IG Markets (IG Group) is the world's oldest and largest CFD provider, founded in 1974 — that's 50+ years of operation. Listed on the London Stock Exchange (LON: IGG) with a market cap over $3 billion, IG offers margin trading on over 17,000 instruments across every major asset class. It's the benchmark for quality in the CFD industry.
Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- 50+ years of operation (founded 1974)
- 17,000+ tradable instruments
- Publicly traded on LSE (£3B+ market cap)
- Available in USA (limited products via Nadex/tastytrade)
- Professional-grade platforms including MT4
- Tax-free spread betting for UK residents
- Excellent educational resources
- Award-winning platform
❌ Cons
- Higher spreads than some competitors
- Inactivity fees ($12/month after 2 years)
- Limited product range for US clients
- No copy/social trading
- Can be overwhelming for absolute beginners
Fee Structure
Margin Tiers
| Tier | Max Position | Max Leverage | Maintenance Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Majors | Varies | 30x | 3.33% |
| Indices | Varies | 20x | 5% |
| Commodities | Varies | 10x | 10% |
| Stocks | Varies | 5x | 20% |
| Crypto | Varies | 2x | 50% |
How to Sign Up for IG Markets
IG Markets FAQ
IG Group was founded in 1974 by Stuart Wheeler as the world's first financial spread betting firm. With over 50 years of history, it is one of the oldest and most established trading platforms globally.
Spread betting is available to UK and Ireland residents and allows you to speculate on price movements without owning the underlying asset. Profits are tax-free in the UK, making it a unique advantage.
IG offers limited services in the USA through its acquisition of tastytrade. US clients can trade options and futures but not traditional CFDs due to regulatory restrictions.
IG offers its proprietary web/desktop platform, mobile app, MetaTrader 4 (MT4), ProRealTime for advanced charting, and L2 Dealer for direct market access.