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Head to head

AYA Markets vs Interactive Brokers

AYA Markets has no licence we could confirm on a regulator's register. Interactive Brokers is licensed by CFTC / NFA in the United States; CIRO in Canada; FCA in the United Kingdom; Central Bank of Ireland in the European Union; ASIC in Australia; MAS in Singapore and DFSA in Dubai (DIFC), UAE. The licence that applies to you depends on where you live, so check which company you would contract with before comparing anything else.

Minimum deposits start at $10 at AYA Markets and $0 at Interactive Brokers. Only AYA Markets offers negative balance protection. Both offer segregated client money.

Facts last checked: AYA Markets on 29 October 2026, Interactive Brokers on 20 October 2026.

AYA Markets profileInteractive Brokers profile
Broker 1
Broker 2
Broker 3

Monthly cost uses the account chosen in each slot: cost per lot × your lots. Swap and other fees are extra. The lowest monthly cost is highlighted only as a fact about cost, not as a recommendation.

Broker
AYA MarketsRead the profile
Interactive BrokersStrictly regulatedRead the profile
Comparing
AYA Markets
Interactive BrokersUnited States

Overview

Founded
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Headquarters
Fomboni, Mwali (Comoros)
Greenwich, Connecticut, United States
Official websites
  • ayamarkets.com
  • my.ayamarkets.com
  • interactivebrokers.com
  • interactivebrokers.co.uk
  • interactivebrokers.ie
  • interactivebrokers.com.au
  • interactivebrokers.ca
  • interactivebrokers.com.sg
  • ibkr.com
Facts last checked
29 October 2026
20 October 2026

Regulation and protection

Company you would contract with
No licence listed
Interactive Brokers LLC
Regulator
No licence listed
CFTC / NFA
United States
Regulation level
No licence listed
Strictly regulated
Licence number
No licence listed
NFA ID 0258600 (futures commission merchant)
Check the register
Clients this company serves
No licence listed
US residents; also clears and carries many accounts opened through the UK company
All licences held
None listed
  • CFTC / NFA (United States)
  • CIRO (Canada)
  • FCA (United Kingdom)
  • Central Bank of Ireland (European Union)
  • ASIC (Australia)
  • MAS (Singapore)
  • DFSA (Dubai (DIFC), UAE)
Segregated client money
Yes
Yes
Negative balance protection
Yes
No
Compensation scheme
None
SIPC (US, securities only); FSCS in limited circumstances (UK); Irish Investor Compensation Scheme (Ireland); CIPF (Canada)

Costs

Your monthly cost
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Cost per lot (EUR/USD)
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Spread from
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Typical EUR/USD spread
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Commission per lot (round turn)
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Typical GBP/USD spread
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Typical USD/JPY spread
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Typical XAU/USD spread
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Swap-free account
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Leverage and margin

Maximum retail leverage
Up to 1:1000 on MT5 (forex and gold, for equity under $1,000; lower as equity grows)
1:30 on major pairs for CFDs (UK, EU, Australia)
Retail leverage by asset class
  • Forex and gold (MT5): 1:1000 under $1,000 equity, stepping down to 1:100 above $40,000
  • Silver: 1:100
  • Other metals: 1:20
  • S&P 500, Dow Jones 30, Nasdaq 100 and DAX 40: 1:200
  • Other indices: 1:50
  • Energies: 1:20
  • Major cryptocurrencies: 1:10
  • Other cryptocurrencies: 1:5
  • Shares and ETFs: 1:5
  • Major currency pair CFDs: 1:30
  • Non-major currency pair: 1:20
  • Share CFDs: 1:5
Margin call level
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Stop-out level
80%
Not yet checked

Account

Minimum deposit (this account)
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Base currencies
No accounts listed
No accounts listed
Execution
No accounts listed
No accounts listed

Platforms and features

Platforms
  • MetaTrader 5
  • cTrader
  • Trader Workstation (TWS)
  • IBKR Desktop
  • Client Portal
  • IBKR Mobile
  • IBKR APIs
Markets
230+ CFDs on 45 forex pairs, 12 indices, 13 metals, 3 energies, 33 cryptocurrencies, 120 shares and 7 ETFs
Spot forex, plus forex, index, metal and share CFDs (CFDs not offered to US or Canadian residents)
Demo account
Yes
Yes
Copy trading
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Expert advisors (automated trading)
Yes
Not yet checked
News trading allowed
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Guaranteed stops
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Deposits and withdrawals

Deposit methods
  • USDT (TRC-20 and ERC-20)
  • Bitcoin
  • Litecoin
  • Ethereum
  • TopChange (TC Pay)
  • Visa and Mastercard
  • Apple Pay
  • Bank transfer
Withdrawal fee
No fee from AYA Markets; the agreement allows a 3% charge if you withdraw without trading since your last deposit
Not yet checked
Inactivity fee
$5 a month after six months with no trading (accounts with a positive balance)
None

Support

Customer support
Email, support ticket and Telegram, Monday to Friday 06:00 to 16:00 GMT
Phone, chat and secure message support, by region

Our notes

Strengths
  • The customer agreement says client funds are held in segregated accounts, separate from the company's own money
  • No deposit or withdrawal fees from AYA Markets, with deposits from $10
  • MetaTrader 5 and cTrader, on desktop, web and mobile
  • On MT5, maximum leverage falls in steps as your equity grows, from 1:1000 down to 1:100
  • Licensed in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and Singapore, all strict regulators
  • Spot forex priced at the quoted interbank spread plus a published commission (0.20 basis points of trade value at the first tier)
  • No account minimum and no inactivity fee
Watch out for
  • Says AYA Markets (Comoros) Ltd holds MISA licence T2023263; we could not confirm it on MISA's register on 2026-10-29 (the register blocked automated access with a bot check).
  • The account page lists negative balance protection, but we did not find it in the customer agreement, and the risk disclosure says you could lose more than your initial investment
  • Commission on the Pro and Raw accounts is charged per side ($4 and $8 per lot each way, so $8 and $16 per round lot), and a 3% withdrawal charge can apply if you withdraw without trading
  • The 25% welcome bonus is trading credit that cannot be withdrawn and disappears with any withdrawal; dormant accounts pay $5 a month after six months
  • Spot forex commission has a minimum of USD 2.00 per order, so very small trades cost more in percentage terms.
  • UK accounts are cleared and carried by Interactive Brokers LLC in the US for most products; IBKR says products are only covered by the UK FSCS in limited circumstances.
  • Margin accounts can go negative; IBKR's own disclosures say losses may exceed your original investment
  • IBKR also names companies in Hong Kong, Japan and India; we did not confirm those licences on 2026-10-20 and this profile does not cover them.

Risk warnings

The buttons to a broker’s website above the table are partner links: we may earn a commission if you open an account through them. That never changes the facts shown here. Trading leveraged products such as forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money rapidly, and most retail accounts lose money. Each broker’s own warning:

  • AYA Markets: Trading financial instruments carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. CFDs and Forex are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage (trading on margin). Before deciding to trade any financial instrument or making any other decision with financial impact you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience and risk appetite. Only invest with money you can afford to lose. If necessary you should seek independent advice.
  • Interactive Brokers: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 58.9% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with IBKR. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

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Other head-to-head pages

Cost per lot is the typical EUR/USD spread in busy hours × $10, plus any round-turn commission, for one standard lot. “Not yet checked” means we have not confirmed that fact yet. This page compares facts; it does not rank the brokers or recommend either. Confirm costs and licences on each broker’s site and the regulator’s public register before opening an account: see how we review brokers and check a broker yourself.

Nothing on this page is financial advice. Read the full disclaimer.

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