WELL-PERFORMING BROKER
Choosing a broker usually means balancing trading costs against execution, platform flexibility, market access and the protection attached to the account. Those factors can look very different once the broker operates through several regulated entities. IC Markets is a useful example: its global brand has evolved to IC, while account conditions still depend heavily on the legal entity and region.
What Is IC Markets? Company Background
IC Markets was founded in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and developed around raw-spread pricing, low-latency infrastructure and third-party trading platforms. In 2026, the global brand began evolving from IC Markets to the shorter IC identity. The move also introduced the ic.com domain, while regional entities continue using the IC Markets name.
The current global site offers more than 2,850 tradable instruments across forex, commodities, stocks, indices, bonds, cryptocurrencies and futures CFDs. The brand also operates through separately regulated businesses in Seychelles, Australia, Cyprus and Kenya. For clients, the company named in the agreement matters more than the logo alone.
Is IC Markets Legit and Safe?
IC Markets has several officially documented regulated entities, but the protections are not identical across them. Traders should match the licence, leverage and client-protection rules to the company that will actually hold their account.
IC Markets Regulation
The global IC and IC Markets Global brands are trading names of Raw Trading Ltd. It is regulated by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority under Securities Dealer licence SD018. In Australia, International Capital Markets Pty Ltd operates under ASIC licence 335692. IC Markets (EU) Ltd is authorised by CySEC under licence 362/18. IC Markets (KE) Limited is regulated by Kenya's Capital Markets Authority under licence 199.
This structure gives the brand regulated coverage in several jurisdictions, but it does not create one universal rulebook. For example, retail leverage is capped at 1:30 under the Australian and EU businesses, while the global Seychelles site advertises substantially higher leverage. The contracting entity therefore changes both trading conditions and the protections available to the client.
How Are Client Funds Protected?
Raw Trading Ltd states that client money is held in segregated accounts with top-tier banking institutions and is not used for operating expenses. The Australian business also holds client money in segregated client trust accounts. The EU entity likewise keeps client funds separate from company money under its client-money rules.
Protection beyond segregation depends on entity and client classification. Eligible EU retail clients may be covered by the Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund up to €20,000 and receive negative balance protection. Australian retail CFD clients also receive negative balance protection. By contrast, Raw Trading Ltd's global risk disclosure says losses can sometimes exceed the amount deposited. EU or Australian protections should therefore not be assumed for a global account.
Restricted Countries
The global Raw Trading Ltd site excludes residents of the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Iran and North Korea. It also excludes jurisdictions where distribution would violate local law. Regional entities apply their own scope. The Australian business onboards Australian residents. The EU site excludes residents of Brazil, Belgium, the United Kingdom and the United States.
IC Markets Fees and Trading Costs
IC Markets uses both spread-only and raw-spread pricing. The better fit depends on whether a trader prefers a simple all-in spread or is willing to pay a separate commission for tighter quoted pricing.
Spreads, Commissions and Swap Fees
On the global site, the MetaTrader Raw Spread account starts from 0.0 pips and averages 0.1 pips on EUR/USD. Commission is $3.50 per standard lot per side, or $7 round turn. The Standard account is commission-free and starts from 0.8 pips. This makes Raw Spread easier to evaluate for frequent trading because the commission is explicit, while Standard rolls more of the cost into the spread.
A newer account overview also lists early-access Raw Pro and Raw Pro+ accounts. Their MetaTrader commissions are $1.50 and $1.00 per standard lot per side respectively, but the listed minimum deposits rise to $5,000 and $100,000. These tiers are therefore aimed at traders who can justify a larger capital commitment in exchange for lower per-lot commission.
Swap charges vary by instrument and direction. On the global schedule, FX, metals, bonds and commodity CFDs use triple swaps on Wednesday, while energies, indices and cryptocurrencies use triple swaps on Friday. Current long and short rates are available inside the trading platform, which is more useful than relying on a fixed website figure that can change.
Non-Trading Fees
The global help centre states that IC does not charge an inactivity fee. Its current forex pages also advertise no IC fee for bank-transfer and card funding or withdrawals, subject to the payment-method terms. Some withdrawal routes can still involve bank or provider charges, so the final cost should be checked against the method shown in the Client Area.
One detail deserves confirmation before funding. The global account overview lists a $0 minimum for Standard and core Raw Spread accounts. Another official forex FAQ says $200 gives full access to all markets. Verify the live funding requirement in the application portal. Neither figure should be treated as universal across every route and region.
IC Markets Trading Platforms
Platform choice is one of IC Markets' stronger practical features because traders are not tied to a single proprietary terminal. The current global offering includes MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader and TradingView, with desktop, web and mobile access varying by platform.
MT4 and MT5 are the natural choices for traders using Expert Advisors and the MQL ecosystem. IC's MetaTrader servers are located in Equinix NY4, and the broker adds tools such as Trading Central, Autochartist and MultiTerminal. cTrader provides a C#-based environment and its own copy-trading tools, while TradingView adds browser-based charting, alerts and community indicators.
