Swissquote vs IFC Markets 2023

Swissquote is a publicly traded company, operates a regulated bank, and is authorised by five tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), one tier-2 regulator (Trusted), zero tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and zero tier-4 regulators (High Risk). Swissquote is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Monetary Authority of Sinagpore (MAS), Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the European Union Authorized (MiFID).

IFC Markets is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. IFC Markets is authorised by zero Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), zero Tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). IFC Markets is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: BVI Financial Services Commission (FSC).

Traders choose Swissquote for its quality research and vast multi-asset offering – as long as they are willing to pay a premium to have their brokerage account held with a Swiss bank.

IFC Markets is a well-established broker that has been in operation for 17 years. Forex traders at ICF Markets gain access to multiple trading platforms, a growing range of tradeable markets, and a balanced offering of research and educational content. However, IFC Markets’ Trust Score suffers due to the broker’s limited range of regulatory licenses.

To open a forex trading account with Swissquote, you'll need to make an initial minimum deposit of $1000.

Swissquote requires a minimum deposit of $1 before you can open an account and start trading forex.

It's important to make sure that your forex broker accepts the funding options and deposit methods that work best for you. Swissquote offers Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) and Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) for banking, whereas IFC Markets provides Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) and Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw). Neither have Neteller (Deposit/Withdraw)

Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spread data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough, data-driven testing of each broker's commissions and fees, we found that IFC Markets offers better pricing overall for traders.

Methodology: When testing each broker's commissions, fees, and pricing, we analyze multiple trade scenarios and award points based on the expansiveness (or inexpensiveness) of the broker's spreads. We then run multiple scenarios for different investor types, incorporating any miscellaneous fees, to determine an "all-in" cost per trade. Learn more about how we test.

At ForexBrokers.com, we track over 100 international regulatory agencies to help you choose the most well-regulated, highly trusted forex brokers. Learn more about our proprietary Trust Score rating system. Based on our research on the regulatory status of over 60 brokers, we've found that Swissquote holds 5 global Tier-1 licenses, while IFC Markets holds 0. Swissquote holds 1 global Tier-2 licenses, while IFC Markets holds 0.

After evaluating each broker based on their number of held licenses, years in business, and a range of other data-driven variables, we've determined that Swissquote (99) earned a higher Trust Score than IFC Markets (67).

To compare the trading platforms of both Swissquote and IFC Markets, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Swissquote offers a better experience. With research, Swissquote offers superior market research. Finally, we found Swissquote to provide better mobile trading apps.

Here’s what trading platforms are available at Swissquote:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - Yes
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

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Here’s what trading platforms are available at IFC Markets:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - Yes
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

The MetaTrader trading platform suite is wildly popular among forex and CFD traders across the globe. Both Swissquote and IFC Markets offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4). Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. Swissquote and IFC Markets both offer copy trading.

Swissquote provides traders 78 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to IFC Markets's 49 available pairs. If you are interested in trading CFDs, IFC Markets offers traders access to 630 CFDs, while Swissquote offers access to 472 CFDs; so IFC Markets offers 158 more CFDs than Swissquote.

We found in our testing that IFC Markets offers a more diverse selection of investment options than Swissquote, allowing you to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs), U.S. Stocks (CFD), Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD), Cryptocurrency (Physical) and Social Trading / Copy Trading. Neither have Spread Betting.