14 Best Low Margin Futures Brokers – (Revealed) 2025

Futures or futures contracts, will allow traders to lock in a price of the underlying asset or commodity. Futures contracts have expirations dates and set prices which are known up front. Futures are identified by their expiration month. The term futures tend to represent the overall market and there are many types of futures contracts available for trading. These future contracts include:

• Commodity futures such as in natural gas, corn, crude oil, and wheat
• Stock index futures such as the S&P 500 Index
• Currency futures including those for the euro and the British pound
• Precious metal futures for gold and silver
• S. Treasury futures for bonds and other products

It is important for traders to note the distinction between options and futures. Options contracts give the holder a right to buy or sell the underlying asset at expiration, while the holder of a futures contract is obliged to fulfil the terms of the contract.

To access the market for futures contracts, investors should choose a broker which is fully authorized and registered to offer these financial services. When an investors chooses a brokers, they should see if good margin and leverage, as well as a convenient trading platform which allows fast execution and mobile compatibility is on offer.

Here are factors which to consider when choosing a good futures broker:

Regulation 

The first thing traders should check is the legal aspect of the trade and whether the broker is authorized, registered and regulated.  The broker should clearly specify which government agencies regulates its operations in each country. For example, the futures markets are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the United States of America.

Margin Requirements 

Stereotypically, the equity market would allow traders to use a margin of up to 50%. But, when trading futures, the margin is much lower – usually between 2% and 13% of the total value of the contract. Multiple brokers will post the margin requirements not in percentages but as fixed prices  as they depend on a large number of factors, including the investor’s country of residence, the type of underlying asset being traded using a futures contract, etc.  The margin requirements will be determined by the futures exchange itself. The margin requirements are based on risk-based algorithms and investors should know that leveraged positions always increase the risk. This is why most brokers will offer stop losses and other types of investor fund protection.

Commissions and Fees

Futures trading is associated with numerous fees that are charged for different aspects of the trade, for different periods of time. Typically, the brokers commission will decrease when large volumes are being traded. But there might also be exchange fees, regulatory and clearing fees, as well as overnight position fees.  Some brokers will offer investors fixed prices per contract, while others may have complex pricing schemes. When choosing a futures broker, traders should look for firms which not only offers low fees and commissions but who clearly define their fees and have a transparent pricing system.

Trading Platforms

In order  to trade futures investors will need a modern, functional trading platform to do so. Software platforms facilitate the trade of various assets and provide research, analytic tools, education, customer service, and much more.  There are various trading platforms available which allow the trade of futures contracts and the best brokers will offer and  support a mobile platform as well. The vast majority of trading platforms offered will be available through fast and convenient mobile apps that can be found on the App Store and Google Play respectively.

Customer Support

As mentioned above, investors who wish to access the futures market will need a futures broker. The customer support service offered by the said broker is extremely important as clients invest real money and are exposed to real market risk. If a trader encounters a problem, they should be able to contact their broker immediately, day or night.

Here is an overview of the 14 Best Low Margin Futures Brokers available:

XM

Leverage:                            1:30 to 1:888 *Depends on the entity of the group

Regulation:                         CySEC, ASIC, IFSC

Min. Deposit:                    US$5

HQ:                                        Cyprus, Australia, Belize

Platforms:                           MT4, MT5, XM WebTrader

Founded in:                        2009

XM operates with clients from over 196 countries and offers support in 30 languages. The main branch is located in Cyprus and the company is regulated by CySEC.  1.5 Million Traders and investors have chosen XM as their Forex Broker, largely accredited to their wide range of trading products on offer.  Four main account types are on offer – Micro, Standard, XM Ultra Low Account and Shares Accounts.  Traders can select the base currency of their preference from a large selection on offer, including South African Rand (ZAR), Singapore Dollar (SGD) and other global currencies.

Customer Support is available via live chat, email and phone.

EasyMarkets

EasyMarkets is one of the most popular choices for Beginner traders and traders:

• Enhanced risk management tools as standard
• Fixed spreads on all forex pairings
• An easy to use forex trading platform

EasyMarkets is regulated by CSEC (Cyprus) and ASIC (Australia) respectively.

EasyMarkets offers traders three key risk management tools which are ideal to those new to currency trading:

• Deal Cancellation
• Guaranteed Stop Loss Orders
• Negative Balance Protection

Standard, Premium, VIP and SuperVIP accounts are available, their minimum opening deposits are $100, $1 000, $2 500, $50 000 respectively. A demo account is also on offer.  The available trading platforms on offer are the ever popular MT4 and the EasyMarkets web platform.

Customer Support is available 24/5 via  various chat channels, email, phone and web forms.

