The Best Forex brokers in South Africa and how to find one

Hello and welcome to my website ForexBrokersList.co.za,  I will try to guide you through the Forex Trading industry. Since you ended up on this website, you must be looking for the best Forex brokers in South Africa to trade with. That’s a great but at the same time a hard task especially for beginner traders. But do not worry as I am here with one mission, to help you determine who are the best brokerages you can safely invest your money with and how can you choose the right broker based on your needs and goals in Forex trading.

Speaking from my own experience, the process of choosing the right FX broker can be a real headache, it requires a lot of research & reading and at the end of the day, you might find yourself doubting yourself.  To prevent you from all these unpleasant and time-consuming activities, I will provide the list of the best South African Forex brokers that provide the most quality service for both beginners and veterans of Forex trading. Alongside the list, you can check detailed reviews of the Forex brokers and decide which one meets your requirements the most. Let’s not lose any more time and start with the Forex brokers available in South Africa, who are the best among them, what do you need to know about the regulations in the country and how should you choose them.

Top Forex Brokers in South Africa

Forex trading in South Africa is getting more and more popular for many reasons. The main reason is the lack of job opportunities that push people, especially the younger generation to find better ways of earning money. At the same time, the country is developing quite rapidly, therefore more and more people are presented with better financial education and advantages for Forex trading. Therefore while the South Africa Forex brokers list is not very long yet, it is expected that soon many international brokers will start providing their service and new local brokerages will appear.

These are two types of brokers that you can trade with as a resident of South Africa – local brokerages that are based in the country and international brokers that provide their service to South Africans. Unfortunately, today it is hard for the local brokers to find their place in the list of the top brokers from South Africa. Many of them lack the experience, quality of service, and the variety of trading instruments that one can find with the well-established brokers that have experience in operating on the international Forex trading market.

As the Forex trading market is very lucrative, everywhere where there is Forex you can meet scam brokers that are trying to grab your attention at all costs and lure you into the investments with the best offers. This is a big threat especially for new traders who lack the experience in investments and instinct that can reveal scams in one glance. South Africa is not an exception, there are brokers who pretend to be one of the top 8 Forex brokers in South Africa. But my mission here is to show you how to choose the best amongst the best and not fall under the scam brokers’ spell.

Best Forex brokers in South AfricaThe quick shot of the Best Forex brokers in South Africa

The situation with the brokers is a bit tricky since Forex trading is just emerging here. The Financial Regulator of South Africa – Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) has started issuing FX broker licenses only recently. Some of the best brokers who do not have FSCA regulation yet or are in the process of obtaining it are included in the best FX brokerage list in SA. Otherwise, I would not suggest trading with a broker that is not regulated by the local regulator, as unregulated brokers do not have any legal obligation towards the financial authority and therefore neither to the South African community.  Now let’s take a look at the best South African Forex broker list and their service.

AvaTrade

Review of AvaTrade – Everything this broker has to offer

Starting Capital

$100

Financial License

FSA, FFAJ, CySEC, CBI, BVI FSC, FSCA, FSRA

Promotion

Financial Leverage

1:400

Established

2006

Trading Software

MT4, MT5, WebTrader, AvaTradeGO

XM

All you need to know about XM in this XM review

Starting Capital

$5

Financial License

CySEC, FCA, ASIC

Promotion

$30, 50%+20%

Financial Leverage

1:1000

Established

2009

Trading Software

MT4, MT5, WebTrader

Plus500

Plus500 Review – The Broker, The Myth, The Legend

Starting Capital

ZAR 1,500

Financial License

FCA, CySEC, ASIC, FSCA, FMA

Promotion

25%

Financial Leverage

1:300

Established

2008

Trading Software

MT4

RoboForex

Roboforex Review – Reliable trading platform

Starting Capital

€/$ 10

Financial License

FSC

Promotion

30%

Financial Leverage

1:2000

Established

2009

Trading Software

MT4, MT5

CM Trading

CM Trading review – How to start trading with this broker

Starting Capital

250$

Financial License

FSCA

Promotion

Financial Leverage

1:200

Established

2012

Trading Software

MT4, Sirix WebTrader, Copykat

Exness

Exness Review: Minimalism at its peak

Starting Capital

$10

Financial License

FCA, CySEC, FsA, FSCA

Promotion

10%

Financial Leverage

1:2000

Established

2008

Trading Software

MT4

IQ Options

IQ Option review – should you trade with the broker or not?

Starting Capital

$10

Financial License

CySEC

Promotion

Not Available

Financial Leverage

1:30

Established

2013

Trading Software

WebTrader

EagleFX

EagleFX Review: Essential Details

Starting Capital

$10

Financial License

N/A

Promotion

N/A

Financial Leverage

1:500

Established

2019

Trading Software

MT4

OspreyFX

OspreyFX Review- fresh brokerage in the industry

Starting Capital

$10

Financial License

N/A

Promotion

N/A

Financial Leverage

1:500

Established

2019

Trading Software

MT4

AMarkets

AMarkets Review – Is it the best to start with?

