IronFX is one of the most reputable Forex, CFD, Stock and Crypto trading brokers that has many offices around the world and is available to investors in Europe, UK, Australia, and more. It offers more than 200 trading instruments across 6 different asset classes, including Forex, metals, indices, commodities, futures, and shares. The broker promises 24/5 multilingual support, ultra-fast execution of trades within milliseconds, and the lowest market spreads, starting from 0.0 pips.
IronFX was established in 2010 in Limassol, Cyprus, after receiving a license from the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). Soon, the company started its global expansion, opening offices in Australia, London, and South Africa. Now, it has more than 1.2 million retail clients from all over the world and although it is not the largest FX broker on the market, it is known for offering multi-lingual support and interface, flexible leverage up to 1:1000, and an attractive bonus program for new and existing clients.
Regulation
IronFX is the trade name of Notesco Limited, a company registered in Bermuda and headquartered in Cyprus. The broker is regulated in multiple jurisdictions, including Cyprus where it has a license from CySEC. For clients based in the United Kingdom, it is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is among the most respected financial regulators in the world. The FCA has issued a license to 8Safe UK Limited, which operates IronFX in the country.
Clients across Europe and the UK are offered two types of protection – segregated client bank accounts and financial compensation if IronFX fails to pay its customers. In the UK, the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) guarantees compensation of up to £85,000, while in Cyprus, the Investor Compensation Fund covers up to €20,000. The broker is also regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and with this license, the broker is authorized to operate in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.
Although the broker is available to traders from most of the world, it still does not accept user accounts from several countries, including but not limited to the United States, Cuba, Sudan, Syria, and North Korea.
Trading Markets
IronFX provides an online trading platform for Contracts for Difference (CFDs), derivative securities that allow making a profit of the price changes of financial instruments without actually owning these instruments in these accounts. When we speak of instruments, we refer to Forex, spot metals, cryptocurrencies, shares, commodities, indices, etc.Since brokers, including IronFX, offer their clients leverage – the opportunity to trade with capital that is up to 1,000 times their actual balance, the potential for huge winnings and the risk of considerable losses is huge.Forex
With more than $3 trillion traded daily, the foreign exchange market or Forex is the largest financial market and the most popular option for retail traders. Trading is conducted 24 hours a day, except during the weekends, offering great flexibility to traders. Due to the high volume, liquidity, and leveraged positions, Forex provides great speculative opportunities and is preferred by many traders.
IronFX offers trading on more than 80 FX pairs, including all major ones such as AUD/USD, EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/CHF. The broker offers noticeably lower spreads on popular pairs that can reach 0.4 pips (or sometimes, even lower, depending on the market conditions). The maximum leverage allowed also varies, depending on the particular pair. The leverage on crosses including RUB, CNH, TRY, BRL BRL, and MXN is set to 1:100, while the leverage on CHF, CZK, and DKK is up to 1:200.
Indices
CFDs on indices give traders exposure to the global markets and great opportunities to profit from some of the most popular indices in the US, UK, Germany, China, etc. Indices represent the collective value of underlying publicly-traded companies. The S&P 500, for example, reflects the value of the top 500 companies traded on the New York Stock Exchange, while another popular index, the DAX, consists of the top 30 German companies listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
IronFX offers CFDs on popular indices, including DAX, S&P 500, Nasdaq, Dow Jones, Euro Stoxx 50, FTSE 100, France CAC40, and many more. Margin requirements on index CFDs are as low as 1%, which means that traders who have a capital of only $100 can control a $10,000 position. There are a number of other benefits for those who wish to speculate on market indices – high volatility, low costs, and leverage, which gives traders more flexibility.
The same subcategory also includes trading of spot energy commodities. The broker offers CFDs on several commodities, including Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) oil.
Spot Metals
Trading on spot metals is similar to Forex trading – traders can speculate on the prices of precious metals, taking short or long positions. With metals such as gold and silver, traders can hedge against risk and make their investment portfolio more diverse and well-balanced. Precious metals have always been valuable but their prices are less affected by supply and demand, unlike other commodities. Usually, the price of gold, for instance, is a function of the current sentiment.
Things are different for silver and platinum – silver is still traded for industrial purposes, as platinum, which is also much rarer than silver or gold. IronFX gives traders the opportunity to trade CFDs on these metals, as well as CFDs on palladium, a lustrous silvery-white metal that is extremely rare and mostly used in catalytic converters in cars. With tight spreads as low as 0.04 and 1% margin requirements, IronFX offers its clients a great opportunity to profit from the global gold and silver markets. The spreads on platinum and palladium are, of course, higher since palladium is not only 30 times as rare as gold but also more valuable than gold.
