IC Markets Review 2026 — Honest Review After 9+ Years

An honest, in-depth IC Markets review based on 9+ years as an official IB partner. We have recruited 761 clients with $2.5 billion in trading volume. Here is what we have learned about IC Markets — the good and the bad.

IC Markets Review — Quick Verdict

IC Markets is one of the best forex brokers for traders who prioritize tight spreads, fast execution, and reliable infrastructure. They are particularly strong for active traders, scalpers, and algorithmic traders who need consistent, institutional-grade conditions.

The broker excels in the areas that matter most for trading profitability: raw spreads from 0.0 pips, execution speeds under 40 milliseconds, deep liquidity from Tier-1 banks, and support for all major trading platforms. Their regulation by ASIC, CySEC, and FSA provides strong client fund protection.

Where IC Markets falls short is in educational content, website user experience, and customer support speed during peak times. These are relatively minor issues that do not impact trading quality, but they are worth noting for beginners who may need more hand-holding.

Spreads & Trading Costs

IC Markets offers some of the tightest spreads in the industry. On their Raw Spread accounts, EUR/USD averages approximately 0.1 pips during London and New York sessions, with periods of zero spread during high liquidity. Standard accounts offer spreads from approximately from 1.0 pips with no commission.

The Raw Spread accounts charge a commission of $7.00 per lot round turn on MT4/MT5 and $6.50 per lot on cTrader. With our IB discount, these drop to $5.50 and $5.50 respectively. When combining the raw spread plus the discounted commission, IC Markets becomes one of the cheapest brokers available for active traders.

Swap rates are competitive and updated daily. IC Markets also offers Islamic (swap-free) accounts for clients who require them. Overnight financing charges are in line with industry standards and are based on the interbank rate plus a small markup.

Execution & Technology

IC Markets operates a true ECN/STP model with no dealing desk. Orders are routed directly to a liquidity pool of 25+ providers including major Tier-1 banks and non-bank market makers. Average execution speed is under 40 milliseconds, with servers hosted in Equinix NY4 and LD5 data centers.

The broker processes over $20 billion in daily trading volume, making them one of the most liquid retail forex brokers globally. This deep liquidity means minimal slippage, reliable fills, and consistent pricing even during volatile market events like NFP releases or central bank announcements.

IC Markets supports all expert advisor types, scalping strategies, and high-frequency trading. There are no restrictions on trading styles, no minimum stop distances, and no dealing desk intervention. This makes them particularly suitable for algorithmic and systematic traders.

Regulation & Safety

IC Markets holds licenses from three regulatory bodies: ASIC (AFSL 335692) for Australian/global clients, CySEC (license 362/18) for EU clients via IC Trading (ictrading.com), and FSA (SD018) for international clients. ASIC and CySEC are both considered top-tier regulators with strict client protection requirements.

Client funds are held in segregated accounts with major Australian banks (Westpac and National Australia Bank). This means your money is kept separate from IC Markets operational funds and is protected in the event of the broker becoming insolvent. EU clients additionally benefit from the Investor Compensation Fund (ICF) which covers up to €20,000.

In our 9+ years as an IB, we have never experienced any issues with fund security, withdrawal processing, or regulatory compliance at IC Markets. They have maintained a clean regulatory record since their founding in 2007.

Pros and Cons

IC Markets Review — Final Verdict

After 10+ years as an IC Markets Introducing Broker and having observed the experience of 761 clients, our verdict is that IC Markets is one of the best choices for traders who prioritize execution quality and low trading costs above all else. It is not the flashiest broker, and it does not try to win you over with marketing gimmicks. Instead, it focuses on what matters: tight spreads, fast execution, deep liquidity, and robust regulation.

IC Markets is particularly well-suited for day traders, scalpers, and algorithmic traders who need reliable execution without restrictions. The combination of raw spreads from 0.0 pips, sub-40ms execution, free VPS hosting, and support for all major trading platforms makes it the go-to choice for serious traders. If you are looking for educational hand-holding or a broker with a sleek proprietary app, you might want to look elsewhere. IC Markets caters to traders who know what they want and need a broker that delivers on the fundamentals.

Combined with TradersFXPartner's commission discount (up to 21% off), IC Markets becomes even more compelling. Paying $5.50/lot instead of $7.00/lot on Raw Spread MT4/MT5 (or $5.50 instead of $6.50 on cTrader) makes an already competitive broker one of the cheapest options available. This is why we have continued our IB partnership for nearly a decade — IC Markets consistently delivers for our clients. Want to see how IC Markets stacks up against specific alternatives? Read our detailed comparisons: vs Pepperstone, vs XM, vs Exness, vs FP Markets, and vs Tickmill.

IC Markets Review — FAQ