Forex traders always look for trading with brokers that suit their trading needs and preferences. IC Markets and OspreyFX are online forex brokers that offer their trading services to traders and investors. IC Markets is a highly regulated and trusted forex broker. It is regulated in two Tier-1, one Tier-2, and two Tier-4 jurisdictions. On the other hand, OspreyFX is an offshore forex broker which is not regulated by any regulatory bodies.
In this article, we will review and compare the brokerage services offered by IC Markets and OspreyFX. We will explore options such as regulations, reputations, fees, features, leverage, and more. Additionally, we will analyze and rate the brokers based on macro and micro categories and options. By reviewing these aspects, you will get a clear idea of which broker suits you best for your trading journey.
IC Markets vs OspreyFX: In a Nutshell
IC Markets:
Andrew Budzinski and his team of professionals founded IC Markets in 2007 in Sydney, Australia. The vision was to deploy modern technology to enable retail and institutional traders to access forex trading at minimal costs. Over the years, IC Markets has proved itself to be a true ECN broker and has become one of the largest brokers in Australia. Â
The head office is in Sydney but it has subsidiaries in Cyprus, Seychelle, and the Bahamas. It has more than 180,000 active traders and processes a daily volume of about 500,000 trades
ICMarkets Overview
- Founded In: 2007
- Founder: Andrew Budzinksi
- Headquarters: Australia
- Minimum Deposit: $200
- Maximum Leverage: Upto 1000:1 for FSA Jurisdiction, 30:1 for ASIC, CySEC clients.
- Regulations: ASIC, CySEC, and FSA
- Trading platform: MT4, MT5 and cTrader
- Trading Instruments: 2150+ Trading Instruments including Forex, Crypto, Stock, Commodity Indices, Bonds, Futures.
- Account Types: Standard, Standard, Raw (Metatrader, Ctrader)
- Fees: Spread starting from 0.8 Pips(Standard Accounts) or $3 to 3.5 Commission (Raw Accounts)
- Payment Options: bank/wire transfer, Paypal, credit card, Skrill, Neteller, UnionPay, Bpay, FasaPay and Poli.
- US Traders: Not Accepted
Ospreyfx
Founded in 2018, OspreyFX is a regulated forex broker headquartered in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. It operates as an offshore forex broker, offering leverage as high as 500:1. OspreyFX supports all trading styles; including scalping, hedging, news trading, copy trading, and algorithmic trading. Currently, it uses TradeLocker as its trading platform. The broker provides a wide range of trading instruments, such as forex, Indices CFDs, Metal CFDs, Commodities CFDs, Cryptos CFDs, and Share CFDs (US and EU). Being an offshore forex broker it can onboard clients from anywhere in the world, including the USA. However, the broker only accepts crypto deposits and withdrawals
OspreyFX Overview
- Founded In: 2019
- Trading Instruments: 120+ including Forex, Crypto, Stocks, Indices, Commodities
- Minimum Deposit: between $25 and $500 (Depending on Account Type)
- Maximum Leverage: 1:500
- Regulations: None
- Trading Fees: Starting from 0.1 Pips
- Deposit and Withdrawal Fees: $0
- Trading platform: TradeLocker
- Account Types: 4 account types such as Standard ECN, Pro ECN, VAR, Mini
- Payment Options: Bitcoin, Crypto, Credit/Debit Cards, and PayRedeem
- US Traders: Accepted
IC Markets vs Ospreyfx: Pros and Cons
IC Markets Pros & Cons:
- Fully Regulated broker, ( One tire-1 , jurisdiction, one tire-2 jurisdiction)
- Super fast trade execution speed
- Straightforward registration process
- Low spread, starting from 0 pips.
- Easy and Fast Account Opening
- Free deposit and withdrawal
- Offers standard and raw spread account
- Trading EA is Allowed
- Ability to trade from a mobile device
- A demo Account is available
- Higher minimum deposit
- No investor protection for non-EU Clients
- Limited Product Selection
- No weekend Trading
- US Traders are not accepted
Ospreyfx Pros & Cons:
- The Maximum Leverage is as high as 1:500
- ECN STP broker model
- Faster Trade Execution with Tradelocker
- Offers Multiple Account Types including, Demo accounts and Live Accounts
- Rebates and Rewards are Available for Live Trading Accounts
- Accounts can be funded with multiple crypto coins such as BTC, ETH, LTC, USDT, DOGE, etc.
- Professional traders who can prove their competence may receive funded accounts up to $200,000 and earn up to 80% of their profits.
- Unregulated Offshore Forex Broker
- No Metatrader (MT4, MT5) Trading Platfroms.
- Offers Only Tradelocker Trading Platform
- Limited Deposit and Withdrawal Methods (Cryptos, PayRedeem)
- No managed accounts or Social Trading (MAM, PAMM) Offered
- Live chat is a bit complex. To contact the chat operator, you need to first answer a series of questions from the virtual bot each time.
IC Markets vs Ospreyfx: Side-by-Side Comparison
IC Markets Vs Ospreyfx: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, IC Markets and OspreyFX, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 0.1 increments. To achieve a comprehensive rating, we broadly grouped all services offered by brokers into 6 macro categories and assigned percentage weights to them. Each macro category is subdivided into several data points which contributes to the total score of 1.0-10.0 assigned to each macro category. Since all categories are not equally important, our weight percentage plays a significant role in assessing the broker accurately. For example, Regulation and Security contributes a total weight of 40% to the whole ratings because this is the most important rating category. To learn more, read our methodology.
IC Markets :
Ospreyfx:
Final Verdict:
Both IC Markets and OspreyFX offer similar trading services worldwide. However, there are differences in their regulations, reputation, and operation. IC Markets is a highly regulated and trusted forex broker. It is regulated by top-tier regulatory authorities, including ASIC, CySEC, SCB, FSA-S, and FSCA. On the other hand, OspreyFX is an unregulated offshore forex broker. IC Markets provides Multiple trading platforms including MT4, MT5, cTrader, and TradingView. On the Contrary, OspreyFX does not offer MT4/MT5. It uses only TradeLocker as its trading platform.
As IC Markets is not licensed in the USA, it cannot accept US clients. Being an unregulated offshore forex broker, OspreyFX can onboard clients from anywhere in the world, including the USA. Therefore, non-US traders may opt for IC Markets, while US traders looking for offshore forex brokers may consider OspreyFX. Trading with offshore forex brokers is risky and not recommended.