Commodity Futures
The broker does not have a huge range of commodity markets but it offers trade on the most popular ones. Along with trade on spot metals and spot energy commodities, it also gives its clients the opportunity to trade commodity futures. Futures contracts allow traders to make a profit from the price margin before the closing date determined in the contract. CFDs on commodity futures are extremely flexible and convenient for traders compared to trading and owning the physical commodities themselves.
IronFX offers trading on copper futures, as well as energy futures – US light sweet Crude oil, Brent Crude oil, and natural gas. Additionally, the broker offers futures on soft commodities. Unlike hard commodities like metals and oil, soft commodities are typically agricultural products that are being grown rather than mined. The soft commodity futures on IronFX include cord, wheat, rice, soybeans, coffee, cocoa, sugar, and cotton.
Shares
With CFD on shares, traders can invest in some of the largest and most successful companies in the world without actually owning any company stock. This type of trading allows investors to speculate and make a profit by taking long or short positions, use leverage and enjoy tight spreads and a 0.10% commission taken by IronFX. Besides, shares, especially when traded from long-term positions, are very stable and provide a reliable generation of profit.
IronFX gives its clients great exposure to global markets and industry-leading companies from the United States, Europe, the United Kingdom, and more. CFDs are available on shares by Walt Disney, Cisco Systems, Facebook, JPMorgan Chase & Co., HP, Apple, HSBC, eBay, Google, Lloyds, Samsung Electronics, Airbus, and many more.
Trading Platforms
 Platforms |
 PC / MAC |
 Smartphones |
 Tablets |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetaTrader 4 |   |   | |
| Meta Trader Mobile | | | |
| Web Trader | | | |
IronFx offers several trading platforms, available for PC, Mac, and mobile devices. The options include the popular MetaTrader 4 and the Personal Multi Account Manager but the broker does not have a proprietary software platform. This may be a weak point for the broker but it should not bother traders, especially since MT4 is familiar to most of them.
MetaTrader 4 or MT4 can be downloaded directly from the IronFX website for those who prefer the downloadable software package. With it, clients have access to more than 200 financial instruments in Forex, shares, spot indices, spot metals, futures, and commodities. The platform is fully customizable and offers advanced charting and a wide range of indicators, as well as useful Activity Reports, and online streaming news.
Clients can also download MT4 Advanced, which comes equipped with front-end terminals and back-office reporting functions, as well as automated strategies and the ability to use Expert Advisors (EA). EAs are automated trading bots, which can be customized by the trader and used for robot trading based on preset rules and conditions.
Another option is to use the WebTrader, which is the browser-based version of MT4 and it is fully synchronized with it. The web terminal is a modern, fast HTML5 application that runs on any computer system without the need to download any additional browser plug-ins and add-ons.
The same platform is also available for mobile devices and it can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play. However, the mobile offering comes with certain limitations. For instance, it has 3 types of charts, namely bars, Japanese candlesticks, and broken line, but it features only 30 of the most popular technical indicators.
The other alternative is to use the Personal Multi Account Manager (PMAM) but it is available only to professional traders and money managers. It must be installed on PCs working under Windows 98 or higher. The platform allows clients to manage unlimited accounts but as we have said, it is designed for professional traders only.
Payment Methods
| Brand | Minimum | Fees | Processing Time |
 | $250 | No Fees | Instant |
 | $250 | No Fees | Instant |
 | $250 | No Fees | Up to 3 business days |
 | $250 | No Fees | Instant |
 | $250 | No Fees | Instant |
 | $250 | No Fees | Instant |
 | $250 | No Fees | Instant |
| Brand | Minimum | Fees | Processing Time |
| - | up to EUR 1.5 per transaction | Instant |
| - | up to EUR 1.5 per transaction | Instant |
| - | 1% capped to USD 10,000 | Instant |
| - | 2% capped to USD 30.00 / minimum USD 1.00 per transaction | Instant |
| - | Up to 1.2%, Minimum 5USD per transaction | Instant |
| - | 0.5% per transaction (max approx. $5) | Instant |
IronFX processes payments in several different currencies and deposits in any other currency would be converted into the base currency of the client account. Accounts can be registered in USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, JPY, CHF, PLN, RUB, and HUF. The broker does not charge any fees for deposits and withdrawals and the minimum deposit than can be made is $250, although that varies, depending on the type of trading account one opens.
Traders can deposit funds into their accounts via a wide range of payment methods, including traditional options such as bank wire and credit/debit cards. While credit card deposits are usually instant, transfers via bank wire may take up to 3 working days to appear in the trading account of the client.
