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Head to head

FXCM vs ITBFX

FXCM is licensed by FCA in the United Kingdom, CySEC in the European Union and ASIC in Australia. ITBFX has no licence we could confirm on a regulator's register. 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 $50 at FXCM and $10 at ITBFX. Neither offers negative balance protection. Both offer segregated client money.

Facts last checked: FXCM on 20 October 2026, ITBFX on 29 October 2026.

FXCM profileITBFX 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
FXCMStrictly regulatedRead the profile
ITBFXRead the profile
Comparing
FXCMUnited Kingdom
ITBFX

Overview

Founded
1999
2017
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom (Stratos Group)
Rodney Bay, Gros-Islet, Saint Lucia
Official websites
  • fxcm.com
  • tradu.com
  • itbfx.com
  • itbfx.net
Facts last checked
20 October 2026
29 October 2026

Regulation and protection

Company you would contract with
Stratos Markets Limited
No licence listed
Regulator
FCA
United Kingdom
No licence listed
Regulation level
Strictly regulated
No licence listed
Licence number
217689 (applied to cancel)
Check the register
No licence listed
Clients this company serves
Existing UK clients; FXCM's UK site sends new accounts to Trade Nation
No licence listed
All licences held
  • FCA (United Kingdom)
  • CySEC (European Union)
  • ASIC (Australia)
None listed
Segregated client money
Yes
Yes
Negative balance protection
No
No
Compensation scheme
FSCS up to £85,000 (UK company); ICF up to €20,000 (Cyprus company); none for the St Vincent company
None

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
Yes

Leverage and margin

Maximum retail leverage
1:30 on major pairs (UK, EU, Australia); up to 1:1000 at the St Vincent company
Up to 1:500 (ECN account)
Retail leverage by asset class
  • Major currency pairs: 1:30
  • Non-major currency pairs: 1:20
  • Other commodities and non-major indices: 1:10
  • Share CFDs: 1:5
  • Crypto CFDs: 1:2
  • Forex and metals (Nano): 1:200
  • Forex, metals, indices and crypto (Standard): 1:400
  • Gold and silver (Gold): 1:400
  • Forex, metals, indices, crypto and shares (ECN): 1:500
  • Cryptocurrencies (Crypto): 1:10 to 1:50
  • Shares (Stock): 1:10
Margin call level
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Stop-out level
Not yet checked
15% Gold; 20% Nano and Standard; 30% ECN; 40% Crypto and Stock

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
  • Trading Station
  • MetaTrader 4
  • TradingView
  • MetaTrader 5
Markets
Forex, index, commodity, share and crypto CFDs, plus FXCM baskets
CFDs on forex, gold and silver, indices, energies, shares and cryptocurrencies
Demo account
Yes
Yes
Copy trading
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Expert advisors (automated trading)
Yes
Yes
News trading allowed
Not yet checked
Not yet checked
Guaranteed stops
Not yet checked
Not yet checked

Deposits and withdrawals

Deposit methods
  • Debit card
  • Credit card
  • Bank wire
  • Google Pay
  • Skrill
  • Neteller
  • Crypto
  • Cryptocurrency
  • Local currency exchange services
Withdrawal fee
Not yet checked
None charged by ITBFX, says its FAQ; the agreement allows a 3% charge, or a refund of deposit fees, if you withdraw without trading
Inactivity fee
Not yet checked
Up to US$5 a month per account after six months without trading

Support

Customer support
24/5 live chat
24/7 by live chat, phone, WhatsApp, Telegram, email and ticket, in Persian, English, Arabic and other languages

Our notes

Strengths
  • Long-running brand (since 1999) with companies licensed by the FCA, CySEC and ASIC
  • Its own Trading Station platform alongside MetaTrader 4, TradingView and API access
  • Low first deposit of 50 in the account currency on the international site
  • Six account types on MetaTrader 5, with a demo version of each
  • The Nano account opens from $10 and trades in steps of 0.001 lots
  • Swap-free (Islamic) option on request
  • The client agreement says client money is held in segregated accounts
Watch out for
  • The UK company, Stratos Markets Limited, has applied to cancel its FCA authorisation (shown on the FCA register since 15 October 2026), and FXCM's UK site says new trading accounts are now provided through Trade Nation.
  • FXCM's EU site says new trading accounts are now provided through AvaTrade, a separate broker
  • International clients join Stratos Global LLC in St Vincent and the Grenadines, which holds no financial licence; leverage there goes up to 1:1000 and losses can exceed deposits
  • Says Stratos South Africa (Pty) Ltd is FSCA FSP 46534 and Stratos Light Limited is supervised by the Israel Securities Authority; we could not confirm either on the regulator's register on 2026-10-20 (the FSCA FSP register could not be reached).
  • Says it is regulated by the Mwali International Services Authority (MISA) but publishes no licence number; we could not confirm a licence on MISA's register on 2026-10-29 (the register sits behind a bot check).
  • The BVI Financial Services Commission's Public Statement 2 of 2020 says www.itbfx.com circulated a forged BVI investment business licence and has never been licensed in or from the BVI.
  • No negative balance protection: the account risk warnings say losses can exceed your deposit, and the agreement makes you pay any shortfall within two working days.
  • The website names International Trading Brachium Ltd (Saint Lucia), while the client agreement names ITB Limited (Seychelles); neither is a licensed firm on any register we checked.

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:

  • FXCM: Our products are traded on leverage which means they carry a high level of risk and you could lose more than your deposits. These products are not suitable for all investors. Please ensure you fully understand the risks and carefully consider your financial situation and trading experience before trading. Seek independent advice if necessary.
  • ITBFX: Before trading, you should ensure that you’ve undergone sufficient preparation and fully understand the risks involved in margin trading.

Open this comparison in the full tool to share a link with your own accounts and companies chosen.

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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