EC Markets offers MT4, MT5 and its own app with a $10 minimum deposit on STD and ECN accounts and leverage of up to 1:1000. International clients trade with the Mauritius-licensed entity.
Spreads from
1 pips
Commission
$0 (spread-only)
Min deposit
$10
Established
2011
Regulated by
FSC Mauritius · FCA · ASIC · FMA (New Zealand) · FSCA (South Africa) · CMA (UAE) · FSA
Written byLaverlane Team·Updated24 Oct 2026
Researched with AI assistance and verified by our editors
Regulation
The broker lists licences with seven regulators, but international clients contract with the Mauritius entity.
EC Markets Limited is authorised by the Financial Services Commission of Mauritius under licence GB21200130, and EC Markets Limited (Seychelles) holds Seychelles FSA licence SD009. EC Markets Group Ltd is authorised by the FCA (FRN 571881), and EC Markets Financial Limited holds ASIC (AFSL 414198), New Zealand FMA (FSP197465) and South African FSCA (51886) licences. EC Markets Securities & Financial Promotion L.L.C holds UAE Capital Market Authority licence 20200000281 for ranking and advice and is not authorised to hold client assets or client money.
The website's disclaimer says it isn't intended for residents of the UK, EU or US, and the client agreement shown on the legal page is for the Mauritius entity. International clients therefore sit with an offshore Tier-3 licensee, with no statutory investor compensation scheme.
Key facts
EC Markets is an online CFD broker that reports more than a decade of experience.
Client-facing entity
EC Markets Limited (Mauritius)
Regulators
FSC Mauritius, FCA, ASIC, FMA (New Zealand), FSCA (South Africa), CMA (UAE), FSA
Restricted countries
GB, US, AT, BE, BG, HR, CY, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IE, IT, LV, LT, LU, MT, NL, PL, PT, RO, SK, SI, ES, SE
Negative-balance protection
Yes
Minimum deposit
$10
Max leverage (offshore entity)
FX majors, FX minors and metals 1:1000
Max leverage (offshore entity)
FX exotics 1:100
Max leverage (offshore entity)
Energies 1:400
Max leverage (offshore entity)
Cryptocurrencies 1:200
Max leverage (offshore entity)
Indices 1:500
Max leverage (offshore entity)
Stock CFDs 1:20
Typical EUR/USD spread
1.1 pips
Platforms
MT4, MT5, Proprietary
Account currencies
USD
The website lists 92 instruments, three account types, 24/5 customer support and trading on MT4, MT5 and the EC App. Its statistics are generated from the EC Markets group of companies.
The website is operated by EC Markets Limited (Mauritius) and isn't intended for residents of the UK, EU or US.
Best for
Pros & cons
Fund safety
The website lists regulators but no compensation scheme for international clients.
EC Markets headlines an Asset Protection Agreement and a third-party independent audit on its about page, but doesn't publish the details of either on the pages we reviewed. It doesn't state whether client money is segregated.
The Mauritius and Seychelles licences carry no statutory investor compensation scheme, unlike the UK entity's FSCS cover, which isn't available to international clients.
Account terms
The broker publishes its client agreement and risk disclosure, but not an order execution policy.
The legal page lists the Client Agreement, Privacy Policy, Risk Disclosure, Complaints Handling Policy and Client Onboarding Process for EC Markets Limited. It doesn't list an order execution policy or a conflict of interest policy.
All three accounts offer negative balance protection, and swap-free accounts are available on request on the STD and ECN accounts only.
Costs
Costs range from spread-only STD pricing to raw spreads on ECN and PRO accounts.
The STD account has spreads from 1.0 pips with no commission. The ECN account has spreads from 0.0 pips plus a commission of $1.5 per lot per side, and the PRO account has spreads from 0.0 pips with no commission and a $5,000 minimum deposit.
On the STD account, average spreads are 1.1 pips on EURUSD, 1.25 on GBPUSD and 1.14 on USDJPY. EC Markets charges no deposit fees. Swap rates aren't listed on the website.
| Instrument | Asset class | Typical spread | Unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Forex CFD | 1.1 | pips |
| GBP/USD | Forex CFD | 1.25 | pips |
| USD/JPY | Forex CFD | 1.14 | pips |
| US 100 (Nasdaq) | Index CFD | 3.85 | points |
| US 500 (S&P 500) | Index CFD | 2.88 | points |
| XAU/USD (Gold) | Commodity CFD | 0.28 | $ / oz |
| US Crude Oil | Commodity CFD | 0.039 | $ / bbl |
| BTC/USD | Crypto CFD | 16.2 | $ |
Spreads shown are typical, not guaranteed, and widen during volatile sessions or outside main market hours. Figures reflect the broker's standard retail account.
