NFA Regulated Brokers are Forex Brokers who have been certified and are members of the National Futures Association, a self-regulating agency which enforces and develops standards to promote trust between investors and brokers.
The National Futures Association ranks amongst the best-known national regulatory authorities globally and acts as the primary regulatory authority in the United States and is responsible for overseeing online forex brokers alongside the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Choosing the right broker and trading platform can impact a trader’s potential for profit, so here are our pick for the 16 Best NFA Regulated Forex Brokers to make the process easier.

XM Group
The XM Group provides the entire suite of MetaTrader platforms plus over 1300 tradeable instruments.
- The XM Group is regulated in two tier-1 jurisdictions and one tier-2 jurisdiction, making it a safe broker (average-risk) for forex and CFDs trading.
- Pricing at XM Group varies by account type.
XM Group is considered as an average-risk, and is not publicly-traded and does not operate a bank.
Offering of investments
The XM Group offers traders CFDs on 1200 stocks, 30 indices, eight commodities, four metals, five energies, and 57 forex pairs.
Commissions & Fees
The commissions and fees at XM Group is depended on the type of account used.
Spreads: In the XM Zero account, average spreads on the EUR/USD stand at 0.1 pips (according to XM Group website data, and not including commission), compared to the commission-free Standard and Micro account, which had average spreads of 1.7 pips for the same pairs.
Commissions: Even after including the USD $3.5 per side commission ($7 per Round Turn), and average spreads of 0.1 pips on the EUR/USD, the all-in cost to trade is 0.8 pips (0.1 spread + 0.7 RT commission), making the XM Zero account the firm’s most competitively priced offering.
Platforms & Tools
XM Group is a MetaTrader-only broker offering the standard experience which includes both MT4 and MT5.
XM Group’s research offering consists of:
- Content generated by an in-house team of analysts including:
- Daily market recaps and
- Technical and fundamental analysis articles and videos.
- An economic calendar powered by Investing.com
Trading signals: The XM Group offers its trading signals hub to live account holders but, trading signals that can be automated are currently limited to the Signals Market available within the MetaTrader platform.
Technical analysis: The XM Group offers Tradepedia, which provides educational Forex and CFD content.
Video news analysis: The XM Group creates daily forex news videos with market analysis explained in a TV interview-style format.
Customer Service
- Average Connection Time:<1 minute
- Average Net Promoter Score:66 / 10
- Average Professionalism Score:2 / 10
- Overall Score:7 / 10
- Ranking:24th out of 43 brokers

Markets.com
Markets.com is an online broker which founded in 2008 and offers Forex, CFDs and Spread Bets. Spread Bets are only available to UK customers trading and Markets.com is a global broker with a head office situated in Cyprus.
New traders will need to make a minimum deposit of $100 and a demo account is available for those who wants to try before they ‘buy’ in.
Traders can trade in a wide variety of instruments and currency pairs
- Over 100 instruments
- Over 80 currency pairs
Markets.com offers both of the MetaTrader platforms; MT4 and MT5. plus, mobile apps for Android and iOS.
Trading benefits
- Allows scalping
- Allows hedging
- Low min deposit
- Guaranteed stop loss
- Offers Negative Balance Protection
Trading Accounts
- Demo account
- Mini account
- Standard account
- Islamic account
Markets.com support a wide range of languages including Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish.

Oanda
OANDA is the Most Regulated Forex Broker and operate across six of the most credible authorities including:
- Australia AISC (Australian Securities and Investments Commission)
- United States CFTD (Commodity Futures Trading Commission)
- Europe and UK FCA – (Financial Conduct Authority)
- Japan IFFA (Institute Financial Futures Association)
- Singapore MAS (Monetary Authority Of Singapore)
- Canada IIROC (Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada)
OANDA Focuses on Transparency
OANDA is focused on pricing transparency and customer satisfaction and they offer real-time data from liquidity providers and finds mid-points across instruments. When it comes to customer support, OANDA boasts multiple customer service awards for 24 hours/6 days a week support. Live chat, emails and phone support is available.