A much faster alternative is to make a deposit through a digital wallet. Digital wallets or e-wallets are fast, secure, and convenient methods to send and receive electronic payments. IronFX accepts several different e-wallets such as the widely popular Neteller and Skrill, as well as FasaPay, a Malaysian e-wallet that is accepted by various FX brokers. In addition, the broker accepts several instant banking transfer services, which are available locally – Union Pay for Chinese customers, DotPay for Polish traders, etc.
Another banking option available to IronFX clients is the recently added PumaPay, a blockchain-based payment system that uses the so-called PullPayment contracts where the merchant is allowed to “pull” the payment from the payee’s account after being authorized to do so in advance. The payment method also comes with the PMA token, which is the means of value in the PumaPay system and works like most cryptocurrencies.
Account Types
IronFX offers several types of live and demo accounts, which means that traders can test the various features and functions of the different accounts without investing real money. Once they try the demo versions of the accounts, they can register an actual trading account. There are several different types they can choose from – accounts are either Live or STP/ECN.
Live Micro
Most traders are eligible for this type of account since the minimum deposit is $250, while spreads start from 1.8 pips. Clients are given flexible leverage up to 1:1,000. The minimum lot size is 0.01 and traders can register this type of account in the following currencies – USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, JPY, BTC, PLN, and CZK. In addition, no commissions are charged on any of the trades.
Live Premium
The Premium Account is for traders who can afford to deposit at least $1,000. The maximum leverage and the minimum lot size are the same. However, spreads here tend to be lower, starting from 1.6. All base currencies can be registered and Premium Account holders will enjoy no commission on trades.
Live VIP
VIP members benefit from even better conditions – for instance, the spreads are tighter, around 1.4. However, this type of account is offered only to traders who make deposits of $10,000 or more and have the US dollar (USD) as their base account currency.
Zero Fixed
Zero Fixed Accounts feature spreads of 0.0 pips but this may change during Midnight sessions when the fixed spread becomes a floating one for 3 hours (11 pm – 2 am GMT +2). This type of account can be opened only if the client registered USD or EUR as a base currency. To be eligible for the Zero Fixed Accounts, traders also need to deposit at least $500. The maximum leverage allowed is 1:500. A commission may also be charged on certain trades.
STP/ECN No Commission Account
With STP or ECN accounts, clients’ orders are not processed by the dealing desk and are instead forwarded to the interbank market. This provides faster execution, more liquidity, as well as more accurate prices. STP (Straight Through Processing) execution does not include commission (the commission is within the spread) and these types of trades are forwarded directly to liquidity providers.
With the IronFX’ No Commission Account, clients enjoy no-commission fees and leverage up to 1:200. This account can be opened in USD, EUR, JPY, or BTC. The minimum deposit is $500 and spreads start from 1.7 pips.
STP/ECN Zero Spread
The STP/ECN Zero Spread is an ECN account and ECN stands for Electronic Communications Network. With this type of account, traders receive direct access to other participants in the market. The ECN broker manages to consolidate quotes from several participants, which is why spreads here start from 0.0 pips and are typically very tight. A commission is charged, however, because the broker needs to be compensated in some way.
ECN trades provide liquidity between the different members of the electronic network. IronFX offers this account is several base currencies, namely USD, EUR, and JPY. The leverage is up to 1:200 and to qualify, the minimum deposit is $500.
STP/ECN Absolute Zero
The Absolute Zero Account is an STP account and has no commissions on trades. Spreads are also very tight, starting from 0.3 pips. The minimum deposit required for this account is $500 and once again, clients can register SD, EUR or JPY as their base currency.
Support
The IronFX website is available in many different languages, while the MT4 platform can be opened in even more, which makes it suitable for traders from all over the world. When registering their account, IronFX can opt for the following languages – English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Russian, Japanese, Arabic, Korean, and Chinese.
More importantly, the broker offers professional support, with local support teams that can be contacted in a wide variety of languages. The Live Chat, as well as the Call Center, is available 24 hours a day during business days – the only phone line displayed on the site is +44(0) 203 282 7777. In addition, traders can send emails to support@ironfx.com.
Conclusion
IronFX is a relatively small FX and CFD broker but it offers its clients access to global markets, various trading instruments, and average spreads. It is licensed by some of the largest and most respected regulatory bodies in the world and it does offer trader fund protection. It also allows multiple account management and free VPS hosting to those who deposit at least $5,000. It is also one of the few brokers on the market who have prepared various bonuses and promotions for its clients.