Starting Capital

$/€ 100

Financial License

FSA

Promotion

15%

Financial Leverage

1:1000

Established

2007

Trading Software

MT4

Forex.com

Forex.com review – is the broker scam or can it be trusted

Starting Capital

$50

Financial License

FCA

Promotion

Not Available

Financial Leverage

1:200

Established

1999

Trading Software

MT4, WebTrader, custom

FXRoad

All You Need to Know about FXRoad Forex Broker — A Truth Revealed!

Starting Capital

250 EUR

Financial License

FSA, Seychelles

Promotion

None

Financial Leverage

1:200

Established

Unknown

Trading Software

FXRoad web and mobile platform

HotForex

HotForex Review – The most customer-centric broker

Starting Capital

5 USD

Financial License

FCA, FSA, DFSA, FSCA

Promotion

100%, 30%, 100%

Financial Leverage

1:1000

Established

2010

Trading Software

MT4, MT5, WebTrader

ForexMart

ForexMart Review – Best Conditions to Trade

Starting Capital

15 USD

Financial License

CySEC

Promotion

30%

Financial Leverage

1:500

Established

2015

Trading Software

MT4, WebTrader

Tickmill

Tickmill Review – Premium Trading Conditions

Starting Capital

100 USD

Financial License

FSA, FCA, CySEC, FSCA, FSALM

Promotion

30% Welcome Bonus

Financial Leverage

1:500

Established

2014

Trading Software

MT4, WebTrader

FXOpen

FXOpen Review – one of the oldest brokers

Starting Capital

1 USD

Financial License

ASIC, FCA

Promotion

10 USD

Financial Leverage

1:500

Established

2005

Trading Software

MT4, MT5, WebTrader, TickTrader

XM

XM Forex broker – XM is one of the best brokers that you can get in South Africa or anywhere in the world. The broker has 10 years of experience and a solid reputation. It is equally good for both beginner and well-experienced traders. XM provides a wide range of trading instruments, the best trading platforms, and a number of bonuses. Read more about the features of the broker in the detailed review.

IQ option

IQ Option is one of the largest global brands that is presented in over 150 countries as well as South Africa. At the same time, it has seen rapid growth in the number of traders in recent years. You can learn more about the broker in the IQ options review.

Plus 500

Plus 500 has 11 years of experience and thousands of loyal customers and their number is growing. The broker is regulated by one of the most reliable regulators such as FCA (United Kingdom). It offers one of the best services for beginner traders. You can read about Plus 500 in the detailed review.

Forex.com

Forex.com is one of the oldest Forex brokerages and has twenty years of experience in providing some of the best services to its wide audience of loyal customers. This is why it is included in the best South African Forex broker list. Read about its service in Forex.com review.

 top Forex brokers list South AfricaForex industry in South Africa – regulations

As I have already mentioned the FSCA, let’s give it some time to learn more about the Forex regulations in South Africa. Every trader should be well aware of the regulations on the market to protect himself from any fraud attempts.

The financial watchdog that oversees the South African Financial industry and is FSCA. As I have mentioned the whole industry is relatively new and the regulatory side of it is just developing. FSCA was created in 2018 before that South Africa had one regulatory body for all financial sectors – FSB. In the previous year, FSB was replaced by FSCA. This is why you might have seen the FSB-regulated brokers list while searching for Forex trading brokers in South Africa. Do not get confused as the brokers who were regulated by FSB are now regulated by FSCA. But what exactly is the purpose of the regulator?

The main purpose of FSCA is to observe the Forex trading market, keep the involved parties like Forex brokerages from wrongdoing and ensure the safety of the investors’ funds. These are a few of the most important responsibilities of the financial watchdog.

  • FSCA is responsible for developing the regulatory framework for Forex trading
  • FSCA is responsible for licensing Forex brokers that want to operate in the borders of South Africa and provide investment and other financial services to the residents of the country
  • FSCA is responsible for observing brokers that are operating in SA and taking necessary measures in case of violations of regulations and investors’ rights from the FSCA regulated South African brokers forex market accommodates.
  • The financial authority is also responsible for providing quality financial education to the investors. This is a very important part of the responsibilities as it is exclusive to the FSCA, none of the other financial regulators around the world have this feature.

Local vs International brokers

As the list of the Forex brokers available in South Africa consists of local and international brokers it is very important to know the advantages and disadvantages to make the right choice.

 top Forex brokers in South Africa listAdvantages of the local brokers

The biggest advantage of working with a local broker is that it is regulated by the FSCA.

