Searching for the top broker with a big account offering? Based on our hands-on analysis, we’ve identified 4 best options tailored to various trading needs. Practical tips from our experts are included.
The forex broker industry is now more competitive than ever. This has led to brokers offering accounts catering to all types of traders – from small to big account holders. The definition of a “big account” varies, often based on the size of trading funds or the volume of trades. Typically, numerous benefits are associated with these types of accounts.
Big account holders are usually offered a broader range of products, premium services, more favorable fees, and dedicated customer support. Access to these benefits often requires substantial funds or a high level of trading activity. However, the criteria for what is considered ‘large’ can differ significantly among brokers, making big account benefits more attainable than one might assume.
Using FX Empire’s comprehensive methodology, our team of experts has identified the best forex brokers offering big accounts for this year. Here’s how we test.
Now let’s explore the selected brokers.
Founded in 2005, FP Markets provides big account holders with the opportunity to trade Direct Market Access (DMA) share CFDs using the institutional-grade IRESS trading platform. Additionally, clients have access to forex ECN pricing on the MT4, MT5, and cTrader platforms.
Key Features:
The FP Markets DMA Account enables trading of 10,000 global share CFDs across four continents, offering direct access to the world’s largest stock exchanges’ order books via the IRESS trading platform. Direct Market Access (DMA) allows traders to view the order book and the trading volume at different price levels. I prefer this type of execution for trading share CFDs, as it results in zero requotes and the ability to influence the supply and demand of a share price.
Big account holders can also access forex ECN trading accounts with a minimum deposit of 100 AUD. These forex ECN accounts offer price quotes directly from FP Markets’ liquidity providers, leading to lower spreads and faster trade execution. When testing the broker’s fees, I found that the spread for EUR/USD averaged 1.1 pips, which is close to the industry average of 1.0 pips for a commission-free account.
Founded in 1992, Saxo Bank offers a VIP account for big holders, featuring the lowest trading fees, priority support, and exclusive event invitations. The SaxoTraderGO platform, an award-winning and feature-rich interface, provides the ability to trade an extensive range of financial instruments, including futures, options, and managed portfolios.
Key Features:
Saxo Bank provides an excellent offering for big account holders. The VIP Account requires a minimum deposit of $1,000,000 and provides numerous benefits. These include a personal relationship manager for access to exclusive event invitations, a dedicated sales trader for one-to-one support and assistance with complex orders, expert insights from in-house strategists, and the lowest fees. In my analysis, I found that the spread for EUR/USD averaged 0.85 pips, which is better than the industry average of 1.0 pips for a zero-commission account.
The SaxoTraderGO platform is feature-rich and geared towards professional traders. It includes one-click trading, integrated market research, educational materials, 19 timeframes, 9 chart types, 20 drawing tools, and 64 technical indicators. A standout feature is the ability to integrate the Saxo platform with Autochartist, which provides real-time pattern recognition signals on daily, 4-hour, 1-hour, 30-minute, and 15-minute charts across thousands of instruments.
Founded in 1996, Swissquote offers an extensive range of trading tools for big account holders. This includes research and trade signals from Trading Central, Autochartist plugins for the MT4/MT5 platforms, and access to various investing and banking products.
Key Features:
The Swissquote Prime account offers optimal features for big account holders. This includes lower commissions on US stock CFDs at just 0.01 USD per share, which is better than the industry average of 0.02 USD per share. I found the Prime Account provides zero commission on currency pairs, metals, indices, bonds and commodities, with spreads on EUR/USD starting from 1.1 pips.
Big account holders also benefit from a complimentary Swiss bank account, which comes with no opening or maintenance fees, facilitating quick movement of trading funds. The Trading Central and Autochartist plugins for the MT4/MT5 platform offer a range of useful trading features. I particularly enjoy Autochartists’ real-time pattern recognition scanner, which can help speed up the technical analysis for traders and provide valuable trade signals.
