Exploring The Best Spread Betting Companies

Spread betting is one of the multiple ways to profit from financial markets. To make the term explained clearly for you, spread betting can be defined as the type of speculation. Technically it implies that you take a bet on the price movement of a given security.

How the process of spread betting looks like? Well, a spread betting company or a broker quotes 2 prices, i.e. the bid and the “ask” price. Your task is to bet whether the price of the underlying asset will be lower than the bid or conversely higher than the “ask”. Just like in CFDs trading, in spread betting, you do not actually own the underlying asset. Instead, you speculate on the price movements of the chosen asset. Please note that spread bets are highly leveraged products. This means that the potential of high returns magnifies losses as well.

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Top Spread Betting Companies

Considering the fact that spread betting is becoming more and more popular nowadays, there are a lot of companies offering spread betting as one of their services. Discovering the one that suits your interests the best might not be an easy task, especially if you are a newcomer to this industry. That’s why we did the research for you – below, you can discover the list of the best Forex brokers for spread betting available on the market.

XM Group

XM Forex Review

Minimum deposit

5$

Regulation

CySEC, FCA, ASIC

Bonus

30$, 50%+20%

Maximum leverage

1:1000

Year founded

2009

Trading platform

MT4, MT5, WebTrader

AvaTrade

Review of AvaTrade – Broker with over 15 years of experience

Minimum deposit

$100

Regulation

CySEC, CBI, FSA, FFAJ, BVI FSC, FSCA, FSRA

Bonus

Maximum leverage

1:400

Year founded

2006

Trading platform

MT4, MT5, WebTrader, AvaTradeGO

SAXO Bank

SAXO Bank Forex Review

Minimum deposit

USD 5,000

Regulation

FINMA, FCA, ASIC, FSA, MAS, AFM

Bonus

N/A

Maximum leverage

1:30

Year founded

1992

Trading platform

SaxoTraderGo, SaxoTraderPro

HotForex

HotForex Review – Trade 1,000+ of Symbols with this Broker

Minimum deposit

$5

Regulation

SVGFSA, FCA, DFSA, FSCA, FSA

Bonus

From 30% to 100%

Maximum leverage

1:1000

Year founded

2010

Trading platform

MT4, MT5

ForexMart

ForexMart Review – High-class trading experience

Minimum deposit

15

Regulation

CySEC

Bonus

30%

Maximum leverage

1:500

Year founded

2015

Trading platform

MT4, WebTrader

CM Trading

CM Trading FX broker review – Is it legit?

Minimum deposit

$250

Regulation

FSCA

Bonus

Maximum leverage

1:200

Year founded

2012

Trading platform

MT4, WebTrader

Plus500

Plus500 Review

Minimum deposit

100$

Regulation

FCA

Bonus

N/A

Maximum leverage

30:1

Year founded

2008

Trading platform

Custom

IQ Option

An in-depth IQ Option Review of fees, opportunities and more

Minimum deposit

$10

Regulation

Risk Warning: YOUR CAPITAL MIGHT BE AT RISK

Bonus

N/A

Maximum leverage

1:1000

Year founded

2013

Trading platform

Proprietary

Exness

Exness Broker Review – Should You Trade With It?

Minimum deposit

10 USD

Regulation

FCA, CySEC, FSA

Bonus

N/A

Maximum leverage

1:Unlimited

Year founded

2008

Trading platform

MT4, MT5, WebTerminal

OspreyFX

OspreyFX review – regulations, features and possibility of OspreyFX scam

Minimum deposit

$10

Regulation

N/A

Bonus

N/A

Maximum leverage

1:500

Year founded

2019

Trading platform

MT4, custom

EagleFX

EagleFX review – Start trading with safe and secure broker

Minimum deposit

$10

Regulation

Bonus

Maximum leverage

1:500

Year founded

Trading platform

MT4

Forex.com

Forex.com Review

Minimum deposit

250$

Regulation

FCA, NFA

Bonus

N/A

Maximum leverage

200:1

Year founded

1999

Trading platform

MT4

easyMarkets

Can You Trust easyMarkets? There Are Things You Need To Know

Minimum deposit

$25

Regulation

ASIC, CySEC, FSA, BVI

Bonus

50%

Maximum leverage

1:400

Year founded

2001

Trading platform

WebTrader, MT4, TradingView

HYCM

Can you trust HYCM Forex broker? What you need to know?