Interactive Brokers
Interactive Brokers was founded in 1978 and is regulated by several financial authorities globally, including top-tier ones like the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
Wide range of products | Extremely complex desktop trading platform |
Many great research tools | Complicated account opening process |
Regulated by several authorities | High inactivity fee |

AvaTrade
AvaTrade is an online broker which was founded in 2006 and offers Forex, CFDs, Spread Betting and Social Trading and is a global broker with their head office situated in The British Virgin Islands.
For those who are looking to start out with AvaTrade will need a minimum deposit of $250 and a demo account is available for those who want to get acquaint with the popular MT4 forex trading platform. AvaTrade also offer mobile apps for Android and iOS.
AvaTrade is perfect for various levels of traders including beginners and all traders can trade a wide variety of instruments and currency pairs.
- Over 250 instruments
- Over 80 currency pairs
Trading benefits
- Allows scalping
- Allows hedging
- Low min deposit
AvaTrade Trading Accounts on offer include: Demo, Micro, Mini, Standard and Islamic and AvaTrade allows traders to execute a minimum trade of 0.01 Lot and support a wide range of languages including English, Italian, German, French and Greek.

eToro
eToro is an online broker which was founded in 2006 and offers CFDs and Social Trading, with a head office based in Cyprus, UK. eToro offers traders two ways to trade: CFDs, Social Trading and eToro traders will need to make a minimum deposit of $200 and the platform can accommodate various levels of traders from beginner to expert.
eToro is supervised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) regulatory bodies and has been in operation for over 14 years.
Traders can trade in a wide variety of over 100 instruments and over 50 currency pairs on eToro’s user-friendly custom trading platform which is available as a browser-based web application. eToro also offers traders mobile apps for Android and iOS, making it easier to keep an eye on and execute trades.
eToro trading accounts on offer include: Demo, Micro, Mini, Standard, STP and Islamic. eToro supports a wide range of languages including English, German, Spanish, French, and Italian.

FXPrimus
FXPrimus is an online broker which was founded in 2009 and offers traders Forex and Social Trading, is a global broker and has a head office situated in Cyprus. Traders can choose to trade in a wide variety of instruments and currency pairs alike.
- Over 100 instruments
- Over 45 currency pairs
FXPrimus offers traders the popular MT4 forex trading platform alongside a FXPrimus IOS or Android native App for phone and tablet use.
Trading benefits
- Allows scalping
- Allows hedging
- Offers STP
- Low min deposit
FXPrimus Trading Accounts Offered include: Demo, Micro, Mini, Standard, ECN, STP, Managed and Islamic. FXPrimus supports a wide range of languages including English, Spanish, Indonesian, Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, Hungarian, and Malaysian.

Forex.com
Forex.com is an online broker which was founded in 1999 and offers Forex, Indices, Commodities, Equities and Cryptocurrencies trading with a minimum deposit of $500 needed to make a start.
Traders can trade in:
- Over 4500 instruments
- Over 80 currency pairs
Trading benefits
- Allows scalping
- Allows hedging
- Offers STP
- Guaranteed stop loss
- Offers Negative Balance Protection
Trading Accounts
- Demo account
- Mini account
- Standard account
- ECN account
- STP account
- Islamic account
With Forex.com, the minimum and maximum trade requirements vary depending on the trader and the instrument and all accounts support a wide range of languages including English, Chinese, Arabic to name but a few.

IG
IG offers traders a wide-ranging list of tradeable products, outstanding trading and research tools, industry-leading education, and competitive rates.
Is IG Safe?
IG is considered low-risk, and is a publicly traded company which operates a regulated bank, and is authorised by six tier-1 regulators (high trust), three tier-2 regulators (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust). IG is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators.
Commissions & Fees
IG provides traders competitive pricing across the board, regardless of the product chosen to trade.
- Average spreads:For small and standard size contracts, minimum spreads on the EUR/USD were 0.6 pips, average spreads were 0.73 pips, for the end of November, 2019.
- Active traders:For volume traders who qualify as professionals under EU rules, IG offers even more competitive rates on its commission-based offering, Forex Direct.
- Execution method:Forex Direct streams from interbank liquidity providers where IG acts as an agency broker – not adding on any additional spread. IG adds a commission to each trade made.
Platforms & Tools
IG provides an outstanding offer of trading platforms and tools.
Flagship platform: IG’s main trading platform is its proprietary web-based platform with usability at the centre of the experience.
Charting: The default charts within the platform offers traders advanced functionalityincluding the ability to add an alert on a specific indicator, with a total of 28 studies available to select.
Additional platforms: IG offers the MetaTrader4 (MT4) platform and a L2 Dealer platform where Forex Direct and Direct Market Access (DMA) are available for share trading.
ProRealTime charts: Via the ProRealTime premium charting more advanced charting with nearly 100 indicators is provided.
Customer Service
- Average Connection Time:<1 minute
- Average Net Promoter Score:7 / 10
- Average Professionalism Score:2 / 10
- Overall Score:17 / 10
- Ranking:8th in 23 brokers
IG provides traders a large selection of quality market research from both in-house and third-party providers plus, a mobile app that comes packed with plenty of features.
Mobile app features include:
- Tools:Alerts, sentiment readings, an economic calendar, watch lists, detailed market information and a well-designed layout.
- Charting:The charting function is loaded with 28 technical indicators and drawing tools.
- Research:News content and signals from AutoChartist.
- MetaTrader:MetaTrader is also available for traders who prefer the MT4 mobile app.
IG offers traders powerful research tools, competitive spreads and over 17,000 tradeable assets.

