Best Forex Brokers in Australia of 2023

When it comes to the 24-hour forex industry, Sydney is one of the most important financial hubs in the Pacific region. Traders in Australia are primarily active during the Asian trading session, which, as a whole, is often characterized by low trading activity and heightened volatility.

What traders in Australia should be looking for in their brokers, among other things, is licensing by the Australian Services and Investments Commission (ASIC). ASIC is Australia’s financial regulator, and as such, its role is to facilitate all market operations. In order to provide derivatives trading solutions to clients in Australia, any broker has to be authorized by ASIC.

Choosing the right broker may be a daunting task, and it’s crucial to start with a trustworthy partner that caters to your every need. Thanks to our extensive database of broker reviews and industry-leading methodology, we can give you the best recommendations for a successful trading experience.

By breaking down our recommendations into specific categories, traders can easily find a broker that suits their individual trading style, risk tolerance, and other specific requirements.

List of Top Forex Brokers in Australia

• IC Markets – Best Overall
  Strong regulation. Competitive fees. Robust liquidity. Diverse accounts.
• GO Markets – Best Low Spreads
  STP commission-free accounts with low floating spreads. ECN accounts with raw spreads and low fixed commissions. Free deposits and withdrawals.
• Plus500 – Best Trading Platform
  Excellent proprietary platform. Broad range of supporting tools. Wide selection of tradable instruments.
• AvaTrade – Best Trading App
  Intuitive mobile app. Broad range of CFDs, including ETFs and bonds. Vanilla options. Sophisticated third-party tools.
• FXCM – Best for Beginners
  Well-rounded educational materials. Highly informative research content. Algo trading. Reliable customer support
• TMGM – Best for Professional Traders
  Exceedingly low fees. 10,000+ instruments. Options trading available. IRESS platform available. High liquidity supply.
• FP Markets – Best for Tradable Instruments
  13,000+ instruments available. MetaTrader (4 and 5), IRESS platforms. Versatile account types
• EightCap – Best for Cryptocurrency Trading
  100+ crypto CFDs available. Free Forex VPS. Sophisticated third-party tools for crypto trading
• MultiBank – Best ASIC-regulated
  Negative balance protection. Segregated client funds. 24/7 multilingual support
• ACY Securities – Best Account Types Selection
  Low fees and commissions. Islamic accounts available. Low overall minimum deposit requirements.

How did FX Empire Select the Best Forex Brokers in Australia?

• ASIC regulation – we picked only highly transparent brokers regulated by the Australian Services and Investments Commission (ASIC).
• Offices in Australia – we only considered brokers (and broker entities) headquartered in Australia.
• Deposit and withdrawal methods – being able to deposit and withdraw funds in AUD is essential for Australian traders seeking to avoid paying high commission/conversion fees. That is why we selected brokers that process AUD payments.
• Local customer support – due to the regional specifics of the Sydney trading session, we checked whether the brokers’ customer support is available during those hours.
• Low fees – we evaluated the competitiveness of accounts affording a combination of commission-free trading and floating spreads, and others offering raw spreads and fixed commissions.
• Variety of accounts – in estimating the functionality of a broker’s account types, we look for diversity. We check the number of tradable instruments and the capability to implement complex trading strategies.
• Trading software – we assess the functionality of a platform based on how user-friendly it is and how many instruments and tools it has.
• Trading experience – we also evaluate how a broker caters to the particular needs of traders with different experience levels – from the seasoned professional to the rookie beginner.

Our team of experts has identified each broker’s strengths and weaknesses using FX Empire’s comprehensive methodology. You can read more about it and how we conduct our tests here.

Now let’s take a dive into the selected brokers.

Our Methodology

FX Empire has pioneered a unique and comprehensive methodology for evaluating the services and conditions of brokers providing CFD trading to clients worldwide.

Our team of dedicated professionals is working continuously to improve our system and keep it up-to-date with current market trends. We strive to produce comprehensive reviews that accurately underscore each broker’s pros and cons.

After completing hundreds of reviews in the span of over a decade, we remain committed to continuing to refine our methodology. We test the functioning of each broker by systematically employing over 250 variables across nine different categories:

• Trust
• Fees
• Account Types
• Tradable Instruments
• Platforms and Tools
• Deposits and Withdrawals
• Customer Support
• Research
• Education

We review the licenses of each subsidiary operating under a brand name and check the fine print in the Client Agreements in order to discern the exact protections entailed to clients of the broker. We put a lot of effort into evaluating a broker’s transparency and trustworthiness based on the scope and availability of information on its website.

