IG Group — where it wins, where it loses
IG Group wins on headline spread, no minimum deposit, regulatory reach, platform choice. No column in our set puts it behind the field. Priced across ten round-turn EUR/USD lots it comes 9 of 39 in this field.
Column by column
The split
Two lists, no averaging. A broker that takes a column outright appears on the left of it; one that gets beaten on a column appears on the right. Nothing is scored into a single number, because a single number hides which side you actually care about.
Wins on
- headline spread
- no minimum deposit
- regulatory reach
- platform choice
Loses on
No column in this set puts IG Group behind the field.
Cost per 10 lots is the EUR/USD spread cost of ten round-turn standard lots at the figure above, commission excluded. Where a broker publishes a "from" spread rather than an average, the comparison inherits that limitation — see the unconfirmed list further down.
Licensing
Which entity, which regulator, which number
Tier decides how much weight a licence carries in any safety column. Each row links to the page it was read from.
| Regulator | Number | Jurisdiction | Tier | Entity | Read from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FCA | 195355 | UK | Tier 1 | IG Markets Limited | register.fca.org.uk |
| FCA | 114059 | UK | Tier 1 | IG Index Limited | register.fca.org.uk |
| BaFin | Germany | Tier 1 | IG Europe GmbH | iggroup.com | |
| FINMA | Switzerland | Tier 1 | IG Bank S.A. | iggroup.com | |
| ASIC | AFSL 220440 | Australia | Tier 1 | IG Markets Limited (Australian branch) | treasury.gov.au |
| MAS | Singapore | Tier 1 | IG Asia Pte Ltd | iggroup.com | |
| NFA/CFTC | NFA ID 0509630 | USA | Tier 1 | tastyfx LLC | iggroup.com |
Checkable
Facts the comparison runs on
On the record
- IG states it was founded in 1974 as the world's first spread betting firm.
- IG Group Holdings plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange under ticker IGG.
- IG Markets Limited is authorised by the FCA with firm reference number 195355.
- IG Bank S.A. is authorised as a bank and securities dealer by FINMA in Switzerland.
- IG's US retail FX business operates as tastyfx LLC, an NFA member (NFA ID 0509630).
- IG Group Holdings plc announced on 30 July 2026 that it has agreed to acquire Underdog (Underdog Sports Holdings, Inc.), a leading US daily fantasy sports and prediction markets operator, for total consideration of up to approximately $1.3 billion (https://www.iggroup.com/investor-relations/press-releases/2026/acquisition-of-underdog).
- FINRA's published disciplinary actions for July 2026 include an Acceptance, Waiver and Consent in which tastytrade, Inc. (fka tastyworks, Inc., CRD #277027, Chicago, Illinois), a US brokerage subsidiary of IG Group, was censured and fined $200,000 for failing to report at least 71 written customer complaints and related supervisory failures (https://www.finra.org/sites/default/files/2026-07/disciplinary-actions-july-2026.pdf).
| Trading since | 1974 |
|---|---|
| Base | London, UK |
| Minimum to open | None |
| Leverage cap | 1:30 (UK/EU retail) |
| EUR/USD | 0.60 pips |
| Terminals | Proprietary web platform, MT4, ProRealTime, L2 Dealer, Mobile apps |
| Account tiers | CFD, Spread betting, Share dealing, Professional |
| Markets | Forex, Indices, Commodities, Shares, Bonds, ETFs, Options, Cryptocurrency (selected entities) |
| Record confidence | high |
| Matchup-ready | yes — enough public cost data to run a head-to-head |
Excluded from the maths
Not verified
Not verified
These fields are not confirmed. They are shown as gaps, not filled in, and they do not feed any column of the matrix:
- BaFin licence number for IG Europe GmbH
- FINMA licence number for IG Bank S.A.
- MAS CMS licence number for IG Asia Pte Ltd
Costs less
Who beats IG Group on price
Tickmill
$10.00 per 10 lots · wins on headline spread, platform choice
Eightcap
$10.00 per 10 lots · wins on regulatory reach
JustMarkets
$30.00 per 10 lots · wins on headline spread
CMC Markets
$50.00 per 10 lots · wins on headline spread, no minimum deposit, regulatory reach, platform choice
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 74% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money. Verify every figure with the broker before opening an account.