Best Forex Brokers in the UK for 2024

Some of the best forex brokers from around the world hold regulatory licenses with the FCA. We’ve tested over 60 of the best international brokers in the industry and conducted thorough research into each broker’s range of regulatory licenses to determine their individual Trust Scores. Of the brokers that are regulated by the FCA, we’ve selected the following brokers as the Top 5 most trusted forex brokers in the U.K. in 2024:

1. IG

99 Trust Score - Most trusted broker in 2024, Best Overall Broker in 2024

IG is fully regulated by the FCA and holds dozens of regulatory licenses from major regulatory agencies around the globe. IG is also publicly traded and well-capitalized, and we’ve consistently ranked it as one of the most trusted brokers in the industry. In fact, IG won the coveted top ranking for our Trust Score category for the ForexBrokers.com 2024 Annual Awards. Check out our in-depth review of IG to learn more about why IG was our top-ranked forex broker in 2024.

Check out a gallery of screenshots from IG's trading platforms, taken by our research team during our product testing.

2. Swissquote

99 Trust Score - Great all-around forex broker, operates a Swiss bank

Swissquote is regulated by multiple Tier-1 regulators and also operates not one, but two banks (forex brokers that operate banks undergo considerable due diligence to ensure the bank will be viable and sustainable as a custodian and potential fiduciary). Swissquote also took the #1 spot for Best Banking Services in the ForexBrokers.com 2024 Annual Awards. Read our full-length review of Swissquote to find out more.

Take a look at a gallery of screenshots from Swissquote's trading platforms, taken by our research team during our product testing.

3. Interactive Brokers

99 Trust Score - Publicly traded and well-capitalized, earned our top 2024 Annual Award for Offering of Investments

Founded in 1977, Interactive Brokers is publicly traded (NASDAQ: IBKR) and regulated in nine Tier-1 jurisdictions. Interactive Brokers is well-capitalized with USD 373.8 billion of ending client equity and USD 10.01 billion of equity capital. Learn more by reading our full-length review of Interactive Brokers.

Here are some screenshots of Interactive Brokers' trading platforms, taken by our research team during our product testing.

4. Saxo

99 Trust Score - Operates three banks, earned our top 2024 Annual Award for Platforms & Tools

Saxo operates three fully regulated banks and is licensed in seven Tier-1 jurisdictions across more than a dozen international jurisdictions. Saxo holds over €85 billion in client assets and has been in operation for over thirty years. Check out our full-length review of Saxo to learn more.

Browse a gallery of screenshots from Saxo's trading platforms, taken by our research team during our product testing.

5. CMC Markets

99 Trust Score - Publicly traded, won our 2024 Annual Award for #1 Most Currency Pairs

CMC Markets is regulated by some of the most important global financial regulators, including five Tier-1 jurisdictions. CMC Markets is also publicly traded – to become publicly traded, brokers must make numerous public disclosures for compliance purposes. Read our full-length review of CMC Markets.

Check out some screenshots from CMC Market's trading platforms, taken by our research team during our product testing.

First, select a trustworthy U.K. forex broker regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Next, open and fund your new brokerage account, and fill out the order ticket to place a trade. Most online brokers offer demo accounts so you can practice with virtual currency and become familiar with how the trading platform works before funding your account with real money.

More details: Choosing an FCA-regulated broker will ensure that you are entitled to any applicable legal protections. To be FCA-regulated in the U.K., brokers must comply with a strict list of requirements.

To verify if a forex broker is licensed to operate in the United Kingdom (U.K.), the first step is to identify the register number from the disclosure text at the bottom of the broker's U.K. homepage. For example, here's the key disclosure text from IG's website:

Both IG Markets Ltd (Register number 195355) and IG Index Ltd (Register number 114059) are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority."

Next, look up the firm on the FCA website to validate the register number is, in fact, legitimate. Here is the official FCA page for IG Markets Limited.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates U.K.-based brokers that legally offer forex and other derivatives to retail and professional traders. According to the regulator’s official website, the FCA regulates the conduct of 50,000 firms across the U.K. and prudentially supervises 48,000 firms.

The FCA aims to enforce compliance and ensure that firms are following the rules and regulations set forth in the FCA handbook. In extraordinary circumstances, the FCA can take emergency action and prevent brokers from opening new trades for customers, or suspend (or even revoke) a broker’s license if there have been substantial compliance failures and/or violations.

Like any financial markets regulator, the FCA’s role is to protect investors (including forex traders) and to uphold market integrity within the U.K. forex trading industry. The FCA is a strict regulator with stringent rules and regulations, which has contributed to our ranking of the FCA as a Tier-1 regulatory agency. Learn more about regulators and our tiered ranking system by visiting our Trust Score page.

For beginners in the U.K., IG is the best choice for forex trading. IG’s trading platforms are not only easy to use, but they are also backed by the broker’s award-winning educational resources, making it ideal for first-time traders. IG won #1 Education in the ForexBrokers.com 2024 Annual Awards thanks to its vast range of educational materials—videos, webinars, courses, and even a dedicated mobile app for learning. These resources are designed to help traders of all experience levels, ensuring that beginners get a strong foundation in forex before making trades.

