South Africa has experienced rapid development of forex trading across the country in recent years. This growth has been driven by the arrival of international brokers, widespread education surrounding retail investments, and improved access to online trading capabilities.
With a burgeoning population and a large pool of untapped potential South African traders, forex brokers have been targeting South Africa over the past few years as a growth prospect. By and large, this logic has proven sound, with many brokers having success currently in the country, and also seeing an increase of clients.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic initially began, South Africa has seen an increase of leading forex brokers enter the country in a bid to gain a foothold. Most of the leading forex brokers in the country have become regulated under South Africa’s principal regulatory entity, the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA). Established in 2018, this regulatory body is seen as the paramount authority for financial services in South Africa.
Forex Trading in South Africa – Getting Started
While not mandatory, many of the most recognizable brokers operating in the country today carry this license. All South African traders are advised to only trade with brokers that are regulated, whether this is the case in South Africa or other jurisdictions.
The retail forex market is still much less developed relative to Europe and other jurisdictions. However, the efforts by regulated forex brokers to date have really helped foster a transparent environment for retail traders.
This article outlines the top ten forex brokers in South Africa. The parameters include a wide range of factors, such as regulations, spreads, commissions, and other attributes.
For many prospective retail traders looking to get into financial markets, the first step is the most difficult, and that involves information. There are countless brokers to choose from, each with different positives and negatives.
As a starting point, it is best to be informed on different brokerage operations in the country. For this you need a stable internet connection, where you can explore and familiarize yourself with all available brokers in South Africa, the currencies you wish to trade, and more. Presently, the three main brokers offering trading in South African Rand (ZAR) are AvaTrade, HF Markets, and Exness.
Before opening or funding your account it is important to do your homework first. This means finding regulated forex brokers in South Africa whose services best resonate with your preferences. Unsure of what those are? This article has you covered, outlining below the best-performing brokers in South Africa across a variety of metrics.
What Do the Top Forex Brokers in South Africa Offer?
So which broker can call itself the best forex broker in South Africa? While there are countless brokers currently operating in South Africa, there are certainly some that score higher in terms of transparency, depth of their offering, trading conditions, and ease of trading.
There are several benefits and services that South African forex traders have grown to look for. As a standard, many South African traders prefer access to higher leverage , multiple forex trading platforms, including MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5).
Customer service is also a mandatory requirement for many forex traders, especially newer ones who run into issues and require information. By this analogy, a strong educational offering is also essential for any successful broker in South Africa.
As such, the list below compiled data from a wide range of brokers, ultimately choosing the 10 best forex brokers in South Africa. Let’s have a look to see how to choose a forex broker in South Africa.
Tickmill
Tickmill is a trading name of Tickmill Ltd, a member of Tickmill Group, which is regulated by the Seychelles Financial Services Authority (FSA). Regulated in South Africa, Tickmill is a top forex broker in South Africa that boasts a proven track record of strong financial results and stable growth and is one of the most trusted names in the country.
Tickmill has carved out a niche not only in South Africa for providing financial services, but globally as a market leader and innovator of retail forex services. The most important element of Tickmill’s offering is its robust Education portal.
This portal includes detailed and in-depth webinars, seminars, e-books, video tutorials, infographics, articles, and market commentary pieces. These resources are freely offered and are invaluable for newer forex traders looking to get active in retail trading .
Beyond this, Tickmill offers a host of interactive trading tools for traders of all skill levels. This includes Autochartist, Myfxbook copy trading, economic calendars, and much more. Tickmill traders also have access to MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), the two most advanced forex trading platforms on the market.
Tickmill also makes deposits and withdrawals easy with minimal trading fees, a low deposit requited. The brokerage also offers a growing list of financial instruments including a demo account, and other top-tier trading accounts making it a leading option in South Africa.
Tickmill Features
- Regulation: FSA
- Leverage: 1:500
- Minimum spreads: 0.13 pips
- Minimum deposit: $100 (R1650)
- Trading platforms on offer: MT4, MT5
- Customer Support: 24/5, multilingual
- Benefits: Free educational portal, various contests
RoboForex
Established in 2009, RoboForex is widely considered to be a trustworthy broker as it offers traders sophisticated trading tools, several asset types, over 12000 trading instruments, and round-the-clock (24/7) customer support.
RoboForex is regulated by top-tier entities such as the FSC (Financial Services Commission) and won prestigious awards such as the “Most Trusted Broker” award (given by International Business Magazine), World Economic Magazine’s “Most Transparent Broker Award”, Global Brands Magazine’s “Best Investment Products”, as well as several other distinctions and awards.
Improving your financial literacy is also something that RoboForex makes possible as it features a blog and several educational resources to give their clients a clear advantage when trading and strategizing.
Moreover, RoboForex has several sign-up bonus and benefits.
RoboForex Features
- Regulation: FSC license
- Leverage: 1:2000
- Minimum spreads: Institutional spreads from 0 points (ECN and Prime Account holders: Floating from 0 pips; R Stocks Trader account holders from $0.01; Pro Cent and Pro account holders: floating from 1.3 pips).