BDSwiss
BDSwiss has been a part of the financial market since 2012 and offers traders a carefully curated mix of products and services. BDSwiss has over a million registered accounts catering to clients across 173 countries and more than 10.2 million client transactions processed annually.
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
Ultra-low spreads and affordable commissions | Raw Spread Accounts limited to forex and gold trading |
Excellent liquidity and rapid execution | One-on-one training only available to Black Account holders |
Feature rich value-added tools like Autochartist and trading alerts | No US citizens currently accepted by the platform |
Superb educational materials and daily market webinars | |
Highly accessible and user-friendly customer support channels |
BDSwiss is regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, the Mauritius Financial Services Commission, and registered with the United States National Futures Association. Additionally, a knowledgeable support team is available in over 20 languages across many convenient communication channels.

Forex Time (FXTM)
Forex Time (FXTM) is a MetaTrader broker which offers forex and CFD traders multiple account options for both MT4 and MT5 platforms.
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
Provides multiple execution methods by account type | Leverage caps and margin restrictions on ECN accounts |
Regulated in several jurisdictions, including outside the EU | Certain range of markets segmented across account types |
Offers Cryptocurrency CFDs | On ECN accounts, stop and limit levels can be added only post execution |
FXTM Invest for auto trading | Low max order size of 30 standard lots per trade |
Is FXTM Safe?
FXTM is considered average-risk and is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. FXTM is authorised by zero tier-1 regulators (high trust), one tier-2 regulator (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust).
Commissions & Fees
FXTM offers users seven different accounts types where the execution method, range of markets, available platform, and commissions and fees may vary. Three accounts are offered under the Standard category.
Customer Service
- Average Connection Time:<1 minute
- Average Net Promoter Score:6 / 10
- Average Professionalism Score:4 / 10
- Overall Score:8 / 10
- Ranking:23rd of 43 brokers
FXTM provides research in the form of daily technical and fundamental news analysis provided by an in-house team of analysts.

InstaForex
InstaForex is a MetaTrader only broker.
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
InstaForex TV videos are cleanly recorded, consistently delivered, and the broker’s in-house market commentary is relevant and timely | Default MetaTrader platform offered with no premium features |
While InstaForex is authorised by the FCA, it is not regulated by the FCA |
Is InstaForex Safe?
Instaforex is considered high-risk and is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. Instaforex is authorised by zero tier-1 regulators (high trust), one tier-2 regulator (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust).
Commissions & Fees
InstaForex offers users two main account types:
- Standard (ECN / non-dealing desk)
- Eurica (dealing desk).
Both above mentioned accounts have a 1 USD minimum deposit.
Research & Education
InstaForex provides a range of offerings which includes InstaForex’s daily market analysis blogs and technical analysis posts via MT5. Interviews, weekly reviews, and educational videos are also available.
Education primarily includes videos, a glossary, and a variety of text articles based on forex trading.
Platforms & Tools
InstaForex is a MetaTrader4-only broker – offering the MT4 platform suite from MetaQuotes Software Corporation, developer of the widely popular MT4 and MT5 platforms for desktop, mobile, and web.
- InstaForex features only the default functionality
- No other third-party platforms or plugins provided to traders
iOS and Android versions of the MetaTrader 4 mobile app come standard and are both available for download from the Apple iTunes store and Android Playstore, respectively.

