Choosing Nigerian Forex Brokers

The Forex market in Nigeria is currently regulated by the Security and Exchange Commission, which is the responsible authority for administering financial laws protecting investors. The SEC ensures that the trading market in Nigeria offers fair conditions and all the participants have a safe and positive experience while trading.

nigeria forex brokersDue to the fact that the foreign exchange market is highly volatile in the country, the Nigerian government has set up some measures to regulate the industry through the Central Bank. With the foreign exchange regulations, the Central bank of Nigeria has the ability to control transactions carried out in foreign currencies.

Forex brokers in Nigeria offer plenty of reliable and secure payment methods such as Visa, Mastercard, Skrill, Neteller, and even PayPal, however, M-Pesa remains the favorite option for the majority of traders based in Nigeria.

If you are someone who is looking forward to trading in Nigeria, then you should know that all profits from Forex trading are classified as Capital Gains Tax, which can go up to 10% in total.

The best Forex Broker for Nigeria

Other recommended Forex brokers in Nigeria

Considering the fact that the Forex market is growing in the country and more people are getting involved in trading, the market has more brokers available for traders. When it comes to choosing your favorite Forex trading platform, one might not know where to start – there are so many things that can influence your decision-making process. To make life easier for you, we decided to provide you with a list of the best Forex trading companies in Nigeria. You can check the table below.

XM Group

XM Forex Review

Minimum deposit

5$

Regulation

CySEC, FCA, ASIC

Bonus

30$, 50%+20%

Maximum leverage

30:1

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

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.

Who Regulates Forex brokers in Nigeria?

While the past experience with the scams and crimes undoubtedly cost many people their funds, it also allowed the birth of organizations that fight to protect the rights of the traders and ensure the overall safety of Forex trading in Nigeria. The main regulatory authority of the country – the SEC, restored the lost confidence in the online trading market due to the damage was done by the scams and Ponzi schemes.

S.E.C

best trading platform in nigeriaThe main organization that has the power to make the regulatory framework is the Securities and Exchange Commission (S.E.C.). The authority has been existing for quite some time, established as a Capital Issues Committee in 1862. However, its effectiveness was not apparent till very recent times. Right now, the regulatory body is monitoring and regulating the capital market with the main purpose of protecting investors. At the same time, it actively develops the capital market to enhance the private-sector-led economy. The Investments and Securities Act issued in 2007 encompasses various topics that determine the nature of the financial markets in the country. The Act overviews the procedures related to registration of the capital market operators, or Forex trading companies in Nigeria, as well as applicable regulations. It also introduces the list of the inspections and investigations of the financial market. There are rules applicable to investors’ protection funds and the framework for trading in securities.

Start trading with a regulated broker – AvaTrade

How is Forex trading taxed in Nigeria?

Forex trading in Nigeria is not tax-free, and as in the majority of countries, you will have to pay taxes. Capital gains tax which applies to all your profits made from Forex trading has a flat rate of 10%. For instance, if your revenue through the year was $40000, you will simply have to give up $4000 to the government. Simple as that.

A common misperception among traders in Nigeria is that if you are trading with an international brokerage company, you do not have to pay taxes but this is very far from reality. As long as you are someone who generates profits in an international Forex trading account and stays within the borders of the country, the profit is considered taxable income and you need to declare it.

Are local currency pairs available?

As we already mentioned earlier in our article, the local currency pair – NGN is available for trading, however, it is not a very major currency.

At the moment of writing this review, we were not able to find brokers offering NGN – Instead, we suggest that you go for top Forex brokers including XM Group, HotForex, AvaTrade, and IQ Option – on these platforms, you can find accounts/currency pairs in USD. All of these mentioned names are quite popular not only in this particular country but across the world due to the fact that they offer a reliable and safe trading process.

The Central Bank of Nigeria is the main authority that issues the currencies and also monitors the financial market to some degree. Nigerian traders in the Forex industry also have a chance to trade Naira against some of the most popular currencies such as the US Dollar, or Euro.

Start trading NGN with AvaTrade

Is there a cap on leverage for Nigeria Forex brokers?

