IC Markets Islamic Account offers swap-free accounts on 2 types of accounts, Raw Spread-, & Standard accounts. The swap-free options are available on the MT4, MT & cTrader Platforms. With spreads from 0.0 pips and leverage at 1:500 with no additional cost in place of swaps.
Min Deposit USD 200 Regulators ASIC, CySEC, FSA, SCB Trading Platform MT4, MT5, WebTrader Crypto Yes Total Pairs 61 Islamic Account Yes Trading Fees Low Account Activation 24 Hours
IC Markets Islamic Account – 13 key points quick overview:
- ☑️Overview
- ☑️IC Markets at a Glance
- ☑️What exactly is an Islamic Account?
- ☑️Which financial activities are restricted and prohibited by Sharia law?
- ☑️How to open an IC Markets Islamic Account
- ☑️What exactly is a Swap?
- ☑️What are IC Market’s spread costs on an Islamic Account?
- ☑️What is IC Markets’ Maximum Trade/Orders on an Islamic Account?
- ☑️What other features does IC Markets’ Islamic Account have?
- ☑️Customers Reviews
- ☑️Pros and Cons
- ☑️Conclusion
- ☑️Frequently Asked Questions
Overview
IC Markets is an ECN broker which is based in Australia and Seychelles and has been in operation since 2007. IC Markets is well- and strictly regulated by ASIC in facilitating the trade of numerous financial instruments.
IC Markets offers comprehensive and competitive trading conditions with minimum deposits which start from as little as $200, providing traders with access to a wide variety of financial instruments including:
- Forex
- Commodities
- Cryptocurrency
- Stocks
- Shares
- Indices
- Metals
- Energies
- Bonds, and
- CFDs
IC Markets facilitates the trading of such financial instruments in its comprehensive offering of three main types of accounts, each tailored to cater to traders with differing levels of experience, skills, and knowledge. These main accounts are:
- Standard Account
- cTrader Raw Spread Account, and
- Raw Spread Account.
The spreads that Muslim traders can expect with this type of IC Markets account range from 0.0 pips when using the Raw Spread Accounts, and from 1.0 pips on the Standard Account, depending on the financial instrument which is being traded.
Despite the account type, Muslim traders have access to leverage up to 1:500 and the benefit with IC Markets being an ECN broker is that it provides 24/7 liquidity depth along with more than 50 liquidity sources.
Depending on the account type, Muslim traders can also expect commission fees which are charged per USD 100k traded. The Standard Account offers commission-free trading whereas commissions are charged as follows on the other two account types:
- cTrader Raw Spread Account – $3 per USD 100K, and
- Raw Spread Account – $3.5 per USD 100K.
The option to convert a live trading account to that of an Islamic Account is available on all three accounts and Muslim traders are subsequently offered the best trading conditions consisting of unique trading infrastructure and the best execution speeds.
In addition, IC Markets adequately makes provision for a demo account option on all accounts which enables Muslim Traders to explore the broker’s trading conditions in a risk-free environment.
IC Markets at a Glance
🔎Broker | IC Markets |
Company Information | |
📅Year Founded | 2007 |
🧑🏻💻Amount of staff | Over 200 |
👩💻Amount of active traders | Over 180,000 |
🌐Publicly Traded (Listed Company) | No |
Regulation and Security | |
🛡️Regulation | ASIC (Australia), CySEC (Cyprus), FSA (Seychelles) |
🌎Country of regulation | Australia, Cyprus, Seychelles |
💻Account Segregation | Yes |
🪫Negative balance protection | Yes |
🔋Investor Protection Schemes | Yes, through regulatory bodies |
Account Types and Features | |
💳Institutional Accounts | Yes |
👨💼Managed Accounts | No |
📇Minor account currencies | EUR, GBP, AUD, CAD, CHF, JPY, NZD, SGD, HKD |
💰Minimum Deposit | $200 / 3607 ZAR |
Trading Conditions | |
🕞Average deposit/withdrawal processing time | 1-2 business days |
🪙Fund Withdrawal Fee | None for most methods |
📊Spreads from | 0.0 pips on Raw Spread accounts |
💸Commissions | $3.50 per lot per side on Raw Spread accounts |
💱Number of base currencies supported | 10 |
🚀Swap Fees | Applicable |
📈Leverage | Up to 500:1 |
📏Margin requirements | Variable based on asset and leverage |
☪️Islamic account (swap-free) | Yes |
💻Demo Account | Yes |
⌛Order Execution Time | Average 40 milliseconds |
📆VPS Hosting | Yes |
Trading Instruments | |
🧾CFDs-Total Offered | Over 2300 |
🗠CFD Stock Indices | Yes |
⚖️CFD Commodities | Yes |
📜CFD Shares | Yes |
Deposits and Withdrawals | |
💳Deposit Options | Bank Transfer, Credit/Debit Cards, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, UnionPay, others |
💵Withdrawal Options | Bank Transfer, Credit/Debit Cards, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, UnionPay, others |
Trading Platforms and Tools | |
💻Trading Platforms | MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, IC Markets WebTrader |
👩💻OS Compatibility | Web-based (All major browsers), Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
🖥️Forex trading tools | Autochartist, Trading Central, ZuluTrade, Myfxbook, Advanced charting tools |
Customer Support | |
🗣️Live chat availability | Yes |
📱Customer Support email address | support@icmarkets.com |
📞Customer Support Contact Number | +61 2 8014 4280 |
👾Social media Platforms | Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube |
🗣️Languages supported on Website | English, Chinese, Spanish, Italian, French, more |
Educational Resources and Support | |
🖺Forex course | Yes |
🧏♀️Webinars | Yes |
📚Educational Resources | Video tutorials, Articles, Webinars, Market analysis |
Partnerships and Programs | |
🪪Affiliate program? | Yes |
👨🏫Amount of partners | Not publicly disclosed |
📋IB Program | Yes |
🏃♂️➡️Do they sponsor any notable events or teams? | No |
🪙Rebate program | Yes |
👉Open Account | 👉 Open Account |
What exactly is an Islamic Account?