FBS
FBS offers traders a choice of four accounts and all accounts offer market execution and the chance to trade in micro lots in Cent accounts for more precise risk management.
Benefits
Account type | Minimum deposit | Minimum trade size | Maximum leverage | Spreads |
Cent | $1 | 0.01 lot | 1:1000 | from 1 pip |
Standard | $100 | 0.01 lot | 1:3000 | from 0.5 pips |
Zero Spread | $500 | 0.01 lot | 1:3000 | 0 pips + $20/lot |
Micro | $5 | 0.01 lot | 1:3000 | fixed, from 3 pips |
ECN | $1000 | 0.1 lot | 1:500 | from -1 pip + $6/lot |
FBS is a popular international broker and offers clients competitive trading conditions, a wide range of trading accounts, payment methods, a choice of fixed and variable spreads, Metatrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, as well as various promotions. An account with FBS can be opened for just $1.

IQ Option
IQ Option was founded in 2013 and offers two accounts that are designed to be accessible to every trader regardless of their experience level, and trading balance. The standard trading account can be opened by depositing a minimum of $10 and offers all the trading tools a trader would need, and is a perfect choice for beginners.
The VIP account is similar in many ways to the standard account but requires a minimum deposit of $1900, or a total trading volume of $1500.

easyMarkets
easyMarkets is an easy to use platform and offers several unique features which is attractive to beginners through its branded trading platform. easyMarkets is pricey and offers only a small selection of tradeable products. easyMarkets was founded in 2001 and is regulated in one tier-1 jurisdiction and one tier-2 jurisdiction, making it a safe choice and average-risk for forex and CFDs trading.
easyMarkets has an excellent proprietary web-based platform that is easy to use and offers two beginner-friendly features including dealCancellation and Freeze Rate. The easyMarkets line-up includes forex market research tools, 256 tradeable instruments, and a mobile app.
Features
Feature | easyMarkets |
Forex: Spot Trading | Yes |
Currency Pairs (Total Forex pairs) | 62 |
CFDs – Total Offered | 199 |
Social Trading / Copy-Trading | Yes |
Cryptocurrency traded as actual | No |
Cryptocurrency traded as CFD | Yes |
easyMarkets offers two platforms, its own proprietary HTML5 web-based platform and MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and a good customer service experience.

Alpari
Alpari with its long-standing brand history, numerous offices, range of account types and diverse managed account offerings is the perfect choice for Forex and CFD traders who are looking to leverage the power of MetaTrader platforms.
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
Licensed in Russia, Belarus, Mauritius, Belize, St. Vincent & the Grenadines | Product offering segmented across global brands |
Wide range of MT4/MT5 account types | Narrow range of CFD trading instruments |
Launched CFDs on Bitcoin | Less research content on English site compared to Russian version |
Member of External Dispute Resolution (EDR) organization |
Is Alpari Safe?
Alpari is considered high-risk, and is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. Alpari is authorised by zero tier-1 regulators (high trust), zero tier-2 regulators (average trust), and one tier-3 regulators (low trust).
Commissions & Fees
The commissions and fees at Alpari are varied and depend on the account type and platform used.
Customer Service
- Average Connection Time:<1 minute
- Average Net Promoter Score:33 / 10
- Average Professionalism Score:2 / 10
- Overall Score:5 / 10
- Ranking:26th in 43 brokers
Alpari integrates research content from several third-party providers under its Forex Analytics section and is a MetaTrader-only broker. The native versions of the mobile app for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 are available for Android and iOS devices straight from the developer.
In Conclusion
Once a trader has identified a reputable NFA regulated broker which fulfils their needs as a trader, they should visit the trader’s official website to start the process of opening and funding a live forex trading account and test out the services on offers with a provided demo account before committing to the broker.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are NFA regulated brokers safe?
Yes, a NFA regulated broker must obey many rules and keep to very high standards in forex trading.
What does NFA in forex stand for?
National Futures Association
Who are the best NFA regulated forex brokers?
Here is a list of the 17 Best NFA Regulated Forex Brokers
What is the function of the NFA?
To regulate and oversee the commodities and futures industry in the USA.
Does forex brokers lose money?
When you consider that as much as 95% of traders lose money, it is a safe assumption to make
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