The regulator acts as sort of a back-up for the investors in case of any violation from the broker’s side. Should the violation happen, the regulator has full authority to fine the broker or in the most drastic cases, revoke their license.

 

 

best brokers in South Africa
Disadvantages of the local brokers

Unfortunately, the Best South African Forex broker list does not contain any local brokers and this has clear reasons. The local brokerages are not as experienced as the international ones, they do not have the capability to provide quality service, good trading platforms, and diversity of trading instruments.

 

 

 the best South African brokers International brokers – Pros and Cons

In order to truly maximize your safety and avoid scam brokers at all costs, it’s best to narrow your choice down to only FSCA regulated brokers, luckily there are international brands that have a local license. This way you can score two goals with one strike as you’ll have a locally regulated as well as an experienced broker to work with. Best Forex broker South Africa hosts are those who are fully regulated and have the capability of providing the best service.

You will also encounter International brokers that provide services for South Africans, but do not hold a local license. The majority of these brokers are in the middle of obtaining a license from the regulator, and it takes some time. You can start trading with one of those brokers, however, you should keep in mind that they do not have legal obligations towards the South African regulator. Therefore I would suggest you wait till they get their license.

There is one more thing you need to consider with regulations. International brokers are regulated by the financial authorities of the country they are operating in. Some of the brokers are regulated by several of them. You can see brokers that are regulated by FCA, CySEC, ASIC, or BaFin. These are the regulators of the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Australia, and Germany respectively. These regulatory bodies are considered to be the most strict and reliable authorities when it comes to regulations. Only the best brokers in South Africa hold multiple licenses and are always a safe choice.

How to choose the best Forex broker in SA

You could already understand how important the license is, however it is not the only thing you need to consider while choosing a broker. It includes many more important details. I will emphasize some of them.

The best Forex brokers list South AfricaHow the broker makes money

Beginner traders usually miss that point simply because they do not have experience in it. Just imagine you make profitable trades and expect certain profits but the broker starts to take commissions you knew nothing about.

There are some ways brokers make money. There is no shame in the broker making money, of course, it’s a business, not a charity. One of the most popular ways brokers make money is spread, therefore when you see the quote you already know that it includes their profit. Most brokers try to maximize their spread but to a point where they can still maintain an audience. If you see brokers with tight spreads it usually means that they have other means of making money, or they can just afford it thanks to their large customer base.

Another way is the commission, thankfully, you will not see the best Forex broker South Africa offers to use this method frequently. The commissions can vary depending on what instruments you trade and are usually applied per lot. As it can be a big punch to your profits, you need to be aware of how much money you are actually making on your trades, and whether or not it’s still feasible to remain with the broker.

Other than that, some brokers go further and have so-called hidden fees. Fees can be applied on almost anything, there can be fees for depositing and withdrawal, account maintenance fee, or inactivity fee that can be applied after 60 days of not trading or more.

When choosing a broker you need to make sure you know all of the fees and commissions in order to correctly calculate your profits. In the ideal case, there must not be any such fees or commissions.

top Forex brokers in South Africa listThe broker that is compatible

The best FSB regulated Forex brokers in South Africa consist of the brokers that are good for beginner traders as well as experienced ones. It is quite hard to cater to both calibers, as they require different services and terms. Furthermore, the transition of traders from newbie to expert needs to be taken under consideration as they will require new and refined services as well.

Therefore it is imperative that you choose a broker that can cater to both types of customers. This makes sure that you can actually stay with them, once you gain some experience. Brokers that are designed for beginners usually struggle to retain them, once the traders gain experience.

 

Forex brokers list South Africa

The broker that educates you

Unfortunately, this feature is often underrated. Let’s put it straight the trading process is pretty much against the broker, therefore it is more profitable for them that your trade is unsuccessful. However, the best South African brokers try to educate you and provide the necessary knowledge to help you get better. While there’s a lot of educational material on the internet, it is always good to get them directly from your broker. The best brokers provide a wide range of educational content on their website, many of them have a huge video and written content library available for their customers. Some of them are even hosting webinars and seminars that can have great value, especially for beginners.

 

Top Forex brokers in South AfricaSupportive broker

Just like education, the support system of the broker is also often missed during research. Many traders do not remember it until they face some technical issue or a problem only to find out that the broker is either unreachable or does not provide much help. When you are choosing your broker from the top Forex trading companies in South Africa, it is less likely to happen, but there are exceptions. To be on the safe side, I would suggest you check the broker’s support system before you open an account with them.