An Islamic Account, for the greater part as offered by most brokers, is not a standalone account, although some brokers dedicate one account to being an Islamic or Swap Free account, in most cases, this is an option offered by especially Forex brokers.
Islamic Accounts are also provided by brokers who serve Middle Eastern clients along with clients from other jurisdictions and offer certain features that are in line with the Sharia law, which prohibits the accrual of interest on funds deposited into the account.
The other important feature of an Islamic Account is that transactions must be settled immediately, requiring that currencies be transferred from one account to the other right after the transaction has been completed and therefore paid for in full.
There are two key elements of Islamic law that relate specifically to trading accounts, these elements are:
- Riba, and
- Gharar
Riba is the prohibition of generating money from money, which in this case specifically refers to an interest, which is not allowed according to Sharia law. This type of interest is seen as both unjust and exploitive gains pertaining to trade or business.
Gharar can simply be defined as the act of gambling, which is strictly prohibited by Sharia law. In addition, the Arabic word also suggests an element that surrounds a certain level of deception through hazardous sales or risky investments.
According to Gharar, the speculation involved with price movements of Forex and CFDs is considered gambling, which refers back to deception, hazardous sales, and risky investments.
Which financial activities are restricted and prohibited by Sharia law?
Due to the restrictions and certain prohibitions placed on Muslim traders when considering the intricate details involved with trading activities, the following is affected greatly:
- Overnight rollovers – which involve the incurrence or receiving of swap points on positions that are held open for longer after the trading day has concluded at the New York close at 5 PM EST which is prohibited by the Sharia law.
- Margin deposits and interest – which involves the accrual of interest on funds that are deposited into the trading account, which is prohibited.
- Loans – when followers of the Sharia law have funds transferred by either a bank or other financial institution and it involves interest terms, this is prohibited by the Sharia law as per the key element, Riba.
- Margin trading – stocks that are traded on margin result in the trader being liable for paying interest, which amounts to Riba, as money is borrowed from the broker to buy or sell such equities, and which is prohibited by the Sharia law.
- Short sales – which affects mostly shares and involves borrowing and subsequent sale of an asset, which is prohibited.
- Forward sales – which affects forward contracts as well as the trading of futures contracts which involves the buying and selling of contracts at a future date according to a price agreed upon on the day of entering into such a contract.
💠Financial Activities restricted & prohibited by Sharia law | 📈 IC Markets |
Overnight rollovers | incurrence or receiving of swap points on positions that are held open for longer after the trading day has concluded at the New York close at 5 PM EST |
Margin deposits and interest | the accrual of interest on funds that are deposited into the trading account |
Loans | when followers of the Sharia law have funds transferred by either a bank or other financial institution and it involves interest terms |
Trading on margin | stocks that are traded on margin result in the trader being liable for paying interest |
Short sales | affects mostly shares and involves borrowing and subsequent sale of an asset |
Forward sales | affects forward contracts as well as the trading of futures contracts which involves the buying and selling of contracts at a future date according to a price agreed upon on the day of entering such a contract |
How to open an IC Markets Islamic Account
To convert the trading account into that of an IC Markets Islamic Account, Muslim traders can follow these steps:
Step 1 – Select the option “open account”
Traders can navigate to the IC Markets website and select the relevant banner to start the online application by clicking on the “open account” option.
Step 2 – Complete information
Complete all the personal information sections and select next.
Step 3 – Select your trading platform
Select the account you would like to trade in from the list with Standard- & Raw accounts being the options that allow for Swap-free selection.
Step 4 – Security Question & Answer
Select a security question and answer as well as read through the terms and conditions, once ready, select submit.
Step 5 – Verification
Security verification to be completed
When these required fields have been completed, traders will be required to upload supporting documentation to prove both their identity and their residential address as part of the ‘Know Your Client’, or KYC, procedure.
Once this has been completed, traders can fund their account with the minimum deposit and proceed to request for their live trading account to be converted into an Islamic Account.