Markets
EC Markets lists 92 CFD instruments across forex, precious metals, energies, indices, cryptocurrencies and US stocks.
Forex CFD
48 pairs
Index CFD
13 indices
Commodity CFD
Metals, energies, softs
Single-Stock CFD
20 shares
Crypto CFD
Available ✓ · Weekend trading ✓
Real ownership: Stocks / ETFs
N/A for this broker, CFDs only
The website lists 48 forex pairs, 2 precious metals (gold and silver), 2 energies (Brent and WTI), 13 indices, 7 cryptocurrencies and 20 US stock CFDs. Cryptocurrency CFDs trade 24/7, while stock CFDs trade Monday to Friday during US hours.
All products are CFDs, so you don't own the underlying asset.
Platforms
Trading runs on MT4, MT5 and the EC App.
All account types support MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 on desktop and mobile, with Expert Advisors supported. The EC App for iOS and Android adds price and order alerts and account management.
EC AutoTrade lets followers copy verified strategy providers within MetaTrader 5, from 0.01 lots.
Execution
EC Markets uses market execution and publishes group execution statistics.
All accounts use market execution through an automated order execution system. At our review on 24 October 2026, the pricing page reported an average execution speed of 0.004 seconds. It also reported 95.71% of orders executed at the requested price or better and 99% successful execution, generated from the EC Markets group of companies.
Leverage
Leverage reaches 1:1000 on forex majors, minors and metals.
Leverage is fixed per asset class: up to 1:1000 on FX majors, minors and metals, 1:100 on FX exotics, 1:500 on indices, 1:400 on energies, 1:200 on cryptocurrencies and 1:20 on stock CFDs. That is far above the 1:30 retail cap in the UK, EU and Australia.
Margin call is at 50% and stop-out at 30% on all account types. EC Markets reserves the right to apply a maximum leverage of 1:30 where necessary.
A margin call is a warning that your account is running low on funds, and a stop-out is the level at which the broker starts closing your trades automatically.
Account types
EC Markets offers STD, ECN and PRO accounts.
| Account | Min deposit | Commission | Swap | Spread | Demo | Islamic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STD | $10 | Spread-only | Swap-free available on request | From 1 pips · Variable | Yes | Yes |
| ECN | $10 | $1.5 per lot per side | Swap-free available on request | From 0 pips · Variable | Yes | Yes |
| PRO | $5000 | Spread-only | Not Available | From 0 pips · Variable | Yes | No |
The STD and ECN accounts require a $10 deposit and the PRO account $5,000. All accounts trade from 0.01 lots, are denominated in USD, and allow up to 50 lots per order with no cap on total trade size.
Swap-free accounts are available on request on the STD and ECN accounts, and all three accounts list negative balance protection.
Funding
EC Markets charges no deposit fees and states withdrawals are credited within 2 hours.
The minimum deposit is $10 on the STD and ECN accounts and $5,000 on the PRO account. The EC App lets you fund your account and withdraw from your phone.
The website doesn't list the payment methods available or any withdrawal fees.
Support
Support is available 24/5 by email and contact form.
The website lists 24/5 customer support, with an email address (support@ecmarkets.com) and an online contact form. The site is available in several languages, and the company describes its client support as multilingual.
Research includes EC Insights market analysis and an economic calendar, and education covers the EC Academy and a glossary.
Availability
The website isn't intended for residents of the UK, EU or US.
EC Markets' disclaimer says its website isn't intended for residents of the UK, EU, US or any other jurisdiction where its distribution or use may violate local laws, regulations or sanctions.
Check the client agreement during registration to confirm which entity you would contract with.
Verdict
EC Markets combines a $10 minimum deposit, raw-spread ECN and PRO accounts and access to MT4, MT5 and the EC App with negative balance protection. The trade-off is regulatory: international clients contract with EC Markets Limited, licensed by the FSC in Mauritius, so no Tier-1 regulator oversees their accounts and no statutory compensation scheme applies.
