Markets.com review

Our rating

Markets.com scores 9.0 out of 10 on our table. That figure is an average of six things we assess, and it hides the shape of the broker: its strongest area is regulation at 9.4, its weakest is education at 8.7. Whether that gap matters depends entirely on which of the six you were going to use.

In its favour: intuitive platform, extensive assets. Against it: limited advanced features.

Regulation and safety9.4/10

Markets.com lists its authorisations as CySEC (092/08); FSCA (46860); SVG registration (27030 BC 2023). That is a mixed structure, and the mix is the point: it holds at least one tier-one licence alongside offshore entities, and which one takes your account depends on where you live rather than on which you would prefer.

The licence that matters to you is the one held by the entity that opens your account, and at a multi-entity broker that is decided by your country of residence. Its registration can be checked directly on the CySEC register, licence 092/08. It is a two-minute check and it is the only way to confirm that the firm taking your deposit is the firm named on the website.

Client money is held separately from the firm's own funds, with regulated banking institutions - so that if the business fails, client balances are not part of what its creditors can reach. Negative balance protection applies, so a gap through your stop cannot leave you owing the broker money.

On compensation: Investor Compensation Fund up to €20,000 for eligible CySEC clients. That covers the broker failing, not your trades losing money - the two are frequently confused and only one of them is insured.

Markets.com does not accept clients from United States, Canada, Belgium, Japan and other restricted jurisdictions. Restriction lists move, so confirm your own country before you spend time on an application.

What it costs to trade8.8/10

Markets.com advertises spreads from 0.6 pips. There is no separate commission on its standard pricing, so the whole of the broker's charge sits inside that spread - one number to think about, and no arithmetic at the end of the month. Put the two together and a EUR/USD round turn works out at 0.6 pips, which is the figure worth comparing against other brokers.

An advertised minimum is the best price a broker has ever quoted, not the price you will get. On our record its measured average on EUR/USD is 0.6 pips, and 0.9 pips on GBP/USD. Spreads are variable, so they move with liquidity and widen around releases and the daily rollover.

Positions held overnight accrue a financing charge, which is irrelevant to a day trader and compounds for anyone holding for weeks. Currency conversion costs 0.6% where your account and the instrument use different currencies - worth avoiding by funding in the currency you intend to trade.

Leave the account dormant and it costs you: $10/month after 3 months inactivity. That is the charge most often missed when comparing brokers, and it matters disproportionately if you trade seasonally or infrequently.

Platforms and tools9.1/10

Markets.com runs Markets.com Web Platform, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5. Both MetaTrader versions are available, which matters more than it sounds: an expert advisor written for MT4 will not run on MT5, so a trader arriving with existing software needs the specific version it was written for.

Automation is supported: yes, through MT4/MT5. There is no public retail API, so automation has to go through the platform rather than around it. Copy trading is not offered.

Charting runs to 80+. Additional tools include Trading Central, TipRanks. On mobile: both proprietary and third-party.

Markets, leverage and execution9.2/10

Markets.com covers Forex, Shares, Indices, Commodities, ETFs, Bonds, Cryptocurrencies. That comes to 2,000+ instruments in total. On the currency side specifically it lists 50+ pairs. Breadth is worth less than depth in the markets you actually trade - a hundred instruments priced well beats a thousand you will never open.

Leverage is capped at 1:30, which is the retail limit under tier-one regulation - a protection rather than a restriction. Our record for this broker reads "1:30 retail", and the difference between those figures is the entity you are onboarded to rather than anything you can choose. Whatever the headline, the number that governs your position is the margin requirement on the specific instrument - it is always lower on shares and crypto than on major currency pairs.

Execution is market maker, meaning the broker is the counterparty to your trade rather than routing it to an external venue. It is a legitimate and very common model, and it is worth knowing which one you are dealing with. Measured speed is under 1 second. Its servers sit in global data-centre infrastructure, which is what determines latency more than any software choice.

Order types available: market, limit, stop, stop-loss, take-profit, guaranteed stop-loss. Stops and limits are table stakes; what separates platforms is whether the ones you rely on are there and how quickly they can be modified once a position is open.

Accounts

Account types run to retail, Professional, Islamic, Demo. The minimum deposit is $100. The smallest position it will take is 0.01 lots, which is what actually governs how precisely you can size risk on a small account.

A demo account is available, which is the cheapest way to find out whether the platform suits you. Swap-free Islamic accounts are offered. Professional classification is available for clients who qualify, which lifts leverage caps and lowers the protections that come with retail status - a trade rather than an upgrade. Opening takes typically a few minutes.

Accounts can be denominated in USD, EUR, GBP. Funding in the currency you trade removes a conversion charge from every position, which is a small saving repeated indefinitely.

Deposits and withdrawals

Deposits can be made by Visa, Mastercard, bank wire, Skrill, Neteller, Zotapay and regional methods. They clear in instant for cards/e-wallets.

Withdrawals go out by visa/Mastercard, bank wire, Skrill, Neteller and applicable original funding method. Expect typically 2-7 business days depending on method. The minimum withdrawal is $5 Skrill/Neteller; $10 cards; $100 wire transfer. Check the withdrawal routes rather than the deposit ones. They are frequently not the same list, anti-money-laundering rules usually require funds to return the way they came, and the difference only becomes apparent at the point you want your money back.

Local payment methods include zotapay and region-specific payment methods - which matters more than it looks if you are outside the broker's home market, since an international wire is slow and expensive compared with a domestic transfer.

Support and education8.8/10

Support runs 24/5, which covers the trading week but not the weekend - relevant if you hold positions through it, and particularly if you trade crypto. You can reach them by live chat, email, phone. Live chat typically answers in under 2 minutes. Support is offered in multilingual.

Its education is substantial - educational articles, webinars, trading guides, platform tutorials and glossary - which is the difference between a broker that will teach you and one that will simply take the deposit. Research output covers extensive: market news, analyst recommendations, sentiment, technical analysis and fundamental data.

The company behind the brand

The company behind the brand is Safecap Investments Limited, registered as HE 186196. It operates from Nicosia, Cyprus. It has been trading since 2008, so there is about 18 years of record to look at.

It sits within Finalto Group. It is privately held, so its finances are not published the way a listed group's are. Headcount is in the Approx. 300 range.

You may also see it under Markets.com; Markets. Brands and legal entities rarely map one to one in this industry, and the name on the website is not always the name on the client agreement.