Looking for the top forex broker in South Africa? Based on our hands-on analysis, we’ve identified the 8 best options tailored to various trading needs. Practical tips from our experts are included.
To operate legally in South Africa, brokers must obtain authorization from the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA), the national regulatory body. Being authorized by the FSCA is considered a positive attribute for brokers and provides forex traders with a sense of legitimacy. However, some brokers are regulated outside of South Africa but still offer forex trading services to locals.
Our team of experts has identified brokers’ strengths and weaknesses using FX Empire’s comprehensive methodology. Here’s how we test.
Without further ado, let’s move to the selected brokers.
Founded in 2008, Exness offers trading in forex, crypto, stocks, indices, metals, and commodities. Exness is regulated by multiple regulators, including FSCA, CySEC, and FSA. The broker provides access to its proprietary Trading Terminal platform, as well as to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5.
Regional Features
Professional traders can access the advanced tools that are available on the MetaTrader platform and take advantage of the high leverage provided by Exness. The MetaTrader platform provides advanced charting, trading signals, and access to Expert Advisors – software programs designed to automate trading strategies on the MetaTrader platform.
The broker offers a wide range of deposit and withdrawal methods, including cryptocurrency. Advanced traders also can benefit from Virtual Private Server (VPS) and a wide range of research materials, including Trading Central Web TV. Exness boasts of its competitive spreads and minimal swap fees. Based on our tests, the spreads for EUR/USD fluctuated between 0.8 and 1, whereas the spreads for WTI oil were 0.062.
OCTA is a multi-regulated derivatives broker founded in 2011 and headquartered in the Comoros. It offers a choice of more than 220 tradable instruments across currency pairs, commodities, indices, share CFDs, and cryptocurrencies. The broker stands out with its platform offering, which is complemented by a wide variety of supporting tools.
Regional Features
The broker incorporates MetaTrader 4 and 5 and has also developed its proprietary OctaTrader platform, which is impressive in its functionality and user-friendly design. The charts are powered by TradingView, offering a sophisticated outlook on price action behavior. I found OctaTrader particularly suitable for carrying out comprehensive technical analysis. It also offers an array of supporting tools and chart configurations.
OCTA has very competitive trading fees. The OctaTrader account type, in particular, features commission-free trading and floating spreads from 0.6 pips which is better than the industry average and is suitable for executing most trading strategy types. Moreover, OCTA does not charge swaps on positions held overnight.
Founded in 2010, IronFX offers trading in forex, commodities, stocks, indices, and cryptocurrencies. The broker is regulated by CySEC, FCA, and FSCA.
Regional Features
IronFX provides traders with access to the MetaTrader 4 platform which offers a wide range of technical analysis indicators and timeframes. Additionally, IronFX’s MT4 includes MultiTerminal allowing traders to manage multiple accounts from a single terminal. To aid in making informed trading decisions, IronFX integrates Trading Central where traders can benefit from numerous analysis tools and resources for conducting thorough research.
The broker provides 7 types of accounts, including floating and fixed-spread accounts, as well as a commissions-based Live Zero Fixed Spread account. Traders will also benefit from multiple deposit and withdrawal options.
Founded in 2009, FBS offers trading in forex pairs, commodities, stocks, indices, and cryptocurrencies. The broker is regulated by CySEC, ASIC, FSCA, and IFSC Belize.
Regional features:
FBS offers several account types, including Standard Account, Cent Account, and Pro Account. The minimum deposit for Standard and Cent Accounts is just 1$, while traders can get access to Pro Account with $200. While the Pro Account provides tighter spreads, its maximum leverage (up to 1:2000) is lower than the leverage level offered by the Standard Account (up to 1:3000). All accounts are compatible with MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms. Additionally, the Standard Account grants access to the proprietary FBS Trader app, available on both iOS and Android.