Other essential information is gathered by opening a live account with the entity and testing its services in real time. We measure the spread rates, swaps, and commissions on its most popular account types and compare our findings to the industry average.

Moreover, we test the functionality of the platforms, the number and types of available instruments, the reliability of customer support, and the quality of the research and educational materials.

We abide by our strict guidelines for editorial integrity based on the objective standards we have set for our reviews. You can read more about our review process here.

Meet our Writers

The team of forex and CFD analysts and editors at FXEmpire is composed of trading industry professionals and seasoned financial journalists. Our experts have been published on leading financial websites such as Investopedia and Forbes. In addition, they all have extensive trading experience.

How to Choose a Forex Broker in Australia?

This section breaks down all the essential qualities to be looking for in a broker in Australia, by category.

What You Have to Know about Broker’s Regulation and Transparency?

First and foremost, traders based in Australia need to choose a broker that is authorized by the Australian Services and Investments Commission (ASIC)—an independent Government body regulating financial market operations in the country. It establishes the channels through which traders residing in Australia can pursue their rights and understand the protections they are entitled to.

Under ASIC’s regulatory oversight, brokers are required to provide a maximum leverage of 1:30 to retail traders, ensure negative balance protection, and keep their clients’ funds in separate bank accounts from the ones used for their corporate capital.

These three requirements ensure that a trader’s maximum market exposure is capped, any incurred losses cannot exceed their account balance, and they are not exposed to their broker’s liabilities and credit risk.

ASIC also mandates a compulsory 500,000 AUD capital requirement from brokers to ensure their business model’s sustainability. Traders who want to find out whether ASIC regulates a particular broker can search its registry for additional information.

Traders in Australia can sign up with overseas brokers that do not possess ASIC licensing, though they should be mindful of what that entails in terms of safety. Some offshore regulators entail weaker overall protection and oversight over a broker’s operations.

What to Consider in Broker’s Fees?

You can expect your broker to charge you two types of fees – trading and non-trading. The former is comprised of spreads, swaps, and commissions, while the latter includes any maintenance and handling fees.

The spread is the difference between the bid and ask prices of an instrument; essentially, it is the price you pay to enter into a trade. The commission serves a similar function. The difference between the two is that the commission is usually fixed, whereas the spread rates may fluctuate over time. Accordingly, the swap is the charge for holding an open position overnight.

The most competitive spreads in the industry are raw, starting from 0.0 pips. Many brokers offer raw spreads, however, this is frequently offset by the inclusion of fixed commissions per traded lot. A round turn commission below $6 per 100,000 traded units is below the industry average.

With regards to non-trading costs, most brokers usually have an inactivity fee for dormant accounts on which no positions have been opened over a certain period of time. They can also charge a handling fee on deposits and withdrawals.

What to Look for in a Trading Platform?

A trading platform is your window into the market. It allows you to observe price action behavior and study potential opportunities for placing orders. Technical traders use a platform’s array of indicators, drawing tools, and other features to examine various price patterns, changes in volatility, liquidity, and so on in order to gauge the most favorable times to enter or exit the market.

The best platforms are also the most versatile ones. They include a wide spectrum of technical indicators, such as Fibonacci retracement levels, oscillators, trend-based and range-based indicators, and others, as well as drawing tools, such as trend lines, channels, wedges, and so on.

In addition to these components, when looking for a suitable platform, you must also look for efficiency. Does the platform accommodate easy and fast placing of orders via one-click trading; does it support algorithmic trading via Expert Advisors (EAs); does it allow complex orders, like market, limit and stop orders, etc.

What Are the Most Common Account Types?

Most brokers tend to offer two types of trading accounts. Some afford a combination of commission-free trading and floating spreads, which is suitable for high-frequency trading. Some strategies, such as scalping, require getting in and out of trades frequently, which is why it is important to avoid paying any fixed commissions as much as possible.