Minimum deposit

100

Regulation

FCA, CySEC, DIFC, CIMA

Bonus

N/A

Maximum leverage

500:1

Year founded

1977

Trading platform

MT4, MT5

FPMarkets

Is FPMarkets reliable broker? Is it licensed to trade?

Minimum deposit

$100 AUD

Regulation

ASIC

Bonus

N/A

Maximum leverage

500:1

Year founded

2005

Trading platform

WebTrader, MT4, MT5, IRESS

Pepperstone

Pepperstone FX Broker – Everything You Need To Know About This Broker?

Minimum deposit

AUD$200

Regulation

ASIC, SCB, CMA, CySEC, FCA, BaFin and DFSA

Bonus

N/A

Maximum leverage

1:400

Year founded

2010

Trading platform

MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView

FXRoad

Review of FXRoad – Broker with Superior Islamic Accounts

Minimum deposit

250 EUR

Regulation

FSA (Seychelles)

Bonus

None

Maximum leverage

1:200

Year founded

2023

Trading platform

FXRoad web & mobile platforms

IMGFX

IMGFX Broker Review – Your Best Trading Experience

Minimum deposit

$50

Regulation

N/A

Bonus

N/A

Maximum leverage

1:500

Year founded

2015

Trading platform

MT4

FXOpen

FXOpen Review – The most experienced broker

Minimum deposit

1 USD

Regulation

ASIC, FCA

Bonus

10 USD

Maximum leverage

1:500

Year founded

2005

Trading platform

MT4, MT5, WebTrader

CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

In spread betting, a proficient broker can play a crucial role in your future success. For this reason, we would like to further discuss how to pick the best financial spread betting companies.

Best Spread Betting Companies

Criteria for choosing a spread betting company

After studying different spread betting providers and their offers, we finally came up with several factors that may help a lot when you compare spread betting companies. Regardless of whether you are a seasoned spread bettor or just starting out at this craft, considering the following aspects is important:

  • Regulation
  • Positive history and feedback
  • Size of the spread
  • Minimum bet size and minimum deposit
  • Risk Management
  • Trading Platform
  • Capital Protection

Now let’s take a closer look at all the previously mentioned criteria.

Regulation

When it comes to the credibility of spread betting brokers, the top priority is given to the presence of regulation/license. Best spread betting companies are officially regulated by FCA. FCA stands for and it is the main regulatory institution in the UK.

Why FCA? To become regulated by FCA, the company must go through the lingering application process. The fact that FCA is not giving out licenses easily to all market participants, which is not the rare case with , creates a strong impression of a professional approach. FCA ensures that the company under its supervision accurately reflects all the market conditions, thus excluding any unfair deals. If any suspicious activity by the broker is revealed, the reputation of the company would be severely undermined.

Register with a regulated broker – IQ option

Positive history and feedback

In terms of selecting the best spread betting companies, it would be quite unwise to pick a no-name company that makes empty promises about extremely high returns and no risk. In fact, a prudent investor would certainly look for big spread betting companies that possess a long history with worldwide recognition in the financial markets.

Another aspect to consider here is customer feedback. If you wish to thoroughly check the spread betting company services, we will recommend you to do your own due diligence and discover whether the clients seem to be satisfied or not.

Size of the spread

best spread betting platformNow we would like to pass on the financial side of things that determines leading spreadbetting brokers. The commission that spread betting companies want you to pay is, as the name suggests, the price of the spread. In the same manner as ordinary brokers, spread betting companies charge you the cost of the spread for the order execution.

When choosing a spread betting broker, you have to look for tight spreads. The tighter the spread, the bigger your profits are. If the broker offers you a spread of 1 pip or even less, this might become a good deal for you.

Although different brokers employ different spreads, we personally would recommend you to look for the fixed spreads. However, you may still choose a variable spread if it fits your trading style and risk tolerance.

Minimum deposit and minimum bet size

In addition to spreads, do not overlook account opening conditions. In fact, the best spread betting accounts provide a moderate minimum deposit requirement along with minimum bet size.

As we have noticed, most spread betting firms stick to the minimum deposit amount of 100$ approximately or the equivalent in other currencies. The minimum bet size ranges from 1$ to 5$ among different brokers. Though for professional spread bettors this might not be a huge concern, if you are a novice you have to see whether the bet size is acceptable for you.