On top of its educational excellence, IG is a highly trusted and reliable broker. It is publicly traded and regulated in eight Tier-1 jurisdictions, offering both security and credibility. Over the past decade, I’ve consistently rated IG as one of the top brokers, and it was also named #1 Overall Broker in the ForexBrokers.com 2024 Annual Awards. IG’s commitment to education, reliability, and overall excellence makes it the top pick for new traders in the U.K.

Yes, forex trading is legal in the U.K. and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA requires that brokers obtain proper licensing and authorization in order to legally offer forex trading to clients.

FCA-regulated brokers: Per the FCA’s handbook, forex is a regulated activity. As such, brokers that handle customer deposits and arrange and/or deal in investments – whether acting as the principal or agent – must hold proper authorization from the FCA.

Deposit insurance: FCA-regulated forex brokers also provide certain compensation rights to retail customers in the extraordinary event of insolvency or bankruptcy. The U.K.’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) provides up to 85,000 GBP of protection per eligible person.

Professional clients: It’s important to note that U.K. clients that have been designated as professional traders do not receive any such protections from the FSCS.

Avoiding potential scams: Since forex trading requires that brokers obtain proper licenses with the FCA, you must be certain that your broker is FCA-regulated to avoid falling victim to a potential scam. Learn more by reading our guide to avoiding forex scams in 2024.

From among all brokers that we have reviewed that are regulated by the FCA, IG is the best forex broker in the U.K. in 2024. IG is fully regulated by the FCA and holds dozens of regulatory licenses from major regulatory agencies around the globe. IG is also publicly traded and well-capitalized, and we’ve consistently ranked it as one of the most trusted brokers in the industry. In fact, IG won the coveted top ranking for our Trust Score category for our 2024 Annual Awards.

IG offers a substantial range of markets, powerful trading platforms and mobile apps, an impressive array of high-quality market research, and excellent educational content for beginner traders and investors (beginner U.K. forex traders can check out our beginners guide to forex trading). Overall, IG is our top choice for U.K. residents in 2024.

IG is the best share dealing broker in the U.K. in 2024. In addition to being regulated in the U.K. by the FCA, IG delivers an excellent share dealing experience with competitive U.K. commission rates and the ability to buy and sell U.S. shares, commission-free when you place at least 3 trades per quarter (requires instant conversion to be enabled for multi-currency accounts). Traders at IG gain access to powerful trading tools, multiple user-friendly mobile apps, exceptional educational resources, and share dealing rates that are amongst the cheapest of all brokers that offer ISA accounts.

Yes, U.K. residents must report their worldwide income in the U.K. – including any gains from forex trading. That said, there is an exception for tax obligations if you are trading forex via spread betting. Gains from forex spread betting are tax-free for U.K. residents, while gains from regular forex trading are not exempt, and are taxed accordingly. Additionally, forex trades do not incur the U.K.’s stamp duty tax obligation, which applies to any online or offline share trading.

It’s also worth mentioning that there is a small tax exemption of up to £1,000 provided by the U.K. tax authority HM Revenue and Customs (HRMC) available to certain individuals. If your capital gains from trading over a calendar year do not exceed £1,000, you may not need to pay taxes on that income (though you may have to register for a self-assessment with the HRMC).

Note: Claiming this exemption may prevent you from claiming other exemptions of greater value (such as capital allowances). It’s always prudent to consult a tax advisor; each person has unique financial circumstances and applicable tax elections may vary.

Yes, copy trading is legal in the U.K. That said, copy trading can only be offered in the U.K. by a platform provider that is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA has released its own guidance on copy trading which aligns with the EU’s MiFID. The FCA is the U.K.’s financial markets regulator that is mandated to oversee regulated brokers, uphold market integrity, and protect consumers by enforcing regulations and compliance across its market participants.

Yes, MetaTrader 4 is legal to use in the U.K. MetaTrader 4 (MT4) is a popular trading platform developed by MetaQuotes Software Corporation and offered by forex and CFD brokers all over the world.

While many of the brokers that offer MT4 are properly regulated (our MetaTrader Guide can help you choose a highly rated, well-regulated MetaTrader broker), potential scam brokers will sometimes offer MT4 without holding any valid regulatory licenses. This practice attracted the attention of Apple in 2022, resulting in a temporary ban of MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 in the Apple App Store (both MetaTrader apps have been restored as of March, 2023).

Note: U.K. residents should always make sure to choose a forex broker that is FCA-regulated. This way, you will receive the strictest available regulatory protections and reduce your chances of falling victim to a scam broker.

Of the top forex brokers that hold a license from the FCA, Pepperstone is our top choice for U.K. traders who want to use MetaTrader. Pepperstone offers the full MetaTrader platform suite, including MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and traders gain access to over 600 share CFDs and 60 forex pairs on Pepperstone’s MT5 offering (learn more about the newest, most up-to-date version of MetaTrader by checking out our popular MT5 Guide).

Pepperstone’s low trading costs available on its Razor account help to round out its overall offering, and cement its status as the best MetaTrader broker in the U.K. Learn more by reading our full-length review of Pepperstone.

Here are our top five picks for the best MetaTrader brokers in the U.K. in 2024:

• Pepperstone- Large range of markets to trade on MT4
• FXCM- Great for algorithmic trading on MT4
• CMC Markets - Competitive spreads
• Vantage- Well-balanced overall offering
• Tickmill- Lowest trading costs on Pro account