Our tests showed that FBS offers competitive spreads for major forex pairs in the Standard Account. For example, the spreads for EUR/USD ranged between 0.8 and 1.1, while the spreads for GBP/JPY fluctuated between 3.9 and 4.5. However, the commodities and indices spreads were found to be less competitive, with the spread for WTI oil averaging 0.5, and the spread for the Dow Jones index varying between 3.3 and 6.
Vantage is an Australian-based forex and CFD broker founded in 2009. It offers more than 940 tradable instruments across currency pairs, commodities, share CFDs, indices, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, and futures contracts. This diversity is complemented by favorable trading fees and a choice of trading platforms.
Regional features:
I assessed Vantage’s spreads on a Raw ECN account, which features spreads from 0.0 pips and a $6 round-turn commission per traded lot. This account type has an extremely low minimum deposit requirement of $50, making it quite accessible.
Broken down by asset class and compared to the industry average, Vantage charges low spreads on currency pairs, share CFDs, indices, and cryptocurrencies, and low-to-average spreads on commodities.
I also appreciated the fact that Vantage offers free Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting to funded accounts with at least $1000 and a monthly traded volume of at least $0.5 million. This service allows traders to achieve average execution speeds below 5 milliseconds for high-precision trading and minimum risk of negative slippage.
Vantage incorporates MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, ProTrader, and the TradingView. The latter has advanced charting capabilities, affording technical traders a comprehensive overview of price action behavior. The platform has more than 100 analytical tools and other chart configurations. Furthermore, it has two trading regimes: hedging and one-click trading.
Founded in 2013, FXTM is headquartered in Mauritius. The FXTM Trader App, MT4, and MT5 platforms offer over 600 CFDs covering forex, stock indices, commodities, cryptocurrency, and share CFDs, as well as over 500 real US shares. Extra indicators are available from MT4, along with free trading signals from Signal Centre.
Regional features:
FXTM offers leverage of up to 1:2000 on forex pairs. This means users can control a position size of 2,000 USD with only 1 USD. Leverage helps to amplify both winning and losing trades, so it should be used carefully.
From our live test using the commission-free Advantage Plus account, we found the spread on EUR/USD averaged 1.9 pips, higher than the 1.08 pips industry average. Users can access lower spreads from 0.0 pips on the Advantage account, which has a competitive commission of 3.50 USD per lot per side, which is in line with industry standards.
The broker offers multiple trading platforms catering to different skill levels. The MT4 and MT5 desktop platforms are designed for advanced traders seeking automated trading capabilities. The web platform is excellent for casual trading, while the FXTM Trader App offers easy trading on the move. The free trading signals from Acuity’s Signal Centre are also a great additional trading feature.
Founded in 2005, FP Markets offers trading in forex, commodities, stocks, ETFs, indices, and cryptocurrencies. FP Markets is regulated by CySEC, ASIC, and FSCA, and also has an unregulated entity registered in St. Vincent & the Grenadines. The broker offers the popular MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms, cTrader, and iRESS (for the ASIC-regulated entity).
Regional Features
From our research, beginner traders will benefit from strong customer support and a wide range of educational materials. The broker offers a rich collection of highly informative webinars and podcasts on its YouTube channel, as well as a very detailed glossary, which explains various financial terms.
Our tests showed that FP Markets offers low-to-medium spreads compared to the industry average. For example, we measured EUR/USD spreads in the 1.0–1.2 range during our tests.
The broker provides multiple deposit and withdrawal methods, including cryptocurrencies. FP Markets does not charge deposit or withdrawal fees.
Founded in 2006, AvaTrade provides access to more than 1250 instruments in forex, stocks, indices, commodities, cryptocurrencies, and FX options. The broker is regulated by top-tier regulators like ASIC, CySEC, and the FSA of Japan, as well as by the local South African regulator FSCA.
Regional Features
Our research indicated that AvaTrade provides a wide range of trading platforms, including MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, as well as in-house mobile trading apps AvaTradeGo and AvaSocial. AvaTradeGo is a simple-to-use mobile app, which offers some useful technical tools and features. AvaSocial is designed for those interested in social trading allowing broker’s clients to copy the trades of successful traders.