- Minimum deposit: 10 USD
- Trading platforms on offer: MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, R StocksTrader platforms
- Customer Support: 24/7, multilingual
- Benefits: Several promotions, profit share bonus and cashbacks available depending on account type.
AvaTrade
AvaTrade has been a mainstay in the retail trading industry since 2006, making it one of the most decorated and veteran brokers. This includes South Africa, where AvaTrade has maintained a steady presence, offering several attractive trading platforms and conditions that have also made it a household name.
AvaTrade or Ava Capital Markets Pty is regulated by the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority. As an FSCA regulated broker, AvaTrade scores very highly in terms of transparency and trustworthiness amongst South African traders.
As one of the best brokers in South Africa, Avatrade also takes trading education seriously with a specialized section for beginning traders. This includes videos, rules, strategies, and other resources that outline the dynamics of how to trade forex.
This section ranks among the best, making AvaTrade very friendly for newer traders. Additionally, AvaTrade users also have access to MT4 and MT5, as well as automated trading capabilities for more advanced users.
AvaTrade Features
- Regulation: FSCA
- Leverage: 1:400
- Minimum spreads: variable
- Minimum deposit: $100 (R1650)
- Trading platforms on offer: MT4, MT5, Ava Social, Ava Protect, and Trading Central
- Customer Support: 24/5, multilingual
- Benefits: ZAR trading account, zero deposit or withdrawal fees, crypto trading
HF Markets
HFM, a unified brand name of the HF Markets Group, is a Financial Service Provider authorized by the FSCA in South Africa. HFM is an award-winning forex and commodities brokerage currently operating in South Africa.
The brokerage scores very highly in its trading services and facilities on offer for retail clients. HF Markets also is one of the top forex brokers in South Africa, offering several different account types for forex traders, as well as different types of advanced trading software and tools. These resources help enable retail customers to trade a robust list of different forex instruments and CFDs online.
This trading suite is also backed up by highly competitive trading conditions and fast execution, HF Markets strives to provide all the tools and services needed for retail clients in South Africa of any level or skill.
More specifically, HF Markets also has an education section on offer, with a limited pool of forex education e-courses, webinars, and videos. Opening an account can be done in as little as 24 hours, though does present logistical challenges for some introductory traders.
HFM Features
- Regulation: FSCA
- Leverage: 1:1000
- Minimum spreads: variable
- Minimum deposit: $5 (R80)
- Trading platforms on offer: MT4, MT5. HFM App (Android & IOS)
- Customer Support: 24/5
- Benefits: ZAR trading account, active trader discount, loyalty rewards, no deposit bonus
Exness
Exness ZA (PTY) Ltd is another broker that scores very highly in South Africa and is regulated by the FSCA as a Financial Service Provider (FSP). As one of the largest forex brokers in South Africa, as well as globally, Exness offers ZAR base currency trading accounts as well as local internet banking deposit & withdrawals in Rand to traders domestically.
In terms of forex trading, Exness has a variable spread depending on its trading instruments that is competitive with other brokers in South Africa. The brokerage offers one of the highest trading leverages in the country with zero deposit and withdrawal fees, inactivity fees, or account fees.
The most impressive attribute of Exness’ offering is its stellar customer service, which is not only 24/7 but provides support in upwards of 15 different languages. Exness looks to provide South African retail traders with constant improvement and new opportunities to explore the financial market.
With negative balance protection and multiple trading platforms on offer, including MT4 and MT5, Exness scores well for retail trading capabilities in South Africa.
Exness Features
- Regulation: FSCA, FCA
- Leverage: 1:2000
- Minimum spreads: variable
- Minimum deposit: $1 (R16)
- Trading platforms on offer: MT4, MT5, MT4 WebTerminal
- Customer Support: 24/7, multilingual
- Benefits: ZAR trading account, signup bonus
FBS
FBS or FBS Markets Pty Ltd is regulated by the FSCA in South Africa. The globally recognized brokerage provides retail trading opportunities for forex, stocks, metals, energies, indices, and cryptocurrencies.
Relative to other options in South Africa, FBS’s offering is unique in that it offers cryptocurrency trading capabilities. FBS recently launched a new type of account that was curated specifically for trading cryptos. This account boasts over 100 different instruments for trading digital currencies, giving South African traders a gateway into this asset class.
In addition to cryptos, FBS offers multiple trading platforms for South African clients, including MT4, MT5, and its in-house developed FBS Trader. FBS also has several different premium tools at its disposal.
In total FBS has 6 different account types that are designed to meet different traders' needs in South Africa. These include Cent-, Micro-, Standard-, Zero Spread-, ECN-, and Crypto accounts, each offering various deposit parameters.
FBS also offers the highest leverage of regulated brokers in South Africa. Of note, FBS does charge a commission on deposits and withdrawals of 2%, which is slightly above the average in South Africa.