EC Markets may suit you if you want to start with a small deposit, trade on MT4 or MT5 and use raw spreads on an ECN or PRO account. It is less suitable if you need Tier-1 oversight or statutory compensation cover.
It's aimed at forex and CFD traders, Expert Advisor users and copy traders who are comfortable with high leverage and an offshore broker. Newer traders who want strict leverage caps and statutory protection may prefer a Tier-1 regulated broker.
FAQ
EC Markets is an online CFD broker offering 92 instruments across forex, precious metals, energies, indices, cryptocurrencies and US stocks. It offers STD, ECN and PRO accounts on MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and the EC App. International clients contract with EC Markets Limited, licensed in Mauritius.
EC Markets operates through several entities and lists seven regulators: the FSC (Mauritius), FCA, ASIC, FMA, FSCA, the UAE CMA and the Seychelles FSA. The website isn't intended for residents of the UK, EU or US. International clients contract with EC Markets Limited, which holds FSC Mauritius licence GB21200130 and carries no statutory investor compensation scheme.
The minimum deposit is $10 on the STD and ECN accounts and $5,000 on the PRO account. All accounts are denominated in USD and trade from 0.01 lots.
The broker states that withdrawals are credited within 2 hours and that it charges no deposit fees. The website doesn't list withdrawal fees or the payment methods available.
The broker offers MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and the EC App for iOS and Android. Expert Advisors are supported on MetaTrader, and EC AutoTrade offers copy trading within MetaTrader 5. Stock CFDs are available on MT5 and the EC App for Android.
Alternatives
Eightcap offers CFDs on 850+ markets through TradingView, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and TradeLocker, with a Raw account that starts from 0.0 pips. Clients outside the regulated regions contract with Eightcap Global Limited in The Bahamas, which carries no statutory compensation scheme.
Octa offers swap-free forex and CFD trading on OctaTrader, MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, with no trading commission and a $25 minimum deposit. Accounts on octabroker.com are with Versustrategy Inc, registered in Saint Lucia, and the legal documents page lists no financial regulator.
JustMarkets offers leverage of up to 1:3000, swap-free trading and MT4, MT5 and its own app, but international clients contract with an offshore Seychelles entity without a statutory compensation scheme.
FXCM offers forex and CFD trading on Trading Station, MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and TradingView. Accounts on the international website are with Stratos Global LLC, an offshore entity in St Vincent and the Grenadines that sits outside the group’s regulated companies.
ThinkMarkets offers ThinkTrader, TradingView, MT4 and MT5 with 4,000+ instruments and leverage of up to 1:500 on Standard and ThinkZero accounts. International clients contract with a Seychelles-licensed entity.
IronFX operates as a retail CFD broker providing high leverage up to 1:1000 on MetaTrader 4, but international clients contract through an offshore entity without statutory compensation protection.
CFI Financial offers MT5, TradingView and its own app with no minimum deposit and leverage of up to 1:500. International clients trade with CFI International Ltd, licensed in Mauritius.
FBS offers accessible trading conditions with low entry deposits, but international clients contract with an offshore entity without statutory compensation protection.
General CFD risk warning
CFDs are complex leveraged products and carry a high risk of rapid losses. They do not give you ownership of the underlying asset. Depending on your jurisdiction, broker entity and client classification, protections such as leverage limits and negative-balance protection may differ or may not apply. Where negative-balance protection is not provided, losses may exceed the funds you deposit. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford the high risk of losing your money.
Disclaimer
This page is provided for general information only. Nothing on this page constitutes investment, tax or trading advice, or a recommendation to open an account or trade with a particular broker. Laverlane does not provide personalised investment advice. We are not a broker or financial institution, we do not arrange or execute trades, and we do not hold client funds.
Broker availability, spreads, fees, leverage, products and legal protections, including compensation schemes and negative-balance protection, vary by the broker’s legal entity, your country of residence and your client classification, and may change over time. Where a broker is required to publish its retail CFD loss rate, that figure is shown on its review page. Spreads shown are typical figures as at our verification date; they are not guaranteed and may widen, particularly during volatile market conditions.
Laverlane Scores reflect the information available at our most recent review. They are editorial assessments, not guarantees of a broker’s financial strength, reliability or future performance. Where we report a regulator warning or enforcement notice, it reflects the official public information available at the time of our review.
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