Founded in 1996, OANDA provides an excellent selection of forex pairs for trading, featuring low spreads and higher leverage options for professional traders. Trades can be executed through MT4, OANDA’s Trade Web platform, or the popular TradingView platform.
Key Features:
OANDA offers professional account holders higher leverage on forex pairs, metals, and major indices of up to 1:100, which is better than retail trading leverage of 1:30. Professionals also have their own dedicated client relationship manager to assist with any issues. To quality as a professional big account trader, you must meet at least two of the following criteria: having placed at least 40 forex or CFD trades with a notional value of at least 50,000, possessing an investment portfolio exceeding €500,000, or having worked in the financial sector for at least one year.
When testing the live fees, I found the spread for EUR/USD averaged 1.25 pips, which is higher than the industry average of 1.0 pips for a commission-free account. However, the spreads for cross-currency pairs were much more competitive, with GBP/JPY averaging 2.4 pips, significantly better than the industry average of 5.0 pips. OANDA also offers a wide range of 68 major, minor, exotic, and emerging cross-currency pairs.
Here is a quick guide on choosing a forex broker with a big account.
When trading with a broker that offers a big account, you will likely be holding sizeable funds with them. Some of the top brokers featuring big accounts on this page provide VIP accounts with a minimum deposit of $1,000,000. Therefore, it is crucial to trade with a regulated broker and stay well clear of unregulated brokers.
Regulated brokers provide the highest level of safety for your funds. Being overseen by governmental financial authorities, these brokers are required to adhere to strict rules regarding the handling of your funds. However, it’s important to note that not all regulated brokers are created equal. In our broker rating reviews, we classify regulators into three tiers:
Choosing a broker regulated by a Tier-1 regulator is recommended for big accounts, as they provide the highest level of investor protection. For instance, brokers regulated by the UK FCA, IIROC, CySEC, and ASIC are legally obligated to segregate client funds from their own, ensuring that client deposits are not utilized for business operations.
Additionally, they enforce a negative balance protection policy to prevent a retail client’s account from entering negative territory in adverse market movements. It’s important to note that if you are categorized as a professional trader, then you may lose this right.
Certain regulators, such as the FCA, IIROC, and CySEC, take it further by mandating brokers to participate in compensation schemes. These schemes can cover client deposits up to a specified amount in the event of the broker’s bankruptcy.
To verify your broker’s regulatory status, carefully review the legal terms and conditions and consult the regulator’s register in the country of operation. Read more about best regulated forex brokers in our comprehensive guide.
When choosing a forex broker for big accounts, it is essential to assess the broker’s fee structure carefully. Here are several key fees to be aware of:
You can confirm a broker’s fee structure by reviewing the account or fee page on their website or by contacting customer support. For big account holders, brokers often offer lower trading fees compared to regular account holders, but it’s always worthwhile to check the account page for specifics.
With some brokers, you have the option to negotiate your fees if your capital size is large enough or if you maintain a high trading volume. Consider speaking with your dedicated personal relationship manager, if available, or reaching out to customer support.
Most brokers offer a variety of account types to attract different traders, including both big and small account holders. Fortunately, brokers typically don’t impose restrictions, allowing you to open different types of accounts as needed.
While a big account may come with lower fees, higher leverage, and other benefits, it’s important to note that you might be limited to certain asset classes or instruments. Additionally, being categorized as a professional trader could mean losing some investor protections.
It’s crucial to consider what matters most to you before choosing an account type. While a big account may offer additional trading tools, assess whether you truly need them and if you’re willing to forgo access to other products or investor protections to use them.
Ideally, trading with a broker that offers the best fees, a comprehensive set of trading tools, and the highest level of investor protection would be most advantageous. Leverage the expertise of FX Empire analysts by reviewing each broker in the rating reviews section and examining the broker’s account page on its website.
When trading a big account with a broker, they will likely offer higher leverage than a typical retail trader account. Leverage is the ability to control a large position using a small deposit and has the effect of magnifying losing and winning trades.
For instance, leverage of 1:30 means you can open a position worth $30 with just a $1 deposit, allowing you to control a position thirty times the size of your deposit.
