IG and OspreyFX are online forex brokers that offer their trading services to traders and investors. IG is a highly regulated and trusted forex broker. It is regulated by multiple regulatory authorities including ASIC, FCA, JFSA, SFC (Hongkong), FSCA, MAS, FMA, GmbH, FINMA. On the other hand, OspreyFX is an offshore forex broker which is not regulated by any regulatory bodies. Both the brokers have their own strengths and weaknesses.
In this article, we will review and compare the brokerage services offered by IG 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.
IG
Founded in 1974 as IG Index by British financier Stuart Wheeler, IG is a well-known forex and CFD broker. Based in the United Kingdom, IG offers online trading services, including spread betting and CFD trading. It provides access to over 100 forex currency pairs, CFDs, commodities, stocks, indices, gold, silver, oil, bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies for personal investment and trading. As of 2021, IG had a market value of £2.9 billion and offered trading in 17,000 investment markets. Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), IG is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.
IG Markets Overview
- Founded In: 1974
- Minimum Deposit: $250
- Maximum Leverage: 200:1
- Regulations: ASIC, FCA, FSA, NFA , AMF, FMA, MAS, DFSA
- Trading platform: MT4, WebTrader, MobileTrader (MobileApp), ProRealTime
- Account Types: Standard account, DMA Account
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), VISA, MasterCard, PayPal
- US Traders: 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
IG vs : OspreyFX Features
IG
- Trading Instruments: 17,000+ trading instruments including forex, indices, cryptocurrencies, shares, commodities, bonds, options, etc
- Maximum leverage: 30:1 to 200:1 ( dependent on Jurisdiction and Tradable assets)
- Minimum Deposit: No Minimum Deposit. However, the Minimum requires $250 if traders use credit/debit cards or PayPal
- Account Types: Ig Offers couple of account types including Standard Accounts, Limited Risk Accounts, Spread Betting Accounts, Options Trading Accounts, Turbo24 Accounts, Share Dealing Accounts, Professional Accounts, etc
- PAMM/ MAM: Available
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
OspreyFX
- Trading Instruments: 120+ trading instruments including Forex (Major, Exotics, Crosses), Indices, Metals, Commodities, Cryptos, Shares (US, EU)
- Maximum leverage: 500:1
- Minimum Deposit: $10
- Account Types: 3 (Standard, Pro, Var)
- Trading Fees: Spread starting from 0.4 pips or commission from $1 to $8
- PAMM/ MAM: Not Available
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed
IG vs OspreyFX : Pros and Cons
IG Pros & Cons
- Regulated by multiple top tire regulators like NFA, FCA, ASIC, FSA, AMF, FMA, MAS, DFSA
- Allows scalping, EA/ Robot Trading, News Trading
- Offers web trading, mobile trading and ECN Trading
- IG's acquisition of tastytrade for $1 billion brought options trading and listed-derivatives (such as futures) trading to clients in the United States
- 16,000 trading instruments, investments in IPOs and exchange-traded funds;
- Quality choice of trading platforms, including MT4, WebTrader, MobileTrader (MobileApp), ProRealTime
- Relatively good spreads, from 0.6-1 pips depending on the type of instrument;
- Offers passive investment programme ( MAM, PAMM accounts)
- Relatively high Minimum deposit ( Min Deposit $250)
- Conservative leverage in some areas ( The max leverage is 1:200)
- IG charges $/£12/€14 per month after 24 months of inactivity
- Limited product range on MT4
- High Stock CFD fees
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.
IG vs OspreyFX: Side-by-Side Comparison
IG Vs OspreyFX: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, IG 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.
IG:
OspreyFX
Final Verdict :
Both IG and OspreyFX offer similar trading services worldwide. However, there are differences in their regulations, reputations, and operations. IG is a regulated and trusted forex broker, supervised by top-tier regulatory authorities, including the ASIC, FCA, JFSA, SFC (Hongkong), FSCA, MAS, FMA, GmbH, FINMA. In contrast, OspreyFX is an unregulated offshore forex broker. IG provides multiple trading platforms, including MT4, WebTrader, MobileTrader (MobileApp), ProRealTime., while OspreyFX does not offer MT4/MT5 and uses only PRO4 Trading Platform as its trading platform.
Since IG is licensed in the USA, it can accept U.S. clients. However, IG does not offer high leverage or CFD instruments due to regulatory obligations in the USA. In contrast, as an unregulated offshore broker, OspreyFX can offer U.S. traders high leverage and CFD trading. Our score for IG is 9.3, and for OspreyFX, it is 9 (according to our expert ratings, brokers that achieve a score of 8.00 or higher are considered safe and trustworthy).
Therefore, if you are looking for a U.S.-regulated forex broker, IG is a good choice. However, if you prefer to trade CFDs with high leverage, you may consider OspreyFX. Keep in mind, though, that trading with an unregulated offshore broker carries significant risks.