FBS Features
- Regulation: FSCA
- Leverage: 1:3000
- Minimum spreads: 0.2 pips
- Minimum deposit: variable
- Trading platforms on offer: MT4, MT5, FBS Trader
- Customer Support: 24/7
- Benefits: Welcome bonus, crypto trading on offer
BDSwiss
BDSwiss is an international brokerage firm established in 2012, having moved into South Africa and since become one of the largest brokerages operating in the country. The broker is regulated by both the Financial Securities Commission (FSC) in Mauritius and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of Seychelles.
In terms of tradable instruments, BDSwiss offers forex pairs, commodities, shares, indices, and a basket of cryptocurrencies. The brokerage caters to all types of traders, especially beginners with its free Trading Academy.
This includes a learning center, forex ebooks, videos, and live education, all of which are free for all individuals, including South African clients. Clients also have access to both MT4 and MT5 as well as the company’s BDSwiss Webtrader platform.
BDSwiss charges a commission that varies across its three different account types, each of which are designed for different traders – Classic, VIP, and Raw. While BDSwiss charges zero fees for deposits or withdrawals, a fee is charged for transactions below 100 euros (R1700), as well as for any prolonged inactivity of greater than six months.
BDSwiss Features
- Regulation: FSC, FSA
- Leverage: 1:500
- Minimum spreads: variable
- Minimum deposit: $10 (R165)
- Trading platforms on offer: MT4, MT5, BDSwiss WebTrader
- Customer Support: 24/5, multilingual
- Benefits: Welcome bonus of 30%
Trade Nation
Trade Nation has quickly developed its presence in South Africa, and is regulated by the FSCA in the country, as well as the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). Formerly known as Core Spreads, Trade Nation has now become a reliable option for many South African traders.
Trade Nation offers accounts in GBP, USD, EUR, AUD, and ZAR. The only trading platform available to clients in South Africa is MT4. One unique element to Trade Nation’s offering is its reliance on alternative data to inform clients and provide trading strategies.
This includes SmartNews, which harnesses the power of media. This system, exclusive to Trade Nation, harvests all financial market news in one place, making it easy for you to identify the specific threads that apply to your trading interests. Traders can Smart News to follow Trade Nation’s curated news feeds while also creating and customizing their own channels in line with their market watchlists.
Trade Nation also has its own rebate system for that is designed for returning and loyal customers. South African clients are eligible for a trading bonus in the form of bonus points. Bonus allows traders to receive money back on every trade that is executed – rebates range from 2%-20% depending on their trading activity.
Trade Nation Features
- Regulation: FSCA, FCA, ASIC
- Leverage: 1:1200
- Minimum spreads: 0.6 pips
- Minimum deposit: $0
- Trading platforms on offer: MT4
- Customer Support: 24/5, multilingual
- Benefits: Trade Nation Bonus (rebate system)
IC Markets
IC Markets is another name that is popping up in South Africa as a brokerage that traders consistently engage with. The Australian-based brokerage is regulated by ASIC and is a trusted name globally amongst its peers.
IC Markets’ biggest draw is its low fees, which easily ranks as the best on pure rate for traders in South Africa. The average spreads start out at zero pips, with no deposit or withdrawal fees as well. Of note, there is a small commission of $3 (R50) for trades.
Traders in South Africa can utilize the MT4 platform as well, with access to a variety of different forex pairs, commodities, indices, bonds, stocks, futures, and cryptocurrency trading. In terms of educational resources, IC Markets offers webinars, podcasts, and other free sources of information for all traders.
IC Markets does have a demo account available as well, which is a useful feature for any newer traders. The brokerage’s low fees are offset by a high minimum deposit, which for many newer traders can be a particularly high barrier of entry.
IC Markets Features
- Regulation: ASIC
- Leverage: 1:500
- Minimum spreads: variable
- Minimum deposit: $200 (R3400)
- Trading platforms on offer: MT4
- Customer Support: 24/7
- Benefits: Zero fees for deposit and withdrawals, crypto trading
FP Markets
FP Markets is a popular choice amongst South African traders, regulated by ASIC and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). The multi-asset brokerage offers CFDs across forex, shares, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.
Compared to other options in South Africa, FP Markets offers competitive depending on instruments along with sizable leverage. One of the biggest benefits of FP Markets is its deep pool of CFDs products, which number 10,000.
Users can also explore different trading options on the MT4, MT5, and IRESS platforms, among others. There are small fees depending on which currency is used for deposits and withdrawals as well – of note South African traders cannot use ZAR as a funding currency for their trading accounts.
FP Markets also has a standard minimum deposit with accounts that can be opened in under 24 hours. In terms of customer support, FP Markets is backed by 24/7 service in several different languages.
FP Markets Features
- Regulation: ASIC, CySEC
- Leverage: 1:500
- Minimum spreads: variable
- Minimum deposit: $100 (R1650)
- Trading platforms on offer: MT4, MT5, WebTrader
- Customer Support: 24/7 multilingual
- Benefits: Crypto trading