The broker also offers solid research and educational support, which is important for both beginner and advanced traders. Our tests indicated that AvaTrade’s trading fees for Forex and commodities were better than the industry average. For example, the spread for EUR/USD was 0.9 pips.
Use our guide to choose the best forex broker in South Africa.
The process of choosing a broker begins with learning where your potential broker is regulated. South Africa-based traders may choose between FSCA-regulated brokers as well as brokers regulated by other regulators. Some traders would find the domestic regulation more comfortable to work with.
Traders should focus on important protection options like negative balance protection, segregated funds, and compensation funds, which will cover their backs if the broker has financial problems.
Read more about Best regulated forex brokers.
Typically, brokers charge spreads, commissions, swap/rollover fees, and inactivity fees.
The spread is the difference between the bid and the ask price. The higher the spread, the more you pay for the trade. We consider spreads below 1 pip for EUR/USD and 3 pips for GBP/JPY to be low.
A commission is a fixed cost of entering the trade. Usually, accounts that charge commissions offer low spreads. Commissions below $3 are considered to be low for forex pairs and gold.
A swap/rollover fee is charged when you hold a leveraged position overnight. Traders should pay extra attention to these fees if they plan to use swing trading strategies, which involve holding positions for several days or even weeks. For forex pairs, a swap rate below 0.5 pips is viewed as a good result.
An inactivity fee is a fee that is charged by the broker if your account is dormant. In this case, a certain amount of money is charged on a monthly basis. An inactivity fee below $10 is considered to be low.
Typically, most brokers provide access to MetaTrader4 and/or MetaTrader5. Those are sophisticated platforms with a variety of tools tailored mainly for experienced traders, hence, beginners may have to spend some time learning the ropes.
Some brokers have also developed in-house trading platforms. Usually, such platforms are focused on the needs of different levels of traders. They are easy to navigate and simple to use.
The choice of trading platform depends on personal preferences and trading experience. Beginner traders will be better off starting with a simple platform or a mobile app, while advanced traders will likely choose MT4/MT5.
Read more about Best MetaTrader 4 brokers and Best MetaTrader 5 brokers.
Leverage allows traders to use borrowed funds to increase their profits. The higher the leverage, the higher your potential profits are. However, leverage is a double-edged sword, and using high leverage also boosts your potential losses.
South Africa-based traders have access to aggressive leverage. In fact, one of the brokers in our list offers leverage of 1:unlimited.
Here are the five things to avoid when choosing a forex broker in South Africa:
To avoid forex scams, traders should first check the broker’s regulations. If the broker is regulated by a Tier-1 regulator, you are mostly protected. An unregulated broker is the most suspicious one by definition. In addition to regulations, check the following red flags:
FX Empire has been reviewing brokers since 2010 and has developed an in-depth review program of CFD brokers. We have more than a decade of experience testing brokers and abide by strict guidelines for editorial integrity. Our review process follows a thorough protocol that results in a score that is based on objective criteria and measurable data. As a result of our work, we publish a comprehensive and unbiased review, which is meant to help traders choose the broker that suits their needs.
To choose the best broker for you, we rate brokers across nine categories and calculate a score that reflects their performance. The categories include
We open accounts, test platforms, measure spreads, and chat with support teams to collect as much data as we can for each broker. In total, we examine brokers according to over 250 data points.
Each category receives a rating from one star (weak) to five stars (excellent). The broker’s total score depends on its performance in each of these nine categories.
We highlight each broker’s strengths and weaknesses, explain regulatory details, and share the results of our live tests of brokers’ fees, customer support, and trading platforms. To learn more about our review process, click here.
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.
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.
At FXEmpire, we strive to provide unbiased, thorough and accurate broker reviews by industry experts to help our users make smarter financial decisions.