What exactly is a Swap?
A swap can be defined simply as an agreement into which two parties enter which relates to exchange sequences of cash flows over a set period of time normally at the time the contract is initiated.
During this, there is at least one of the series of cash flows that is subjected to a random and uncertain variable that involves an interest rate, a foreign exchange rate, an equity price, or a commodity price.
When trading Forex, for instance, there is a limited amount of time in which traders have to close open positions before a certain market closes at a specified time. Should the position remain open, this will attract an overnight or rollover fee, which is a type of interest.
As previously mentioned, Muslim traders who follow the Sharia law are, amidst other activities, prohibited from paying such interest.
To accommodate traders of the Muslim faith, that follow the Shariah Law, brokers offer the option of an Islamic Account, or a Swap-Free account so that they would not be exempted from being able to conduct trading activities that are against their religion.
IC Markets offers Muslim traders the option of converting their live trading account, despite the type, to an Islamic or Free account to accommodate these prohibitions along with any other restrictions placed on traders due to this law.
What are IC Markets spread costs on an Islamic Account?
IC Markets’ spreads start from 0.0 pips when using either the cTrader or MetaTrader Raw Spread Accounts and 1 pips when using the MetaTrader Standard Account.
Seeing that the Islamic Account is not provided as a standalone account, Muslim traders are not exempted from normal trading conditions such as spreads that do not generate interest, and thus Muslim traders are still subjected to such trading fees.
What is IC Markets’ Maximum Trade/Orders on an Islamic Account?
The maximum amount of trades that Muslim Traders can have open at a given time is 200, and this includes any pending orders as well.
Furthermore, the maximum volume per trade depends on the financial instrument being traded and ranges from 50 lots up to 500 lots.
What is the minimum deposit amount on IC Markets’ Islamic Account?
The minimum deposit amount on the IC Markets Islamic Account is $200 / R 3200 ZAR
Despite converting the live trading account, regardless of the type of account, to that of an Islamic Account, Muslim traders are subjected to the set minimum required deposit amount.
This amount is fixed across all account types, this is to ensure the minimum margin requirement is covered.
Muslim traders are not limited on their initial deposit, but $200 is the minimum recommended required amount to open a live trading account and start trading.
Min Deposit USD 200 Regulators ASIC, CySEC, FSA, SCB Trading Platform MT4, MT5, WebTrader Crypto Yes Total Pairs 61 Islamic Account Yes Trading Fees Low Account Activation 24 Hours
What other features does IC Markets’ Islamic Account have?
Seeing that the Islamic Account option offered by IC Markets cannot be seen as a standalone account, traders have access to the same accounting features as other traders.
6 Accounting features that are standard across all accounting types include:
- Access to more than 90 tradable financial assets
- Leverage up to 1:500
- Spreads from as low as 0.0 pips on the cTrader and MetaTrader Raw Spread Accounts.
- No additional costs in place of swaps.
- Low commission charges on trades.
- Access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5.
Customer Reviews
🥇 Delighted!
I used the chat facility to contact IC Markets customer care at 7 a.m. one morning. I was pleasantly delighted to be instantly connected with a skilled agent. They answered my question and pointed me to several useful tools on their website, improving my overall experience. – Olivia Meyer
🥈 Best Broker!
As an experienced trader, I believe IC Markets is the best, well-rounded broker in the industry. Whatever my favorite trading instruments are, I can always rely on them to be available. The variety of alternatives is astounding. It’s the same with trading tactics; regardless of my approach, IC Markets has an account and trading platform that precisely meets my needs. – Caleb Botha
🥉 Great Support.
I recently ran into issues while attempting to fund my sample account and balance with the broker. Fortunately, I contacted their customer service, and they answered quickly. After explaining my situation, the support crew immediately sorted it, and I received the additional required funds. – Hannah Viljoen
Pros and Cons
✅ Pros | ❌ Cons |
Well-regulated | No US Clients |
ECN model | Fixed spreads not offered |
Low trading and non-trading fees | |
Tight and competitive spreads | |
Hedging and scalping allowed | |
Social trading platforms supported |
Conclusion
IC Markets offers Islamic swap-free accounts on 2 types of accounts, Raw Spread-, & Standard accounts. The swap-free options are available on the MT4, MT & cTrader Platforms. With spreads from 0.0 pips and leverage at 1:500 with no additional cost in place of swaps.
You might also like: IC Markets Account Types
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You might also like: IC Markets Sign up Bonus
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the overall rating out of 10 for IC Markets?
The overall rating for this broker is 8/10.
Are there any additional charges on the IC Markets Islamic account?
Islamic or swap-free accounts do not pay or earn swaps or interest where a small financing charge is applied overnight. Open trades for more than 1 day are subject to a flat-rate financing charge by IC Markets.
What is a Forex Islamic account?
These are accounts for traders of the Muslim faith who want to trade forex in accordance with their religious belief of not accumulating any interest (or Riba). Riba is prohibited under Sharia law.
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