Tier-1 regulators such as the FCA, CySEC, ASIC, and IIROC have restricted retail trading leverage to 1:30. Big account holders may be offered higher leverage of 1:100 or more. This can be helpful, but only when used correctly.
It’s important to understand that when trading on leverage, your profit and loss are calculated based on the total trade value, not just the margin deposited. If your account lacks sufficient capital to manage the larger position, the broker may issue a margin call. In such a scenario, the broker will automatically close your trades, potentially resulting in unexpected losses.
For traders seeking high-leverage options, FX Empire offers a list of the best forex brokers with high leverage, carefully selected to suit specialized trading needs.
To access the financial markets, a trading platform is essential. It needs to be fast and secure and offer a comprehensive set of features and tools. Some of the most common trading platforms include:
Check out our dedicated guides on best MT4 brokers and best MT5 brokers.
I prefer brokers that offer multiple platforms accessible across various devices. This strategy ensures that in the event of issues with one platform or device, I can seamlessly switch to an alternative, ensuring continuous management of my account.
Brokers may also offer big account holders other trading tools and options to elevate their trading experience. Research the broker’s offering fully and contact your relationship manager or customer support team for more information on what is available. You can also check out our dedicated guide on best forex trading platforms.
When choosing a forex broker with a big account, be cautious of the following:
Here are some guidelines to prevent falling prey to forex and CFD scams:
And if you are still uncertain, you can always check out our database of reviews to find the most reliable brokers.
To identify the best forex brokers with big accounts, we evaluated brokers using our proprietary rating system, which analyzes 250 data points across nine core categories:
We abide by our strict guidelines for editorial integrity based on the objective standards we have set for our reviews. You can read more about our review process here.
For this page, we also verified that each broker offers a big account with premium trading features, including higher leverage, lower fees, access to industry events, and more. Additionally, we ensured that each broker provides a diverse range of tradable instruments and a user-friendly trading platform.
The team of forex and CFD writers and editors at FX Empire is composed of trading industry professionals and seasoned financial journalists. Our writers have been published on leading financial websites such as Investopedia and Forbes. In addition, they all have extensive trading experience.
Dan Blystone began his career in the trading industry in 1998 on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Later Dan gained insight into the forex industry during his time as a Series 3 licenced futures and forex broker. He also traded at a couple of different prop trading firms in Chicago. Dan is well-equipped to recommend the best forex brokers due to his extensive experience and understanding of the brokerage industry.
Jitan Solanki is a professional trader, market analyst, and educator. He day trades major currency and index markets and focuses on swing trading US equities and commodities. A qualified Market Technician, Jitan also works with trader education and brokerage companies on various projects. These include market analysis, live trading events, and broker reviews. As an experienced trader and educator, Jitan brings all his qualities in action when reviewing and recommending brokers.
Having been a retail trader since 2013, Plamen has gained an in-depth understanding of the challenges that novice traders face today. His expertise is swing trading and day trading with a heavy emphasis on psychological and fundamental analysis. Plamen’s favourite trading instruments include FX majors and gold. He earned a Bachelor's degree in Economics and International Relations. Plamen's broad experience has equipped him with the expertise to recommend the best forex brokers.
In more than 15 years of trading in the financial markets, Vladimir dealt with a wide range of brokers and financial instruments. His career as a day-trader at a proprietary trading firm goes back to 2007. Later, Vladimir turned to longer time frames and became an independent trader and analyst managing his own portfolio. Using his experience, he helps traders find the best broker in his reviews.
Jitan Solanki is a professional trader, market analyst, and educator. He day trades major currency and index markets and focuses on swing trading US equities and commodities. A qualified Market Technician, Jitan also works with trader education and brokerage companies on various projects. These include market analysis, live trading events, and broker reviews. As an experienced trader and educator, Jitan brings all his qualities in action when reviewing and recommending brokers.
At FXEmpire, we strive to provide unbiased, thorough and accurate broker reviews by industry experts to help our users make smarter financial decisions.