The very first recommendation would be to check how many ways are there to connect with the broker, in the best case scenario the broker should have a live chat readily available for quick questions. Ideally, the broker should also provide one or several email addresses of the support team for more serious matters. It is understandable that email communication can be slow, especially when the broker has a lot of customers, however, it should not take more than several hours to get a response. If you are not getting a response back for several days it should be a red flag. What if you have a serious issue and nobody takes care of it?!

Moreover, the broker should provide the support phone number for urgent issues, furthermore, many of the top international brokers will offer separate customer support for the countries it is operating in, or have the availability of the support team in various languages

Last but not least, the best brokers South Africa is offering its international clients, should have support available 24/7 when the market is open and should provide full and professional responses to your questions and solve the issues in a professional and in a timely manner.

list of best South African Forex brokersThe broker should have satisfied customers

Forex brokers list South Africa has many different Forex brokers, but all of them will tell you they have an army of loyal and satisfied customers that are more than happy to be trading with them. Claiming something like this and providing the statistics to back it up is so easy that everyone can make it. The most important thing is what the actual customers have to say about the broker. There are many reviews made by the customers that you should see before you make up your mind.

The thing you need to understand is that there is a little chance that all the customers will talk positively about the broker. I have seen many reviews made by customers who simply lost money not because of the broker but because of the lack of knowledge and skills. However, blaming the broker formed as a sort of a scapegoat. This is why you need to take the customer reviews with a grain of salt, does not matter if the review is bad or good.

best south African brokersChoose the best Forex broker in South Africa

If you take this information and advice into account, the process of choosing a broker from the list of Forex brokers in South Africa that are considered best in the market will be a walk in the park. Remember to stay safe and always check the regulation of the broker directly with the regulator, choose the broker that is known for their good service worldwide and always check how the broker is making money to protect yourself from unnecessary charges. Before making the decision take a look at the features of the broker and test the support team by yourself. In the industry of Forex South African brokers list grows more and more but with these techniques, you’ll be able to differentiate the good from the bad, and the good from the great.

FAQ on best Forex brokers in South Africa

Which is the best South African Forex broker

There are many options when it comes to choosing the Forex broker in South Africa, but few of the brokerage service provider firms stand out with their exceptional service, credibility, and reputation, such as XM Forex broker. The reason why we advise XM for South African Forex traders is its broad range of account options and bonus programs offered regularly to the clients. XM has five different accounts available for traders, including Standard, Micro, Ultra-Low, and Shares accounts. These accounts offer the lowest deposit requirements, starting from $5 and most of these account holders are eligible to receive free $30, 30% deposit bonus, or 50% deposit bonuses.

Is Forex legal in South Africa?

Trading Forex is an absolutely legal and accepted activity in South Africa. Moreover, the country has become one of the safest and secure places to start trading, as they have adopted a new regulation on Forex trading recently. FSCA or the Financial Sector Conduct Authority is a regulatory body that controls and safeguards the financial market. FSCA has replaced a previous Financial Services Board (FSB) and has broadened its scope of conduct. Nowadays, most of the brokers that operate in South Africa or work with South African clients on a regular basis, will normally hold an FSCA license. The license is some sort of proof of the security of trader’s rights and their financial funds with the brokers. It is always recommended to look for the FSCA-approved or regulated Forex brokers in South Africa to start trading Forex, as this way, you will avoid getting scammed, or losing your funds due to the brokerage firm’s misfortunes.

Who regulates Forex in South Africa?

The Financial Sector Conduct Authority, or shortly FSCA is the main regulatory authority currently in South Africa. The FSCA has replaced FSB (Financial Services Board) in 2018 and is operating since then as the main financial market controller. It has to be noted that before 2017, the Forex market was unregulated in South Africa and the traders had to go through a lot of burdens, deceptions, and scams as they were dealing with non-legit brokerage companies. Fortunately, nowadays, FSCA makes sure that all of the top brokerage firms that satisfy its requirement are licensed and comply with the financial standards and rules adopted by the regulatory body. The regulation benefits both the brokers and trades, however, the most crucial part of it is the client’s financial security. For instance, regulated brokers are regularly audited and are required to hold different accounts for the company and the traders. It means that in case the company goes broke, clients’ funds are safe and every trader will receive a refund for their trading accounts. Therefore, keep in mind that all the best Forex brokers in South Africa should hold the license of FSCA, or at least regulation granted by any other famous international regulatory body.

Which bank is best for Forex in South Africa?

Most of South Africa’s “big 5” banks would work for the Forex traders in South Africa, however, the traders’ top choice is still FNB or First National Bank of South Africa. FNB has actually been the best Foreign Exchange provide for five consecutive years. Most probably, the reason behind it is the Global Payments and Global Account that the bank offers. Global Payments is a secure solution adopted for those who intend to make an offshore investment, while Global Account allows saving funds in a foreign currency. Moreover, FNB has an easily accessible online platform that is compatible with every kind of device.

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