonds, interest rates, and ETFs.
Trading is conducted on the proprietary Spreadex platform, which is characterized by:
- Enhanced features for displaying price charts.
- Automatic trendline construction and recognition of standard patterns.
- Over 70 technical analysis indicators in the default set.
- The ability to create, edit, and save templates.
Additionally, clients can use the TradingView terminal, which is well-known for its advantages.
The broker operates on a Dealing Desk (DD) model, acting as the sole counterparty to its clients’ trades. Nonetheless, it has sufficient funds to execute orders of any volume.
FP Markets
FP Markets is a Forex/CFD broker founded in 2005 in Australia. The company has received multiple industry awards and operates in several countries. It is licensed by reputable regulators: ASIC (Australia), CySEC (Cyprus), and FSCA (South Africa).
Traders can make deals with nearly 10,000 trading instruments, including currency pairs, commodities, stocks, bonds, indices, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies. For most clients, the maximum leverage is capped at 1:30 (in compliance with regulatory requirements for retail clients). Professional traders can trade with significantly higher leverage:
- Up to 1:500 for balances up to €20,000.
- Up to 1:400 for balances up to €50,000.
- Up to 1:300 for balances up to €100,000.
- Up to 1:200 for balances up to €200,000.
- Up to 1:100 with no limits.
To obtain professional trader status, the standard requirements (2 out of 3) must be met:
- Execute at least 10 trades of at least 1 standard lot each in each of the previous four quarters (documentary proof required).
- Own an asset portfolio of at least €500,000 (documentary proof required).
- Have worked for at least one year in a financial organization in a position requiring knowledge of derivatives trading.
Traders are offered using MetaTrader 4/5, cTrader, or TradingView terminals. All platforms offer an excellent set of tools for technical and graphical analysis and allow the development and integration of custom indicators and trading robots.
European clients are guaranteed deposit insurance in accordance with CySEC requirements (other regulators do not set such conditions). To ensure the security of financial transactions, modern encryption protocols and only reliable payment methods are used (bank transfers, credit/debit cards, electronic systems such as PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, with full user verification).
FxPro
FxPro is an international Forex/CFD broker that entered the market in 2006. Since then, the company has attracted over 7.8 million clients from 173 countries, executed more than 635 million orders, and received 112 industry awards and accolades.
Today, the broker operates as a group of companies licensed by four financial regulators: FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus), FSCA (South Africa), and the Securities Commission of The Bahamas. The latter supervises FxPro Global Markets Limited, which has less stringent restrictions for clients, particularly regarding leverage size.
On its official website, the broker claims to provide professional trading conditions to all clients, including:
- Tight and stable spreads (from 0.6 pips for the EUR/USD pair).
- A minimum (from 1 pip) distance for setting stop-limit orders.
- Full negative balance protection.
- Fast order execution (12 milliseconds or less).
- Reliable financial transactions with verified payment methods and complete security of client funds stored in segregated accounts.
Accounts opened under the supervision of FCA, ASIC, and FSCA strictly comply with risk limitation requirements for traders. As a result, retail clients receive a maximum leverage of up to 1:30. To increase this leverage, they must either meet the requirements for obtaining professional status or register an account with FxPro Global Markets Limited, where retail clients can enjoy leverage up to 1:200 and professional clients up to 1:500.
The company offers traders several platforms to choose from:
- A proprietary platform.
- MetaTrader 4/5.
- cTrader.
Each platform has its advantages. Unfortunately, FxPro does not allow registered users to open accounts for different platforms simultaneously. However, this is not a significant issue for traders: they may choose the native platform for quick order execution and access to all possible assets, cTrader for effective Forex trading, and MetaTrader 5 for maximum comfort.
Although the group’s own capital exceeds 100 million euros, FxPro has moved away from the Dealing Desk (DD) model and does not act as a counterparty to client trades. It operates as an NDD-STP broker, earning through spreads and commissions.
IC Markets
IC Markets is another major Forex/CFD broker, providing the most favorable trading conditions for both retail and professional traders. The company has been operating since 2007, serving over 200,000 traders with a monthly turnover exceeding 1.5 trillion dollars.
Today, IC Markets is the trading name of a group of companies licensed by ASIC (Australia), CySEC (Cyprus), and SFSA (Seychelles). The latter, known as IC Markets Global, serves clients from almost every country worldwide. Due to the more lenient requirements of its regulator, the broker can offer any user accounts with characteristics similar to (and, in some cases, more favorable than) PRO accounts under the supervision of Australian and European regulators. For example, on the Raw Spread and Standard accounts opened with this company, traders receive:
- Spreads starting from 0 pips (Raw Spread) or zero trading commissions (Standard).
- A minimum deposit of $200.
- A minimum trade volume of 0.01 standard lots.
- Maximum leverage up to 1:500.
For users registered with the Australian and European branches, the maximum leverage for retail clients is 1:30, while there is no limit for professionals.
Another important factor for professional traders is the guarantee of client funds’ safety. This guarantee applies to accounts opened under CySEC’s aegis, although ASIC does not impose such requirements. However, the company voluntarily ensures accounts opened with IC Markets Global up to 1 million USD per client.
Regarding trading platforms, the broker offers traders a great selection of terminals, including:
- MetaTrader 4/5.
- cTrader.
- TradingView.
All platforms allow the connection of custom indicators and using trading robots without restrictions. It’s no surprise that 60% of all trades are executed automatically, according to the broker’s statistics.
What Pro Traders Should Know
A professional trader is a special official status. It cannot be obtained simply by having 10 years of trading experience or by switching between dozens of brokers. The status is granted when specific requirements are met. We’ve mentioned these before, but it’s worth repeating. You can become a professional trader if:
- You execute at least 10 “significant volume” trades during each of the last four quarters.
- You have assets worth at least 500,000 euros in your portfolio.
- You have worked for at least one year in a financial institution, specifically handling transactions with CFDs or other derivatives.
Additionally, it’s important to know that:
- “Significant volumes” may be interpreted differently by different brokers. Typically, it refers to trades of at least one standard lot.
- You don’t have to make these trades with the company where you’re applying for professional status. It is enough to provide documentary evidence of such trades, which can be executed across different markets and with various brokers.
- The portfolio worth of 500,000 euros (or its equivalent) does not necessarily have to be held with the broker granting the status. A document, such as a bank statement, confirming the existence of these assets is sufficient.
- You need to meet at least two out of the three requirements.
- A broker may grant a client professional trader status if they have held the same status with another company and can provide documentary proof. However, each case is reviewed individually.
The main difference between professional accounts and those opened for retail traders is the absence of strict risk limits. Therefore, the maximum leverage on PRO accounts is several times higher than on standard accounts. For example, the UK’s FCA caps leverage for retail clients at 1:30 for major currency pairs, while professional accounts may offer 1:200-1:400. Some reputable regulators allow leverage up to 1:500.
As we’ve established, professional trader status does not depend on the size of a deposit with a specific broker or the success of a client’s trades. Additionally, some protective measures against increased risks may not apply. Brokers may also exclude such clients from compensation programs and funds, especially if they are created by the companies themselves.
A trader with PRO status can renounce it at any time. All they need to do is contact the broker’s support team with a corresponding request.
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Conclusion