Other account types, in contrast, may have such fixed costs but also afford raw spreads starting from 0.0 pips. These are better suited for high-volume trading involving the execution of much larger orders less frequently. There are also Islamic accounts and demo accounts. The former accommodate swap-free trading, whereas the latter provides a simulated version of the real trading environment, allowing traders to test a broker’s service and hone their skills.

You should consider several other factors before choosing an account type. You need to check the available platforms and range of tradable instruments. Variety is essential, and you must pick a broker whose accounts afford you a significant degree of freedom to exploit different trading opportunities.

What Does “Speed of Order Execution” Mean?

You may have the best trading strategy, easily read price action behavior, or the most effective trading algorithm. But none of that will matter if your orders are not executed with speed and precision.

In order to decrease the risk of slippage – the difference between where an order for entry/exit is placed and where it actually gets filled – you need to look for a couple of features in brokers.

First of all, they need to have a ‘best execution’ policy. This is underscored by the broker’s commitment to always execute client orders under the most favorable conditions possible. You can usually find out whether a broker has such a policy in its website’s ‘Legal Docs’ section or the client agreement.

Secondly, you must choose a broker with a constant and steady supply of liquidity from its providers. Brokers obtaining their liquidity from larger financial institutions are more likely to ensure quality order execution and the best possible quotes. This is especially important at times of diminished trading activity which is usually the case in the early hours of the Asian trading session.

Why Variety Matters When it Comes to Tradable Instruments?

Traders in Australia should be especially mindful of the assortment of tradable instruments presented to them by their broker.

It’s fine and well if you are offered access to thousands of instruments, but if you happen to live in Sydney, for example, and 70-80% of your broker’s instruments are CFDs of U.S. companies, then that variety will be of little use for you. With a 16-hour difference between New York and Sydney, you will struggle to stay awake for the stock market opening at 1:30 am every morning.

Of course, there is no concrete formula for what instruments to trade and when, but allowing yourself some legroom will be useful. Since the forex market runs 24 hours, it will help to choose a broker that offers a wide selection of currency pairs – majors, minors, and exotic.

In order to diversify your options further, also look for diversity in commodities, indices, bonds, and ETFs, especially in Australian businesses and sectors.

Speaking of options, consider how you can trade the available instruments. CFDs are extremely popular due to the allure of margin trading. And your ultimate success when trading CFDs essentially boils down to whether your forecasts pan out.

But more experienced traders may exercise greater control over their positions by using more sophisticated instruments, such as vanilla options. By purchasing the right without obligation to execute an order, you can profit from changes in the underlying volatility.

What to Avoid When Choosing a Forex Broker in Australia?

• Brokers that are not licensed and authorized by the Australian Services and Investments Commission (ASIC). That is not to say that all overseas licenses are necessarily weaker, as many other top-tier regulators ensure compliance with the same policies mandated by ASIC. However, ASIC is directly responsible for regulating financial services targeted at Australian residents.
• Brokers that cannot ensure stable liquidity supply, which is necessary for fast and precise order execution. A reliable broker should obtain:

• liquidity from a pool of at least several providers;
• average execution speed should be listed on the website and be below 1.0 seconds;
• the best execution policy included in its Legal Docs section.

• Brokers that do not provide a sufficient number of instruments from local markets, such as CFD shares of Australian companies. Due to the geographic location of Australia, local brokers need to offer enough assets that can be traded during the Asian trading session.

How to Avoid Forex and CFD Scams?

Scam brokers rely on the gullibility of traders. A common tactic employed by scammers to lure in new victims is to promise quick and easy profits at no risk to the trader.

So, the question is how to recognize and protect yourself from scammers wanting to exploit your trust and steal your money. Well, first and foremost, look for licenses and regulations. The best way to protect yourself is to make sure you work with a trustworthy and transparent broker. You can find a comprehensive list of reliable brokers in different jurisdictions here.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you need to be careful where you leave your information online. Registering your details on suspicious pop-ups or even more innocuous-looking landing pages promising you enormous profits could result in your contact details ending up in a scammer’s calling list. Remember, no licensed broker would make unsolicited, cold calls.

The next time you get contacted out of the blue with promises of becoming the next Warren Buffet, you must remember that you are most likely speaking to a scammer. Nowhere is the “if something sounds too good to be true…” saying more relevant than in the world of trading. That is why you should do your due diligence before opening an account with any broker.

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