FP Markets

Leverage:                            1:500

Regulation:                         ASIC, CySEC

HQ:                                        Australia

Platforms:                           IRESS, MT4, MT5

Found in:                             2005

The FP Markets was established in 2005 and serves over 12,000 clients across the globe.  FP Markets connects traders to the market through electronic bridges and DMA pricing models.  FP Markets offers traders access to trade 13,000+ products ranging from Forex, Indices, Commodities, Metals, Bitcoin, Cryptocurrencies, Equity CFDs.

Traders can choose between the MT4, MT5 and IRESS platforms as well as MAM and PAMM account possibilities for money managers.

FP Markets offer two account types with STP and ECN execution models available through MT4 or MT5 platforms. FP Markets also offers three IRESS account types which covers traders who prefer to use this particular software.

Customer Service is available 24/5 via Live Chat.

Pepperstone

Pepperstone was founded in 2010 and is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), as well as the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).  Pepperstone offers traders a variety of trading accounts to choose from including Razor, Standard and Swap-Free.

Pepperstone boasts three top forex trading platforms:

• MetaTrader 4: Most Popular for Forex Trading
• MetaTrader 5: Most Popular CFDs Trading Platform
• cTrader: Best Automated Trading Platform

All three FX trading platforms come with a free demo account which will allow traders to test out the forex broker and platform for up to 30 days.

Platform enhancements available for Pepperstone include:

• MetaTrader 4 smart trader tools
• cTrader Automate
• Autochartist and
• API trading

A range of options for depositing funds are available, including: Bank wire transfer, MasterCard, Visa credit card, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill and QIWI.

Pepperstone offers 24/5 multiple language support via email, phone and live chat.

eToro

eToro is a leading social trading platform designed for trading major financial markets including stocks, forex and cryptocurrencies. eToro is well regulated by the FCA, CySEC and ASIC. eToro only offers one account type with over 1,083 different instruments to trade, including over 47 currency pairs. The minimum deposit for said account will differ by country.  eToro offers traders a proprietary trading platform which allows both individual and social trading.

eToro supports a wide range of languages including English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian via phone and support ticket.

AvaTrade

AvaTrade is an online broker which was founded in 2006 offering Forex trading, CFDs trading, Spread Betting trading, and Social Trading.

• Regulated by: Central Bank of Ireland, Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), Financial Services Authority (FSA), Financial Stability Board (FSB), British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission (BVI)
• Headquarters:The British Virgin Islands
• Foundation year:2006
• Used: by over 200,000 traders

Across all markets, MetaTrader 4 gives traders access to over 250 assets, 30 advanced charting tools, trading history, and other useful information.  Customer support is available by email, phone, or live chat.

IQ Option

Binary Option:

• $1 minimum investment
• No commissions for deposits (*currency conversion fee might apply)
• expiry times ranging from 60 seconds until the end of the month

Account Types on offer include:

Standard:

• $10 minimum deposit
• No restrictions on trading functionality
• Access to over 300 assets
• 24-hour withdrawal processing

VIP: 

• Available to clients that deposit significant amounts (the exact amount is subject to change)
• Personal account manager
• Monthly reports on trading records

Demo: 

• Free demo account
• $10,000 in virtual money
• No time limits
• Virtual funds can be replenished in order to continue practising

Trading Platform: 

• Proprietary custom-built platform
• Multi-chart layouts
• Technical analysis
• Historical quotes
• Volatility alerts
• Market updates
• Stock screeners
• Economic calendars
• Available in 13 different languages

Assets available for trade 

Stocks 

CFDs on best-performing stocks

Forex

• Multiple Forex Pairs
• Currency pairs include EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, USD/CAD, AUD/USD, NZD/USD, and USD/CHF.

ETFs 

• ETFs currently available to trade.

Cryptocurrency

• CFDs on different cryptocurrencies
• Cryptocurrencies include TRON, EOS, Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ripple, Qtum, Ethereum, ZCash, OmiseGo, Ethereum Classic, Litecoin, Dash.

Commodities 

• CFDs on commodities including Silver, Crude Oil Brent, Crude Oil WTI, Gold, and Platinum.

Customer Support is made available via email, phone, and online chat.

General Risk Warning: The financial products offered by the company carry a high level of risk and can result in the loss of all your funds. You should never invest money that you cannot afford to lose

IronFX

IronFX is a multi-asset online broker which is regulated the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Australia’s Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and South Africa’s Financial Services Board (FSB).