There is one important platform condition: the global site currently allows TradingView trading only through a cTrader Raw account. Choosing an account before checking platform compatibility can create an avoidable restriction. It is better to confirm the platform first.
IC Markets Trading Conditions
Markets and Products: The global IC site currently advertises more than 2,850 instruments. They span forex, commodities, stock CFDs, indices, bonds, cryptocurrencies and futures CFDs. More than 2,100 are stock CFDs. This breadth suits traders who want several CFD asset classes inside one platform ecosystem. It reduces the need for separate accounts by market.
Leverage and Margin: Maximum leverage is highly entity- and product-dependent. The Seychelles global site advertises leverage up to 1:5000, with lower caps on some products and platforms. EU and Australian retail accounts cap major-forex leverage at 1:30. The Kenya entity offers up to 1:400. A leverage figure on one regional site should therefore never be assumed to apply to another IC Markets account.
Order Execution: IC describes itself as the issuer of its CFD products and notes that its licence permits it to make a market. At the same time, the broker says it uses an ECN pricing model and does not run a proprietary trading book. It sources prices from unrelated liquidity providers. Its global MetaTrader material refers to pricing from up to 25 sources and average execution below 40 milliseconds. This is more precise than simply labelling IC Markets an “ECN broker.”
IC Markets Research, Education and Support
IC Markets combines third-party analysis tools with its own market content. MetaTrader users can access Trading Central and Autochartist, while the wider site includes market analysis, an economic calendar and current trading updates. These tools are most useful for traders who want analysis alongside execution without moving entirely to a separate research service.
Education includes video tutorials and recurring webinars covering market analysis, strategy, risk management and trading psychology. The 2026 webinar schedule includes English, Spanish, Arabic, Thai, Mandarin and Bahasa sessions. That gives the education offering broader regional reach than an English-only library.
The global support team is available 24/7 through live chat, phone and email, with multilingual assistance advertised across the site and app. For automated traders, IC also offers VPS options. Its sponsored Standard VPS tier begins at 15 monthly lots in forex and precious metals.
Who Is IC Markets Best For?
IC Markets is most clearly aligned with traders who can make practical use of raw pricing, automation, specialist platforms or social-trading tools. Its suitability is less about one headline spread and more about how those features match a specific workflow.
Scalpers and Algorithmic Traders
Scalpers and algorithmic traders are a strong fit for IC Markets because the broker explicitly permits scalping and automated trading. Raw Spread pricing starts from 0.0 pips, MetaTrader supports EAs, and the NY4 server setup is designed for low-latency execution. Sponsored VPS access for qualifying trading volume adds another practical option for strategies that need to run continuously.
Copy Traders
Copy traders have several routes rather than one closed ecosystem. The global site lists IC Social, cTrader Copy, ZuluTrade, MyfxBook AutoTrade and Signal Start. That range gives users flexibility to choose between app-based social trading and third-party strategy networks, although availability can still depend on entity, platform and region.
Beginners
Beginners can start with a commission-free Standard account, demo access, video tutorials and regular webinars. The platform setup is still more technical than a simple single-app broker. It suits newer traders who want to learn MetaTrader, cTrader or TradingView workflows. They should also understand leverage, margin and entity-specific account conditions.
IC Markets Pros and Cons
Pros
- Flexible raw pricing: the core MetaTrader Raw Spread account averages 0.1 pips on EUR/USD and charges $3.50 per side, making costs easier to calculate.
- Broad platform choice: MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView support manual, automated and browser-based workflows without forcing every trader onto one proprietary terminal.
- Strong automation support: Expert Advisors, C# automation, NY4 infrastructure and sponsored VPS options give systematic traders several ways to run strategies continuously.
- Wide CFD market range: the global site lists more than 2,850 instruments across seven major CFD categories, supporting multi-market trading in one ecosystem.
- Multi-jurisdiction structure: regulated entities in Seychelles, Australia, Cyprus and Kenya give clients several regional operating frameworks, subject to local eligibility.
- Round-the-clock support: the global business advertises 24/7 multilingual assistance through live chat, phone and email.
Cons
- Conditions vary by entity: leverage and client protections differ across Seychelles, Australia, the EU and Kenya, so the contracting company should be checked before funding.
- Third-party platform focus: core trading relies on MT4, MT5, cTrader and TradingView, which may feel less direct to users seeking one proprietary desktop platform.
Summary
IC Markets is best suited to traders who value raw-spread pricing, established third-party platforms, automation and access to a broad CFD range. Scalpers, EA users and copy traders have the clearest feature match, while beginners may need more time to learn the platform and margin setup. Before opening an account, the most important check is the legal entity shown in the application because regulation, leverage and account protection change by region.
Editorial transparency: IC Markets is reviewed as a partner broker. Factual claims were checked against official IC/IC Markets pages, legal disclosures and regulator records; third-party review pages were used only to benchmark topic coverage.
Last updated: September 2026.
