Interactive Brokers and OspreyFX are online forex brokers that offer their trading services to traders and investors. Interactive Brokers is a highly regulated and trusted forex broker. It is regulated by multiple regulatory authorities including SEC, CFTC, FCA, FSCS, FINRA, FCM, IIROC, MAS, FSA. 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 Interactive Brokers 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.
Interactive Brokers
Founded in New York, USA in 1978 by Thomas Peterffy, Interactive Brokers has grown into a global brand with over 2.1 million clients. It is an American Multinational brokerage firm headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut. It has become one of the leading online trading solutions for traders, investors, and advisors. The brokers give access to over 5000+ tradable assets including forex, CFDs, warrants, ETFs Options, Futures, Mutual Funds, and Bonds. To trade online, IBKR offers WebTrader, FIX API, MobileTrader (MobileApp), and TWS trading platforms. To learn more about IBKR, you can read our review of Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers Overview
- Founded In: 1978
- Founder: Chairman Thomas Peterffy
- Headquarters: Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
- Minimum Deposit: None
- Maximum Leverage: 500:1
- Regulations: SEC , CFTC ,FCA, FSCS, ASIC , IIROC , FSA
- Trading platform: WebTrader, FIX API, MobileTrader
- Account Types: Family Office Account ,UGMA/UTMA, IRA, Trust ,Joint, Individuals
- Payment Options: Bank Wire (BankTransfer/SWIFT), ACH (Automated Clearing House), BPAY, Check, Direct Debit, Local Bank Deposits, Transfer from Existing Broker
- 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
Interactive Brokers vs: OspreyFX Features
Interactive Brokers
- Trading Instruments: 5000+Trading instruments including forex, CFDs, warrants, ETFs Options, Futures, Mutual Funds, stocks, options, and Bonds
- Maximum leverage: 50:1 for US Clients, 30:1 for EU clients, and 400:1 for global clients.
- Minimum Deposit: The Interactive Brokers minimum deposit is $0 for a cash account, $2,000 for a T Reg margin account, and $110,000 for a portfolio margin account. The minimum deposit is subject to change depending on the trading account opened and the base currency selected.
- Trading Fees: spreads starting from as low as 0.1 pips, Stock fees USD 0.005 per share.
- PAMM/ MAM: Not Available
- Scalping: Allowed
- News Trading: Allowed
- EA/ Robot Trading: Allowed with Capitalise.ai
OspreyFX
- Trading Instruments: 120+ trading instruments including Forex, Crypto, Stocks, Indices, Commodities
- Trading Platforms: Tradelocker
- Minimum Deposit: Â $10
- Maximum Leverage: 1:500 ( Leverage may vary based on tradable assets)Â
- Trading Fees: Trading fees (spreads and commissions) depend on account types. The minimum spread is 0.4 pips for the Pro account, $7 per lot for the Standard ECN account, and $8 for the Pro ECN account.
- Minimum Trade Size: 0.01 lot.Â
- Maximum Trade Size (Lot restriction per Ticket): 1000 LotsÂ
- Funding Currencies: Bitcoin, Crypto, Credit/Debit Cards.
- Trading Style Allowed: All including Scalping, hedging, News trading, and EA Trading.Â
- PAMM/ MAM:Â AvailableÂ
- Stop Out Level (retail): 144%
- Margin Call Level: 100%Â
- Negative balance Protection: YesÂ
- Investor Protection:Â No investor protection is Available.Â
- Account Opening: Fully Online Account opening. It may take only 5 to 7 Minutes.Â
- KYC Verification: Required
Interactive Brokers vs OspreyFX: Pros and Cons
Interactive Brokers Pros & Cons
- IBK is a Forex and Stock Broker
- Excellent reputation (founded in 1978)
- Regulated by top regulators like ASIC, FCA, FSA, SFC, IIROC
- A wide range of products offered warrants, ETFs, Options, Futures, Mutual Funds, Bonds
- Over 18,000 no-transaction-fee mutual funds.
- No monthly inactivity fee
- Low trading fees and high interest (up to 4.58% for USD) on cash balances
- Access to international markets and exchanges
- Mobile apps are convenient for individual investors.
- Complicated account opening
- Learning Curve for Beginners
- The maximum leverage is only 1:40
- No Metatrader platforms (MT4, MT5) offered
- High minimum deposit requirements for some account types
- Interactive Advisors (Robo-advisor feature) is only available for US customers
- No fixed spread is available
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.
Interactive Brokers vs OspreyFX: Side-by-Side Comparison
Interactive Brokers Vs OspreyFX: Our Scores and Ratings
We rated both brokers, Interactive Brokers 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.
Interactive Brokers :
OspreyFX
Final Verdict :
Both Interactive Brokers and OspreyFX offer similar trading services worldwide. However, there are differences in their regulations, reputations, and operations. Interactive Brokers is a regulated and trusted forex broker, supervised by top-tier regulatory authorities, including the SEC, CFTC, FCA, FSCS, FINRA, FCM, IIROC, MAS, FSA. In contrast, OspreyFX is an unregulated offshore forex broker. Interactive Brokers provides multiple trading platforms, including WebTrader, FIX API, MobileTrader (MobileApp), TWS., while OspreyFX does not offer MT4/MT5 and uses only PRO4 Trading Platform as its trading platform.
Since Interactive Brokers is licensed in the USA, it can accept U.S. clients. However, Interactive Brokers 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 Interactive Brokers 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, Interactive Brokers 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.
