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Trading forex (currencies) in South Africa is popular among residents. While recommended, forex brokers are not required to become authorised by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) to accepts residents of South Africa as customers.
The Financial Sector Conduct Authority is the financial regulatory body in South Africa. Website: https://www.fsca.co.za. We recommend South Africa residents also follow the FSCA on Twitter, https://twitter.com/fsca_za.
The FSCA was established in 2018 as the successor to the Financial Services Board (FSB). The FSB had previously regulated South Africa since 1990. For a historical breakdown, here's a link to the Financial Services Board webpage on Wikipedia.
Best Forex Brokers South Africa
To find the best forex broker in South Africa, we created a list of all brokers that list South Africa as a country they accept new customers from. We then ranked brokers by their Trust Score.
Here is our list of the best forex brokers in South Africa.
- IG - Best Overall, Most Trusted
- Saxo Bank - Best Web Platform, Research
- FOREX.com - Great All-around, Low Costs
- City Index - Well-rounded Offering
- Swissquote - Best Banking Services
- Plus500 - 3.0 Stars
South Africa Forex Brokers Comparison
| Forex Broker | Accepts ZA Residents | Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | Minimum Initial Deposit | Trust Score | Overall | Open Account |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IG | Yes | 0.750 | £250.00 | 99 | Visit Site | |
| Swissquote | Yes | N/A | €500.00 | 99 | N/A | |
| Saxo Bank | Yes | 0.900 | $2,000.00 | 98 | N/A | |
| FOREX.com | Yes | 0.770 | $250.00 | 91 | Open Account | |
| City Index | Yes | 0.770 | £100.00 | 91 | N/A | |
| Plus500 | Yes | 0.600 | €100 | 90 | N/A | |
| XTB | Yes | 0.900 | $250.00 | 90 | N/A | |
| Markets.com | Yes | 1.900 | $100 | 90 | N/A | |
| eToro | Yes | 3.00 | $200 | 88 | N/A | |
| easyMarkets | Yes | 1.800 | $100.00 | 81 | N/A | |
| Pepperstone | Yes | 1.160 | $200.00 | 79 | N/A | |
| LCG | Yes | 1.450 | $0.00 | 79 | N/A | |
| XM Group | Yes | 1.600 | $5-100 | 78 | N/A | |
| ThinkMarkets | Yes | N/A | $250.00 | 77 | N/A | |
| Vantage FX | Yes | 1.400 | $100 | 74 | N/A | |
| IC Markets | Yes | 1.100 | $200 | 72 | N/A | |
| Alpari | Yes | 0.92 | $100.00 | 69 | N/A | |
| ForexTime | Yes | 0.80 | $100 | 69 | N/A | |
| UFX | Yes | 3.00 | $100 | 68 | N/A | |
| iTrader | Yes | 0.700 | $250 | 68 | N/A | |
| Instaforex | Yes | N/A | $1 | 66 | N/A | |
| FX Choice | Yes | N/A | $100 | 54 | N/A |
How to Verify FSCA Authorisation
To identify if a forex broker is authorised by the FSCA, the first step is to identify the FSP registration number from the disclosure text at the bottom of the broker's homepage. For example, here's the key disclosure text from IG’s website,
IG is a trading name of IG Markets Ltd and IG Markets South Africa Limited. International accounts are offered by IG Markets Limited in the UK (FCA Number 195355), a juristic representative of IG Markets South Africa Limited (FSP No 41393). South African residents are required to obtain the necessary tax clearance certificates in line with their foreign investment allowance.
Next, look up the FSP number on the financial register available on the FSCA’s website to validate that the broker is currently authorized in South Africa.
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