Currently, there is no cap on leverage for Nigeria Forex brokers, meaning that they can go up to very high. However, the industry’s standard is somewhere between 200:1 and 300:1, meaning that if you ever come across something that is more than that, especially with an unlicensed broker, there is a high chance that you are dealing with a scammer.

The good news is that while trading with international brokerage companies, leverage ratios you will come across will mostly be limited, as the majority of financial regulatory bodies impose restrictions on this trading feature. The main reason behind this fact is that high leverages are considered risky – they can not only bring you big profits but can also cause losing all your funds. That’s why we advise you to check leverages before going for a specific platform as they play a big role in your trading experience.

What Payment systems are available in Nigeria?

best forex brokers nigeria Even though there is a number of options for payments, such as PayPal, Skrill, and Neteller, the favorite choice of payment method remains to be M-Pesa in most of the African countries. Any best Forex broker in Nigeria will essentially include M-Pesa in their list of the available payment methods.

The reason behind the popularity of the M-Pesa payment system is its incredible simplicity in terms of user-friendly platform and extra security for its users. The clients can use their mobile gadgets to control their payments and receipts in a single application. The platform also serves as an e-wallet, convenient to store the funds and to process the transactions.

Nigerian trading community is well-present on the international market of Forex. The Country allows its citizens to use most of the commonly accepted payment methods for their daily transactions. However, many Nigerians doubt the safety of the payment platforms. Especially, since the recent misfortunes within the local trading industry, the residents of Nigeria are looking for reliable payment solutions to use for depositing and withdrawing their funds from the brokers’ trading platforms.

Trade on AvaTrade using Skrill

What should you look out for when trading Forex in Nigeria?

The first and probably most important thing you should look out for is that company you are dealing with is fully licensed and regulated. Because of the boom in online trading and the highly unregulated market at the time, literally, thousands of Nigerian people were scammed out of their funds online by unregulated brokers who took their funds. And these did not apply to just Nigerian Forex brokers, but others who sought to take advantage of the growing demand for online trading services.

The Nigerian brokers that we should be considering are those that are regulated by international institutions. This includes regulators like the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySec), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), or even the United Kingdom’s Financial Services Authority.

best forex trading app in nigeriaAnother thing that can make your trading experience much more enjoyable is currency diversity. The diversity allows us to offset drastic movements in the market due to market noise, observe patterns across currencies and take advantage of unique price patterns that may affect multiple currencies at once. In trading, foreign exchange diversity is your friend.

It is important that you know all the basic features of the Forex trading market before you start your trading journey, as they can help you perform better. We have created multiple guides for beginners, as well as profitable strategies that are not very hard to learn.

FAQs on the top Nigerian Forex trading companies

Is forex trading legal in Nigeria?

Yes, trading Forex is legal in Nigeria. Furthermore, there are several organizations that actually work to facilitate the growth of the Forex trading industry in the country. The official regulatory organ of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria also overviews the Forex market within the local community.

What to look out for in Nigeria Forex brokers?

While dealing with Nigerian Forex brokers, the first thing everyone should be looking out for is legitimacy. Considering the fact that you are going to trust some company with your financial assets, you need a guarantee that your money is in safe hands. If you choose a licensed Forex broker, you will reduce the chances of losing your funds and if something inconvenient happens (e.g company goes bankrupt), there will be a financial regulatory body that will take all the necessary steps to protect you as a customer.

How much do you need to start trading forex in Nigeria?

You can start trading Forex with as little as 1 US dollar. The minimum deposit requirements depending on the brokerage company in Nigeria. However, the best brokers in Nigeria will often allow their traders to deposit any amount from 1 to 250 US dollars. The minimum deposit requirement also increases with the account types. The premium account types might come with the requirement of 250-1000 USD deposits even. The Micro or Cents accounts have minimal deposit requirements, usually 1 USD, 5 USD, or 15 US dollars.

Is Forex Trading in Nigeria profitable?

Forex trading can be profitable in any corner of the world. The profitability of your traders depends on various factors including your trading strategy, the current market conditions, your trading assets portfolio, and the ability to predict the market movements. If you have some experience in Forex, you can use the educational resources provided by the leading brokers in the country to learn more about the trading strategies, the specifics of individual trading instruments and develop the skills of reading the prices and using the past trends to predict the upcoming fluctuations.