Risk Management

best spread betting brokerThe main tool of solid risk management in spread betting is definitely a limited risk account. Limited risk account secures all your trades with guaranteed stop-loss orders. In times of high volatility in the market, standard stop-loss orders are not always fulfilled. Therefore, with highly-secured positions, you may not be afraid to enter a certain market. Such top spread betting accounts present a real value for new traders that only learn how to build a proper risk management strategy.

Besides guaranteed stop-loss, a limited risk account eliminates the risk of the margin call. A limited risk account ensures that the maximum loss cannot exceed your current account balance. Hence, a single failed trade will not deplete your whole account. Limited risk accounts are not free and particular fees have to be paid in order to access these premium features.

Trading Platform

There is no doubt that top spread betting companies should offer top-notch trading software. If you want to choose a proper trading platform to make successful bets, then you certainly have to pay attention to some important things.

best spread betting accountFirst of all, the best spread betting platform must be user-friendly. This means not only offering splendid technical features but also a pleasant design to feel comfortable with. Secondly, the trading platform should offer advanced charting software. This should come with all the necessary technical indicators and multiple time-frames. Good platforms allow a user to study the price from different angles. Indeed, if the platform lacks these features or you see that software is frequently lagging, then you should definitely avoid it.

In addition to all this, a platform of your spread betting broker must allow you to place all orders needed. These orders include stop-loss orders, limit orders, market orders and One Cancels the Other orders as well.

If there is a possibility to open a free demo account, then do not hesitate. The demo account can be used as a spread betting simulator and it will allow you to test the platform and decide whether it corresponds to your personal preferences.

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Capital protection

The last significant feature that you should pay attention to is whether the spread betting company offers protection of your capital. In other words, best spread betting brokers must keep their hard-earned money in a segregated account. This means that the brokerage firm has no access to your funds and will not use your money for its own operations.

The spread betting firm has its own account. Indeed, the fees that you pay the broker are going directly to this account, including the spreads. If you sign up with a broker that does not segregate your funds from the company’s, you might be trapped in a very unpleasant situation. The brokerage firm might go through serious financial hardships. As the result, the majority of clients can lose confidence in the company and decide to withdraw their money. Hence, there might be a problem for a spread betting firm to find enough funds to meet all the withdrawal requests. Although this is rather an exception than the common case, there is never too much safety.

If you deposit money, you will not really see any distinction between firms that segregate funds and those that do not, so it is better to ask the spread betting broker beforehand about this feature.

Best spread betting in 2023

Now we would like to draw your attention to the list of top 10 spread betting companies in the year 2023. Let’s see the list as follows:

  • XM
  • FXCM Spread Betting
  • Core Spreads
  • London Capital Group Spread Betting

Is Spread Betting Worth Your Try?

Spread betting can turn out to be a good strategy to trade financial markets. Most brokers allow quite diverse assets available for speculation, i.e. stocks, commodities, indices, metals. Moreover, you can even find a spread betting company Forex to bet on various currencies. Besides the wide variety of markets available, spread betting enables you to go long and short, provides a lot of leverage, and delivers certain tax benefits.

Though spread betting itself has lowered the barriers to entry for many retail investors, it is still significant to find the best spread betting broker to trade at in the long run. The criteria discussed in this article can help you to sort the wheat out of the chaff to choose the best spread betting company.

There are always some bonuses that you can use for spread betting. Browse through our Forex No Deposit Bonus page and pick the one for yourself!

FAQ on The Best Spread Betting Companies

How do you make money from spreads?

Making money from spreads might not be a very easy task. It requires you to have a successful trading plan, however, there are some tips that you can use if you want to make money from spread betting. Besides having a plan, it is a good idea to trade with tighter spreads as with them, you can easily see a profit after a very small move. The majority of spread betting traders tend to set targets for themselves – it can help you make more effective strategic moves and perform better, in general.

Is Spread betting profitable?

Yes, spread betting can be profitable if you are someone who knows how to place bets correctly. While it is true that they are high risk and can easily make you lose all your money, with good risk management, the right strategic plan, and effective trading ideas, you have the chance of grabbing some nice profits.

What is better CFD or spread betting?

The main difference between CFD and spread betting is that CFD is not free from the capital gains tax, while spread betting is free from it. Generally, both CFD and spread betting are considered very risky, and traders must be very careful before and after choosing. All in all, it all comes to what you are looking for and we advise you to do research before starting your trading journey.