Accounts on offer include:

Live floating/live fixed account types:

Micro:                                   Spreads start from 1.8 pips, the minimum deposit required is $100 and leverage up to 1:1000 is available

Premium:                            Spreads start from 1.6 pips, the minimum deposit required is $1,000 and leverage up to 1:1000 is available

VIP:                                        Spreads start from 1.4 pips, the minimum deposit required is $10,000 and leverage up to 1:1000 is available

Zero Fixed:                         Spreads start from zero pips, the minimum deposit required is $500 and leverage up to 1:500 is available

STP/ECN trading account types: 

No Commission:              Spreads start from 1.7 pips, the minimum deposit required is $500 and leverage up to 1:200 is available

Zero Spread:                      Spreads start from zero pips, the minimum deposit required is $500 and leverage up to 1:200 is available

Absolute Zero:                  Spreads start from 0.3 pips, the minimum deposit required is $500 and leverage up to 1:200 is available

Trading Platforms on offer include:

• MetaTrader4 (MT4)
• Personal Multi-Account Manager (PMAM)

Customer Support is made available via Email, Phone and live chat.

InstaForex

InstaForex is an international brokerage brand regulated by the CySEC.

Accounts on offer include:

• Standard
• Eurica
• ECN
• ECN Pro
• Scalping

Trading Platforms on offer include:

• MetaTrader4 (MT4)

Assets available for trade:

• Over 100 available currency pairs
• Over 88 CFDs on US stocks
• Commodities are limited to gold, silver, crude oil, and natural gas
• 7 indices CFDs
• 5 cryptocurrencies

Customer Support is available 24/5 via e-mail, phone and a call back option, live chat, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Viber, WhatsApp, and Telegram.

Libertex

Libertex is a popular online forex and CFD broker regulated and authorised by CySEC (the Cyprus Securities & Exchange Commission).

Accounts on offer include:

One Real Account with access to different status levels based on the amount deposited.

• Gold status: Traders must make a deposit of £250 during the lifetime of their account.
• GoldPlus status: Traders who deposit £1,450 receive a commission discount of 4% as a reward.
• Platinum status: Deposits of £1,500 provide traders with a 20% commission discount, as well as access to priority withdrawals.
• VIP status: Traders who deposit £5,000 or more are eligible for a 30% commission discount, priority withdrawals and premium customer support.

All partnered with the company’s own Proprietary Trading Platform.

Assets available for trade include:

• 49 currency pairs
• 100 stocks
• 41 cryptocurrencies
• 5 metals
• 18 indices
• 6 agricultural assets
• 5 oil/gas instruments
• 10 ETFs

Customer Support is made available in 11 different languages via email and phone.

Markets.com

Markets.com is an online forex and CFD broker which holds licenses with several respected regulatory bodies, including the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC).

Accounts on offer include: 

• Retail
• Professional

Trading Platforms on offer include:

• MarketsX
• Marketsi
• MetaTrader4 and MetaTrader5

Assets available for trade include: 

• 67 forex major, minor and exotic currency pairs
• 2,000+ shares on major global companies
• 43 major stock indices
• 6 cryptocurrency, including Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and Ripple
• 26 commodities, including metals and energies
• 21 stock blends of large companies
• 59 ETFs
• 4 bonds
• Spread betting (UK residents only)

Note, futures and binary options are not available.

Customer support is available in over 25 languages, 24/5 via Phone and Contact Page.

Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers is best suited for: 

• Casual and advanced traders.
• Day traders.
• Margin accounts.
• Options trading.
• Research and data.
• International investors.

Customer Support is made available via phone and live chat.

TD Ameritrade

TD Ameritrade is best for:

• Beginner investors.
• Advanced traders.
• Investor education/advice.
• Fund investors.

Customer Support is made available phone, text, Facebook Messenger, Twitter direct message, Apple Business Chat and Amazon Alexa.

Fusion Markets

Fusion Markets deliver low-cost forex and CFD trading via low spreads and trading costs.

Account Types on offer include:

• Classic account: Fees are built into the spreads, and no commission is charged
• ECN account: Tighter spreads but a commission is charged

Trading Platforms include:

• MetaTrader 4
• WebTrader for MT4
• MT4 mobile apps

Assets available for trade: 

• Forex (70+ currency pairs available)
• Energy (crude oil, Brent oil, and natural gas)
• Precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium, and more)
• Equity indices
• Commodities (coffee, wheat, cocoa, sugar etc.)
• Cryptocurrencies (including bitcoin, dash, ripple, and Ethereum).

Customer Support is made available via email and phone.

In Conclusion

Each online broker will require a different minimum deposit made by investors in order for futures contracts to be traded. The best way to choose a Futures Broker is to research all the options on offer  before making a final choice, or investment.