Top 3 Australia Brokers
Trading in the forex market is extremely popular amongst residents in Australia and even international traders may sometimes opt for a broker based in Australia. The financial market regulator in Australia is the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC), which has kept a very tight control over the entire industry. This means that before any broker starts accepting forex and CFD traders, they have to be authorized by this particular regulating body. The Australian Securities Commission was founded in 1991, but it was eventually dissolved.
Then, in 1998, the ASIC was established as a national regulatory authority, which is bound to report to the treasurer. Other than that, it also administers legislation for the National Consumer Credit Protection Act of 2009, the Corporations Acts of 2001 and the Insurance Act of 1984.
While there are a magnitude of brokers to choose from in Australia, it is often difficult for traders to find the right broker who can actually be a true partner in their trading needs. Reliable forex brokers in Australia are regulated by the ASIC and the top three brokers you can consider are:
Pepperstone
Pepperstone Group Limited is an Australian-based firm that was established in 2010 and the Pepperstone broker is its subsidiary, which has grown quickly into one of the largest forex and CFD brokers all over the world. It was also launched in the UK in 2016 for seeing to the needs of European and UK clients. Overall, the offices of the broker can be found in different financial destinations such as Bangkok, Dallas, London and Melbourne. Originally, Pepperstone was founded as a specialist broker that provided access to low spread pricing and interbank execution.
However, Pepperstone eventually established its services for both institutional and retail traders via low-cost pricing and become an execution-only broker. The market offerings of the broker includes a range of prominent indices, more than 70 currency pairs, cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Dash, Litecoin and Ethereum, commodities and metals. It has received numerous awards because it constantly strives to provide its clients with some of the best options in the market.
The broker is regulated by the ASIC in Australia as well as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom. Thus, there is no need for the traders to have any doubt about the broker’s reliability. It follows the strict capital requirements outlined by the ASIC and FCA, keeps traders’ accounts segregated from company funds and complies with internal risk management. Pepperstone offers a total of 11 trading platforms, which includes the popular MT4, the newer MT5 as well as cTrader, on different versions. This allows you to get a really powerful trading solution and use your own strategy as it supports all trading styles.
You can opt for the desktop version, the web version or the mobile version of your chosen platform. You will enjoy a rich and user-friendly interface that comprises of a ton of indicators, order management tools, expert advisors and more. You will find different types of accounts on Pepperstone as well, which it has designed to accommodate all kinds of traders. The quality performance is consistent in all account types, the features and spreads in each account may vary. The account offerings have been uniquely designed to fulfill the needs of beginner, skilled and professional traders. A SWAP free account is also available for traders who wish to trade in accordance with Sharia laws.
Another point to consider about Pepperstone is their customer support. They are committed to meeting the needs of the clients in the best possible way so they have a 24 hour live chat facility, real time news feed and plenty of educational resources and materials. There are numerous currencies to choose from and multiple methods available for deposits and withdrawals to make the process convenient for all traders. This makes it a reliable and comprehensive trading solution for everyone.
IC Markets
A team of professionals established IC Markets in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and their aim was to offer trading solutions that could bridge the gap between retail and institutional traders. It has now become one of the top brokers in Australia and has a Chinese Support center that allows it to offer competitive trading solutions. The broker gives you access to a variety of markets, which includes forex, equities, futures, commodities, bonds, stock and now cryptocurrencies as well. IC Markets has added some of the top cryptocurrencies, which include Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Ethereum and Dash.
Since it is an ECN environment provider, IC Markets can offer its customers with spreads as low as zero pips from liquidity suppliers that comprise of more than 50 banks and also dark pool liquidity sources. Therefore, the broker is a popular choice for scalpers, EA traders, volume traders and robots and there is no manipulation of prices. Not only does the broker aim to offer the best technological solutions to its clientele, but also provide them with reliable and quality customer support.
As it is backed by a team of experts in the forex industry, IC Markets understands the needs of the traders very well. The broker offers comprehensive educational materials for free as well as numerous technical reports, informational tools and video tutorials for properly explaining different aspects of trading. You don’t have to worry about safety and security either with IC Markets because it is properly licensed and regulated by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC).
The regulations of the ASIC provide money protection, which includes client money segregation where the accounts can only be accessed by the clients for trading purposes. Other than the technical optimization that the broker has to offer, IC Markets has also added some advanced software proposals. Two of the best trading platforms that you will find on IC Markets are none other than MetaTrader 4 and cTrader. They have also added the option of the newer MetaTrader 5, which is an improved and updated version that comes with brand new features.
There are three main account types that you will find, which boast the same power and compatibility offered by the company, but are designed to fulfill the needs of different trading styles. There are up to 10 currencies supported and there is a multi-lingual customer service to assist you if you need. A Sharia compliant SWAP free account can also be created on IC Markets. A free demo account option is also provided for the convenience of the traders. With leverage off up to 1:500 and flexible funding options, IC Markets is truly a versatile and popular broker.
AxiTrader
Based in Australia, AxiTrader was founded in 2007 and operated successfully in the first few years. This allowed the broker to be ranked in the list of most trusted Australian Forex brokers. As part of the company’s global enlargement campaign, it opened an office in London in 2012 as a subsidiary in order to offer its services there. It provides financial products centered on foreign exchange and is primarily aimed at retail traders. Fast execution and tight spreads are the standard features on all account types available with AxiTrader.
Apart from that, traders who sign up with the broker can enjoy direct access to numerous liquidity providers from more than the 14 largest banks in the world. Moreover, since AxiTrader saw a major boost in its trading volume, it launched its operations in numerous countries, including China, Middle East, Latin America, Germany and more and also introduced multi-lingual customer support. As a matter of fact, the broker has gained recognition all over the industry for its award-winning customer support.
Again, security is guaranteed at AxiTrader because it has been timelessly voted for its trustworthiness and the fact that it is regulated by the ASIC in Australia and the FCA in the UK. Traders can rest assured that they are dealing with a transparent broker, which maintains segregated accounts in top-tier banks and there are solid compensation schemes in place. When it comes to trading platfofrms, the MetaTrader 4 has been made available by AxiTrader and this includes its Web, Android, iPad and iPhone versions.
Not only is it a powerful platform, but traders also get to enjoy a wide array of tools that can be immensely helpful. Automated trading can be performed via EAs and trading signals can also be used for adjusting your trading strategies. One of the best things about AxiTrader is that it has kept the process of creating an account simple and uncomplicated. There are two main account types, one for beginners and one for experts. There is also a demo account available for 30 days that can be used for practicing.
AxiTrader offers market competitive spreads and leverage as high as 1:400. When it comes to funding your account with broker, there are several options that you will find, each with different fees associated with them. There are no minimum deposit requirements set by the broker for the convenience of its traders.
You can sign up with any one of these top brokers in Australia and trade stress-free.